2 Good

by Celya Bowers

  “Was that directed at me?”

  Aidan wanted to laugh. Kam was on a definite path to destruction. “No, man, it wasn’t. You’ve made some mistakes, but you always take your punishment like a man.”

  “True dat. I wish I could retire. I’m tired of playing, but I’m too addicted to the perks.”

  Aidan didn’t know how to respond to that. Once, in the beginning, he had been close to Kam, but those “perks” had driven a wedge between them and now it was time to say good-bye.

  “Aidan, I’ll put your name on the VIP list. Don’t sweat it, man. I’ll show your party a good time. I owe you.”

  “Thanks, Kam.”

  * * *

  Keisha took a seat at the table. The pub was crowded since it was lunchtime. She glanced around the room searching in vain for Darnell. He was nowhere to be seen. She’d almost given up on him when she noticed him walking toward her. “What took you so long?” Keisha hissed as Darnell took a seat. As usual, he was thirty minutes late.

  She could see the toll this mess was taking on him. Darnell always wore neatly tailored suits, but today he wore a dingy white shirt, dirty blue jeans, and tennis shoes. “What’s the problem?”

  He’d noticed her staring. “Can’t stand the earthy look? Man, you’re nothing like Maddie.”

  Keisha reached for the menu. “Well, I’m not Maddie, remember? You said I was ten times prettier, ten times smaller and ten times better in bed.”

  He shrugged. “I lied, but then you were pretty hot for me then, weren’t you? So don’t think just making a full confession to Maddie now will absolve you of all this. It won’t.”

  She hated him. Really hated him. “I know I shouldn’t have looked at your trifling ass, but it’s too late now. You’re paying for lunch, right?”

  He snatched a menu from the plastic holder. “You’re just like your sister. Yeah, I got this. What was so important I had to take city transportation to get here?”

  Too many things flashed into Keisha’s already overloaded brain at once. “How do you know I have a sister?”

  “I’m sure Madisyn mentioned it, saying how much you guys were alike, despite the age difference,” Darnell answered calmly. “Now what’s the deal?”

  “Forget that. Why are you taking the bus?” She stared at him. “Where’s the Benz?”

  He exhaled. “Everything is a label with you, isn’t it? My car is in my garage at my upscale condo, if you must know. My place is being watched, thanks to Aidan’s high-priced attorney. My car is tagged. I can’t rent a car because I’m not using my credit cards. So my method of transportation has changed.”

  Keisha hadn’t realized Darnell was being watched so closely. She fell silent as the waiter came and took their order. When he left she resumed the conversation. “So where have you been sleeping? With that girl you were cheating on me with when Maddie caught you in bed?”

  He smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. It had a sinister look to it. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Don’t worry about where I’ve been. Just know that I’m keeping it in the family.”

  Keisha couldn’t make sense of the cryptic remark. The waiter returned with their drinks and took their lunch order. He placed a timer on the table and set it for five minutes.

  “Five minutes, or it’s free.” He left and Darnell picked up the timer.

  “You can’t be too careful,” Darnell said as he inspected the device. “It could be a bug.”

  Keisha shook her head. “You’ve been watching too many cop shows.”

  “No, I know whoever is watching me is good. Better than good. I don’t know how they’re watching me, but I can feel it.”

  Keisha, not believing a word of his crap, waved the remark away. “You’re just paranoid ’cause it’s taking so long for you to get Maddie back.”

  Darnell took a gulp of tea. “I never heard from Trev. No one has seen him since he went to Maddie’s. Has she said anything? I went by her house last night and she wasn’t there. It was late so I know she should have been there. She must be living somewhere else. Maybe at her parents’?”

  Keisha shook her head. “No, my aunt lives on that street. But she did see Maddie at church.”

  “Did she say if Aidan was with her?” Darnell finished his glass of tea. “You should have gone to church with her.”

  “As you recall, I was with you. I should have stayed home, for all the good it did me.”

