Exhaustion mixed with fear had her slumping against the far corner of the elevator as a cold chill plagued her body. Her long-sleeved T-shirt did nothing to fight off the shivers as she ran her hands up and down her arms.
“I’m safe,” Zenobia murmured to herself, realizing immediately that she really wasn’t safe. She wouldn’t be completely safe until she figured out who was behind the attempted kidnapping and other strange occurrences over the past couple of weeks.
When the elevator doors slid open, she bolted down the hallway to her cousin’s condo as if she was still being chased. The building might be secure, but the tension swirling inside of her hadn’t eased. Her anxiety inched up as she dug into the side pocket of her jogging pants for the keys. Her hands shook so badly, they slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.
Come on. Keep it together.
This wasn’t the first time she’d experienced a life-or-death situation. But it was the first time in over ten years that someone put their hands on her, intending to do her harm. She survived that, and she’d get through this, especially once she figured out what was going on.
After two tries, Zenobia finally slipped the key into the lock and opened the door. She hurried inside, slammed the door, and quickly twisted the lock before her knees gave out and she slid to the floor. No longer able to hold off the tears, they fell faster than she could wipe them away.
“You made it back, huh?” her cousin Kira said, strolling from the rear of the unit as she stared down at her phone.
Wiping her face with her forearm, Zenobia hurried into a standing position and tried to put on a brave front. She couldn’t. The adrenaline high she’d been on for the last few minutes was crashing fast.
“How was your ru…” Kira’s words trailed off as her gaze zoned in on Zenobia. After setting her cell phone on the glass dining room table, Kira marched across the room. “What happened? Are you hurt? Did you fall or something?”
Zenobia shook her head, biting her bottom lip to keep from bursting into tears. She wasn’t a crier. In her world, you couldn’t afford to be overly sensitive. Besides, she’d been taught years ago that crying was a sign of weakness, and she wasn’t weak.
But right now, she struggled to form words. The full impact of what could’ve happened to her if those men had succeeded in their mission weighed heavily. They could’ve raped her or killed her.
At that thought, Zenobia slumped against her cousin. A few more tears leaked from her eyes just before she dissolved into wracking sobs.
“Zen, you’re scaring me. What happened?” Kira asked, her voice frantic as she wrapped her arms around Zenobia’s waist and walked with her to the sofa.
Tears continued spilling from her eyes, and frustration filled her. It had been a long time since she allowed anyone the power to make her feel weak and helpless. But this time she wasn’t alone. She had her cousin. Kira had been a godsend since Zenobia had moved to Atlanta, and she couldn’t imagine her life without her.
Still sniffling, but feeling a little more in control, Zenobia pulled out of her cousin’s hold. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt until Kira stuffed several tissues into Zenobia’s hand.
“Thanks.” She turned slightly and winced at the pain stabbing her side with every breath. One of the guys held her so tight, he might’ve bruised her ribs. Just thinking about those creeps made her tremble. Her mind kept replaying the last few minutes, still finding it hard to grasp what had just happened.
“Two guys…they tried to kidnap me.”
Kira’s mouth dropped open and her perfectly arched brows shot skyward. “Kidnap!” she screeched. “What? Where? How? In broad daylight?” Horror clouded her pretty chestnut-brown face, and her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say more but didn’t know what to say.
“Yeah.” Zenobia sucked in a breath and released it slowly. “Scared me to death.”
“Did you recognize them?”
“No. It all happened so fast, but I never saw them before.”
“How did you get away? Oh, God. What if they followed you?” Kira leaped off the sofa and rushed to the living room windows as if she’d be able to see the would-be kidnappers. The only thing her garden view would give her was just that, a view of the gorgeous garden and a spectacular water fountain.
As a Fortune 500 company executive, her cousin had made a good life for herself. That included the beautiful three-bedroom, two-bathroom condominium in a much-desired complex near Piedmont Park.
On a sigh, Zenobia stood on legs that were still a little shaky. Running her hands through her shoulder-length hair, she realized that not only did she lose her hat, but also the scrunchy that had been holding her hair in a ponytail. “They didn’t follow me,” she assured her cousin.
“See, this is why you need a bodyguard.”
Stylishly dressed in a red maxi dress flowing over her full-figured frame and an African head wrap covering her long braids, Kira paced around in a small circle.
“That reminds me. It’s good you stayed here last night because the paparazzi are probably outside of your house. You’re trending on Twitter.” Kira hurried across the room to the dining room table and grabbed her phone, then unlocked it. “Someone snapped a photo of you and Stephen,” she said of Zenobia’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. Right now, they were off…again.
Kira found what she was looking for, then handed the device to Zenobia who stared down at the screen. She groaned at the picture of Stephen kissing her outside of Marlow’s Tavern. She’d already been surprised to see him as she was leaving. He had walked outside with her, telling her how good it was to see her again. Before she could stop him, he had planted a kiss on her mouth.
She skimmed the comments. Of course, the photo didn’t tell the whole story. “I wonder who took this picture and why it’s just now coming out. This happened weeks ago.”
“Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. People are starting to recognize you, Zen. I told you last year that after the success of your album and appearing on Ellen that your life was going to change. Granted, it’s crazy that someone went so far as trying to snatch you, but that just proves that it’s not safe for you to go anywhere by yourself.”
The past year had been a dream come true and a nightmare rolled into one. Zenobia had always wanted to make it big in the music industry, and dreamed of having fans someday. But now she wasn’t sure if this new reality was the life she wanted. She’d kept a low profile since moving to Atlanta. Now her personal business was trending on Twitter, and whoever started the tweet had it all wrong. The photo was misleading. She wasn’t getting back with her ex. As a matter of fact, she’d told him that there was definitely no chance of a reconciliation. Especially after catching him backstage after his last concert hugged up with Li’l Tia, a supermodel-turned-rapper.
Zenobia returned the cell phone to Kira as dread settled around her. She’d had personal security escorting her to performances and other events until she cut them loose. Now, the last thing she wanted was a bodyguard shadowing her twenty-four-seven, but it looked like she had no choice.
After spending two weeks at Lake Lanier, she had arrived back in Atlanta the night before. She’d gone there for peace and quiet to finish writing a couple of songs, but after some unexplainable incidents at the house, her trip had been cut short.
Now this.
Kira leaned her hip against the table. “You don’t think Stephen sent those flowers to the lake house or that he’s behind the kidnapping attempt, do you? I know you told him you were dating someone else. Maybe he’s jealous and this is an attempt to get back at you.”
Off and on for the past few months, Stephen had been showing up out of the blue and calling, claiming he wanted another chance with her. Why now? she had asked herself. If she didn’t know him better, she would think it was about money, but he didn’t need her money. An award-winning R&B superstar, he didn’t need anything from her. He was just another name on her short list of bad decisions.
Zenobia shook her head. An awful judge of character when it came to men, just once she wished she could choose better. Catching him kissing another woman after one of his shows had been the eye-opener she needed to realize he didn’t give a crap about her. Just once she’d like to get with someone who was more concerned about her well-being than their own. Or who wasn’t trying to use her for one reason or another.
Yes, she had lied to Stephen about having a new man, but it was only in hopes that he’d move on. Granted, he saw right through the fib, claiming if she’d been involved with someone new, it would’ve made entertainment news. Yet, she had made it clear to him that it didn’t matter what he believed. She and him were done.
“I don’t know. Kidnapping? That just doesn’t seem like something Steph would be behind. And why? What would be the point? As for the flowers, he didn’t know I was at the lake. Besides, he’s not the flower-sending type,” Zenobia explained, referring to the mysterious flowers she had received at the lake house. Throughout their time together, Stephen had only given her a gift on Valentine’s Day and once on her birthday.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. That idiot is too selfish and self-centered to think of anyone but himself. Either way, we gotta call the police.”
“I’m not calling the cops, but I will call Ashton.”
Ashton was a detective with Atlanta PD who used to live next door to Zenobia before her singing career took off. They’d become good friends and contacting him would be better than going to a police station.
Growing up, she wanted nothing to do with law enforcement. They made her uncomfortable for so many reasons, but in this case, they couldn’t help her. She hadn’t been kidnapped. She couldn’t ID the perps, and more importantly, she didn’t want the media to get wind of what almost happened. The fewer people who knew about the incident, the better.
Zenobia pulled out her cell phone, still feeling a little unsteady as she replayed the kidnapping attempt over in her head.
That’s her, one of the men had said. There was no way they could’ve recognized her with her hat pulled low over her eyes. Besides that, she wasn’t running in her own neighborhood. This was only her second time jogging in the area, ever.
Did that mean the men knew where she’d be? Had they been looking for her? There were only a handful of people who knew her plans had changed, but she trusted all of them. There was just no way any of them would be behind a kidnapping.
Instead of Ashton answering, his voicemail picked up, and she left a message.
“Hi, Ashton. This is Zenobia,” she started, her voice cracking as her body shivered. She wasn’t cold and could only attribute the chill coursing through her body as fear. “There was…I was…someone tried to kidnap me,” she said, her voice catching on the last few words and she squeezed the phone tighter in her hand. Quickly leaving her contact information, she hurried and disconnected the call.
Kira stood directly in front of Zenobia and narrowed her eyes. “Did those buttholes hit you?” she ground out, anger suddenly replacing the concern exhibited only moments ago. She reached out and gently pressed a finger on a spot just below Zenobia’s eye.
Zenobia winced. “Ouch. That hurts.” As a matter of fact, her thighs, her back, and her side throbbed. “One of them accidently hit me in the face when they were trying to shove me into their car.”
“It’s starting to swell.” Her cousin continued surveying the area. “I didn’t notice it at first, but it’s getting darker. Come and sit in the dining room. I’ll get some ice, but maybe you should go to emergency.”
Zenobia eased down in one of the chairs and propped her elbow on the table. She rested her head in her hand as exhaustion settled in. With the open floorplan, she had a clear view into the contemporary kitchen. Kira was one of few people who preferred black cabinets instead of white ones. But they went well with the contemporary décor and her top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances.
