All I've Ever Wanted

by Adrianne Byrd

  Frustrated, he glanced over his shoulder, down the long hallway. The look she’d given him at the door had seemed loaded with regret and disgust. The word disgust echoed in his mind and fed his anger.

  She was the one who’d come on to him. Yet, she looked at him as though he’d slipped something into her drink and taken advantage of her. He cursed again and vowed to detach himself emotionally from this situation. The only problem was that vow—he genuinely liked Kennedy St. James.

  He snatched open the cabinets and searched for something to cook. His thoughts however, remained focused on the woman in his bedroom. The same woman who had felt so soft and right in his arms last night… The one he could have made love to but hadn’t…

  “None of this was supposed to happen,” Sandra Hickman said. She jabbed her finger at the man in front of her.

  Aaliyah crept closer to try to get a better look.

  “It was unavoidable. He was going to the Feds with this,” the man said.

  “No. He would never do that to me.” Sandra’s voice filled with rage.

  “Well, he did it. I know for a fact that he’d contacted the FBI. What does that tell you?”

  “That tells me you’re making this up. Marion isn’t here to defend himself against your accusations.”

  “Sandy, Sandy, Sandy.” He encircled her in his arms. “I’ve never lied to you. You know that. We had a problem and I handled it. All I need for you to do is to ride the wave. If everybody plays their cards right, the police will have no choice but to conclude Underwood’s death as a gang-related crime.”

  Aaliyah’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Judge Hickman was involved in the ex-husband’s death?

  “Get away from me,” Sandra snapped, bolting from his arms. “How can you trust a group of thugs to keep quiet about something like this?”

  “Let’s just say, I’ve worked with these people before. But if I ever do feel like they can’t keep quiet, I will handle that, as well.”

  Aaliyah shifted her weight, trying to see who Judge Hickman was talking to, but when she did, the bush shook.

  “What was that?” the stranger said.

  “What was what?”

  “You didn’t hear it?”

  Aaliyah held her breath and prayed for a good gust of wind to rustle the leaves again, or anything that would draw the guy’s attention somewhere else.

  As if on cue, the wind picked up.

  “It’s only the wind,” Sandra concluded; then she rubbed her head. “I can’t believe this is happening. You killed my husband, Steve.”

  Steve. Now Aaliyah at least had a name.

  “I had no choice.” The man glanced back toward the bushes. “Are you sure we’re alone?”

  “Yes, dammit.”

  “Let’s walk down toward the gazebo. I’ll feel safer down there.”

  Aaliyah watched as Judge Hickman followed the man down a path that led deeper into the estate, and incidentally out of her view. It didn’t matter. She’d find out who the man was before she left today. All she had to do was wait for the man to leave.

  She smiled and couldn’t believe her luck. Retracing her steps, Aaliyah worked her way quietly back to her car. With any luck, she would even get his picture with the camera she kept stashed in the trunk.

  “I think we need to meet again, don’t you, Ms. St. James?”

  Kennedy’s hand tightened on the receiver. “Where’s my son?”

  “Hey, don’t worry. I’m an excellent babysitter. But you’re just going to have to trust me on that. I don’t have any references.”

  Her heart squeezed as panic shook her vocal cords. “Please, don’t harm my baby.”

  “Now that will depend on you, won’t it?”

  “What do you want?”

  “That’s a silly question. I want you, of course. I have to admit that I was surprised to find out that you weren’t traveling with your son, but this will still work out all right. Little Tommy here can still bring you to me. Can’t he?”

  “Look, I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt my son.”

  “That was just what I was hoping you would say. Since there is some heat on me right now back in Atlanta, why don’t you come here. How long will it take for you to get to Memphis?”

  She hesitated. She’d spent all the money that she had yesterday. “I’m not sure.”

  “Don’t even think about telling the police about this. I would hate for something to happen to the little man here.”

  “Please.”

  “Ah, I love it when women beg. But that’s another thing entirely. You have until 3:00 p.m. Monday to get here. That should give you plenty of time. Meanwhile, I think that I’m going to just hang out here with Tommy and your granny.”

  Kennedy lowered her head into the palms of her hands. Grief overpowered her. There was no doubt in Kennedy’s mind that Keenan planned to kill her. However, there was a chance that she could save Tommy and her grandmother.

  “Are you still there?” Keenan asked.

  “Yes.” She sniffed as tears trickled from her eyes.

  “Good. I’ll see you Monday.”

  The line went dead.

  She continued to hold the receiver, wishing like hell that she were in the middle of some bad dream. What was she going to do now?

  She jumped when loud beeps told her that if she would like to make a call she should please hang up and dial again. What had happened to the Warners? How had Keenan found Tommy?

  What did it matter? Kennedy tossed up her hands. She had to figure out a way to get her hands on some money in order to get to Memphis. She could try to get a loan from Bennie. Of course the chance of pigs flying had better odds.

  She paced the floor, but she couldn’t seem to churn out a solution to her problem.

  There was a crash outside of the bedroom. Max. She’d forgotten about him. She headed toward the door, but froze when her hand landed on the doorknob.

