Black Escape

by C. J. Thomas

  I closed my eyes and smiled. I liked hearing him say the name he had given me. It took me away from the darkness and into the light, if only for a brief moment in time.

  Willing my bricks for feet to lift, I didn’t know if I could complete his one request. Frozen to the floor in shock, I knew that this was only going to get worse before it got better. When it came to Madam, it always did. “Kelly, Madam did this.”

  “I know.” His raspy voice fluttered over my head.

  “You don’t know,” I snapped.

  Kelly’s eyes watered below slanted brows.

  I stepped back and he looked at me as if he didn’t know who I was.

  “What happened to you when you were gone?” he whispered.

  I closed my eyes, turned my back, and let my head fall to my chest.

  “Did she hurt you?”

  I gripped my sides tighter. Without looking, I could feel his judging gaze rake over every inch of me. Closing my eyes no longer blocked the world out. It only reminded me of being blindfolded, whipped, and beaten. It all came swirling back like the whirl of an approaching tornado and I wanted nothing more than to toss my head back and scream.

  “I thought I would never see you again,” he admitted.

  This time I didn’t flinch or jerk away when his hands came down on my shoulders. Instead, my chin quivered as I reached one hand up to touch his. I didn’t know what to say—how I could explain that I’d begged to die just to end it. But now that I was here—with him—I couldn’t deny how much I wanted us to make it and be together forever.

  His thumbs worked into my neck. “Which begs the question, why did she let you loose?” Turning on a heel, I tipped my head back. His eyes were dark, unfamiliar. “Madam knew you would come to me, so why did she let you go?”

  “How much time do we have?”

  His eyes narrowed as he cocked his head to the side.

  The pounding in my chest grew as I told him the truth. Kelly listened as I revealed that Madam was using me to get to him. “It was the only reason I was let go. She would have killed me in there.” I watched his eyes fall to my neck and move down my chest. “You have what she wants. You said it yourself to whoever you were just talking to.” I pointed to where he’d stood while on the phone. “Clearly, they thought it was here and didn’t count on me producing results.”

  Kelly rubbed his hand over his face, keeping one eye locked on me.

  “What did you take from Sylvia’s apartment that she needs so badly?”

  His eyes scurried over my face. A knowing glimmer hid the truth. Then he dodged the question and said, “We’re not safe here. We have to go. Now.”

  Kelly pulled me to the back bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed as I watched Kelly pack a bag. He asked if I needed anything myself and I shook my head. “We should call the cops, Kelly.”

  His head snapped up. “The cops aren’t our friends.”

  “Then what are you going to do about what happened here?”

  “Nothing.” He zipped up his duffel bag and lifted his head. “I know this sounds crazy but Madam’s influence might extend to the police department. And as long as Oscar remains in office, we’re on our own.”

  Oscar.

  My stomach clenched.

  He mentioned Oscar.

  Bile rose in my throat. I stared at the low angle of the sun as he talked but all I could hear was what Oscar said to me before I blacked out. Isn’t this how you like it? The only way you can get off?

  “Now, c’mon.” Kelly pulled me to my feet. “I’ll tell you more when we get there.”

  20

  Kelly

  Though my hand was steady, inside I was beyond anxious.

  Kendra was quiet as I drove.

  After spilling her guts about how Madam used her to get to me, she fell dangerously quiet. There was more to her story. Things she wasn’t telling me. Things maybe she couldn’t tell me. I was afraid to know what Madam actually did to her to get her to turn on me, especially now that I understood how far Madam would go to break someone.

  I readjusted my grip on the wheel and flicked my gaze out my window.

  Thinking of the accident, Nora’s suicide, and how close we were to bringing down Oscar, we couldn’t let ourselves be intimidated. What happened in my apartment was unfortunate. But they wouldn’t find what they were looking for there.

  I rolled my head to Kendra. “I have to make a call.”

  She didn’t look at me. Only nodded her head.

  My gaze fell to her arms, still tightly wrapped beneath her breasts. I’d do anything to make her feel safe—loved. But also didn’t want to push her further into doing something she wasn’t ready to do.

