A Love Like This (Book 1) (44 page)

“I’m talking about all the threatening messages you left on Tucker’s phone.”

“I have not spoken to Tucker since that night at the Cave.”
 
Mike is pacing in front of the restaurant.
 
Little beads of sweat have formed on his upper lip.

“His cell phone is full of messages threatening to kill Leila.”

“I was planning to get back at Tucker for screwing me over but I have never threatened to kill anyone.
 
How stupid do you think I am?”

Mike stops pacing and tries to slow his breathing, “I don’t know Amy.
 
How stupid are you?”

“Look I hired an investigator to follow Tucker.
 
It wasn’t my proudest moment but I was planning to send pictures to the University to get him fired or at least reprimanded.
 
But Shauna, Samantha and I all went out for drinks and Shauna convinced me not to do it.
 
I even met a guy while we were out.”

“Alright, Amy if y
ou didn’t leave the messages the
n who did?”

Amy sighs loudly, “How would I know?
 
I have no idea who made the threats.
 
If the little cunt is murdered it won’t be by me,” She says and hangs up.
 
Mike leans against the building for a few seconds looking at the phone.
 
He scrolls threw the list of contacts and touches Shauna’s number.

“Hey Tuck I’m about to head into my spin class so make it quick.”

“Shauna this is Mike.”

“Oh hey Mike,” she says. “What’s up?”

Mike wipes the sweat from his forehead. “Hey Shauna not much is up.
 
We’re all hanging out in LA for Leila’s birthday.
 
You should have come with us.”

“No one invited me.”
 
Mike can hear the irritation in her voice.
 
She’s only two years older than Mike and Tucker but she’s always seemed so above it all that they never bother including her.

“I didn’t think you’d want to come.
 
It’s not too late.
 
I have work downtown tomorrow but we’re all going out tonight.
 
Hop on a flight and come hang with us.”

“I’ll think about it,” she says not wanting to settle for a pity invite.

“The reason for my call is,
 
I was wondering if you might know anything about the messages Tucker’s been getting.”
 
There’s dead silence on the other end.
 
“Shauna
 
are
 
you there?”

“Yes, I’m sorry I was distracted.
 
What type of messages?”

“I was using Tucker’s phone and I heard some very disturbing messages from a woman threatening Leila.”

“That’s terrible,” she says in disbelief.
 
“But what makes you think I’d know anything about it?”

“I believe Amy is involved somehow and she said you two were friends now so I thought she might have mentioned something to you.”

“No that’s not the type of thing you discuss in casual conversations.
 
Anyway, Amy and I are not really friends.
 
I found out that she was doing stupid shit to get back at Tucker
for breaking up with her.
 
I went out with her and Samantha to talk her out of it.
 
She never mentioned crank calls.
 
But I’ll do a little more snooping around and let you know what I find out.”

“Thanks Shauna,” Mike says.
 
“Remember the offer still stands to hang out with us tonight.”

“I’ll let you know,” she says before hanging up.
 
Mike walks back into the restaurant sweating from standing outside in the sun.
 
 
The phone buzzes in his hand before he reaches the table.
 
He answers on the first ring.
 

“Mr. Bradley this is Bianca with American Express.
 
We’ve had several purchases go through your card in the last hour.
 
We need to verify some information with you.”

“One moment please,” Mike says before handing the phone to Tucker.

Chapter 22

 
 
 
 
 
Shauna walks beyond
the doors
 
leading to her spin class and finds a seat in a quiet corner of the gym.
 
She scrolls down the list of contacts on her phone and touches Samantha’s number.
 
The phone rings for a long time before going to voice mail.
 
Samantha, Shauna and Amy all met for drinks the other night.
 
After the third or fourth drink Amy became very talkative.
 
She told Shauna all about hiring a private investigator to follow Tucker around.
 
She wasn’t clear about what she planned to accomplish by doing this.
 
She was just pissed that he’d broken up with her.
 

Shauna never really knew what Tucker saw in Amy.
 
The woman is clearly bonkers.
 
She convinced Amy in her drunken state that following Tucker around was a silly idea.
 
She stroked her ego by telling her that she could do so much better than Tucker.
 
Shauna pointed out a couple of guys that had been watching their table.
 
By the end of
 
the night Amy was happily hooked up with an Irish guy named Rory and well on her way to forgetting about Tucker.
 
Samantha was a different story.
 
She didn’t say much while they were out.
 
She simply flashed her Barbie doll smile and nodded her agreement to whatever was being discussed.

Shauna calls Amy next. “Hey Shauna,” Amy answers in an animated voice.
 
