Martha always smelled like fresh baby powder. She had been caring for Caden from the very start, and was the one who reassured Cadence that her son would be okay. She felt more like family than some of her own relatives.
“I thought only two people at a time were allowed,” Cadence countered, gazing at her family.
“True, but it’s a slow night,” she replied, taking Cadence’s purse from her arms. “And it’s almost feeding time.” Martha paused, and a smile split her cocoa face. “Would you like to feed your son?”
“What?” Cadence’s hand flew to her chest. “I get to hold him?”
“Yes.”
She was overwhelmed with so much emotion that she couldn’t speak.
Martha helped Cadence out of her coat, then said, “Here’s a gown. You can disrobe in the changing room. Remove your shirt and bra, and wear the gown opened to the front,” she advised. “Wash your hands and have a seat with your family. We’re going to try skin-to-skin contact before Caden’s feeding.”
“Okay.”
Five minutes later, Cadence joined Jackson and Jackie.
“Hey, honey,” he greeted, rising to his feet, offering Cadence the recliner closest to the baby.
“I get to hold and feed him,” she beamed, pulling the gown closed.
“Martha said I could hold him,” Jackson replied, gazing into her eyes. “But I wanted you to be the first.”
God, I love this man.
“Mama Cee, Caden squeezed my finger when I put my hand inside and started talking to him,” Jackie chimed in. “I love him so much.”
“Of course he did,” Cadence replied, taking in Jackie’s excitement. “He knows who you are.”
“How’s that?”
“Because he knows the sound of your voice.”
Martha and another nurse retrieved Caden from the incubator, carefully maneuvering all of the tubes and wires. They placed him on Cadence’s chest and pulled her gown over his back so that he wouldn’t get cold. His heart beating against hers gave Cadence a great feeling that she couldn’t put into words, but she loved every moment.
Jackson hovered over them and gently rubbed Caden’s head with two fingers, and Jackie laid on Cadence’s shoulder, gazing at her little brother.
When it came time to feed him, Caden latched on, on the third try.
“Look at this little overachiever,” Martha teased, showing Cadence the proper way to support him while breastfeeding.
“This is what we were all hoping to see,” Dr. Garrison added, standing beside the incubator.
Cadence was so enthralled with her son that she didn’t notice her presence.
“I take it this is a good thing?” Jackson asked, his voice slightly hitched.
“Yes,” Dr. Garrison remarked. “If he keeps this up, Caden will be able to go home in the next couple of weeks.”
* * *
“How did it go with Knox?” Jackson asked, escorting Cadence to her car.
“Let’s just say I’m looking forward to the trial again,” she responded.
“That good, huh?” Jackson remarked, opening Cadence’s door, and she slid behind the wheel. She drove him five rows over to his truck.
Soon as Jackson opened the door, Jackie climbed out of the backseat.
“Hey,” Cadence shouted, lifting her hands in the air. “You’re not staying with me?”
“I’m going to ride with daddy,” Jackie fired back. “But just this time.”
“That’s cool. I see how it is.”
“I’ll follow you, Speedy Gonzalez.” Jackson snickered, pressing the key fob. Jackie clambered into the backseat. “Don’t leave us.”
“Whatever.” She shrugged, adjusting the rearview mirror. “You better keep up.”
Cadence counted to ten, giving Jackie enough time to fasten her seatbelt, then took off. They always competed to see who’d beat the other one home, of course, without being reckless. She was driving the prototype she designed, the Adali SLX autonomous car, and Jackson had a new Adali G-Class truck since his vehicle was totaled in the accident.
She switched the playlist to 2Pac and hit it. Jackson was right behind her. She threw the peace sign out of the sunroof, then drove down the on-ramp to the Dan Ryan Expressway. Much to her surprise, Jackson got off three exits early.
What is he up to?
Cadence turned down the music to call Jackson, pausing when she heard movement behind her. She pressed the button, and the dome light came on. Checking the rearview mirror, she didn’t see anything. Slowing down just a bit, Cadence felt behind the passenger’s seat without taking her eyes off the road. Her laptop had fallen out of the bag.
