Chapter 6
December 12, 3:30 a.m.
Diamond crammed a stack of letters into a cardboard box and tossed it into the back closet of the hallway in Kyle Weeks’ apartment. A few shirts fell off the hangers, covering the box.
Diamond slammed the door shut and stepped over a pair of snow boots strewn about in the hallway. “Damn it, Kyle, what were you thinking?” she said in a sharp tone.
“I wanted to protect Ariel.” Kyle signed.
This was crazy. The worst was when Kyle had called Diamond while she was at the club with Mikey, closing up. Then, when she didn’t answer, he blew up her phone with texts saying, “Come over soon i need to see u.” What’ve I gotten myself into? I’d sniffed out Ariel’s lie the moment I laid eyes on her. She wasn’t like me. She didn’t belong in my world. Why did I let her in? Diamond knew why she kept her lips sealed about the submissive wonder, the undercover cop who’d possessed the ability to trap her boss, Mikey Surace, and bring him down to his knees as he had done to so many other women. Women like Diamond.
Diamond had been a day away from being freed from the Surace family. She’d provided dirt about the family and the club to Ariel, hoping her new friend had everything she needed to help bring them down.
She wanted to shout it from the tinted windows framed into the walls of the exotic strip club that was heavily guarded by henchmen who carried guns and golf clubs. Anyone who was everyone knew that if you got out of line, you’d get the golf club. If you stole something or did anything to disrespect the family, you got two bullets to the head.
Diamond had gotten a hard slap to the face for ‘talking back,’ to Mikey. She knew it’d be a lot worse if Mikey found out she’d helped a cop. Now she stood there with Kyle, trying to keep the letters from Ariel’s investigation from falling into the wrong hands.
Diamond faced Kyle so that he could read her lips. “We both wanted to protect her, but stealing things from her home is not the way to do it. What if the cops want it for evidence? They might need the letters for their investigation.”
She watched as Kyle signed with rapid succession, frustrated. “I’m not worried about the letters implicating me. I’m concerned about you. I promised Ariel I’d watch over you.”
Kyle’s hands became animated as he signed at a quicker pace.
Diamond wrapped her hands over Kyle’s. “I’m glad that Brian knows the truth about his wife, but I need to get you out of here. I overheard Mikey talking to someone who wants you dead. They think you know too much.”
Fear etched Kyle’s face.
Pounding on the front door sent Diamond’s pulse racing. The flashing light from the wireless doorbell illuminated the hallway. Diamond fled back to the closet and covered the box with a sheet.
When Diamond turned around, Kyle was gone. No. “Wait!” She ran out of the room and down the hallway. As she rounded the corner, muffled shots rang out. Diamond halted and ran in the opposite direction, glancing quickly over her shoulder.
As she approached the closet containing the letters, she slid open the French door leading to Kyle’s office, hurried in, and slid the door closed.
Her eyes fell upon all of the modern furnishings that filled the room and a rush of manic energy consumed her. There was no place to hide.
Then she noticed the closed floor length blinds catty-corner from the double pedestal desk. The balcony? She put her hand behind one end of the blinds and searched for the handle to the patio door. Nothing. A thud sounded on the other side of the office door. They’re inside the house. She ran to the other end and found the handle. When she opened the door, a gust of wind blew inside, capturing the blinds in its wake, clattering.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway as Diamond slipped through the patio door and crouched in the farthest corner by the metal railing, trying to remain unseen in the dark. She prayed that no one could hear her heart beating like a bass drum.
She was stranded on a second story balcony with no place to go but down. Boat motors gurgled in the Rock River across the way, accompanied by spotlights. Semi-trucks bounced heavily down Highway 106.
Silent, hot tears flowed from Diamond’s eyes as she ducked her head down, hoping that tonight wouldn’t be her last night on earth. She had to survive. She wanted to live. She didn’t want to die.
Kyle.
