by C. J. Thomas
I could smell Madam’s makeup a mile away.
Hanging my head, my body swung in her wake as she drifted around me.
Feeling the sudden urge to loosen my bladder, my stomach rolled as I felt her staring, inspecting, deciding what to do with me—how to handle my resistance.
She stopped moving. The air went stale between us.
My senses were on high alert. I heard everything as my head darted to try and keep up with the sounds of her movements.
A sound behind me.
Next to me.
Out in front of me.
Madam seemed to be everywhere all at once. Then nowhere at all.
Titling my head, I held my breath and listened. The room fell silent. The air stopped moving until my feet were abruptly kicked out from under me.
The chain snapped tight.
My skin tore and I cried out in immense pain.
The new wounds at my wrists bled down my arms, dripping off the point of my elbow.
“Sad, the way you look.” Madam’s voice came in from the left. “Shattered. Helpless. With no one looking for you.”
I focused on my pounding heart, not needing her to toy with my mind any more than she already had. Naturally, I wondered if she had tracked down Sylvia or if she had done something to Kelly. Except, if she had, then she wouldn’t need to take her growing aggression out on me, and that gave me hope that I still held the power.
“It doesn’t need to be like this.” Her hand gripped the chain above my head, violently shaking it.
I growled and gritted my teeth. As badly as it hurt, Madam was feeling the pressure. She was losing control. Kelly had something she needed—something that might put her away. And as long as I held out my refusal to help, I could keep Kelly alive to figure out what it was she was after.
Forcing myself to stand, I lifted my head and started to laugh.
Madam released the chain and fisted my hair. Yanking at the roots, she slapped my face. The warm metallic taste of blood coated my tongue. “You don’t understand the situation you’re in,” she growled.
“Help me!” I screamed. “Get me out of here!”
Madam stepped away. I heard her take something from the cabinet. The next second, I lurched forward as the sting from cattails striking the backs of my thigh sent my mind into a frenzy of panic and pain. “Don’t be stupid, girl. All you need to do is submit.”
“You’re fucking insane.” My chest heaved as my heart raced.
“Agree to help me, or Kelly will go to prison.”
“Kelly will kill you when he finds out what you did to me.”
Madam’s sharp nails scratched my chest as she ripped the front of my dress open. Pulling it down my body, the fabric pooled around my ankles at the floor. Rubbing my back with the palm of her hand, she stepped back and begin flicking the sharp tails against the backs of my thighs.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
I cried out in protest as the excruciating pain nearly killed me.
Madam was relentless in her pursuit to break me.
Several quick snaps of her wrist and I wailed into the small room until my voice gave out.
And then it stopped.
“One little favor is all I’m asking of you, my dear.” Madam worked to catch her breath.
I wished I could see her. It was probably the most unkempt she had ever looked. The thought alone curled my lips at the corners. Madam losing her cool because I refused to be controlled.
“Getting what I’m after would be easier than any delivery you have ever made.”
I turned my head to where I thought she was standing. “Too bad you can’t be trusted.”
“Me?” She guffawed. “After everything kept secret from you? The man doesn’t deserve your loyalty.”
“Go fuck yourself,” I spat, hoping to catch her in the face.
Madam stepped up behind me. Whispering into my ear, she said, “Marvin was right about you.” Her hand ironed over the lower quadrant of my belly, causing it to involuntarily flutter. “You sure know how to take it.” She took her hand away. “Then again, maybe you coped by flying away.”
My mouth slackened. Again, Madam knew the details to things she shouldn’t. Who was telling her these secrets, and why? Who knew them but me? Flying away was my escape. The only way to elevate my mind above the cruelty of being raped.
“Maybe you don’t care about Kelly’s future, but what about Alex’s? How do you think she’ll react when she learns what Nash did to move Maria’s body the night Sylvia killed her?”
My skin was sticky with sweat and fear as I gasped for air. I tried to fight it but couldn’t. My chin trembled and I felt weak. Tears swelled behind my eyes as I thought about Alex and how she didn’t deserve to be dragged into my mess. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Is protecting Kelly really worth it?” Madam tucked my hair behind my ear, nurturing me into trusting her once again. “Or are you willing to lose you relationship with Alex, too?”
13
Kelly
I couldn’t get the image out of my mind.
Her curvy, sexy body wrapped tightly in someone else’s bedsheets haunted me. My blood ran hot with an ill desire to seek revenge. The word Angel rang between my ears like the church bells at Tonya’s funeral. I knew it wasn’t Kendra who’d sent it. But who, then?
Stepping up to security, the uniformed guard kept a close eye on me as I placed my items in the tray to pass through the x-ray machine. Clearing out my pockets, I stepped beneath the metal detector with my palms facing out.
The guard watched and waved me to the side when a series of beeps set off the alarm.
“That’s a first.” I smiled as I lined my feet up on the carpet below.
“Do you have anything in your pockets that could cause bodily injury?”
I glanced over my shoulder and gave him an arched look.
“Sorry, Mr. Black. I’m only following protocol.” He patted me down.
