Fin filled her in on the evening. He paced back and forth as he talked, rubbing the back of his neck in agitation.
“Okay, so you were right about that jackass being one of Cole’s minions. She may even keep him on retainer if my source is right. I can’t believe he touched your date, much less ripped her dress. Did you know the douchebag posted a picture that shows the sleeve hanging loose? What anel estúpido. That’s probably enough evidence alone, but I’d like to have the dress for backup. What’s the lady’s name, by the way? I’m not sure you’ve told me yet.”
“Her name is Alexis Tanner. She goes by Alex. She’s a project manager based here in Houston. Did I tell you she knew who I was the whole time? From the moment I sat down beside her on the airplane. And yet, she didn’t fawn all over me or act like I was some big shot. She treated me like I was a fellow passenger.” Fin paused, remembering the shocked look on her face last night after the attack. “I hate that she was accosted like that because of me.”
Addie growled. “No, Finley, it’s not your fault. That onus belongs to the Miranda Coles of the world. Don’t ever take that on. You feel me?”
Fin puffed out his cheeks and blew out a breath. “I understand. I don’t know why it’s bothering me so much after all this time.”
Addie’s voice gentled over the phone, “Well… the other women you’ve dated have all been in the business. They’re used to the spotlight, and—let’s be honest—some showbiz types encourage that kind of attention. Alex doesn’t come from that world.” Addie took a deep breath on the other end of the line before continuing, “And Finley, I’m sure the physical aspect of the incident brought back some strong feelings for you.”
Fin sat down hard as he absorbed what Addie said. “Right.” He scrubbed his face with his free hand, then scraped it through his hair. “So. What do we do about it?”
“I’ve already been in touch with my attorney. He’s looking into getting an injunction against Cole and anyone associated with her here in the States like you have in Scotland. He’s not sure there’s enough to warrant it, but since it’s a recurring theme with her, we have a chance. We’ll know something later this week. Having the dress will help. If nothing else, we can file an assault charge, but we need to act quickly if you want to go that route.”
“She left me alone for so long—writing from a distance, but not coming near me physically—that I thought she was done with me. Anyway, I’m seeing Alex tonight, so I’ll ask about the dress. Thanks for staying on top of it for me.”
“Tell me about Alex. What’s going on there? Are you falling in love?” Addie prompted.
“What are we, school children?” Fin exclaimed. “Look, she and her friends act like I’m ordinary. Like I’m just some dude hanging out with friends having a regular day. I haven’t been treated that way in so long I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be me.” He ran his hand through his hair again. “I wanted to use this break in the schedule to remember what that’s like. If only I could get rest of the world to cooperate.”
“All right, I get it. Go have fun. Enjoy your vacation. I’ll see if I can keep the wolves off your back.”
“Thanks, love,” Fin replied.
“Yep. Later,” Addie said as she hung up.
Alex finally gota break around mid-afternoon and shut the door to her office. Throughout the day she had been receiving strange looks and hearing whispers. She’d sidestepped and avoided any direct questions in the same manner she had dealt with the tech guy earlier in the day, but doing so wore on her last nerve. In addition to all that, she’d received a text from Fin earlier asking if she was okay and wanting to talk when she had a chance. Never one to be rude, she’d acknowledged the text with the okay emoji, but nothing else.
Now was a good time for a follow-up. She cleared off her desk, picked up her phone, and dialed Fin.
“Hey, you,” he answered, the silkiness of his voice sending shivers down her spine. “How are you today? I’ve worried about you since last night.”
“I’m okay. I slept better than expected and have been busy most of the day so haven’t had time to dwell on what happened. Although I can tell from the looks I’ve been receiving that more of my colleagues follow the gossip shows than I ever would have imagined.”
“Funny how that works,” Fin responded drily. “Listen, my agent asked if we could have your dress for evidence.”
“What? Why?”
“We’re looking into filing charges. The man who grabbed you works for the reporter I told you about. Addie thinks she can get an injunction against her and the dress might help with the case.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say. I didn’t realize we could do anything about it.”
“Well, don’t expect too much,” he warned. “It rarely happens due to the freedom of the press banner they constantly wave, but we can still try. Tearing your dress like that could go down as assault and gives us a better case.”
“Okay. The dress doesn’t look repairable, so it might as well go to a good cause. Um, I wasn’t planning to go home before volleyball this evening, so I’ll have to give it to you later. You’re still coming tonight, right?”
“Aye, I’ll be there.” The warmth in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.
“Cool. I gotta run. See you then.”
“Bye, Alexis,” he murmured before hanging up.
Alex froze with the phone still at her ear. Her body got all tingly and melty when Fin spoke her full name. Did he know he had that kind of power over her? She shook her head, put down her phone, and focused her attention on the next item on her agenda.
Alex dumpedher stuff at their gang’s usual table and headed to the second court, where her teammates passed the ball back and forth. Julie, or Jules as Rick called her, stood next to him, so it looked like they would have a fourth again tonight. Alex waved as she began her stretching routine.
“Hey, Alex.” Julie came over and stretched next to her. “You okay with me playing again?”