  “Everyone has an off time. I can’t make you come every time we’re together.”

  “I’d have settled for once,” Keisha mumbled. Talk about false advertisement. Darnell was tall, had big feet and large hands, and he was carrying a Vienna sausage.

  “What’s the great plan?”

  Keisha had almost forgotten why she wanted to meet with him. “Oh yeah, she’s going to the new club on Saturday.”

  His eyes lit up. “Well, that’s something. I can make my move. I can drug her drink, drag her out of the club and my problems will be over. Yeah, this can definitely work.”

  Keisha sighed, wishing she’d never gotten involved with this idiot. This stupid plan was going to land both of them in jail. She had to convince him to abandon this insanity. “That’s not going to work. Jared is coming, and so is Aidan. His friend owns the club and is giving Aidan a VIP table for all of us.”

  Not to be outdone, Darnell laughed. “It can still work. My cousin is one of the bartenders for the new place. He can spike Maddie’s drink. Aidan will get blamed for using a date rape drug, ruining his good boy image, and I’ll get Maddie. We can make our appearance at the dinner and my promotion will still be intact.”

  Keisha gasped. “You can’t keep her drugged for two weeks! Her family will go nuts!”

  “Keep your voice down or we’ll be in jail tonight. I’ll kidnap her and you’ll keep her drugged.”

  “No. I don’t want anything to do with this. This is more than I signed on for.”

  “Too late.”

  Keisha watched this man she’d grown to hate in just a matter of minutes. At first it had been a game, but when he started talking about kidnapping and drugging Maddie, Keisha could already guess what Maddie’s end would be. She didn’t want that for her friend.

  Keisha was going to have to do something she’d never thought she’d do. She was going to have to roll over on Darnell. She had to save herself.

  CHAPTER 28

  Cadence listened to the conversation between Darnell and Keisha. What was it about criminals? There was almost always a disagreement that led to their downfall. This time she was going to help the downfall along.

  Keisha was just the person for the job.

  Keisha and Darnell would never have guessed Cadence was a few booths away listening to their entire conversation by way of the listening device she’d planted on the menu stand. It was the best fifty bucks she’d ever spent.

  Madisyn was really a victim in this entire mess. It was always the scheming friend and no-account boyfriend that messed up a good woman’s life.

  Cadence made notes about a strategy for Saturday night at the club. Besides her security team of four, she was going to need some reinforcements for the night out. The first thing she had to do was run a thorough background check on the bartenders, waitresses, and the bouncers. She also needed to question Darnell’s cousin, who was still in custody. Maybe he was ready to roll over on Darnell.

  She thought she’d already gathered enough information to get Darnell at least twenty years in jail. She left the pub and headed back to her hotel. Just as she parked in front of the downtown Radisson, her cell phone rang. Chase.

  “Hey,” she said softly. She’d meant for it to sound brusque and businesslike, but instead it had sounded sexy. Damn.

  “Cadence,” Chase said. “We need to talk.”

  “What is it, Hartman? I don’t have time to break you off a piece right now. I told you that was an isolated incident.” Yeah, right.

  “Although the offer is very tempting, this is business. Madis
yn is on board with the idea.”

  She watched the valet approach her. She struggled out of the rental car and handed him the keys. “I know. I just overheard Keisha and Darnell plotting the stupidest kidnapping plan I’ve ever heard.”

  Brakes screeched and horns blew amid Chase cussing a blue streak. “What? Where are you? Is Madisyn okay? What am I supposed to tell Aidan? He’s going to kill me!”

  She laughed. Men! Why wouldn’t they just let her do her job! “Madisyn is fine. I’ve never lost a client, and one idiotic investment banker and a gold digger aren’t going to ruin my game. Meet me at my hotel and we’ll map out a plan. I think Keisha’s going to be our way in. We could have this cleared up by the weekend.”

  “You know I’ve never liked Keisha. I’ve never met her, but from Aidan’s description, she just sounds like a scheming woman. I don’t know how Madisyn could have been friends with her.”

