I shake that thought from my head, remembering the pictures and the prophylactics.
“What are you doing here?” I put on my best effort at indignation, but on the inside, I’m melting. “I don’t want to see you.”
He ignores my protests. “You know what I want.” His smooth, deep voice only makes it harder to do the unthinkable and tell him to go away. I know his secret, I remind myself.
“I thought you were on a plane to deal with business. Maybe some family business? Maybe two kids, a wife, and a picket fence sort of business?” The battiness in my voice makes him narrow his eyes.
“Don’t you think I know you left the house?” Rueger raises his chin, and the look in his eyes flips my stomach. “Jesus, Lex, I’ve had people following you for two months. You don’t think now I wouldn’t still be keeping track of you? I almost got arrested trying to get off the fucking plane before we took off. The alarm system on the house and the security camera showed you leaving. It alerted on my phone, thank God, before I had to shut it off. I wasn’t going anywhere knowing you weren’t safe.”
Rueger nods toward Heather, then addresses her with a polite smile, his tone commanding. “Excuse me.” He steps around her and into the apartment.
“Get out! This isn’t your place to just come—”
Ricky is there in the doorway, and Heather goes pit-bull on him. “Get the fuck out of here, you freak! Taking pictures? I ought to call the fucking cops. Get out! I’ll do it! I’ll call the cops if you come near her again!”
My head swivels from Rueger, who is advancing toward me, and Ricky, who is standing in the doorway with his hands up in surrender. He looks different. He’s looking at Rueger then at me, then back to Rueger.
“It’s okay.” Rueger turns to Heather. “He works for me. As soon as the house alarm alerted me, I had him following you. To take a picture and send it to me to assure me you were okay.”
“I don’t fucking care! In fact, no, I do care. That makes it a hundred times worse. Get out!”
“The butcher shop is just a cover!”
Heather stops, glances over at me, and I can’t move. She looks back at Ricky, who takes a deep breath, then raises his shoulders in a shrug.
“A hobby.” Ricky’s voice is different. Calm, professional. He looks over at Rueger. “Please tell them.”
“Okay, what the fuck is going on?” Heather latches her fists to her hips and stares down Rueger with fire and ice.
My ears are ringing, and it’s hard to stand. The room starts to spin, and just as I begin to sway, Rueger’s arms are around me.
“Baby, come here. Sit. Why did you leave?” He walks me toward the little café table we picked up at a yard sale and gently lowers me into the chair.
Heather moves to lean against the kitchen counter, still giving Ricky the stink-eye as he steps just inside the door, squaring off his shoulders and crossing his arms over his chest.
“I found the pictures. The condoms,” I hiss. “And I’ve seen your picture with her on Google, too. At company functions and parties. You’re married, aren’t you? Just tell me the truth. That’s why you only come to town for a couple days, then you’re gone for weeks.” I confront him with what I know must be the truth, but I hope like a sinner at church that somehow I’m wrong.
“Cheater,” Heather snaps, and Rueger turns to smile at her.
Ricky chuckles under his breath.
“You shut up, too, stalker,” Heather adds. “Somebody better start talking because I have eight dollars’ worth of ice cream melting.”
Rueger runs a hand down my cheek and I fight the urge to pull away, but somehow, it just still feels so right. I hate myself for being so weak. I want him so much. I want us. I want my Daddy. But I know that if I can’t have him all to myself, then I can never have him.
“Babygirl. I would never hurt you. Not in a thousand lifetimes.” Rueger steps to pull up the other chair and sit right in front of me. His hands move to rest, warm and heavy, on my knees. His eyes dig into my soul as I try to look away. Try and fail. He has me captivated.
“Who is she?”
“His sister,” Ricky adds.
“I’ve got this.” Rueger looks over his shoulder, and Ricky raises his hands again and moves back to lean into the doorway. “He’s right. She is my sister. My twin sister, to be precise. My twin sister that I only knew about six months ago. Remember I told you I found my sister?”
My head is swimming as Rueger’s thumbs start to lightly rub back and forth on the inside of my knees.
He continues as my heart thunders in my chest. The blood rushing in my ears barely allows me to hear what he is saying. “Ricky found her, actually. He’s been part of my security team for over ten years. I found out I had a sister when I searched for my birth mother. It took five years to find her, and when I did, she told me I had a sister. Another two years later, I found Rita. And yes, she comes to functions with me. No one knows who she is, and we don’t tell anyone.”
“Your…sister?” I shake my head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why the pack of pictures? Why the condoms? The note.”