Gabe showed them to his office and closed the door. Sloane turned to the two oddball lawyers and wondered, not for the first time, whom she could trust.
* * *
Gabe walked back into the living room filled with dread. Could today go any worse? The doorbell rang, and he ran a hand over his face. He’d just jinxed himself.
Before he could get to the living room to see who it was, his father had stopped him. “Son, a moment.”
“I know. I have horrible taste in women. I always get myself into trouble. I’ll be all over the news. I’ll blow the first major assignment Uncle Dirar has given me.”
Gabe looked at his father and saw his face deepen with anger. “What have I done to make everyone think I’m a royal snob?”
Gabe let out a sigh. “Stop fooling around. Marry and give me grandchildren. Secure the line,” Gabe said, imitating his father’s voice.
“Yes,” Mo agreed, “But I never told you whom to marry, just whom not to marry.”
“Seriously?”
“Okay, so I may have forgotten the pains of being single. But I had to tell you, contrary to what Miss Holiday believes, I like her. And I like you with her.”
“My Sugarbear told me Prince Hottie was in trouble.”
Gabe’s eyes went wide. He knew that voice.
“Put the gun down!” Detective Braxton ordered.
“I’m here to protect that fine body,” Aniyah called out a second before a gunshot went off.
Gabe ran for the living room only to find Detective Braxton attempting to tackle Aniyah to the ground and the chandelier over the dining room table swaying lopsidedly.
Aniyah, with her dark skin glowing and her black hair slicked back into a perfect swoop over her forehead, teetered on her five-inch heels. His father leapt the couch, grabbed his mother, and shoved her to the ground a second before another shot went off.
“Oopsy. If this woman would stop trying to feel my goods, I wouldn’t have fired. I’m getting real good at coming close to my targets now.”
“Detective!” Gabe yelled, wading into the battle. “She’s with us!”
“Get off her, or we won’t have a ride home!” Thwack.
Gabe felt the broom crash into his head. Dried straw went flying as Miss Lily continued her assault. Her sisters closed in on Detective Braxton with a wooden spoon and a spatula, looking like a menacing granny gang.
“What is going on?” The loud yell filled the room and everyone froze. All eyes turned to Sloane standing wide-eyed with Henry and Addison slightly behind her. They didn’t seem surprised in the least.
“It’s a girl,” Miss Lily said with something akin to wonder in her voice.
“And she doesn’t look like a tramp,” Miss Violet said not too quietly.
“Hello, dear. Are you single?” Miss Daisy asked as she smiled innocently.
Gabe shoved the broom off his head. “I can explain.”
When Sloane broke out laughing instead of running away, Gabe knew things were starting to improve.
13
Sloane met the Rose sisters and Aniyah. She learned that Aniyah’s boyfriend, DeAndre, was a state trooper and had told her what was going on. So Aniyah grabbed the three women and drove into Lexington. When not driving the Roses around, she worked at the state capitol as Riley Davies Walz’s personal assistant while the legislature was in session.
Sloane had always heard the saying about great things coming in small packages, and that summed Aniyah and the Rose sisters up perfectly. Aniyah, without heels, was probably only five feet tall—the same height as the elderly trio who were somewhere between ancient and prehistoric. Somehow all these crazy people made her feel safe, loved, and not judged—well, at least not too harshly. Layne still hadn’t warmed to her. The best part was they helped her see the real Gabe. He was the exact man he said he was, and damn her for loving him for it. Too bad she’d never get the chance to go back to the way they were before they had revealed their true identities. Now all she’d be left with were memories of what might have been.
“Our client is prepared to answer all of your questions and turn over evidence against her family,” Henry was saying as things finally quieted down.
“What does she want in return?” Detective Braxton asked.
“Complete immunity and Jane Doe status in all filings. No one is to know her identity besides you and the prosecutor.”
Sloane had to hand it to Henry—when he stopped hitting on women, he was a good attorney.