Shifting in the seat, Cadence adjusted the seatbelt. “Call Jackson Goldsmith,” she said out loud, and Siri dialed his number.
“Yessssss,” he answered.
“Where’d you dip off to?” she asked and heard Jackie giggling in the background. “What’s so funny, Jacqueline Nevels?”
“Nothing.”
Cadence swerved around the curve between Wentworth and the Ninety-Ninth and Halsted exit with ease. “Jackson.”
“If you must know,” he said in a playful tone. “We’re stopping at Baskin Robbins.”
“What?” she frowned, coming off the ramp, and making a sharp left on Halsted. “She hasn’t even had dinner yet.”
“I promised Jackie we’d get ice cream after leaving the hospital.”
“Mmmm hmmm,” Cadence remarked. “That’s why you put me down, huh?”
Jackie tittered in the background. “A promise is a promise.”
Cadence grinned. She couldn’t argue with that.
“Make sure a pint of pralines and cream finds its way home with y’all.”
“Yes, dear,” Jackson said, laughing. “See you soon.”
Less than ten minutes later, Cadence had pulled in front of the house and turned off the engine. She lowered her chin to her chest and inhaled. Caden’s sweet scent was still on her skin. She closed her eyes, basking in the joy she experienced, holding him for the first time.
Cadence got out of the car, scanned her surroundings, then opened the rear door, kneeling on the seat with her head down to retrieve the laptop from the floor. She used the flashlight on her phone to see if anything else had spilled from the bag. A few pens, sticky notes, and a pack of gum were scattered on the floor mats.
Leaning further into the car, that same eerie feeling returned, halting her movement. She slowly lifted her head, shining the flashlight out of the side and front windows. She didn’t see anything. Cadence angled the light out of the back window only to be greeted by her trunk standing at attention. Just for a second, Cadence thought she’d hit the key fob by mistake, releasing the latch. She whipped her head toward the front, placing the light on the base of the steering wheel. The sight of the dangling keys sank Cadence’s heart to the pit of her stomach.
“Surprise, bitch.”
Chapter 14
“Get off of me!” Cadence screamed to the top of her lungs, kicking and clawing at the assailant. “Hellllllllp.”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” the man said, his tone gruff, grabbing her legs. He tried to yank her out of the car, but Cadence held onto the seat with all of her might.
When he realized that he wasn’t getting anywhere, he climbed on top of her, putting a hand over her mouth. She bit down hard, snatched the mask off of his face, gripped the phone in her hand, and shined the light in his eyes.
Instantly, he drew a forearm to his face while trying to swipe the phone away with his free hand.
“Somebody help me,” Cadence yelled into the night, trying to get a clear look at the guy.
Just as he drew his fist back to strike her, the weight of his body lifted from hers. She dug her heels into the cushion, pushing her body further into the car, fumbling to unlock the phone to dial 911.
“Hold his ass,” a voice ordered that sounded all too familiar.
“Sly,” she said under her brea
th, lowering the phone.
Cadence climbed out of the rear passenger door, clutching the left side of her stomach. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Jackson’s twin cousins, Sly and Tony, dressed in black leather, were pounding the shit out of … Lester.
She stood in shock for what felt like minutes but were probably only several seconds. Walking around to the trunk, she saw chip and candy bar wrappers strewn about, as well as a half-empty Gatorade bottle. How long had he been in there?
Lester’s head was bald, and he was clean-shaven, much different from the cornrows and goatee he used to wear, and he seemed slimmer than before.
Cadence scanned the area above; though subtle, she noticed the slight movement from the blinds and curtains of her neighbors. They witnessed the attack or, at the very least, knew something had happened. Folks were afraid to get involved. Cadence understood that logic, but to ignore her cries for help ... Where did Sly and Tony come from? They live on the other side of town.
Bright headlights beamed in their direction, breaking Cadence from her thoughts.
