Sinner (4 page)

Chapter Six

Lilith

My phone vibrates, and a rush of excitement bursts through me. I'm hoping it's Adam. Maybe a little too much. I check the text, and it's from Angie. My heart sinks, but I answer her. She wants to know if I want to have lunch.

I've got to make a delivery today. Tomorrow?
- Lilith

Sure. Call you later <3
- Angie

Fortunately, the universe isn't completely awful, and my phone buzzes again a few minutes later. This time, it's Adam, and I jump out of my chair.

Loading dock ;-)
- Adam

His timing is perfect because both my secretary and Tom are out to lunch. Tom's secretary is at her desk, but she's on the other side of the floor so I can slip past her without having to stop for a conversation.

I don't go down to the loading dock often, but I know taking the service elevator will get me there faster and with less hassle. I don't want to leave Adam standing outside waiting for me for too long because someone might call security.

When I get outside, I see Adam standing next to his bike scuffing his foot against the asphalt. It's the same thing he was doing while he waited for me outside of the church. I wonder if it's a nervous habit? Could he be worried about seeing me? It's probably just the job. I shouldn't get so far ahead of myself.

"I hope these help." He's a bit startled when I hand him the folder. He must have been lost in thought. A broad smile spreads across his face for just a moment before he goes back to looking serious and worried.

A huge part of me wishes we'd met under different circumstances.

"They will. Thank you so much, Lilith. This means a lot to me. You're putting your career on the line to save people you don't even know. It says a lot about you." His words are genuine, and they make me feel bad for being excited about being a spy. According to Adam, there are people whose livelihoods and life savings are on the line, and I'm acting like a giddy teenager with a crush.

"You're most welcome, Adam. Anything I can do, you just have to ask."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Uh oh. "Is Tom's phone in a case?"

"Huh," That was unexpected.

"Does he use a cell phone case, or does he just carry his phone around unprotected." He says and winks at me. I catch his dirty joke, and it makes me blush.

"It's in a case. A pretty hefty one. T
e
om brags about how expensive it is, and how far under water you can take the phone because of it. Not that he's ever taken his phone under water, but I guess it would survive if he dropped it off the side of his yacht." I say and roll my eyes.

"Good. Good." Adam says with a laugh.

"Why?"

"Because I need you to put this on the back of his phone." He says and pulls out a small, thick black sticker. "If he didn't use a phone case, it would be too obvious, but since he does, you can slip in, take his phone out of the case, place the bug, and put his phone back. He'll never know it's there. Can you do that?"

"I think so. He wanders off and leaves his phone on his desk frequently. I'll have to wait until he gets back from his lunch meeting."

"You think so? Or, you can do it? It's important." He says forcefully. It takes me by surprise, but it also makes me swoon a little.

"I will do it. I'll find a way, Adam." I say and take the bug.

"Thank you, Lilith. Sorry to be so short with you, Peaches. This is just more important that you can possibly know." He says and his eyes gloss over like he's thinking about something critical.

"The money is that important. I mean, it is just money after all." I say and regret it. Of course, it's just money to me. I'm not the one about to lose my entire life savings. "I'm sorry. Of course, it's important to these families. Sometimes I let myself forget how privileged I am."

"It's okay. Like I said, you've got a good heart. I think you know by now that this is about more than just the investment funds. You're smart enough to pick up on my urgency. I'll tell you more soon. I promise. Right now, I need you to get that bug in place as soon as you can, and I need to get this schedule back to Becks so she can cross-reference it with her information. I'll be in touch soon." He says and strokes my cheek before putting his helmet on.

I watch him ride off and touch the spot on my cheek where his fingers made contact with my skin. It tingles, and that prickly heat makes it's way into my chest. My breath catches.

If only we'd met under different circumstances.

Back upstairs I focus on waiting for the right time to sneak into Tom's office and plant the bug on his phone. Frustratingly, his phone is in his hand every time he comes out of his office.

It's time to try something else. I pull up an account I've been working on and come up with a question I can ask Tom. Then, I ring his office.

"What is it, Lils." He says in a distracted voice.

"I have a question about the Martin account."

"Why don't you just come to my office and ask then." He sounds annoyed.

"I've got the file up here, could you just hop over to my office for a second. I promise I won't make it a regular thing." I say in a pleading and syrupy voice.

"Fine." He huffs and hangs up the phone without saying goodbye.

He walks into my office a few minutes later without knocking. I know I asked him to come down here, but he could at least be polite. The longer I know Adam, the more I wonder what I ever saw in Tom. He’s handsome, but Adam’s got a sexy, dangerous edge to him that I never expected to like. I guess Tom has the billionaire thing going for him, but he’s miserable and rude. Money doesn’t make up for that. At least not in my opinion it doesn’t.

I’m in luck because instead of putting his cell in his pocket, he tosses it carelessly down on my desk. I’ve seen him do this when he goes into offices and the conference room before, and I was counting on him doing it again.