“Let me make a call.”
“While she does that, why don’t you tell us how you met our Gabe?” Miss Lily asked. Sloane looked around and saw the sisters surrounding Sienna. Miss Violet, the shorter, rounder one, tripped and fell forward. Ryan caught her, but not before Violet’s hands managed to feel up Sienna’s stomach. Miss Violet frowned as Ryan righted her.
Gabe began to tell the story of their meeting and Sloane watched curiously as Miss Violet shrugged and Miss Daisy frowned, too.
“Isn’t that right?” Gabe sounded distant to her.
“What?” Sloane was brought back to the present. “Right, of course,” she said to Gabe’s question even though she had no idea what it was.
Miss Lily clapped her hands to her heart as Aniyah wiped away a tear. “That’s so romantic. You two madly in love just like me and my Sugarbear.”
Love? What the heck had she missed? Her eyes shot to Gabe’s eyes, which twinkled with mischief. He’d known she hadn’t been listening and now she couldn’t ask him what he’d said or she’d look horrible for not paying attention.
“Oh, Gabe! I’m so happy for you both,” his mother cried as she wrapped them both in a hug. Sloane was going to kill him.
“What did you tell them?” Sloane whispered when his mother finally stepped back to talk to his father.
“Only the truth,” he winked.
“I guess I owe you an apology,” Layne said, giving Sloane a friendly hug. “It’s just that so many people try to take advantage of Gabe, and he’s one of my best friends. I’m very happy for you both. Let me take you out for a girls’ night once things have settled down.”
“I’d like that,” Sloane said, surprising herself. She didn’t really do girly things. Even though Layne had been a bit scary, Sloane could tell she was offering genuine friendship, and that was something she craved almost as much as Gabe’s love.
The doorbell rang again. “It looks like an attorney,” Nash said, showing the monitor to the group.
“That’s the prosecutor. He’s here to deal.”
The happy feelings for Sloane dropped away as cold, hard reality set in. Layne squeezed her hand and Sloane looked up into hazel eyes set with determination. “You got this. We’re all here for you.”
Sloane grabbed onto Layne’s retreating hand. “Thank you,” she whispered as the elevator door opened.
The man had the same surprised look on his face as the detective did when he entered to living room. “Where’s my witness?”
Taking a deep breath, Sloane stood up. “Here I am.”
Henry and Addison moved in as Sloane kept a tight grip on Layne and Gabe’s hands. Henry and Addison made a protective barrier in front of her as Layne and Gabe flanked her. She felt the entire room step forward to surround her, and she felt strengthened by their presence.
“We need to clear the room,” he said to Braxton who nodded.
“Pish posh,” Miss Lily said as she rested her hand on the top of the broom.
“We’ll all find out anyway,” Miss Daisy told him, pulling the wooden spoon from her sleeve to shake it at him.
“That’s right, and we’ll be looking after our girl here so don’t try any funny business,” Miss Violet said, slapping the flat end of the spatula against her open palm.
Sloane laughed and cried at the same time. These people, who had only known her for an hour, were more supportive and protective than her own parents. The same parents she guessed were trying to kill her.
&nbs
p; “I want them to stay,” Sloane said confidently. “When you and my lawyers have reached a deal, I’ll sign it and tell you everything.”
* * *
It took a shockingly short amount of time to get a full immunity deal. Sloane signed the papers, and once Henry was armed with a copy, he nodded to her. The prosecutor took a seat in one of the chairs and the detective sat in the other.
Detective Braxton leaned forward in her chair. “You said you took something from your parents, the heads of the Malone Family Cartel.”
“We’re not the cartel really. We’re more distributors. My parents were wanting more. They wanted the next big thing. Fifteen years ago, fentanyl was just starting to be abused as a prescription drug. But my parents saw the benefit of mixing it into their drugs. It’s highly addictive, and it’s cheap. More and more people were getting hooked on my parents’ blend of heroine and fentanyl. But there’s a problem with fentanyl.”
