by C. J. Thomas
With a furrowed brow, I pulled away from the curb, happy to leave the ruins of this dilapidated neighborhood and the ills that it had brought Kendra. I couldn’t discredit the fact that this very same place had made her into everything I loved about who she was.
Irony.
After several minutes of silence, and once we were speeding onto the highway, Kendra turned to me and apologized. “It was a mistake coming here. Mom was so rude to you.”
I reached for Kendra’s hand and squeezed her fingers into my palm. “I’ve been treated worse.”
“But you’re right, I think that was it.” We shared a glance. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back.”
A car passed as I took my time driving in the right lane. “Did you at least find the answers you were looking for?”
Kendra pulled her hand away and held her belly. Her shoulders shrugged just before her head fell into the headrest. “Mom was right; Dad got what he deserved.”
“The world has a way of balancing itself out.”
“Is it wrong of me to feel peace when seeing him suffer?” Kendra rolled her head and looked at me.
I kept my eyes forward, knowing the feeling of revenge better than anyone. I glanced in her direction. “Can I take you home?”
“I want to stay with you.” She reached for the inside of my thigh.
“Then let’s go home.”
Even from behind the dark tinted eye pieces, I could see Kendra flash me a questioning look. “I told you, I don’t want to go back to my apartment.”
I smiled. “We’re not going to your apartment.” Kendra looked around, gauging the direction I was heading. “I thought we could have fun discussing which room at my house you wanted to make the baby’s.”
She perked up. “What are you talking about?”
“At my main residence,” I said without looking.
Kendra leaned closer. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”
Flicking my gaze to hers, I said, “I don’t like the idea of you raising our baby alone.”
The crown of Kendra’s head pulled to the ceiling. Grinning, she said, “I can’t think about being a mother after what just happened.”
“You aren’t your mother.”
Retreating back into her seat, Kendra pressed the backs of her shoulders into the door and stared out the windshield ahead. “I can barely keep my head afloat. How could I even begin to think about taking care of somebody else when I can’t take care of myself?”
“You’re stronger than you’re giving yourself credit for.”
When my cell phone rang, Kendra’s head whipped toward it. She held her breath and watched me answer. “Giselle, talk to me.”
“You’re not going to believe this, Kelly.”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
“I did some digging around, and one thing lead me to the next…” She sucked back a deep breath. “Stone filed the paperwork himself.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“Here’s where it gets even stranger. The paperwork was dated the day Oscar was arrested, which was before Stone ever presented you with the plan himself.”
I flexed my abs and let up off the accelerator. The car lost speed as Kendra stared, listening. I held her gaze, feeling the lines on my face deepening with each second that passed.
“Either he planned this extremely well, or—”
“The ADA is following Oscar’s lead. Except, this time, working on Stone’s behalf.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Giselle said. “It’s the same tactic Madam used on Oscar.”
“Bloody hell.” I shoved my hand through my hair and took the next exit.
“I can’t prove this, Kelly, but I’m looking into financial records hoping to find evidence of what it seems like is in play here.” Giselle paused, her voice pulled away from the microphone. “Wait, a new email just hit my inbox. Holy shit.”
“What is it?” I could feel Kendra staring into the side of my skull.
“According to my source, Stone’s paperwork was traced back to the mayor’s office.” Giselle paused. “This can’t be right. Mayor Bentley filed for Stone’s release?”
My vision tunneled as I thought back to my last conversation with Mayor Bentley. Then it hit me. “I might know what’s going on.”
42
Kelly
I should have seen it first. The mayor working with Stone.
I was in denial. The mayor was the one person who had unrestricted access to nearly every file that passed through the district attorney office. From Maria’s and Mario’s murders, to Tonya’s unsolved case, all the way to the corruption within the department. Mayor Bentley knew everything.
My palm sweated as I continued to grip my cell phone tight. Heat spread across my chest as I drove, forgetting the excitement of bringing Kendra home. I had been fooled into believing Mayor Bentley was one of the good ones.
I down shifted and put more of my foot on the accelerator. The engine lurched forward. Kendra reached for the door handle just as I slammed my hand down hard on the dash. “Fuck.”
“Kelly, what was that about?” Kendra had removed her sunglasses. “What did Giselle say?”
I was still drowning in my own thoughts—the voices in my head battling it out, searching for reason. The mayor had seen his opening and made his move. It was corruption at the highest level and I had let it happen. Right beneath my nose. I had trusted him.
“I failed,” I said.
Kendra’s brows pulled together as I raced recklessly across town. Weaving between traffic, I rolled through stop signs and blew through yellow lights. Nearly colliding with another vehicle, I honked my horn and let my veins open up with the sudden rush of adrenaline.
“Slow down, Kelly.” Kendra pressed her shoulders back, suddenly swallowed by the seat. “You’re going to cause an accident.”
I shifted gears and only drove faster.
She reached for my hand. “What the fuck is going on?”
I lowered my brow. “Our plan backfired.”
“What do you mean? How?” She frowned, too afraid to take her eyes off the road ahead.
