Truth or Consequences

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “Are you sure it’s all right that I’m tagging along with you?” Natasha asked Malik. They were standing outside of Wiz and Olivia’s house.

  “Of course.” Malik pulled her close and kissed her on top of her head. “They invited us both to dinner.”

  When Natasha went to Malik’s office earlier that day, she had no idea that she would end up spending the whole day with him, enjoying every minute of their time together. During one of their conversations, Malik had questioned her feelings for her ex-husband, asking if she was still in love with Martin. Not only was she not in love with him, but the more time she spent with Malik, she wondered whether she had ever been in love with Martin.

  “Hey you guys,” Olivia greeted when she swung open the door, her short bob haircut bouncing around with every move she made. “Come in. I’m glad you could make it over.” She hugged Natasha, pulling her farther into the foyer.

  “Hey Ollie.” Malik wrapped his long arms around her in a bear hug. “What’s for dinner?”

  “If you call me Ollie again,” she said, her hands on her hips, “you won’t be having anything but water.”

  They bantered back and forth, as Natasha’s gaze traveled around the cozy space. She had always loved Tudor style homes, and the interior of their home was as lovely as the exterior. The architectural detail caught her attention at every turn, from the dark wood trim, to the wrought iron railing leading up to the second floor. Natasha’s gaze landed on the dark timber ceiling beams and she was in love. The home reminded her of the time her parents took them to England for vacation one year.

  “Wiz is in his office,” Olivia said to Malik. “Come on back, Natasha. I’m finishing up dinner.”

  “Your home is beautiful,” Natasha followed Olivia into the kitchen, “did you decorate it yourself?”

  “I did, but technically it’s not my home.” She smirked at the confused look on Natasha’s face. “My actual residence is in D.C. After our divorce, Cameron and I remained friends. I travel so much that I’m rarely in D.C and when I’m in Chicago, which is often, I stay here. It’s a long story.”

  Natasha waved her off. “Trust me, I understand. Until recently, no one would’ve known my ex and I were divorced considering the amount of time we spent together. We knew each other since grade school. So though we were divorced, I still considered him a friend.” Natasha hadn’t heard from Martin since their argument, not that she had expected to.

  “That’s how Cameron and I are. I’ve been in love with him since high school. We married before he joined the military, but when he became a SEAL, things changed. He’d get calls in the middle of the night saying that he had to leave for parts unknown and I couldn’t take it.”

  “Did you think he was cheating on you?”

  “Oh no. That never crossed my mind. I believed him when he’d say they were going wheels up, going on a mission. The part I couldn’t handle was not knowing where he was going or whether or not he’d return in one piece. I don’t know why I thought divorcing him and moving to a different state would make me worry about him any less.” She gave a humorless chuckle. “The life of a SEAL’s wife is not for the weak at heart. Even now, I still worry. With Cameron being a P.I., I never know if he’s going to stumble across a situation that will pose a threat to his life.”

  Natasha couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for her. Being around Wiz and Malik, one would forget that they were just men, not super heroes able to fix and handle any situation.

  “Okay, enough about me. I haven’t seen you since our time in L.A. Have you been doing all right?”

  Natasha nodded. “Yes, for the most part. Missing Alandra, but finally coming to terms that she and Quinn probably were right to disappear. She called the other night, so that helped. I really miss her, especially lately.”

  “I’m sure. I have a sister who I haven’t spoken to in over ten years,” Olivia said as she took the pan of lasagna out of the oven. “We had a falling out and haven’t made amends, though I think about her often.”

  “Mmm, it smells good in here. Is dinner almost ready?” Wiz asked when he walked into the kitchen followed by Malik.

  “Yep, you’re right on time. Everything’s done.” She accepted the kiss he planted on her cheek. “I’m thinking we’ll eat in the dining room.”

  They all helped carry the food into the dining room. They talked, joked, and laughed like old friends. While married, Natasha and Martin socialized some, but with her work schedule, she remembered having to cancel often. Eating and laughing with Malik’s friends made her realize what she’d been missing. She vowed at that moment to be more intentional about hanging out with friends—old and new.

  Wiz tapped his fork lightly against his water glass. “May I have your attention?” he said in all seriousness, as if he were addressing more than three people. “Olivia and I have an announcement to make.” He looked at her lovingly. “I asked her to marry me … again, and she said yes.”

  “Well it’s about damn time,” Malik blurted out and pushed back his chair. Wiz stood as well and they embraced, Malik pounding him on his back. He then went to Olivia. “Ollie, I don’t know why you’ve been torturing my guy all this time, but I’m glad you finally came to your senses.”

  She punched him in the arm. “Whatever. And what’d I tell you about calling me Ollie? You know I hate that name,” she fussed, but accepted his hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “You know I only call you that because you hate it,” Malik teased.

  Natasha congratulated them. “So when is the big day?”

  “Well, I’m heading out of town on a redeye tonight and will be traveling for a couple of weeks before I take a break,” Olivia said. “We’re going to try and nail down a date once I return.”

  “If it were left up to me, we’d be getting married today.” Wiz wrapped his arm around her waist and placed a kiss against her temple.

