Surviving the Chase

by Lisa Renee Johnson

  “Say something, you heartless bitch! When I close my eyes, not only do I see them—I see you. How could you do that? I was a little girl. Mothers are supposed to protect their children!”

  Austyn switched the gun to her left hand, then removed the surgical blade from the front pocket on her hooded sweatshirt.

  “Say something! Say something, you whore!”

  Lois closed her eyes, refused to utter a single word, hoping her demise would come painless and quick. But as fast as the cold steel had been placed between her eyes, it was removed. Her eyes shot wide open just in time to anticipate the first slice.

  “A gunshot would be too easy for you. I want you to feel every bit of this!”

  CHAPTER 38

  Sydney smiled at her reflection in the rearview mirror as she parked her car in one of the spots reserved for doctors. She turned off the engine and listened to Donathan’s smooth baritone voice as he recited a promotional spot for his impending return to the airwaves later in the week. His low, sexy rumble was conjuring up erotic thoughts, which was not something they’d entertained or indulged in over the past few days.

  Professionally, things were looking up for the Jameses. She’d just returned from the hand surgeon and had been cleared for minor surgeries. It wasn’t total operating room carte blanche yet, but she was happy to be back in the game. And as of this morning, Donathan was seeing patients again. But personally, they needed some serious work.

  Neither had spoken more than two unnecessary words to one another since the incident at Pican’s, and she was exhausted trying to manage his moods. If she could just get him to move past his suspicions about Miles, everything would go back to the way it used to be. Sydney thought about it a moment. That was a lie and she knew it, but at least it was a start. For obvious reasons, she rarely took marriage advice from Payton, but for once they were in agreement on how to handle the situation, which was to take this secret to the grave. Right now, her number-one priority was to get Donathan to let go of what he believed to be true once and for all. She grabbed her handbag off the passenger seat and hurried toward the hospital entrance, but before she reached the sliding glass doors, Miles exited the building toward her.

  “You’re late, Dr. James,” he said, flashing that million-dollar smile.

  “Well, this is a surprise,” she said easily. “What are you still doing here?”

  “We had another emergency and needed all hands on deck, but everything is under control now.”

  “Well, I’m almost free and clear to carry my own weight again,” she said, holding up the palm of her hand, exposing the flesh-colored bandage. She couldn’t help noticing how his gaze roamed up and down her body before zeroing back on her eyes with target-like precision.

  Miles raised an eyebrow and half-smiled. “It’s not a problem. That’s what friends are for, right?”

  With every fiber of her being, she wanted to consider Miles her friend, but if she couldn’t control her thoughts, how could continuing their friendship be possible? But then again, maybe if she convinced Miles to help her out with her plan, then her marriage would get back on track and she could get back to not even looking at, much less thinking about, another man. If Donathan heard it—once and for all—from Miles, that nothing happened between them, maybe they could move on. “Is everything alright?” he questioned.

  Sydney hesitated. “Yes, but there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  “I’m listening.”

  She glanced over his shoulder and noticed the security guard, Albert, looking their way. Gossiping tongues were in overdrive since she and Miles had both returned to work, and the last thing she wanted to do was fan the flames. She also didn’t want to end up in the local internet gossip rag like Donathan. She glanced around for a sighting of anyone who looked like they didn’t belong. “You two just can’t seem to keep your hands off one another.”

  Sydney recognized the familiar voice immediately. Julia Stevens. She was sick and tired of this red-haired bitch being in her business. Once and for all, she needed to put this heffa in her place. As if reading her mind, Miles shook his head.

  “Look, I need to ask you a huge favor.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Not here. Can I stop by your loft when I get off later?”

  CHAPTER 39

  Perched next to a window overlooking Broadway, Miles surveyed the people walking by. He was tired, but too wound up to sleep. He’d run almost ten miles on the treadmill and took a long, hot shower, but his mind wouldn’t shut off. Instead it toyed with different scenarios. What type of favor did Sydney want from him? He was just about to dig into his combo plate when he received the call.

  “Are you home?” Sydney asked, her voice a lot less sure than it was when she’d proposed this meeting a few hours ago.

  “I can be by the time you get here.”

  “Look, I didn’t think about this earlier, but you’ve worked a long shift and you’re probably exhausted. Maybe, we can just do this another—”

  “I’ll let the doorman know you’re coming,” he said and ended the call before she could change her mind. He motioned for his server to come back to the table.

  “Is everything alright, Dr. Day?”

  “Gotta take it to go.”

  “No problem. Let me wrap this up for you,” the young black man said, removing the plate of barbecue chicken and link sausages from in front of him.

  Within minutes, the young man returned with a to-go container packed in a plastic bag and handed it to Miles, who took the food in exchange for two crisp folded bills, which was more than enough to pay for his food and leave a sizable tip. He slipped on his jacket and hurried toward the side door.

  “Thanks for always taking care of me, Rich,” he called over his shoulder.

  During his short walk across the street, Miles’s thoughts repeatedly turned to Sydney, to the question of what she needed to talk to him about.

