Billionaire On Fire: The Complete Series (A Bad Boy Alpha Billionaire Romance) (17 page)

CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE

Cam

We
spent several hours scouring the places I'd
marked on the map with no luck. Alex looked worn out by the time we'd checked
the known dealer spots, and I suggested that we head back to her place so she
could get some sleep.

"Sleep, really?"
she said with a wry grin. "C'mon, Connor, you can do better than
that!"

"I'm not coming on to
you," I laughed as I reached back and patted Tesla who'd been quiet and
patient the entire time we'd been out searching. At a couple of the places,
we'd taken a t-shirt that Liz had left at Alex's apartment and let Tesla smell
it. She'd looked at us like we were crazy before heading off to sniff at things
that were far more interesting to her. "I need to take Tesla for a run,
and I've got to prep for the press conference when Metzler announces his run
for office."

"Ah, yes, I see,"
she nodded as I pulled up in front of her apartment building and let the truck
idle. "I don't know what to do about Liz. I don't know how to find her. I
have no idea where she is or if she even wants to be found."

"Give her time," I
said as I reached out and ran my fingers through Alex's hair. It was tangled
from the wind that had blown as we searched stretches of the river where the
homeless and drug addicts tended to gather. I wanted to say something
comforting, but I had nothing. I knew chances were good that Liz was somewhere
completely hidden, and that every hour that passed made it less likely that
we'd find her. "Maybe she's dealing with something we can't understand and
just needs space to figure it out."

"Or maybe she's in a
drug induced haze and has no clue where she's at," Alex said quietly.
"She needs me and I can't get to her."

"It'll be okay,
Alex," I said caressing her cheek. "One way or another, it'll be
okay."

She nodded and then pushed
the door open and got out. I wanted so much to park the truck and follow her
upstairs, but I knew that if I did that, I was going to be late for my meeting
with Leo and possibly screw the entire CSC deal. After all that I hadn't done
to help Leo, this time I was going to make sure that I was where I was supposed
to be when I was supposed to be there.

"Thank you, Cam,"
Alex said then she closed the door and turned and walked up the stairs.

"You're welcome,
Alex," I said as I watched the door close behind her.

Had I known then what I knew
later, I would have never let her go home alone.

CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO

Alex

After
Cam dropped me off, I went upstairs and ran a
hot bath while I brewed a pot of tea. Not being able to find Liz was on the top
of my list of worries, but I still had an exam to study for and a decision to
make about Cam. I didn't like the fact that he had more money that I'd ever
imagined. It made me nervous, but I couldn't identify why I was so viscerally
opposed to it.

There was no question that he
and I had chemistry and that I looked forward to every opportunity we had to
act on it, but I wasn't sure it was enough to justify continuing the
relationship. However, it was strong enough to keep us going for now.

I sunk down into the tub full
of bubbles and tried to logically think my way out of my opposition. Cam was a
good man. He worked hard and he was loyal to his friends, and he'd never tried
to show off or lord his money over me in a way that made me feel like I owed
him something. In fact, when I thought about it, he'd done the exact opposite.
He'd downplayed his wealth and passed things off to luck or the kindness of his
friends, like the reservation at Grace.

Cam was a modest man who
happened to have a lot of money. He wasn't a rich jerk who was looking to
acquire me as a possession, and when I dug down deep, I could only come up with
the fact that I had something against all that money, not that he'd ever done
anything to make me feel uncomfortable. In fact, everything he'd done had been
to make me feel comfortable, and I felt vaguely embarrassed that I was making
such a big deal out of something he had obviously learned how to manage.

"Get over yourself,
Pierce," I said as I scrubbed my skin with a loofah. "It's not about
you."

I thought about what Liz
would say and how she would laugh it all off with a wink and a smile, and the
tears started flowing. I had no idea where she was or if she was all right, and
even worse, I had no way of helping her if she was in trouble.

I pulled the plug and let the
water drain from the tub before standing up and grabbing a thick towel from the
rack. I had to figure out where Liz was and I had to get her help, but first I
needed to talk with my landlord about an extension on my rent and then take the
exam that Professor Jackson had scheduled for the next day.

After I pulled on a
sweatshirt and pants, I went to the kitchen to pour the tea. It was going to be
a long night of reviewing anatomy. I took a steaming mug to the table and
opened my books. For a moment, my mind drifted off to the place where Cam and I
had made very different use of the table earlier in the day and I was tempted
to call him.

"Knock it off,
Pierce," I scolded myself as I shook my head to clear it. "You don't
have the luxury of acting like a lovesick school girl."

I looked down at my books and
thought, "Come hell or high water, I am going to pass my exams and get my
nursing license."

Not even the devastatingly
handsome Cam Connor was going to distract me from my goal.

#

I
studied into the wee hours of the morning and
then took a quick nap before getting up and getting ready for class. I wanted to
stop by the landlord's office to ask him about an extension before I headed to
class, so I took extra care to make sure I looked like a responsible tenant who
would, in fact, pay the rent. We'd had a few minor differences during the time
I'd lived in the apartment, but nothing that would prevent him from giving me a
chance to get the financial aid issues straightened out so I could pay him.

"You can do this,
Pierce," I said looking at myself in the mirror, as I got ready to leave.
"Smile and be polite and he won't be able to say no."

I'd pulled my hair into a low
ponytail and dressed conservatively in a black turtleneck and pants with boots.
I swept a layer of mascara onto my lashes before finishing with a bit of bright
lipstick. I looked like a responsible adult, I thought as I smoothed my hair
and pulled on my coat.

