Chapter 41

Walking towards home long the grassy bank, letting the night breeze and crickets sooth me, my mind was obviously elsewhere. I was wrapped up in the fantasy we vocalized. Wrapped up in the shock and the knowledge that I couldn't tempt him like that again. But god, after that, I know I would want to tempt him even more. All those details were just so... magical and mind-blowing. I didn't—

"A late night gondola ride, huh? Obviously harmless."

The voice came from two feet away, making me jump and gasp in surprise! Whipping towards the thick shadowy tree line, I scowled. I swear, the more he made his presence know, the more pissed off I became. Not to mention, I already had a bone to pick with him! "Get out here, rat face. I've had enough of your shit," I hissed.

"What? I'm just doing my job," Sid defended, pushing aside the branches and stepping into full-view on the bank.

"No, you're enjoying it too much. By the way – and I've been meaning to say this for a while – go fuck yourself, asshole."

"What did I do?"

Inhaling sharply, I narrowed my eyes. "You haven't helped me at all; I have given you plenty of time. I'm done paying you." Then I corrected myself. "No, screw that. I'm not just done paying you to find evidence (which you haven't). I want you to give me my damn money back."

He smiled, brushing aside a few blonde strands hanging in his narrow face. "You need to relax. I've been working my magic."

"No you fucking have not! Now, I'm— What's that?"

He pulled something out of his jeans pocket and unfolded his hand, displaying it to me. Thanks to the limited light from the night sky, I couldn't tell what it was aside from a small rectangular item. Until I cautiously took it from his palm.

It was a flash-drive. I arched a brow up to him. "What's this for?"

"This is your evidence," he said in a cocky voice.

Facing me on the grassy bank, all I could do was stare at him. While he was busy trying to find dirt on me, I've been paying him to find dirt on August. Now after all this time of nothing, he was telling me... he actually did find evidence? And he saved it on this flash-drive? I crossed my arms, holding the small device with a little more care. "What evidence?"

"You'll see when you get home. It's... pretty good shit is all I'm going to say," he said proudly, turning to leave and ease back into the line of bushes and trees. "Oh, by the way. That camera your landlord has on his garage, check it."

"What, why?" I demanded, grabbing his arm.

Pausing, one foot in the brush and the other on the bank, he turned and flashed a smirk. "August's SUV was gone the night that auto shop was vandalized. It wouldn't mean much, but he never leaves his house that late. Except for that night."

Wow. I honestly didn't expect that – or even think about that before! Thanks to the restraining order, Blake placed a camera on his garage and aimed it at our houses. Who would have thought it would actually help! Sure, I was already stuck with the vandalism charge and the fine. However, we were focused on putting him away for everything he's been doing to me. And footage of August not home during that crime would be a nice bonus.

Fighting a smile, I nodded. "Well, that definitely won't hurt to have. I'll make sure I get it off his camera."

"Yeah, just a little tip. That is nothing compared to what I got. Check it out when you get home. By the way... that will be 150 dollars since you didn't pay me for the past few weeks," he said with amusement before trying to continue into the woods.

"Whoa, what?" I exclaimed, struggling to hold my grip. "150?! I don't think so, bitch!"

"I got you what you wanted. Not my fault you lost hope and stopped paying me. Expect a bill in the mail," he laughed, shaking off my grasp and disappearing into the trees.

Left on the bank, still stunned by all this... I scoffed to myself. "How? You gonna write me a note?" I mumbled under my breath, turning to continue down the bank. All the while, I kept looking down at the flash-drive in my hand. This little device possibly held a better chance at getting August locked up. I just couldn't imagine what kind of dirt Sid managed finding on him. This would be interesting...

And it definitely was.

When I got home and plugged the flash-drive into my laptop, there was a folder with several pictures of August. Most were of him in his SUV, parked at numerous different places. Some were zoomed in and up close shots. Some were taken from a distance... compared to wherever I was in the picture.

Yes, that's right. That was the big catch. All these pictures showed him in his SUV following me. Parked and watching in a distance or stationed close to wherever I was. There were photos of him in his vehicle outside of my meetings, down the street from when I picked up the kids, and other places around town – and yes, that included the auto shop.

It was absolutely creepy. I knew he was spying on me, but to see it... ugh, I hated it! But despite how uncomfortable it made me feel though, it offered a sense of comfort. These pictures could help me big time. Clearly, he broke the restraining order. Clearly, he was around and watching me with intent. And now, I have clear proof of it. Shit... this might even be good blackmail material or leverage. Who am I kidding, I couldn't afford the risk or any more guilt.

Having something so powerful like this, it already made me feel safer. Scrolling through the pictures... a wave of relief reached me. A huge wave that I didn't realize I needed. And all because my stalker knew how to be sneaky. Therefore, I couldn't help but smile and agree with a caption Sid wrote on one of the pictures: August – entry level stalker. Sid – the ultimate stalk master that stalked the stalker. You're welcome.

***

Thanks to what occurred that night, my mind flipped back and forth between the photos and that moment with Blake. My brain picked one pleasurable moment to think about, and then the other after a while. It was like a mental high.

But I knew that mental high was temporary. That's why I enjoyed thinking and feeling those different joys as I fell asleep. Because when I woke up... I knew I had to face some of the negatives. And it started with Blake.

