Claimed Darker by Em Brown
Chapter 42
BRIDGET
Past
I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find my notes to the final statistics lectures. I must have left them at Darren’s place, which means I have to trek over to the city.
Amy looks up from her textbook. “What’s the matter?”
“I think I left my notes at Darren’s,” I reply, looking through my backpack one last time even though I took everything out at the beginning of my search.
“Bummer. Isn’t he in China for two weeks?”
“I can probably ask Marshall to let me in. Or maybe Cheryl has access.”
“Or you can bum notes off someone else.”
“I know, but I like mine. I took thorough notes.”
“Who exactly is Marshall?”
“Head of club security, I think.”
“The Lotus has such strict security. You ever wonder why? I mean, it’s a nightclub, not Fort Knox.”
I shrug. “I don’t know much about nightclubs, especially exclusive ones. Maybe it’s just for appearances. Makes you feel the club must be a big deal or something.”
“Hm.”
“I’d ask if you want to come to the club with me, but I just plan on grabbing the notes.”
“I’ve got to study. I have so much to catch up on. Plus JD’s not going to be there. He flew out last night.”
I’m glad to see Amy studying, a much more productive activity than pining over JD. I do want to talk to her about him, but since she’s in a good mood now that she’s back with JD, I’ll wait till after finals to bring it up.
I don’t know why, but I feel stronger than ever that he’s not that serious about Amy. She’s just a plaything to him. I’m sure of it. He doesn’t hide, or isn’t that good about hiding, his player tendencies.
Someone like Darren, on the other hand, is more subtle and harder to spot. I’ve always felt like there was something a little off about Darren, like he wasn’t showing me all of him. I couldn’t explain why I had that feeling until I started studying JD’s behavior, then saw Darren with his hand down Kimberley’s cleavage. Before, it didn’t much matter if Darren might be a player. I was into the sexual attraction between us and wasn’t as concerned whether or not he was Mr. Right.
But it’s different now. I want to be with Darren. In every way. When he joked the other night about having his baby, the thought actually turned me on. There’s no way I’m having a baby when I haven’t even graduated college, but I still liked the idea. Even if he hadn’t saved my life, which he sometimes plays off as unintentional—and maybe it was or maybe it wasn’t—I can’t imagine feeling more bonded to him.
We don’t fit like a glove, and it still feels like we’re from different worlds with different values, but that hasn’t diminished the emotions I have for him, the…love. Unlike with Amy, love wasn’t something that was on my radar. It wasn’t something I went looking for or expected to find. Especially in someone like Darren.
I take BART into the city and actually hoof my way up to The Lotus. I haven’t gone for my jog yesterday or today, so I welcome the long walk up some hilly streets. I walk through the Financial District and through Chinatown. Despite the late hour, there are still a number of cars on the road, the occasional bar or restaurant still has patrons, but overall it’s fairly quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the daytime.
Just before reaching The Lotus, I manage to trip on a raised edge in the sidewalk. I stumble forward without falling but manage to twist my ankle enough that I’ll have to catch a ride on the way back to the BART station.
“Hey, you,” Felipe greets when I reach the bar. “What’s with the limp?”
“Tripped on the walk from the BART station.”
Felipe puts a hand on his hip. “What are you walking for? You could have hailed a cab. Cheryl would have paid for it on Darren’s behalf.”
“The walk wasn’t a big deal.”
“At least get a ride back. Talk to Cheryl. She’ll find someone to drive you.”
“I don’t want to bother anyone when I can get myself back perfectly fine.”
Felipe leans in. “You realize Darren’s filthy rich? It’s your job to impose on him. His employees get paid well no matter what they do.”
“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
He shakes his head. “You’re a strange lady, Bridget Moore. Well, drinks are on me. What do you want? A rum and Coke? Shirley Temple?”
“Just a glass of water. I have finals to study for. I came over because I think I left some lecture notes at Darren’s place.”
“The rum and Coke will help you study better,” he jokes.
While he pours a glass of water for me and adds a twist of lime, Kimberly takes the stool next to me.
“JD just sent me pics of him and Darren in Hong Kong,” she says.
At first I think she’s talking to me, but she says to Felipe next, “Check out this swanky club they’re in.”
She holds up her phone for him to see the picture.
