Camille laughed at the sight before her. The devilish grin on his face made her stomach churn and she felt sleepy. She rarely drank and her bed was calling her name. She would let him take her home under one condition, “Can I trust you?” she asked in a somber tone.
Talib looked deep into her eyes and secured a random curl behind her ear. She knew he could feel the slight tremor as his finger feathered across her ear.
“What do you think, Camille?”
Chapter 25
Where was she?
D stood in the doorway and the room was empty. He turned on his heel, retracing his steps. He pulled out his cell phone and snarled into it. “Get over here, now!”
* * *
Talib made his way through Houston. He decided to drive to the banquet and now he had her. Camille sat in the passenger's seat with her eyes closed. He resisted the urge to stop the car and watch her sleep. Her full breasts over the seductive dip in her dress teased him. She appeared comfortable with her shoes laying on the floorboard and the deep red polish on her toes made him want to reach out and touch her feet.
Talib focused on his drive. Houston's traffic was ridiculous. He noticed the sea of brake lights ahead. He knew the stop and go would not disturb her. He'd placed a few drops of Rohypnol in her wine to lower her defenses, but he silently hoped he would not have to force her to disclose what she knew about his money. He knew it was wishful thinking to hope their relationship was real and that it could hold the potential for something more permanent. The thought made him cringe. He'd cut ties with women years ago. His group was his life, however, the more time they spent together, the more the ‘what ifs’ consumed him.
What if he could have her? What if he could have a family? What if he could have his group and a normal life? He wasn't a house and a dog kind of man, but he would do it to have her.
Talib reached for his phone and called Dalmar. “Are things in place?”
He listened as Dalmar updated him on the recent activity and confirmed that his private plane was waiting for takeoff on his command.
“But there's one issue,” Dalmar continued. Talib knew him well enough to know Dalmar admitting there was a problem was a problem. He could handle the messiest details to perfection and made sure that Talib was nearly untouchable.
“I'm listening.” Traffic was moving again and he positioned his phone in a cup holder and activated his Blue Tooth earpiece. He glanced at Camille as she slept. He tore his eyes away from her. Talib knew that the next few hours could change everything he had with her. He enjoyed their night and wanted to thank the bastard who walked out on her because she may never again smile at him the way she did tonight. He would cherish her laughter and the sexy way she moved on the dance floor.
They danced most of the night. Camille let him hold her close on the slow songs and he actually felt faint when she threw her hands up and swayed to an up-tempo song. She was a silent seductress and he had unwillingly fallen under her spell.
“What did you do with Ashanta?” he asked, interrupting Talib’s thoughts.
They had few secrets between them, but Talib found it hard to answer Dalmar. Ashanta was like a little sister to them, yet he let his ambition swallow her life whole. She came to him a young, wide-eyed, ambitious woman and he'd betrayed her trust. His life was full of hard decisions and difficult choices and that would be one he'd carry to his grave.
“She's dead,” he said with a hardness, he’d mastered to mask his indiscretions.
He could hear her threat ringing in his head…“I hope you rot in hell.” He knew he would, but he'd lived in hell most of his life.
“Are you sure?”
“What do you mean am I sure? Spill it, I'm done with this ask and answer session.” His voice rose and echoed. Camille flinched in her sleep and knocked her clutch to the floor. Talib saw the contents scatter on the floor next to her shoes. The highway streetlights glowed in a steady rhythm as he ate up the highway doing over seventy miles-per-hour. He caught a glimmer and squinted trying to make out the metal object, but he couldn't see it. He'd have to check it out once they stopped.
“Someone used her credit card.”
“What!?” He looked in the rear-view mirror and changed lanes, moving across traffic to the shoulder of the road. He brought the car to a stop and tried to absorb what Dalmar revealed. He knew she was dead. They'd left her in the apartment and one of his men was charged with cleaning the place up and handling the body.
“Yes, I keep track of all our people. We are tapped into all of their credit cards, cell phones, GPS, and vehicles. I flagged Ashanta's records to keep an eye on things and today she had a few transactions. The credit card was processed for a rental car and at a department store.”
Talib groaned in frustration as his head fell back against the headrest. “Maybe someone took her purse.”
“Maybe, but why would they wait nearly a week to use it? Talib, you need to handle this and get out. I have a bad feeling about this whole trip.”
He knew Dalmar was right. It was him. He was different.
Talib had to get his shit together. He was so caught up in Camille that he was losing his edge and his focus.
“Call your hired hand and I'll call Saul. I'll be at the airport and on the flight in the morning. Thanks, man.”
