“Just my period, I’ll be okay.”
“Do you have something that you can take?”
“I’ll be fine, Elliot, don’t worry,” she whispers, and it’s obvious she wants to get off the phone in a rush. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
I frown. Tomorrow . . . oh. “Are you at home yet?”
“Yeah, I caught a cab,” she whispers.
“Okay.”
“Goodbye.”
“Call me if you—”
She hangs up before I can finish my sentence.
Oh.
I sit back in my chair . . . Hmmm. I inhale and get back to work.
Two minutes later . . .
What if she takes one of those tablets again and falls down the stairs?
No, she said she wasn’t taking them anymore.
I remember how out of control she was last time, and I imagine her lifeless body at the bottom of the stairs. She wouldn’t be that stupid.
Would she?
I keep trying to work, but twenty minutes later I press my intercom. “Courtney.”
“Yes sir.”
“I’m leaving for the day.”
“But . . . you have meetings all afternoon, sir.”
“Reschedule them.”
“Is everything alright, sir?”
“Everything’s fine,” I snap. I stand and put my suit jacket on. “I just need to go.”
I march into Christopher’s office. “I need your car.”
He glances up from his computer. “What for?”
“I’ve got to check on something.”
“Like what?”
I stare at him as I try to think of something. “There’s an emergency with the ducks.”
Fuck . . . I’m a bad liar.
Christopher’s eyes widen. “What happened?”
I shrug. “Um, they attacked the postman.”
He gasps. “They what?”
“Attacked the postman and he fell off his motorbike. It’s a terrible mess.”
He tips his head back and bursts out laughing. Loud and deep. “Oh my fuck, wait until the boys hear this.”
He hits speed-dial on his desk phone.
“Hey.” I hear Jameson’s voice.
Great, a conference call, just what I need.
“What’s doing??” I hear Tristan’s voice.
I hold my hand out. “Give me the fucking keys.”
“It gets better.” Christopher laughs. “His ducks attacked the postman and he fell off his motorbike.”
Tristan roars with laughter and I punch Christopher’s chest. “Give me the keys, prick.”
“Oh hell.” I hear Jameson sigh. “Get him a fucking gun already.”
I hold my hand out. “Keys.”
“I need my car tonight, I have a date,” Christopher snaps.
“You have four cars.”
“No.”
“I’ll have Andrew pick you up after work.”