by WL Knightly
“I should have expected the worst from you, being a married man and all.”
“You certainly weren’t deceived in any way, Ava. Now, what’s the matter with you?”
“There’s a rumor that you’re fucking around with that slut Keely.”
“You’re not going to listen to idle gossip, are you?” Inside, one word played over and over in his head: Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“I need a job. I told you a month ago I needed to find employment soon, and my company finally laid me off for good this time. I need a job, and you’re going to get me one.”
“A job? What do you want to do, be a housekeeper? You could wear a sexy little maid’s uniform.” The things she wanted, he couldn’t just give her. He was the pastor of the church but not the boss, even if they did put up with a lot of his shit.
“I want the assistant secretarial position.”
He had to appreciate the fact that she wasn’t extorting him for money, but the request just wasn’t something he could do for her. “That position was permanently terminated years ago when the last girl left. Peggy handles things nicely, and we’re a tight-running ship.”
“I think you’re going to have to make sure the position is open and ready for me to take it on. I’ve more than earned it by keeping my mouth shut, but if you fail to cooperate, I’ll just have to tell everyone in the congregation how you manipulated me and forced me to have sex with you.”
“Laying back and spreading your legs isn’t forced sex, Ava. You might want to rethink your tactics a bit.”
“Fuck you. I don’t have to rethink anything. I’m serious. I’ve come in here and fucked you, sucked you off, and even waited on you hand and foot when your simpleton wife wouldn’t do it. I’m tired of being underappreciated, and before I lose everything, I want you to make sure I’m taken care of.”
Carter felt as if she needed to be reminded of who she was. “You’re never going to get the job, Ava. Why would the church give it to a junkie whore like you? I mean, if I hadn’t taken a special liking to you in the first place, you’d still be in some gutter, burping semen and smoking rocks.”
Her face paled. “God washed away my sin, remember? Nothing you can say will hurt me. But I could hurt you. This junkie whore has nothing to lose, but you do.”
“I can’t give you a job, but maybe I can get you some money. Would that be cool?”
“It will buy you some time. That’s for sure.” Her eyes narrowed, all the adoration she had for him once was gone.
“It hurts me that you find it so necessary to try and come against me, Ava.” He shook his head. “I really thought you cared more for the church than this.”
“It has nothing to do with the church and everything to do with you.”
“But it does hurt the church, Ava. We’re strapped. The elders are already struggling, so I doubt they’ll add another position to the staff.”
She closed her eyes tightly, and tears leaked down her cheeks. “I was supposed to be the only one, Carter. It’s bad enough you made me share you with your stupid wife, but now some slut too?” She got up from the chair and walked to the door that led to the hallway. Carter wondered if she didn’t want to look into the other woman’s eyes on the way out. “I’ve got more pride than that, and it’s time I start to focus on me. I need rent money. I need a new car. All of these things, you’ll make sure I have them, or I’ll tell everyone all about you and me.” She hurried to the door as he sat there stunned by her audacity.
Chapter 11
Darek
“I’m fine,” said Lizzy as she paced Darek’s living room. “There’s no need to worry about me, and I’m not going to take the rest of the day off.” She had agreed to go to his house and cool down from her latest outburst before lunch, but Darek still wanted to know what had triggered her temper.
“I know you said you’re fine a hundred times, baby, but that doesn’t tell me anything about why it happened.” He looked up at her from the couch where she had been sitting not a minute earlier.
She stopped in front of him. “So much for you being smart enough to leave well enough alone,” she said softly but not quite under her breath.
He tried not to be offended. “Hey, I want to know if someone hurt you. I understand if it’s a touchy subject, but you obviously have some issues you need to deal with. Maybe you should talk to someone about it.”
“A shrink? Seriously?” She shook her head, her anger quickly escalating.
But he wasn’t about to back down. “Was there something more to the relationship with Robert that you haven’t told me about?”
Her jaw fell slack as she closed her eyes as if to collect herself. “Jesus, no!” she finally said. “That man was gold; he was everything to me. He treated me like a father should treat their children, and he never laid a finger on me.” She pointed, poking his chest. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Fine,” said Darek. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her close. “I care about you, okay? I care, and if you need to talk to anyone and you don’t want to see a shrink, you can tell me anything, Lizzy. Okay?” He searched her eyes, but all he found were more storm clouds.
“Let’s change the subject. Please.” She gave him a sharp look.
“Fine, yes, by all means.” He took a deep cleansing breath and blew it out. “We can look on the bright side of things. We got Antonio to confess, and the asshole will be spending a long fucking time behind bars.”
“It was even easier than I thought it would be. We’re going to have more and more nuts like him coming out of the woodwork if we don’t figure out who this killer is and bring him in soon.” She wrapped her arms around her middle as she sat beside him.
“People like him are always going to be out there. Ken really stirred the shit pot when he said there were others out there doing his bidding. No telling how many are plotting to be his copycats.”
“I don’t want to think about maybes. I want to think about what is. The killer hasn’t really made a move in a while that we know of. So, we have to assume that the next victim might fall in our lap at any moment.”