He disconnected the call and prepared to move into traffic. Camille's breathing and the hum of the engine crowded his running thoughts. He had to swallow his feelings and get the job done. He noticed her belongings on the floor and reached to place them back in her clutch. He placed her cell phone, lipstick, house keys, and compact in her purse. The last item was out of reach, so he pushed his foot against the brake pad to give him the extra inch needed to bring the object within reach. He lunged forward and picked it up with a pinch. He held it in his hand and turned on the inner cabin light. It was the locket Camille wore during their lunch.
He dropped it in the clutch with the rest of her belongings when it hit him. That’s Ashanta's locket! He retrieved the locket and examined it beneath the map lights. How had he missed it? What was she doing with it? He turned the locket over and rubbed his finger across the engraving.
He placed the locket in his breast pocket and called Saul. Talib would get to the bottom of everything, tonight.
* * *
Marc's phone vibrated, signaling an incoming call. He glanced at the display hoping it was Camille and then sighed in resignation. It was Russell.
“Did you get the picture?” He spoke in a low voice, moving from the doorway as people began leaving the party.
“Yes, but that's not why I'm calling.” Marc glanced around the room, recalling the way Camille danced with Talib. He could feel his heart racing. He wasn't a jealous man, but something about her brought out a new side of him, a side of himself that he did not recognize. Hell, he couldn't recall a time he felt this off guard about any woman, not even Ebony.
“Why did you call?” he asked gruffly. Most of the IJDC people were gone. He watched as the staff removed the cold food and cleaned the banquet room.
“Look, don't bite my head off. You really need to take a vacation after all of this,” he said humorously. Marc knew he would, but only if she would join him.
“Talk,” he commanded.
“Yeah, yeah, well I was digging and came across a system flag on your friend Derek. He's being investigated.”
“What? This shit is getting too deep. For what?” Marc ran his hand down his face.
“Treason.”
Un-fucking-believable, how in the hell did he find himself mixed in this madness? “Man, keep digging and I'll call you back. Run Talib's picture through the database. Call me with whatever you find.”
He walked through the banquet room and fell into the closest chair. If Derek was under investigation, what did Camille know? And was she involved? He shook his head in disbelief as he dialed Camille's number. He watched the candle flicker as the flame fought to stay lit. The phone rang until her voicemail sounded.
“Camille, this is Marc. I'm...sorry about tonight. I went to the bar and lost track of time.” He paused, not knowing how to continue, “Call me...”
Chapter 26
Brrrnngg. Saul opened his eyes as the ringing phone interrupted his dreams. He shoved Ashley, “Babe, get the phone.” She was a heavy sleeper and after supervising the packaging of their things, he knew she was exhausted. He closed his eyes willing the phone to stop ringing. It didn't.
“Hello.”
“Wake up, sleeping beauty.”
Saul's eyes opened when he recognizes the voice. “How did you get this number?”
“I wanted to meet Ashley.” He laughed, however Saul found no humor in his response.
“At one o'clock in the morning? Look, man, you are taking this too far. I'll see you at the office on Monday.” He turned to replace the phone on the hook when he heard Talib's voice carry through his dark room.
“Not so quick, princess. I'm standing at your door, and either you come out or I'm coming in.”
Saul shot to his feet. Ashley stirred, adjusted her pillow, and continued sleeping. “Where are you?” he whispered into the phone as he walked to his bedroom window and saw a black SUV in his driveway.
“Get your ass down here,” Talib hissed.
He knew he had to get him away from his home. He grabbed a pair of jeans from the armchair next to the bed. He tossed on an UT Austin alum t-shirt and shoved his sock-less feet into his shoes. He kissed Ashley and she reached for him, deepening the kiss as she ran her fingers through his hair.
“I need to make a run, babe.”
“What time is it?” She asked with her eyes closed. She stretched and purred as the sheet shifted down, exposing her bare breasts.
“I'll be back,” he said aroused by the sight of her nude body.
“Okay, be careful,” she whispered. She turned onto her stomach and resumed her calm slumber. Her ivory skin against the black sheets made him want to make love to her again. They’d spent the day finalizing the purchase of their new home. His life changed in a matter of days and with the increase of his salary, he decided to propose to her. He smiled at the memory of first staring into her shocked gaze and then her girlish squeal and almost unrecognizable “yes.”
The five-carat diamond on her delicate finger reminded him of what he had to lose if he didn't get rid of Talib. A car horn rung through the night and interrupted his thoughts. Saul looked toward the sound. It was Talib. Didn't he know that people didn't honk horns in this neighborhood?
He ran down the stairs and grabbed his keys. He reached for the door handle and decided to make a quick stop by his home office. He searched his key chain and found the little lockbox key.
Saul located his gun box and moved quickly, not wanting Talib to lay on his horn again. He loaded his gun, secured the safety, and inserted the gun in the small of his back before staggering into the full moon to meet Talib. Approaching the car, he saw a sleeping figure in the passenger seat. He stopped by the driver side as Talib lowered the window.
