Operation Midnight

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “Well, it’s about time you guys got here.” Alandra smiled and made a beeline to Olivia, hugging her with her free arm while the little guy she carried squirmed in her arms. “I’m so happy you both are okay.”

  “Thank you, me too,” Olivia said against Alandra’s head full of curls, appreciating her heart-felt hug. “It’s so good to see you again.”

  Olivia stepped back and gave her a long look. “You don’t look five months pregnant.”

  “Girl, I feel like I’m eight months pregnant. And congratulations, Q told me the exciting news!”

  “That’s right. Congratulations are in order,” Dallas said, looking from Wiz to Olivia. “We’re going to have to celebrate.”

  “Before you get carried away and start planning any celebrations, maybe we should let them get settled,” Tyler chimed in.

  “And why are you carrying him around?” Quinn asked Alandra, taking the little boy from her arms.

  Alandra nudged him with her hip. “I’m pregnant, not fragile.”

  “I know, babe, but he’s too heavy for you to be carrying.” Quinn kissed her on the lips and the wistful smile Alandra gave him was so full of heat, it could have melted butter.

  “Okay, so which is which?” Wiz asked of the twins.

  Olivia shook the small hand of the one that Quinn was holding.

  “Well, the little man who Dallas has is Evan, and this little one is Ethan,” Quinn said of his godsons.

  “He’s the one who has a crush on Alandra,” Dallas added. “Q, you’re going to have to watch him. He hasn’t let Alandra out of his sight since you left.”

  “That’s because I told him to keep an eye on my woman. Ain’t that right, man?”

  Ethan grinned up at Quinn then shyly dropped his head to his godfather’s shoulder.

  “Are they talking yet?” Olivia asked.

  Conversation flowed easily around the room and for a moment, Olivia had forgotten about their troubles. It felt good to be surrounded by friends.

  A short while later, Olivia and Wiz lounged on the king size bed and stared out the huge windows that overlooked Lake Michigan. At the moment, it felt as if they were on a long overdue vacation.

  “What’s on your mind?” Wiz asked.

  “I want our child so bad, but I’m afraid to get too excited about the baby. It’s still early and anyth—”

  “Stop. We’re not doing this. We are going to have a healthy baby in a few months and I refuse to think otherwise.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing, sweetheart.” He placed his large hand on her belly. “This little one might not have been planned, but he or she is wanted and already loved. That’s what we’re going to focus on. All right?”

  She nodded, knowing that he was right. Despite what was going on in their lives, she had to stay positive. They had so much to look forward to in the coming months with their wedding and the baby. The only dark spot in their world right now was Keisha.

  *

  Two days later, Wiz and his team had gathered enough information on Clayton to know for certain that he and Keisha were working together. Up until a week ago, Clayton’s phone records revealed numerous incoming and outgoing calls from her. He had since disconnected his phone and had moved out of his apartment.

  Wiz sat in the comfortable chair near the window as Quinn, Malik, Victoria, and Raeanna talked at the table behind him. Tyler once used the spare room as an office when he and Dallas lived in the penthouse and left it as such once they moved out. The large space with a wall of windows accommodated Wiz and the team easily.

  Wiz thought about the last two weeks and the conversations that he and Olivia had had regarding Keisha. There had to be something he was missing.

  Using the facial recognition software that he had recently acquired, they had determined that Clayton was the person at the patio door that night Olivia thought she heard someone in the yard. Wiz would love to get his hands on the guy for scaring her. But right now, he wanted to get his hands on Clayton to get some answers about Keisha.

  It was as if she and Clayton had vanished. No credit card transactions. No appearances around town. Nothing.

  Malik leaned against the wall closest to Wiz. “I know you. Whenever you get quiet like this, especially in the middle of a brainstorming session, it means you have some ideas. So what gives?”

  “Just trying to piece some of the parts together.”

  “Like?”