  Cadence agreed with Chase. “Yeah, but you know how those grade school friendships are. But I do believe Madisyn will be cutting the cord real soon.”

  * * *

  Madisyn knew something wasn’t right in Keisha’s materialistic world. If they didn’t eat together, normally Keisha would come by her desk and brag about the expensive lunch she’d just eaten and the gullible man who’d been stupid enough to buy it for her. That day she zoomed past Madisyn’s desk mumbling something about payback, completely ignoring Madisyn.

  If Madisyn’s own life hadn’t been so out of control, she would have cared, but she had her own issues to deal with. She also had a grand opening she needed to plan. Her usually full plate was now overrun with responsibilities.

  Of course there was an upside to all this. Aidan. He’d been there for her when most men would have hit the ground running.

  “Madisyn?”

  She blinked at the sound of her name. Her former boss, Josh, stood hovering over her. “Josh, sit down. What are you doing here?”

  He sat down, but scooted his chair closer to the desk. This was going to be a serious talk he didn’t want anyone to hear. “I wanted to see you. Have you seen Darnell lately?”

  Madisyn felt the color drain out of her face. “No, I haven’t. He’s not here, is he? He’s not supposed to come anywhere near me.”

  Josh reached for her trembling hand. “Maddie, Maddie, calm down. He’s not on the property. I know about the restraining order.”

  Madisyn shot him a look. “How could you?”

  “I know because the head of security told me. I was having lunch with my wife today across the street and he was there. He looked awful and he was with Keisha. They were having a very heated conversation. My wife, on her many trips to the bathroom, heard them discussing their times together. Maddie, did you have any idea?”

  She should have been upset, shocked, and hurt, but she wasn’t. “No, but that explains how he knew my whereabouts a few weeks ago, among other things.”

  “You’re not upset?”

  “No, like you told me so many times before, I deserve a good man. Darnell has been trying to get me to take him back because his promotion depends on it.”

  Josh was confused and didn’t hide the fact. “How so?”

  Madisyn laughed. “Darnell is up for a promotion at his firm. They’re really into traditional families and stuff. With his checkered past, he needs me there to show that he’s settling down and can accept the responsibilities of his new position. Without me there, he’s out of luck.”

  Finally understanding, Josh cracked up. “Oh, and there’ll be no promotion. I can see why he’s getting desperate.”

  “Yeah. There’s a restraining order against him, but that didn’t stop him for sending me flowers with a threatening note. I think Keisha had a hand in getting them on my desk.”

  “Oh, Maddie, you know you can stay with us.”

  Josh was like a father to her. She thought it was sweet that he’d offered. “Thanks, Josh, but I’m staying with a friend and he’s taking my security very seriously.”

  “He?”

  Madisyn decided Josh deserved to hear it from her. “Yes, Aidan Coles. He’s the chair on Mature Alliance. You know, that charity I started volunteering on.”

  “Watch yourself. Don’t get blinded by all that glitter.”

  “Don’t worry, Josh. He’s nice and has been to church with me twice. He’s even survived Sunday afternoon with the O’Riley clan.”

  Josh laughed. “He survived meeting the boys?”

  “They think he rocks.”

  “What does Madisyn think?”

  “That he’s too good to be true. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  Josh looked at her with those soulful eyes. “Maybe there’s not another shoe to drop.”

  “Maybe.” Madisyn so wanted to believe her former boss and friend.

  “You’ll see. Any man who dares the O’Riley men can’t be all bad.” He rose and left the cubicle.

  She thought about Aidan. She’d known him a grand total of three weeks, and she was already under his roof, albeit temporarily. She was sleeping with him. It had taken Darnell a year just to get her in bed.

  Her phone rang. “Damon Bridges’s office, Madisyn O’Riley. How can I help you?”

  “Hey, Maddie,” Chayla said. “Are you okay?”