“Oh, no, no, no,” she whispered, spotting the Adali emblem on the hood of the truck. “Jackie doesn’t need to see this.”
Jackson swerved the nose of the truck into the spot behind Cadence’s car and jumped out. The vehicle was still running. “You okay?” he asked, rushing to her side. “I’m alright.”
“Take Jackie inside,” he shouted, then ran up on Lester. “You fucking with my wife?” Jackson growled, punching him in the mouth, then the stomach.
“Jackson, no,” Cadence screamed.
It felt like déjà vu.
Four years ago, Cadence was able to talk Jackson down when he learned that Lester had molested Jackie. Lester having a gun, played a significant role in that. Jackson wouldn’t be any good to his daughter if he were dead.
Jackie hopped out of the truck, dropping her ice cream cone.
“Let’s go.” Cadence turned Jackie’s body away from the violence and ushered her in the house.
“Is daddy going to die?”
“Dear God, no,” Cadence reassured, pulling Jackie to her bosom.
“How do you know?” she sniffled, pushing away from Cadence. “Mommy got in a fight with Lester, and he killed her––– what if he does the same thing to daddy?”
Jackie’s logic was on point, and Cadence understood how she came to the conclusion.
“This is not the same thing,” she said, cupping Jackie’s face. “Lester doesn’t have a gun.”
At least that’s what Cadence assumed. If he had, she’d be dead.
“Your cousins are out there with daddy, and the police are on the way,” she added, sitting on the edge of the couch, relieving some of the tension pulling on her stomach. “Can you do me a favor?”
Jackie nodded, blinking away the tears.
“Go to your bedroom and stay there. I’ll let you know when it’s alright to come down.”
She didn’t utter a single sound as her feet shuffled across the floor. Cadence stood at the bottom of the stairs until she heard the door close.
So much had happened throughout the course of the day. The last thing they needed was Jackie seeing something she shouldn’t. Cadence was grateful that Jackie’s bedroom windows faced the rear of the house.
Cadence called Knox’s personal number as she headed back outside.
“Hello.”
“Lester––– attacked––– me,” Cadence said in broken intervals. “He hid in the trunk of my car and blindsided me when I got home.”
“Are you hurt? Where is he? Did you call the police?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, walking down the stairs. “His ass is being handed to him by–––”
“And the police?” Knox asked. “Have they been called?”
She hesitated. “Not by me.”
“Cadence. Call them. Now,” he demanded. “I’m on my way.”
“It’s not like they’re going to do anything,” she remarked, enjoying the street justice a little too much.
“But you still need to report it to cover your own hide,” Knox countered. “We can add carjacking and attempted abduction to Lester’s long list of charges, and say his injuries were a result of self-defense,” he explained. “If you don’t, it’ll look like some vigilante shit.”
“Okay,” Cadence agreed before disconnecting the call.
She moved in closer. Lester laid in a heap; his face barely recognizable.
“I don’t know where you guys came from,” Cadence said, giving Jackson a side-eye. “But I’m glad you showed up when you did.”
“That’s what family does,” Tony shot back, giving Jackson some dap. “We always got you.”
“Let me return the favor,” she said, ushering them to come even closer. “I have to report this, so I need y’all to get out of here,” Cadence warned, unlocking her phone, and scowling at Lester.
“You don’t have to worry about him going anywhere,” Sly sneered, giving Cadence pause. “He couldn’t walk, run, hop, or skip away if he tried.”
“And don’t worry about us,” Tony added, cracking his knuckles. “I already called the cops. This asshole ain’t the only one who has connections in the police department.”
Chapter 15
“Why don’t you go inside?” Jackson advised as the police sirens got closer. “I’ll tell them what happened.”
“They’re going to want to talk to me; besides, I need to see them cuff and put Lester in the back of the squad car.”
“Alright, tough girl,” Jackson whispered, standing next to Cadence, hoping the close proximity would offer her some comfort while keeping a watchful eye on Lester, who laid in the street immobile.
