Henry waited for me and doesn’t seem surprised by my expression. “He’s trying to help you.”
“He’s breaking my heart.”
“You have to move on.”
“No, I have to help him. Somehow, I have to fix this. I need you to drop me off at his place. I assume you have it locked down?”
“Yes, but I don’t know what you expect to get out of seeing it other than torturing yourself?” he asks, but I don’t have any answers for him. I don’t have any answers at all, and it’s killing me.
Henry is kind enough to drop me off and let me be for a while. The memories are real, and there is no way I can let go of them. There has to be something I can do. I just don’t know what.
The spare keys to his car rests on the edge of the counter. I take hold and get a ride out to the impound lot to take custody of his car. It’s being set up for auction by the person I hate the most. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, cop.”
“Not that it is any of your business, but I’m taking Ben’s car.”
“Ha! I doubt that. I am claiming it and auctioning it off. I need the money to pay for an expert. Titus’s accounts will be released tomorrow. I know a man who can help me get access to them. Then, I am taking over. I really should thank you, actually. You got me everything I wanted without me having to do a thing.”
“You tried to kill me. I’ll have you arrested.”
“I explained that already. Nathan forced me. He was a horrible man, you know. He forced himself on me and then forced me to help him. I didn’t shoot anyone, and I was more than cooperative with the police when they asked me questions. They were very grateful, and even more so now that I am willing to testify about anything, especially against my ex-husband and my ex-boyfriend. You’ve got nothing, Laila.” She smiles. “I really should send you a thank you gift.”
“Are you not at all worried about Ben?”
“Ben’s a great fuck. I will miss his amazing body and that giant cock of his, but I am not going out of my way for him or anyone. He’s about to be a convicted criminal. How would that look? No, I can’t be seen with such people. I do have a reputation to uphold.”
“Titus will have you killed.”
“Not without money, he won’t, and I’ve hired the perfect man to find it all and take it.” She looks at her watch and smiles so wide I am pretty sure it must hurt cutting that deep into her plastic face. “The countdown begins, and by this time tomorrow, I will be a rich woman and moving on to a nicer place on the beach.”
“I’m taking the car,” I yell after her.
She turns with confusion. “Are you challenging me? Not a good idea. Face it, Laila. You’re nothing but a cop. I’m the one with all the power now.” Jolie tunes me out while she works on the final paperwork to take ownership of the car. Meanwhile, with a little help from a fellow officer, I force ownership of the car to me before Jolie can get approval. I fake Ben’s signature and show proof of sale to me. I know Ben won’t contest it, and the officer knows of me and my heroics in saving an officer long thought gone. Everyone is more than helpful in getting me what I want, which is to drive off with Ben’s car in front of Jolie. Which I do with confidence.
“How did you get that?” she shrieks.
I slide my shades down and look her over, unimpressed. “I know the right people.”
“I’ll sue you?”
“With what money, Jolie? It’s not yours yet, and I have a feeling it may disappear before you can get to it. I already know where it is, do you?” I say, enjoying the expression on her face. “That’s right. I’ve got a guy too.” I put my shades back on and drive off with a plan that just may work out for everyone.
CHAPTER 31
Laila
I get to the hotel just as Mika is trying to leave. The moment he sees me, he scurries around and walks the other direction with his bags. “Mika! Mika, where are you going?”
“Away from you and your insanity. People torturing cops and shooting each other, and now you’re going to come find me again like this shit ain’t crazy. Out of your damn mind.”
“Hey, I paid you and set you up nicely while you were here.”
“And? You got me arrested for involvement with a crime boss. I wasn’t allowed to leave, to steal, to gamble, I couldn’t do anything fun, at all. Cops everywhere, just eyeballing me like a donut with rainbow sprinkles.”
“They arrested everyone until it got sorted out. You were cleared of all charges.”
“I was fingerprinted, and they took my shoes! I’m in the system now,” he says, vibrating in place.
“You were in the system already. You were arrested for breaking and entering three months ago.”
“That’s beside the point, Laila. And I didn’t know that you knew that.” He starts to say something else but ends up huffing and puffing his way back down the street while I drive beside him.
“Mika, I have another job.”
“No.”
“It’s an easy one for you, and one that pays very well.”
“No.”
“You’ve already been there, and I know how to get the passcode now.” He stops and looks me over. “Yeah, that’s right. You know what I’m talking about.”
“More crime boss shit? You’re going to get me put away for life. No.” He starts walking again.
“Okay, I mean no one knows where it is except for Titus’s wife, and she said she has someone better than you to get the money. Some guy by the name of Roman—Roman, oh what was that last name?”
“Roman Blake?”
“That’s it. Yeah, he is supposedly the best and super quick. She is paying him well. Set for life, I think. I told her I had someone better, so she called him and told him your name, and he said—well, you don’t care what he said.”
“What did he say?”
“He laughed actually and said you would never be able to beat him. In fact, he said he was going to buy some pair of sneakers that LeBron wore during some championship game, that he signed or something?”
