Twisted Lies 4 (Dirty Secrets)

by Sedona Venez

  “Pick whatever you want and put it on the empty rack. Cisco will bring everything upstairs and set up a fitting room for you.”

  I dug into my pocket, pulling out my cell and aiming it at her. “Zuri, smile and hold up the dress. I’m sending Core a photo of what his money is buying.”

  Zuri struck a vixen pose. “Cha-ching!” she chirped as I took the photo and then hit send.

  “I can’t wait to see Core’s face when he gets his charge card statement,” I crowed before shoving my cell back into my pocket.

  Zuri started putting clothes on the empty rack. “Nothing fazes him. Believe me,” she answered while looking through the other outfits on display.

  “Fill the rack up, sweetie.” I urged. “You deserve it.” I winked at her.

  “Sin!” Cisco exclaimed, rushing over to me.

  Dressed in black jeans, a crisp blue shirt, and his signature old Rolex, he barely paused before closing the space between us and then yanking me into his arms. I hugged him back without any hesitation.

  “Sin, don’t be angry,” Cisco muttered into my ear before pulling away and clasping my hands. “This is not my fault,” he finished as his eyes swept over me from head to toe. At thirty-six, he still looked boyish, but he had intense dark eyebrows that conveyed his seriousness. He released my hands, dramatically fanning himself with his hand. “Ay, Dios mío! I really don’t need all this drama today.”

  I knew from experience that when Cisco started spouting Spanish, shit in his world had hit the damn fan.

  I arched a brow. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Sin!” a woman’s voice exclaimed. “Jesus. I’m so happy to see you. Listen, I need—”

  “Tabitha?” I cut her off.

  What. The. Fuck?

  Just a couple weeks ago, we had been at the McKay Club, laughing and drinking. Gone was the polished veneer of Tabitha Thorp, celebrity designer. Now she looked haggard. Her face was gaunt. The head-to-toe black ensemble she wore looked at least two sizes too big and accented her now-unattractive, rail-thin body. Her hair appeared frizzy and unwashed. Essentially, she was a hot mess.

  I watched in disbelief as she swayed toward me with a huge grin on her face like we were besties, when all I wanted to do was cunt-punt her ass across the damn room. I was so glad Cisco’s was an appointment-only boutique, which was now empty except for the four of us, because I was about to go Brooklyn on Tabitha’s scheming, conniving ass.

  Tabitha grinned. “Yes, it’s me, darling. In the flesh.”

  Cisco had told me about the Manhattan gossip mill running rampant with news that Tabitha, my former mentor and longtime friend, was back in town and frantically calling around, begging friends for money. The last place I’d expected to see her was here. Well, not after she’d abruptly shut down her boutique, disconnected her cell, and left New York without a trace.

  “So the rumors are true. You’re back in town and begging for money?” I directed at Tabitha.

  “Begging?” Tabitha scoffed. “Hardly. I’m asking for generous donations just to tide me over.” Tabitha sniffed disdainfully. “You see, I’ve run into a bit of trouble. And I’m reaching out to good friends like you and Cisco in my time of need.”

  With every haughty syllable she’d uttered, rage raced through my veins at her gall to act like everything between us was the same. It wasn’t and never would be again.

  All I saw was red.

  “Trouble?” I hissed at Tabitha while steadying myself, using Zuri’s frame as I hopped from one foot to the other, pulling off my red-bottomed shoes and tossing them aside. “You don’t know what trouble is, you backstabbing bitch!” I lurched for Tabitha as I demanded, “Cisco. Move.”

  “Ay, Dios mío!” he whispered. “No!”

  Zuri quickly wrapped her arms around me, restraining me.

  “Zuri! Let me go,” I commanded.

  “No,” Zuri answered while turning me around to face her. “Lord knows I like a good catfight, but this bitch is not worth your time.”

  “Bitch?” Tabitha screeched.

  “You heard me.” Zuri taunted Tabitha, still eyeing me. “Sin, don’t do this. Take a deep breath. Walk away from this shit.”

  She was right. Tabitha wasn’t worth the effort or the scene I would be making by beating her ass. But there was no way I was leaving that room without a fucking explanation from Tabitha.