“It kills people and that’s bad for business,” Detective Braxton said knowingly.
Sloane nodded her head. “Not only that, but heroin is known as a tame drug. It brought in everyone from students to CEOs. However, there was a market that wanted bigger highs after they were hooked on the normal speedball-type drugs. Fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine hooked them, but my parents were working to develop a new synthetic opioid to add into the mixture. They were already talking about adding other drugs that are stronger than fentanyl, like carfentanil, which is an elephant tranquilizer compared to heroin. The original thought was to counteract the high overdose rate of fentanyl and carfentanil with a synthetic that gave you a high like none other. They hired a scientist who developed Lace. It was a white, lacy-looking drug that was added to the speedballs.
“It took years. They tested this new product they called White Lace on thirty people. All thirty were hooked after just a couple of times using it. The trouble is the Lace. It’s highly volatile. If one measurement is off, it’ll kill you in seconds. Your heart basically explodes. Plus you can die just touching it since it can soak through skin just like carfentanil can. This was right before my eighteenth birthday. I watched my parents shoot the scientist and put the recipe in the safe.”
“Do you have proof of this?” the prosecutor asked.
Sloane nodded. “I know where the bodies are buried. And there’s more than one.”
“Where?”
Sloane saw the hunger in his eyes. This case would make him a hero if he managed to bring down the Malone family. It had never been worth it before, but now—she looked to Gabe who gave her an encouraging nod and to Layne who squeezed her hand again.
“Police always raided our houses, but never once did they raid the trailer my grandparents lived in. It was the price they paid for my parents supporting them. Oh, the cash was laundered through the strip club in my grandfather’s name, but it was my parents who ran it. Everyone makes the mistake of thinking my father is the head of the family, but it’s my mother. She bought the club in cash and had them put her father’s name on it. She’s the one who bought them the small house in Riverdale with the cute backyard—a backyard that has a grave full of bodies under the shed.”
“Who else is buried there?” the prosecutor asked.
“My mom’s cousin. He tried to turn them in for the reward. The scientist. A couple of the first test subjects that died just from touching Lace. That’s all I know about. That was nine years ago. I’m sure there’s more now.”
“What did you take?” Detective Braxton asked again.
Sloane raised her eyes to the detective’s. “I took the recipe. I took it all. The notes, the chemicals used, everything. I dumped the containers in a hazardous material receptacle at Cook County Hospital on the way to the beach so they wouldn’t be found. Everything my parents had been working for was gone, and I’m the one who did it.”
Detective Braxton leaned forward. “You’re telling me you have a recipe for a new drug more addictive than fentanyl that can be mixed with heroin and not cause overdoses if mixed correctly?” Sloane nodded. “Do you still have it?”
“It’s my life insurance policy. Of course I have it.”
“The street value—”
“This recipe would be worth billions,” Sloane finished for her.
“And you haven’t sold it? No one else has seen it?” the prosecutor asked.
Sloane shook her head again. “I told you, I wanted to save as many people as I could.”
“Where is it?”
“I believe Miss Holiday has given you enough to go on,” Henry said, cutting off the prosecutor.
“Then no deal.”
Sloane felt her heart drop. She knew one day her life would be over. She just didn’t expect it to end now.
Addison smiled as she stood up. “I don’t think so. I believe we have provided you with all the information you require per the terms of the immunity deal. Section six, subparagraph H states that Miss Holiday would reveal what she took, not where it is located. And certainly there was no provision to hand anything over.”
The man sputtered as he looked at the immunity deal. He took a deep breath and his jaw tightened. “Fine. The deal stands. However, if your client truly wanted to help, she would turn that evidence over.”
Sloane shook her head. “No way. It would become public then. It would be in the trial records, and it would be handed over to my parents in discovery who would give it to my sister. If you think my mother is evil, you haven’t met my sister. I will do whatever it takes to keep that recipe secret. You don’t understand how many people will suffer if that recipe ever sees the light of day.”