  “Like whether or not Keisha was able to sell the diamonds. Or like why Clayton was at our house that night. And how do they know each other?”

  “Well, I can answer the last question,” Victoria said. “When Travis and I went to Clayton’s apartment, we showed Keisha’s photo to a couple of neighbors. The guy who lived two doors down mentioned that he used to see Keisha around years ago and thought that she and Clayton were an item. He said they used to get high together, but then Keisha disappeared and Clayton got clean.”

  “So now they’re back together,” Quinn said. “You know, Wiz, there was something you said at the hospital about Midnight trying to talk Olivia into going back to the house after they had brunch. What if she really did leave something there?”

  Wiz rubbed his chin. “Yeah, I thought about that, but I would think that either Olivia or I would have seen something by now.

  “Only if you were looking for it,” Malik added. “And you know Keisha’s sneaky ass. It’s not like she would leave diamonds in plain view. After you left the party, it wasn’t like she roamed around your house, but she did hang out in the family room and I also saw her in the kitchen.”

  “And when I cornered her, she was coming out of the first floor bathroom.” Now that Wiz thought about it, she did seem a little skittish and it wasn’t because of him.

  “Looks like we need to make a trip to your house,” Quinn said.

  “I agree.” Wiz stood slowly, his side screaming in pain. Instead of the prescribed pain medication, he’d been taking ibuprofen which helped some. He rolled his shoulders to work out the kinks for sitting longer than he should have. “How about later, once it gets dark?”

  “Works for me,” Quinn replied. “I’m going to Tyler and Dallas’s place to check on Alandra, but will head back in a few hours.”

  “You guys are on your own tonight. Tasha and I have a fundraiser to attend.” Malik pushed away from the wall. “I’ll make sure Travis is here before you leave and Hank is on call.”

  “And I’ll be here. I’m helping Olivia go over the last items that need to be taken care of before the wedding,” Victoria stated.

  “Okay. Raeanna, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? You’ve been putting in some long hours, which I appreciate,” Wiz said.

  “It’s been a pleasure.” She gathered her laptop and bag. “I’ve learned a lot these last few days. Just call if you need me to do anything else.”

  “Cameron?”

  Wiz glanced over his shoulder to find Olivia standing in the doorway holding a cell phone with both hands to her chest.

  “Hey, babe.” When she didn’t automatically walk in, he took a good look at her. The small hairs on his forearm stood at attention, foreboding lodged in his chest. “What’s wrong?” He moved toward her.

  “We need … to talk.” Her voice shook with every word and the ominous churning in his gut intensified. “Alone.”

  Wiz stood dumbfounded for a moment until she turned and walked away. He followed her to the bedroom they were using and closed the door.

  “I received a text message … from Keisha.”

  Chapter Twenty

  That uncomfortable gnawing in his gut amped up a notch when he leaned against the door and Olivia’s back remained to him. She stood at the window, her arms folded around her midsection.

  “What did the text say?”

  She tossed the cell onto the bed. “Read it for yourself.”

  Wiz picked it up, steeling himself for what was to come.

  Did your husband te
ll you he and his friends held me at gunpoint, threatening to kill me if I didn’t leave town ten yrs ago? Call if you want details. Keisha.

  Shit!

  “Please tell me this isn’t true. Tell me you didn’t threaten to kill my sister.” Her voice was low and he could tell she was battling to stay calm. “I’ll believe whatever you tell me.”

  Oh damn.

  He hesitated, debating on how to handle this conversation. Lying wasn’t an option, especially since he had planned to tell her the truth someday anyway. How could he explain that night without it sounding as if threatening people was an everyday occurrence?

  “Your silence speaks volumes. How could you? How could you consider killing her? Is this standard practice with you and your boys? Someone makes you mad and you shoot them?”

  “Wait.” That gnawing in his gut was quickly turning into irritation. “First of all, no, we don’t go around popping everyone who gets in our way. Second, Keisha has given me more reasons than I can count to send her to an early grave. I know that’s not what you want to hear, Olivia, but it’s true.”

