Caught in the Middle

Chapter 6

I sat down on my bed as I let out a slight moan. I dragged my fingers through my dark locks as I stared at the "Restraining Order" document in front of me. According to the document, I had to keep one hundred feet away from Nathan Pierce at all times. Anything closer would result in my immediate arrest and fully pressed charges.

"What have I done to that man?" I asked no one in my room. I only went on one blind date and that night I lost everything.

I slammed the paper down on the bed while I cursed under my breath. Three weeks ago, I was a disheveled mess as I realized I didn't have my purse that contained my apartment keys or my wallet. It was too late to knock on one of my neighbor's door to ask them to borrow their phone. I already lost my cell phone so I couldn't call for a locksmith and Irene still wasn't talking to me.

In the end, I had to bother the landlady to get me in my own apartment and I tried everything to prevent her from calling the police. She thought I got raped. Although she wasn't too far from being right, I didn't want to meet Nathan Pierce in my life again. And then amazingly as I was stripping my clothes to take a shower to get rid of the evidence of having a rough night, I found Mr. Cole's card littered on the bathroom floor with my cardigan. Somehow his card stayed with me after my struggles to get away from Nathan. Mr. Cole had shoved the card in my hand. Maybe when he refused to let me go, he shoved the another card elsewhere on me.

I took the same card from my dresser and I debated whether to call him.

"Take this. You might not need it now but in the future you will." His voice haunted me.

'Oh how right he is!'

A week ago I tried using my debit card to make a small purchase at the grocery store. The card didn't work. I thought my pin number changed so I tried to process my transaction as a credit. The transaction still didn't go through. I tried using my other credit cards and none of them work. Embarrassingly, I had to put everything back. I went home and checked my financial accounts to find out they were all frozen. All my money from my bank account was gone.

Fortunately, I still had my job and I still received my weekly checks but I didn't know how to report to the credit card companies about my financial situation. I didn't have my cell phone. I bought a cheap prepaid phone with one of my checks. The rest of my money was going to be used to pay off my rent, the internet and cable bill, and ramen.

I picked up my cell phone and flipped it open. It was one of the older model phones that was popular a few years ago -the flip phone- but it was the only one I could afford. I dialed the number on Mr. Cole's business card and I held my breath as I heard ringing on the other end.

"Hello," a masculine voice said. I let out a breath and words were stuck in my throat.

"Hello," the voice said again.

"Is this Mr. Cole?" I asked.

There was a slight pause before he responded. "Who is this?"

I inhaled a deep breath. "Tessa Black," I answered at the exhale of my breath.

"I'm sorry but I don't know you." He sounded like he was about to hang up his phone.
"No, wait!" 

He did hang up. 

I pulled my phone from my ear and glared at it.

I redialed his number again and simply waited until he answered his phone. "Hello."

"Before you hang up, it's me, Tessa Black. I dated Mr. Pierce the night you gave me your card," I said all at once so he wouldn't dare hang up his phone.

There was a long pause before he replied. "So you finally decided to call me."

I could hear the smirk in his voice and I wanted nothing more than to hang up on him. But if I did, I could kiss everything in my life goodbye. "Yes, and unfortunately you are right about Mr. Pierce."

"Can you say that again? I didn't hear you."

I tried not to growl at the phone. "You are right about Mr. Pierce."

"So you're on a last name base with him."

"Yes," I answered. "Are you going to help me because I thought that's why you gave me your card?"

I heard him chuckle. "It depends on what you can offer me in return."

"I don't have anything of value," I said immediately.

"Then I can't help you." He was going to hang up.

"Wait! Can't we meet up somewhere and talk about it?"

There was a long moment of silence but I knew he was still on the other line. "Can you meet at Portofino tonight?"

"I can't."

"Then..."

"Mr. Pierce has a restraining order against me."

"I see. You are in a serious trouble."

"Yes."

"Then, how about you come to me?"

"Where?"

"Come to 67th Street on Lexington, building 432. Ask for me when you see the doorman."

"Okay," I said.  Then, he hung up his phone.