I swallowed hard.
“Sure. That sounds nice.” I gave him a small smile.
“Great. Be at my house around six o’clock. Does he have to come?” he asked with an arched brow as he pointed to Rick.
“He can drive me. Like I told you, he works for me now. I’m nervous about what Andrew might do since I broke up with him. He didn’t take it well.”
“You’ll always be safe with me.” He pulled me into an embrace and started stroking my hair. “I will never let anyone hurt you. I will always protect you, Addison.”
I gulped as he tightened his arms around me and I could feel the hardness of his cock against my body. A sickness grew inside me as I broke our embrace.
“That’s sweet of you, Cody. I better get upstairs. It’s getting late.”
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled as he brushed his lips against me one last time.
I walked into my building and pressed the button to the elevator like a madwoman. When the doors opened, I stepped inside and placed my hand over my mouth. I felt queasy and couldn’t wait to get into my apartment. As soon as the doors opened, I ran down the hall with my key in my hand, quickly unlocked it, and ran to the bathroom and vomited.
“Are you okay?” Jasper asked as he came from behind and held back my hair.
“I’m fine,” I spoke.
He handed me a tissue, and as soon as I wiped my mouth, I leaned my back against the bathtub.
“Did you drink too much or something?” he asked as he sat down next to me.
“No. It was a reaction from that psycho kissing me.”
He grabbed hold of my hand.
“Did you get him to confess?”
“No. I will tomorrow for sure. He invited me to dinner at his place.”
“No, Addison. That’s not a good idea.”
“I agree,” Andrew spoke in a stern voice as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom.
“Andrew.” I looked up at him in surprise.
He walked over to me and held out his hand to help me up.
“I didn’t like what I heard tonight. In fact, it downright pissed me off,” he spoke with anger in his eyes.
“And you think I did?” I let go of his hand and walked into my bedroom. “I just threw up because of him,” I spoke.
“This ends now. I’m not having this go on any longer. We’ll find another way to prove he killed Ellie.”
“And how are you going to do that?” I shouted. “Tell me! Because from where I’m standing, you’re guilty as fuck! He has a solid alibi. You don’t!” I pointed at him. “I’m sorry you can’t handle me trying to help you. The man is in love with me and I can do this!”
“At what cost, Addison?” he yelled. “Because I’m pretty sure if you piss him off or slip up somehow, he’ll kill you too!”
“Please, just trust me,” I spoke as I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Knowing that he kissed you and those things he said makes me want to rip his face off,” Andrew scowled.
“I know it does! I want to rip his face off too. In fact, I want to tear him from limb to limb for the pain he’s causing us.”
I broke our embrace and placed my hands on each side of his face.
“I promise you that tomorrow this will all be over. Stay here tonight. Please?” I pouted.
The corners of his mouth curved up into the sexy smile I fell in love with.
“I already planned on it.”
Chapter Forty
I took in a deep breath as I exited my apartment building and climbed into the car where Rick was waiting for me.
“You sure you want to go through with this, Addison?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m sure.”
“After I drop you off, I’ll wait a few minutes, and then I’ll be right outside his apartment door. Scream if you need me.”
“Thanks, Rick.”
Rick knew everything, except who Charlie was. Andrew and Charlie needed him to keep a watchful eye on me at all times, so they had to fill him in on what was going on. He pulled up to the building and I nervously got out of the car. I took the elevator up to the fourth floor and found apartment 4F. After lightly knocking on the door, Cody answered it with a wide smile on his face.
“You look gorgeous. Come on in.”
“Thank you. I brought these for dessert.”
“Cookies. You didn’t have to do that,” he spoke nervously.
“Don’t worry. They aren’t the ones Jasper made. I made them myself this morning and they are absolutely nut free. Wow, your apartment is nice. Did you decorate it yourself?” I asked as I looked around.
“Thank you, and yes, I did. My mother was an interior designer, so I picked up some tips from her over the years.”
“It smells good in here.” I smiled. “What are you cooking?”
“Why don’t you come into the kitchen and find out?” He held out his hand.
I gulped as I placed mine in his and followed behind him. When I walked into the kitchen, I was stunned by the two vases of exquisite-looking lavender roses that were sitting on each end of the island.
“What beautiful flowers.”
“I was hoping you’d like them. They’re for you,” he spoke.
“For me? Cody, you already have given me flowers.”
He walked over to me and placed his hands on my hips and then his mouth softly met mine.
“I already told you that beautiful women deserve beautiful flowers. I want to make you happy, Addison. You’ve been through a lot and I want to make you forget that.”
The knot that was already in the pit of my stomach tightened. I gave him a small smile and escaped from his clutches.
“You barely know me, Cody.”
“I know enough. You’re beautiful, talented, sweet, kind. You’re the woman I’ve been searching for my entire life. May I get you a glass of wine?”
“Sure,” I spoke with a nervousness in my voice.
He poured us both a glass, handed me mine, and then held his up for a toast.