“He’s overdue.”
“Or maybe the killer is dead or already locked up on another charge.” She shrugged.
“So, in the meantime, you should take it easy, and I’ll keep working on Sin’s mind.”
Lizzy turned to face him as he eased back and angled toward her. “Did you ever hear any more about New Orleans?” she asked.
Darek had, but he couldn’t tell her. “No, and I don’t want you worrying yourself over that. I’m handling it. It was just a stupid drive-by gang initiation like you said. Nothing more.” He wanted her to keep believing that as long as possible, and there shouldn’t be a reason for that to ever change.
“All of this taking a break shit is really getting on my nerves, Darek. Could you please stop acting like my father and start acting like my boyfriend again?”
“That’s easy enough.” He leaned in and brought his mouth down on hers. They kissed each other deeply and languidly, letting their bodies relax into one another.
She pulled away as his stomach growled. “Wow, you sound like you’re smuggling a grizzly bear in there. We should go out and get something to eat on our way back to the office.”
“I agree. Because if I stay here any longer, I’m going to have you in bed, and we’ll both be in hiding for the rest of the day.”
“That’s the only way I’d consider taking the day off.”
Darek shook his head at the stubborn girl. “You can pick the spot, and after we eat, I’ll take you to the office so you can finish up working up the report while I go and make arrangements for Sin.”
Lizzy got to her feet and pulled his arm, encouraging him to stand up with her. “I see how it is. You’re going to keep me busy writing up reports while you’re out investigating Sin.”
“That’s what Reed wanted.”
“I can’t believe you two are ganging up on me.” She
leaned in and kissed him, a quick soft peck on the cheek.
“He wanted me to show him what I’m made of, so I’m calling in a person who reached out to me and told me that Sin was once a member of his church. Carter Hamilton.”
The name caught her attention like he figured it would. “The preacher from TV?”
“The one and only,” he said, smiling because she seemed impressed.
“He just reached out? Just like that? It’s kind of a coincidence.” She gave him a sideward glance like she wasn’t buying it.
“I might have put some feelers out, and he responded.” Darek didn’t want to tell her too much about how he got in touch because he hated lying to Lizzy. In a perfect world, she’d be his true partner in crime, knowing all of his darkest secrets and being his right-hand girl, but that was never going to be possible, with Lizzy or any woman. Raven was the only one who had come close to being that for him.
As he took Lizzy’s hand and led her to the door where they slipped on their shoes, he realized that he hadn’t thought of Raven in quite a bit. He felt a pang of uncertainty and guilt but shook it off. When the going got tough, Raven bailed. He wasn’t sure he’d ever forgiven her for that, even though he’d known it was for the best and in a small way, he’d wanted her to go. Relationships could be so confusing, and right or wrong, he’d formed one with her.
“Are you okay?”
He turned and saw the way she looked at him like she wasn’t sure he was still with her. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just a little distracted.” He opened the door for her, and they made it all the way into the car before she attempted a guess.
“Is it about your phone call?” she asked. She’d stayed in the living room while he’d gone to the bathroom to talk to Carter.
He hadn’t told her much about it, but it had been on his mind. “No, that was nothing. Just a checkup about my mother.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Good.” He gave a nod and got them on the road headed back to the office.
He would have to find out if Carter had confided to Sin about more than he had confessed. It was highly possible that Ken’s influences were built around everything that Carter had told him. He couldn’t imagine someone sitting around plotting something so big and not having someone there to influence him, and while Ken Sin was no Bay Collins, Darek wouldn’t be surprised if Carter hadn’t been so enamored by Ken’s fame, no matter how diluted, that he bragged about a lot of things he shouldn’t have with the man.
With any luck, he and Bay would be able to get to the bottom of it when they met. He needed to call Bay and tell him Carter was on his way. Maybe Bay would have some questions of his own; he could let The Slayer slay him with questions.
“You could let me help you, you know? I’m not afraid to go back in and interrogate Sin again.” Lizzy squared her shoulders as she shifted in her seat beside him.
“Reed would have my balls if I let you anywhere near him.” He knew better. “I’m not jeopardizing my career to let you prove a point. You heard him. He wants me to prove myself, and maybe if I do good with this, then Reed will hire me.”
“Fine. I don’t want to ruin that for you.” She leaned closer to the window, staring out at the traffic.
“You could never ruin anything,” he said, reaching over to take her hand. He brought it to his lips and thought about how thankful he was for second chances.
Chapter 12
Bay
Bay stepped out of his private elevator and into the lobby in front of his office as Mia rushed ahead of him to get the door unlocked. “Stop doting over me,” he said as she held the door open for him. “You didn’t care this much before you ran away. There’s no bother trying to make up for it now.” They had already had a busy day, and it was only ten o’clock. But Bay had been for his checkup and learned that his shoulder was healing nicely, and he wouldn’t have to do any more physical therapy, which he hated.
“I do care, and being away has made me realize how much. I’m lost without you, Bay.” Mia’s voice was soft, and she kept her eyes on the floor most of the time.
