“I’m not sure about that one. I feel like I’ll get bored with it after a week or two.” She grabbed a piece of her blonde hair, twirling it around her fingers as she studied the hairstyle. “But I do need something new.” She smiled up at me. “I’ll try it, but if I hate it, I’m going to the orange.”
I laughed, going back to drying dishes.
A door clicked shut in the distance, and Lora and I froze up, while Miss Cane looked back. We heard the footsteps coming up the hallway, and I don’t know why I was so fucking terrified. The hairs on my arms stood up and my throat went bone dry as I turned toward the kitchen opening. I really, really hoped it wasn’t El Jefe again.
But then I saw him.
He wore a white button-down shirt with a simple black tie. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to his forearms, revealing the delicate ink on his skin. He’d trimmed his beard down several days ago, just enough for it to not look scraggly and wild. Lora’s hiked up shoulders relaxed a notch, and Miss Cane smiled at her son.
“You’re in luck,” Miss Cane said, walking around the counter to hold his face and kiss his cheek. “I have a few tacos leftover.”
“Thanks, Mama,” he murmured.
“You’re back early, butthead,” Lora noted.
“Closed the deal a lot sooner than anyone expected.” He walked up to her, nudging her arm with his elbow.
“Don’t brag, dude. It’s not cute.” Lora playfully rolled her eyes.
He chuckled, then turned, putting his focus on me. I placed the empty glass in my hand down, giving him a forced smile. As if he noticed how forced it was, his eyebrows pulled together for a split second. Walking up to me, he held my waist, placing a kiss on my forehead.
“Everything all right?”
I kept my breaths steady. “Yeah,” I lied. “Everything’s fine.”
“Okay. You eat?”
“Yep.”
“Good.”
Cane went to the counter and practically inhaled the tacos. He even had himself a margarita, though he assured me he wasn’t a margarita guy. I knew he was more of a scotch man.
He and Miss Cane talked about her meeting that morning, as well as her little shopping adventure with Lora at a boutique. Apparently Miss Cane owned a leather jacket now.
Everything seemed perfectly fine…until his phone chimed.
As soon as he read whatever was on the screen, his face paled, eyes growing wider. My eyes flashed over to Lora, who looked at me and subtly shook her head, like she was demanding that I keep my mouth shut and to not ask any questions.
Releasing an agitated breath, Cane slid his phone into his back pocket and stood up straight. “Lora,” he growled. “Outside. Now.”
He stormed away, and Lora pressed her lips, groaning as she hopped off the stool. She shrugged at me before walking around the counter, and before the door could slam closed, I heard Cane yell, “WHAT THE FUCK, LORA!”
“What’s that all about?” Miss Cane asked, coming up next to me.
“I’m not sure,” I murmured, but I had a feeling I knew.
Miss Cane pulled out her cellphone and sat on a stool. “Those two are always arguing. Should we go out there? Break it up?
“Uh…no. I don’t think so. Something tells me going out there won’t help.”
“I hate when they get like this.” She lowered her gaze to focus on her phone. “Do you have Facebook?”
“Yeah, I do, but I hardly get on my account anymore. Why do you ask?”
“I’m looking for friends. Mind if I add you?”
I smiled at her. “Sure. Feel free. I’m under Kandy Jennings.”
I busied myself by putting the dishes away and wrapping up the leftover food. All the while, their yelling got even louder. The door creaked on its hinges as one of them came back inside. Lora popped up around the corner, snatching up her cell phone and then leaving the kitchen without looking at either of us.
The front door slammed again, and I expected Cane to come into the kitchen, but he didn’t. When I looked around the corner, he was walking down the hallway to get to the door that led out to the deck.
I chased after him, catching the door before he could slam that one too. With all this slamming, I was sure one of the windows were going to break.
“Cane,” I called as he paced the large, cemented deck.
He only huffed in response.
“Cane…what’s going on?” I took a step closer.