  “I know,” Olivia said, staring up at him, adoration in her eyes, “but I want us to have a few of our family and friends attend.” She turned to Malik and Natasha. “Whatever we plan won’t be big, but the wedding will be big enough to still require some planning. So, Tasha, I hope you don’t mind if I pull you into the madness.”

  Warmth spread through Natasha at their developing friendship. Her career kept her from making many friends and she looked forward to getting to know Olivia better. “Bring on the madness.”

  They talked more about some of their wedding ideas and Natasha wondered if she’d ever have an opportunity to plan a wedding for herself. She and Martin didn’t have much money when they married, and had a small ceremony in her parent’s backyard. Though her wedding was beautiful, next time, assuming there would be a next time, she would love to have a church wedding. Then again, if she found the right man, she glanced at Malik, she would be willing to go along with anything he wanted.

  “I hate to cut this short,” Olivia said, “but I need to finish packing. You guys are welcome to stay as long as you’d like, but please forgive me for bailing out.” She hugged both Natasha and Malik before heading up the stairs.

  “We probably should get going, too,” Malik stated as they all stood around the dining room table. “Are we still on for tomorrow morning?” he asked Wiz.

  “Yep, but before you guys leave, let’s go to my office. I might’ve found something regarding the case.”

  Malik grabbed hold of Natasha’s hand and kissed the back of it before they followed Wiz. Meeting his gaze, she gave him a small smile, appreciating the little things he did for her. Big and powerful on one hand, sweet and gentle on the other. Natasha knew when she couldn’t stop thinking about Malik, the other day, that she was a goner.

  “Come in and have a seat.”

  Wow, Natasha thought when she stepped into his office, which could have doubled as a command center. She didn’t know what she had expected, but a room full of computers and wall mounted monitors wasn’t it at all.

  Malik led her to the leather sof
a in the middle of the room and sat next to her while Wiz took the seat across from them.

  “It appears that the adoption agencies that the hospital is affiliated with are legit.”

  Thank goodness. Natasha didn’t know what would happen to the hospital if word got out about what Dr. Halsey had done. But the idea that the hospital dealt with underground adoption agencies, where babies were stolen and then sold, scared Natasha to death.

  “Now, Tasha, let me preface the rest of this conversation by saying that I get my data by any means necessary. With that said, many people could lose their jobs if it were found out how I came by the information I’m going to share with you.”

  “Oookay.” She didn’t know how else to respond and part of her was afraid of what he had uncovered.

  “Some of the babies from your hospital, who were taken by the state, did not all arrive into the state’s custody.”

  Natasha sat stunned, sickened by the meaning behind his words. She didn’t know how long she sat there without speaking. It wasn’t until Malik put his hand on her thigh that she was jarred out of her trance.

  “The person who signed out some of the babies in the last two months worked for the state, but was terminated three years ago.”

  “I don’t understand. How could they sign the babies out if …” Natasha’s hand hovered near her mouth, tears filling her eyes. “Someone walked out of the hospital with the babies and no one questioned their credentials? How could that happen?” She fought back the tears that were threatening to fall.

  “The lawyer that gave Dr. Halsey a new identity and a medical license could have easily found a way to duplicate IDs to resemble the one social workers carry. I’m not sure how it was done, but I might have found the social worker involved.”

  “Really? How?” she asked, but neither Wiz nor Malik answered. Natasha remembered reviewing the sign-out sheets for the babies and the signature was impossible to make out.

  “Malik and I are going to pay the social worker a visit.”

  “I want to go with you guys.”

  “Oh, hell no!” Malik roared and stood. Until then he’d been quiet and Natasha wondered if he already knew about the information Wiz was sharing. “That is definitely out of the question.”

  “Why not?” Natasha argued. “This is the hospital’s problem. I should definitely be a part of any conversation that you’re planning to have with someone who stole babies from the hospital! I’m going.”

  “The hell you are.” Malik paced near the sofa while Wiz sat back in his seat as if knowing a battle was coming. “We don’t know who or what we’re dealing with. It’s not safe,” Malik stated when he stopped next to her.

  Natasha closed her eyes. Her fingers massaged her temples. She knew he was right about not knowing who they were dealing with, but this was not their problem.

  Malik reclaimed his seat next to her and minutes ticked by without any of them speaking.

  Natasha dropped her hands to her lap. “I appreciate the work that you both are doing regarding this case,” she looked from Wiz to Malik, “but this is the hospital’s business. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be this involved.” When neither of them spoke, only stared at her, she figured she was wasting her time. They were used to doing whatever they wanted to do. She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m starting to think that this goes deeper than you trying to find out if foul play was involved in your friend’s death,” Natasha said to Malik. “Who was she to you? I assume someone very special.”

  “A friend,” he said without missing a beat. “So yeah, she was special. The other reason we’re digging for answers is because Rosalyn, her sister, couldn’t get answers from the hospital or the state. She wants to know what happened to her sister’s baby.”

  Natasha sensed there was more to it than what he was sharing, but if she were Rosalyn, she’d want answers, too. Thankfully, Rosalyn hadn’t gone to the media with her concerns, and now Natasha was thinking maybe it was good that Wiz and Malik were looking into the situation.