“The mayor is behind Stone’s release.” I flicked my gaze to her. “He’ll walk. Maybe Angel, too. We were played.”
Kendra held my stare. Her chest rose. Then she pushed her fingers through her hair. “What does he know, Kelly?” Her voice broke, sounding terrified.
I swallowed down the lump stuck in my throat. “Everything.”
“Mint?” Kendra wiped her mouth. “Does he know about Mint?”
“Of course he knows about Mint,” I snapped, speeding faster.
Whipping around the corner, I could see it on Kendra’s face: she knew where I was taking her. “I thought you said you were taking me to your place?”
“Not anymore.” I pulled into her apartment parking lot. “You’re taking yourself.”
“What are you saying?” Her eyes scurried across my face.
I unbuckled my belt, leaned over the console, and took her smooth face between my hands. “I want you to go to my main residence and stay there until I call you.”
“Kelly—” Her brow wrinkled.
“Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Take my car and stay there until I call you.” I brushed my thumbs over her hot cheeks. “Understand?”
“No.” Kendra’s eyes watered. “I’m not leaving you.”
I dropped one hand away and tipped my head back. “This isn’t up for negotiation.”
“Wherever you’re going, I am, too.”
“Not this time.” I shook my head.
“Then give me your gun.”
“Bella—”
“Give it to me, Kelly.”
“Lock the doors. Keep your phone near you and wait for my call.”
Kendra turned her head, pushed my hand away, and blew out a shaky breath.
“I need to try to stop this paperwork from going through before Stone is released back t
o the streets.” The engine idled. “Take your things with you,” I said, glancing to her purse. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”
Her eyes were back on me. “You’re scaring me.”
“Do you remember how to get there?”
Kendra nodded after a reluctant second.
“I’ll meet you there.” I reached behind her and opened her door. “Now go.”
“When will you call?”
“As soon as I can.” Leaning closer, I hooked her chin with my finger and pulled her lips against mine. Closing my eyes, she parted her lips and I swiped my tongue against hers. Instantly I was reminded what it was I was fighting for—the future we both wanted. “Now go,” I said, breaking our kiss.
Kendra pushed her arm through her purse strap and exited the car in a hurry. I watched her gather her keys and unlock the car I had let her use. She started it up and turned to me one last time before backing out of the space and leaving to begin her journey to my house.
I inhaled one deep breath through my nose, afraid of what I might be walking into. Bentley had a head start. Not wanting to admit it, I regretted recusing myself from Stone’s counsel already. If I had known this would happen, I could have done for the resistance needed to stop the mayor’s secret agenda.
Backing out, I raced downtown to the district attorney’s office. Traffic was slow, but I managed to get there quick enough. Heading into the building, armed with only my cell phone, I rode the elevator up to the top floor, finding myself passing Oscar’s now empty office.
“I still can’t believe it myself,” a woman’s voice said from behind as I stared into the empty abyss.
I turned to find the ADA standing behind me. The woman I wanted to talk to. “I imagine you have your hands full.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Her brows raised. “I assume you’re not here to stare into an empty office. What can I do for you, Mr. Black?”
“I’m here to talk to you.”
She gave me a curious look. “Come. Let’s talk in my office.”
The ADA lead me to her office. I followed her inside and shut the door before taking my seat at her desk. “You can’t sign a deal with Stone.”
“I thought you, of all people, would be pleased with my office reviewing his case.”
“I would have been, except I’m no longer his attorney.”
The ADA clasped her fingers together on top her desk. “Yes, I’ve heard.”
“I don’t need to explain to you the harm he has done to this city.”
“I’m aware, Counselor.” She stared down at her hands for a second. “This story is stranger than fiction. If it weren’t for the fact that Oscar Buchanan was the one to have filed charges against him, then his case wouldn’t have landed on my desk for review. That includes having to decide what Oscar’s motivation was for charging Blake Stone with the crimes he allegedly committed.”
“If you do this, you’ll be sending the wrong message to the good detectives who worked tirelessly to make the case.”
“It’s not ideal.” She tucked her elbows into her sides. “And I understand where you’re coming from.”
“I don’t think you do.” I scooted to the edge of my seat and brought my closed fist to the desk. “Oscar was a bad apple but that doesn’t mean we are to let a dozen bad ones go because of him.”
“This isn’t my call, Mr. Black. Besides, Stone isn’t the only case we have reviewed. This office needs to earn back the trust of the people, and this is the only way I see to make that possible.”
Squinting my eyes, I asked, “How much pressure have you received from the mayor’s office?”
The ADA crossed her arms and clenched her jaw.
There was a glint in her eye that confirmed what I already suspected. “You’re in on it, too.”
“Careful, Counselor.” She brought her hands back to the desk and rolled her shoulders back. “Don’t think for one second that this office hasn’t considered bringing a list of charges against you.”
I tipped my head and angled my gaze. “Is that a threat?”
She stood and peered down at me. “Let’s just say that if you would like to remain a free citizen, then I suggest you don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
43
Kendra
I held my gaze in the rearview mirror, my heart hammering against my chest.