“Until you can sell it yourself the second your parents are in jail.”
Sloane shook her head. “At such time as my parents and sister are no longer alive I will burn it all. But until then, it’s all that’s keeping me alive.”
“Not anymore,” Gabe said. “I’ll keep you alive. We all will. And the first step is to move you someplace safe.”
“Well,” Miss Lily said with finality, “we better get the paint ready to change the welcome sign. We have just added one more to the Keeneston population.”
14
Gabe had never brought a date home before. Well, not really. He’d had dates on his arm for political and charitable events at the farm, but that wasn’t the same thing. He knew those dates pissed his parents off, and he didn’t really care what anyone thought of them or what his dates thought of the small town outside of Lexington. This was different. He wanted Sloane to like his home, and he wanted the people of his hometown to like Sloane.
It would be hard, too. Annie Davies, the sheriff’s deputy, had been former DEA before moving to Keeneston, marrying Cade Davies, and becoming a mother to three kids. Their daughter, Sophie, was married to Nash. Annie was as anti-drugs as they came, and he was worried she would cause a problem for Sloane. If one Davies spoke out against her, then the rest of her brothers and sisters-in-law would too. Their children, who were Gabe’s friends, would support him. However, he didn’t want to divide his friends from their families. He needed to find a way to show the goodness he knew Sloane had in her heart. She wasn’t a dealer. In fact, she did everything she could to stop the destruction from the drugs her family had rained down. If only he could get them to see it.
* * *
Sloane sat quietly in the SUV that cost more than she made over three years of working. They drove out of downtown Lexington, past the suburbs, and into farmland. The rolling hills were bright green from the recent rain. The black four-plank fences were freshly painted. Horses ran happily through the fields, cows munched lazily under the warm sun, and crops reached for the blue skies. It was beautiful and peaceful, but Sloane was feeling anything but serene.
The Rose sisters had invited her to dinner at a place called the Blossom Café, and the thought of sitting on display for the entire town made her stomach roll more than the hills outside her window. They would ask why she was there. They would want to know who she w
as. And they would find out her past.
Sloane almost jumped when she felt Gabe’s hand come to rest on her thigh. She looked at him with surprise, but he kept his eyes on the road. She looked down at his hand covering her leg and gave into the urge to cover it with her smaller hand. Stress and fear had turned her body cold, but Gabe seemed to heat her from within.
“We’ll be in Keeneston soon. I think you’ll like it here. And I can introduce you to the principal at the high school.”
Sloane looked back out at the landscape. “They won’t talk to me now that they know who I am.”
“Yes, they will. Don’t judge Keeneston, and we won’t judge you. Well, except Nikki . . . but she’s a very unusual breed.”
Sloane laughed unexpectedly. “Do you know everyone in town?”
“Close to it.” He smiled as his thumb started moving in teasing little circles on the outside of her thigh.
“Gabe—” Sloane started to say but stopped as they rounded a corner and the beginnings of a small town came into view. She needed to tell him this couldn’t work. The scandal alone for the royal family would be massive. Then there was the fact her mother was trying to kill her. And probably her sister was, too. Her father would do whatever his wife wanted. If it were left up to him, Sloane would have been safe.
“Welcome to Keeneston,” Gabe said as the town came into sight. Main Street was filled on both sides by historic buildings three stories high and painted light yellow, cream, tan, gray, and dusky blue. Baskets hung from the lampposts with bright flowers overflowing and American flags flying.
“Here’s the Rose sister’s Blossom Café,” Gabe said, pointing to a light yellow building with a purple door. Bourbon barrels had been cut in half and housed daisies on each side of the door. Bistro tables sat outside and the patrons waved to Gabe as he drove by.
“They’re a hundred years old. How can they run a restaurant?” Sloane asked as they continued down the street of this idyllic town.
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