CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
As soon as the car flew off of that embankment and was just about to hit the water with a momentous splash, Kay did as she was told and jumped out of the open window, diving away from the car, and splashed into that water too, going all the way under. She went down so far that she began to struggle to pull herself up again.
And it was still nothing but deep, dark water. She tried to swim up. She pushed off and pushed off and tried with all she had to get to the top of what felt like a topless bottom. And within seconds she realized a horrifying truth: she was drowning. She was not a strong enough swimmer to swim up from the depths of the Mediterranean Sea as fast as she needed to, and was surely going to die. She felt it in her bones.
But she was no quitter. She prayed and kept hustling. She kept doing all she could do to make it to the top, even as her life was flashing before her very eyes. She remembered all those compromises she had to endure on her climb to the top. And she was almost there, just nine days away from the culmination of her dream fulfilled, and the dream of so many young girls just like her. A reach that seemed impossible not that long ago. A reach that seemed impossible now, as she kept on trying to make it to the top, and was met with nothing but more water.
And just when it felt as if she was going down for the count, as her arms became too heavy to stroke and her exhausted legs became a liability rather than a strength, she felt an arm encircle her. She didn’t know who it was. It was too dark. But she prayed it was Nico. Before he left her, there was nobody alive she trusted more. She knew, back then, that he would always come through for her.
He came through for her. He bore her weight, her burden, and lifted her up and up, and up some more, until they both broke through that unforgiving sea, and surfaced. The mouth of that sea opened again, and spat them out.
And both of them exhaled in breaths that bordered on hyperventilation.
But Nico didn’t stop there. In case there were prying eyes with guns in their hands, he dragged Kay along the shoreline, until they were behind a group of trees. And he pulled himself, and then Kay, out of the water.
They fell onto shore like two beach whales. But they didn’t care. They made it out alive.
Kay looked at Nico. And saw that his arm was bleeding. And even with that injury, he still managed to get out of that car, and swim over it, in the dark, to try and find Kay. With that injured arm he still managed to drag himself, and her, out of those mighty waters.
She moved her exhausted body over to him, and threw her arms around him. Nico could barely move. But he took his uninjured arm and threw it around her too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Nico’s private plane flew them out of Europe even as the plane Kay had flown there on was ordered back to the States without her. Nobody knew of her excursion to France except for Rog and the wealthy donor who provided the plane for her trip. It was risky in every way, but Kay had no idea it would turn out to be that risky.
They were in Nico’s large bedroom on his plane. They had showered together and were now hugged up together in bed. Both naked. Both on their sides. Both staring into each other’s eyes.
It took several minutes, but then Kay spoke up. “You once told me to take a ride,” she said. “To try something new. And you asked me what did I have to lose. Remember that?”
He remembered it. “Oh, yes. I remember it well.”
“Little did I know,” she said with a smile, “that I would have my life to lose.”
Nico laughed.
Then her look turned serious. “But being with you, thankfully, didn’t cost my life. Just my heart.”
Nico’s smile left, too, and he stared at her. “I wasn’t trying to break your heart, Kay. I was trying to do the right thing.”
“Do you know who they were?” she asked him.
Nico was surprised that she changed the subject, but he understood. Despite the fact that they had showered together, and were naked in bed together, their relationship remained the elephant in the room. “I don’t know yet, no. But I have a good idea.”
“Who?”
“Some of my men were attacked by a . . . a rival. They attacked that rival back. There could have been an escalation without a negotiation.”
“Negotiation? Is that how differences are usually settled?”
“If they involve major organizations, yes.”
“But not this time?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Nico’s jaw tightened. He wasn’t angry at her question. He was frustrated that he had no answers. “I don’t know,” he said. “But I’ll find out.”
“What makes you so certain those people weren’t there to assassinate me?” Kay asked.
It was a reasonable question to Nico, but he was already shaking his head. “That wasn’t a political hit,” he said. “That was a mob hit.” Then he looked at her, rubbing her soft hair. “I know the difference,” he said.
Kay didn’t exactly feel reassured by that. “So you think they were trying to assassinate you?”
Nico nodded. “Yes.”
“Because of that retaliatory hit you ordered your men to carry out?”
Nico never discussed such matters with outsiders. He had said too much already. “Something like that,” he said.
Kay stared at him. “Rog managed to get a top secret bio on you,” she said. “I read it on my plane ride to France.”
“Oh yeah?” Nico asked. He was attempting to be nonchalant, although he was as curious as he could be. “And what did this secret bio say?”
“It had info on your extensive business portfolio. It mentioned that you may have mob ties, and that you’re reputed to be a mob boss, but the government has nothing concrete. You ride under the radar and cover your tracks well. It was a report that fell short, in my view.”
Nico didn’t understand. “It fell short? It all but accused me of being a mob boss. And you think that’s falling short?”
“Yes,” Kay said. “Because you are a mob boss. And they should know that. But you know why that wasn’t reported as a fact, don’t you?”