  No police. Kennedy shook her head. What was she going to do about the promise she’d made to Max? Well, it really wasn’t a promise, but she had the feeling that he would say otherwise. But what could she do?

  She leaned her head against the door and she could hear the racket Max made in the kitchen. Maybe he was creating another of his culinary masterpieces. The thought made her smile.

  He was a wonderful guy, regardless of what may have happened between them last night. She let her smile fade again and turned away from the door.

  Kelly paced the floor in front of Dossman’s bed as they reviewed the Underwood case. “The problem is that we don’t have any hard evidence that links The Skulls to the crime.”

  “Right. But we do know that Keenan Lawrence wants Ms. St. James dead for some reason. It’s a good thing that she’s with Max. Right now, she’s our ace in the hole,” Dossman said, pushing himself up in bed.

  “Should you be doing that?”

  “Probably not. But it’s starting to feel like my butt is sticking to the sheets.”

  She shook her head as she rushed to his bedside to help. “Careful, don’t overexert yourself.”

  Dossman took her by surprise when he tugged her down onto the bed.

  She squealed, and then looked embarrassed for having done so.

  He laughed against her ear and inhaled the floral scent of her hair.

  Kelly slapped his arm away and pulled back to her feet. “Will you please behave? Someone from the precinct could walk in at any moment.”

  “Hey, what happened to my pity party we were throwing last night?”

  “It ended. Your choice, remember?”

  “Doesn’t mean that I can’t tease you with what you’ll be missing.”

  She continued to laugh. “I’m starting to think that you also suffered some head trauma last night.”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  “It would probably be an improvement.”

  He laughed. He couldn’t remember the last time they had just pl
ayed with each other. For the past few months, everything had been so serious between them. Their light banter was a welcome reprieve.

  For a long while, they just stared at each other and smiled.

  “Assure me that we’re doing the right thing by breaking up,” Kelly said, taking his hand.

  “I can’t.” His smile faded. “I’m not too sure myself.”

  “What on earth is taking her so long?” Max wondered, looking at his watch. He’d left Kennedy well over an hour ago. “Five more minutes. After that I’m going in to get her,” he decided.

  Leaning over the stove, he tasted his homemade Alfredo sauce and smiled. He anticipated her surprise when she learned that he really did know how to cook. He smiled at the thought.

  He took his time preparing the table. He even thought about calling the hospital, but then remembered that Kennedy was still on the phone.

  Five minutes passed and he negotiated with his inner voice to give her another five. Pretty soon an additional twenty minutes had gone by and his irritation had begun to turn to worry about her.

  Quietly, he walked down the hallway. He didn’t hear her on the phone. In fact, he didn’t hear her at all. Had she gone back to sleep?

  He knocked. “Kennedy?” He frowned when there was no answer. Undoubtedly, she was still mad at him.

  “Kennedy, wake up.” He knocked again.

  No response.

  He turned the doorknob and opened the door. “Kennedy?” He poked his head through the crack. His frown deepened when he saw the rumpled bed. It was empty.

  He swung the door open. The room was empty. He stormed over to the closed bathroom door and knocked. “Kennedy?”

  No response.

  He opened the door. It was empty. Not only that, he didn’t see her clothes that had been folded on the bathroom counter earlier.

  Turning, he surveyed the room again. This time he noticed the discarded flannel pajama top she had worn. It was lying beneath the open window.

  Chapter 24

  Aaliyah was staked out across the street from the Underwood estate with camera in hand. Adrenaline raced through her veins and accelerated her heartbeat. She was moments away from a story of a lifetime.

  As she waited, visions of being a guest star on the Larry King Live show danced in her head.

  Time ticked on at a snail’s pace. And it was minutes still before she remembered that there hadn’t been another car parked in the driveway when she arrived.

  She frowned, and then suspected that the unknown visitor had parked in Underwood’s garage. Why hadn’t she thought to check the garage? She shook her head and answered her own question. She couldn’t chance being caught. Lord only knew what they would have done to her. Her mind continued to reel over the wealth of information she’d learned. Her excitement waned at the realization that she was still missing a large piece of the puzzle. What had Underwood known about his ex-wife and this stranger?

  “Most likely it’s a crime of passion,” she mumbled, and then shook her head when she remembered what the man had said. Underwood had contacted the FBI. She pondered that for a moment. She needed to get her hands on whatever information Underwood had found. But how?

  A sleek, black Mercedes rolled down the driveway. Aaliyah readied her camera to snap a picture of the driver.

  She snapped a picture, but the car’s tinted windows were rolled up.

  “Damn.” She slung the camera into the passenger seat and started the car. She didn’t come this far to lose her story now.

  Aaliyah pulled her car out into traffic and followed the Mercedes.

  FBI Agent Jonathan Mason had done his share of tough interrogations. He even had earned himself quite a reputation for being one of the best. But he never entertained the thought that one day he would have to question his mother.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, entering the small room.

