Page 39 of Her Prince in Disguise
“Careful, don’t mess up any fingerprints. The last box in Singapore didn’t have any useable prints, but hopefully the guy doing this will get sloppy.”
“Good point,” Carys replied, then lifted the lid using a paper towel. She stared down into the box, then slapped the lid back on seconds later. When she looked at Andi, she nodded. “Yep, that’s creepy.” She lifted the box and put it into one of the cabinets, then gestured for Andi to move into the living room. “I think you should pack a bag and come to my place for the night. I know you’re scheduled to fly out on Monday morning, but you shouldn’t stay here. This creep knows where you live.”
“Thanks, but…I don’t want to put you in danger. Because this guy knows where I live, he’s obviously followed meor stalked me on social media.” She sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. “I guess I’ll go to a hotel.”
Carys sipped her coffee, then stared thoughtfully into the dark depths. “This new guy that you met…you’re in love with him? That’s what the letter implied. That you were getting too close to someone else.”
Andi sighed and nodded, and clarity suddenly washed over her. She smiled dreamily as she stared into her own coffee mug. “Yeah. I really love him. He’s…pretty wonderful.”
“Is he your boss?”
“Yeah.” Andi smiled, remembering Laith’s smile that last morning.
A knock sounded on Andi’s apartment door. She tried not to flinch, but failed miserably. Thankfully, Carys had a bit more control and smiled gently, rubbing Andi’s back as she went for the door. “That will be our sandwiches. Lunch has arrived!” she announced cheerfully.
Andi laughed, then reached into her purse to grab a few dollars for a tip. Money and bag were exchanged, then the delivery person was off again, hurrying down the long hallway.
Carys reappeared and Andi eyed the bag, suddenly aware of how hungry she was. But before she could say anything, Carys’ phone rang. She checked the text message and groaned. “Ugh! The prints for the marketing campaign came back wrong!” She looked over at Andi, then stuffed her phone back into her pocket. “Doesn’t matter.”
Andi laughed, putting a hand on Carys’ arm. “Go. I know how hard you’ve been working on this campaign. Plus, you have that new boss to impress, right?”
Immediately, Carys shook her head. “Nope, I’m not leaving you like this.”
Andi smiled, feeling better now that she’d told her best friend about the problem. Talking about it had been a huge help. “I’m fine, I promise.” She poked at the bag. “The box is scary, but I was just too tired when you called. I’m better now. More rational.” She nudged her friend again. “Go! Fix the problem and I’m going to eat this sandwich and get some sleep!”
Carys debated for another second, then sighed. “Fine. I’ll go get this fixed but I’ll come right back here.”
“No need. I’m going to find a place to hide. And sleep,” Andi promised.
“Good! Call me later!” Carys said, then hurried out the door.
Moments later, Andi was alone again in her apartment. She listened to the silence, surprised to discover that she really did feel better. Not great, but better. She pulled the throw blanket over her legs and nibbled on her sandwich, while she worked through the problem, trying to come up with a solution. First, she needed to call the police. That was a no brainer. The last two dioramas and letters were explicitly threatening, so the person sending those boxes had moved from the “creepy” category to the criminal.
Next, she needed to…? What? What was her next move?
Find a new job. Yes, that was definitely on her to-do list. If she wasn’t working for Laith, then this person wouldn’t hurt him. Right?
Chapter 27
Laith stared at his twin brother, wondering what was being said on the other end of his phone call. The expressions on Rafi’s features were a hilarious combination of surprise, shock, and confusion. He didn’t say much, but nodded his head several times. Laith could hear the caller and it was definitely a female voice, and she was yelling, but he couldn’t quite understand her words. Finally, Rafi ended the call without speaking beyond his initial “Hello”.
“What was that all about?” Laith asked, spinning the ice cubes in his drink. He wanted to find Andi and hold her, to finally discover what had happened the last night in London. But she wasn’t answering his calls and hadn’t answered when he knocked on her apartment door.
He’d stopped by her apartment, but maybe she’d been out. He wanted to see her, to understand what had happened. Now was the perfect time to have a conversation and spend more time together, away from the prying eyes of her coworkers. If he went over to her apartment now, they could hash this out, figure out a plan. Because there was no scenario he could accept in which he and Andi weren’t together. None!
Unless she didn’t want him any longer. If that were the case, then he would respect her wishes. He wouldn’t like it, but he’d accept that.
But damn, he wantedher! Not just in his bed. He had things to say to her. Nothing serious, he just wanted to talk to her. Hear her thoughts. He wanted to feel the warmth of her smile and relax with her. He wanted to know what she waseating and ensure that she slept well. Was she working this weekend? He hoped not. He’d have to order her, and the other members of the team, not to work when they were off on the weekends. They worked long hours all week. Everyone needed to relax on their days off.
“What’s going on with you lately?” his brother asked, leaning back and stretching his long legs out in front of him. “And why are all of your bodyguards talking about a box?”
Laith sighed and tried to relax as well. “Boxes,” he corrected, shaking his head at the absurdity of the message in that diorama.
Rafi sipped his drink. “That’s the rumor. One of my guards heard from one of your guards that more threatening boxes had been delivered.” He sipped his drink. “What the hell is going on with boxes and why is everyone so concerned?” Rafi looked at his brother. “Are you seeing someone? And if so, who the hell is sending your woman packages?”
Laith thought about Andi. Was he “seeing” her? No, what he was doing with Andi was much more significant. “I’m in love with a woman on my investigation team,” he admitted. Saying the words out loud felt damn good! Then his brother’s words hit him. “What do you know about boxes?” He leaned forward, his drink forgotten. “And threats? What’s going on with threats? There haven’t been any…!”
Something clicked in his mind. Had Andi gotten a threat and not told him about it?