Nico felt exposed, but he needed to know. “Enlighten me,” he said.
“It wasn’t reported as a fact,” Kay said, “because whomever was responsible for compiling that report is either beholden to you himself, or reports to someone beholden to you. Isn’t that right, Nico?”
Nico stared at her. “You have a problem with that?” he asked her.
She stared at him. “No,” she said firmly. “That’s why it’s so infuriating,” she added.
“What is?” he asked her.
“That you didn’t let me decide what was best for me. During that entire plane trip to France, and as I read that report, I saw what wasn’t there. I saw how you started out on the wrong side of the fence, but then legitimized yourself on the right side of the fence. And you rose. You rose to heights you probably couldn’t even imagine. But the problem was the climb up. You made enemies on that climb, and they weren’t going to just forgive and forget. You had to protect yourself. And you organized that web of protection. It was something I could relate to.”
Nico was amazed at her accurate depiction of his struggle. But how would she understand that kind of struggle? “Why could you relate to something like that?” he asked her.
“Because it was exactly what I had to do too. When I became a congresswoman, I had a lot of ass to kiss. I was young and they were gunning for me. Oh how they were gunning for me! But instead of firing back, I made deals with higher ranking authorities. I played the parlor game as well as you could play it. I landed appointments to key committees. I even earned a committee chairmanship in just my second term in Congress. But I also made lots of enemies. So I turned to those higher ranking authorities to deal with those enemies. They were stripped of their appointments. They were defeated in their next elections. Dirt was dug up on them, and given to reporters.”
“And what did you give those higher ran
king authorities in return for their loyalty?” Nico asked her. He was concerned. Did she give them her mind? Her soul? Her body?
“Talent,” Kay said. “I gave them my talent.”
Nico didn’t understand. “Your talent?”
Kay nodded. “They knew I was going places. I was considered the brightest star of the young Democrats, and they wanted some of that glitter just in case I actually made it. My talent was my trump card, just like your talent, in the business world and the underworld, is your trump card.” Her look turned grave. “You should have let me decide what was best for me, Nico,” she said. “You should have given me a fighting chance. I loved you so much.”
Nico’s heart dropped, and he pulled her into his arms. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Kay. I thought I was helping you. Because it’s not the same.” He pulled back so that she could see his face. “People don’t lose committee assignments or elections when they get in my crosshairs. They lose their lives,” he said to her. “That’s what you don’t understand.”
“Why do they lose their lives?” Kay asked him. “Because they come for you, or you come for them?”
“I never start a fight. But if a fight gets started, I have to finish it.”
“Self-defense,” Kay said.
Nico nodded. She understood more than he had ever given her credit for. “Right,” he said. “But your world, the legitimate world, will never believe that. They always want to ascribe equal blame.”
“I’m not them,” Kay said. “And you would have known that if you would have come to me, and talked to me. Instead of just leaving me.”
Nico closed his eyes. His regret was palpable. He opened his eyes again.
“Did you miss me while we were apart, Nico?” Kay asked him, studying his eyes.
Nico was stunned. “Did I miss you? Are you kidding? Yes! It was like a death. I grieved not having you in my life. It devastated me, Kay. And it was the kind of devastation I found it difficult to recover from. A devastation I still haven’t recovered from.”
Kay absolutely understood what he meant. “Same here,” she said, as they stared into each other’s eyes.
And then Nico pulled Kay into his arms again, and kissed her with a long, passionate kiss. And it was a kiss, they both knew, that sealed their regret. Nico felt the weight of his decision unlike he had ever felt it before, and Kay knew it was too much for even a man as strong as he was to bear. And he needed an outlet.
Truth was, she needed one too. Because of all those years they lost. Because of how in the world were they going to go forward now? If all went well on election day, she was about to be on the biggest stage one could be on. And her boyfriend was in the Mob? How in the world, she wondered, were they ever going to maneuver that?
Not that it had been decided that they would. Neither one of them was ready to go that far.
But both of them were ready to forget.
And when Nico pulled Kay on top of him, still kissing her, and when he entered her again, they both felt the weight ease. And when he began making love to her with that movement that always put them on the brink of cumming, the weight disappeared.
And when they came, they came together. And it was as electrifying as their reunion session.
But Nico stayed inside of her, and his penis kept stroking her, until they both were at it again.
Later, as the plane continued its long journey to Chicago, they had gotten out of bed, had showered together again, and were putting on clothes when the call came in.
Nico, who had just sat on the side of the bed to put on his shoes, grabbed the phone from off of the nightstand. It was Kofi. “You found out who they were?” he asked him.
“We’re still working on it,” Kofi said.
But when he continued talking, Nico, stunned, stood up. “Already?” he asked.
Kay saw the changed look on his face. “What is it?” she asked him.
But he continued to listen to Kofi. And then he nodded. “Okay. I’ll be there,” he said over the phone. And then ended the call.
“What is it?” Kay asked again.
Nico looked at her. “We have the video,” he said. “We have the man behind the video.”