  By the time he reached the concierge desk in his condominium, his curiosity was in overdrive. He left Sydney’s name with the doorman and continued his long strides toward the elevator, wondering what had happened to change her mind. When he asked her before to meet him here to talk, she had declined. So why now?

  * * *

  Sydney stepped off the elevator and saw Miles leaning against his doorway talking on his cell phone. Miles smiled, and her pulse quickened as he held her gaze. Her eyes studied him, and for the first time in weeks, she looked as long as she wanted without fear of being caught by some onlooker who would try to interpret what she was thinking.

  His dreadlocks framed his face, and his black jeans and T-shirt made him look sexy and dangerous.

  Once she reached him, he stepped into the hallway, allowing her to enter first, then closed the door behind them. He motioned for her to have a seat. Sydney made her way to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out across a serrated skyline of buildings and water. Sydney stood there for a while, her eyes tracking left then right, eventually resting on the alabaster-blue rooftop of the Waterfront Hotel in the distance. She closed her eyes and fought to subdue the memory, but it teased her senses—the recollection of the cool glass pressed against her back, her hands tangled in his mass of dreads with him kneeling before her pacifying her pain. This scene replayed in her head like the loop of a pornographic movie.

  The hairs quivered on the back of her neck, and a chill traced the contours of her spinal column as Miles came up behind her.

  “Wine?”

  Sydney turned her head to the side to face Miles, hesitating before wrapping her well-manicured fingers around the offered glass. There was an awkward silence between them, but that didn’t suppress her unfocused anxiety. She resisted the irrational urge to kiss him. Maybe coming here was not a good idea after all.

  “C’mon, let’s have a seat.”

  Once she was settled on the sofa, Miles took the seat opposite her. Trying to get ahold of herself, Sydney took a huge gulp of wine. Th
is had to be the dumbest shit she had ever done in her life. What made her think she could waltz in here and walk out unscathed? Miles leaned forward, his forearms resting on his thighs, and Sydney unconsciously leaned back. Sydney exhaled audibly and placed the glass on the table in front of them. It was now or never.

  “Okay. I need to ask you a favor,” she blurted, the words quickly tumbling from her mouth.

  “I think we’ve already established that.” He chuckled.

  She could feel the heat as he stared at her, waiting for her to tell him what she needed.

  “I need you to tell Donathan that nothing inappropriate happened between us.” She looked down, unable to make eye contact, leaving her request hanging in the air.

  Miles walked into his kitchen, grabbed the opened bottle of wine, and took a long swig. “Let me get this straight. You want me to go talk to your husband?” He set the bottle down.

  Sydney was on her feet quick and stood facing him in the small kitchen. “No. I don’t want you to go to him. I just want you to give him our agreed-upon answer if he comes to you and asks.”

  “What makes you think he’s going to come to me and ask?”

  “He’s obsessed with what he thinks happened between us, and since he’s not satisfied with my responses, he’s threatened to come to you. And nothing good would come from that.”

  “Sydney, I have never been involved with another man’s wife in my life, and I never intended to be, but somehow I find myself here. Donathan is your spouse,” he continued. “You love and may even like him, but I’ma keep it real. I don’t. He’s selfish, he’s arrogant, and he believes the world revolves around him, which is a destructive combination.”

  He stepped away from the island and pinned her against it.

  “Besides, I never kiss and tell.” He waited a beat, and then moved closer, kissing her lips gently. She’d wanted to be kissed by Miles Day, and she moaned greedily as he devoured her mouth, tracing the outline of her lips with his tongue. His hands were all over her body, and she welcomed the sensations.

  “If you want me to, I will stop, but you have to ask,” he said, continuing his assault.

  He lifted her up onto the granite countertop. Sydney scooted into him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She knew she should tell him to stop, but the rush coursing through her veins wouldn’t let her. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the moment.

  “Look at me.”

  She squeezed her eyes tighter, afraid of what would happen if she opened them.

  “Look at me,” he repeated.

  Miles teased her lower lip, and continued down her neck.

  As he peeled off her jeans and panties, Sydney caught a glimpse of her reflection in the door of the microwave oven, and she had no idea who was staring back at her. Sydney was mesmerized as he removed the condom from his back pocket and expertly rolled it on. He looked up at her.

  “Is this what you want?” he asked.

  She nodded slowly and prayed for her resolve to come, but as Miles palmed the cheeks of her ass and slowly inched his way inside her, it never did.

  A few hours later, both Miles and Sydney were panting heavily, drenched in sweat and sprawled haphazardly across his king-sized bed. Sydney’s stomach rumbled, and Miles reached lazily for her and brushed his hand across it. He rolled over and kissed her stomach, then scooted out of the bed.

  “I’m being a horrible host. Let me get you something to eat.”

  Sydney lay quietly, watching the rotation of the ceiling fan. She tried to bask in the multiple sensations strumming through her body, but her mind wouldn’t be still. She couldn’t believe she had done it. Now that the deed was done, the guilt killed her mood like a wet blanket. Here she was, a married woman, and she was lying naked in another man’s bed.

  CHAPTER 40

  Donathan followed behind the Toyota Corolla, turn for turn, with Payton and her uncle close on his tail. Once they reached a suburban street lined with rows of single-story housing, the three-car caravan came to a stop behind a late-model Ford Escort.