  “You guys held her at gunpoint and that’s all right with you?” she asked, incredulous, pinning him with a cold, hard glare. “No way am I going to defend Keisha, but all of you are Navy SEALs who are twice her height and weight, yet you had to hold a gun on her.” She shook her head and slowly paced the length of the room.

  Wiz remained silent, letting her get it all out.

  “The man I fell in love with would never do something like that. Threaten a woman’s life? He would never consider taking a life just because the person pissed him off.”

  Wiz straightened, feeling a little uncomfortable in the direction the conversation was going.

  “I can’t … I just can’t—”

  “You can’t what, Olivia?” Unease scraped up and down his spine. He already knew that if she ever found out about that night, she’d never forgive him, but …

  She finally stopped moving and gave him her full attention as she gnawed on her lower lip. Wiz saw the conflict on her face, but he had no idea what she was thinking.

  “You can’t what?” he repeated.

  “I can’t do this right now. When I saw that text, I prayed Keisha was lying, but a part of me knew she was telling the truth. I just didn’t want to believe that my man was capable of killing someone in cold blood.”

  “Don’t keep saying that!” he snapped. “You still don’t get it, do you, Olivia? No matter how I have tried to explain that night to you. You clearly will never understand the gut wrenching fear I felt on that plane from Germany, imagining the worse. I reacted the way any man in my position would have reacted.”

  Wiz took a deep breath, attempting to slow his racing heart. He was sick of trying to get her to comprehend just how much he despised her sister and with good reason.

  “Because of your sister, I almost lost everything that night. We lost our unborn child, for God’s sake and I almost lost you. Why? Because Keisha is a cold-hearted bitch who thinks of no one but herself. Who allows some asshole to drug their sister, their own flesh and blood, and then takes off and leave her to die? Who does that? Let me ask you, Olivia. How would you have responded if you were in my shoes? Mind you, I hadn’t seen you months and had just returned from a horrific op. How would you have responded?”

  At least she had the decency to look contrite, but she remained quiet. He didn’t know how else to explain how that had been the worse night of his life. It even trumped the other day when they were shot at.

  “You’re my everything,” Wiz continued. “Knowing you were missing or maybe worse … I lost it, especially after we found you barely alive. I’ll admit, I wanted her dead and I won’t apologize for almost making that a reality. I wanted … and still want your sister out of our lives. I don’t trust her and I never will.”

  “What stopped you from following through on your plans back then?”

  “You. Despite you thinking that I’m some cold-blooded killer, I couldn’t end her life because of my love for you.”

  She turned away from him, hugging herself once again.

  “How do I know you haven’t done something to Keisha now?” she asked.

  Taken aback by the question, all Wiz could do was stare at her back.

  “You don’t.”

  He let the words hang out there for a while, angry that she thought that little of him.

  “But I’m telling you I haven’t done anything to your sister and I have no idea where she is.”

  Olivia’s shoulders sagged and she plopped down on the bed, her face in her hands.

  Still holding Olivia’s phone, Wiz pulled out his own cell and texted Keisha’s number to Raeanna with a message to trace the number.

  Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he sat on the bed not missing the way Olivia stiffened. The cold shoulder he could handle. He just couldn’t handle this mess coming between them, especially with a baby on the way.

  “Why do you think Keisha suddenly decided to tell you about something that happened ten years ago? She’s had plenty of opportunity. Why now?”

  Olivia gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know.”

  “So are you going to call her back, get her version of the story?”

  Seconds ticked by before she said, “No.”

  Relief flooded through Wiz. He actually didn’t care what Keisha had to say, he just wanted her to stay the hell away from Olivia.

  He moved closer to her, but stopped when she pulled away.