He finally stopped his pacing, facing me. “I just got a text from Cora. She said that Mrs. Hugo, Kelly’s mother, called the office. She told Cora that the clinic found Kelly in her bed, and her heart wasn’t beating. They think it was a heart attack or a reaction to one of the drugs she was taking, but I don’t believe that shit for a second. I know Draco did this. I know it!”
I looked away, swallowing hard.
Cane lifted his arms. “Why don’t you look surprised?” he demanded.
My eyes swooped up to his. “Because I already know,” I whispered. “I was there…when it happened.”
If I thought he was upset before, he was pissed now. “What the fuck! You were there? Why were you there, Kandy?”
“I—I don’t know, okay! I overheard the conversation you and Lora had with El Jefe, and I had this nagging feeling. I kept worrying that you’d told him to kill her so I went to go see her and make sure she was still alive!”
“Kandy, I would never do something like that! What the fuck were you thinking, going there to see her! They have cameras all over that place, and if they find out you were there the same day she died, there will be hell to pay! Do you know how bad this will look for you?”
“I’m sorry!” I wailed. “I didn’t know they were going to kill her, Cane! I—I saw that guy. Um…Clark? The one who worked for El Jefe. I saw him go in there and then he hopped a fence and ran when the cops showed up.”
“Fuck,” he hissed. “This is unbelievable!”
“I thought you called it,” I murmured. “I was scared, Cane. I was worried.”
I dropped my head but felt him looking at me. Sighing, he stepped toward me, holding my shoulders. “Trust me, I wanted to, but I couldn’t do it. Not like that. I wanted to take care of it myself—not with death, but I would have come up with something.” He removed one hand from my shoulder, swiping it over his face. “I’m going to have to call someone, see if he can get the tapes from security and if we can pay the clinic off to give them to us and take your name off the visitation list.”
“I’m sorry, Cane. If I’d known, I would have stayed away, I promise.”
“You wasted two hours of your life going to see her, Kandy. That’s probably the dumbest shit you’ve ever done.” His phone chimed and he pulled it out, reading the alert. “‘Check your porch,’” he read in a hushed tone. He stared at me for a moment, and then rushed back through the door. He jogged down the hallway and I followed.
Swinging the front door open, he rushed outside as tires of a car screeched, and over his shoulder, I spotted a black car driving away.
Huffing hard, Cane looked down and picked something up. He came back inside with it and I met up to him, staring inside an unmarked brown box.
There was a sticky note on top of it.
Problem solved.
Don’t fuck up again.
Cane’s nostrils flared as he read over the note several times. He then opened the box, pulling out six DVDs and the visitation list with the date of that day and names.
“Holy shit,” someone said behind me with laughter in their voice. I looked back, and Lora was in the hallway, looking at us. “That’s the security footage from the clinic?”
Cane picked his head up. “Yes.”
“Oh, shit!” Lora cupped her mouth, hiding a smile. She stepped back and dropped one hand, holding the other up and pointing at Cane. “I fucking told you!”
“Still doesn’t make this right, Lora!” his voice boomed.
She shrugged. “But you’ll never have
to worry about that bitch again, will you?”
She didn’t even bother waiting to hear his response. She was walking down the hallway before even I could let the words sink in.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
CANE
I couldn’t sleep at all that night, which didn’t make any fucking sense.
For starters, I obviously didn’t harbor any positive feelings for Kelly. I’d wanted her out of my life for so long, but knowing about what had happened was…insane. As guilty as I felt, a small part of me was dancing with joy and relief, and I hated that part of myself. That part of me was thrilled she was gone—glad that she was no longer a problem—but the way it happened wasn’t what I wanted.
He had to have poisoned her. There was no other way around it. Draco was good with poison, acid, and a lot of other shit that I didn’t even want to wrap my mind around. He knew about drugs that could kill without leaving a single trace in the bloodstream. It didn’t help that Lora went behind my back and told him to do it. It pissed me off that she was still in touch with him, even when I’d told her to stay away from him and to never ask him for any favors. He wasn’t the kind of man she needed to be mixed up with, especially when it came to owing favors, because once you asked for one, you owed him for life.