  Maxwell picked up on the second ring. “Kelly, I heard what happened. Giselle told me everything.”

  “Talk to the hotel manager. Tell him I sent you. We need to run the security tapes and find out who was there.”

  “Shouldn’t be hard to do,” he said. “But what I don’t get is how they got inside to begin with.”

  It wasn’t easy to get to my apartment, but wasn’t impossible. “Once we know who it was, then we’ll know how they got past security.”

  Maxwell agreed to get on it right away and ended the call promising to follow up as soon as any new information was uncovered.

  Setting my cell on the center console, Kendra said, “If you don’t give Madam what she wants, this won’t stop.”

  “It only stops when we prove Oscar is corrupt.”

  “Then what?” Kendra gave me an arched look.

  “Put the pressure on, get him to flip, and place Madam behind bars, once and for all,” I said, slowing the car.

  Weaving our way through the gated HOA community, Kendra went back to staring out her window. Mansions towered overhead. Sprawling manicured lawns dotted the landscape. It was the type of neighborhood people came to to peacefully raise their kids. At least, that was why Nora and I chose the location after the birth of our son.

  My palms sweated as soon as my house came into view.

  Lowering my gaze, my blood ran cold.

  When I pulled into the driveway, Kendra’s crown pulled to the ceiling. I killed the engine and said, “You wanted to see my main residence? Well, this is it.”

  Kendra briefly glanced in my direction before staring at my large house. We were quiet as she took it all in. I wanted to know what was going on inside of her head, if she was thinking about Nora and Patrick like I was.

  I sat there for a long time, quietly thinking how long it had been since I’d last been here.

  The windows were closed yet the yard had been well maintained, thanks to hired help.

  I had avoided this place because all it did was remind me of what I’d lost, why I deserved to be dead with them. A dark cloud fell over me and, though I was sitting next to Kendra, the cold feelings of loneliness crept up my spine and strangled the life out of me.

  Kendra turned her head and looked at me but I didn’t notice until she asked, “When was the last time you were here?”

  Taking my first noticeable breath in minutes, I breathed, “Too long.”

  “Are you sure we’ll be safe here?”

  I gave a small, truthful shake of my head. “I’ll check the outside, make sure nothing looks out of place.” Opening my door, I met Kendra’s longing gaze. “Stay here.”

  Her eyes rounded as she stared at the house, nodding.

  When I stood, I looked up and down the street. Familiar sounds and smells reminded me of the life I’d once lived. I didn’t want to bring up my past with Kendra—how I’d lived here with Nora. Or how Patrick ran wild in the backyard without a care in the world. But something told me she would want to know. Everything had been perfect and then… Madam came along and took the light out from my world.

  Skirting around the house, I found windows latched and gates shut. Nothing was noticeably different. Feeling confident we could hide out here while we fought our last battle—one we had to win to survive
—I retrieved the house key from a secret location in the back and opened the door.

  The air was stale as it rushed over me.

  Then, without warning, tears swelled my eyes.

  Slowly, I moved from room to room. When I entered the kitchen, Nora surprised my imagination and turned to greet me with a warm smile. Patrick came running to me, wrapping his arms around my leg with a tight hug of his own. The happy family of three, back together again. I patted his head and greeted him. Then I blinked out a tear, and they were gone.

  Falling to my knees, I buried my face inside my hands and heaved through heavy sobs.

  By the time I finally came back around, I tipped my head back, remembering Kendra—the person I loved and who was still alive—waiting for me outside.

  I finished my sweep, clearing each room, certain that we could safely stay here.

  When I stepped out the front door, Kendra was still sitting in the exact spot I left her, hugging her body. She looked so vulnerable and afraid. I knocked on her window and she opened the door. “Anything?” she asked.

  “Only reminders of my wife and son,” I said over my shoulder.

  Retrieving our bags from the trunk, I turned to find Kendra staring with a longing gaze. Without her expressing it, I knew she was anxious to see a part of my life I had only briefly mentioned to her. Even if Nora had created tension in our relationship, there was no running from the truth of my past. It was who I was, and it was a part of my history with Kendra now, too.

