“I can’t tell you,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“Then don’t tell me.” His voice was tender and compassionate. “Just let me help you.”
“Sherise, you need to listen to your lawyer,” Billie argued.
The women were together, meeting briefly at an outdoor café to discuss their latest emergencies. Billie could tell that Erica was nervous about bringing up the topic of Terrell and wasn’t really paying attention to Sherise’s complaints about Elena’s harassment claim. Sherise was acting reckless, though, having hired a private investigator to look into Elena’s background and was now threatening to stalk the girl herself.
“You’ll only make things worse for Justin,” Billie added. “This is his career. He’s worked forever to get here. Don’t ruin it for him by being impatient. Your marriage is already in a tense state.”
“That’s just the thing,” Sherise said. “This thing—this horrible thing that this bitch has brought into our lives—is our chance to fix everything. We have trust issues. That’s what’s holding us back. But by me leading the fight against this woman, I’m proving to Justin that I believe him. I can see he’s trusting me again too.”
Billie shrugged her agreement. “They say things like this can either break or seal a marriage.”
“We had sex for the first time since finding out I was pregnant,” Sherise said proudly. “It wasn’t just good sex either. It was great, passionate sex. Feeling like it’s us against the world has brought us together.”
“That’s good,” Billie said, “but trust me as a lawyer, not just your friend. If you get caught stalking this girl, things will get worse for you. It’s not the answer.”
Sherise rolled her eyes. “If I could count on a PI to do all the work, I would. But I’m on a deadline here. They’ve already leaked it to the campaign. It’s gonna be public on Capitol Hill any day now. I have to make sure that they don’t pay her off. I want Justin one hundred percent exonerated.”
“I hope it works,” Billie said. “We all do, don’t we?”
Billie kicked Erica under the table. Since her confrontation with Juliet, she hadn’t been able to think of much else, even though she had a lot to do.
Coming out of her trance, Erica jumped a little in her seat.
“What?” she asked. “What did I miss?”
“You’ve been worthless to me so far,” Sherise reminded her. “You haven’t helped me find out where I stand with Jonah. I had to handle Jonathan myself. You’re not listening to anything I’ve had to say about—”
“It’s all about you, isn’t it?” Erica asked.
“Hell yes, it is,” Sherise answered. “I’m the one whose world is falling apart, so, yes, right now it’s about me.”
“It’s not, you know,” Erica corrected. “Billie had a fight with Michael, but you don’t give a shit. Instead of us helping her out, we have to talk about you, you, and more you.”
“It’s okay,” Billie said. “It’s not a big deal.”
“But it is,” Erica argued. “We’re supposed to talk about everyone’s problems, so we can help each other out. All we seem to do now is talk about the shit Sherise has gotten herself caught up in.”
“To be fair,” Billie said, “Sherise didn’t start this one. And don’t worry about Michael. He’s already called me and wants to see me again.”
“Fine,” Sherise fumed. “Just to prove you wrong, let’s talk about Billie and Michael, even though a little fight doesn’t even remotely compare to what I’m going through.”
“You’re going to see him again, aren’t you?” Erica asked, ignoring Sherise.
“It depends.” Billie shrugged. “I like him a lot.”
“I think it’s more than a lot,” Erica said, “from the way you talk about him.”
“Why haven’t we met him yet?” Sherise asked.
“I don’t know if you will,” Billie said. “He needs to get with the program. He can’t be telling me who I can and can’t talk to about Porter.”
“Porter isn’t worth losing him over,” Erica said.
“Porter ain’t worth shit,” Sherise added.
“That’s not true,” Billie said. “He’s worth access to my daughter.”
“Billie.” Erica placed her hand on Billie’s shoulder. “We’ve been through this. She’s not your daughter.”
Billie shirked away. “She is in every way that matters, and Porter is gonna give me access to her again or he’ll be sorry.”
