Page 88 of Secrets (The Sins Trilogy 2)
Chapter Thirty-Two
Iris
The next couple of weeks are super busy at the foundation. The first phase of the music program finished a few days ago. Byron pulled out for some reason, although Elizabeth told me he was never planning to go beyond this point. The explanation doesn’t make sense. What’s the point of sponsoring a program only a quarter of the way? But I can’t get any explanation from Byron either. He isn’t returning my texts, which isn’t like him. I can’t decide if he’s angry with me for some reason or he’s too embarrassed to offer a reason for quitting the project early.
I text Julie to check up on Byron. She won’t say anything except her brother’s under a lot of pressure and stress. I can’t help but feel like maybe I’m to blame for that. Was the project too much for him? Is that why he decided to cut his losses and quit?
Thankfully, Ryder is stepping up to sponsor the rest of it. In a way, I think it may work out for the best. As maybe the world’s biggest movie star, he has a huge platform. When he talks, people notice, and it’s going to help bring attention to the importance of music in children’s lives, and how we’re trying to give them another way to express themselves and find solace and comfort that goes beyond just food and shelter.
After lunch, I go through the mail like always. Elizabeth has another huge stack of letters. I sort them by projects and urgency. Then I see a padded white envelope at the bottom. It’s not big and must’ve been hand-delivered by a courier. It merely says “Iris Smith,” no address.
I tap the perforated edge and grin. Is this a secret gift from Tony? He surprises me with presents from time to time. The last one was a huge box of German chocolates, which I split with everyone in the office. Except Tolyan, but only because he said he doesn’t like chocolate. The more I get to know him, the more I’m convinced he’s inhuman.
Anticipation simmering, I rip the bag open. Some blue fabric spills out. I pick it up, shake it out…and drop it like anthrax when I realize what it is.
A sleeveless blue dress. Exactly like the one the girl in the car in my memory was wearing.
My hands shake, and I clench them. I never told anybody, not even Tony, exactly what she was wearing. How could this have been sent specifically to me?
I see a note on the floor. I snatch it up and read it.
If you want to talk about the dress, meet me at the Starbucks two blocks from your office at 2 today. Come alone or I’m not telling you shit.
–Sam
Oh my God.I cover my mouth with a hand as a sick, bitter taste hits the back of my throat. Of course he’d know. He pulled me out of the water.
I don’t want to see him alone, especially after what he tried to pull last time. But this dress isn’t something I can ignore. If he has it, he probably knows who the girl was, too.
What to do?
I press my knuckles against my lips and drum my fingers on the desk, fear burning through me. The Starbucks near the office is usually very busy. He can’t do anything there without having witnesses. And I really want to know about the girl and what happened. There’s no guarantee he’s going to tell me the whole truth, but he might drop enough clues for me to remember who she is.
There are three fire exits on the floor. I can pretend to get some coffee and maybe sneak away. In movies, it looks super easy to lose your bodyguard. But…
Don’t be stupid and go alone. Sam is a sneaky man. He lied to Elizabeth to get her to send me his way. He could have some other trap set to get me.
Bobbi’s here to protect me, even though she’d rather bake cakes and make babies. Tony’s trusting me to cooperate. His stark white face after what happened to me at Sam’s house flashes through my mind. If I snuck away and put myself in danger, I’d be betraying his trust.
I look at the note again. Sam probably doesn’t know I have Bobbi. It isn’t something I’ve been advertising, and people who know aren’t on speaking terms with him.
I go to the vestibule, where Bobbi’s reading something on her phone. “Can I talk to you?” I ask.
“Sure.” She puts her phone away. “What is it?”
“This way.” I take her to an empty meeting room. After closing the door, I tell her about the note from Sam without mentioning the dress.
“My advice? Ignore him,” she says.
She’s probably right. But my instinct is telling me the risk will be worth it if he tells me who the girl is. Byron said hundreds of thousands of women matching the description I gave him go missing every year. Seeing Sam is the most efficient way to narrow that down. “I can’t. I need some answers.” Then something else occurs to me. Ugh. I should’ve asked her this before telling her. “And you can’t tell Tony. It’s only going to upset him.” An understatement. He’ll literally kill Sam if he knows.
Bobbi cocks an eyebrow, regarding me silently.
My nerves start to fray. I lick dry lips. “You’re supposed to be my bodyguard, not his spy. I don’t want to be stupid and sneak around and make your job that much harder. But if you don’t respect my privacy, I won’t have a choice.”
“You sound just like that worthless pretty boy. I thought you meant it when you defended me.”
Pretty boy?Oh… Byron. I flush over my hypocrisy, but this is important. “I didn’t think you were going around telling Tony everything, but there’s nothing stopping you from telling him if he asks.”