  D.A. Judith Mason looked up with a weak smile. “Think nothing of it.” She waited until he sat down before continuing, “I have to admit, I’m a little curious of what this is all about.”

  He tossed a thin manila folder onto the wooden tabletop between them. “I’m following up on a case. Sort of.”

  “Sort of?” She crossed her arms. “Care to expound on that?”

  “Well.” He leaned forward and braided his fingers. “Eight days ago, I got a strange phone call from the most unlikely person. He told me that he was in trouble and didn’t know who else to call.” Jon studied his mother.

  “Go on,” she encouraged.

  He shrugged. “He also said that he had stumbled onto some information that the Bureau would be interested in. Putting my personal feelings for the guy aside, I listened. But he said that he needed more time. He wanted to get some more information together before coming in to see me. So he scheduled an appointment to come in and talk. Problem is, he never made it to that appointment. According to the autopsy report, he was murdered just hours after calling me.”

  “Underwood?” she questioned.

  Jon nodded. “One and the same.”

  “Information on who—about what?”

  “That’s what I was hoping you could fill in.”

  “Me? What makes you think that Marion would confide in me?”

  “Same reason he wanted to confide in me. He was desperate.”

  Judith leaned back in her chair and released a loud sigh. “I wish I could be of assistance, but I haven’t a clue of what Underwood was talking about, or what he was involved in.”

  “Have you found anything strange in his office records since his passing?”

  “Nothing. And trust me I looked.”

  “Why is that?”

  Judith laughed. “We are talking about Marion, right?”

  He conceded her point. “Well, it looks like I may never know what Underwood stumbled onto.”

  Kennedy sat near the back of the bus and fidgeted nervously. She couldn’t help but stare at every black male who got on or off the bus or wonder if any of them were one of Keenan’s men. She had no illusions of how much power the gang leader wielded.

  She needed a plan, she realized, but doubted that she would be able to come up with one that would guarantee that she and her son would both get out alive. She needed more time to think things through. The problem was that she had no leverage. She had nothing her opponent wanted or needed, while he held everything that was dear to her.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have been so quick to leave Det. Collier—Max—out of the picture. She could definitely use some help. Her thoughts lingered on Max for a moment longer. She couldn’t defeat the wave of guilt that crashed down on her. She’d used him, plain and simple. What was even more terrible about it was she would do it all again if given the chance.

  She remembered the kiss they had shared in his living room. She had sensed a real tenderness from him then and had felt a strong chemistry between them.

  She shook her head. She couldn’t think about that now. Right now she needed to figure out a way to sweet-talk Bennie for an advance.

  After she’d arrived at her stop, she walked quickly to the diner and used her key to the back door.

  “What the hell are you doing here today?”

  Kennedy jumped at the sound of Bennie’s booming voice. She pivoted with one hand covering her heart. “You scared the living daylights out of me,” she scolded.

  “Whatever,” Bennie said, walking past her. “I have a million things to do.”

  She followed him. “I need to talk to you about something important.”

  “I can’t imagine what could’ve brought you in here on the weekend.” He looked at her suspiciously. “If it’s about requesting any more vacation time, the answer is no. I’m working with a skeleton crew as it is.”

  “No, it’s not that. I—I—”

  “Spit it out. I don’t have all day.”

  “I need an advance.”

  His gaze jerked as if she’d announced that she carried his child.

>   “A what?”

  “Come on, Bennie. You know I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t really need it.”

  He gave his head a hard shake. “You know the rules. If I gave you an advance, then everyone else will expect for me to do the same for them.” He shook his head again. “I’m running a restaurant, not a bank.”

  Disappointment squeezed her heart. “I don’t have anyone else I can ask. Please.”

  Bennie frowned. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

  Kennedy thought about lying to him, but knew the truth would probably help her get the advance. “Trouble is a mild word for it.”

  He studied her.

  “You know I’m good for it.” If I survive, she wanted to add.

  He still said nothing.

  “No one will ever know,” she continued.

  “Now that’s what I needed to hear. How much are we talking about?”

  Relieved, she wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Let’s hold off on the celebration until I hear how much you need.”

  “Two hundred should be enough.”

  He gave her a worried look, then nodded. “All right.” He went to get the money from the safe. When he came back he asked, “Is that all I can do for you?”

  She waited until he handed her the money. Then she said, “Well, I could use a ride to the bus station.”

  Max’s powerful punch left a large hole in the bedroom wall. How could he have been so stupid? Had this been her plan all along? Of course it was. And if he hadn’t been so enthralled by the delectable Ms. St. James, he would have seen this coming a mile off.

  He pivoted around the room, looking for a clue as to where she might have gone. Didn’t she know what kind of danger she was in? She obviously didn’t know how much power Lawrence carried on the streets. After yesterday’s attack, she had to know that she wouldn’t last a day out there on her own.

  Max rushed to his closet and shoved on the first garments his hands touched. He had to find Kennedy before Lawrence did.

  Before he headed for the door, he went over to the phone beside the bed. He should call Scardino and report the latest development. His shoulders slumped at the thought. She wouldn’t be thrilled by the news.