“I still think we should make the effort to refrain. I don’t want you to wake up regretting your decision.”
“Are you rejecting me?”
“Absolutely not. We can revisit this after we get done making her pay.”
Time for test number 3.
I pouted and I tried to unbutton his shirt, but he wrapped his hands around my wrists to stop me from further exploration of his flesh.
“I am trying hard to be honorable, but there’s only so much I can take before I crumble at your feet.” I could see the huge presence of his manhood waking to my stimulation.
“I’m going to give you one last chance to change your mind.”
“I know I’m a damn fool, but I have to do what I feel is right. I would rather wait and secure her arrest before jumping into bed. If it matters, I find you extremely sexy and desirable. Don’t take this as a rejection. It’s really a postponement.”
“OK.” Jonathan passed my tests. I was tired and finished with my games.
“OK meaning what exactly?”
“Meaning that I understand exactly where you are coming from.”
“Your understanding is appreciated. I promise I will make it up to you at a later date when things are less hectic in both of our lives. I want you to have my undivided attention without something occupying my mind. I will make the wait worth it.” It was a bold claim to make and one that I was going to hold him to.
“I’m tired but I can’t exactly sleep.”
“Here’s a novel idea. We could talk without doing anything physical. It’s not going to be easy. I already feel like I probably ruined a good thing. Tell me I’m wrong and I might wipe my forehead with a sigh of relief.” I had him as a captive audience and this was my chance to learn more about Megan.
“On the contrary, you haven’t ruined a thing. I would like you to take the time to tell me more about Megan. I do have a story to tell you. It’s about a young woman who got in over her head. She was rescued by a firefighter on the first attempt of her life. She survived and made a vow to never let anybody walk over her again.” The first attempt was the fire at the lab and how she was left to fend for herself in the flames.
“My stepsister was a wild spirit and that freedom sometimes got her into trouble. She was very trusting and some would take advantage of her good nature. She never did drugs until she fell into the wrong crowd in college. Her professor had taken a personal interest in her like she was his adopted daughter.” I could see the professor and how I had taken her unrequited love for him in a different direction.
If she was watching then she must have seen how I had lived the moment she had always wanted.
“She was secretly in love with him, but she never acted on it. Don’t ask me how I know. I also know Timothy was the main reason why she had drugs in her system. She was hurting and he used her desperation to feel nothing to his advantage. It wasn’t long before she was doing whatever she could for her next fix including getting involved in human trafficking and being a drug mule.” The story was shaping up and making sense with him filling in the blanks.
“I knew Timothy was wrong for her, but she had to make her own mistakes. I suspected he was involved. She was always putting her heart on her sleeve. She would give you the shirt off her back. She was very giving and never once asked for anything in return. She liked to roll the dice. Sometimes she would win and sometimes she would lose in life.” I felt more connected to her with his words filling my spirit with hers.
“She majored in psychology and ironically, she couldn’t see what was right in front of her. She almost died peacefully after swallowing bags of drugs and having one of them purposely burst inside her. I don’t think it was an accident. The Doctor did everything he could to bring her back from the brink of death and succeeded. Unfortunately, he lost her soon after…from…complications…”
“Ahhhhh.” I screamed and fell to me knees with my hands clamped to my temples.
I could see the nurse’s face after Megan was stabilized and how she carried the shroud of death in her eyes.
The nurse came in during her shift around midnight and injected an air bubble into her IV solution. Megan tried to reach out to stop her and scratched her hand hard enough to break the skin. The nurse watched from a few steps away as she thrashed madly until the light in her eyes was extinguished.
The face of the nurse was familiar, but it was the hair making me doubt myself. It was a wig.
“I don’t fucking believe it. Tell me you didn’t call anybody about any of this.” I grabbed him abruptly and with enough force to cause him to look at me with a frightened expression on his face.
“Snow, what’s wrong?”
I saw her face and then again at the party. I thought the nurse had one of those faces, but the pieces of Megan’s last few hours alive had brought forth a disturbing revelation.
I heard the glass shatter and dove for cover with the bullets riddling the furniture into kindling. The person needed time to reload.
We both went to the window and stared at the cold and unfeeling eyes of…Stephanie holding a gun.
CHAPTER 20
Snow
In that moment, everything became clear. I was stunned by the realization Stephanie and Stefan was one in the same. She was a notorious hit woman and was letting people believe she was a man to hide in plain sight. I saw her in a passing glance through the eyes of Megan. Stephanie was being ordered by Marsha to take care of her competition – Jonathan Armstrong.
“We are sitting ducks.” Jonathan was watching and had no idea the significance of his assistant being a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“I don’t know if this has occurred to you, but she was planted by the Donakov family. I’m guessing they were worried about how far you would go for your pound of flesh. I should’ve seen this, but I didn’t.” Stephanie was pointing at us in the window and then running her thumb across her throat to indicate our lives were over.
