Read Just A Woman (The Porter Trilogy Book 2) for Free Online

What’s the matter? It’s the middle of the day? Why aren’t you calling me from your work phone?” I heard her shutting her heavy office door, giving our conversation some privacy. She always had that damn door open.
    “I was out running, but that’s not what I called about,” I said impatiently into the phone. “Does she know?” I said, my voice dropping a few octaves, worry tinging every word. If Rachel or Charlotte already knew, my coded words wouldn’t confuse her, and if they didn’t know, well then it would be up to me to explain.
    “Does who know what, Alex? I’m confused,” she said, clearly not understanding what I was saying.
    “Dimitri’s dead,” I deadpanned.
    “Oh my God, Alex, I had no idea, and no, I don’t think she knows, she hasn’t said anything.” She cried into the phone. “Should I tell her?” she asked. I could hear the tears. Rachel hadn’t been super close to Dimitri either, but, being in same industry, you knew just about all of the leaders of a particular company, and Rachel, as strong as she was, was not immune to her feelings.
    I sighed, running a hand through my sweaty hair, “Yeah, you might as well, she hasn’t taken any of my calls in the last few weeks.”
    “Alright, I’ll call you as soon as it’s done and I’ll send her home for the day. She is still a bit fragile, and this isn’t going to help,” she whispered into the phone.
    “Thank you, Rachel, for everything.”
    “You’re welcome, Alex,” she said as she hung up.
    I dropped my hand and stared out into the city of Los Angeles for a while. My poor Daydreamer. She and her father may not have been attached at the hip or anything close to that, but he was still her blood, and, after dealing with what I did to her, this might break her. I didn’t want that for her, but I had no way to contact her, with the exception of showing up at her work or her home, and I knew that as much as she could use the physical comfort, she wouldn’t welcome it from me.
    I sat for a minute more before a bright shiny light bulb flashed above my head. I looked around to see exactly where I was and ran in the opposite direction from where I had come. Scanning the shops on the street, I found my destination and crossed the busy intersection to the flower shop on the corner. Sure, flowers were cheesy and lame, but I knew Charlotte, of all people, would appreciate the gesture.
    Before I stepped in, I texted Bracks the address and told him to come pick me up. I wasn’t running all the way to Rachel’s office with a bouquet of flowers. Her building might be close to mine but it was definitely hot this time of the year, and it would seem highly disrespectful to give her flowers that had wilted along the way to their destination.
    When I walked in, the smell of the shop assaulted my nose, making me cringe and then smile. The smell instantly reminded me a little of Charlotte and my smile widened. I looked at the different plant life around me, taking in the colors of the flowers and watching the sunlight stream in, dancing off the glass vases and spreading rainbows onto the walls. The space was cramped and overloaded with arrangements on every flat surface, but it was charming and I knew that Charlotte would approve of, and probably love this place.
    Standing up from behind the counter, I watched as a small woman pushed up her glasses and set down a pair of metal shears. “Can I help you, sir?” she asked, approaching me, her glasses falling back down to the tip of her nose.
    I stared at her for a minute, wondering what I should ask for. I’d purchased flowers before for women I was sleeping with, but most women were simple. Roses were romantic and got me closer to my ultimate goal, sex. This was different, though, and I didn’t want to mess it up. Sympathy flowers were not my specialty.
    “Yes, I’m looking for something, but I’m not sure what.” I shoved my hands in my pocket and looked around the shop. I wasn’t used