Moments later, Diamond heard voices near the patio door. Afraid to look up, she kept her head buried. Even though it was cold outside, she could feel the sweat covering her forehead and soaking her silk shirt as she adjusted her position behind the barbecue grill, trying to block the winds coming off the river.
The patio door opened.
Diamond’s lips quivered.
Heavy footsteps landed on the wooden planks inches from where Diamond hid. Suddenly, Diamond felt a hand touch the top of her head. She fought the urge to scream. Just as suddenly, the hand let her go. “There’s no one here.”
Diamond’s throat tightened. Mikey?
A deep male voice from inside the apartment said, “What about the loose end? You said there was someone else with Kyle.”
Mikey asked, “Do you see anyone else here?”
“No.”
“Then let’s go. We’re wasting time.”
Mikey walked away and went into the house, shutting the patio door behind him. Diamond remained in the corner for several minutes, giving the men enough time to get out of the apartment and down the road, far away from her.
Diamond’s ex-boyfriend who killed people for a living had let her go. Why?
Whatever the reason, she owed Mikey one.
Lily peered through the beveled glass of her home and saw Evan standing on the other side of the door. She opened the door, stood back and let Evan and their black Lab, Max, inside. “Thank for bringing him over.” Max wagged his tail as Lily reached down to pet him.
Evan smiled. “It’s only seven fifteen in the morning. You could’ve spent another night at my place. We’re not doing anything wrong.”
“Spending time at your place is not a good idea. If I stay, then I’m not facing my broken world, and it’s not fair to you. I need to get my life together and figure out what I’m going to do.”
Evan reached for Lily’s hand and squeezed gently. “I didn’t go through what you did, but I was his hostage, and I’d like to be there for you. In the hospital, after we had learned you were pregnant, I told you I loved you and would be there for you. That’s the way it’s going to be.
“Please don’t stay here, in this big old house, alone, reliving what happened. Go get a hotel or something.”
In a way, staying at the house had been almost therapeutic for Lily. She ruminated over what the options she had other than the one she chose on that dreadful night. What triggered Julius’s rage? Was it because Lily told Julius that she wanted a divorce? My colleagues and I were in danger. I had to use deadly force. It’ll be okay. “Max and I will find another place to stay tomorrow.”
Evan pulled Lily into his arms and kissed her. “See you later?”
“In a few hours. I promised Jeremiah I’d be in before my shift so he could get some sleep.”
“Does your partner know you’re pregnant?”
“He suspects, but I haven’t confirmed anything. I’m wondering if he overheard us or saw something?”
“Back at the crime scene,” Evan said. “When you touched your belly.”
Lily exhaled.
A light rapping on the door set Max off barking. As Evan opened the door, the muscles in Lily’s neck tensed. Not today. Standing in a double breasted fur-collared coat, with her hair pinned back in a severe bun, was Lily’s mom, Deena.
Deena’s brown eyes sparkled with determination as she entered the foyer with her arms extended. “You’re so hard to get a hold of these days.”
Her mother’s skin, a shade darker than Lily’s, was flawless. While other women in their fifties fought to rid signs of aging, Deena chalked it up to growing old gracefully.
&nb
sp; Lily hugged her mom and pulled away. She’s up to something. “Evan was just leaving. I need some rest before I go back to work.”
Deena turned and smiled at Evan. “Oh? I didn’t mean to interrupt your intimate time.”
The tips of Evan’s ears turned red.
Heat rushed up Lily’s neck. “You didn’t interrupt anything. Evan stopped by to drop off Max.”
“Goodness gracious. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s perfectly natural. I mean it’s about time Evan and you—”
“Mother, let it go.” Lily waved at Evan as he ducked out, closing the door softly behind him. “Don’t you have to be at work in the next hour?”
“Blanchette Realty practically runs itself. I came to take care of you. I think pregnancy agrees with you. You’re glowing.”
“I don’t need you to take care of me, and it’s more of a dull shine. I’m exhausted.”