  “Why is everyone asking me that? My old boss was just here asking me the same thing. What’s up?”

  “Nothing is up with me,” Chayla drawled. “I just thought I’d check on you since you’re not staying at your house and I haven’t seen you in two weeks.”

  It was true. Madisyn really missed her friend, but that would be remedied very soon. “You’ll see me Saturday at Club Sizzle,” Madisyn giggled. Even with all the drama that was going to unfold at the nightclub, she was actually looking forward to it.

  “You mean you’re actually going to the club! Oh, it’ll be fun,” Chayla chimed in. “I was going to back out because you know how Keisha is when she gets around professional athletes. Her morals become looser than a politician’s.”

  “You know it,” Madisyn said, wondering why it had taken her so long to notice Keisha’s shortcomings. “You also get to meet Aidan.”

  Chayla gasped. “Girl, don’t tease a married sister like that. For real?”

  “Yep. Some guy he knows owns it and we’re going to have a VIP table. So just give your name at the door and everything else will be taken care of.”

  The more Madisyn talked about the upcoming weekend, the more she realized that not only would the world know that she was dating a professional athlete, she was also going to show the world a stronger, more confident woman.

  * * *

  Chase took a deep breath and knocked on Cadence’s hotel door. He felt like a horny teenager in heat. You’re here on business, he reminded himself. You don’t have time for a distraction. The door opened and he realized how stupid life was.

  Cadence stood before him dressed in a blue jean halter top and a short denim skirt. Her smooth legs seemed to go on forever. She leaned against the door, laughing.

  “I know I look like I’m asking for it, but I was in costume.” She nodded for him to come inside. “I was going to change, but I knew you were on your way. I won’t be a sec.” She hurried into the bathroom.

  Once the door closed, Chase let out a nervous breath. This was going to be more difficult than taking the bar exam. Cadence looked so hot! Thank goodness, she’d gone to change or he would have forgotten all about Madisyn and Aidan, and what he was supposed to be doing.

  She emerged from the bathroom in a pair of baggy sweats and University of Virginia T-shirt, as if she already knew how turned on he was and that he’d have trouble focusing on anything else. She picked up her briefcase. “Why don’t we sit at the table? That way we can work on the details in peace.”

  Chase nodded and shrugged out of his jacket. Cadence was all business. He might as well get that way, too. “How about some lunch? My treat.”

  She picked up a room service menu
. “Don’t worry, Chase. Save your money.”

  Chase nodded. “You know I don’t like this. I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy. But I’m on your turf, so I’ll play by your rules.” He walked toward her. “Let’s see what room service has.”

  After they called in an order for sandwiches, they discussed their options. Chase looked in the honor bar and grabbed a bottle of imported beer. “Why would you think Keisha is the way in?” He raised his beer bottle, silently asking if she wanted one.

  She nodded. “I think Keisha is our girl because although she started this mess with Darnell, she realizes she’s in over her head. I could tell by the tone of her voice. She’s scared. A little push and she’ll turn over on Darnell in a heartbeat. I just need a little time.”

  He handed her a bottle of beer and watched her twist the cap off with her hand. “I thought you wanted to get as much prison time as possible for both of them.”

  She took a long drink. “I do, and I know I can get Darnell for sure. Keisha is just stupid. I want to get her back for Madisyn’s sake.”

  He smiled and took a seat at the table. Looking across at her beautiful face was going to be his downfall. “I knew you had a soft spot in there somewhere,” Chase joked. “I want this over as quickly and quietly as possible. Aidan doesn’t want this all over the news. So if you can get through to Keisha, I’m all for it. But time is not on your side. We have four days.” He finished his beer. “I’m going to the club, too.”

  “You mean I get to see you trying out your mack daddy lines on the poor unsuspecting gold diggers? That should be good. I’m going to run a check on the wait staff for the club. One of them is Darnell’s cousin, and we’ve got to get him or her out of there. He’s going to drug Madisyn’s drink.”