Chosen by a Killer Laurie Nave (best novel books to read .txt) 📖

secretary to file an affidavit too. Hang on to all this documentation and anything else that might happen. You’ll need it for the hearing.”

Celia sighed. “Ugh, a hearing.”

“Yeah,” Frank replied. “You’re essentially asking the court to restrict his freedom. They’ll need evidence.”

“In the meantime,” Walter said, “I’ll go down to his firm, try to catch him as he goes outside, and have a polite but firm talk with him. I can be imposing when I need to be.”

“I’m sure you can.” Celia smiled. “You’re quite a presence.”

Walter smiled. “Yeah, I’m part of the goon squad when I need to be.”

Celia nodded. They chatted for a few more minutes, and then Walter left.

“You need anything else?” Frank asked.

“No, I’m good. I appreciate this.”

“Stalking is no joke,” Frank said. “You’re doing the right thing.”

Once Celia left the office, she decided to see about getting her cell number changed. It would be a pain in the ass, but Bart would have more trouble contacting her. She was about to unlock her car when she felt an uncomfortable presence, so she looked up and around her.

Bart was across the street. He didn’t try to approach her; he just leaned against the crosswalk sign and watched her. When their eyes met, he smiled. Celia looked away quickly and got into her car. She didn’t want him to know he’d rattled her. However, at least now he probably knew she had contacted the police. Maybe the idea of legal trouble would make him back off. Somehow Celia doubted it. She made sure she pulled away slowly so that he wouldn’t have the satisfaction of thinking he made her run.

At 3:00, Celia met with William, her new boss, and they discussed some of her duties as Editor-in-Chief. He wanted to know all about the projects she was working on, and Celia talked him through all of them. All of them except one. John had never put her interviews with Natasha on the books, and neither had she. For some reason, she wanted to keep it quiet. Once she knew a little more about how William did things, she’d let him in on the story. No matter how Multicorp Media usually did things, Celia knew her contract with Natasha regarding secrecy wasn’t going to change. Now that she and Natasha were in the middle of the process, Celia didn’t want to jeopardize anything.

“I think this new partnership is going to benefit us both, Ms. Brockwell,” William said, standing. “I look forward to seeing some great things.”

“Thank you, Mr. Keller,” Celia replied, reaching forward to shake his hand. “I appreciate the opportunity.”

“You’ve been bigger than your previous role for some time. And please, call me William.”

“I will if you’ll call me Celia.”

“Deal.” William smiled. “Well, I have about four other meetings before my day is done. I’ll let you get back to work.”

Celia sat down and consulted her laptop. She could probably get the first draft of her latest story done before she left if she stayed late. It drove her crazy to leave work without a good stopping place. She pulled up her notes and began typing. She was in her flow when Gladys interrupted her.

“You have a call,” Gladys said tentatively. “It’s um... It’s John.”

“I’ll take it.” Celia sighed. “Might as well get it over with.”

Gladys closed the door and forwarded the call. “Hi, John.”

“Well, I guess you got what you wanted,” John said curtly.

“What are you talking about? I had no idea this was coming.”

“Sure,” John laughed. “I guess that fancy prison story worked its magic.”

“I told you before, John, there is no agenda behind that story. William doesn’t even know about it.”

John laughed again. “Yes, he does. I told him.”

“You did? Why?” And why hadn’t William mentioned it in their meeting?

“He didn’t seem surprised either. Even he knew you pushed me out.”

Celia fought the urge to curse. “John, I didn’t push you anywhere. How could I? I do my job every day, and you did yours. There is nothing else to say. I had no control over this.”

“Yeah, I know you and your little friend Marlene are close. I’m sure she told you all about the real reason she left. And even with the gag order, I bet you know about the money.”

Celia sat back, her head spinning with questions. “John, I have no clue what you are talking about. Yes, I’m friends with Marlene. No, she hasn’t told me any big secrets. She always wanted a restaurant. She got one. End of story.”

“We’ll see. You’ll see,” John said. “Running things isn’t as easy as you think it is. Don’t expect any sympathy from me when you fail.”

“I won’t fail. I don’t fail,” Celia snapped. “I’m a hell of a lot more qualified than you ever were. Go to hell, John.” And with that, Celia slammed the phone onto the receiver. The sound was a hell of a lot more satisfying than a simple swipe, she thought. “Gladys, hold all my calls,” she told her assistant before silencing her cell and getting back to the article. She’d had enough crap for one day.

She got home at 6:30, and the security company van pulled up at 6:45. The officer she talked to had suggested Celia get cameras installed, and so she called Keith to find out who could do it well and do it fast. One of the other guards did security on the side, and Keith assured her he was one of the best.

Chad, the guard, asked her what she needed, and they discussed packages. In the end, she chose a camera for both doors, attached to the doorbell, a motion light for the front, and a plan that allowed her to access the footage from anywhere. By 9:00, Chad and his crew were done, and Celia had installed the app on her phone and tablet.

After her shower, Celia made a sandwich and watched a bit of television. By 10:00 she could barely keep her eyes open; she hadn’t slept well the night before. She