Better (The Change Series Book 2)

by Melanie Jayne

  Zoe laughed. “I think it happens a lot. After all, it keeps Geno in business, and I think your man takes his share of those cases.” Her gaze turned calculating. “Tony’s been looking into Forde. He knows we’re friends, and he likes you, so now he feels protective. He hasn’t said much, but I can tell Forde must have checked out, or Tony would have stashed you in some safe house.”

  “You said Tony had a badass job before you met him. What does it mean that he approves of Forde?”

  She gave me another serene smile, like there was no chaos in my life, and that she hadn’t been pushed to the ground during an attack. “It means, Tony believes Forde can handle your troubles. I don’t know what all he learned, but he made some calls and checked your man out. There are some questions I don’t ask, but I trust Tony’s opinion and since he hasn’t hidden you away, everything must be good.”

  I let out a deep breath. “I feel so out of my element. Forde’s come into my life and taken over. He calls me Layla. He said that I wasn’t a Marlena.” I paused, and Zoe didn’t rush me. “I don’t know if I like being so dependent on him. I barely know him.” I ended on a whisper and dropped my gaze.

  Zoe took another sip before sharing her history. “When I first moved to Columbus, I didn’t want to have any responsibilities. I rented an apartment and leased my SUV. I was lost and unsettled after everything that had happened to me. I was injured during a break-in at my apartment, and Tony took care of me when I got out of the hospital. He moved into my place and my bed. He took over and never left. I think I fought it so hard because deep down I knew it was what I really wanted. I was afraid I’d get hurt again.”

  I smiled because I understood her story all too well.

  Zoe’s expression softened and her eyes filled with warmth. “My oldest friend asked me if I felt any different after Tony moved in. I realized that for the first time in years, I was sleeping deeply. I didn’t have bad dreams or wake up at every sound. I felt safe. I could relax.”

  I felt a tear fall down my cheek.

  “Oh honey, I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Zoe said softly and gripped my hand.

  “I, uh, I’ve never felt safe until…” I fought a sob as I buried my face in my hand. “Never, not even when I was a kid.”

  When I got my shit together, I looked up and Zoe was watching me. Her eyes weren’t full of pity, instead they were warm and happy.

  “If Forde can give that to you, then take all he’s offering. You deserve it.” She nodded. “You’ve put everybody else first. Take your turn, Layla.”

  * * *

  The plan was that after lunch Tony would pick us up, and then drop me off at Limited. Zoe wanted to see Forde’s offices, but I think she hoped to see Forde and I interact. So Tony dropped us off in front of the building. While he circled the block, we made our way to the fifth floor.

  “This is very posh,” Zoe whispered as we exited the elevator.

  “I don’t think I have anything to wear to work here,” I whispered, too.

  We both giggled.

  “Give me a call this weekend,” Zoe took my hand, “and if I’m not too tired, we can hit the mall.”

  We approached the office door, and I tried the door. It was locked so I hit the buzzer.

  Zoe raised an eyebrow as a female voice inquired, “Yes?”

  “I’m Layla Shepherd, and I’m supposed to meet Forde.” I felt kind of silly talking to the box.

  The door unlocked, and Zoe reached for the knob.

  We walked in. This time, there was a petite African-American woman sitting behind the receptionist desk. She had intricate braids, and her lips were painted a shiny purple. She didn’t smile at our approach. In fact, she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Hi, I’m Layla,” I said, smiling, “and this is Zoe Alessi.”

  “Yeah, I recognize you from your file.” She looked me up and down.

  I glanced at Zoe, and she gave me a puzzled look. The woman wasn’t friendly, in fact she was damn rude. We stood in front of the desk for a minute, and it was uncomfortable.

  “Well, I guess I’m done here.” Zoe gave me an apologetic look. “Give me a call about the shopping.”

  Damn, she was going to leave. “Thanks for lunch, and tell Tony thanks for the ride.” I kissed her cheek.

  She opened the door and left.