  Donathan was on edge, his insides knotted from the realization that after weeks of searching, he was about to put an end to his sleepless nights. By helping the authorities capture Austyn Greene, he would finally be able to put an end to his nightmare. Austyn Greene had been on the loose for weeks. The threat of her showing up at any moment to harm him or Sydney had constantly gnawed at him. He removed his suit jacket and rolled the sleeves on his white dress shirt until the cuffs rested on his forearm. Glancing in his rearview mirror, he saw Payton on her cell phone.

  “Holsey,” he called out as he opened the car door and joined the private detective who was moving in slow motion around the empty vehicle. He leaned forward and peered through the back window.

  “Is this the car she’s driving?” Donathan asked, glancing at his surroundings. He squinted up at the sun beating down on his back and could feel his undershirt sticking to him. The street was lined with flat-level housing on both sides, but the circular cul-de-sac directly in front of them stood out. The stucco homes were newer and consisted of two-story and single-family dwellings.

  “Which house is it?”

  “The sand-colored one right there.” Holsey pointed a crooked finger toward the grouping of newer two-story homes.

  “Are you sure Lois is in there?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” Holsey answered.

  “Well, call the police,” Donathan said, taking off toward the house. “I need to stop her before she kills someone else.”

  “Donathan, wait a minute!” Payton yelled, finally stepping out of her vehicle.

  “Stay there, and call the police,” he yelled back at her.

  Once Donathan entered the cul-de-sac, there wasn’t a single car parked on either side of the circular street to hide his presence. He hoped Austyn was too occupied with her plan of revenge to be on the lookout for anyone. What if she hadn’t made it inside the house yet? He slowed his pace to be on the safe side, becoming hyperaware of his surroundings. A few of the homes had cars in the driveway, but for the most part, it looked like people were at work.

  He moved closer to the neighboring homes and used the lawns as a pathway to get closer to the residence. When he made it to the house, he looked back at Holsey and Payton, who were watching his every move. Donathan eased onto the concrete porch and crouched down below the front window, all the while listening for any sounds of movement coming from inside. Through a crack in the blinds, he could see a female taped to an office chair. He carefully pressed his face to the glass to get a better look, and when their eyes connected, he saw fear.

  She squirmed frantically, tilting her head to the left, and pointed her chin upward as if she was trying to tell him something. He stared at her, but he couldn’t decipher what she was trying to tell him, until he pointed a hand toward the front door. When the woman on the chair shook her head, he pointed toward the back of the house and she nodded.

  Staying low, Donathan moved around the garage, carefully opening the side gate. When he came to the door leading into the garage, he twisted the knob and the door creaked open.

  Donathan quickly disappeared inside the darkened garage. Using the tiny bit of daylight peeking underneath the door, he silently weighed what to do next. His goal was to get in and keep Austyn talking until the police got there.

  He found the light switch and searched the garage for anything he might be able to use to protect himself, but aside from the upright freezer and two side-by-side refrigerators, the space was clean and empty.

  The last time he’d tangled with Austyn Greene, he’d let his guard down and had ended up drugged and lying helpless on the floor, within inches of being castrated. But this time he was ready.

  The one advantage he had right now was the element of surprise. Since Austyn’s weapon of choice was to drug her victims helpless, then use a scalpel to castrate them, as long as he didn’t get too close to her, he’d be fine.

  Adrenaline f
lowing through his bloodstream, he pried the small, white rectangle sensor from the doorjamb, then pushed the door inward, praying he’d disarmed the contact and the alarm wouldn’t chime.

  Making his way to the room where he’d seen the woman tied up, he used a pair of desk scissors to remove the tape and released her. Once the woman confirmed that Austyn and Lois were in the house, Donathan instructed her to leave the same way he’d just come in.

  Donathan took his time climbing the stairs. At the top, he followed the sound of voices.

  When he reached the door in question, he heard a woman moaning in pain on the other side and burst in.

  Austyn turned with a gun now pointed at him. Her hands shook violently.

  Donathan lunged for the gun, yanking and twisting it, then fell on top of her. Three bullets were discharged before he wrestled the weapon free and tossed it across the room. She continued to squirm underneath him as he felt the warmth seep into the fabric of his crisp white shirt.

  Before the reality of his being shot set in, the Pittsburg SWAT team swarmed the house, then disarmed and took Austyn down.

  * * *

  “Oh God!” Payton yelled when she heard distant gunshots. She locked eyes with Sheldon, who looked as if he’d seen a ghost. The area was now swarming with cops, and they’d blocked off the entrance into the court.

  “Stay right here, Sheldon,” she demanded before jumping out of the car and starting toward the cul-de-sac.

  By the time she made it to the police barricade, she was panting heavily. It dawned on her that not only was Donathan in that house, but so were Austyn and Lois Greene. She shared the same blood that was running through her veins with both of them, and she could give a damn if either one of them were dead. She pushed her way through the small crowd, trying to position herself to see around the officers and trucks blocking her view. Then she was met by a familiar face.