“To new beginnings.” He grinned. “To us and the start of a beautiful relationship.”
I swallowed hard as I tipped my glass against his.
“Are you hungry? Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
“I’m starving,” I lied.
He walked over to the oven and pulled a pan from it.
“I hope you like pork loin. I’ve made it in a special sweet sauce.”
“I do, and it smells wonderful. Can I help with anything?”
“No. No. You’re my guest. Go sit down and relax.” He smiled.
I took my glass of wine and sat down at the table. I needed to hurry and get this night over with. Cody’s dinner consisted of pork loin, mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed asparagus, and rolls. After he set it on the table, he took the seat across from me and we began to eat.
“It’s nice to have you here, Addison. I’ve been wanting for you to see my home for a long time.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I like you. Isn’t it obvious?” He smiled.
“I suppose it is.” I looked down. I took in a deep breath and then a sip of my wine. “Hey, Cody, were you the one who sent me the flowers to the office?”
“Why are you asking?” His eye narrowed at me.
“Because if you were, then you deserve to be thanked for them.”
“I was the one who sent them.” He blushed.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I couldn’t. You were with Andrew and he wouldn’t appreciate another man sending his fiancée flowers.”
“True. But we’re friends. We’ve always been friends.”
“It doesn’t matter. Men get very jealous and he probably would have fired me.”
“I wouldn’t have let that happen,” I spoke in a soft voice.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because I like you and we work well together.”
“Is
that the only reason?”
“What do you mean?” I cocked my head.
“Addison, I know you felt the connection between us from the moment we met. If I could feel it so strongly, then I know you must have. A connection like that is rare. You didn’t have that connection with Andrew. You were just attracted to his status and money. It’s okay. You can admit it to me. I know you couldn’t help it.” He reached across the table and placed his hand on mine.
“Maybe I was,” I nervously spoke.
He was getting weird and it was making me very uncomfortable. I needed to be extremely careful with my words and tell him what he wanted to hear. As I sat there with his hand on top of mine, my knees trembled under the table.
“I’m happy you finally saw that Andrew wasn’t good for you. You deserve way better than him. Look at how he treated his ex-wife. The way he grabbed her that day in your office and shouted at her.”
“How did you know about that?” I asked nervously.
“I was on my way to your office when Ellie came running out. She ran right into me and she was crying. I tried to calm her down as I took her to the lobby. We talked for a bit and she told me what he had done. It was my suggestion to get the restraining order against him.”
“What?” My eyes widened.
“At first, she said she didn’t want to, but I told her that if she didn’t, he could seriously hurt her next time. It was for her own protection and for yours, my love. But we can see that the restraining order didn’t do much good.”
My heart started to rapidly beat, and I swallowed hard.
“What do you mean ‘my protection’?”
“He’s a violent man, and frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t leave him after you witnessed what he did to Ellie. But it all worked out in the end, didn’t it?”
I picked up my glass of wine and finished it off.
“Worked out in the end?” I narrowed my eye.
“Yes. You finally saw what a monster he is. Can I pour you some more wine?”
“I’ll pour us some more.” I smiled.
“I can do it.” He began to get up from the table.
I got up first and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Please, Cody, sit down. You cooked this wonderful meal for me. At least let me pour you another glass of wine.”
“You’re sweet as pie, darling.” He grinned.
I went into the kitchen, where I had seen his epi pen earlier, and picked it up, placing it in the pocket of the sweater I was wearing. Grabbing the bottle of wine from the counter, I took it over to the table.
“Thank you.” He smiled as I poured some more in his glass.
“Did you know Ellie?” I asked.
“A little bit. After she confided in me about Andrew, we met for coffee a couple of times. I guess you could say we became friends. She was a lovely woman. She was going to move.”
“Move? Where?” I asked.
“Florida. She wanted a fresh start and she knew she would never have that if she lived in New York.”
Suddenly, my phone dinged with a text message from Andrew.
“Addison, get out of there now! Detective Ginn just called and they found a letter written by Ellie in her apartment. She said if anything were to happen to her, Cody was to be investigated. Get out of there and let the police handle it!”
“I’m sorry, Cody, but I have to leave.”
“Why?”
“That was Emma. There’s an emergency.”
I got up from the table, grabbed my purse, and headed towards the door. As I placed my hand on the knob and slightly opened it, Cody slammed it shut.
“I don’t want you to leave. The night is still early,” he spoke in anger.
I gulped as his face was mere inches from mine.
“We aren’t finished here tonight, Addison. I planned on you staying the night. I even have your favorite perfume for you.”
“What?”
He grabbed hold of my hand.
“Let me show you,” he spoke as he led me to his bedroom.
I needed to think fast. When we stepped into his room, there were candles burning everywhere and rose petals displayed all over his bed. There was a picture of me on his nightstand and a bottle of my perfume sitting on his dresser.
“I thought you were giving that to your sister.”
