Black Escape (A Kelly Black Affair Book 6)

by C. J. Thomas

  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.

  Casting my gaze to my bare breasts, I muttered, “Kelly, there is something I have to tell you.”

  He turned his head.

  “If Madam ever found out that I told you what she’s after—” I choked on my own words.

  Kelly released the curtain and it fell back into place. He padded back to the bed. Lowering himself on the edge, he reached for my hand and said, “You don’t have to protect me.”

  My eyes swayed with his beneath hooded lids.

  Kelly watched his thumb gently stroke my knuckles. “If that was why you let this happen, because you wanted to protect me from them—”

  “You don’t understand. Kelly, they want you gone. Erased from this earth forever.”

  Kelly lifted his eyes and flashed a thin-lipped grin. “Sylvia will be found.”

  “I know. But who is going to find her first? That’s my concern, because Madam said this all goes away once I give her what you took from Sylvia.”

  Kelly turned his head away, narrowing his eyes.

  “What is it, Kelly? Because it has to be something big. Big enough for Madam to not have killed me.”

  His forehead wrinkled. “Even if we give her what she wants, Madam won’t keep her word.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” I held on to his fingers with both my hands, “but what can be so important to risk hanging on to?”

  Kelly lifted his hand to my face. He stared into my eyes. I watched his mind work before he inspected my bruises. His fingertips followed the scratch marks running down my chest. I closed my eyes when he gently kissed me on the lips.

  My heart fluttered.

  Warmth filled my chest.

  His deep voice whispered in my ear, “What I have in my possession is the only evidence I know exists that can directly link Oscar to police corruption.”

  Dropping my head, Kelly quickly lifted my chin.

  “It’s the only way, Kendra. Without it, we have nothing.”

  I shook my head, feeling my eyes water.

  His expression changed. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me?”

  Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, I turned my head and sucked back thick gulps of air. When my lungs felt lighter, I said, “Oscar was my date.”

  Kelly’s head floated to the ceiling.

  Looking him in the eye, I continued, “After Jerome shot at you, Madam dressed me for a date.” I paused, stifling the threat of more tears. “He took me back to his place, Kelly—” My throat closed.

  Kelly swallowed hard.

  “I thought I could outsmart him.” I closed my eyes and licked my lips. “I blacked out.” With those words, my mind went back to that night. It was still a dark abyss with no memory of what actually happened. I convinced myself it was true and my body followed along with my mind’s response. “Oscar is out for blood, Kelly. He did this to me to get to you.”

  “Then he knows,” Kelly said after a minute of silence. “He knows that I have what can ruin him.”

  He stood and seemed proud of what he held. Pacing the room, I was confused by his new-found excitement. Kelly spoke, muttering words into the walls, but I couldn’t keep up with his thoughts. They moved a million miles a minute before he turned to me and said, “If the mayor comes through and finds the man who killed Mario, Oscar doesn’t have a chance.”

  Lowering myself back under the covers, I tucked my arm beneath my head and curled my knees into my chest. I wasn’t sure he understood what I couldn’t say. That Oscar may have raped me. That I might never know the truth. But I couldn’t voice those words. Couldn’t make that my reality.

  “Kendra, we’re so close to taking Madam down.” Kelly dropped to his knees in front of me. “Don’t you see it?”

  I stared into his enthusiastic eyes, wanting to share in his excitement. But I couldn’t.

  “This is what you’ve always wanted—what we’ve been working toward. Don’t you see it, baby? Once we take Oscar down, Madam loses her legal protection and we have ourselves a winnable case.”

  “And if the mayor doesn’t come through, or Madam steals what you took from Sylvia before we give it to her ourselves, then what?”

  Kelly barked out a laugh. “We can’t let that happen.”

  “The longer Madam doesn’t get what I promised her, the more pressure she’s going to put on me.”

  He quirked a brow. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t even know what it means. It’s just what she said. I’ll feel the pressure. And I’m afraid that if we don’t do it soon, then Madam will tell the world what Nash did to move Maria and I’ll lose not only you but, my best friend, too.”

  Kelly pushed himself up off the floor with renewed determination. “Then we better prepare Nash for the truth of what’s to come.”

  22

  Kendra

  I kept to myself.

  Staring out the window as he drove, Kelly kept a firm, possessive hand on my thigh.

  My stomach rolled with unease the more I thought about Kelly’s plan. He was certain it would work. The theory was flawless but everything had to fall into place perfectly for us to come out on top.

  Without looking, I muttered, “It’s the kill list Sylvia had, isn’t it?”

  Kelly flicked his eyes in my direction. “That’s part of it.”

  I remembered when he visited Sylvia’s apartment. I hadn’t thought too much of it at the time, only that he should have given her up to Madam. It could have ended this. Should have saved us. Instead, we still had to prove ourselves.

  A pebble lodged in my throat and it was tough to swallow.

  Kelly was right; Madam would never follow through with her word, no matter how convincing her argument was. The truth was, she needed me more now than I needed her. And what Kelly had in his possession was the only thing keeping us alive despite the threat of danger around every corner.