“Those are mine! I told him about those!”
I shrug. “I guess he’s going to get them with part of the money he’s getting to beat you to the punch.” He does a little rage dance and curses for a few minutes while I wait before he finally settles down and jumps into the car. “Good. The government is releasing Titus’s accounts at midnight, so we have until then to get set up.”
“Just drive, and I will need to stop by a few not-so-cop-friendly places on the way.”
“Fine, I’ll drop you off. I have an errand or two of my own to run.” I drop Mika off and promise to meet him at a place of his choice when he finishes.
My next stop is the senator. He happily agrees to meet me at his home at the last minute. The senator greets me the moment I step to the door.
“Laila, you’ll have to excuse me, but every time I see you, I can’t stop smiling. I am so grateful for what you have done for my family.”
“I’m counting on that, Senator.”
“Oh? Is there something wrong?”
“I have a favor I need to ask of you. I know you only agreed to one big one, so I have brought you something in exchange.” I take out my badge and hand it to him.
“I don’t understand. I thought this is what you wanted?”
“It was, but now I realize it’s not for me. It’s not the right place for me. It was my father’s dream, not mine.”
“So, what is it you want?”
“I want you to release Benjamin Ryder and clear his name.” He laughs until he notices my expression.
“You’re serious.”
“I know if anyone can do it, you can. They are only holding him in hopes he talks. They are charging him with everything under the sun just to hold him. They are saying he’s responsible for something that others did.”
“He’s still a criminal, Laila.”
“No, he protected a criminal. He did no more than that. If you knew
him, you would know he couldn’t do any more than that. Titus is his father, and he protected Ben and Luca from knowing anything. It was the only decent thing he ever did. Ben couldn’t possibly tell you anything about Titus. Information was intentionally withheld from him. Now, he’s paying for his father’s crimes, and that’s not fair.”
“From what I understand, the word on the street was that Ben was taking over. That doesn’t sound like someone that wouldn’t know anything or wouldn’t have participated in something.”
“That is a rumor.” I say knowing better.
“And you’re willing to give up your dreams to make his life fair again? Life is rarely fair, Laila.”
“I realize that, and that’s why I am willing to make a trade—my badge for his freedom.”
The senator sits down in deep thought, hopefully considering my offer. “Laila, I really don’t know what I can do to help. I have no control over the DA’s office, and they are the ones charging him. The evidence they have on him—I can’t help you, Laila. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, Father, you know you can.” Noah comes hobbling in on crutches. “Laila.” He greets me with a warm hug.
“You’re looking much better, Noah.”
“I am, thanks to you—and Ben,” he insists to the senator.
“You’ve said that before, Noah. If he hadn’t been there, known where the place was, then maybe I could help, but he was there and he did know.”
“He was there to save her. He could have run before the police ever got there, but he didn’t. He handed me his gun and held her, keeping her warm until help arrived. Not exactly the cold blooded criminal they are accusing him of being in my opinion. When I worked for Titus, I have to admit I never saw him do anything criminal, and I was there for years. Ben motivated a brotherhood amongst us. He led us that way. Look out for your brother, and he will look out for you. Then there is no worry about doing your job. That’s why Titus‘s team was the best, not because of everyone’s fear of Nathan. Luca was one of my best friends. I would have saved him too. I wanted to shoot Nathan for Luca, forget everything he did to me.”
“Noah, you can’t say things like that.”
“I’m saying it to you because it’s true. That group of guards Titus has, a majority of them are like brothers to me. I loved them, still do, and they treated me the same. But only the ones who followed Ben. He led by example, and they loved him for it. So did I,” Noah says to his father. “You know you can help, and you know the exact person to call to do it.”
“I still think you should stay on the police force, Laila. I can handle more than one favor, considering. One for you and one for him for saving you both.”
I consider it for a second. “No, I have been chasing a dream that isn’t mine. It was only driven out of revenge and malice. I don’t feel that anymore. Now, I only want to be happy.”
“Well, if you change your mind, or maybe if you want to do some special work for the FBI, I know there are some cases we could use you on.”
“I might consider that in the future, if I get bored. For now, I want to take a trip and get away for a while.”
“Okay, give me a minute to make a call to a friend of mine.” Once he hangs up, he looks up at me with a nod. “You’ll want to get him a good lawyer now—a really good lawyer—so this looks good and there are no questions later.” The senator does what he can, and I leave feeling hopeful. I just hope it works. I have one more person to talk to before the day ends.
I don’t have my badge, but I’m known well enough now to get where I need and see who I want. Again, I sit at the same, small table, waiting in a depressing room for a man fitted up in an orange jumpsuit. He walks in with a heavy breath and a low roar of disapproval.
“I can only imagine how you feel about me. But it wasn’t me that did you in, and you know it. If not for Nathan, your life would be going smoothly right now. You don’t have to speak to me, and I don’t have any questions for you. All I wanted to do was tell you I talked to Jolie, and she’s planning to do you in. Your accounts are being released tonight. She’s hired someone to hack into them and take it all.” He sits back in his chair with sudden interest. “I’m going to take it instead.”