  “I know not to expect much from Keisha, but you?” she started quietly, “I expect so much more from you. I’ll admit Keisha brings out the worse in most people, but I can’t believe you would let her push you to the point of murder. That scares me to death, Cameron.”

  Wiz leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees, but stopped mid lean when his side protested. Placing his hand on the tight bandage wrapped around his midsection he remained still as he breathed through the pain.

  “I’m human, Olivia. I’m not going to always make the best decisions or do the right thing. And when it comes to you and now my unborn child, there is nothing I won’t do to ensure the safety of both of you. So hate me if you want.” He stood slowly, his side throbbing. “Instead of expecting me to be some saint, which I’m not, try to remember that I’m human.”

  He left the room without looking back. More than ever, he needed to find Keisha and damn if he wasn’t going to end this.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Wiz opened and slammed cabinet doors and drawers as he searched every inch of the kitchen. The more he thought about the conversation with Olivia, the more pissed he got. No, he didn’t expect her to handle the news great, but he did expect her to understand his mental state at the time.

  He wasn’t sure what game Keisha was playing now. She disappeared and then sent the text to Olivia. What the hell was that all about? Raeanna had tried tracing the number, but either Keisha was using a burner phone or she had the cell off. They were no closer to finding her than they were days ago.

  “Find anything yet?” Quinn strolled into the kitchen. “Or are you just slamming doors for the hell of it?”

  Ignoring Quinn, Wiz bent to look in the cabinet that held the pots and pans and cursed under his breath. He’d been so riled up since leaving the penthouse that there were moments he forgot about his injuries. All it took was a move here or there and his body quickly reminded him that he was still not one hundred percent.

  “Maybe if you calm the hell down, or better yet, sit down somewhere, then maybe you won’t pull all of your stitches loose.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I didn’t ask if you were fine. I said sit your ass down.”

  Instead, Wiz leaned his back against the breakfast bar and stared out over the family room.

  “Do you know what I keep thinking?”

  “No, what?”

  “If I had to do that night from ten years ago over again, knowing what I know now, I
wouldn’t have let Keisha off so easy. I would have stuck with my original plan. If that makes me a heartless monster, oh well.”

  Quinn stood across from him, his feet spread apart and his huge arms folded across his chest. “I’m not sure what you’re expecting me to say. You know some of the shit I’ve done over the years. Do I have regrets? Hell yeah. But mostly I have learned to live with my decisions. What’s done is done, Wiz. It’s not like you can go back and change anything. All you can do is move forward and deal with the here and now.”

  It was mostly Olivia’s reaction that bothered him. Since the day he met her, she made him want to be a better man. Disappointing her was not something he ever wanted to do.

  “As for Olivia,” Quinn started as if reading Wiz’s mind, “the initial shock of what could have happened to her sister at your hands will wear off. I’m sure by now she understands what you were going through. Her issue is probably more about not knowing that you were capable … and willing to take a life, especially the life of her sister.”

  Wiz marinated on Quinn’s words as silence fell between them. He hoped that he and Olivia could put this whole ordeal behind them and move on with their lives. Their wedding was in a few weeks and he definitely didn’t want the hunt for Keisha and the diamonds to still be going on.

  Having had enough of this pity party, Wiz pushed away from the counter. “Let’s get back to work. Malik said that Keisha didn’t leave this level. I’ll check the first floor bathroom and you check the dining area and the closet in the front foyer.”

  “Will do.”

  Wiz rummaged through the cabinet under the bathroom sink and inside the toilet tank before moving to the linen closet. It was starting to look as if his theory about Keisha hiding something at their house was a wash.

  He searched inside containers, dug behind toiletries, and even pulled items out of the closet, finding nothing. It wasn’t until he lifted the last towel that he felt something bulky.

  Bingo.

  He opened the fluffy black towel and found a velvet bag like the one Keisha had on the video.

  Wiz stepped out of the bathroom holding the loot in the air just as Quinn made his way into the hallway.