“Don’t beat yourself up and I invited her in. I was lost without my stepsister and she came through the door like an angel of mercy. I should’ve known it was too good to be true.” We had no weapons to defend ourselves.
“Does somebody want to explain why we are in the middle of World War III? I was barely asleep when all hell broke loose.” Lewis was soon looking beyond the drapes and the recognition in his eyes told me there was no need for any explanation.
“It’s Stephanie. Don’t look at me and I’m still trying to piece together what the hell is going on. It appears Stephanie was not exactly truthful on her resume.” There were three of us and one of her. We had a chance to rush her, but to do so would have been making a critical error in judgment.
“We can’t stand here and wait for her to come in here.” I was about to say something, but then glaring headlights came out of nowhere.
Stephanie had reloaded and was firing indiscriminately at the vehicle bearing down on her. It slammed into her hard enough to throw her out of her expensive high heels. The black car sat sputtering with a tendril of steam coming from the hood where the bullets had penetrated the grill. The engine died, but it was far better than the alternative.
Zane got out and summarily fell to his knees with blood spreading around him. He looked up and gave a sheepish smile before collapsing altogether.
***
It was a week later and Marsha Donakov was arrested along with Timothy and Phoenix in connection with their roles in the death of Megan.
There was no evidence of her assassination attempt on Lewis. Today was supposed to be the last day of the trial.
Lindsay agreed to have a coffee with me before the trial. We went to the local café down the street from the court house.
“How are you feeling Snow?” Lindsay asked.
“More relaxed now that Megan is almost avenged.” I had told Lindsay everything that had happened on the way to the café. Even about Megan. She thought the idea of me inheriting
her personality because of her cornea was wild. But this whole string of events was equally unbelievable.
“Will you come back to the club with me? I thought I saw that professor again the other night. Maybe he was waiting for you?” Lindsay asked.
“I don’t know. Doubt it.” It was highly unlikely that I would return to the sex club. It was more of Lindsay’s scene.
“Oh come on, am I talking to the new Snow or the scared little turtle here?”
“I think I have had enough sex with random people to last a life time.”
“I see. The old Snow is back.” Lindsay looked a little disappointed that she lost her little protégé.
“I’m still me. I don’t know how to explain it, maybe I was hijacked by either Megan’s spirit or my little angel on my shoulder just took a vacation and now she’s back. I’m not quite sure.”
“Booo! Tell me you don’t regret all these experiences, right?”
“You know I don’t believe in regrets. I think at the time I was a bit confused and torn about what was happening. But now that I think more about it, I had fun, actually I loved every moment of it. It was as though I caught up on all the random sex that I was supposed to have in my twenties, but all within in a week.”
“That’s intense. I’m slightly jealous. Well to be 100% honest, I am jealous.”
“Oh Lindsay. Stop it.” I took another sip of my cappuccino.
“You know it’s absolutely bizarre to have seven hot men landing on your lap within a week’s time. I hope you know how lucky you are.” Lindsay was playing with her straw and sucking down her ice coffee.
“Life is bizarre. But now I am ready to go back to my simple life.” There was so much to do since the apartment burnt down. We couldn’t stay with Lindsay’s cousin forever.
“By simple life, you mean no more sex club and hot men? Even if the opportunity presents itself?”
“I never said no to hot men. Those seven guys will stay in the past. I am a monogamist at heart. I want to love one man and have him love me back. That’s all.” Deep down I knew who I really was and there was no shame in believing in romance and everlasting love.
“Yup, the old Snow is definitely back! Alright, just promise me one thing. Don’t ever get back with your ex. Don’t get soft!” Lindsay was referring to the bunch of flowers that Darren sent me to my office the other day. He must have heard from our common friends that I was no longer blind.
“Yes I promise.”
“Shit, look at the time. We have 5 minutes before the trial starts.” We quickly gathered ourselves and rushed out of the café.
We were almost late to the court house, we had moments to spare before they closed the door to the public.
Professor August and Dr. Blaine Anders were in the courtroom with the rest of us to see justice finally handed down. Lewis was an accomplished orator and had everybody in the palm of his hands.
The audio evidence was hard to deny when played in open court. The Donakov’s lawyers tried to compel the judge to a closed hearing, but he wasn’t hearing any of it. They tried to bury the evidence by saying it was out of context. It didn’t work.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I implore you to find this woman guilty and sentence her to a life behind bars where she belongs. Let the evidence speak for itself. The victim can’t be here to face the people responsible for killing her.” Lewis was in his element and had everything he needed to make sure the jury came back with the right decision.
I could see the dejected expression on Mrs. Donakov’s face. She thought she was untouchable and didn’t think Timothy was smart enough to leverage a suspended sentence. He might’ve been a dope, but he knew being in business with the Donakov family was limiting his lifespan.