He knew Cadence was terrified, but she’d never admit it. Jackson was grateful he had the foresight to have Sly and Tony on standby. The first mind is always golden.
Red and blue lights swarmed the block from both ends, boxing Lester in the middle of the street. The headlights dropped a spotlight on him as if he were the main attraction on center stage. Lester’s hands moved to shield his eyes. Cops sprang from their vehicles with guns drawn.
“Hands in the air,” ordered a hard-body, plain clothes, male officer wearing a skullcap, strategically moving forward.
Jackson scooped Cadence behind him, stepping backward.
“Do you have any weapons on you?” he asked, but Lester didn’t answer.
A short female officer in a bulletproof vest moved in from the opposite direction and nudged Lester’s leg with her foot. “I know you hear him talking to you.”
“No,” Lester mumbled, holding his trembling arms in the air.
“I better not find anything when I search you,” she warned, rolling his bruised body over while the first officer came in closer with a gun aimed at Lester’s head.
Jackson took in the damage they inflicted on the left side of Lester’s face while the officer snatched his arms behind his back and cuffed him. His lips were split and bloody, his eye was swollen and sealed shut, and his nose had a gangster lean.
No part of Jackson felt guilty. Lester had no business coming after his wife. Period.
“I’m Officer Douglas,” the plainclothes cop introduced himself to Jackson and Cadence. “Can you tell me what happened here?”
Cadence came from behind Jackson and eyed Officer Douglas for an unnaturally long time, making Jackson think something was wrong.
“You’re safe now,” Jackson reminded her, concerned about Cadence’s well-being. “Tell him what happened before I arrived.”
Her eyes narrowed as she continued to stare at the cop as if she was searching for something.
“Take your time,” Officer Douglas encouraged with a slight nod.
“We can do this in the morning if you’re not up to it,” Jackson suggested, turning to face her. “Whatever’s most comfortable for you,” he said, then turned to the officer. “If that’s alright.”
“Certainly.”
“That won�
��t be necessary,” she responded, explaining everything truthfully, up until the part when Sly and Tony arrived on the scene. She told him Jackson pulled Lester off of her.
Jackson picked up where she left off, continuing with the abbreviated version of what happened to Lester thereafter. He didn’t want to implicate Sly or Tony in any way.
“Wait a minute,” Cadence whispered, balancing her weight on one foot. “Aren’t you the cop who questioned me the night Braelyn was murdered?”
I’ll be damned. Jackson surveilled the officer who appeared to be in his early thirties. He looked more seasoned than he remembered, but that could be from the stress of the job or the five o’clock shadow that darkened his lower cheek and chin, which was a serious infraction.
Police officers weren’t allowed to have stubble or facial hair unless they had some sort of written approval issued from the Bureau Chief’s Exemption from the Chicago Police Department’s Clean-Shaven Policy Card.
He learned that searching police policy on google. If ever he or Cadence were in a situation with the police, Jackson would be knowledgeable of their rights, as well as anything that he could use against the cops. He didn’t use to be so jaded, but after what happened …
Maybe Officer Douglas got a promotion.
“Yes. I was first on the scene that day,” he answered, snapping his fingers and pointing to Cadence’s car. Another officer rushed over, pulling on gloves before touching the trunk. “I’m so glad Officer Johnson called. We can finally file charges against Lester and make them stick and give your family closure.”
“Officer Johnson,” Jackson repeated, trying to hide the shock in his speech and expression.
He couldn’t have been referring to his cousins, Sylvester and Anthony Johnson, right? When did that happen? And if they, or one of them, were a cop, why wouldn’t they tell me?
“I knew it,” Cadence mumbled under her breath, grabbing Jackson’s hand. The exposed flesh on his knuckles stung from the pressure.
“This won’t be like last time,” Officer Douglas promised. “Lester evaded capture, but now, we got him, and a ton of evidence to guarantee he won’t see daylight outside of the prison yard.”
Deadly Deception Page 7