It might be protocol, but there wasn’t any denying the fact that weird things were happening to me. Including the surprise visit by the detectives this morning. And it all started with me getting shot at by Jerome.
“I was hoping to cross paths with the DA,” I said as I stood with legs spread and hands up. “Have you seen him today?”
The man swiped the wand over my body. “Not since yesterday.”
“Huh.” The longer Oscar remained invisible, the greater the unease roiling my stomach. He had to be with Madam. Perhaps with Kendra, too. And as much as I didn’t want my thoughts to go there, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking maybe he was the one to have sent me the text from Kendra’s phone.
“You’re all clear,” the guard said, stepping away.
I gathered my things and made the long walk through the corridor of florescent lighting and squeaky linoleum. By the time I reached the visitor room reserved for my client, Blake Stone was already waiting.
I exchanged greetings with the guard manning the heavy metal door. Sliding in his key, a series of clicks worked their way down the doorframe. The latch opened and I stepped inside to smells of cologne and prison prestige.
“Well, did you fact-check what I revealed to you?” Stone eyed me.
The plastic chair did nothing to help me relax as I lowered myself into it. A confident glimmer sparkled below his combed-back hair as I thought back to our conversation where he revealed Madam’s hand in having my entire family killed.
“It’s something every good lawyer would have done. I don’t take offense, Mr. Black.” He folded his hands out in front of him and grinned. “I would have done the same thing in your position.”
Flipping the page on my legal pad, I put pen to paper. “That’s not the reason I’m here.”
He arched a brow. “Then it’s about my case.”
I shook my head.
He pulled his brows together. “Then what are you here for, Counselor?”
Holding his stare, I said, “I have been thinking about Mario J
imenez’s death.”
He leaned back and smirked. “And you’re wondering how Oscar managed to pull it off?”
My vision tunneled as I kept my gaze locked on Stone. The room spun and the walls closed in. A pounding headache reminded me of the overflowing amount of information rushing at me daily. Quickly, I reminded myself of the details.
First, Giselle and Oscar worked a deal to revisit Mario’s plea deal in exchange for bringing Sylvia into custody. But before that could happen, Mario was found dead in his jail cell from an apparent suicide. Judge Smith never got the chance to accept or sign off on the deal. And, as if on cue, I received the message to speak with Stone for the first time immediately after finding out Mario was dead myself.
Stone lowered his brow.
“You knew Mario died only hours after it happened,” I said. “How?”
Without blinking an eye, Stone said confidently, “Someone gets murdered in here, word travels fast.” He brought his steady hands back to the table. “Especially when you have credentials like mine. It’s almost as if the walls do the talking.”
He flashed me a toothy grin but I deflected his charm with an emotionless gaze. “To your own admission, you had a hand in killing Tonya.” My mind returned to the note he wrote, Look what you made me do. “How do I know you didn’t have a hand in killing Mario, too?”
Stone dropped his head and chuckled. “Drug trafficking is a sentence I can handle; murder would be tossing my life away.”
Then he reminded me of the fantastic life waiting for him when he got out. The money, cars, and women. I scribbled down details to what he was saying and only picked my head up when he reminded me I was the one responsible for getting him out.
“You’re not giving up on me, are you, Counselor?”
“I’ll get you out of here.” My shoulders tensed.
Satisfied with my response, Stone asked, “Who has the most to gain from Mario’s death?”
“I should be asking you the same question.”
“But I’m asking you, Black. Who benefits the most from his death? And don’t say it’s me, because I’m stuck behind bars until a jury acquits.”
My gaze dulled as I thought about Madam.
“You can’t say it, because it’s her, Black. She has control over the market now. She’s the one doing what I once did. And she’s the one who needed Mario most. You know it and I know it.” He slid his sharp elbows across the chrome metal table and cocked his head to the side. “The politics of this city aren’t what they seem. And with the district attorney seeking re-election, he needed a win to prove he’s capable of keeping the city safe.”
“Why can’t you say her name?”
Stone snickered. “She will help the DA succeed in exchange for him helping her succeed. We don’t live in a democracy, Mr. Black. Special interests have our politicians bought. Appearance is everything.”
“What does that have to do with Mario?”
“They need each other in order for the other to survive.” He leaned back. “Do you hear what I’m saying?” His eyes narrowed. “And having someone on the inside is always beneficial.”
My thoughts churned. “Do you believe you’ll ever receive a fair trial?”
“That requires that I make it to that day.” The muscle in his jaw ticked.
“Did something happen to you?”
He turned his head in thought for a moment. When he turned back to me, his eyes locked on mine and never wavered. “Someone new enters the system, immediately gravitates toward Mario. He stays for a couple of days, then mysteriously leaves right around the time Mario hangs himself. Conspiracy? Perhaps.” Stone shrugged. “Coincidence? It’s a stretch.”
I listened to what he wasn’t saying. “And you believe the district attorney placed this man inside to specifically target Mario?”
“You can make the connection for yourself. I’m only sharing what I saw.”