  Nope. I want—no, need—damn answers.

  Zuri stared at me. “I need to make a call. So are you calm and collected now?”

  I nodded.

  Cisco’s face was flustered when he asked, “You okay?”

  I nodded.

  He slowly stepped aside, giving Tabitha the evil eye. Zuri pulled out her cell and started texting rapidly but still kept an eye on Tabitha and me.

  I squared off with Tabitha. “Okay, Tabitha, let’s get this ugliness over with. Why didn’t you tell me that my investor was McKay?”

  When Tabitha had called me out of the blue, all excited about one of her business connections being willing to provide financing in exchange for a small percentage of my future profits, I had been skeptical but desperate for funding to expand my business and start my new clothing line. So I’d just blissfully signed the contract. The ink hadn’t even dried on the document when two million dollars was deposited into my business account with the promise of another million in six months. Little had I known that the investor was Core McKay or that I had stupidly given away ninety-seven percent of my business.

  “What difference did it make who he was?”

  “You know why. And you know me. I would never have gone into business with a man like Core.”

  “Hey!” Zuri protested. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked with narrowed eyes.

  “Oh, don’t get all snippy,” I responded. “You and I know that I’ve changed my original viewpoint about him. But I’m keeping it real.”

  Given what I’d heard about Core through the grapevine before I met him—that he’d built his billion-dollar empire from illegal activities—I never would’ve been desperate or stupid enough to pick him as my investor.

  I eyed Tabitha. “Now, back to our conversation. Why did you hide the truth that my secret investor was Core McKay?”

  “It’s complicated,” Tabitha replied sharply.

  Heat flushed through my body. “Complicated?” A bitter tang coated my mouth. “It seems pretty straightforward to me. You steered me into a deal you knew I wouldn’t have taken if I had known it involved Core. And given our former long-standing friendship, in my eyes, that was a really fucked-up thing to do.”

  For fuck’s sake, she had been my trusted mentor, and I’d thought she was my friend. That type of betrayal was not something I could just sweep under the rug and walk away from without finding out why.

  “I didn’t make you do anything, Sin.” Tabitha snarled. “I made a business introduction; that’s all. You signed the deal.”

  I blew out a noisy breath. “Let’s be clear. I’m not blaming you for my stupidity in signing the damn contract without looking at the fine print.” I pointed to myself. “That fucked-up move is all me. But damn, I trusted you as my friend. You could have been straight with me and told me Core McKay was the secret investor. You owed me that much.”

  “I don’t owe you shit.” Tabitha jutted out her chin.

  I tilted my head. “Don’t make me hurt you, Tabitha.” I countered. “Answer the fucking question. Why didn’t you tell me the truth about McKay?”

  I was like a dog with a bone, and there was no way in hell I was going to stop until I had the answers I’d waited so long to hear from her.

  Tabitha’s eyes darted around. “I can’t talk about this,” she whispered. “You don’t know him like I do. He’ll…” She swallowed hard.

  I arched a brow. “He’ll what?”

  Is she actually scared of Core? No. That’s bullshit. She was stalling. Playing games with my head by trying to avoid telling m
e the truth.

  Tabitha’s mouth formed a thin line. I knew she wasn’t going to budge on her stance. So I decided to come at her from another angle.

  “What’s your relationship with Core? Are you friends?” I demanded.

  I suspected the answer was no because they just didn’t seem like the type of people to run in the same social circles. Plus, there was something about how Tabitha had reacted when she mentioned that she couldn’t talk about Core; she looked terrified.

  “Sin!” Zuri interjected.

  I threw up a not-now hand. “Mind your damn business, Zuri,” I retorted.

  “No,” Tabitha drawled. “Core and I are not friends.”

  Warning bells started ringing in my head.

  I pushed on with my inquisition. “Let me get this straight. Everything you told me about your business connection, Core, was a lie?”

  “Not exactly,” Tabitha said.

  What the fuck is going on?

  “Not exactly? What the hell does that mean?” I was pissed at the fucking trust and friendship violation. “Did you even know Core?”