  Kelly made a right turn and said, “It’s not only your life on the line.”

  “I know,” I said, suddenly feeling guilty for phrasing my sentences as if it was always about me.

  “We have to hold out for as long as possible but, you’re right—” he rolled his head and looked at me with an unwavering gaze, “—Madam will increase the pressure in an attempt to get us to submit to her will.”

  We arrived to Nash’s mansion.

  I stared up at the villa, hiding behind palms as Kelly continued, “She knows enough about my past to destroy my career. Her arsenal of secrets seems endless. I can’t allow her to expose those files. None of us working with her is safe. Not even Oscar.”

  As Kelly pulled the car up front, I thought about what Madam told me about my uncle and working off his debt. “Kelly, did you know who my uncle was before we met?”

  Parked in the shade, his gaze watered when he locked his eyes on mine. “Bella, what’s this about? Why are you asking me this now?”

  I fiddled with the strap of my purse. “Didn’t you find it strange how easily Madam brought me into her harem of women?”

  “Honestly, I don’t keep track of her recruitment.” I believed his words to be sincere. “What’s this about?” He reached for my hand and squeezed.

  Willing myself to lift my gaze to his, I said, “Madam mentioned you were working on his files when I asked for a job. Is it true?” I didn’t know what I was hoping to prove by asking. Maybe I just needed to know that Kelly wasn’t behind some conspiracy to have me from the beginning and his feelings for me were organic.


  His eyes fell to my lips. “I don’t know,” he whispered. Then his eyes were back on mine when he said, “It’s possible. My case load then, as it is now, is often more than Giselle and I can keep up with.”

  I held his gaze, knowing there wasn’t anyone I trusted more than him.

  His phone chimed with a message. I watched him pull it out of his pocket and quickly read the text. Blowing out a heavy sigh, he said, “Maxwell is being met by roadblocks.”

  I flicked my gaze forward, not surprised by the news.

  When Kelly was finished responding with a text of his own, he opened his door and stepped around to mine. Clinging to his arm, we walked to the front entrance with nerves keeping my muscles tight. Though I was excited to see Alex, I wasn’t sure how enthused Nash was going to be when receiving the warning we’d come to give.

  Kelly rang the doorbell, then turned to me.

  Taking my shoulders into his hands, he smoothed them down my arms. Clamping his fingers around my wrist, his eyes raked over the long teal dress that covered my injuries. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back, feeling my skin tingle with unconditional love for the man who stood by my side no matter what. When Kelly pulled back, he adjusted the scarf around my neck and said, “I know it seems crazy, but I really need you to trust me on this.”

  “I trust you,” I murmured.

  He smiled, releasing me when the door opened.

  Alex lunged forward with a squeal. Flinging her arms around my neck, the laughter that escaped me numbed the sensational pain I felt from her pressing her body against mine. “I was so worried about you,” she said, stepping back. “We all were.”

  Nash leaned down and hugged me. “Good to see you, Kendra.”

  “Come inside.” Alex’s summer dress drifted around her curves as she moved. “We have drinks and snacks already made.” She latched onto my hand and tugged me to the kitchen.

  I glanced over my shoulder, looking to Kelly.

  He nodded and told me with his eyes to enjoy my time with my friend.

  Three mimosas were waiting for us, orange juice for Kelly. It was clear we all had something heavy to share with how quickly the room fell into an awkward silence.

  Kelly and Nash danced around the elephant in the room with conversations that moved nowhere. I watched Kelly’s thoughts churn as he itched to dive into the reason why we were here. He and Nash weren’t on the best of terms, but I knew Kelly had his best interest in mind. Alex must have seen it, too, because she excused us by saying, “Kendra, let’s let the men have their privacy.”

  Nash kissed her before she hooked her arm through the crook of mine. “Now, behave boys.” Her fingers waved through the air as we stepped outside.

  The patio edged around a small hot tub spilling over into a kidney shaped pool. Alex led us to the two cushioned seats around the glass-topped table. We both fell into our seats, pulling our sunglasses over our eyes at the same time.

  After sharing a minute of laughter, I said, “I wished you would have been the one to pick me up yesterday.”

  “Kelly was worried sick about you.”

  I nibbled the inside of my cheek as my fingers fiddled.

  “C’mon,” Alex swung her foot and hunched forward, “you can’t be mad at me for that. No one knew where you were, what Madam was doing.”

  Turning my head toward the pool, I stared at the vacuum making its rounds, sucking the scum off the bottom. “Have you spoken to Madam recently?”

  “Why would I?”

  I fixed my gaze on my friend.

  Alex started to freak. “Did she find out that I was digging up her secrets for you?”

  I sighed. “No, it’s not that.”

  “Then she knows I spoke to the DEA and thinks I’m ratting her out.” Alex spoke furiously. “I’m no snitch, Kendra.”

  “Relax, will you?” I glanced toward the house.

  “Then, what is it?”

  Still staring at the house, I thought about the warning Kelly was probably now giving Nash. But something deeper was eating at me—something that couldn’t wait. My stomach tied into knots as I thought about the best way to phrase this. Then I turned back to my friend and said, “What if I told you that the only reason Madam allowed me to work for her was because of my uncle Marvin?”