I asked what the man looked like. Stone described him in great detail as I scribbled fiercely. Then I lifted my head and asked, “And you think you’ll receive the same fate?”
Stone’s eyes went black. “That’s up to you and what you decide to do with the information I just shared.”
A heavy set of bangs on the door interrupted us. I listened to the door buzz open. “Time’s up,” the guard said, pulling Stone’s shackled body to his feet.
“That, Counselor, you should fact-check.” Stone held my gaze as he shuffled his feet over the floor. “Because once you know the name of who was planted inside to kill Mario, you can build your case to bring down that pig of a DA. And when you do, I guarantee that you will find the connection you’re looking for.”
14
Kelly
I walked the block to City Hall with my head spinning.
Stone got me thinking. But how was it even possible the DA could plant a person on the inside with the specific task of killing Mario?
Crossing the street, I picked up my pace.
Mario hadn’t been convicted. Only held without bond on charges of murder for the death of Maria Greer. If what Stone was telling me was true, then the police force was more corrupt than I knew.
Coming face-to-face with the prominent building that housed the daily mayoral activities, I stopped and stared. Who else was being paid off and working an agenda in favor of special interests? And what other crimes were being committed to protect those already in power?
Several city employees passed nearby, snapping me out of my thoughts. When my foot landed on the first step, my cell started ringing. I reached inside my jacket pocket to answer it. “Black.”
“Kelly, it’s Ty Lemon.”
“Ty,” I smiled, thinking of my old friend and fashion designer. “What can I do for you?”
“I wish I was calling with better news, but something bad has happened.”
Squinting into the sun, I turned and faced the street. “What happened, Ty?”
“It’s the DEA. They paid me a surprise visit this morning.”
The crease between my brows deepened. “Maybe we should meet in person?”
“No.” He sighed. “I’d prefer to do this over the phone.”
“What did they want?” I asked, my gaze naturally following a dark town car.
“They asked about my parties.” Ty threw the biggest and most memorable parties in town. “They were curious who attends them, for what kinds of occasions, things of that sort.”
My stomach knotted with fears of Wes and Adrianna’s clients getting caught up, once again, in illegal drug activities I knew stemmed from Madam. “I need you to answer me honestly, Ty. With what you know, was their visit justified?”
He was silent for a moment before saying, “I might need representation.”
“I have your back, but I’m going to have to learn more about what exactly is going on so I know how to fight this.”
“I swear I’m not guilty, Kelly.” Stress took his voice higher. “You know I can’t control everything that happens at my parties.”
“You haven’t been charged. Only questioned. If they come back, don’t say a word without calling me first.” Ty agreed and I hung up with feelings of unease roiling my stomach. Things weren’t right; something was definitely going on.
I turned and hustled up the stairs, going through security without a hitch. As I pushed through the turnstile, it occurred to me I entered this security the same way I did at County, yet nothing happened. No alarms went off. I wasn’t frisked. Wasn’t harassed.
“Mr. Black, may I ask where you’re going?” A suited man I didn’t recognize approached.
Tipping my head back, I eyed him. “I’m here to see Mayor Bentley.”
“I’ll lead you.” He stepped forward and I followed. He didn’t say another word and when we arrived, the mayor’s secretary informed me the mayor was currently in a meeting. The suited man left and I took a seat in the waiting room.
Crossing my leg over my knee, I stared at the mayor’s closed office do
or.
I thought about the DEA’s visit with Ty. Then my thoughts drifted back to Madam and what connection she had to Ty’s experience. She was a special interest—a criminal enterprise who managed to successfully infiltrate high offices of the city government. But did she have the power to hold off the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency? Highly unlikely.
Feeling my eyes hood, I should have known Madam would climb the government ladder.
Madam found her criminal defense lawyer in me. I fixed her problems, made them go away. If I was paying any sort of attention to her activities before Kendra came along, it was no surprise she had found her loyalists inside this very building.
But how did the city get this bad? And could it ever be stopped? Even if the police could get Madam charged with a crime, someone else would replace her—just as she’d replaced Stone.
I rubbed my face inside my hand and thought about Kendra.
My dinging phone tore me from my thoughts. I checked it; a message from Giselle.
The mayor’s door opened just as I flipped my phone around to face me. I lifted my head, my eyes bulging with surprise.
Oscar held the mayor’s hand as they ended their meeting. Both their faces were lined with smiles. My stomach flopped and I read Giselle’s message.
Oscar is with Mayor now. Not sure where Sylvia is. Bad feeling about this…
“Kelly Black.” Oscar stood over me, tugging down his suit jacket. “I heard you’ve been looking for me.”
Hiding my phone away, Giselle was too late. I stood and looked the DA directly in the eye. “Where is she?”
He leaned closer and dropped his voice. “Your days are numbered, my friend.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to see who gets to whom first.”
Oscar stepped back and laughed as his security detail arrived to escort him out of the building. “Whose sheets do you think your girl was wrapped in last night?”
I fisted my hand as every fiber in my body flexed.
Oscar nodded before stepping away. Then he abruptly stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “And, let me tell you, that lioness can roar.”