The urgency in Kelly’s eyes had me on edge. The implications of the danger we were in still lurked, making my mind play tricks on me. I was seeing things that didn’t exist—cars that I thought were tailing me but really weren’t.
Inhaling a deep breath, I calmed myself enough to keep focused on my path forward. Kelly’s house. That was where I was heading—where he would call when he was finished. Thoughts of what happened at my parents’ were easy to shed. I couldn’t say the same about the fears that kept sending chills up my spine.
The brake lights in the car in front of me flashed red and I slammed on my own. The car lurched forward, rocking on its shocks, as the seatbelt across my chest locked and dug deep into my ribcage.
“Shit,” I cursed, staring at my white knuckles still gripping the steering wheel.
Traffic came to a dead stop. Loosening my seatbelt, blood began to flow once again. My nerves shocked with pain, I wondered if our troubles would ever stop. I could only pray that they would, and that Kelly knew what he was doing.
I turned on the radio, flipping through stations with hopes of it bringing me out of my own head. When nothing caught my fancy, I killed the stereo and rolled down my window. The heat radiated off the pavement and drifted into my car. The smell of tar wasn’t enough to stop me worrying about Kelly.
Easing off the brake, the tires rolled forward.
If it wasn’t Madam, then it was Stone. And when it wasn’t him, it was the same nightmares from the cartel that had ruined both my and Alex’s lives forever. Wishing I was more optimistic, deep inside, something told me that it would never end. There would always be someone else waiting in line, ready to replace the person at the top.
The traffic was stop and go.
With my fingers deep in my scalp, I wanted Kelly’s plan to work. It was important that he finished the game he’d started. It meant nabbing both Stone and Angel for the win. Then it was time to retire, let someone else fill our shoes when the battle continued. Because it inevitably would.
Finally, the gridlock broke and I managed to escape and take the next exit.
Despite it seeming like the universe didn’t want to help either Kelly or me with our grand plans to make peace, I had to believe that, together, we would eventually find it ourselves.
I drove at an even pace toward Kelly’s with thoughts of what it would be like to live with him. I had lived by myself for so long, I had forgotten what it was like to have others living under the same roof. But, with Kelly, I didn’t have any hesitations.
Kelly was The One. I knew it, and so did he. It wasn’t a question of whether I could live with him, but how we would decide to make our house a home.
Nearing Kelly’s neighborhood, I found myself nipping at the edge of my lip. Smiling, I soon felt my eyes light up.
The fact he’d mentioned beginning a family at all was something to cherish. I knew he had thought about it, unprompted. I liked that. Even with doubts crawling beneath my skin, Kelly seemed sure of himself in wanting to start a new family with me. As for me, I was currently unsure about the idea I had planted in his head. I wasn’t lying when I said motherhood wasn’t meant for me.
I pulled into Kelly’s neighborhood with my eyes bouncing between the houses. It was ticky-tacky, each one having the same feel—like keeping up with the Joneses. But it was also peaceful and brought a calm feeling over the backs of my shoulders, like the sun coming out on a cold winter day.
Once at his house, I parked in the driveway, taking my time to exit the vehicle.
I stared at the front yard and imagined Kelly holding our child up in the air as I w
atched and laughed. It wasn’t hard to imagine, and the scene I created inside my head was perfect.
Kelly wasn’t afraid of family because he had been there before—had the experience to know what it was like. That was important to me. For him, it was a sort of redemption for what he had lost. For me, it was a new beginning, a chance to prove to the world that it didn’t have to be so cruel.
A minute passed before I stepped out of the car and punched in the garage door code. The door cranked its way up and opened to a garage full of tools. Making my way to the mudroom door leading me inside the house, I turned the handle and found myself greeted by empty sounds.
I strolled through the kitchen and smiled. Inside my head, I envisioned highchairs and booster seats above messy floors. And, with each step I took, the idea of family was growing on me once again.
Turning the corner, I entered the living room. My eyes popped as I gasped. Covering my gaping mouth with my hand, I stared breathlessly at the sight on the floor that made my eyes water.
Glass was shattered. Picture frames broken. The floor glittered with a story painted in frustration. It made me want to cry because I knew I had put Kelly through this. If it wasn’t for me bringing Nora into our relationship, these pictures would still be intact.
I bent and dropped my knees to the floor. “I’m sorry,” I said as I began picking up the pieces, creating piles to toss in the trash.
Nora stared at me and smiled. So did Patrick. As I continued putting Kelly’s house back together, I promised to make our house a home filled with love. There would be no regrets. No grudges or deep feelings of resentment. And, certainly, no jealousy. I promised myself to be honest and true, to do my best at taking care of myself first so I could be there for Kelly.
Taking the broom from the kitchen, I swept the piles of glass and shards of splintered wood into the dustpan, coming to terms with my own family never being the people I had wished they were. Kelly was right; my relationship with my parents was finished. There was nothing more to say, nothing else I could do. Marvin had been arrested and I’d managed to hang on to my inheritance. I considered it a win. As for whatever would come of Mom, she would take care of Dad until he died, then she would receive her own day of judgement, being forced to navigate this world alone—just like I had to do.
