Chapter 5 : Mistakes are Made

“None,” I reply, causing Desmond’s eyebrows to lift. “I was tempted, but I took your advice and pushed past the urge.”

Dr. Davies nods and makes a few more notes. He then sets his pad on the table beside him and sits back in his chair.

“The way I see it, you still appear to want to fight your addiction. That is the only reason why I will allow you to stay on as my patient. Had you continued to ignore my advice, I would have no choice but to end our meetings,” he says firmly.

Part of me is thrilled to still have a therapist, while another part of me could do without the parental lecture regarding my behavior.

“We will bump you back up to weekly appointments until you feel like you have more control. As for the sleeping, I recommend finding a book to read before bed.”

“A book?” I interrupt.

“Yes. Pick something that interests you and designate an hour before bed to read. Screens can keep your brain overstimulated and make it difficult to fall asleep,” he explains, glancing at his watch.

“I know you’ve had problems deleting the little black book of numbers out of your phone, but I want you to remove at least five numbers before our next meeting,” he adds, getting to his feet and walking toward the door.

I take the hint and follow, feeling rushed for the first time since I got here. I don’t have time to argue with him as he ushers me out and closes the door behind me. The whole meeting had felt odd, and I can’t shake the feeling that the good doctor was hiding something.

I hit the bottom step and walk over to Ava. She actually looks up as I approach.

“I need to set up an appointment for next week,” I happily announce.

“So not fired after all. Now, who could have predicted that I wonder?” she replies sarcastically with a smile before turning to the computer.

“Does the doctor have any openings for next Monday at eleven?” I ask, wishing I could make an appointment sooner so I have an excuse to see her.

“Yup, that looks good,” she replies, adding me to the schedule.

I want to say ‘You know what else would look good? Your number on my phone’. But I can tell Ava Brown isn’t the kind of woman who would appreciate that line. Instead, I go a different route.

“I was wondering if I could get your number?” I blurt out, sounding like I belong in high school and not this office.

My question elicits a look of confusion and nothing more.

“In case I need to call after hours and reschedule my appointment or something,” I add, trying to backpedal.

Ava smiles and shakes her head. “We have an answering service. If you call and leave a message, I will get back to you in the morning.”

“That makes sense,” I reply, rubbing the back of my head and trying not to show my disappointment.

My dream suddenly pops up in my head as the smell of vanilla and Jasmine fills my senses. My dream hadn’t gotten her voice right, but it nailed her scent. I wonder if she is as soft and curvy as I made her in my dream.

“Well, I will see you next week,” I stutter as I turn and rush to the door. Wow, that was not my usual smooth interaction with women… What is happening to me?

I want to stay longer, but I can’t keep the fantasy of her out of my head. I worry that my body will betray me at any given moment. As the door dings I step out into the sun. My phone rings and I pull it out, willing to entertain any distraction right now. The caller ID says Doc.

“Hello, sir, what can I do for you?” I ask, answering the call.

“Seymore, where are you?” Doc replies, panic in his voice.

“I just left my therapist’s office, why?”

“Head to the cafe down the street and stay there. I’ll come and pick you up. Don’t go anywhere else and sit in a seat inside,” he explains before hanging up.

Concern washes over me as I walk toward the cafe. I’ve never heard Doc so worked up, and that actually scares me. I make it to the building even though the majority of the time is spent looking over my shoulder. I buy another coffee and find a table in the back of the packed room, out of view of the street traffic. I make sure I have a view of the front so I know when Doc pulls up.

Two college-level women are standing at the counter studying me. I want to keep an eye out for my ride, but I can’t help but admire their tight bodies and curvy lines as they lean up against the marble while waiting for their drinks. One of them keeps looking at me and whispering to her friend. The two giggle as I smile and lift my coffee toward them before taking a sip.

One of the women is a feisty-looking redhead, and she’s the one who keeps whispering about me. I wonder what kind of dirty things she’s saying. Judging by the blond's flushed cheeks, it must be something good. I flash them a grin as I get up from my chair. I know I shouldn’t, but I just want to see how they react when I invite them both back to my place. Before I get the chance, Doc’s car pulls up to the front. He waves at me to come get in the car.

“Better luck next time, ladies,” I say with a nod as I walk past them.

They both fall into a fit of giggles and I sigh as I walk past them and out the door.

“You have perfect timing,” I announce as I climb into Doc’s passenger seat.

His old car has seen better days, but he refuses to let me buy him something new. Maybe he can still picture Lilly riding in the seat next to him. That would be the only reason I could understand him turning down a free vehicle that would be more reliable than this hunk of junk.

“I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, Seymore, but it isn’t good,” he says, glancing in his rearview mirror as we move.

I notice he’s taking the long way home as he weaves in and out of traffic.

“What gives?” I ask. “I haven’t gotten into anything. I’ve only been back in London for a few days, so I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“What about before you left on your trip? Did you manage to piss off the wrong person before that?” he asks without taking his eyes off the road.

I shake my head. I really can’t think of the last time I had an altercation with anyone. Then I recall the servicemen who came to my house while I was out of town. I finish telling Doc about the situation as we turn into his driveway.

“And you didn’t ask anyone to come look at the furnace?” he asks, confusion evident on his face.

“No. I would have let Ray know if I had. He said he was in the house the whole time, but he wasn’t watching them. I would imagine he just sat on the couch as they did what he thought they had to,” I reply.

“Follow me, I’ve got something you need to see,” he says before opening his door and getting out.

I do as he asks, and we make our way into the house. He has all the curtains pulled, giving his home a stormy feeling, even though the sun is shining bright outside. I notice the table in the dining room is messier than usual, with paper strewn all over its surface. Chaos would be the best way to describe it.

