Dead

“No, I didn’t grow up around here,” Mike responds. “I moved here wanting a slower paced ER.”

“And do we have a slower paced ER?” Paige questions as they continue walking slowly to the office.

“Yep, it is. Did you grow up around here?”

Paige takes another drink of her coffee relishing this little bit of time she is spending with Mike, “Yes, I did. My hometown is about thirty minutes from here and my folks still live in the house where I grew up. Growing up, I swore I was getting out, but I didn’t get too far.”

Mike chuckles, “I would have loved growing up in a town like that instead of a big city.”

Paige smiles hearing his baritone laughter, “You say that, but you wouldn’t have. Trust me.”

They’ve reached the door to the building and stare into each other’s eyes.

Mike dips his head and kisses her on the cheek, “Have a good day. Call me when you’re packing up to leave so I can be here.”

Paige feels her face grow hot and stammers, “Okay, I will.”  She turns and swipes her badge, opens the door, and walks through her hand flying up to touch the spot on her cheek where his kiss landed.

Mike watches her walk through the door then heads back to his apartment.

Paige floats to her office unaware of people she is passing who have greeted her. Reaching her office, she also fails to notice that the blinds have been closed. She steps through her office door and moves to her coat rack to hang her coat.

The door slams shut.

“I thought you’d never get here,” snarls Joe, his face tight and spittle flying. “You’re dead.”

Paige freezes, her back to him, she slips her hand down in her tote to grab her phone. Once in her hand, she silences it and calls Mike, placing the call on speaker. Then with a tremor in her voice, she asks “Joe what are you doing in here?”

“What did I just say? You’re dead. I know you’re going to run to the executives and tell them that I shouldn’t be promoted. That’s why you didn’t tell them about that run in we had. You were biding your time and going to use it to ruin my reputation here. Just like you women. Always holding out and then puttin’ the screws to us at the perfect time.”

Mike sees that Paige is calling him and answers his phone but before he can even say hello, he hears a male voice. He runs up the stairs to his apartment, bursting through the door, “Guys, I think Joe has Paige in her office.”

The officers come over to listen to Mike’s phone.

Slowly turning around to face Joe but keeping her back pressed against the wall, Paige whispers, “Joe, I had forgotten about that little incident. Is that why you had my laptop stolen?”

Joe’s nostrils are flared and his mouth in a sneer, as he growls, “Of course. Only you didn’t have notes of what happened on there. Do you have it on a flash drive? Where is it? I know you have it. Give it to me now. I was hoping you’d have severe injuries giving me time to check your desk. Nothing bothers you, does it? Even all the trash and the stink in here didn’t keep you out of the office long. You’re always here.”

Mike watches as the officer in charge calls their Rezon security to share what’s transpiring and then calls for back-up.

Since she didn’t get to hang her coat up, Paige slowly slides her hands in her coat pockets and knows she has to keep Joe talking. “Why didn’t you just come to me and ask if I had documented our exchange?”

Joe snorts, “You’d lie. All women lie. You women use your sex to draw us in and then we’re not good enough or there’s someone else, you leave us. Alyssa found out what happens when you lie. I knew you wouldn’t give it to me, and I’d have to take it forcibly.”

Suddenly the door slams into Joe who hadn’t moved. He crumples to the floor.

The police and security rush through the door with the police rolling Joe over then cuffing him. Security move to Paige advising an ambulance is on the way.

“He didn’t harm me,” Paige stammers as she struggles to keep her composure. “I think he needs the ambulance though, the door smacked him pretty hard. Did you guys hear everything he said?”

Rezon security, “No ma’am we didn’t but the police did when you made that call and put it on speaker. That was a smart move.”

“He was blocking the door. I was afraid to move and it was the only thing I could think to do,” Paige responds, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

David appears in the doorway then walks over to Paige.

Page looks up at his face and states, “I’m sorry I accused you of the trash in my office. Joe confessed that it was him. He was hoping to keep me out of the office to hunt for a file that doesn’t exist.”

“Paige it’s okay,” David says. “I have a confession of my own. I’m an undercover cop and not a maintenance person. I was here to find out what happened to Alyssa and some other women. I think Joe is our guy based on what my fellow officers are sharing from the phone call.”

“He definitely mentioned Alyssa,” Paige murmurs, wondering about Mike.

The internal security team appears with a worried looking Mike.

Mike rushes to Paige and wraps her in an embrace, relieved to see she is alive and well. He whispers, “I am so happy you’re okay. I don’t know what I would have done if something happened. I just found you.”

Paige feeling warm, smiles and says, “I’m glad you found me.”