“And here’s one of JD photobombing a pic of Darren.”
She swipes and shows another pic to Felipe, who frowns. Although I try to simply ignore Kimberly’s antics, my interest is perked by Felipe’s reaction.
“I’m sorry,” Kimberly says to me, “did you want to see, too?”
“She doesn’t—” Felipe begins.
I look at her phone and see JD making a goofy face. Behind him sits Darren with his arm around a beautiful young woman.
Kimberly swipes again. “Here’s another one of JD being silly.”
In this photo, the woman is sitting so close to Darren she might as well be on his lap.
Kimberly scrolls through her phone. “I think there’s one here of Darren on the dance floor sandwiched between two women.”
“I don’t need to see more,” I say.
Felipe is visibly upset with Kimberly. “Do I need to call Cheryl over?”
Kimberly pouts and hops off the stool. “You’re not as friendly as you used to be. Does Darren know that?”
“You’re free to tell him, honey, then I can tell him why.”
At that, Kimberly gives him a final frown before leaving.
“Don’t let her get to you,” Felipe tells me.
“Do you know the woman in the photos?” I ask him.
“It’s some ho trying to pick up on Darren. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
I recall how Darren said he had his “moments.”
“Who’s had more girlfriends: Darren or JD?” I ask Felipe.
He looks uncomfortable and starts wiping the counter even though it’s not dirty. “JD.”
“But Darren’s had his fair share.”
“I don’t know that I’d call them girlfriends. Kimberly barely qualified.”
“So the other women are just…sex partners?”
“You know men—straight men, especially—they don’t know how to do relationships well. Honestly, I feel bad for all you straight women.”
I hate that I’ll come off looking like the jealous woman who doesn’t trust her guy, but I ask anyway. “Does he ever—is he ever with another woman when I’m not around?”
“Don’t even go there. Just because Kimberly shows you some stupid pics.”
“I’m usually not paranoid like this, honestly. But…it’s like there’s something he’s not telling or showing me. I don’t even know why I feel this way exactly.”
Felipe continues to wipe the counter without looking at me.
I try to prod him from his silence. “What?”
“You’re overthinking things, but…”
“But?”
He sighs before saying, “It doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Darren can be a heartbreaker.”
“I gathered that.”
“You’re smart. Just trust your gut and you’ll be fine.”
He walks over to tend to another customer. I finish my water and find Marshall to let me into Darren’s place. Once inside, I find my notes on the nightstand. My ankle feels sore, so I make an ice pack, which I probably should have done sooner. As I sit on the sofa, I can’t help but ruminate on the pics Kimberly showed and what Felipe said. On the one hand, he said I shouldn’t worry; on the other, he said it doesn’t hurt to be careful.
Now, just because Darren might have been flirty with some woman in a nightclub doesn’t mean he did anything. I think back to when he made that comment about the baby. A part of me actually believed he was only partially joking. He had said I wasn’t just a “moment,” but that doesn’t mean other women can’t be moments even while he maintains a serious relationship with me. I’m old enough to know that some men have flings on the side. If Darren’s been a player like his cousin, I don’t believe that he’ll magically change just because of me. I’m more inclined to believe that once a player, always a player.
As if he knows I’m thinking about him, I get a call from Darren.
“How’s your studying?” he asks.
“Okay. I left my notes from stats at your place, so that’s where I am right now.”
“You should stay there. I’ll have someone drive you back in the morning.”
“I’m not nine years old. I don’t need to be chauffeured everywhere.” I pause. “Saw some pics of you and JD. You look like you guys were having fun.”
“What pics?”
“Kimberly showed them to me. You and JD are at some nightclub. You had your arm around a beautiful woman.”
There’s silence on the other end before he replies, “Kimberly show you anything else?”
“She said there was one of you dancing with two women, but Felipe chased her away.”
“Good for him.”
I don’t want to ask about the other woman. I want to be able to trust Darren a hundred percent. But I’m not that confident. I think a part of me is insecure about myself as it pertains to my relationship with him.
“So, who was the woman or women?” I ask.
“No one.”
I can’t decide if that’s a good answer or not. I say, “You can tell me. I’d rather have honesty than not.”
Now he sounds upset. “Are you saying I’m lying?”
“Not necessarily—”
“What the fuck is ‘not necessarily’?”
