“Mr. Von Doren.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me; they went straight to a hotel together?”
“Yes, sir. It seems these two didn’t miss a beat before shacking up again. As you can see, even surveillance footage shows the two of them barely made it to their room before she undid his trousers, and he unzipped her dress.”
“I wonder if he’s aware that she’s expecting?”
“She’s what? Ms. Galloway is expecting a child? His child?”
“Who else’s? From my understanding, intercourse during the first trimester is risky for the growing fetus, yet it seems that Sadie could care less.”
“Given that they were together well into the night and this morning, it doesn’t appear the D.A. is aware that his mistress is pregnant, Mr. Von Doren.”
“That does appear to be the case. No matter. In the end, Sadie’s pregnancy is only one factor in taking them down. Even if she were to carry it to term, if we can prove that she was warned about the risks of having intercourse during the first trimester, it will be all too easy to show she has no regard for the child’s health or safety, which ultimately reflects poorly on her.”
“I see. Oh, Mr. Von Doren, they appear to be leaving the hotel now. I’ll get back to you later this evening.” Jorge disconnected the line before my reply. Normally, I would consider these actions highly disrespectful, but I had to remember that he was doing his job. The slightest interference or mishap could end in disaster and cause him to lose out on juicy details. After all, we were playing a game of cat and mouse. I decided to call Annika to relay what Jorge had already found out, but her line was busy. I found myself stepping out of character again by calling her a few times in a row, but the line remained busy. I wondered who she could have been talking to? I sent Annika a text and let her know to give me a call when she had a chance.
I decided to take my mind off things and walked to my study, deciding to work from home today. Even though Sundays were my only day off, it wasn’t like I had anything better to do with my time. After finishing a couple hours’ worth of work, my phone rang, and without looking at who was calling, I answered.
“What do you want?”
“You asked me to call you, and you’re asking me what I want?” When I heard the angelic voice on the other end, I pulled the phone away and saw that it was indeed Annika calling me.
“My apologies, Annika. I didn’t look at the caller ID before answering, and I assumed you were Toby.”
“Hm, not sure if I believe you or not.”
“Please, as if I would actually speak to you in such a domineering tone, Annika.”
“Huh? Okay. What did you need, Mr. Von Doren?”
“I wanted to let you know that your instincts were spot on because Jeff wasted no time meeting up with Sadie at a hotel. Jorge sent me the dossier from last night in addition to copies of the surveillance footage.”
“Let me guess. They didn’t even make it to the room before taking each other’s clothes off?”
“How’d you know?”
“Simple. They’re both whores.”
“Pfft!”
“Will you forward what you have to Hunter?”
“Of course, I’ll do it now before I forget. Alright, I am done now.”
“Thank you, Mr. … I mean, Leon. See, I can correct myself when I remember.”
“Let’s how many times you have to be corrected before you call my name of your own accord, Annika.”
“Uh-huh.”
“By the way, I tried to call you a few hours ago, but I kept getting a busy signal. Who were you speaking to for so long?”
“Why do you care?”
“I’m just curious.”
“Haven’t you heard the saying? Curiosity killed the cat.”
“I guess I’ll have to give up one of my nine lives then. Spill, who were you speaking with?”
“Again, why is that any of your business?”
“Annika, was it a man?”
“Are you jealous, Mr. … Leon?”
“What if I am? I think you should reassure me so that I don’t get jealous. I don’t need someone swooping in and taking all of your valuable time, Annika. After all, we have a very close partnership to look after, and I intend to monopolize your time.”
“Mr. Von Doren, I think you’re overstepping your boundaries. Besides, I’m still married, and unlike my douche of a husband, I will uphold my wedding vows until the day I divorce the prick. Now, about that reassurance? I’ll have you know that I was on the phone with my parents because they were curious about why I removed Jeff’s access to the penthouse so suddenly.”
“Did you tell them the truth?”
“No. I didn’t tell them anything except not to worry and that I could handle it. Most of the phone was just catching up with them since I hadn’t spoken with them in a few months. With everything going on with Jeff, I didn’t even have the opportunity to speak with them.”
“It must be nice having your parents by your side, even if it’s from far away.”
“You’re speaking as if your parents aren’t around.”
“That’s because they’re not. My mom died from cancer when I was a child, and my father pretty much left me to my nannies since he was too busy getting remarried and having more kids with his new wife to care about me.”
“Oh. I … I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it. Being indifferent to such emotions is why I can do what I do and be as successful as I am.”
“I see. Well, Leon, I have other affairs to attend to today so I will be hanging up first.”
“Is it something to be jealous over?”
“Oh my God, no! I have a girl’s day planned with Kenzie!”
“I’m still jealous.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Von Doren.” Before I could reply, she had already hung up, leaving me to stare at the phone in disbelief. I couldn’t stand to be cut off before I could respond, but if it meant I could stay by Annika’s side longer, I was willing to do anything at this point. Shopping, huh? I tapped my chin a few times, and an idea sprang to mind. I called Toby and had him get the car ready. I figured it was time that I did a little shopping myself. Knowing Annika and her sense of style, she wouldn’t go to the high-end mall, so I knew I would need to visit to the lower-end one. Operation Run into Annika was a go.