Aria Davenport returns for round two with the ever elusive, more sexually experienced Phoenix Prescott. And she's walking on a tight rope. The perfect job, perfect life and perfect relationship lie just beyond the finish line. All she has to do is a...
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Present Day
February, 6 Months Pregnant
I swear every time I call his phone, I get no answer.
I'm panicking over here, Babe. Pick up the phone!
Desperate measures for desperate times. I scroll through my contacts and touch Leon's name. If anybody can get to the bottom of this, he can.
"Leon! Oh my God, it's so good to hear your voice. Do you have any idea what's happening right now?"
Leon sounds as if he's sitting up. "No, what's going on? Phoenix told me it was cool to take the night off. You still at the company party?"
"Well, you should've stayed, it's a fucking zoo out here! The cops and ambulance are everywhere and they're looking for some girl. They said she drugged an executive and robbed him! I don't want to say this out loud, but I think Phoenix is in trouble—"
"—I'm there. Calm down, Aria. You have the baby to worry about. Wait for me out front." Leon hangs up.
More squad cars pull up and cops jump out, drawing their weapons as they head for the building. I cover my mouth as several cops instruct the crowd to move back and begin setting up a perimeter around the building.
This can't be happening.
Thankful for the blanket, I wrap it around my shoulders tighter.
You're freezing your ass off. Literally.
Understatement of the year.
The crowd seems to swell with more bystanders as the police mark off the area with yellow crime scene barricade tape. All I can see wrapped around the perimeter is "Police Line Do Not Cross" repeating again and again and again. A guy comes up from behind.
"Hey, what's going on, here? Somebody get killed or something?"
I frown.
The guy snickers at his poorly timed joke.
I shrug and walk off. I don't have the energy or the strength to put that asshole in his place.
Leon pulls up. He opens the passenger door of his navy Cadillac Escalade. "Get in, let's warm you up."
I jump in, thankful to be away from all the chaos. Leon drives around the corner and parks.
"Have you talked to Phoenix?" I ask frantically.
Leon shakes his head. "Called a bunch of times. Something's not right." He looks me in the eye. "Repeat what you heard. Exactly."
Blinking rapidly, I try to remember. "OK. Yeah. I was standing next to this cop. His radio. He was talking into it. The lady on the other end said, uh. There was a suspect presenting as female, black, five feet seven. She said she drugged an executive and tried to rob him but someone caught them? I think. Wait. I think she said security! She said security caught her and she pulled the fire alarm!"
