Page 5 of Levi
I ring her again and the line picks up.Thank god!
“Hello?”I hear on the other line.
“Who the fuck is this?”I yell, not recognizing the voice.
“Oh, I just picked this up after a woman threw it out her window…” I hang up not listening to the rest of her annoying voice.
After tossing the phone in the seat next to me, I rest my hands on my face and try to gather my thoughts and catch my breath.She left.She left and thinks that she’s not enough for me.I thought that telling her those things would send her running out and not explode into this earth-shattering public scene.
What have I done?
“Take me to work,” I tell Mitch.
She needs some time to cool off and I’ll give her a few hours, then go home and tell her everything.She’ll understand once she learns about the threat, and then we can put this behind us.
“Yes sir,” Mitch says begrudgingly.I know he wants to beat the shit out of me right now and I don’t blame him.He and Dr.Jordan both warned me about putting her into this position, and I didn’t listen.
Levi
“Hello?”I answer the phone as Mitch drives us back to the office.
“Mr.Thorne, a detective at LAPD has been calling for hours trying to get ahold of you,” Carly, my secretary, informs me as I lean my head against the headrest.I can feel a headache brewing.“They have Blaire Hutchins in custody, wanting to speak to her attorney.”
“Can you have Henry handle this?”
“Henry is on vacation, out of the country, until next Wednesday, sir.”
I blow out a heavy breath, “Text me which precinct they have her at and I’ll take care of it.”
I hang up and immediately get the text from Carly.After telling Mitch the location, he puts his blinker on and we head in that direction.
Blaire is a problem between me and Saylor.When her best friend, Everly, was attacked and put into the hospital from one of Blaire’s models, Pandora’s Box was opened.Saylor learned that Blaire hired out her models to wealthy men, to further their careers in the public’s view.Blaire was my brother’s first client after leaving our dad’s law firm.There was an arrangement that was made long before I came on, after passing the bar.As time went on, Blaire started approaching me about letting the models take care of more than just photo opportunities at events.At first, I had no idea that she was offering sex after dates with her models but somehow it snowballed into that.Lincoln was using Blaire, so I thought it wasn’t a big deal.Blaire and I had a few months of sex, until she paired me up with her newest signed client, who was wanting to become an actress.Josie was nice and from a small town in Iowa.She seemed to have some major goals and wanted to focus on them, in order to succeed.It was something I could appreciate since I’d rather be anywhere else than in the spotlight.
Over time, it was so simple to show up at events with one of Blaire’s clients and play a role smiling at the cameras then mingling with potential clients that Lincoln was trying to snag.Then I’d go home; sometimes with sex at a hotel or in the back of the town car along the way.It was uncomplicated and easy to make a call and pick someone up last minute.Also, I have a hard time connecting with people on an intimate level.Sure, I can have sex, a lot actually, but there is no connection there.I have trust issues that stem back to my mother and father always picking their next fix over me and my brother.Their choices have fucked with me ever since they died, when I was seven years old.My aunt and uncle love me but, as a child and even now, I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop.I like to keep people at a distance so that no one is able to leave me again, which is why I liked working with Blaire.
That is until Saylor walked in and changed my whole world.It was like I’d been waiting for her to show up and tilt my axis.She made me want to be a better version of myself.To connect with something other than money and winning.I stopped going to functions because I’d rather spend more time with her than a group of strangers.I learned we shared a love of the great outdoors.I opened up about fixing up houses and she urged me to pursue it.I’d taken her to a few of my projects and she fell in love with them.We’d work together in the evenings on a house sometimes, and it was then that I knew she was the one for me.
“Hopefully this won’t take long,” I tell Mitch, as he opens my door for me.
“I’ll go and grab some coffee from around the corner.”
I nod then head into the police station.
“Remove all phones and laptops and place them in the bin,” an officer says, after I inform the desk who I’m here to see.
Once I’ve cleared the detectors, they bring me down to a small room with two metal chairs and a table.What in the world could Blaire have gotten herself into?A few minutes later, the door opens and in walks a very disheveled Blaire in an orange jumpsuit, with both her hands and ankles handcuffed.The female officer forces her down in the metal chair and then locks her cuffs to the table.
“No touching,” the officer states firmly, then walks out of the room and stands with her back facing the door.
Blaire looks a mess.Her hair is all over the place and her eyes are almost swollen shut.Shit, did someone work her over in there or what?Christ, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look like this.
“Levi,” Blaire bellows, “you have to get me out of here.”
I’ve never seen her act so vulnerable in my life.Ever since I’ve known her, she has always shown a strong dominate, in control attitude with anything that was thrown at her.This person in front of me is not the Blaire Hutchins that brought me my first client, and who provided me dates to functions.
She tries to reach out for my hand, but a loud banging on the door makes her drop her hand mid-air.
“Blaire, what is going on?Why are you in here?”I ask, leaning on the metal table in front of us.Surely unpaid parking tickets don’t result in this much disarray.