  “I’ll just sit over there until Forde’s ready,” I told the woman. I sounded nervous, and that pissed me off.

  She shrugged.

  So I sat down in the same place I had when I’d come with Aunt Nora. I noticed there were no magazines to read, so I folded my hands in my lap and stared at them intently.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t come with your aunt.” The woman’s voice broke through my zoning out.

  “My aunt?” I was lost. I didn’t understand what she meant.

  “Yeah, she was here about an hour ago. She said she needed to see Forde about making her payment for his taking care of you.” She watched me closely as her words sank in.

  “She saw Forde?” I managed. What was that about? She’d told me she had paid him up front. Even with Willie’s discount, it was still a lot of money.

  “I hear you’re staying with him. I guess it’s for your upkeep.” She smiled sweetly before continuing, “You look like you eat a lot.”

  Her insult about my weight didn’t even register as I tried to piece together what she was telling me.

  “Well, ah… Miss…” I paused because I didn’t know her name.

  “Nene, my name’s Nene Lockhart.” Again, she flashed the shitty-sweet grin.

  I had to get out of there. I didn’t like this woman and her fake smile. I needed to think through what Nora and Forde were doing.

  Jesus, I was an idiot. I stood and grabbed my purse. “I just realized I left my phone at the restaurant. I need to go look for it.” I made it to the door.

  “Aren’t you supposed to have somebody with you?” she asked, pretending to be interested.

  “Since you didn’t let Forde know I’ve arrived, just give me a few minutes to run over there, and I’ll come back. Then you can buzz him or whatever you do.” I was pretty proud I came up with that on the fly. I met her gaze for a beat. Then I walked out.

  I was moving so fast my knee twinged. I saw a city bus pulling up at the stop, so I switched direction. I slowly climbed the three steps and pulled my pass from the inner pocket of my purse. I dropped into an empty seat and felt the tears start.

  I dug in my purse for a tissue. Now wasn’t the time to lose it; I needed to think. I took several breaths and felt anger take the place of the pain. All of this had to be a plan, no a scam. There was no way a man like Forde—rich and handsome—would fall for me. He was working for Nora, who wanted me to be safe.

  I felt so stupid. I’d believed him. Or was it more that I’d wanted to believe him? For once, I’d wanted to be special, not handy or capable. I should have known it was all too good to be true.

  I hated myself for being so gullible.

  Well, that’s going to stop right now. I needed to get smart. I looked out the window and recognized where I was. I dug in my purse, upending it, and dumping everything out into the seat beside me. I had seen on some cop show that you could be tracked by your cell phone, so I threw it back into the purse along with all the other crap. Next, I dug in my wallet and pulled out all of the cash I had, along with my id and credit card. Everything else I left in the bag. I zipped it closed and stuffed it under the seat in front of me.

  The next stop was Glendale mall. I knew there would be a cab hanging around, so I put the cards and bills in my skirt pocket and got off at the stop. If Forde tried to find me, well he’d have to do it the old fashioned way, without any tracking technology.

  When I finally got home, well to Nora’s rental, I had to stop next door and pick up the extra key Mrs. Gentry kept. Before I’d moved in, Nora had paid her a couple of bucks
to let the workers in and to lock up after them. She wasn’t too happy that I had taken over that job while I lived in the house.

  “Girl, you aren’t coming back to stay over there, are you?” The woman leaned against her back door. She had her ever present cigarette hanging from the side of her mouth.

  “Just for tonight.” I didn’t have a plan, nor any place to go. I needed time alone to think.

  “As soon as they took that tape down, a crew showed up and started fixing the windows.” She handed me the key.

  “I’ll stop by in the morning and return the key.” Hopefully, I’d have a plan by then. I knew I could call Zoe and Tony, but I didn’t want to tell them how stupid I’d been. How I had been duped.

  I walked into the house I now hated even more. Somebody had gotten rid of the bullet-riddled sofa and chair. I dropped the key on the kitchen counter and sat on the steps to the upstairs. Christ, what was I going to do? It seemed like protective custody was my only option. At least I would have free housing and meals. Just like the guy that was locked up in jail. God, I’m pathetic.

