The gate opened and the computer said, “You are five minutes early for your appointment. Please park your vehicle in the yellow area and proceed inside of the home to be given further instructions. Have a good night, Mr. Darkore.”
He followed the instructions and walked up to the door. As soon as he stood on the entrance mat, there was a strange clicking noise and the door opened in front of him. No one was there and when he stepped in, the door closed automatically enclosing him in darkness.
Lights at his feet came on and he was taken aback by the floor being glass. Under his feet was an aquarium of huge goldfish. The beauty of it was astounding. More lights flicked on and another door opened to show him he was just standing in a foyer.
The same computer voice spoke. “Mr. Heart cannot meet with you today, Mr. Darkore, but proceed up the stairs and go to the second room to the right.”
Inside the home was just breathtaking. Before him was a large hallway filled with exotic and tropical plants. This led passed white thick oak doors that was closed and a spiral staircase to a large great room that had a three floor high water fall in the middle of it. The large pond the water fell into was filled with the same fish and the area was decorated like a normal living space complete with a massive kitchen sitting and eating area for at least thirty people.
Walking up the stairs, he followed the computer’s instructions. He heard the grunting coming far in advance and it sounded as if someone was getting seriously hurt.
A black man about six feet seven and big as a small house was just tackling a black woman no bigger than Maxine and even more lithe.
Philippe was horrified as this giant slammed the woman in the wall. Rushing to help her, Philippe grabbed the man by the shoulder, turned him around and started to punch him in the face, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed by the woman with incredible strength. Before he knew it, Philippe was flipped on his back and kicked in the sides.
By the woman!
Both the giant and the woman looked down at him with smirks on their lips.
The giant had a horrible scar going up the left side of his face from his chin to forehead as if some monster with vicious teeth had tried to bite half his face off. The left eye was white and the other was pitched black.
The woman had sultry dark features and murky sensual eyes that were direct.
“Mr. Darkore, you’re early,” she said. “And I was winning.”
Philippe could barely breathe from the intensity of the pain in his back. What the hell was going on here and what the hell had he involved himself in?
“Help him up, Manny,” the woman ordered.
“Vicious, Onyx,” the grotesque man reprimanded in a thick voice, shaking his head at the smaller woman.
“Okay,” she said simply taking off the wrist braces that she wore. “Next time, I’ll let him clobber that beautiful face of yours. Maybe he’ll straighten it back up, Manny.”
The thick man did a weird snort/growl and reached a large hand out to Philippe. “Mandingo Heart, Mr. Darkore.”
Philippe let the man help him up, but looked wary at both of them. “I was instructed to meet a Lethal Heart.”
The woman snapped her fingers and the giant came over to her. She said some words real low and the giant left the room. She turned to Philippe and looked him up and down from head to toe. “I’m Onyx Heart, Lethal Heart’s sister and vice president of his company. My brother is indisposed and I’ll be handling his business until he either turns up or shows up.”
“He’s missing?”
That smirk returned. “I didn’t say missing.” She crinkled her nose as if she were perturbed by something. “Lethal is never missing unless he wants to be. My brother asked me to take this meeting and Lethal hardly ever ask for anything, so I take that he really wants to help you or he needs to pay back a favor. My guess it’s the favor part and Red is using him to get something from you.” She stepped closer to him and Philippe couldn’t help checking her out too.
In an all black spandex suit that fit her body like a second skin, black leather calve length boots with a four inch thick heel and her black, mid back length hair drawn up in a tight pony tail that had to be taking away some circulation in her brain, Onyx left little to the imagination. She was a well built confident black woman that could kick butt and take names way too easily.
“Turn around,” she ordered when Philippe winced at the pain in his side.
Warily, he did. She pulled up his shirt and inspected his back and side where she had attacked. “I didn’t break any bones, but when you get home, I suggest you take two pain pills. I’d give you something stronger, but you probably wouldn’t wake up until next week.”
Moving back in front of him, Onyx said, “Who do you need found, Philippe?”
He bristled not remembering giving her permission to use his first name. “Someone told me, Mr. Heart was the best in the business at finding people. I need the best, but I need absolutely top secret discretion as well. I was told I could be guaranteed both if I worked with Mr. Heart, personally.”
“From the size of the check you wrote, I bet you do want to be discrete.” She took off her other wrist brace and took a towel off the wall to wipe down the sweat from her body. “But all those zeros told me you also want fast. How fast?”
“Yesterday.”
She didn’t flinch. “Follow me.”
Philippe was led down the stairs to the thick white oak doors. She entered the white room and pointed to a couch. “Would you care for something to drink, Philippe?” she asked getting a bottle of water out the refrigerator behind the bar.
“No. I just want to know that even in Mr. Heart’s absence I can get what I want. Otherwise I’ll take my money somewhere else.”
“You haven’t given me anything to go on. I could already know where she is.”
“How’d you know I was looking for a woman?” He had made no mention as to why he needed the Hearts services when he had received this information.
She smirked. “I know a lot, Philippe.” After taking a long swig of her water, she said, “Details, sir.”
“I have is a name. Maxine Moore.”
