Unknown Number:Take all the time you need… I’ll be here when you’re ready.
I set the phone down and walk to the window, looking out at the bay. The water is dark now, reflecting the lights from the houses on the opposite shore. Somewhere in that direction is the hospital where Lila is recovering. I imagineher lying in a sterile bed, bruised and scared but finally free of Eli.
My phone rings, and I answer without looking, expecting Dillian with news about the interrogation.
“Tony?” It’s Mia’s voice, tight with anger and concern.
“Hey,” I say, suddenly exhausted. “How is she?”
“How do you think she is?” Mia snaps. “She’s been thrown down a flight of stairs by her psycho husband. She’s hurt and terrified and confused. And where the fuck were you?”
The accusation lands like a physical blow, all the more painful because it echoes my own thoughts.
“I was too far away,” I admit, my voice hollow. “I didn’t see him coming. He switched cars, like Dillian warned me he might. By the time I realized he was there, he’d already cornered her.”
“You were supposed to be protecting her! That’s the only reason I didn’t tell her!” Mia’s voice breaks on the last word, her anger giving way to the fear that must have gripped her when she realized her friend was in danger.
“I know,” I say quietly. “I fucked up. I got cocky, thought I had all the angles covered. I was wrong.”
The silence on the other end stretches for several seconds.
“At least you called the police,” she finally says, some of the heat gone from her voice. “If they hadn’t shown up when they did...”
“I know,” I repeat. “Trust me, I know exactly what would have happened.”
Another silence, this one less charged.
“I texted her,” I tell Mia. “Told her I’d reveal myself after the divorce is final. No more games, no more masks.”
“And?”
“She said she needs time. I’m giving it to her… and I’m pretty sure she knows it’s me.”
Mia sighs. “That’s... actually decent of you. She probably does. She survived Eli because she’s observant, not that intuitive, but observant. I don’t know why she needed to go alone.”
“Closure,” I reply.
“Lila told us what happened at the club. About the VIP room,” Mia replies and I imagine her rubbing her temple.
I tense, waiting for more recrimination, but Mia continues in a softer tone.
“She really cares about you, Tony. God knows why, but she does. Don’t let her down again.”
“I won’t,” I promise. “I’m done hiding. As soon as Eli is out of the picture for good, I’ll tell her everything.”
“Everything?” Mia challenges. “About GameStream too? About how you’ve technically been Eli’s boss this whole time?”
I wince. That particular revelation is going to be the hardest to explain. “Yes, everything. No more secrets.”
“Good,” she says. “Because she deserves better than what she’s had. Better than what either of you has given her so far.”
The truth of that statement stings, but I can’t argue with it. “I know,” I say for the third time. “I’m going to make it right.”
After we hang up, I pull up the hospital’s security cameras on my laptop. It takes a few minutes to bypass their firewall, but soon I have a grasp of Lila’s exact location. Room 312, East Wing. A police officer is stationed outside her door, a standard procedure in domestic violence cases.Through the window, I can see her lying in bed, her phone clutched in her hand as she stares at the ceiling.
Is she thinking about my message? About Eli? About what happens next?
I close the laptop, suddenly uncomfortable with my own surveillance. She deserves privacy now more than ever. The time for watching from the shadows is over. When we meet again, it will be face to face, man to woman, with nothing hidden between us.