Her cousin pulled an ice pack from the freezer and wrapped a towel around it before strolling back into the dining room.
“Here, put this on your eye.” Kira sat in the chair across from her. “I don’t know, Zen. I’m worried about you. I know you probably don’t want to do this, but if you’re not going to get the cops involved, maybe you should call Rock. He can—”
“Stop right there. You know I can’t call him. We cut all ties.” Zenobia didn’t bother mentioning that he checked in periodically and left messages. Messages she refused to return. “He’d be the last person I call. No. I don’t need his type of help. I’ll wait to hear back from Ashton.”
Kira sighed noisily. “Fine. I’ll leave that alone, but if anything else happens—”
“I still won’t call him. With my career taking off, I have too much to lose.”
Kira nodded. “You’re right. That would be a bad idea.” She pointed at the ice pack that Zenobia had set on the table, gesturing for her to put it on her eye. “So, how’d you get away from the kidnappers?”
“This jogger… That reminds me.” Zenobia set the ice pack on the table and pulled a wallet from the deepest pocket of her running pants.
Kira pounded her fist on the table. “Are you frickin’ kidding me? You stole the guy’s wallet? Damn, Zen. I thought you were cured from stealing! What’s the point of seeing a therapist for years if they can’t cure you?”
“I didn’t need to be cured,” Zenobia bit out. She could admit to having a problem as a kid, but back then, she had to steal in order to survive. “Besides, I saw a therapist for more than just the stealing.”
Growing up in New York hadn’t been easy, especially being raised by her single mom who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder when Zenobia was twelve. As her mother’s health declined, and doctors couldn’t seem to figure out the right medication combinations to help her, their lives fell apart. Zenobia had to do whatever was necessary to keep a roof over their heads. Sometimes that included stealing.
Kira gaped at her. “Unbelievable. A jogger helps you out of a jam and you steal his wallet? Who does that?” Disappointment dripped from each word. “And you took nothing from the kidnappers?”
“I didn’t think to take anything from them while they were trying to stuff me into their car!” Zenobia grumbled, and started going through the leather billfold. When she slammed into her hero, it was like crashing into a wall of muscle. To say he was fit would be an understatement. She hadn’t set out to steal from him, but had reached into his front pocket without much thought.
She wasn’t proud of her actions and had no intention of falling back into bad habits, but she was glad she had taken the wallet. Now she knew who to thank and would make sure he received his property back before the day ended.
“All right, so what’s the guy’s name?”
There wasn’t much in the wallet, but what he did have stored was organized. Pulling out his driver’s license, Zenobia skimmed it.
“His name is Angelo González. There’s a PO box, but no home address.” Smart. It was years before she knew the state allowed PO Boxes on the driver’s licenses.
Zenobia slid out a business card. Supreme Security. Below his name was Security Specialist. She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but it might explain his fighting skills. With no help from her, he’d used some type of martial arts to fend off those two big guys.
“He works at Supreme Security.” Zenobia glanced at her cousin. “Ever heard of them?”
“No, but hopefully they can help with personal security. After what happened today, you need to get serious about getting some protection.”
Zenobia nodded. She still didn’t want someone following her around, but conceded that it probably was time. If only she could just have a normal life for a change. Since her mother’s death, shortly before Zenobia turned sixteen, her world had spun out of control. And for the first time in years, she thought that she was finally being allowed a normal life. Now this.
Returning the items to
the wallet, she kept the business card, stuffing it into her pocket. “I doubt I have to tell you this, but I don’t want anyone to know about the kidnapping attempt.”
“Zen, you can’t just act like it never happened. You have to tell someone.”
“And I will. I’ll tell Ashton.” Trust had never come easy for her, except with Ashton. Unfortunately, it was becoming clear that someone in her inner circle couldn’t be trusted. Going forward, Zenobia planned to stay tight-lipped about everything.
“Ashton will help me get—”
They both startled when the front door swung open. Zenobia bolted out of her chair, her heart practically pounding out of her chest. She didn’t settle down until Kira’s boyfriend, Elijah, came into view.
He was tossing his keys up and down but stopped when he saw them in the dining room. His brows dipped into a frown, and he looked from her to Kira.
“What’s going on? You two are awfully jumpy. What? You talking about me or something?” Humor resonated in his tone as he walked further into the apartment and over to Kira. At over six feet tall and at least two-hundred-and-fifty pounds, Kira referred to him as her gentle giant. “You ready to go?” he asked.
Elijah had his own courier business that was steadily growing. He and Kira had been dating for almost six months. It was the first time in a long time that her cousin had been in a serious relationship.
A twinge of jealousy pierced Zenobia in the chest when he gave Kira a lingering kiss on the lips. She loved that her cousin had finally found a man who really seemed to care about her. Yet, watching them together brought home the sad state of Zenobia’s love life.
Elijah strolled into the kitchen, grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator, and turned to them. Zenobia and Kira were still standing in the same spot.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Elijah set the soda can down and leaned on the counter. “Because I have a feeling it wasn’t me you were discussing. And Zen, what happened to your eye?”
Betrayed Page 2