  Kendra walked in front of me and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Feeling grateful to have her back, I would never forget the agony I’d felt when she was taken away from me. There were so many things I would have done differently, but I couldn’t say with certainty that I could have walked away from any other scenario than what actually happened.

  Stopping at the door, Kendra turned and looked across the street. A wall of houses faced her, the grumbles of lawnmowers and screaming kids playing off in the distance welcoming her to the sanctuary that this neighborhood provided.

  “We’ll be safe here,” I reassured her.

  Her pale face nodded as she turned and entered the house. Shutting the door behind me, I slid the top bolt in place, not wanting to worry about the possibility of any unexpected guests inviting themselves inside.

  Kendra moved slowly and methodically between rooms. I watched as she browsed the photos hanging on the walls, brushing her fingers over the furniture. She was quiet and I let her take her time to soak it all in.

  When I caught her eye, I thought about what Kendra told me. “Baby, I need to know what Madam put you through these last twenty-four hours.”

  Kendra stopped and hung her head, unable to fully face me.

  I strode to her. “Madam turned you against me. How?”

  Her hair flipped over her shoulder when she turned to look me in the eye. Her glimmer pleaded with me, telling me that wasn’t the case.

  “I know you only said what you had to.”

  Her gorgeous lips parted. “I can’t, Kelly.”

  “You have to.” My hands smoothed down her arms.

  “You don’t want to know. It’s awful.”

  “I understand.”

  Her gaze fell to my sternum. “Then don’t make me do it.”

  “I saw Oscar today,” my jaw muscles rippled, “and he mentioned something to me that makes me think—” Kendra’s bones trembled before her skin quaked. Closing her eyes, I said, “It’s bad. Everything we thought before, it’s ten times worse.”

  Kendra’s brows squeezed together and I felt her heavy breathing.

  Hooking her jaw with my finger, I forced her to look me in the eye. “There is something you need to know.” She revealed her jades behind tiny slits. “After Madam took you away, Angel was waiting for me in my car.” Her pupils widened. “She told me something that changed my beliefs.”

  Fear flashed over Kendra’s eyes. “Sam told me that Angel thought I was a good one.”

  “You are.” My smile crinkled the corners of my eyes. “The best.” Kendra swiveled her head with her stiff neck. Keeping her eyes locked on mine, I said, “Patrick’s death wasn’t an accident.”

  She reached for my hands and I felt her pulse throb in the tips of her fingers. At a loss for words, we stood there as the room spun around us.

  “Madam was trying to kill me.” I lifted my head, blinked, and blew out a heavy sigh. “Maybe kills us both.”

  Kendra leaned into me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

  I held on to her, squeezing her tight, mumbling the rest of what Blake told me about Madam’s expert plan to manipulate me into agreeing to work for her. “She knew that once they were both dead, I would need her—need the work in order to survive.”

  Kendra couldn’t look at me when she said she was sorry. “It’s terrible. God, it’s awful.”

  Not wanting to cry in front of her, I lowered my head and quenched my loneliness by peppering her with kisses. Closing my eyes, I inhaled her fragrance. I relished her long hair and how it brushed over my face as I took it between my hands. With eyes closed, my lips swiped over her neck. Pulling her dress off her shoulder, I wanted to get lost inside of her. Her skin was hot as I flicked my tongue over it.

  Kendra didn’t react, didn’t seem to be into it.

  Cracking my eyes open, my heart stopped.

  Her once-porcelain skin was now purple and brown. Peeling her dress further back, the injuries seemed to go on forever. One glance in her direction was all it took to open the floodgates.

  Tears filled my own eyes. “Was this Madam?”

  She nodded as I felt her spine slump.

  “Anybody else?”

  Her eyes closed, squeezing out a tear as she nodded.

  “Jerome?”

  A curt nod of the head.

  My blood raced, a bit afraid to confirm what my heart already knew. “Oscar, too?”

