Chapter 145: Officer Tanya

IvyIvy

Jake was standing outside my office with Tatiana draped on his arm like a handbag. How wonderful. This day just couldn’t get any better.

He sauntered forward with his hands in his pockets and his head tilted.

"What’s with the long face, big sister? Why are you frowning? Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? All eyes on you. Poor little Harper is finally in the spotlight."

When my father announced that I was his heir, even though the board decision wasn’t until July, I had expected a much more visceral reaction from Jake. That was the strange part. Jake wasn’t angry.

It unsettled the crap out of me. For years, every time I got something he wanted, Jake threw a tantrum. He would go to Father and cry, lie and twist things until Father gave him something bigger.

But ever since Father made the announcement, publicly and in front of the entire press, Jake had been calm. Sure, he was taunting me, but that was usual Jake behavior. It was weird, and when something with Jake was weird, it usually meant he was planning something.

Then there was Tatiana, glued to his side these days. Her huge tits were barely held in by the tiny spaghetti strap camisole she wore with a short black leather skirt, and a scarf was knotted around her neck.

"Do you two need something?"

"Aww, don’t be like that, Harps. I hear you moved into a new apartment and left poor Angel all to himself. Why? Are you too big for him now?"

"You can go comfort him," I replied, flicking my wrist. "He likes his dick getting sucked by you anyway. Now move out of the way."

Tatiana peeled herself off Jake’s arm and stepped forward with her arms folded. "I still can’t believe it’s you. I mean, it’s been a month, but I just see you and all I can remember is you in that maid uniform." She laughed and shook her head.

"A millionaire’s daughter, spreading her legs up and down the Knight mansion like a slutty whore. It’s still very funny to me."

"Miss Tatiana, you are not scheduled for a shoot today."

She pressed a hand to her chest in mock offense. "Look at the little princess giving orders. I guess you haven’t noticed yet, huh?"

She brushed her fingers lightly over the scarf around her neck and smiled smugly at me. A skull stared back at me from the fabric, and my breath snagged.

Kai. That was Kai’s bandana around her neck.

Did he give it to her? Were they back with Tatiana now?

I told myself Kai would never hand that over, but I had no right to know what Kai would or wouldn’t do anymore. Maybe she had taken it from his bike seat. Maybe he had thrown it at her. I would not let my face say which one I feared.

I swallowed and forced myself to arch a brow nonchalantly. "Should I be concerned?"

Her face fell and flushed red with anger. "Excuse me?!"

"I would advise you not to test me. You are currently contracted to Kingsley & Co., but there is the matter of your alliance with the Knights, yes? Since the Knights and Kingsley & Co. are no longer exactly best of friends, your contract is under review. I would advise you to mind your business or get your contract terminated."

Tatiana’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She whipped around to face Jake, indignant. "Is this bitch threatening to fire me? She can’t do that!"

Jake shrugged. "Chill, girl. Don’t mind her. She has no idea what she’s saying. All that press must have gone to her head. She thinks she’s the one calling the shots." He stuck his hands back in his pockets and rocked on his heels.

"Dad calls the shots. If Dad says you stay, you stay."

Tatiana’s eyes narrowed on me again. "You better watch yourself, Harper, or Ivy, or whatever you call yourself. The press doesn’t know that Kingsley’s pretty little heiress was in the Knight mansion, spying on them and sleeping with them. I can easily make that happen. I have all the proof I need to convince them."

She leaned in close and grinned. "Looks like we’ll be stuck together for a long time. I’ll be sure to tell you every time I suck Giddy’s dick."

"Damn, way to not keep things PG," Jake laughed, and he looped his arm around Tatiana’s waist and steered her away. He threw one last look over his shoulder at me. "Enjoy the spotlight, Harps."

My hands tightened into fists and the urge to scream built up like crazy. A scoff of disbelief left my lips. Was I getting blackmailed again? Screw this. Screw it all.

"Miss Kingsley?"

I flinched so hard I nearly dropped my bag, and I turned to find Jenny standing beside me, holding out a folded handkerchief.

"Are you alright?"

Shit. I had forgotten all about my assistant being right behind me. She must have heard all of that.

"Sorry you had to see that, Jenny," I mumbled, taking the handkerchief.

"It’s alright, Miss Kingsley," she replied, smiling kindly at me before going ahead to open the door to my office.

"Thank you." I dabbed my cheek and walked into my office, my legs feeling like lead. How do I right all of my wrongs? Where would I even start? "Have the car ready for me, please."

Jenny’s eyes widened. "The car? But you have a meeting at..."

"I’ll take it on the go. Make the meeting a conference call. I have somewhere important to be."

"Of course, Miss Kingsley." She pulled out her tablet and began tapping rapidly. "Where should the driver take you?"

"The morgue."

Jenny’s eyes went as round as saucers. "Wha... the morgue, miss?"

"The police station, technically. The coroner’s office is attached to the station," I replied, picking up a few files from the desk.

An hour later I was in the cold coroner’s office, where the air smelled of bleach and metal and my breath fogged faintly. A tired looking officer met me at the front desk and led me into a small room with a metal table and a folder.

"You’re here about Ivy Thompson?"

"Yeah." I swallowed and tried to ignore the heavy guilt sitting on my chest. She had called me that Monday. She had called several times, but I was too wrapped up in myself to pay attention.

She wasn’t exactly the best of persons and she was greedy as hell, but that didn’t mean she deserved to die at the hands of loan sharks. "I would like to claim her body. I heard no one came for her."

"Oh, well, someone just did actually, and he is..."

"Officer Tanya," a very familiar deep voice rumbled through the room, and I turned into a freaking statue, my heart beating so wildly that it almost shot out of my chest.