While getting ready for the day, my anxiety was growing. I had no idea what it would be like seeing him. We've never before talked to each other like that, on a sexual level. So yeah, I was almost positive things would be awkward today. Plus, I couldn't forget that Blake was already stressed out and avoiding me yesterday before that moment happened. Would he still be in that weird mood? Though I loved the sexy exchange we shared, I didn't want to face the consequences of it. And god, it would be a long day of it too. We were going to be stuck together, cleaning another vacant house. No, not ideal.

It was a painful walk across the street and down to his house. I cringed just knocking on his door. Then I cringed some more when I heard the door open. Here we go.

Meeting his eyes, he offered a laid-back smile. That smile, whether forced or not, told me he thankfully was happy ignoring what happened. Huh, maybe it wouldn't be too awkward.

"Hey," he said casually, stepping out and shutting the door behind him. "Ready to get nasty and dirty again today?"

Well... I was wrong. Things would be very awkward. That first attempt at casualness flopped. Dear god, what a poor choice of words – and he knew it too. The second it was out, he visibly cringed and closed his eyes as he walked past me and down the porch.

Okay, maybe I could help him recover. "Yeah, as long as it's not as bad as the last house. That was disgusting," I said nonchalantly as I followed behind him towards the truck.

"Yeah, it sure was. I already got my shop-vac and supplies in the back of the truck. And if we have to work with bleach again, I already grabbed all your military grade gear," he teased.

Well, we were back on the right track at least. "Hey, boots and gloves are not that over the top," I smirked, getting in the truck with him.

"You found heavy-duty factory goggles in my garage," he scoffed, driving us up towards the house we were working on today. "I was waiting for you to demand a hazmat suit."

"Come on, you wouldn't catch me dead wearing one of those things."

Our joking was casual and genuine, but... there was no getting around the awkwardness I learned. As we hauled our supplies in, we kept the small talk up. There were more laughs too. Yet, the awkwardness was still in the air. And it almost doubled the moment any silence reached us. Like it was so thick, we could almost feel the weird tension. Plus, despite seeming okay, he avoided my eyes as much as he could.

But we both clearly didn't want to face or talk about last night. So, we had to just continue being laid-back and normal. We had to just ignore the knowing looks. Ignore the obvious awkwardness. Time hopefully would make it better.

A few hours later, something other than time passing helped us ignore the awkwardness. Something that was for the best, but gave me a sad and sour feeling in my gut.

During our break, Blake actually took us to Louie's for lunch. You know, a place with music and people's voices in the background so we could avoid complete silence. After putting our order in (and after a few people came up to say hi), he told me something I didn't expect – in a manner I didn't expect either.

"Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to tell you," he said, taking a sip from his ice water. "As soon as tomorrow, I will be needed at the marina because they have been really struggling. It sucks, but I won't be able to help you anymore."

He spoke with sympathy, which may have been genuine... but I knew his words weren't. How convenient. The day after we almost gave into each other, he magically was unable to continue working with me. It was... disappointing and sad to say the least.

Meeting his eyes across the table, I tried hiding how much that actually hurt. "I mean that sucks, but what can you do, ya know?" I shrugged, trying to match his casualness.

"Right. Not to mention, after the houses are done, we're done with all the projects I had for you," he said, staring down at his water mindlessly.

Well, that sure did not help that hurt. Blake just told me I was basically almost done working for him. The worst part was he spoke as if it was just a small thing. Again, like no big deal. Whether he was forcing that nonchalant manner or not, it was a little upsetting. Though I hated nearly every job we did... I loved it at the same time. I loved working for him and especially on the days he would help me. Apparently, I was wrong to think he felt the same.

"Um, well, that came up fast," I said, taking a deep breath and not sure what to say. "Guess I better start looking for a real job."

"Yup. With a boss much less fun than me," he chuckled, catching my eyes for a moment. "Don't worry though. There is no rush; I don't want you to worry about money; I can give you a break on rent if you need it. I will still buy those paintings from you too."

It was my turn to avoid his gaze. The sweet blue in them... felt painful to stare into. I knew him 'helping at the marina' was an excuse to stay away from me. Hell, saying this was the last project, that might also be an excuse to avoid me. Which yes, was understandable; seeing each other less would be smart. But what really hurt... was him acting like it was no big deal. Like he wouldn't miss me or even cared that our time together was mostly up.

For how much that hurt... I didn't want to show it. Staring at my iced tea, I forced a smile to my face and said lightly, "Well... at least I'll have these last few days to slack off since you'll be at the marina," I said jokingly.

"Well, I'll be around for the inspections at least, so you better look busy if I see you."

My sadness and hurt vanished. Glancing up to him, his words invited a familiar anxiety. "When are the inspections again?"

"In two days. The day before I head to my parents."

Another slap in the face. I knew it was coming up, but two days? The pit in my stomach grew. "That's crazy how that's already here."

For the rest of the day, my focus shifted from avoiding awkwardness to... well, being worried. First, he made me feel like he didn't care. Then, he made me realize that in just two days, August's house will be searched.

And those two days leading up to the inspection... were slow and painful.

Those two days, I was by myself working. You know, because Blake was 'busy' at the marina. Whether it was because of his feelings (or lack of feelings for me), I didn't know. Maybe he was avoiding me because of that 'issue' he wouldn't tell me about. Regardless, it made me sad and miss him on a pathetic level.

An easy distraction from that was my growing fear about the inspection. The day finally arrived and the fear was ten times worse. I knew the whole day would consist of just... waiting. I wasn't sure if it was cop sirens, a phone call, or a knock I was waiting for. But the worst case scenario would be if nothing happened, if Blake didn't find those drugs.

Little did I realize... that was not the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario was what actually happened.