  Her head slammed into my chest as she sobbed. Tucking her head under my chin, I held her, afraid that my suspicions might be true. Oscar would pay for what he’d done. My need for revenge now was only rivaled by my need for revenge after Patrick and Nora’s murders were revealed to me.

  Bending my knees, I hooked my arm behind the backs of Kendra’s knees and carried her upstairs. Laying her limp body on the bed, I slowly shed the fabric of her clothing. Devastated by her wounds, Kendra buried her face inside her hands as she cried.

  I trailed my fingers over the scratches down her chest.

  I wept when I inspected the lashes across her backside.

  I cried as it all reminded me of the images of Maria that still haunted me.

  They were the marks of an inexperienced Dom. That was the impression it was supposed to give, anyway. But, the truth was, Madam knew exactly what she was doing and it had worked. She’d broken Kendra. Ripped her spirit out from inside her.

  I grinded my teeth and felt my jaw tick.

  Hatred ballooned inside of me.

  Madam had done the same to me but, this time, I knew too much to let her get away with it.

  Running downstairs, I retrieved my duffel. Inside were essential oils. Working them into my palm, Kendra lay on her stomach and I began massaging life back into her broken body. “This will help ease the pain.”

  My hands worked gently across her skin.

  Kendra remained silent.

  I needed the mayor to come through. Needed Oscar to get what was coming for him.

  My fingers rubbed in small circles. Time slipped by in slow, rhythmic waves. When I thought Kendra was finally asleep, I asked her, “How did you let this happen?”

  But I already knew the answer.

  She’d done it to protect me.

  The way she saw it, she was already dead without me and had nothing left to lose.

  21

  Kendra

  Sleep came to me in waves.

  All night, Kelly held me in his arms.

  I didn’t care that he’d once shared this house
—maybe even this bed—with Nora. He’d brought me here because he believed it would keep us both safe. That, alone, was enough to prove that what we had was real.

  My mind flitted in and out of dreams from my childhood. Times before Marvin ruined everything. I dreamt of Mom and Dad and deep feelings of trust. Then the clouds rolled in, bringing the nightmares along.

  A bag was over my head.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  Kicking and pleading to be let go, nobody could hear my cries for help. I was completely alone. Vulnerable. My life on the line.

  Bound by the chains, the door opened. Light flooded inside. Oscar and Madam were back. But, this time, they weren’t going to let me go.

  Startled awake, I opened my eyes the moment Kelly dropped his feet to the floor.

  Closing my eyes, I breathed heavily, hoping I hadn’t screamed like in my dream.

  Kelly moved to the window and peeled the curtains back. The dim morning light lit up his face. Propping myself up on my elbows, I stared.

  Deep shadows filled his contours. He was shirtless, only wearing briefs. The crease between his brows deepened.

  New wrinkles lined his face.

  Apprehension kept him vigilant—his mind wandering, always uneasy.

  And as I thought about what he’d done last night to help heal my body, I knew that I didn’t deserve him. He was too good. Could do better than what I had to offer. Yet, I knew he would not only kill for me, but die trying.

  If Marvin ruined me, Oscar had damaged me forever.

  My heart kept hitting my chest with a dull thump.

  My secret cried to be let out. I wanted so badly to tell Kelly what Oscar made me believe happened. How I felt, how I let him do it. At least, then, Kelly could decide if I was still the woman he wanted. Instead, I asked, “What happens if Madam finds Sylvia?”

  Kelly turned to me with a small smile. It vanished as quickly as it came. Turning his attention back to the window, he said, “Sylvia has to live with her choices.”

  We all did, I said to myself.

  I wondered what he was thinking. If it was about me or what he told me about how Madam killed his family. Both truths would wreck any man. Kelly wasn’t immune to any of it—no matter how strong a man he was. Even I wanted to kill Madam for him. It broke my heart to think anybody could be that cold, to do what she’d done and still sleep at night. Her eyes held that truth. I knew what she was capable of. The venomous poison she brought to this world. Though we were together, we weren’t safe until Madam and Oscar were gone. Forever.