Kay was pleased and astonished they found it already. “Who’s behind it?” she asked.
Nico let out a harsh exhale. “Senator Asshole,” he said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The plane landed at the Chicago airfield and Nico and Kay, in turned-down baseball caps, were whisked away to the house where Nico’s men held their guy. Four men were guarding him, which Nico was pleased to see. Kofi handled it well.
But as soon as Kay walked through the door, and saw Senator Eddie Drake, her former boss, sitting there, she stopped in her tracks so completely that Nico ran into the back of her.
He looked at her. “What is it?” he asked her. He’d already told her who the perp was. It should not have come as a surprise to her.
Although Kay knew who was behind that video, seeing him sitting there still shook her to her core. She remembered when he lost his bid for reelection ten years ago at the same time that she won her bid to Congress. It was as if they were two boats that sailed in totally different directions that night. She was going up. He was coming down. He was so devastated by the loss, according to his aides and Kay’s former colleagues, that he never recovered. But why would he try to seek revenge on her?
And he looked horrible. His suit was wrinkled and looked off the rack, which was a sin in Eddie’s book. And his hair didn’t have that smooth cut anymore. His eyes were bloodshot red. That big fat diamond ring, and that fat silver chain he always wore around his neck, were gone too. The life of an ex-senator could be a lucrative one, as long as you were in demand. Eddie, Kay also heard, fell out of demand years ago.
Kay walked over to him, with Nico at her side. “Why did you do it, Eddie?” she asked him.
Drake barely looked at her. “I can ask you that same question,” he said.
“Answer her, asshole,” Nico said to him.
Drake looked at Nico. “What are you all of a sudden? Her protector now?”
“Answer her question,” Nico said again.
Drake stared him dead in the eyes. The one thing he could never abide: a white man telling him what to do. “And if I don’t?” he asked defiantly.
Nico grabbed Drake by the catch of his collar and stood him up. “I think you will,” he said. “You know why?”
“No, motherfucker, why?” Drake asked.
Even Kay knew that was a bad comeback by Drake. And it was. Because Nico’s temper rose and he began punching him and punching him. Drake tried to fight back, which only made Nico angrier. Drake was able to land a single blow.
Then Nico slammed his fist into the side of Drake’s face one last time, and then shook him. “I’ll tell you why,” he said to Drake. “You’re going to answer every question she asks you to answer. Because you want to live. That’s why!” he yelled. And then he flung Drake back down in the chair. “Now answer her!” he insisted.
There was a time, Drake knew, when he wouldn’t have been treated this way. But he knew Nico from way back: having used his services himself. He knew what that bastard was capable of. “If it wasn’t for you,” Drake said, “I would not have lost that election. I would never have lost. But you left me. That’s why I did it.”
Kay could not believe his reasoning. “I left you? You fired me, Eddie, what are you talking about? You fired me!”
“You left me and took Rog with you. My two best people just took off. My only African-American staffers left me just when I needed them most. And I lost. I was leading in the polls before you and Rog walked out, but I lost my reelection. I was the only black man in the Senate, and I lost. And now you have the gall to run for the highest office in the land and expect me to be happy for you? You expect me to cheer you on? After what you did to me?!”
“I didn’t expect your ass to do anything for me,” Kay said firmly. “But what I never
expected you to do was to blackmail me.”
“It’s called payback.” He was about to add bitch, but he glanced over at Nico.
“Why would you threaten to release that doctored video?” Kay asked him. “You know Michael committed suicide. Why would you think you could get away with it?”
“You went running to Nico for help,” Drake said. “So I apparently was getting away with it.”
Nico was pleased that Kay wasn’t taking the bait. She wanted answers and wasn’t going to be distracted by his own side issues. “How did you get a video of Michael anyway?”
“I have connections at the police department,” Drake responded. “It wasn’t difficult. They had all kinds of video of him dead on his sofa. I sliced and diced you into the frame, which wasn’t difficult to do either. Contrary to what you might have believed, I have skills too.”
Kay still wasn’t satisfied. “But why did you do all of that? To hurt me?”
“I lost!” Drake yelled. “Stop making it about you! I was the one who lost! I was on my way. I was supposed to be the one who would make it all the way to the White House, not you! I was the rising star in the Democratic party before you even ran for anything!”
Bitterness was all over his face. “Then I tried to run for my old Congressional seat. I just wanted back in the game. I’d take anything. But I couldn’t even win that back. And there you was winning a second term. And then a third term. And then a fourth term to Congress. It’s not fair, Kay. It’s not fair!”
“And so you decided to ruin the chance of the person who could become the first woman president,” Nico said. “You’re a fine piece of shit, Drake,” he added.
“She ruined my chances!” Drake said. “What about me? Why should I care about her?”
But Kay was over the emotion of it all. “Where’s the video?” she asked him.
“We’ve got it,” said Nico’s crew chief, who stood closest to Drake. “We’ve got his cell phone and his cell records too. His cloud records. We got all that shit.”
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