“Can you come around here and look at this.” Another exasperated huff escapes him.

Before he got to my office, I unbuttoned my white blouse an extra two buttons. Since I was feeling saucy this morning, I’m wearing a severe push-up bra underneath. I’ve laid the perfect trap to distract him. I only need a moment.

When he comes around to look at my screen, I roll my chair towards the desk so that he has to position himself between me and the wall. I don’t have to try to pull his attention to my cleavage because the perv is already leering down my shirt.

I point out the issue I’m having and ask him a few inane questions. Tom just nods his head and keeps looking down my shirt. When he licks his lips, I know he’s distracted enough, so I slip his phone off my desk and hide it under my leg.

“So what do you think?” I say and break his concentration away from my boobs.

“Uh. Oh, I think you can handle this on your own Lilith. I’ll let it go this time, but don’t call me in here for this stuff again.” He says and starts to leave my office. Before he makes it out, Tom pats his pockets. “Where’s my phone?”

“I didn’t see you bring it in. Maybe you left it in your office or the executive conference room.” I say and hope he doesn’t catch me in a lie. I’d lose my job, and I wouldn’t be able to help Adam anymore.

“Huh. Okay. Let me know if you find it.” He says and practically storms out of the room.

I know that I may only have minutes before he gets ticked off at not being able to find it. He’ll probably come back and rifle through the stuff on top of my desk and then demand I drop what I’m doing and look for it. I pop the case off, stick the bug to the back of the phone like Adam instructed, and then put the case back on.

In the hallway, I can hear him cursing in the executive conference room. I slip into his office and then sneak into his executive washroom. After I leave the phone on the counter next to the sink, I move back out while he’s drilling his secretary about his phone's whereabouts.

He must find it in the washroom and figure he left it there by accident because I don’t hear from him about it again. He also doesn’t come in and demand to know what the black sticker is that’s stuck to the back, so I know he didn’t find the bug.

I send Adam a text that the bug is in place.


- Adam

Meet me for dinner tonight?
– Lilith

I’ve never been bold enough to invite a man out to dinner. I typed the message and hit send before I had time to think about it. I regretted sending the message when he didn’t respond.

“Good job, Lilith,” I whisper to myself.

When it was almost time for me to leave for the day, my phone went off again.

That’s actually a good idea. Call me. – Adam

I grab my things and hurry out to my car. I don’t know what he wants to discuss, but I figure it’s better if I do it outside of Tom’s building.

“Hey, Peaches. About dinner.” Adam says when he picks up. “I’d go with you anyway, but it’ll have to be a working dinner tonight. The bug logged some information that could help us a lot. Tom is meeting a potential buyer tonight at a restaurant. I want you to go with me and pretend to be my date so we can get some more info.”

“Pretend?” I say crestfallen.

“Well, I can take Becks if you don’t want to go.” He teases.

“Not what I meant. Yes, I’ll help.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear something fancy.” I can hear his smile in his voice.

“Will do.”

Chapter Seven

Lilith

I decide to wear something that's not just fancy, but a little sexy too. Not too much, though. I still don't know why I'm trying to get Adam's attention or why I'm letting myself fall for him. There's no way we could have a future together.

Is there?

The dress I pick is another one purchased when I was feeling bold, but I've never worn. It's simple black cocktail dress that fits me perfectly. I wear it with red shoes and even redder lipstick.

"Uh uh," Adam says and shakes his head no when he answers the door.

"What, you told me to dress fancy. You don't like it?" I say sadly.

"I do like it very much, Peaches. It's the shoes. You can't wear them on the bike. Throw on something more sensible and I'll put the pumps in my saddle bags for when we get there."

I take my shoes off and hand them to him. He smiles and turns to take them to his motorcycle while I slip on a pair of sneakers. He's looking out for me. That makes me happy too.

The ride to the restaurant is pleasant. I'll have to ask Adam to take me out for a ride sometime. Or maybe he'll invite me. It would be nice to have him ask me out instead of me being so forward. What am I talking about? He's a criminal, and I'm helping him bring down my boss. Leave it to me to be trying to get dates out of the worst possible situation.

At the restaurant, I slip the host a hundred dollar bill to give us the table we want. It had to be something close enough to hear his conversation or else there was not point in being here. Well, aside from having dinner with Adam there’s no reason. Fortunately, Tom and his potential client were seated in the private booths. There were curtains drawn to hide each table, but thanks to the huge tip I gave the host, he put us in the booth behind Tom.

I point on the menu to what I want, and then excuse myself to the restroom when our waitress comes to the table. I have to let Adam order for me, or else we risk Tom recognizing my voice.

"Restroom," I say the one word as softly as possible after Linda the waitress introduces herself.

When I get back, there is drinks and bread at the table. We eat quietly while we listen to Tom's conversation. I suppose we could communicate through text messages, but we're both laser focused on the exchange between Tom and the buyer.

