CHAPTER 047: Meet Someone New
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~SLOANE~
***
Today turned out to be more productive than I anticipated. I wish I could say this renewed vigor for work has anything to do with Knox screwing me against a closet earlier today.
No. As far as I know, thinking about Knox being inside me is my biggest source of distraction.
Not my proudest moment, but I spent half the day quietly plotting how I might steal Knox’s phone and hack into it. Funny, isn’t it?
How picturing yourself stealing your boyfriend’s phone–and actively contemplating breaking about a hundred cybersecurity ethics to hack into it–can light a fire under your ass.
Normal people would just ask their boyfriends about the things they wanted to know. Normal boyfriends would actually
answer.
But no.
Knox Hartley is about as tight–lipped as a CIA agent under torture.
And the inquisitive part of me?
Yeah, she’s not resting until she cracks him open.
As I drive back toward my apartment, I run through the possibilities like I’m prepping a heist:
– Spend the night at his place. Steal his phone while he’s in the shower.
– Lure him to mine. Wait until he inevitably passes out after sex and scan his devices.
– Find a way to slip his keys off him and get into whatever fortress of secrets he calls home.
Each plan is more chaotic than the last.
Each one sharpens my focus today like a blade.
Maybe that’s the key. Maybe evil thoughts are my personal brand of coffee.
Now that I’m pulling into my parking lot, it finally clicks–why work felt so easy today.
This has been my life for years.
Thinking evil thoughts about Delilah while working. Plotting imaginary takedowns of Finn’s girlfriend while cracking encryption layers.
Hatred and chaos fueled me.
Not… happiness.
Not good sex and sweet texts and being called “Bunny” with a voice low enough to melt steel.
God.
Good thoughts distract me.
Evil ones make me efficient.
I’m officially that person who thrives only in chaos.
No messy Finn to babysit.
No Delilah to fantasize about punching.
Just good memories of Knox inside me.
And look what it’s done to me–turned me soft.
Not anymore.
If hacking into my maybe–boyfriend’s life was what it took to get my productivity back, then so be it.
Consider it… field research.
Successfully unlocked!
I grab my bag and head inside the building, pushing through the lobby doors.
As usual, Johnny–the old security guard who barely stays awake past noon–is dozing behind the front desk, his head bobbing like a balloon losing air.
“A very good evening to you, Johnny,” I call, striding past.
1/4
CHAPTER 047: Meet Someone New
He startles upright with a snort, fumbling for his glasses.
“Sloane!” he says, blinking at me. “Almost didn’t see you there.”
I grin and aim for the stairs–ignoring the elevator as I always do.
One claustrophobic experience in that metal deathtrap was enough for me to swear it off for life. The elevator might be faster, but after getting stuck in it once–just once–I’ve avoided it like the plague.
Small spaces. No air.
My hands had actually trembled trying to pry the doors open that day.
Never again.
I’d rather hike six flights of stairs in heels than get trapped again with nothing but bad lighting and my own panic.
“A package for you!” Johnny calls after me.
I pause, frowning.
A package?
I pivot back toward the desk. He’s holding out a small white envelope, waving it like it’s a winning lottery ticket.
“From whom?” I ask.
“The lock–changing company,” he says.
“The what?”
“Some guys came in today,” Johnny explains. “Had IDS and paperwork and everything. Said you scheduled them to replace your door lock.”
I just stare at him for a second.
And then it clicks.
There’s exactly one man who would do something like that without asking me first.
And the strangest part is-
Instead of being mad, I feel a small, warm tug inside me. I bite back a smile.
“Yes, of course,” I say brightly, putting Johnny out of his growing misery. “The lock company. Totally slipped my mind.”
Johnny sighs, visibly relieved.
“Good. You had me worried there for a second. You’re smart, Sloane. Can’t be too careful these days.”
He winks at me as I tuck the envelope under my arm.
“I saw you brought home a fine gentleman today,” he adds with a knowing chuckle.
Heat crawls up my neck. “Umm, thank you, Johnny.”
“Does that mean you’ve finally broken up with that other guy?”
I groan inwardly. “For the hundredth time–Finn and I were just friends.”
“Yeah, a friend who wants to bang you six ways from Sunday.”
“Johnny!”
“It’s the truth. Young people can be so blind. Man follows you around like a lost dog, and you call it friendship. You girls today…” He trails off, shaking his head sagely.