“If something happened between you and another woman, would you tell me?”
“Nothing happened.”
“Got it. I believe you. It’s just that you looked really chummy with her in the photo.”
“I may have had a little to drink last night. No need to give me the third degree.”
“All I did was ask you who the woman in the photo was. Why are you acting so defensive?”
“Because you’re asking all these questions and insinuating I’m hiding something.”
“I didn’t even ask that many questions.”
I let out a vexed breath. Why is he this upset? Is it from guilt?
“What are you looking for me to say?” he asks.
“Nothing. If you say nothing happened, nothing happened. Forget I even brought it up. I’m just glad you’re having a good time over there.”
“I didn’t say I was having a good time.”
The photo did, but I keep the response to myself.
“I should go back to studying for my finals,” I say. “We can talk tomorrow.”
I can tell from the silence he’s not pleased. I don’t like quarreling either.
“I’ll call you about the same time,” he says.
“Okay. Bye.”
I hang up. I feel miserable. What is wrong with me? Am I letting Kimberly get to me? Is it because I’m perplexed by what Felipe said to me? Or am I the jealous type after all?
I hug one of the decorative sofa pillows to my chest. It’s only been a few days, and I miss Darren already. After wallowing in my misery for some time, I consider if I should call him back and apologize for insinuating that he was lying. So what if he got intoxicated and was flirty with some hot woman? Maybe I’d have done the same if I were drunk.
I lie down on the sofa and vacillate about calling him but fall asleep before making up my mind. When I wake, it’s 7:40AM, which means it’s almost midnight in Hong Kong. I see that the ice pack has melted and created a wet spot on the rug. Getting up, I grab a towel to soak up the dampness. I should get back to Berkeley before my work shift at the library starts at ten.
My phone pings with a text. It’s from Darren, but it’s in Chinese. That’s odd. He’s never sent me anything in Chinese before. I text back a question mark as I hurry out.
A lone security guard down at the club lets me out the front door, and I rush to the BART station as fast as I can. Luckily, I catch a bus in Chinatown. An older Chinese woman is sitting near me, and I turn to her.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” I say. “I’m sorry if this question is offensive, but do you by chance read Chinese?”
She nods her head.
I show her the text from Darren.
She translates, “It says, ‘Mei Ling’—that is a name, a girl’s name—‘come up to my room in an hour. Wear the dress from last night.’”
I blink several times. What the…
“Thank you,” I say to the lady and sit back, stunned.
Darren sent me a text by mistake, intending it for this Mei Ling?
I can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it. But I can’t ignore the fact that something felt off about Darren. I thought he was different from JD…
Maybe there’s a different interpretation to the text?
Oh, who am I kidding? Did I really think that Darren and I could make our relationship meaningful and last?
Yes, yes I did. I guess I’m a romantic in that way.
On the train ride back to Berkeley, I feel a hodgepodge of emotions: anger, hurt, confusion, and misery. Part of me wants to confront Darren right now, but I have to hurry if I’m going to make it to work on time.
When I get to the apartment, a lot of the residents are standing outside. A few of them are still in their pajamas. There are two police cars and an ambulance parked in front. Spectators are also hanging out. I spot Kat sitting on the sidewalk, crying.
“Kat! What’s going on?” I ask as I squat down beside her.
She looks up at me with tears running down her face, then throws her arms around me. She’s trembling. “It’s awful, Bridget, awful!”
“What is?”
She releases me but starts crying harder. I try not to pressure her, but the pit in my stomach is growing by the second. I need to know what happened. I don’t see Simone or Amy and try to remember if they have a morning final.
“Where are Simone and Amy?” I ask.
That only prompts Kat to sob even more. Not a good sign. I’m feeling beside myself but somehow manage to contain my panic while I rub Kat’s back.
I ask again, “Simone and Amy?”
“Th-The EMTs took them away,” Kat replies through chattering teeth.
My mind races to try to make sense of what I’m seeing and hearing while fear grips my insides.
“What happened?” I manage.
“I c-came back this morning,” Kat continues. “I f-found them. Simone was on the floor. She wasn’t moving. There was vomit… I called for Amy. She didn’t respond. Her d-door was closed. She didn’t move either. Bridget, I think Amy’s dead!”
