Page 22 of Sinful Lies
Chapter 12
Dia
Iroll onto my backand stare up at the white ceiling. That familiar ache between my legs is pulsing harder than it ever has, and I know it’s because of Reed. After feeling his body pressed against me last night and tasting him on my lips, I can’t stop thinking about him touching me. I imagine him lying next to me, his fingers strumming my clit until I writher underneath him. The very thought of him has me reaching under the sheets to relieve the pressure. I clench my eyes closed, gasping his name as heat rushes through me.
After I come down from the temporary high, I twist my head to the side to glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table. Three p.m.
I cried myself to sleep last night and slept hard. That kind of anxiety is exhausting, but I didn’t expect to waste the entire day away. Something I wouldn’t have been able to do if Ben hadn’t stayed away. He’s probably at his condo in the city. He stays there a lot. Not that I mind. The further away from me he is, the better. I drag myself out of bed and run my fingers through my matted hair. It’s tangled and catches on my ring. My eyes water from the pain when I yank my hand from my hair. I slide the ring off my finger, tossing it onto the bed. I don’t need it anymore.
I head to the bathroom and give the door knob a twist and pull until I’m satisfied it’s locked securely before undressing. I’m proud of myself for standing up to Ben and finally finding the strength to protect myself instead of worrying about protecting Reed. After the scene I caused, I don’t trust Reed not to return when my guard is down and I’m vulnerable. As soothing as the hot water feels on the aches and pains, I shower quickly.
I don’t know if I’ll still have a job come Monday, so I need to head to the docks. What Reed said to me about women suffering keeps running through my mind. What does he mean? What’s inside the cargo containers and which ones?
I wrap a towel tight around my body and open the door, peering through a small opening to make sure I’m still alone before exiting the bathroom. I move fast, getting dressed in a pair of jeans, a tee shirt and sneakers. I grab a small bag from the closet and toss in clothes. Moving back to the bedroom, I swipe makeup, brushes and face creams off the top of the vanity and into the bag. It’s over filled, but I give the zipper a hard tug, forcing the contents down with my hand at the same time.Good enough.
I swing the bag over my shoulder and rush the stairs. I make it to the car, tossing the bag in the back as I turn over the engine. Today marks the first day of the rest of my life. I’m so close to being free of Ben, my heart swells with the feeling of relief. Once I’m gone, I’m never looking back. I have to come through for Reed first. I wasn’t expecting to see him last night, and I certainly didn’t expect him to ask for my help, but here we are. I won’t let him down. Reed is not the monster everyone thinks he is, he’s one of the good guys. I know it, even if his tattoos, scruffy appearance and the sinful lies I’ve been told portray something sinister. The devil hides in plain sight, blending in with the folks around him. Nothing about Reed or the guys in his club blend in.
The tension in my neck is causing my head to ache. I’m white knuckling the steering wheel by the time I pull into the parking lot in front of the small warehouse we use as office space for Cross Shipping. I inhale a calming breath when I notice there’s only one other car in the lot and it’s not Ben’s. I pull into my space and park my car, forcing on my best smile. I’m the office manager and the bosses’ wife, for now. There’s nothing unusual about putting in weird hours. I open the front door and step into the reception area. With only one employee working, it’s quiet in here, which allows me to relax my shoulders a bit. I don’t want to appear nervous.
I continue past the small reception desk, stopping at the counter to toss a pod into the coffeemaker. From this advantage point, I can scan the offices in the back while I wait for it to brew. The lights are off in all but one office, the one next to mine. I mix cream and sugar into my cup when the chimes on the front door cause me to jump.
“Mrs. Cross, I wasn’t expecting you in today. Is everything alright?” Sam, our dock manager, steps alongside of me. He reaches in front of me for a coffee pod, knocking his burly arm against my shoulder. The smile under his beard is as convincing as mine when he points his dark gaze down at me.
“Of course. Mr. Vladimir has a shipment going out later this week. I want to make sure all the paperwork is in order. Last time there was an issue with customs.”
“I’ve got all of it right here.” Sam taps on a clipboard in his hand. “I was just down at the docks checking the cargo hold is available for when it arrives. We are good to go.”
“What about the Customs Declaration and the Bill of Lading?” I need to buy myself time to come up with another excuse for sticking around.
“All in order.” Sam smiles at me, and goosebumps erupt on my arms. Sam is good at his job, but it seems like he’s overly prepared for a shipment that isn’t expected to arrive for another few days. I was using it as an excuse to be here, not because it’s expected to be complete already.
“Great. Then I guess I’ll just sign a few papers on my desk while I’m here.” I turn away and head to my small office towards the back. I can feel his eyes on me, but I don’t look back. If Ben is involved in something criminal, any of our employees could be in on it. It doesn’t seem possible he could use the company and not have anyone notice. I should have paid more attention.