Sherise studied Billie. “I think I’m liking this new Billie. As long as you’re giving Porter some of the hell back he gave you, I support it.”
“I think Michael is right,” Erica said. “Don’t get me wrong. He had no right to look at your phone and comment on our conversation. It’s just that revenge doesn’t suit you, Billie.”
Billie shot up from her seat. “If one more person tells me that, I’m gonna crack their—”
“Easy,” Erica said. “Jesus, calm down. I’m just telling you the truth as I see it.”
“At least I’m willing to stand up to my ex,” Billie said. “You’re so afraid of confronting Terrell that you can’t even talk about him.”
“What about Terrell?” Sherise asked.
Erica eyed Billie with daggers, wanting to choke her for that.
Billie didn’t seem to care. She sat back down and grabbed her drink, chugging it down like it was a reward.
“Why are you even talking to that asshole thug again?” Sherise asked. “You know better.”
“I’m not,” Erica said. “I don’t want to. And I’m not afraid, Billie. You’re such a bitch for bringing it up like that, when you’re the one that said not to give Sherise any bad news.”
“It had to get out there,” Billie said. “Sherise needs to know.”
“You just wanted to take the attention off you,” Erica argued.
“You’re the one so eager to share everyone’s—”
“Wait!” Sherise stopped Billie midsentence. “Why would I want to know? What the fuck is going on?”
Erica sighed before proceeding to tell Sherise about the letter sent to Jonah and his threats about Terrell. Before she could even finish, Sherise commenced to freak out just as she expected.
“Honestly,” Erica said. “I would remind you that losing your shit is not good for the baby, but I think that’s been done, and done.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before now?” Sherise asked.
“Because it happened yesterday,” Erica said. “Besides, I’ve had other things . . . I mean, for fuck sake, you guys don’t know what I’m dealing with.”
“What else could be more important than this?” Sherise felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest.
She was trying to pace her breathing, but she couldn’t. It was bad enough that Jonah could ruin her life. There was no way this piece-of-shit thug was going to bring her down.
“Juliet was talking all kinds of shit to me about Jonah and my mother,” Erica said, feeling her blood boil as she recalled the confrontation. “She’s saying that their affair continued after he was married.”
“Impossible,” Billie said. “Your mom would never—”
“I know!” Erica exclaimed. “That’s what I said, but she’s saying she had evidence—enough so that she almost filed for divorce before he put an end to it. I wanted to punch her in the face. If Alex hadn’t been there, I think I would have.”
Sherise recalled her meeting with Jonathan, who mentioned the divorce papers, but she decided to keep it to herself. She didn’t want Erica focusing on this side issue. That could be dealt with later. She needed to remain focused on Terrell.
“So, what are you going to do about Terrell?” Sherise asked.
“Wait a second,” Billie said. “Alex stopped you? He heard you? He knows now?”
Erica shook her head. “He doesn’t know, and, thank God, he didn’t push me for an answer. He’s just the best. He was there for me and kept me
from losing my mind, but he didn’t push me when I shut him down on my secret.”
“It’s Jonah’s secret,” Billie said. “Not yours.”
Erica nodded, smiling at Billie’s attempt to comfort her. She was still mad at her, though. “I don’t know how long I can keep it from him, considering he’s helping me with Terrell.”
“No,” Sherise said. “You can’t tell him about Terrell. If you do, then you’ll have to tell him about me. I can’t have any more people knowing.”
“I wouldn’t have to name you,” Erica said. “Besides, I haven’t told him anything. He knows that I have to confront my ex tomorrow, and he wants to be there with me when I do it.”
“It should be us,” Sherise said. “We should be there with you. Not an outsider.”
“He’s not an outsider to me,” Erica said. “Not anymore.”
“How much time do you have?” Billie asked. “I mean, before Jonah decides to take it into his own hands.”
“Yes!” Sherise slapped her hand on the table. “You should let Jonah take care of it. It’s about time Terrell suffers the consequences of biting off more than he could chew. He never learned his lesson, and this just shows he never will.”