“A name? That’s it? And you want yesterday service?”
Philippe didn’t much like her attitude and he was reluctant to give out what more he knew about Maxine to the cocky bitch. “I don’t know much about her. I think she works at a design firm, but most likely in some low position. I saw things about her, and was told things, but I don’t remember much. I need to know everything though.”
She looked at her watch. “You’ve got twenty minutes to tell me what you know, Philippe, because I’ve got another appointment to get to in Downtown Detroit. Give me twelve hours and I’ll let you know if I will cash your check.”
Philippe looked at his watch. It was six in the evening. Twelve hours meant by the afternoon, Onyx could give him everything he needed to know about Maxine Moore.
CHAPTER 24
So consumed with what she was doing, Maxine didn’t realized it was nine at night and it felt like she was the only one in the office.
Gathering all her items, she started out the office until she saw the door to Mr. Bianchi’s office was on and voices were coming from it.
“…don’t know the danger he’s in and doesn’t care. That’s why everyone is worried about it. You think this move to Detroit is for Momma’s health, seriously? It was the only way to convince him to get away from Chicago,” Mr. Bianchi was saying, but when Maxine stepped at the doorway, she didn’t see anyone else in the office and Mr. Bianchi wasn’t on the phone.
He looked at her. “Ms. Moore, you’re still here?”
Flushing for being caught at being nosey, she said, “Yes, sir.”
“Please come in for a moment,” he urged pleasantly.
Maxine was wondering if this man was losing his mind. Was he having a conversation with himself. Stepping in the office, she said, “I didn’t mean to bother you. I rarely see this office ope
n this late and I didn’t know you were…” crazy? No, that would be horrible to say. “I didn’t know you were busy.”
“How’s the project going, Ms Moore?” he inquired as if she didn’t sound embarrassed for catching him talking to himself.
“Ms. Moore?” a sensual voice said in the corner of the office.
Maxine turned startled at the female’s voice. Standing by the dark furniture was a black woman that blended well with the dark colored furnishings. She seemed to just appear out of nowhere and Maxine now knew her boss wasn’t crazy, this woman was just good at blending in like a chameleon.
“Y-Yes.” Feeling uncomfortable under the hard dark stare the women gave her. The woman’s glare was almost more ominous than even Sheriff Heart’s.
“What’s your first name?” the woman demanded to know stepping to her.
Mr. Bianchi cleared his throat. “Maxine, I’d like you to meet, Onyx. She’s about to work on some business in Chicago for my family.”
“Maxine… Moore?” Onyx asked again and was actually getting upset about it.
Why this woman was so fascinated by her name was a mystery to her, but Maxine composed herself and outstretched her hand. “Yes, that’s my name.”
Onyx shook her hand in a very firm manly grip and looked her over from head to toe. “That’s a pretty necklace, Maxine Moore.”
Protectively, Maxine pushed the necklace that had come out in her disarray to hurry and get out the office. “Thank you.” The woman didn’t make her feel comfortable at all. It was as if she were checking her out like a man would. Onyx’s pitch black eyes seemed to look right through her and know everything that Maxine had ever did in her life and the feeling was just too disturbing. This woman had a menacing presence and used it to intentionally make people ill at ease.
Turning to Mr. Bianchi, Maxine answered his latter question, “The project is coming along fine. I should go. Good night.”
“Good night, Ms. Moore,” Mr. Bianchi said.
Maxine didn’t bother to say anything else to that strange woman, but she could still feel those dark eyes boring into her back making the old scars feel new again.
* * ***
Arriving at her apartments, she saw the familiar black Impala parked in front of her place before she got out her car.
When she stepped up to her door, Sheriff got out of his car and looked at her suspiciously. “You’ve been a bad girl, Maxine.”
“I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, Lieutenant Heart,” she said tiredly, opening up her door.
He came up to her. “Well, I’m not inclined to care right now. I have a job to do and I need questions answered tonight, Maxine.”
She invited him inside her apartment, but just as she was about to follow, she had a strange sense that someone was out on the street watching her. Quickly, getting inside, she didn’t feel safe until she was inside her own apartment and all the locks on the door were secured.
“Who are you trying to lock outside, Maxine?” Sheriff asked.
Gasping scared, she had forgotten he was there. Facing him, she tried to look as if it were nothing. “The streets of Detroit are dangerous, Lieutenant Heart,” she said obviously. “You should know that as an officer of the law.”
“I know someone’s been giving me a load of bull shit. One moment you say you want to find your friend, and the next you lie to my face. So I have to ask, which one do you love more, your friend, or whomever you’re trying to protect.”
Moving away from the door and putting her work items by her desk, just too busy herself, she offered Sheriff something to drink.
“I didn’t come here for a pleasant visit, Maxine. Are you going to give me the answers that I need, or will I have to search for the truth?”
“I’ve told you the truth. You’re supposed to be searching for Lisa’s killer. This has nothing to do with me,” she disputed.
He grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him. “This has everything to do with you.”
She screamed as he ripped open her blouse and pulled up the necklace to her face without taking out her neck. “Stop it!” she cried in a panic.