  “Is that true?”

  “You didn’t know?”

  “What are you saying, Kendra? That I’m some kind of co-conspirator?”

  I turned my head back to the pool. “Is that why you keep insisting I seek help? Because you knew just how fucked up I really was?”

  “Kendra, baby, I only know what you’ve told me.” She stole a sip off her drink. “I swear, if I would have known that this would be how it all turned out, I would have never let you put yourself in this position.” She paused and stared. “Because that’s how I remember it. It was your idea—your offer to make up for what you did to pay off my own personal debt.”

  I blankly stared, knowing it was true.

  “Besides, I was the one to tell you to get out. Didn’t I?”

  My muscles tightened as anger steamed up my chest. “You’re absolutely right. I’m the stupid one.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

  “Did the DEA really come for you, or are they after me?” I thought about Rob Jones, the people Mom said were parked outside her house, and the cameras being pulled into car windows outside Emmanuel’s salon. Alex wasn’t the criminal. I was. So why did they come after her?

  “I’m not the enemy here,” Alex said. “What has gotten into you?”

  Without thinking, I tore my scarf from my neck and let my jacket fall off my shoulders.

  Alex covered her mouth with her hand as she hitched forward in her chair. Slowly, she stood and moved to me. Removing her glasses from her eyes, she propped them up on her head and asked, “Madam did this to you?”

  I nodded.

  “My god, Kendra.” When her eyes met mine, my vision blurred with sudden tears.

  I brought my foot up on the chair and pulled my dress down to show her my backside. “This is their way of getting back at Kelly.”

  “This isn’t good.” Alex’s fingers gently pressed into the dark purple skin.

  “If the DEA comes after me, it’s either prison or Madam’s wrath for me. And, quite frankly, I think prison might be the easier choice after what I just experienced.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Alex lifted her head. “This is my fault.”

  “Madam is the true Dom,” I said through a shaky breath. “She knew what it would take to break me down and make me submit.”

  Alex’s eyes watered as she kept her hand over her mouth.

  “Madam was going to kill me.” I nodded. “Instead, she set me up with Oscar so that he could slaughter me slowly.” I started to shake and cry.

  “Oh, shit, baby.” Alex held me in her arms. “We’ll get through this.”

  “It was so bad. What he did—”

  Alex pulled back with a glimmer of fear flashing over her eyes. “Something bad happened, didn’t it? Did he…?”

  I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand. “I think so. I don’t know. I blacked out.”

  Alex squeezed me harder and I clung tighter. “Did you tell Kelly?”

  “I did. But not in a way I think he understood.”

  “He needs to know. Especially if Madam is coming back for you.”

  Nodding, I knew she was right. “I’m afraid that I won’t ever be able to sleep with Kelly again.”

  “Time, baby. It’s going to take time.”

  My head slammed into her shoulder as I cried. “This is Marvin’s fault.”

  “It always has been,” Alex agreed. She rubbed my back, her eyes drifting over my bruises. “I’m not going to lie, Kendra. The DEA will come for you and, when they do, you need to be ready.”

  23

  Kelly

  Nash lowered himself to a st
ool and stared at Alex.

  The girls were linked at the arm, and I knew Alex wanted to ease Kendra into catching her up with everything that was happening. We watched them move across the patio through the large bay windows. They took a seat at the pool as I drifted into my own thoughts.

  My fingers drummed on the cold granite counter.

  No matter how I presented it, the bomb I was here to drop was sure to spread to a radius we hadn’t seen before. The ripple effects would be felt by many.

  “I love that woman,” Nash finally said, breaking the ice.

  I turned and glanced in his direction. His shoulders slumped forward and his eyes sank deep into his hanging head.

  “Never in my life did I imagine I would actually love someone as much as I love her.” He rolled his heavy eyes over to me. “Kelly, do you hear what I’m saying?”

  “I do.” My voice was soft, empathetic.

  “If something ever happened to her…” He turned his attention back to the pool.

  My stomach clenched, feeling guilty for what happened to Kendra.

  It was an odd way to begin a conversation. Especially coming from him. But after how our conversation started the night he surprised us at Wes’s restaurant, I wasn’t going to argue with the man.

  Then he turned to look at me. “I wasn’t thrilled with having you come here today but I knew that Alex needed to see her friend.”

  Staring at the back of Kendra’s head, I could tell her back was stiff. Alex needed to be part of her healing. It was a process, so long as Kendra allowed us all to fill our roles.

  “Since you’re here,” Nash’s brows raised, “dare I ask where you’re at in your grand scheme to bring down Madam? Because, frankly, I’m not sure how much longer I can sit around waiting to get arrested.”

  Rolling my head back to Nash, I asked, “Have you been watching the news?”

  His bloodshot eyes pulled into his skull. “Too much, unfortunately.”

  “Then you’ll like that I talked with Sylvia Neil recently.”

  “You what?”

  I nodded. “After drinks with you, Wes, and Adrianna the other night.”