  I sat on the steps for hours. I tried to make plans for now and for after the trial, but my mind kept drifting back to Forde. How easily he had made me believe his lies. He could read me and told me what I wanted to hear. The worst part was that I’d started to believe in what he was telling me. I’d wanted us to be real.

  I should go over and ask to use Mrs. Gentry’s phone. I could call the prosecutor’s office and ask for their help. It would only be for a few weeks. I could take it, the being locked up. The difference between me and Juan Moreno would be that I’d be able to walk away one day. I hoped with everything I had, that he’d never get that opportunity. Because, if he was ever set free, he’d probably kill me.

  I needed to disappear.

  That would be something Forde would know how to do. The stupid thought appeared like an answer to my prayer. I slapped my hand against my forehead hoping to banish him from my mind.

  I was trying to muster the energy to climb the stairs to my bedroom when I heard the locks click on the back door. I felt my body go on high alert, but a part of me knew who was walking through the kitchen. I’d always known he would find me.

  I turned my head and waited for my first glimpse of Forde in the waning light.

  “I remember distinctly telling you that if you ever ran from me, I would come after you.” His voice was low and angry as he stopped about ten feet in front of me and crossed his thick arms over his chest.

  “Congratulations,” I said, mustering sarcasm.

  He pulled out his cell and made a call. “Found her at the rental.” Then he put the phone in his pocket. His focus returned to me. “You don’t just fucking disappear, Lay.” He slowly moved closer.

  I fought to stay still although my body wanted to scoot backward and up the next couple of steps. An irate Forde was frightening, but I didn’t care. I was furious too and hurt. “You can drop all of this, Mr. Forde. I know about the deal you have with my aunt.” My voice was strong although I was shaking on the inside.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” He ran his hand through his hair. I’d never seen him like this, a little out of control.

  “Just, Go.” I bit each word out.

  He closed in, until he was only two steps away. “Tell me why you ran. Everybody was looking for you, Lay. What made you rabbit?”

  I stopped looking at his boots and met his flashing eyes. “I figured it out. Well, your girl Nene dropped a few clues that helped, but now it all makes sense.” My shakes were getting worse.

  “Zoe Alessi said that Nene was a real bitch to you, and Osi reviewed the tape from reception.”

  “Please,” my voice shook. “Please, just stop this lie.” A sob started in my gut, and it tore from my throat. “God Forde, just stop it all. Please.” I was crying in big loud sobs. I couldn’t stop them.

  He fell to his knees in front of me. He cupped the sides of my face. “Lay, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’ve got it wrong.”

  I lifted my hands to his, trying to pry them off of my cheeks. “No.” I was begging now. “Please stop.”

  He pulled me into his chest and circled his arms around me. I grabbed onto his shoulders and continued crying for the dream that was all a big fat lie.

  We stayed like that until I had no more tears. His cheek was resting against my hair, and I hated that it felt so good. I had to get away from him and the feelings he’d generated in my heart. I started to squirm, and he loosened his arms.

  “I’m going into protective custody. Tonight. I’m going to make the call so you don’t have to keep doing this.” I used my arms to push away from him.

  He let me, but it was clear he was allowing me move away. He stood and stretched his back. After giving me a long look, he slid in next to me on the step.

  I scooted over to make room for him. I should have used the opportunity to run, but he’d catch me. Plus, I wanted to hear his explanation.

  “No,” the word came soft but definite.

  “You don’t get to tell me what to do.” I intended to sass him, but my words came out tired and weak.

  “Really, babe? You think you’re going to get away from me again, tonight?” One side of his mouth lifted.

  “Jesus, you can stop this farce anytime.” My voice rose in frustration. “Stop pretending to care. I know she paid you to take care of me.”

  “Is that what you put together from Nene’s words?” He ground out the question.