“I’m too afraid of what Jonah will do to him,” Erica said.
“Fuck him,” Sherise responded. “He’s a danger to us all.”
“Not me,” Billie said. “And I agree with Erica. There is no telling what Jonah will do to him. If she has a chance to save him from that, she should take it. I do think we should go with you, though.”
“No,” Erica said. “I have to do this alone.”
“But you just said you’re bringing this boy with you,” Sherise reminded her.
“He’s bringing me,” Erica said. “I’ve already told him he can’t be a part of the conversation. I have to see Terrell alone. This is what Terrell wants. I really think if I can just see him, he’ll be satisfied. If I bring you two or someone else in with me, he’ll just get angry.”
“Well, you know him best,” Billie said. “I’m still afraid. I don’t like the way he acted when you broke up with him.”
“I can handle Terrell,” Erica said. “At least I used to be able to.”
“Well, you better handle him,” Sherise said. “Or Jonah will.”
13
Sherise was being as careful as she could under the circumstances. She was dressed in workout clothes, which weren’t too attention grabbing. She tried to blend in, not an easy thing to do for her. She was at the health club for a reason, a purpose, and a mission. Part of that meant not drawing the usual attention to herself.
Elena had been working out midmorning. She was no longer working at the firm, having quit once she was informed that they would not pay her off immediately.
Sherise had been watching all week and was correct in thinking today Elena would show up at ten. Sherise arrived at nine in the morning, claiming to be interested in the club. She was given a tour, which lasted almost forty-five minutes, and then was left to discover the equipment on her own. She’d waited in the locker room after that, and Elena showed up a few minutes after ten.
She picked a locker in the middle of the row, which was not good. Sherise had hoped she’d choose one on the end, making it easier to escape if she got caught inspecting. It didn’t matter. After she’d left, Sherise checked her lock and it was solid.
She didn’t want to risk being seen out and about. This was a pretty high-end club and she would certainly run into someone she knew. If her cover was blown, there might be hell to pay. Of course, she could always play it off as an incredible coincidence, which was why she laid the groundwork with the tour, but Sherise didn’t want to have to deal with that. It would upset Justin—and as good as things were going with them now, that was the last thing she wanted to do.
So she waited and it paid off.
Forty-five minutes later, Elena showed up briefly, grabbed her soap and loofah, and disappeared. Within minutes, having showered, she was back, and in a towel. She dragged her bag out of the locker and placed it on the bench in the middle of the row. The locker room wasn’t very active at the moment, so Sherise was able to spy easily. As she suspected, Elena dressed quickly and grabbed her towels with the intent of placing them in the dirty-laundry baskets, which were against the walls several feet away.
This was her chance.
Not bothering to lock her bag up for a short trip, Elena just headed over. No one was in the aisle. Sherise rushed over to her bag and started searching frantically. She reached for the phone and looked at the text messages. Scrolling down, she found what she was looking for. The witness, the biggest threat in her case against Justin: Bartholdi Park. Wed. 3! - Dennis.
Dennis Stevens must be getting nervous, she thought. Good. He was going to have to recant everything if Justin was going to be exonerated fully.
Sherise knew she was out of time. She only had a few seconds. She tossed the phone back into the bag and turned to leave. Just then, she noticed something. She turned back to examine it. On the bag was a button.
It was a picture of Elena as a young girl with another girl, who looked a lot like her, inside a heart frame. She looked almost exactly like her. They had to be siblings. But hadn’t their PI told them that Elena was an only child?
When Sherise realized she was wasting more time, she leaned up to leave. Elena was walking right toward her!
Sherise froze; then she realized that Elena hadn’t seen her yet because she was looking at something on her hand. But it didn’t matter. She was less than twenty feet away; and even if she didn’t look up from her hand, the second Sherise moved, Elena would notice. Sherise was caught.