I just smile and start backing toward the stairs.
Some battles aren’t worth fighting.
“I’m heading up now!” I call.
But Johnny’s voice follows me, almost catching me mid–step.
“What did you say to him that got him so worked up anyway?” he asks. “You came in with that fine gentleman, and minutes later your old friend stormed out, face like a thundercloud.”
I freeze.
Stomach dropping.
“What are you talking about?”
“Finn,” Johnny says, like it’s obvious. “Came by this afternoon. Maybe ten minutes before you showed up. You must have said something to him up there. He didn’t look too good. Didn’t reply when I said goodbye.”
My heart stops beating for a second.
CHAPTER 047: Meet Someone New
Finn.
Here.
Today.
My mind runs ahead of me, connecting dots I don’t want to connect. And as the memories flood in, realization comes with them.
Knox searching my living room.
Knox staring a little too long at the closet.
Oh, my god.
Finn was in my closet.
Finn watched us.
I grip the railing tightly, feeling my face go hot and cold all at once.
Should I be more angry at Finn for sneaking into my home like a deranged stalker?
Or at Knox… for letting him stay hidden while we-
I squeeze my eyes shut.
Nope.
Not thinking about that.
Not right now.
Psychopathic tendencies must really run in that family.
I stumble my way up the stairs, heart hammering, fumbling to pull out my phone.
Who do I even call?
Knox?
! Finn?
God, I’m angry enough to call 911 at this point.
But then-
“Sloanie–bug!”
I snap my head up.
Standing right in front of my door are two familiar figures.
My mother, smiling brightly, arms full of fresh flowers from her shop.
And my sister, Serena, rolling her eyes and balancing a paper bag that smells suspiciously like Italian takeout.
“Mom? Serena?” I say, breathless, walking toward them. “What are you two doing here?”
“We wanted to surprise you, honey,” Mom says, giving me a wink. “And we brought food!”
“Noticed you changed your locks,” Serena says, nudging the door with her sneaker. “Which, by the way, makes my key useless now. And seriously, Sloane–a keycard lock? What are you running here, a penthouse in Manhattan?” Only now do I actually notice the lock.
A sleek black keycard reader mounted flush against the doorframe.
Not a normal lock.
Not even close.
Definitely a Knox move.
I tear open the envelope Johnny gave me, pulling out a slim keycard.
I swipe it.
The door clicks open with a soft mechanical hum that feels weirdly… satisfying.
“Paranoid boyfriend,” I reply, ushering them both inside.
Inside, everything is… cleaner.
Too clean.
The throw pillows are actually on the couch for once, not scattered on the floor or positioned askew.
The floor looks freshly vacuumed.
Even the kitchen counter shines.
CHAPTER 04] Sheet Somages
Either Knox installed a lock–or he called in an entire SWAT team of deaners too
Romantic or deranged?
The jury’s still out.
Serena tosses the food on the table.
“If by paranoid boyfriend you mean Finn’s brother, yeah, we heard about that she says.
1 freeze mid–step
“What?”
“Finn’s been calling everyone, Serena continues casually “Mom, me, Dad. Apparently now everyone knows you’re dating a drug lord who owns a sex club”
I can’t even form words.
I just stand there with my bag hanging off one shoulder, staring at them like they’ve grown second heads.
“Is that why you’re here?” I finally ask
Mom, who’d just set the flowers carefully into my vase, plops herself down onto my over–clean couch and turns to me, her expression tender and serious,
“Sloane, baby,” she says gently, “I know you’re probably experiencing withdrawal-
“Withdrawal?” I echo blankly,
“Breaking up with Finn and all that.”
Oh.
Right.
That.
“You don’t need to jump from the frying pan into the fire just because you’re hurting,” she says. “You made a good decision leaving Finn. Now you can meet nice, normal people. Like artists. Good people.”
She pauses.
Lowers her voice like she’s sharing a secret.
“But baby… not someone like that.”
I just stare.
Silent.
“He owns a sex club, sweetheart,” she says. “Do you know what kind of things a man has to do to maintain an underground club like that?”
I want to crumple onto the floor and disappear.
Mom’s eyes soften.
“I wasn’t always there for you growing up, Sloane. I know that. But I’m here now. And I’m not just going to sit by while you
make the wrong choice. Come to the barbecue this weekend. Meet someone new. Please.”
