by Evelyn Dar
She tried to ignore the opulence and set about her task. The heart key chain was on the nightstand where Avery said it would be. Laylah slipped it in her pocket, then hurried to the walk-in closet. Although Avery had only requested the key chain, Laylah thought she’d might like to wear her own clothes for a change.
Laylah grabbed the biggest purse she could find and stuffed it with clothes and shoes.
With the bulging bag slung over her shoulder, and the key chain safely in her pocket, she wobbled down the stairs.
She stopped at the second-floor landing and shuffled to the doorway of Joanna’s sitting room/bar. Joanna’s glass was now empty, and she’d abandoned her sunglasses. Her unblinking, glossy eyes were glued to the huge screen and Laylah had an uncomfortable moment of déjà vu as the image of her own intoxicated, glossy-eyed mother staring at the television flashed through her mind.
“There are no new leads in the kidnapping of Attorney General Bradley’s daughter, Avery Bradley.”
Laylah set the bag down and took a step inside the room.
“It has officially been over twenty-four hours since Avery Bradley was kidnapped from a party held in the College Park area of Atlanta. Sources close to the investigation say Attorney General Bradley has been contacted by the kidnappers but there has been no official word from his camp confirming nor denying the claims.”
A video of Avery appeared on the screen, and Laylah recognized it as one of Teddy’s campaign videos. Also, the ‘Vote for Bradley’ banner hanging in the background was a dead giveaway.
“If anyone has any information about Avery Bradley’s whereabouts, please call the number on the screen or text the Atlanta PD at the number below.”
“She’s so pretty,” Joanna mumbled, so low Laylah almost didn’t hear.
“Yeah,” Laylah whispered. “She is.”
“It’s such a shame,” Joanna said. “That girl’s poor parents must be out of their minds with worry. A pretty thing like that.”
Laylah frowned. “What?”
“Oh, and Courtney, please tell Avery I’m hosting a celebratory dinner next weekend in her honor.” Joanna beamed proudly. “Did you know she was accepted into Harvard?”
Laylah could barely contain her disgust for the pathetic excuse of a mother sitting in front of her. She clenched her jaw. “What is wrong with you?”
A hand touched her shoulder, and Laylah nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around and found herself face to face with an olive-skinned woman who looked old enough to be her great-grandmother.
“She’s doing the best she can,” the woman said in a deep southern accent. “It might not seem like it, but you don’t know the half of what she’s been through.”
The woman squinted at Laylah, then peered at the bulging bag by her feet.
“I-I’m Chelsea,” Laylah stammered, her heart hammering in her chest.
The woman raised an eyebrow. “Are you now?”
“I f-forgot my bag when I was here last weekend with Avery. And Siobhan.”
“Did you now?” The woman kicked the purse, and it barely moved. “You sure travel heavy, Chelsea.”
Laylah took a breath. This was it. She was caught. It was all over. She closed her eyes.
“Come to the kitchen with me.”
It wasn’t a question.
The woman turned around and Laylah reluctantly followed her downstairs.
She nervously watched as the woman placed a small saucepan on the stove and filled it with milk, cocoa powder and a healthy dose of sugar.
“You’re not too grown for hot chocolate, are you?”
Laylah shook her head and sat at the white marble top island. “No, ma’am.”
“Don’t you ma’am me.” She waved her hand. “I’m too old for that nonsense. Call me Delia.”
“Yes ma’am – uh, Delia, ma’am.”
Delia tsked. “And they say Principal’s kids are the worst acting.”
Laylah froze.
Delia pulled out two bags of chocolate chips, one white, one dark. She opened the white chocolate chips, and her voice wavered. “Are you hurting my baby, Laylah Carter?”
Laylah’s eyes burned and she could barely speak. “No, ma’am.”
Delia took a shuddering breath and dropped a handful of white chocolate chips into the pan. She did the same with the dark chocolate chips.
“They never should’ve brought her here.” Delia shut off the stove and pulled a mug from the cabinet. “Avery, I mean.”
Laylah nodded because she didn’t know what else to do.
“He was too angry, and she was too sad.” Delia poured the hot chocolate into a mug and set it in front of Laylah. “They ain’t have no business trying to raise another child – at least not before they finished grieving the first.”
“The first?”
“Charlotte,” Delia said, a wistful smile on her face. “She was the sweetest little girl you ever did meet. I swear she smiled from the day she was born to her last breath.”
“What happened?” Laylah asked.
“She drowned.” Delia briefly shut her eyes. “The Lord took that baby before her second birthday.”
“I’m sorry,” Laylah whispered.
“A thing like that’s bad enough on its own but, it’s a whole lot worse when it’s your fault.” Delia looked past Avery. “That sad creature upstairs…she had one glass of wine and fell asleep on that lounge chair.” Delia shook her head. “Life don’t get no crueler than that.”