Deena’s heels clicked like sharp tacks on the bare floor of the foyer as she moved further into the room. “By the looks of this house, it’s a good thing that I did stop by. You can’t possibly think that living amid construction is a good thing? Especially during this significant time in your life, breathing in dust—”
“Where’s this going, Mother?”
“I came up with a marvelous idea that I think will benefit both you and me.”
I knew it. Here it comes.
Lily shuffled over to the staircase facing the front door. She plopped down on the second to last stair. Max followed and sat next to Lily. “Anytime you do something that you claim will benefit me, I’m the one who gets hurt.”
“Not this time. I promise. I want to make up for all the pain I’ve caused you. My new grandbaby gives us a fresh start.”
“The baby is not a bargaining chip.”
Deena halted and pivoted on her heels. “What did you say?”
“You heard what I said.”
Hurt flashed in Deena’s eyes as her shoulders drooped. “I did. You used the word “the” instead of “my.” Are you having doubts about your pregnancy? You know I won’t allow any member of this family to be separated.”
Lily shot off the stairs. “No more. I’m done. You will not tell me what I can do or not do, say and not say. You’re lucky that I’m even talking to you after what you’ve done to our family.”
Deena stared down at her hands. “Our family is all that I have. I made an egregious error in the past, but if you can’t find it in your heart to forgive me, then so be it.” She looked up and swiped at her wet eyes. “But don’t punish me by taking my grandchild away.”
The thoughts in Lily’s head scrambled to understand. It will always be about her. “Damn it, Mother, for once, if you just took one minute to let go of your control issues you would realize this isn’t about you. It’s about me. I’m carrying a murderer’s child. I killed its father. It’s not the baby’s fault, but it’s tearing me up inside. Got it? Christ’s sake, I’m scared and I don’t know what to do.
“From day one when I was told I was pregnant, I wondered if this child might have some sort of evil side. The whole ‘sins of the father are cast upon the child’ bit freaks me out. This baby is a part of me as well, and I can only pray that he or she takes more after me than Julius.”
Deena squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I had no idea how much pain you were dealing with.” She rushed over to Lily and stood face to face with her daughter. “Then the plan that I have will be perfect. Before you say no, please listen to what I have to say. I want to offer you a chance to restore. Get away from this place and come stay with me until your house is finished.”
“You’re offering to let me stay in a house that I own?”
“I could’ve suggested that you stay at the farmhouse your dad left you.”
“Believe me, I thought about it. But there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to it. Work that I don’t have the time for right now.”
“Look, legally the Colonial is yours. I just live there. Since you felt it necessary to remind me of that, it’s evident that the resentment you’re carrying is worse than I thought. So maybe this will help you.
“I’m hardly home and will try hard not to hover. I suggest staying in the other wing of the house so that you’ll have privacy. What do you think?”
The expression on Deena’s face seemed genuine. Lily suspected that a red light bulb flashed in the distance of her mother’s mind, warning her to back off and let Lily decide. Still, knowing her mother the way she did, she knew that letting go of control wouldn’t be easy.
Deena’s obsession with having the perfect family overruled all common sense and reasoning when it came to her children and, Lily believed, her grandchildren. If you were a Blanchette, you could bet that Deena would be a part of your life, no matter what it took.
*
9:19 a.m.
Mikey Surace watched as his father shuffled into the sunroom and over to his recliner—disappointment etched on his face, his thick eyebrows sagging. His chubby fingertips gripped the arms of the recliner as he sat down and began rocking. “I hope we’re done cleaning house. To have some female cop and another DEA agent infiltrate this club, again, is unacceptable.” He reached into his velvet purple smoking jacket and pulled out a cigar case. “I’m too old for this type of trouble in my business. I’ve got the goddamn pigs breathing down my back.
“First the drugs and then the escort business. How’s a man supposed to make any money?” Pop pounded the arm of his recliner. “I told you I wanted this business to be semi-legit. Sell marijuana, not coke, and sell dating services, not sex.”