He sits forward with a tense expression. “Why are you telling me this?” he asks in a low rumble.
“Because I am going to get your son out of jail. I am going to take a fee for my troubles since I am out of work now, but I am going to make sure Ben has most of it, not to mention control over all of the files I found. I will leave your fate to him, but mostly, I’m going to make sure he’s taken care of, just as you would want,” I say, feeling his eyes search me for deceit. “There isn’t much I can do about what the authorities already know, but I can do something about what they don’t know yet.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No. I am letting you know that I love your son more than anything, and I am giving up everything for him. I’m hoping you will help me make it worthwhile.”
“What do you want?”
“You know what I want, Titus, and hopefully I’ve proven that you can trust me with the information.”
He laughs. “Trust you? Why would I ever trust you?”
“Because you only have two choices— me or Jolie. Who do you trust more?”
“What good does any of this do? My youngest son is dead. My eldest is facing life in prison and is so distraught over his brother and his girl, I fear he won’t survive in here without my constant payoffs and promises. I have kept them hidden their whole lives, and one bitch ruined it all when she found a grade school project, made for their dad. A simple mold of their little hands with their names on it. And she had me by the balls. I couldn’t have her killed because they would only suspect Ben. They would dig into his life story in order to bring him down only to find out everything I have tried to keep hidden. Everything I have tried to keep safe would have been all for not. I suspected Nathan killed my most trusted ally, but I couldn’t prove it, and to be honest, I didn’t want to. I needed him. After that warehouse fiasco though, I know it was him. There is no doubt in my mind that, as soon as Nathan found out those boys existed, he would have slit their throats while they slept. Even if he didn’t, any one of my many enemies would have. Do you know the kind of stress that puts on father? I thought them working for me would help. I could keep an eye on them. They were finally ready to take care of themselves and run things on their own. I would have announced Ben as my successor and Luca as his second, and then all would have been set. I could retire and no longer have to keep them a secret. Then, you came along, and everything became a mess.” He waves his hands up in the air like God sent me down to destroy his life.
“What you have to ask yourself, Titus, is who truly screwed you over? Was it me? I was searching and located a cop that your man hid in your building for nearly a year. You have Jolie who is, as we speak, trying to steal everything she can from you. She has confessed to the cops everything she knows about you and Ben, even if the things she told them were fabricated from the ground up. She has promised to testify whenever needed, sitting up there as the victim of horrible men who abused her. She is doing all she can to wipe you clean from her life in a timely manner, of course, because she has a party she wants to throw. A newly-single party for all of her friends.” Titus purses his lips with a low growl. “And let’s not forget Kian who was stealing from you and devising a plan to crush you from the inside. Then, there was your right-hand man, Nathan, who tried to kill your eldest son then killed your youngest. He was conspiring with your soon-to-be ex-wife to kill you and Ben and take over everything you built. I’m confused, Titus. Who on that list really screwed you over and made everything a mess? I would have only taken out Nathan in the end which, as it turns out, would have helped you.” I smile. “Enjoy your life, Titus.” I get up and call for the guards to come.
“Laila.” Titus calls out to me as he is being escorted away. “It’s both of them, with their mother’s birthday i
n between,” he says, giving me the answer and his approval.
“Thank you,” I mouth to him and walk out with a smile.
I have Mika set up at Ben’s, ready to go as we wait for the clock to change. I am so nervous. I play with Harrison to try and ease my nerves. Mika seems confident, but his breathing exercises are driving me nuts.
“You can do this, right? Because you seem very nervous.”
“Relax, Laila. I got this.”
“I hope so because she’s back in the house, and she has direct access to everything. She could have changed the security codes by now.”
“Laila, please. You’re making me nervous.” When the clock strikes twelve, I spin around and watch as Mika goes to work. “I’m in, and now I only need the passcode to start.” He said it was both of them plus their mother’s birthday in between. I don’t know if it’s names or birthdays, but everything I have on the three I gave to Mika to figure out. I must ask him a hundred times how it’s going. “Laila, shut up. I’ve got it.” I sit back and close my eyes, praying for a miracle. It seems like forever until I hear, “Got it!” I look in as Mika opens every bank account Titus has. “Wow, that’s a lot of money.”
“Mika, just go!”
“Okay, okay. Now, are you sure you want to still break it up like you said? I mean we could split it into a much easier sum …”
“Mika, I promised, and unless you want a target on your back for the rest of your life, then I suggest you not fuck around with a criminal mastermind’s money.”
“Understood.” Mika works quickly as the numbers begin to show up into the three accounts. Mika and I take only enough to set us up for a nice, long time. Payment for our troubles, if you will. The rest goes into an account named to Benjamin Ryder, along with files saved in a secured, online portfolio. It takes some time, but eventually, the entire database is erased and transferred. “And we are done, and out.” Mika slides back from the desk, putting his hands on his head. “Wow, it’s really done. We just stole …”
Undercover: Secrets & Lies Page 25