“I didn’t know,” Laylah said, feeling guilty.
“Babies ain’t like puppies,” Delia said. “A new one don’t fix it.”
Laylah took a sip of hot chocolate, her mind reeling.
“That poor child will do anything for love,” Delia continued. “I tried to show her as much as I could but, it wasn’t the same.”
Laylah’s heart hurt.
“Her mama’s too afraid to love her and her daddy…” Delia scowled. “He dangles his love in front of her like a damn carrot – excuse my goddamn French, but he’s the worst kind of man there is. False hope beats the heart down in a way most folks can’t understand.”
Laylah wiped a tear from her eye. “I know.”
“Do you?” Delia stared at Laylah so intensely she almost had to look away. “I can have the entire Atlanta PD here in under five minutes. Do I need to call them?”
Laylah wanted so badly to tell Delia yes and for this nightmare to be over, once and for all, but Reggie’s threats sounded in her head loud and clear. She couldn’t risk Avery’s life. Or Maddy’s, or Kendrick’s, or even Stacy’s.
She got Avery into this. She would get her out.
“No, ma’am,” Laylah said quietly and stood. “I’ll bring her home.”
****
“I-I’ve never done this before.” Laylah looked up at Avery, fear evident in hazel-green eyes.
Avery placed a gentle kiss on Laylah’s forehead. “I know, baby. I promise…I won’t hurt you.”
Laylah nodded, and it was all the permission Avery needed. She swooped down and captured Laylah’s mouth with her own, the kiss burning straight to the pit of Avery’s stomach. Then lower. She rocked her hips against Laylah’s and when Laylah moaned in her mouth, Avery nearly came on the spot.
Avery broke off the kiss and desperately clawed at Laylah’s jeans. Wanting them off. Needing them off. She had just worked the zipper down when a hand stopped her.
Laylah stared at her with shimmering eyes. “I trust you.”
Avery shook her head and tried to continue undressing Laylah, but the words echoed in her head over and over again.
I trust you.
I trust you.
I trust you.
Avery opened her eyes and was greeted by the same pair of trusting hazel-green eyes from her dream. She gasped.
“Sorry,” Laylah whispered. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Avery sat up and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the lingering guilt from her dr
eam. “You didn’t.” She wrinkled her nose. “Do I smell pizza?”
Laylah held up a paper plate stacked with two slices of cheese pizza. “I thought if I brought food back, Reggie would forget he never gave me permission to leave.” She winked. “Worked like a charm.”
Avery took the plate. “Good thinking.” She cleared her throat. “So, um how’d it go?”
“You were right,” Laylah said. “The Chelsea story worked.”
“Do I even want to know how high she was?” Avery asked.
“No, not really,” Laylah said, her tone tinged with pity.
“Don’t feel bad.” Avery shrugged. “That’s just Joanna. She’s not a bad person, she’s just…sad.”
Thoughts of the little sister who never was, flashed through Avery’s mind. The sister who, according to Teddy, would have been smarter than her. Prettier than her. And better than her in every way.
Avery chomped down on the piping hot pizza slice; the pain of her burning tongue a welcome release. Not to mention, it kept her from spilling more of her guts to Laylah, who probably thought Avery deserved every bad thing that happened to her.
And didn’t she?
Laylah pulled the GPS tracker out of her pocket and handed it to Avery.
“Thanks.” Avery slipped it in her coat pocket.
“I also brought you some clothes.” Laylah gestured toward Avery’s favorite Hermes Birkin bag in the corner.
Avery forced a smile and bit down on her burned tongue, but her guilt persisted.
Why was Laylah being so sweet? Why was she making this so hard?
“I guess you didn’t need it after all,” Laylah said.
“What?”
“To sleep,” Laylah clarified. “You fell asleep without your heart.”
“Oh, uh yeah,” Avery said. “But it was a really shitty sleep.”
Laylah laughed, and Avery’s pulse jumped.
Would her body ever stop responding to Laylah?
The door to the champagne room swung open.
Stacy took one look at them, cursed and shut the door. “Can you at least pretend to be kidnapped? What if I was Reggie? Or Juice?” He grabbed the blindfold laying on the arm of the chair and threw it at Avery.
“Oh yay, a field trip.” Avery stood along with Laylah.
“Nah, Laylah, you gotta stay.”
“What?” Avery and Laylah said at the same time.
“Damn,” Stacy said. “Will y’all keep it down?”
“You’re not taking her anywhere without me,” Laylah said.
Avery began to smile and caught herself.
“Come on, you know it ain’t up to me,” Stacy said. “Look, we’re just taking her upstairs to do another video and a phone call.”
“Is Kendrick going?” Laylah asked.
“Nah, just me and Reggie.”
“Why?” Laylah asked.
“Stacy!” Reggie called from somewhere on the other side of the door. “Let’s go!”