We're thrilled when we hear Tom and the buyer reach an agreement. I listen to the paper scrape across the table when Tom says "Here's the address and the key." It's another break for us that Tom wrote the address down instead of sending it electronically. Thank God for his paranoia. Everything we need will be physically on the man who just purchased the information.

With nothing left to do but wait for them to finish their meal, Adam and I enjoy our steaks. It doesn't completely feel like a date since we can't talk, and we're on edge waiting for Tom's meal to be done, but it is nice considering the circumstances. I can see Adam and me on a real date, and from the look in his eyes, he can see it too.

We hear Tom paying the check and Adam quietly says "You have to distract him while I get the paper and key."

I nod to him and peel back the curtain covering our booth a bit. I see the buyer walk away, and Adam follows him. I get up and walk towards the restroom. I slip in and walk back out so it looks like I'm coming out of the bathroom as Tom exits the booth. He sees me and stops.

"Oh, hi Tom," I say after I make my way over to him casually.

"Hello, Lilith. What are you doing here?" Tom says with an edge of concern in his voice.

"You know. I'm on a date. It's not going very well, though. I am not impressed with this guy at all." I say and sigh.

"Where is he?" He says and narrows his eyes.

"One of the tables downstairs. That's how bad this date is. The guy couldn't even get one of the good tables."

"Pathetic." He says and relaxes a little bit.

"Well, he's not you. That's for sure." I say reach out to touch his arm gently.

"Maybe we should rectify that." He says and looks at me lecherously. My stomach turns, but I flash him a sweet smile.

"That would be wonderful, Tom. We haven't had dinner for a while."

"I'd ask you out for drinks now, but I've got some business I have to attend to tonight. Maybe this weekend?" He looks genuinely disappointed because he has to go.

"Sounds good. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"You too, Lilith." He says and kisses me on the cheek. Gross.

Outside I find Adam and the buyer in the alley. I gasp, but quickly stifle it, when I realize that Adam is holding the man at gunpoint.

"Sorry, you have to see this, Peaches. This man doesn't want to give me what I need, and I'm going to have to paint the pavement with his brain matter." That should have been terrifying, but watching Adam be so ruthless is actually exhilarating.

"Alright, Okay. I'll give it to you." He says in a thick Italian accent. "You have no idea who you're messing with."

"I've handled worse," Adam says and takes the paper and key.

'What do we do now?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" Adam asks as he slips the paper and key into his pocket with his free hand.

"Well, this guy is going to tell Tom that someone took the paper and key he just paid for."

"I'll shoot him."

"You can't just..."

My words are cut off because while he thought we were distracted, the buyer pulls a big, black gun out of his suit jacket and points it right at me.

"Drop it now," Adam growls, but it's too late.

Everything moves in slow motion, and I can almost feel the Italian squeezing the trigger. Before he can fire off a shot, Adam shoots him in the head, and his dead body falls to the pavement.

"Mother fucker." Adam whispers. "Get on the bike, Lily. We gotta go."

I put on my helmet as fast as I can and throw my leg over the motorcycle as soon as Adam is on it. He revs the engine and we peel out so fast that the tires squeal. I look back, and no one is in the alley yet. We made it out without being seen.

We're racing through the city streets, and I pray we don't get pulled over. Adam has a gun on him. A gun he just used to kill an Italian man in the alley. He saved my life. Adam didn't hesitate for one second when my life was in danger. He fired the gun and killed the man with expert precision.

As we weave in and out of traffic, I'm both terrified and exhilarated. This is how I imagine other people feel on roller coasters. It's how amusement park rides are supposed to feel. They usually just make me feel sick, but now I understand why people love them so much.

I tighten my arms around Adam's waist and press my face to his back. Once we're far enough away, he slows down and stops riding so aggressively. We pull up behind the church that's the base of his operations and his current home. When we get off the bike, he rolls it through the doors into the church.

"Too risky to leave it outside. Someone might have seen."

"I don't think anyone did, but that's good thinking," I say trying to comfort him and myself.

"Are you alright?" He asks and takes a step towards me.

"I think I'm okay." I say, but then I burst into tears.

"Shhh," Adam says and pulls me into his arms.

I've never come that close to dying before. Well, except the time I drifted into the deep end of a wave pool at a water park without a floaty ring. I was clinging to the wall of the pool unable to climb out. I tried to time my breaths with the waves that were smashing into me. It was a losing fight, and I don't know what would have happened if a random stranger hadn't stopped and pulled me out.

That's how I felt right now. It was like the wave of terror was trying to drown me. The initial adrenaline rush was wearing off, and I felt raw and damaged. But, Adam held me tight and stroked my hair until I was able to calm down. It helped that he smelled of soap and mint again. His scent comforted me. Home. He was starting to feel like home. That thought was almost as terrifying as having a gun pointed at me.

"Let's go see what we've got." He says when I finally stop crying.

"Okay."