I watch the old man as he moves around the house, locking the doors and peeking out the front window. He looks like he hasn’t slept at all. There are bags under his bloodshot eyes and he could definitely do with a good shave. The last 24 hours must not have been good to him, and I can’t remember ever seeing Doc in such a state.

“What’s going on? Please, sit down and talk to me,” I ask, trying to get him to come away from the window and take a seat.

Doc looks over at me as the curtain falls back into place. He looks stressed, like a man who’s reached the end of his line.

“I got a phone call last night, shortly after you left with Zeus. The guy said his name was Richard Simon,” Doc explains as he slowly walks over to the table. “He was calling to see if I would be willing to do a little private investigation for his boss. The name sounded familiar, so I did some research. I should have just left it alone, but something was telling me to look into it.”

I still don’t understand, the name doesn’t ring any bells with me. Rather than interrupt, I decide to let him continue.

“He asked me to look into someone I know, and I explained that I wasn’t interested right now. I made up some bullshit about my health being poor and it keeping me from taking on any work. It didn’t take me long to figure out who he was. Richard ‘the snake’ Simon works for the Ambrose family,” Doc says, looking at me as if any of these people should mean something to me.

“Okay,” I reply slowly, shaking my head in confusion.

Doc looks really upset that I don’t know what he’s talking about.

“The Ambrose family is affiliated with the Clerkenwell crime syndicate, also known as the A-Team,” he stutters, grabbing up some papers and handing them to me.

I start looking through them, shocked by what I’m learning. Murder, extortion, robbery, drug trafficking, and the list goes on.

“Who did they ask you to follow?” I ask, not daring to pull my eyes away from the information on the pages.

“You,” he replies with fear in his voice.

My head snaps up from the slew of criminal activity printed on the pages to look at my old friend.

“Me? Why? What business would they have looking into my private life?” I ask, anger growing in my chest.

“I have no idea, I shot the offer down before getting any more information. The Ambrose family is well known in Scotland Yard. We had been trying to take them down for years, but their business was too clean. If the Ambrose family is interested in you, I guarantee you need to watch your back,” Doc warns.

The look in his eyes is serious and cold, and I’m speechless as I try to think of anyone I might know who has a connection to the crime syndicate.

“You said some service workers came to your house while you were gone. I’m willing to bet they are employed with Duncan Ambrose, the head of the family. Odds are, they put some kind of spying devices in your house,” Doc says, rummaging through a drawer in the kitchen.

He pulls out a long black stick and holds it up at me.

“This is something I got from the IT department at work. You use it to find bugs that are planted out of sight. I suggest we take a trip to your place and give it a sweep,” he says.

I nod, still dumb-struck by the whole situation. The feeling of being watched in my own home could be explained by spying devices. And the men Jeremy saw between our properties were no doubt employees of Duncan Ambrose. The question of why still remains as we head back out to Doc’s car.

The whole ride to my house is made in silence. Doc Spends the whole time looking behind us and I am fixated on trying to figure out what happened. I have my money tied up in a few different ventures, that’s how I keep a steady flow of income. I get a cut from my family's car business, but I don’t even socialize with them. The money comes and my shares of the family company always reward me without the need of me to ever set foot in the buildings.

Could I own a stake in a business Ambrose wants?

I would think he would come to me directly if it were a money thing. There would be no need to dig into my personal life unless he’s looking for something to blackmail me with. Whatever’s going on, Doc has assured me it isn’t good. Duncan Ambrose is clearly not someone you want to be enemies with.

We pull into the driveway and the house takes on a menacing appearance. The once-happy retreat and private sanctuary is dark and looming at the end of the drive. Zeus is heard barking his head off as we park. I walk to the door in a daze while Doc closes on my heels. The dog is happy to see both of us and bounds out the door as I open it.

“You go kill the power and I’ll start the sweep,” Doc says in a whisper.

I do as he asks, understanding the need for silence in the situation. The whole process takes Doc a couple of hours. All I can do is sit on the couch petting Zeus’s head for comfort. I was hoping Doc would finish empty-handed, but only thirty minutes in he had found two devices in the bedroom. By the time he finished, the skilled hunter had found seven different devices. I can’t help but wonder if he got them all.

“This is it,” he says before flopping down on the couch next to me. “I’ll take these with me and see if my guy can get me some information about them.”

“I guess you can say I have a problem,” I reply, unable to wave it off like a bad prank.

“I would say you do. I’m going to do more digging, so don’t think I’m abandoning you to deal with this alone. No one gets to mess with my family and get away with it,” Doc says, referring to me as more than just a friend.

“If it’s dangerous, I would rather you stay out of it,” I reply, running my fingers through my hair out of frustration.

Doc just scoffs at my comment while climbing to his feet.

“I’ll be in touch as soon as I put something together. Until then, I would advise you to get some cameras for your property and watch your back. Don’t change your routine. Just stay alert while you’re out and keep a record of anything that appears to be off,” he informs, heading to the front door.

As soon as his car disappears down the drive, I pull out my phone and press contacts. I can’t stand the idea of being alone. Rather than deleting numbers, as Dr. Davies said, I find Candy’s number and push call.

“Hey, Seymore, long time no hear,” a bubbly voice chimes after only two rings.

“Candy, I was wondering if you’re too busy to pay me a visit?” I ask, knowing what I’m doing is wrong but not feeling like there’s a better option.

“I’m never too busy for you, baby. Let me slip into something and I’ll be over in about thirty minutes,” she says before hanging up.

There is only one way this visit is going to end. I’m going to get my fix and she’s going to get a workout. This all could have been avoided if Ava had just given me her number.