Turning on my side, I looked at Kandy. She was sound asleep, and had that dip between her eyebrows that made her look innocent and sweet. She was deep in my world now and had witnessed things that I never wanted her to see. Draco had taken care of everything, that much was clear. The DVDs and the visitation list had been burned, so there was really no evidence or way for anyone to find out Kandy was ever there. I had nothing to worry about when it came to Kelly and her family, so why the hell couldn’t I rest?
I tossed and turned, grunted and groaned, until finally a small haze took over me.
I succumbed to that haze, clinging to it and letting it lull me to sleep, but before I let go, one final thought hit me.
Kandy’s biggest fear was gone. We would be at peace again—no longer living on edge, wondering which day we’d get a surprise from her. Despite how it all went down, my girl would be content again—safe—and to be frank, that was all I ever wanted for her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
KANDY
I hate saying it, but when I woke up the next morning, I felt…free.
The sensation hit me full force, beaming inside of me, almost like a church choir was singing in my heart, letting me know that the majority of my worries were over. Yes, there was still Cane’s dad, who could show up at any given moment, but Cane didn’t seem so worried about him. He’d handled him before, and was certain he could handle him again. There were also my parents, who I had yet to speak to properly since leaving, but I would. The timing had to be right for that to happen though.
Sunlight had just spilled over the horizon, and Cane was resting beside me. I rolled onto my side carefully, trying to keep my movements minimal so I wouldn’t wake him up. I studied my man as the sun crawled up his inked chest. I drank him all in, and it was impossible to stop the gush of warmth that coursed through me. My heart began to race faster as my eyes swept up and down the length of his body.
Cane was an imperfect masterpiece.
He was mine.
There was no longer a target on our backs as heavy or as menacing as Kelly…and with that thought alone, I curled into his chest. With a heavy groan, he wrapped an arm around me, and in the safety of his arms, I drifted back into slumber.
* * *
“Kandy,” a deep voice called. I felt a tap on my shoulder, then my hair was pulled back, a gush of cool air hitting my face. Lips pressed to my ear, the warmth of breath running on the shell of it and down my neck. “Kandy, wake up. I want to take you somewhere.”
“Where?” I groaned, rolling over. I peeled an eye open, looking up into Cane’s gray-green eyes.
“It’s a surprise, but it’s a bit of a ride. Come on,” he smiled softly. “Get dressed. We’ll stop somewhere, get some breakfast first.” He grabbed my hand and helped me sit up.
“What do you mean it’s a bit of a ride? Where exactly are you taking me?”
He smirked, releasing my hand. “Keep laying in that bed and you’ll never find out. Let’s go.” He walked to the door. “I cancelled a meeting for this little trip with you. Don’t stand me up.”
He winked before walking out, and I bit back a smile, climbing out of bed. After getting showered, I tossed on one of the maxi dresses Lora had picked out, styled my hair, put on some jewelry, and walked out the room.
Miss Cane, Lora, and Cane were in the kitchen. Lora had a mug of coffee in hand and a sleep mask printed with the words “Fuck Off” pushed up to her forehead. Cane was standing beside her, wearing dress pants and a short-sleeved, button-down shirt. His hair had been trimmed, which meant he’d gotten a haircut sometime this morning after I’d fallen asleep again. His beard was neat, and looked so damn good on him.
“Morning, Kandy!” Miss Cane chimed. For the first time, she wasn’t making breakfast.
“Good morning. No breakfast today?” I asked.
“Nah.” She waved a hand. “Cane told me he’s taking you out for breakfast, and Lora and I are getting manicures and then catching a matinee.”
“Oh, that sounds nice. By the way, I got your friend request last night. I added you.”
Her smile spread even wider as I gave her a small wink.