There was nothing she could do. Was she going to have to fight this girl? She was pregnant, still in her first trimester. She couldn’t get into a fight, no matter how appealing the idea of tearing out some of this girl’s hair might seem.
“Elena!”
Sherise jumped at the same time Elena jumped. Someone was calling her name. Sherise was immensely grateful, as it caused Elena to swing around and look toward the call, giving Sherise the two seconds she needed to jump around the corner of the lockers.
“Elena Brown!” the high-pitched voice called.
“Brown?” Sherise whispered.
Sherise could hear Elena rustling up her bag and slamming her locker shut. She was too curious not to look. Peeking around the corner, Sherise caught a view of Elena and could see that the girl was nervous as hell. Elena wanted to get away from there.
A dark-haired, pale beauty in her thirties, wearing a blood-red workout combo, came into the row, looking confused as to why she’d been ignored.
“Elena,” she said, “didn’t you hear me?”
Elena quickly swung the bag over her shoulder, turning to the woman. Her back was to Sherise now, so Sherise felt safer, observing them, and leaned farther in. She could read Elena’s body language. She was not happy.
“Laura!” Elena said, and laughed. “Was that you? Sorry, I’ve just got so much on my mind.”
“What are you doing in D.C.?” Laura asked.
Sherise detected a distinct Southern accent, more like a Texas twang.
“I’m . . . I’m visiting a friend,” Elena said. “She gave me a pass to her club.”
Wait a second! Sherise wasn’t sure, but she thought she suddenly detected that same twang in Elena’s voice. What is going on?
“Who are you visiting?” she asked. “Do I know her?”
“Um . . . no, I just met her last year at a conference.” Elena slammed the locker shut. “She’s not from home.”
The woman looked confused, but she persisted. “We should have lunch. How long are you gonna be in—”
“I’m leaving today,” Elena said quickly. She brushed past Laura without bothering to look back. “It was nice seeing you, Laura. Bye!”
“Um . . .” Laura looked thoroughly perplexed. “Bye?”
Sherise didn’t hesitate. She walk
ed around the corner into the row and made eye contact with Laura.
“Did Elena come back yet?” she asked. “I thought I just heard her?”
Laura pointed toward the door. “She left, I guess. That was weird.”
“She left?” Sherise asked, looking utterly confused. “We’re supposed to be going to lunch before she heads back home today. Maybe she’s coming back.”
“You’re the friend she’s staying with?” Laura asked.
Sherise nodded. “Yes, I’m Kelly. She came here to visit me, but she’s been acting so weird. I guess I’ll go look for her.”
“I’m Laura.” She shook Sherise’s hand. “That was the weirdest encounter I’ve ever had with her, and that’s saying something for Elena. We grew up together in Denton.”
Denton. Sherise caught that red flag right away. Cleveland, my ass.
“What do you think it is?” Sherise asked. “I mean, she called me up and said she just had to get away and could she stay with me for a bit. I didn’t ask questions.”
“It’s probably about Rose.” Laura was shaking her head, seeming sad. “It’s been over a year, but she’s still having a hard time getting over her death.”
“Must be,” Sherise said. “And what exactly—”
“Oh, my God, is that the time?” Laura asked, glancing down at her watch. “I’m going to be late for Zumba! It was nice meeting you, Kelly. Bye!”
“But . . . ,” Sherise called after her, but Laura was gone.
Sherise contemplated waiting again, but she couldn’t pull it off. It would be weird to find her still in the locker room an hour later. Laura would get suspicious. Also, she had to get to work. The doctor’s appointment she claimed to be on could only last so long.
She would have to work with what she had, and it just might be enough. Elena Brown was up to something as Elena Nichols—and she didn’t want anyone who knew Elena Brown to know about it. Maybe she had an agenda that went beyond getting a few bucks out of the firm at Justin’s expense. There was a lot to do, and very little time to do it.
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