“What's up, man?” Saul asked trying to get a better look at the sleeping passenger.
“Get in.” Talib barked.
“Wait, is that Camille? What is she doing here?”
“Did I stutter?” he asked, ignoring the questioning expression on Saul's face. “Get in.”
Saul jumped in the car and prayed this would all be over soon.
* * *
She sat in the car waiting. He had underestimated her. She fed him lies, waited for him to leave, and when she heard the slam of a car door, she made her move. She felt weak, but she had no choice.
Ashanta rented a car and found a jogging suit at Wal-Mart. She needed to find Camille, but she didn't have her phone and she didn't know her cell phone number by heart. She now sat less than a block from her condo. She could see the window from the street and the lights were on.
Was someone in there or did someone leave the lights on? She sat back in the seat, contemplating what to do next. The glare from an oncoming car reflected off the side mirror. She hunched back in the seat, lowering her head to watch the car drive past.
To her surprise, Ashanta noticed Saul in the backseat before she ducked out of sight. The car passed and she raised her head until it was level with the dashboard. She watched as Saul stepped out of the car and then she saw Talib climb from behind the wheel.
What were they doing at her place? She watched them talking, or more like arguing from the expressions on their faces. Talib stepped to Saul and talked directly in his face. They stood inches apart. Saul recoiled and Talib circled the car, opening the passenger door.
Ashanta squinted, trying to see what he was reaching for. The full moon helped, but they were in a shadow. Is that a body? Shock filled her as she watched Talib cradle the body to him. It was a woman in a black dress. He was struggling to hold her arms. Saul helped and leaned into the car.
Was she dead?
Ashanta looked up and down the street to ensure she had not been spotted. They started walking toward her, she ducked out of sight again, watching the men make their way into her complex. They stopped for a brief moment under the streetlight as Talib balanced her weight and activated the car alarm. She felt her chest tighten as she held her breath. She recognized the profile of the woman in his arms...it was Camille!
* * *
The street was still. The clock on the dashboard read one-thirty. He'd sat in the same spot for almost an hour. Marc walked to her door when he arrived, but the house was dark and she didn't answer the door. The longer he waited, the more uneasy he became.
He only had one choice. He would call Derek after talking with Jarvis.
“This better be good, it's almost one o'clock.”
“Man...”
He watched a car ride down the street and paused, willing the car to stop and for her to step out, but when it continued down the street, his heart dropped.
“What's going on, Marc?” His voice sound more alert.
Where did he begin? What if she left with him and they slipped off from the banquet together?
“Camille and I went to a banquet tonight and I stepped out for a couple of hours. I came back and she was gone. I've waited outside her place for almost two hours. I have a gut feeling that something is wrong.”
“Did you call her?”
“Yeah, I left several messages...” Now he was just worried.
“I can run a trace on her car,” Jarvis offered.
He shook his head. “That won't work because her car is here.” Marc nervously tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
“What about her cell phone?”
“Can you do that?” He saw a glimpse of hope in the suggestion. He hadn't thought about her phone other than to leave a message.
“Yes, most cell phones have GPS now. I could have someone run it. What's her number?”
Marc gave him the number and Jarvis promised to call back as soon as he could. While he waited he called Derek, maybe he knew where she was.
Chapter 27
Relief cursed through him. It was almost over. The case from hell. Derek tapped on the passenger window of Marc's car. He heard the click of the doors unlock. He climbed in and calmed his racing heart before speaking.
“Have you heard from Jarvis?”
“Yes, I have the address. You ready?”
“Yeah, let’s roll...”
* * *
Camille opened her eyes and scanned the room. Why was she in Ashanta's room? She attempted to sit up, but a piercing pain shot through her head. She groaned, falling back against the bed.
Talib entered the room. She turned to him as he handed her a glass of water and two pills. “What is this?”
“Aspirin to help with your head. I think you had too much wine.”
He smiled, but it felt phony. She took the aspirin and reached for the lamp on the nightstand. He stopped her and turned on the light as she pushed up in the bed. Camille notice
d her purse and cell phone. The green light flashing signaled she had voice mail. Marc…
Her mind was racing, but she needed to quiet the throbbing in her head. She took the aspirin after examining the gel-coated capsules. She drank the water as she looked around the room. He took a seat on the bed at her feet.
“What are we doing in Ashanta's house?” She asked aloud this time.
He shrugged, but did not respond. They held a stare that spoke volumes. She fought the sense of betrayal and prepared to fight for her life. Camille shifted in the bed, allowing her thighs to rub together slightly. She felt relief as the cold from the metal confirmed he had not removed her gun, but first she needed answers.
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