Cane came up to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “You ready?”
I nodded, draping an arm around his midsection. “Yeah.”
* * *
We caught breakfast at a restaurant called Le Blanc Château, which was clearly one of Cane’s favorite restaurants in Charlotte because he knew exactly what he wanted, pronouncing each French word smoothly, like he’d said the words many, many times before.
We’d arrived just around the middle of brunch hours, and I decided to go with a bacon and cheddar quiche, which was beyond delicious. We ate and sipped mimosas, but not once did he bring Kelly up in a conversation. Not that I minded. I still wasn’t sure how to wrap my mind around what I saw, and being filled in about the truth was an even bigger pill to swallow. Plus talking about it would have killed our vibe, and at the moment, we were chill.
Once brunch was wrapped up, Cane paid and led the way back to his car. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked, buckling my seatbelt when we got inside it.
“If I told you, it would ruin it.” He push-started the car, wearing a faint smile. “You’ll figure it out soon enough. It’s a good thing you used the restroom before we left, though.” He pulled off, and I sank into the leather, deciding to enjoy the surprise.
Cane drove with a mixed shuffle of Drake, The Weekend, Miguel, Childish Gambino, and Kendrick Lamar pouring out of the speakers. The top of the Aston Martin was peeled back, the windows rolled down. I tilted my face toward the sky as we rode on the freeway, basking in the sun. When I dropped my head, I felt eyes on me and looked over. Cane was looking between me and the road ahead with a smile.
“What?” I laughed, pushing my hair back.
“Nothing.” His smile spread wider as he turned the music down a bit. “You’re just too beautiful for words. And you look happy.”
Heat crawled from my neck to my cheeks, and I grabbed his hand, bringing it up to my lips. “I probably shouldn’t feel so happy but…” I thought on my next statement, mulling it over. “Before, I felt like there was this gray cloud over my head with a storm building up inside it, day by day. I felt suffocated—like I was holding my breath, waiting for the day that cloud would get too heavy and break open, releasing the rain and thunder and even the crackles of lightning.” I let out a steady breath. “I hate how it happened, Cane.”
He kept his attention forward. “I know.”
Squeezing his hand, I brought it to my lips, kissing his inked knuckles. I kissed each letter, starting with the R. “But as fucked up as it was…if it hadn’t happe
ned, we wouldn’t feel like this. Liberated. Free.”
His mouth twitched, a subtle smile taking over his lips. “All I want is for you to be happy and for things to go back to the way they used to be.”
“No.” The back of my head hit the headrest. “I don’t think things will ever go back to the way they used to be…but they can get better.”
That statement scored me a full smile. He revealed the top row of his teeth, glancing at me. “You’re right,” he agreed. “It can only get better from here, baby.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
KANDY
We’d reached an interstate sign that was utterly familiar. One I’d seen only yesterday.
I turned my head, putting my attention on Cane. “We’re going back to Georgia?” I asked, frowning.
He nodded.
“Why?”
“There’s something I want to show you.”
I was so confused. What could he possibly have to show me in Georgia that he couldn’t tell me? I prayed he wasn’t taking me to something relative to Kelly. Ugh. That would have been a buzz kill.
Forty-five minutes later, we were cruising on the freeway that revealed Atlanta’s skyline. I tried spotting the precinct where Dad worked but couldn’t see it from where we were. I did see the building Mom used to work at months ago, though. Sighing, I slouched in my seat as Cane kept driving. I really did miss them.
When he passed the exit that led to Kelly’s clinic, I was relieved. Then he passed the exit that led to his old house, the scene of the stabbing. More relief.
He continued driving, going further and further away from the city. Where in the hell id he going?
My curiosity only ratcheted higher as Cane took an exit and passed neighborhood after neighborhood, each one appearing more and more unsafe than the last. He took a left turn, and a large sign that said “Welcome to Cascade Heights” appeared. My brows stitched, and Cane slowed the car down.
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