I practiced my appeal on the
way down in the elevator, and when I got to the lobby I saw my landlord
standing behind the front desk. I took a deep breath and approached with a
smile.

"Good morning, Mr.
Deaver," I said.

"Well, good morning,
Miss Pierce!" he said with a big smile. It confused me for a second, but I
recovered quickly and continued smiling.

"Mr. Deaver, I just
wanted to let you know that I'm going to be a little late with my rent, and I
recognize that I'll probably owe you some late fees," I began. The words
tumbled out of my mouth in a fast and furious attempt to get it all out before
he stopped me.

"I'm sorry?" he
said looking very confused.

"The rent? I'm going to
be late," I repeated feeling a little confused by the question.

"You don't owe me any
rent, Miss Pierce," he said frowning a little. "You're paid up
through the end of the term."

"But I haven't given you
any money," I said furrowing my eyebrows as I tried to understand what he
was telling me. "I need to give you the rent money, but I haven't gotten
my financial aid check yet."

"There's no money
owed," he repeated as if he were speaking to a small child. "Your
boyfriend gave me a check for the whole balance a few days ago, so we're
good."

"My...wait, what?"
I asked unsure that I'd heard him correctly.

"Your bae, isn't that
what you kids call them these days?" he laughed. "The young man came
to my office and gave me a check, so you're good until the end of the term."

It suddenly dawned on me what
had happened. Fortunately, I had the good sense to keep myself focused on what
was happening in front of me.

"Oh, great! I guess he
forgot to tell me he'd done that," I said with a forced smile.
"Thanks, Mr. Deaver. Oh, and could you get one of the guys to fix the sink
in the kitchen? It's leaking underneath."

"I'll send someone up to
take care of it this morning, Miss Pierce," he said with a smile. I was
immediately suspicious as to what else Cam Connor had done; since Deaver had
never before agreed to take care of any maintenance issue that quickly.

"Have a great day, Mr.
Deaver!" I called as I headed out the door. I stomped two blocks before I
was able to do anything but swear at Cam under my breath.

He'd paid my rent. He hadn't
even discussed it with me. And how in the hell did he know about my financial
situation? I hadn't said a word to him about it.

Liz. She must have mentioned
what was going on when Cam was with her in the hospital room. Dammit. I could
forgive Liz for trying to help, but I was mad as hell at Cam for butting into
my business without saying a word to me. He'd treated me as if I was a child
who couldn't take care of herself.

My entire litany of
complaints and grudges about money and the people who had it came flooding back
into my brain as I walked toward class.
 
There was no way in hell I was going to let Cam Connor pay my bills and
treat me like some helpless damsel in distress. He'd gone behind my back and
not said a word about it.

That made me even madder when
I thought about the fact that we'd spent the entire day together and he had had
numerous opportunities to tell me what he'd done. He should have discussed it
with me! I could feel my anger building with every step, and by the time I reached
the classroom, I was in full rage mode. I picked up my phone and started
punching keys on the screen as I typed out a message to Cam.

"Ms. Pierce, could you
come up here, please?" Professor Jackson asked quietly. I set my phone
down and went to the front of the room.

"Yes, sir?" I said
when I reached her podium.

"Ms. Pierce, until the
issue with the cheating is resolved, you are not allowed to take any of the
exams in this class," she said keeping her voice low and her back turned
to the classroom.

"Why not?" I asked
shocked that I'd be barred from taking tests when I was innocent.

"It's school
policy," she said giving me an apologetic look. "I can't let you take
this exam today. Your case will come before the review board on Wednesday, and
if it's determined that you did nothing wrong, then I'll schedule a make up
test for you."

"I see," I said
looking down at the floor as the shame burned on my cheeks. "I'll get my
things and go."

"That's probably
best," she nodded as she reached out and patted my shoulder. "I
really am sorry about this."

"I know you are," I
nodded. "I am, too."

I went back to my desk and
gathered my things knowing that everyone else in the class was watching me. I
could feel Violet's stare even though my back was to her.

"I heard they don't let
cheaters take exams," she said a little too loudly to Jessica and
Lydia.
 
"It's an old rule, but one
that they stand by."

"Ms. Metzler, please
refrain from any and all commentary," Professor Jackson said sternly.
"I don't want to hear another word."

"Yes, ma’am," she
said sweetly, but I could hear her and her buddies whispering behind my back as
I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the room.

I decided to head over to
student accounts and see what I could do about delaying my tuition payment for
a couple of days until the decision had been made about my case.

"Miss Pierce?" the
cashier asked as she looked from my student ID to the screen in front of her.

"Yes, that's me," I
said impatiently.

"You don't have a
balance to pay, Miss Pierce," she said with a big smile. "All
good!"

"Wait, what?" I did
a double take. "When was that balance paid?"

"It looks like, um, this
morning," she said. "A few hours ago."

"Very well, thank
you," I said taking my ID and stuffing it in my bag. Cam Connor strikes
again. Now I was furious. I was angry with him for paying these bills without
consulting me, and I was mad that it made me angry.

I pulled out my phone, erased
the message I'd been typing and simply tapped out the message, "Call me.
Now," before hitting send. Since I had no idea how long it was going to
take him to get back to me, I decided to head over to the diner for breakfast
and a cup of strong coffee.

I might be angry, but that
didn't mean I was going to punish myself by going hungry.