  “I knew him, but we’re not friends.” She paused. “We grew up in the same neighborhood.”

  Okay. That I believe.

  From what Core had told me about his difficult childhood and what I knew about Tabitha—that she had grown up in the rough streets of Brooklyn, doing things she wasn’t really proud of—her words, not mine—it made sense that they knew each other from years ago. But what didn’t make sense was how or why they’d reconnected over my business.

  “And?” I prompted.

  “And what, Sin?”

  I huffed with exasperation. “You would have me believe that you just happened to reconnect with Core—a man you weren’t even friends with? And he just happened to be interested in going into business with me?”

  She threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t have time for this fucking interrogation. I have shit to do, so let’s get to the damn point. Core approached me about meeting you. He had money. You needed money. Problem fucking solved.”

  My body stiffened. “Wait. Core approached you? Why?”

  “Ask him. Now, are we fucking done?”

  “Tabitha, you’re such a bitch to everyone!” Cisco snapped.

  “Oh, shut up, Cisco,” Tabitha replied.

  I glanced over at Zuri. She was still tapping furiously on her cell.

  Who the hell is she texting while this reality show is in midswing?

  “Look, Sin,” Tabitha retorted, pressing her hand into my arm.

  “Don’t touch me,” I roughly shot back.

  Her fingers dropped away from me.

  Tabitha stepped closer, whispering in my ear, “I’m not who you need answers from. You need them from Core.”

  I frowned at her words even though I knew she was right. There was no way he was going to squirm away from my questions tonight.

  Tabitha carried on. “All I’m asking for is some money to tide me over until I can get myself together.”

  “You’re really a piece of work, Tabitha.” I looked her up and down. “After what you did to me, you actually think I’m going to give you money?” I snorted.

  “Why not?” Tabitha whined with a sullen look on her face.

  “Because you probably sold me out to the first bidder—Core.” I jammed my hands on my hips. “You already got your penny out of this pound of flesh. Now get the hell out of my damn face.”

  Tabitha twisted her expression into an ugly mask of hate. “I mentored you. You were my protégé. I showed you the fucking ropes.”

  “That makes what you did to me even more tragic,” I pointed out.

  “I was the one who took you under my wing and helped you make all the right connections!” Tabitha screamed.

  “Like Core?” I sneered.

  “I made you.”

  I felt nauseous from the way Tabitha was looking at me. It was The Silence of the Lambs creepy. Like she wanted to rip off my skin and wear it like a fucking fur coat. Tabitha was a selfish, self-serving cunt who only cared about herself and money.

  Fuck! Jade was right all along. Tabitha is jealous of my success.

  “You made me?” I arched a brow. “What the fuck are you smoking?” My nostrils flared with anger. “I worked hard to get to where I am today. It was my blood, sweat, and tears.”

  “You fucking owe me, Sin!”

  “I don’t owe you shit. And anything you’ve done for me, I’ve paid back threefold by allowing your lazy, washed-up designing ass to sell my clothing at your bargain basement boutique.”

  “You little…” Tabitha sputtered.

  I backed her into a clothing rack. “I dare you to say it.”

  She swallowed hard.

  “Give me a reason to go Brooklyn on your ass,” I hissed, shoving her head back. “And just so we’re perfectly clear, you are officially on my To Be Shanked with a Dull, Rusty Knife list. So stay clear of me from this point forward.”

  Someone cleared their throat loudly. “Are we interrupting something?”

  My head snapped around to see my clients and friends, Ariana and Erika, looking on with wide eyes.

  “Nope,” I answered. “Nothing to see here.”

  I snidely looked at Tabitha before stomping over to my handbag and then shoes, picking them up before walking away toward the stairs, which led to the dressing lounge.

  Tabitha had destroyed years of friendship, and I was pissed and damn hurt. But I was also grateful that the truth about her loyalty to me had finally been revealed. Now my blinders had been yanked off. Now my eyes were wide open. And even though she had answered some questions, there were still so many left unanswered. But there was one thing that was apparent; Core had actively sought me out via Tabitha. But why? It didn’t make any sense.

  Why would a billionaire want to buy my fledgling fashion business?