  I didn’t want to yell anymore. I didn’t have the energy. “You didn’t have to pretend to like me. That was, well, it was cruel. I don’t deserve that, after… after everything.” I looked at my feet. I didn’t like the idea of Forde being cruel. It didn’t sit right with me.

  He put his hand on my linked hands resting on my knees. “Layla, I haven’t lied to you or pretended anything. That isn’t the kind of man I am, and after everything you’ve been through, I would never treat you like that.”

  I kept staring at my feet. What he said kind of made sense. I licked my dry lips. “Then why was Nora at your office? Why did she need to pay you?”

  He didn’t answer right away. I finally lifted my head and looked at him.

  “Nora showed up without an appointment and demanded to see me. I made time for her because she’s your aunt and that means she’s family.” He paused and let that sink in.

  Again, that made sense. Nora had no problem making a scene to get what she wanted. I’d witnessed that too many times before.

  “She got back last night from her cruise and had just seen the house. She was freaked out and worried about you. I told her that you were with me, and you were safe. She tried to give me another check for my people overseeing the clean-up.”

  I stiffened, because all of that sounded like Nora.

  “I told her that things had changed, that you weren’t a client, that you’re my woman. Securing the house was something I did for you, because you still called this dump your place.”

  I felt my eyes go big. Everything he said made sense.

  “I don’t know what the fuck is up with Nene, but after Osi reported what was on the tape, she’s no longer in my employ.”

  “You fired her?” I couldn’t help it, I smiled a little.

  “I thought that you were having a good time with your girl, Zoe, and I was happy for you. But it got late, and I asked Nene if you’d called, although I knew you’d call my cell. She told me that you’d stopped in but had left. Something about her story didn’t feel right. Rick and Osi came in when I was questioning her, and Rick went ballistic. He swore something was up.”

  I continued watching him as he told me his side of the story.

  “Nice move by the way, ditching your cell and your purse. We had trackers on both. It took us a bit to figure that one out.” He flashed a little smile at my smarts. “Didn’t expect you to know to do that. We won’t underestim
ate you again.” The look he gave me made me feel certain that there wouldn’t be another “again”.

  I couldn’t cover my smile at that.

  “Jenn was working the phones, and Zoe told me Nene had been a bitch from the start, unprovoked. The pieces started coming together. Rick and I hit the streets while Osi questioned Nene. It didn’t take him long to get her to crack.”

  I didn’t want to think what Osi did to get Nene to crack. He was tall and of slighter build than Forde and Rick. His chocolate skin was covered in tats. He favored skulls, dragons, and vipers. I’d tried to study them on the day he’d had babysitting duty. I was more than a little afraid of him. He looked at me with eyes that held no emotion. He’d spoken little and had spent most of the day tracking me anytime I moved. It was unnerving to say the least. I spent the majority of that time glued to the corner of the sectional.

  “You need to learn this about me. I won’t lie to you, Lay. I said those things to you, made promises, because I meant them.” His eyes had gone almost black in the waning light.

  “Forde, I don’t think this…this thing, is going to work out between us,” I said, trying to get through to him.

  He moved so fast, that before I could react, his mouth was on mine, kissing me. It wasn’t a nice kiss. It was hard and angry. His hand went to the back of my head, and his fingers dug into my hair, hard. I tried to keep his tongue out of my mouth. He used one hand to press on the hinges of my jaw.

  I had to open, or he was going to drill those fingers through my skin.

  I got pissed—mad that I was falling for him, and that it could make me hurt so much. I’d promised myself I’d never be stupid in love again. I went up on my knees beside him and grabbed a handful of his hair. I took over the kiss for a moment. I shifted my head so I had more access to his mouth, because I wanted to be the one taking for once.

  He let me take over for a bit, and then he pulled me onto his thighs, so that I was straddling him. By this time, our hands were all over one another, and I was making noises deep in my throat.

  When he gripped a fistful of my hair and repositioned my head, it stung. I liked it. I’d never been manhandled like this before, and I wanted more.