“I just used her as an excuse to find out what perfume you wore. I bought it so I could smell it every night. It helps me feel closer to you.”
“Is that my black nightie?” I pointed over to the chair.
“Yes. I took it from your apartment.”
“That was you?! You broke into my apartment?”
“I didn’t break in. I simply took your key from your purse.”
“Why, Cody?” My eyes started to fill with tears.
“Because I needed something of yours to keep here.”
“You destroyed my room. Fuck!” I yelled.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t intend to. But then I found those pictures of you and Andrew and I guess you could say I went a little crazy.”
My body started to shake, and I needed to calm the fuck down and think. I took in a long, deep breath.
“Addison, I love you. You’re mine now. Andrew is out of the way and I know you feel the same about me. I can feel it.” He softly stroked my cheek. “Please don’t be mad at me for your room. I’ll make it up to you.”
I looked away from him and my eyes diverted over to the corner where I saw a stack of magazines sitting there. Suddenly, the letters filled my mind. He was the one who sent them. I turned back and stared into his eyes. It was now or never. I needed to end this.
The corners of my mouth curved up into a smile as I brought my hand up to his cheek.
“I do feel the same way, Cody. And you were right about that connection. I felt it instantly. Actually, I was the one who convinced Andrew to put you on the project with me, so I could be close to you every day.”
“Addison,” he softly spoke. “You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear you say that.” His lips brushed against mine.
“You haven’t tried the cookies I made for you yet,” I spoke.
“You’re right. I haven’t. Shall we go have one now?”
“Yes.” I smiled.
He took my hand and led me to the kitchen. Taking the lid from the container, I took out a cookie and brought it up to his lips.
“Take a bite and let me know what you think.”
He took a large bite and chewed it in front of me while I stared into his eyes.
“Mhm. This is wonderful,” he spoke as he took the cookie from my hand.
I walked away and started to clear the table. I heard the stool at the island tip over and when I turned around, Cody was leaned up against the island, holding his throat.
“I need my epi pen.” He forced out the words.
“This one right here?” I held it up.
He reached out his hand for me to hand it to him.
“Addison, inject me. NOW!”
“Not until you confess to the murder of Ellie!” I shouted.
“You bitch.” He fell to the floor. “I can’t breathe.”
“Did you kill Ellie?” I stood over him.
Suddenly, there were several loud bangs on the door.
“DID YOU!” I shouted again.
“Yes. Yes, I killed her.” He wrapped both hands around his throat.
I injected him with the epi pen and ran to the door and opened it. Andrew, Rick, and Detective Ginn ran inside.
“Addison, what did you do?” Andrew asked.
“He’ll be fine.” I rolled my eyes.
Detective Ginn ran over to him and placed the handcuffs around his wrists and then called an ambulance.
“What the hell happened?” he asked as he turned and looked at me.
“I don’t know. He was eating a cookie and he had some sort of reaction,” I spoke.
“She tried to kill me!” Cody shouted. “She
knew I was allergic to nuts.”
“Oh my God, really?” I placed my hand on my chest. “I had no idea you were allergic to nuts. You should have told me sooner.”
“YOU BITCH!” he shouted.
“Calm down,” Detective Ginn spoke as he placed his hand on his chest.
“Detective Ginn, go look in his room. He has my black nightie that was from my room in my apartment. My picture is on his nightstand and he has a stack of magazines in the corner. I bet if you look through them, you’ll find words cut out. He admitted to killing Ellie.”
“Go home, Miss Belle and let us do our job. I’ll be meeting you tomorrow to ask you some questions. As for you, Mr. London, I apologize, and you can be assured that the charges against you will be dropped.”
“Thank you, Detective,” he spoke.
Andrew hooked his arm around me and I laid my head on his shoulder as we walked out of the apartment.
“I can’t believe you did that. You could have killed him.”
“I wouldn’t have. I know how long it takes. Madeline is highly allergic to bees. I’ve had to save her a few times over the years. Anyway, it’s over. Let’s go home.”
The next morning, Detective Ginn was at the penthouse bright and early.
“Cody confessed to us that he did indeed murder Ellie Grant. He needed to frame Andrew to get him out of the way so he could have you to himself. Miss Grant left a note that was found in the drawer of her nightstand saying that she believed Cody was stalking you and when she confronted him about it, he became irate. She also said that if anything were to happen to her, we needed to investigate him.”
“That’s what she wanted to tell me that day when I ran into her and she seemed really nervous,” I spoke.
“Maybe,” Detective Ginn said. “The case from ten years ago is also being reopened. So, with any luck, we’ll nail that son of a bitch on two murder charges. You didn’t really know he had a nut allergy, did you?” He narrowed his eye at me.
“No.” I shook my head. “I really didn’t know him that well.”
Detective Ginn knew I was lying. I could tell by the way he smirked at me.
“Okay. I’m done here. Have a good life together,” he spoke as he shook my and Andrew’s hands.
As soon as he left, Andrew wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him.