  It was as if he’d used Tabitha just to get to me.

  No. That couldn’t be right. My conclusion made no sense.

  Before meeting Core, I had been in debt and hadn’t even had a mainstream clothing line. Yes, I’d had a strong cult following, but in order to take my business to the next level—fashion mainstream status—I’d needed money and an investor to get my clothing line into all major retailers. Frankly, from a financial perspective, I’d needed Core more than he could ever need me.

  I bit my bottom lip. Still… there was something that needled me about the fact that Core had asked Tabitha to vouch for him.

  I pulled out my cell and tapped his name on my contacts list, instantly calling him. My eyes narrowed when it went to voicemail.

  Why is his phone off?

  “Core, call me now,” I instructed before ending the call and marching up the stairs.

  I didn’t like secrets… especially potentially dirty ones.

  No. I have to address this shit straight on.

  My chest tightened.

  But am I making a big deal out of nothing? Maybe Core’s rationale will be simple and straightforward…

  But, if it is… then why was Tabitha petrified to talk about the subject?

  IT WAS SUNDAY MORNING, AND I was still in the cell with my team, Ram and Rocco, and our prisoner, Jeff.

  I had all the information I needed from Jeff Barolo, who was tied to the chair, his body slumped against the bindings that tethered him to the seat. His muscles were still twitching from the electrical current I’d tortured him with. And I felt no guilt about Jeff’s predicament.

  Jeff was a bottom-feeder and Bigsby’s errand boy, and they both dealt in human trafficking. The brutal realities of human trafficking were deplorable and destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of women like Lexis every day.

  Pulling off my black latex gloves, I tossed them into a black garbage bag. Now that Lexis and the women had been saved today when Kevin arrived at the Greenwich address Jeff had given us, we could move on with our Bigsby mission.

  Damn. I still can’t believe it. Aft
er all these years, I might finally have the ammunition to take down Bigsby. Shit.

  The ledger combined with an actual recording of Bigsby bragging about his kills would be ironclad evidence.

  Impatiently, I was waiting for Kevin to get back to us, confirming the existence of Jeff’s evidence—a secret recording of Bigsby bragging about killing several people—that he’d stored in the cloud.

  My cell rang; I put it on speaker so Ram and Rocco could hear, too. “Did you get it?”

  “Yes. Just like Jeff insisted, there was a password-protected audio file. After unlocking it, I cleaned it up a bit.”

  “But it’s legit?” I asked. “Nobody’s tampered with it?”

  “Yes,” Kevin replied. “I checked. It’s authentic. I had my computer program compare Jeff’s file against a recording of Bigsby’s mayoral debate. No anomalies between the two were found. You ready to hear the shit or what?”

  “Go,” I snapped, sitting down on a chair.

  The recording that Jeff had made started…

  “I’m not fucking around with you, Jeff,” Bigsby shouted.

  The recording was peppered with the sounds of scuffling and grunts of Jeff being roughed up by him.

  Bigsby demanded, “Where the hell is Ben Vargos?”

  I snorted. Dead… by my orders. There was no way in hell I could let a piece of shit like Ben back on the street after we’d interrogated him for intel that pointed us right back to Bigsby and Jeff.

  Jeff’s high-pitched voice screamed in the recording, “I told you I don’t know. I swear.”

  Bigsby barked, “If I find out you’re lying to me…”

  “I swear. I’m not.” Jeff huffed and puffed as if Bigsby was choking him. “Just like you asked, I tried to find him, but he’s disappeared. No one knows where he is.”

  I nodded. Truth… Max and Rocco buried him somewhere he won’t be found.

  Bigsby bellowed, “You think he’s the one talking to the Feds about me?”

  “Probably,” Jeff stammered. “How else would they know you’re laundering money through Pomtonic? Someone is talking.”

  “Yeah! Someone’s snitching all right,” Bigsby snarled. “It could be Vargos or… you, asshole!”

  I arched a brow. Bigsby was right. Someone was dropping a dime on him. But it wasn’t Ben; he was dead. And it couldn’t be Jeff; that fucker was terrified of Bigsby.