“You will not believe who just called me.”

“Let me guess, Mike,” Shauna says.

“Yes how did you know?”

“He just called me to.
 
Can you believe he accused me of crank calling my own brother?” Shauna lies to gain her confidence.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Amy says.
 
“I’m so over the whole thing.
 
Rory and I are going out again tonight. I am officially moving on.”

“That’s great Amy,” Shauna says.
 
“Just remember to take it slow.”

“I will.
 
Don’t worry I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Good,” Shauna says.
 
“Hey I meant to ask you something when we were all hanging out the other night.”

“What is it,” Amy Says.

“How did you and Samantha become friends?
 
You seem like such an unlikely pair since you were both in love with the same man.”

“I hadn’t seen her for years and then one day there she was just standing at the Coffee House near my job looking lost.”
 
A chill goes up Shauna’s spine when she thinks about how she and Samantha just happened upon each other in the same way.
 

“Okay have fun on your date.
 
I’ll talk to you soon.”
 
She disc
onnects the call and heads past
her spin class and out the front door of the gym.
 
There’s something strange going on with the ex-girl friends and Shauna was going to find out what.

_____

Tucker had an exhausting conversation with Leila’s father.
 
Xavier is a hard man to read.
 
Tucker was sweating bullets trying to get up the nerve to ask for his daughters hand in marriage.
 
Xavier sat across from him solemnly while Tucker mumbled on for twenty minutes about how much he loved Leila and how he wanted to be with her forever.
 
He finally got around to asking Xavier if he could marry Leila after his second shot of tequila.
 
There was a nearly imperceptible grin on Xavier’s face.
 
He formed his fingers into a steeple in front of him and looked Tucker in the eye.
 
Everyone at the table held their breath waiting for his response.

“When I found out you married my daughter in Las Vegas I was prepared to kill you and bury your body at one of my construction sites.”
 
Tucker’s face went pale.
 
He could taste something bile in his mouth.
 
He raked his brain for an explanation.

Pookie
 
placed a hand on his shoulder.
 
“Just breathe man,” He said.
 
Tucker wiped the moister away from his face with the back of his hand.

He took a deep breath, straightened his posture and met Xavier’s gaze.
 
“I apologize for deceiving you sir.
 
I was wrong but I love Leila and I would like for you to approve of our union.
 
She deserves a proper wedding.”

“I’ve seen how happy she is and I appreciate how you try to protect her but she’s too young to get married.
 
Tucker looks down at the table trying to find the right words. “However,” Xavier says interrupting his thoughts.
 
“Since you’ve gone over my head an eloped I suppose my hands are tied.
 
You have my blessing under one condition.”

“Anything sir,” Tucker says relieved that Xavier’s no longer planning to murder him.

“You have to do everything in your power to make sure she finishes school.
 
I know you two
 
love
 
each other but there will always be a part of her that resents you if you take away her dreams.”
 

“You have my word,” Tucker says reaching over the table to shake Xavier’s hand.
 
Xavier takes Tucker’s hand in his.
 

“One more thing,” He says holding on tightly to Tucker’s hand.

“Yes,” Tucker says wincing from the pain.

“If you ever hurt my daughter I’ll send you home to your mother in a body bag.”
 
The look on Xavier’s face let Tucker know that he was serious.
 
He nodded to indicate he understood.
 
Xavier released Tucker’s hand.
 
Then in the manly fashion of I’ve said my
peace now let’s move on they all ate lunch, drank beer and joked as if they hadn’t just experienced one of the most intense moments of their lives a few seconds ago.

____

After lunch
 
Pookie
 
leaves the restaurant and heads to The Beverly Center.
 
 
Nickie’s
 
text said that they have been in Bloomindales for hours and that she’s losing her mind.
 
 
Pookie
 
sends her a message when he’s outside the store.
 
She walks out caring about five bags.
 
She shoves everything onto the back seat.

“Hurry up girl.
 
I’m supposed to be working from home today.
 
My boss practically lives at The Beverly Center.
 
If she sees me she’ll split her wig.”

“I’m coming,” she says hurrying onto the front seat.
 
She sinks into the seat and closes her eyes. “Leila is buying everything in sight.”

“I know.
 
Tucker got a call from the credit card company during lunch.
 
You know I had to eaves drop.
 
I heard him give the ok for her to purchase whatever she wants.”

“Well that’s exactly what she’s doing,”
 
Nickie
 
says reaching down to pull a piece of paper off the bottom of her shoe. “What’s this,” she asks waving the letter in front of his face.
 

“Some crack pot slipped that under my door.”