“When this necklace you’re wearing is the same as the one another victim was wearing two months ago who was laying on the tracks right around the same place that Lisa’s body was found?” Letting her go, she stumbled to the couch. “It definitely has to do with you, Maxine.”
Angrily, Sheriff demanded moving over her as she fell down on the couch, “Now tell me where you got that necklace!”
CHAPTER 25
The knock at the door caught them both off guard. Sheriff pulled his gun out and she stood up.
“Where you expecting guests?” he whispered.
Maxine shook her head and Sheriff motioned for her to stay back, while he went to look out the peephole. After a second, he huffed and cursed under his breath, putting his gun away.
Opening the door just a crack, he barked, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Open the fucking door, cousin,” a woman barked in the hallway.
Sheriff opened the door to let Onyx in.
“What are you doing here?!” Sheriff and Maxine yelled.
Onyx gave Maxine that heated look she had given her earlier before she turned to Sheriff. “What are you doing here, cousin?”
“Minding my own damn business, Cousin,” he growled in response.
“Shouldn’t you be at home with your new girlfriend?” Onyx taunted.
“Excuse me,” Maxine said tired and quite put out. “I would like to know, why are you following me?”
“I got nothing better to do with my time, Maxine Moore,” Onyx snickered sarcastically. “Obviously I need something from you.”
Not believing the same woman from the office was now standing in her living room, Maxine accessed the previous conversation previously between Sheriff and Onyx. “Are you two related?”
“Unfortunately.” Onyx snorted surveying the room and then plopped in the closest chair as if she had been invited. “Enough small talk, I need answers fast, Maxine Moore.”
“Stand in line,” Sheriff said.
Maxine sighed. “Answers about what?” She looked directly at Onyx.” I don’t even know you. We just met less than an hour ago.”
“But we know someone very wealthy who is willing to pay a pretty penny to find you. A very high price is on your head and I want to know why he needs to find you and why anyone else can’t know he wants to find you.”
The only person who had a lot of money and would need to find her was … “Philippe hired you to find me?” Maxine asked.
“Who’s Philippe?” Sheriff asked.
Maxine fought the feelings raging up in her. In training she had learned that at no time were either slave or master allowed to see each other outside of the compound privately and no effort should be made to see each other. Punishment would result for both parties if either was caught. Expulsion from the society could result for both.
Why would Philippe want to see her knowing he would get caught? What did he care that she was raped? He stood there and watched her doing absolutely nothing.
Although his face was unsympathetic, there was a brief torn look in his eyes.
Still, he did nothing. ‘He couldn’t have, Maxine. They would have seen the value in you. It could have been worse for you,’ her own self conscious reason.
Could his nonchalant stance been to save her? Was she just trying to make excuses for his coldness?
The room started to spin and Maxine went to the back of her couch to hold on to something so she could get her thoughts straight. Sheriff and Onyx watched her intently as if her reaction to all of this would give them the answers they needed.
“How much did he pay you?” Maxine demanded to know gathering her wits about her.
“Fifty thousand and change,” Onyx answered.
Even Sheriff whistled at the amount. “Who the hell is this Philippe and does he also have something to do wit
h necklace?”
Onyx stood up with a look of realization on her face. “You can’t tell, can you?”
Maxine’s look of anguish must have answered Onyx’s question.
“So if you can’t tell me why he needs to see you, can you make my job a little easier and tell me why you don’t use your real name in your professional life? Bianchi and Bellini Advertising don’t have Maxine Moore on their current payroll.”
Maxine blushed. “It was a fluke the human resource person made with me,” she said simply. “When I was hired there the HR person thought my name was Maxine Moore, but it’s really-“
“Jax Mooreland,” Onyx answered. “I looked through HR a million times for your name and that one just bothered my gut.”
“Maxine Moore was a temp who was starting the same time I was, but she never reported after the second day. HR confused her employee number with my social security number. Since our employee numbers with our social security numbers are on our timesheets and not our names, no one ever thought to ask and I just started going by that name all the time around the office. I never corrected them and the payroll person really is the only one that got confused until I went down there and told him and he just simply sends my pay stubs in the mail to me while my money is deposited into my bank account. I just easily accepted the name Maxine because most times people confuse my real name anyway and it’s also my middle name.” She shrugged indifferently. “Long as my taxes are paid correctly, who cares, huh?”
“That’s why it was difficult to find out anything about you.” Onyx looked at her watch. “Well, I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“Wait!” Maxine said coming to her. “You won’t tell Philippe you found me, will you? He’ll get in trouble if he finds out where I live and tries to see me; Even if you have to give back some of the money.”
“Give back? I don’t refuse a dime and my brother would kill me if I gave this cracker any money back. And your Philippe is a fool who has trusted the wrong people his entire life,” Onyx said with deep disgust. “For a highly intelligent man in business, he’s stupidly blind to the people that are closest to him.” Onyx went to the door. “And Sheriff, don’t bug her about that necklace or Philippe. If she talks she’ll get in trouble. You got your answers already, just keep digging.”
Dark Facade (Book Three) (Dark Facade Series) Page 4