“Will you stop? Please. I just want my bratty little girl back. I hate the whiny shit. If I wanted that, I’ll call your sister to come back home.” He liked Mia better when she had a hint of mischief in her eyes. He reached into this desk and took out a pad and pen. “Here.”
Her eyes lit up, and she took a seat in the chair across from his desk. “You want me to take notes for you like a real secretary?”
“Not necessarily. I thought you should write a list of the places you want to go, the things you want to buy. I’m not prepared to let you out of my sight in the city just yet, but I’ll take you shopping later on tonight if you like.”
“You want to go shopping with me?” she asked with a hint of shock in her tone.
He’d never gone with her when she was on one of her mad spending sprees. “Yes. I suppose I could. I’d like a new suit, and maybe you could help me choose a color.”
“That might be fun.” She readied the pen at the paper. “What is my limit?”
“If you promise to stop looking like it’s the end of the world, you could spend as much as you like.”
As soon as the words hit her ears, Bay saw the gleam he loved so much twinkle in her eyes. “I want a car. Can I have a car?”
He shook his head. “Mia, you don’t even have your license.”
“I want my license then. But could I? I’ve always wanted a car of my very own.”
Bay shook his head. “I don’t feel safe about it, but maybe for your next birthday. If you take a driving course.”
She slumped a bit, her posture and pout just how he liked it. “Fine.” She looked away, rolling her eyes before she put the pen to work.
“That’s my girl. I’ve missed your spirit, Mia. Don’t ever lose that.”
“Will you be taking me out for lunch?” She uncrossed her legs and moved her hand down to her thigh to toy with the hem of her skirt. Bay knew her appetite had changed during her time with Max Smith, and around noon, she was bound to have an itch.
“Yes. You can even pick the restaurant. Maybe we’ll have a little fun before.” Bay liked it when she was happy, and it was a hell of a lot easier to make her that way than her sister.
His phone rang, and he glanced down to see that Lane Simon was calling. “Shit. I have to take this, Mia.” He answered and kicked back in his chair, spinning it toward the window.
“How’s it going, Lane?”
“Pretty good. Contractors are just about done with the remodel. The new windows look great, and I finally got the blood stains off the sidewalk.”
Bay had thought the repairs would take much longer and the stains would never come out. “Sounds like things are looking good then.”
“How are you feeling?” asked Lane. “Is the arm better?”
“Yes, it’s good. I went for an appointment this morning. One of those follow-up deals.”
“Good deal, man. Look, I’ve been contacted about Justin Finch. Were you aware that he died?”
Bay realized he hadn’t called him. “Shit. I meant to call you, Lane, but things have been so busy.”
Lane chuckled. “No worries, Bay. I get it. It’s just that I was in charge of his will, and since you’ve taken on all of my old workloads, it’s up to you to meet with his beneficiary and make sure that everything is set.”
“Who is the beneficiary?”
“Brandy. She gets it all.”
“Wait, you’re saying that Corey’s Brandy gets all of Justin’s money? He didn’t leave it to family or anyone else?”
“Nope, just her,” Lane said. “When he made the will a year ago, she was the only person in his life.”
“I wonder if she knew that before he died.” Bay had a feeling that little miss Brandy might have had Justin killed in order to have both Corey and Justin’s money. Both men were extremely loaded.
He must have leaned on Brandy when the Betty relationship fell
apart. He smiled, knowing that this was an opportunity he hadn’t expected.
Bay thought of one of the last times he talked to Justin. When the man had said he needed help with a marriage license. Bay had accommodated him at the time, thinking he had everything under control with Brandy and Corey’s fortune. Bay had helped him and simply put the information in his back pocket for a rainy day. He hadn’t expected it to pour so soon.
“I know it’s a lot to burden you with, man. I bet your caseload is a bitch after being shot, but I can’t deal with it. There’s no way I can leave the restaurant, and you’re going to need her to sign a few things and produce a death certificate. After that, it should be filed in her county.”
“No, it’s not a problem. I’ll take care of it.”
“I can’t believe what happened,” Lane said. “I talked to the police, and they said that Justin tried to defend himself, but in the confusion, he’d grabbed a gun that wasn’t even loaded.”
“That’s a bit surprising, isn’t it?” Bay didn’t think that sounded like the Justin he knew at all. The man would know if his gun was loaded or not. And why would he even have a gun around the house that wasn’t loaded and ready to use? Something was off.
“I thought so, but you never know. Anything is possible. I mean, if Brandy can pull a Rambo move out of her ass like shooting the three suspects with an AK, then I guess we shouldn’t be so shocked.”
“You know, Lane, a professor of ours once told me that when one thing doesn’t make sense, it’s a coincidence, but when two things don’t, it’s usually deliberate.”
“Sounds like something The Grifter would say.”
“That’s exactly who said it. I’ve always thought it made a lot of sense. I don’t trust coincidence.” He never had.
“So, when you say that, what you’re really saying is, you think that someone unloaded his gun and plotted his death?” His voice came through the phone with an amused tone.