Couldn’t Pop understand that the family business he had worked so hard to build was falling apart? “Pop, no man’s going to pay that kind of money to have a female join him for dinner or the opera. They’re going to want a little something on the side.” But not with Jasmine. She was the exception. Mikey had accepted what Jasmine was willing to give; her time. That was where he messed up.
“Believe it or not there are a few lonely gentlemen left in this world. Never hint or say we provide such service. I wanna make my money without any hassles and die in peace.”
“C’mon, Pop, don’t talk that way.”
“You’re getting sloppy. When you don’t follow a direct order, I have to clean up your mess. It’s your fault that we’re going through this. You’re ruining what I’ve worked hard to create for you. A legacy. Something that you’d be proud to say I’m a Surace.
“What the hell were you thinking bringing an underage girl into our world? I didn’t raise you that way.”
“How was I supposed to know Venus used a fake I.D. This isn’t the type of business that one asks too many questions. The girl looked at least twenty-two.”
Pop shook his head. “Next time, ask. Pull a stunt like that again, I’ll cut your balls off myself.”
Mikey looked out the picture window and down at the vast country scenery below that sprawled across fifteen acres. He’d fucked up again. An attempt to make a quick buck backfired, leaving him with another slash against him in his father’s eyes. How could he prove to Pop that he’d be good at handling the family business?
Mikey was his only son, so it’d be an automatic that Pop would hand the family business over to him. Right? Yeah. I’m his son. But what about Quentin? Family friend or not, Pop would never choose him. Or would he?
Well, Pop had given Quentin a position Mikey wanted, telling him about his decision after he’d already done so. That wasn’t fair.
If there was going to be a fight, Mikey was ready. He would do whatever it took to hold onto what he wanted. “Yes, Pop. I understand.”
Pop snipped the tip of his cigar, struck a match and took a few puffs from the stogie. “What about the detective working this case? Can he be paid off?”
Mikey looked at Pop. “No, she can’t. It’s Collin’s daughter.”
“Lily Blanchette.” Thick smoke rose from the cigar. Pop chuckled. “Collin was the only de
tective that showed me any respect during the unfortunate situation in the nineties.” Pop leaned back in his reclining chair. “She’s not to be touched. But she doesn’t get any information either. Make sure you keep your nose clean and that ex-girlfriend of yours keeps her trap shut. Or else.
“Diamond was too close to that cop, and that’s something you should be worried about.”
“I’m not worried,” Mikey said. “She did time for me when the DEA stormed in here the last time. She’ll do anything for me.”
“Then why won’t she marry you? Did you hit her like you did the last one?”
“No, Pop. It’s all on her. She doesn’t want an old fashion family life. I told her she wouldn’t have to work. We’d have a few kids, and she could pick the house of her dreams. She turned me down flat.”
“If a woman turns down a man offering her stability, she’s either stupid or scared. Try harder. I want to go to my grave knowing that another woman sat at our family table, during dinner. One who’ll make my son happy and be a good mother to my grandchildren.
“You’ll keep your promise to me about not hitting women.” Tears threatened at the corners of Pop’s lids. “I want the whole thing for family time. Vacation get-togethers. It’s all about family, son. Everything I have will go to you with no strings attached, but one—keep the Surace name alive. To do that, you have to have a son.”
Mikey’s stomach tightened. Pop’s getting very sentimental in his old age. It was important that he made Pop happy during his final years. But how could he do that without being a disappointment to his dad? If Pop found out what he really thought of settling down, there’d be hell to pay. And he sure as hell wasn’t ready to have a house full of ankle biters or to be tied to one woman.
“I think I’d be proud to call Diamond my daughter-in-law,” Pop said. “Ask her again. If she refuses, then she becomes a loose end. Until then, make sure Quentin keeps an eye on her. Besides, it would’ve made your ma proud. She picked this house because this is where she wanted her grandchildren, by her only son, to grow up.”
Her Final Watch (A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2) Page 5