  Malik sat back against the sofa, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “Tasha, maybe it’s not a good idea for Wiz to keep you in the loop. You’re legally bound to the hospital and have to share what you know.”

  “What are you saying, Malik?”

  “I’m saying that because we don’t know who all of the players are. The more you learn, the more your life can be in danger.” He looked at Wiz. “I think going forward we should give her info on an as needed basis.”

  “That’s not acceptable,” Natasha snapped. “I want to be kept in the loop even if it means I don’t share everything with the hospital. Right now, I want answers and I want to make sure that whatever Dr. Halsey and Tessa were involved in has stopped.”

  “I think she’s right,” Wiz chimed in, and Natasha was glad that he was on her side. “Just in case others at the hospital are involved, I think it would be better for her to have some knowledge of what we’ve found. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of all of this soon.”

  Sighing, Malik ran his hand over his mouth and down his goatee. “I don’t know. After what happened the other night at the Coffee House, I don’t want Natasha in the line of fire again. Besides, if she goes back to the hospital with answers, somebody is going to wonder where she’s getting her information. And they’ll wonder if she knows more.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She squeezed Malik’s hand, appreciating his concern. “Wiz, please keep me in the loop and just let me know when I can share information and when I should hold off.” Malik kept a hold of her hand, but didn’t say anything. She felt she knew him well enough to know that the subject wasn’t over, but in the meantime, she wanted to know everything Wiz knew. Yet she had a feeling they probably wouldn’t share everything. “Did you find out anything else?”

  “Yeah,” Wiz said slowly, tension in his voice. “I have a short list of underground adoption agencies.” Wiz pulled a sheet of paper from a file folder on the table. “Do any of these names ring a bell: Angel Love Adoption Agency, My Child Adoption Agency, Sweet Haven Adopt—”

  “Oh my God … the second one.” Her hand flew to her mouth, and relief spread through her body. She had lost hours of sleep trying to remember the name of the agency, knowing that information was key to finding who was behind Dr. Halsey’s death. “How in the world did you find underground agencies?”

  Wiz stared at her, the expression on his face serious enough to make her wonder if he would answer her question.

  “I know people in low places.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “If Natasha means anything to you, you need to tell her about the baby,” Wiz said when they stepped onto the elevator, heading down to the underground parking garage at Malik’s agency. “You don’t want her to find out from someone else.”

  Malik narrowed his eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not the father? If she finds out about this kid, it’s going to be because your ass keeps bringing that shit up!”

  Wiz chuckled and they climbed into his Land Rover. They were on their way to pay Rosalyn a visit to see if she knew anything about Susan planning to put her baby up for adoption. Wiz also wanted to go through her bedroom and most recent journals to see if he could find anything that might help with the case.

  “Seriously, man, when you two were over the other night and she asked why we were working so hard to find these missing babies. I thought for sure you were going to come clean.”

  “There’s nothing to come clean about. The kid ain’t mine! Why don’t you just drop it?”

  “Fine. I’ll let it go, but secrets have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass.”

  “So are you talking from personal experience? Is that what this is all about? You have a kid out there that you haven’t told us about and you’re transferring your fears onto me?”

  “You know good and damn well I don’t have any kids out here. I don’t know how you came up with that nonsense. Unlike you, w
ho has been with more women than you can count, there is only one woman in this world who will ever be able to claim me as the father of her child.”

  Wiz was right about one thing, a number of women could claim Malik as the father of their kids, but none would be able to prove it. He’d made plenty of mistakes in his day, but not one included making babies. It was definitely time for him to change his ways and stick with one woman.

  Malik was not looking forward to seeing Rosalyn again. She reminded him too much of Susan, and he was ready to put Susan and all the others behind him. But first he needed to find her child and prove that it wasn’t his.

  “Man, thanks for all of your work with this situation,” Malik said to Wiz as they climbed out of Wiz’s truck. “This whole thing is turning into more than I had expected.”

  “No problem, man. Once you get my bill, you probably won’t be thanking me,” he cracked.

  Malik lifted a blue recycle bin that blocked the walkway and set it next to the building. Despite the poor condition of the exterior, the flowers along the pathway looked as if they had recently been planted.

  Seconds after Malik pushed the intercom, the door buzzed for them to enter. They climbed the stairs to the second floor, skirting around kids playing cards on the step. When they reached Rosalyn’s door, it swung open.

  “Hello,” she greeted, her curly hair hanging loose around her shoulders. Today she seemed more pulled together than when Malik had first met her weeks ago. “Please come in.” She stepped away from the door to let them pass.

  “Rosalyn, this is the private investigator I told you about, Cameron Miller. He’s going to ask a few more questions to see if he can assist you in your search for the truth.”

  “Don’t you mean our search? Yes, I want to find out whether or not foul play had anything to do with my sister’s death, but if her baby … your baby is alive, I would think you’d want to know.”

  Malik exchanged a look with Wiz, not missing the smirk on his friend’s face. His first thought was to tell her to quit calling it his kid, but out of respect, he kept his mouth shut.