I take my seat, spinning around to face the window overlooking the docks. I am out of my element here. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking for. I try to remember what Reed said to me.“Look into the paperwork with your signatures on it. Question it, Dia. Question everything.”
Turning back to my desk, I fire up my laptop and open the accounting software the firm uses. I scan through customer files and invoices, receivables and payables. Nothing seems out of the norm to me. I drop my pen onto my desk and rub my temples. If Ben was stealing money from his own company, would there be a record of the transaction hidden in the books?“My club is about to go to war with some dangerous people and your husband knows how to get to them.”Maybe he’s laundering money for the mob? How the hell do I prove something like that?
A knock on my office door pulls me from my thoughts. I look up to find Sam’s enormous frame taking up the doorway. “Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Cross, but I was getting ready to leave. It’s going to be dark soon. Can I walk you to your car?”
Dark? I glance out the window behind me. I’ve been at this for hours and I’m no closer to figuring out what Ben is up to. “I’ll be finished here soon. Have a good night, Sam.”
“I could wait for you, if you like?” Sam has always been a nice guy. I find it hard to even consider he could work with Ben doing something illegal, but his demeanor today is putting up all sorts of red flags in my head.
“No need. I’ll be fine.” I turn away, hoping he’ll get the message and go home so I can look through the file cabinets lining the hall.
“Alright then, if you’re sure?”
“Yup. Good night.” I wave at him over the top of my laptop and wait for him to disappear down the hall. I pause, sitting and waiting for the sound of the front door closing.
After several minutes, I move out into the hallway and pull open the file cabinet. I thumb the file folders, unsure of which ones to look through. I don’t know what causes me to stop on Vladimir’s file, but I pull it out and scan through the paperwork. Something is off with these, but I don’t know what. I scrunch my eyes at the signature on the final bill. It’s Ben’s. Why would he be signing these after I already did? I make a mental note of the cargo slip and warehouse number, fold the papers and slip them into my pocket before returning the folder where I found it. I return to my office and dig deep in my purse for my cell phone. On the first ring, Reed’s gruff voice fills the line. “Dia? What is it Angel, are you alright?”
“I’m at the office. I think I found something. Can we meet?”
“I knew you could do it, Angel. I’ll meet you at East Park down by the river. Do you remember our spot?”
“I remember.” How could I forget? It’s the spot where we first made love and the spot we returned to many times when life would get too rough for Reed, and he needed to escape. It was secluded and peaceful. It was our special spot. “There’s something I need to check first. I’ll be there soon.”
“Be careful Angel. I’ll see you soon.” I hang up the phone and toss it back in my purse.
I slip out of the office, locking the door behind me, and turn towards the dock. The sun is setting over the Delaware River, and the dock is eerily still as I make my way down to the cargo hold and adjoining warehouses. The shipping papers in my pocket say we loaded the cargo container from warehouse four, but I remember assigning it to warehouse two.
“Ben doesn’t want you to know what is really inside those cargo containers.”
The walk past the stacks of cargo containers is unnerving. I don’t know what I expect to find, but I need to see if there’s something there. I walk past warehouses one and two. Stacks of empty crates are piled against the walls and food wrappers are blowing in the slight breeze kicking up from the water. It looks like it always does. I move further down the docks toward warehouse three and a chill runs down my spine at the sound of footsteps in the distance. No one should be here and warehouse four is still a distance away, set off by itself at the farthest end of the dock. Ben decommissioned it a few years back. There is no reason for it to be listed on any of our recent shipments. More movement off to my right makes my steps falter. I suck in a deep breath and look out into the distance. Where is it coming from? A loud bang comes from somewhere between the stacked containers waiting to be loaded onto ships. I take a step towards the sound and catch a shadow against the red hue of the setting sun darting between the rows of containers lining the dock.
My heart slams against my chest, and I turn back, sprinting towards the parking lot. My chest is burning, and I can’t catch my breath. I fumble through my purse for my keys. All I want to do is get the hell out of here and meet up with Reed. I’ll feel safe and secure in his arms. A feeling I haven’t felt in so long. The keys drop from my trembling fingers and clang against the ground. I bend over to pick them up and that’s when I see the flat tire. What the hell? I quickly unlock the driver’s side door and toss my purse onto the passenger seat before popping the trunk. Slamming the door shut, I head towards the trunk to retrieve the spare tire. My eyes go wide, and I cuss under my breath when I see the empty spot where the spare tire should be.
I slam the trunk closed and kneel beside the car, running my hand along the sliced edge of my tire. Is this Ben’s twisted way of making me need him? I won’t fall for it. I won’t play his games. He’s in the past. My future is in front of me. Just another phone call away. I’ll call Reed and tell him to pick me up here instead.
The sudden approach of a dark tinted van knocks me off balance. I land with a hard thud on my ass as the tires squeal, throwing gravel from the rear tires as it spins to stop in front of me. A large hand clamping down over my mouth from behind me silences my piercing scream. I’m yanked off the ground and thrown into the back of the van.