“You’ve heard the expert testimony and have listened to the suspects own words to know what the right thing to do is. She claims to be innocent, but the evidence contradicts her statement. The star witness corroborated the audio evidence. Experts have confirmed it was not doctored by technology. It’s not uncommon for criminals to get sloppy.” He made eye contact with each jury member and waited for his words to sink in before finishing his closing statement.
It was very convincing and he probably didn’t even need the audio evidence to make his case.
Timothy was going to get a slap on the wrist for his part in Megan’s unfortunate demise. He had claimed to want a fresh start and was instrumental in crippling the Donakov criminal empire.
He was able to lead them to other crimes including a detailed manifesto of people she did dirty business with. He gave them copies of her financial records to bury her under the red tape of the IRS. There was nobody left to take the reins after the dust settled.
It didn’t take the jury long to come back with a guilty verdict.
Stephanie died at the scene while the paramedics were working on her. Zane was still in the hospital dealing with the bullet wound to his shoulder.
He had come back when he received word from Billy about what he had discovered about Stephanie. He had tried to get in touch with Jonathan, but he was unable to make contact. Billy had somehow found a way to get the information into Zane’s hands.
I walked out and was on my way down the stairs of the courthouse when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I whirled around to find Jonathan.
“Our first meeting wasn’t exactly how I wanted. I want to start over by formally making my intentions clear to be with you. My name is Jonathan Armstrong.” It was a little cheesy and sweet.
“Pleasure to meet you, Jonathan. My name is Neva Blanche. But everyone call me Snow White.” There was this instant attraction and what I felt before at the safe house was nothing compared to this touching moment.
“The pleasure is all mine, Snow.” Jonathan took my hand and planted a kiss on my hand.
“I like that. Neva. Or shall I call you Snow?” I saw a smirk across his face.
“Snow is fine.” I felt my face getting red.
“I believe we have something to celebrate. It would be my pleasure to take you out to a nice restaurant with real tablecloths. I know a place nearby. We could enjoy each other’s company.” It felt like I was just meeting him for the first time on the courtroom steps with the flashbulbs of the press in the distance.
“That would be nice.” I was doing the exact opposite of what I had done with every other man in Megan’s life. This time I was going to do it right by dipping my toe in the shallow end before jumping in feet first. Jonathan meant more to me than a quick meaningless fling.
“Take my hand and I promise you a whirlwind courtship you’re never going to forget.”
I had a feeling things were going to heat up quickly in an intimate setting. I could almost see the smiling face of Megan looking down from above with her blessing.
CHAPTER 21
Jonathan
The courtship for the last three months was a tedious example of frustration. I actually didn’t mind and it was more fulfilling to become her friend before her lover. She had all the qualities I was looking for in a woman. There were strength and vulnerability. She made me believe I could be her rock and the person she could lean on during a crisis.
“If I may be so bold, I think it’s time that we move this relationship to the next level.” She was wearing a chiffon blue dress and in the right light, I could see the outline of her lingerie.
“You have taken the words out of my mouth.” Part of me worried that Snow had already put me in the friend zone.
“Jonathan, you have been very patient. I’m not sure any other man would have waited this long. We both know the best things in life are worth waiting for.” I had a standing reservation at a very swank hotel down the street from the restaurant.
“I’m going to make sure this is a night you will always remember. We only get this one chance to make a good first impression.” I could still remember vividly how she tried to seduce me in the safe house.
“We
should probably call for the check. There’s nothing on the menu I’m interested in for dessert. I do have an appetite for something that is off the menu.” I could see the wonton goddess was back. I signaled for the waiter with the universal sign to get the bill.
“Snow, being with you has been one big adventure after another. It’s nice to know we won’t have to look over our shoulders for the rest of our lives.” The Donakov family scattered when the matriarch took the fall. I was pleased with the results and could only hope Marsha would die of natural causes brought on by old age.
“I don’t know what it is, but there’s something familiar about you. You know I believe in past life regression. I have a feeling our souls have been intertwined for longer than the lives we are living right now.” I did understand what she was saying, but I was more involved in the present than the past.
We walked out hand in hand to be accosted by someone down on their luck. I fished out a couple of $100 bills and gave it to them without thinking twice about it. I knew the situation could be reversed. There were investments I had made which could’ve gone south, but didn’t.
“I know it might sound morbid, but we have my sister to thank for bringing us together. She has always looked out for me. I would love to believe she’s the one assigned to be my guardian angel.” I could almost feel her walking beside me touching my shoulder in a reassuring gesture.
The neighborhood was ripe with investment opportunities. I could envision a few different blocks transformed into a mecca of economic ventures. I had thrown my concentration into the family business.
Zane was responsible to navigate the battlefield of those interests I found appealing. He was recently released from the hospital and came knocking to accept my proposal to work with me. He took over the position of what Stephanie did for me, but this time he was working for my best interests.
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