Stacy nodded at Avery. “Put the blindfold on.”
Laylah stepped forward, and Avery touched her shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
“The last time you were with Reggie he did this.” Laylah touched Avery’s chin, just below the cut on her lip.
Avery shuddered. “I-I’ll be fine.” She tied on her blindfold and held out her arm. “I’m ready.”
****
“Will you sit down?” Kendrick rolled his eyes at Laylah’s pacing form. “Reggie won’t hurt her.”
“Reggie won’t hurt her?” Laylah stopped and stared incredulously at Kendrick. “First you tell me he’s a psychopath, now you claim he won’t hurt her. Which is it, Kendrick?”
“Babes.” Maddy patted the barstool next to her. “Sit.”
Laylah cracked her knuckles and resumed pacing. “I can’t.”
“Please?” Maddy pouted. “I’ll be your bestest friend.”
“Maddy.”
“Siéntate, babes.”
Laylah sighed but plopped down on the stool. “This is my fault. All of it.”
“Only because you listened to me,” Maddy replied. “I’m the idiot.”
“Yeah, well, I’m the biggest dummy of all,” Kendrick said.
“No, you’re not,” Maddy said. “You just have shitty taste in friends.”
Kendrick looked at her meaningfully. “I didn’t used to.”
“I’m still your friend,” Maddy said, her cheeks glowing.
“You shouldn’t be.”
“Yeah, I know,” Maddy said. “But my therapist and I are still working on my masochistic streak so…”
Kendrick cleared his throat. “I’ve been reading some articles about trans shit.”
Maddy raised an eyebrow.
“And I uh, started following Laverne Cox on Instagram.” He shrugged. “She aight or whatever.”
“You’re a dumbass.” Maddy smiled. “Thank you.”
A loud bang that sounded like a wall caving in made them all jump, and Reggie’s intoxicated crew struggled to their feet.
Reggie stood at the top of the stairs in a stance the incredible hulk would have been proud of. Next to him, the basement door wobbled on one hinge, having barely survived his kick. He wordlessly stomped down the stairs, made his way to the VIP booth and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.
Seconds later, Stacy led Avery down the stairs. Laylah did a quick inventory of Avery and other than a slight flush on her cheeks, she seemed unharmed. Stacy whisked Avery past them and into the champagne room.
Laylah wanted to check on her but forced herself to stay seated.
On his way back from dropping Avery off, Stacy passed by them and whispered, “Ol’ boy ain’t answer the phone.”
Laylah, Kendrick, and Maddy exchanged worried glances while Stacy joined Reggie. Reggie immediately handed Stacy a bottle of liquor.
Stacy wrapped his hands around the bottle’s neck but didn’t drink. “Yo Reg, what are we going to do now?”
“Drink!” Reggie shouted. He turned his bleary eyes toward the bar. “What? Y’all too good to drink, or something?” He nodded at Juice. “Go get them some bottles.”
Juice complied and moments later a half-full bottle of Jose Cuervo, a liter of Sprite, and another bottle of generic tequila were placed on the bar in front of them. Kendrick shrugged, grabbed the cheap tequila and upturned it. Maddy leaned over the bar until she found a glass that passed for clean.
“Maddy,” Laylah whispered. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“No,” Maddy answered. “But I think it’s time to face facts. Babes, we’re all going to prison. Probably for a very long time.” She poured three ounces of Sprite into the glass, followed by twelve ounces of Cuervo.
“So getting drunk is the answer?” An image of Joanna popped into Laylah’s head. “If you’re drunk you don’t have to deal with reality, right?”
Maddy took a sip and cringed. “This was never going to end well.”
“I don’t believe that,” Laylah said.
“What? You think you and Avery get to run off into the sunset when this is over?”
“That’s not what I think,” Laylah whispered.
“Yes, it is,” Maddy countered. “I know you.” She softened her tone. “I see the way you look at her. The way you’ve always looked at her.”
Laylah’s cheeks burned.
Maddy stood, drink in hand, and the bottle of Cuervo tucked under her arm.
“Where are you going?” Laylah asked.
“To get the dangerous criminals drunk so you can check on Avery before you explode.”
“Maddy–”
“Hey, don’t ever say I’m not a team player.” She kissed Laylah on the forehead and swaggered over to Reggie’s crew.
Thirty minutes later, the dangerous criminals were in varied stages of semi-consciousness and Laylah slipped inside the champagne room.
Avery sat cross-legged on the chaise lounge with her back to the door and her head down.
> “Hey,” Laylah said.
Avery spun around, the heart key chain in her hand. “Oh, uh hey I was just–”
“Wishing you were somewhere else?”
Avery smiled, and patted the space beside her.
“Stacy told us your dad didn’t answer,” Laylah said.
Avery’s face darkened. “That’s Teddy for you. Always busy. Always something more important.”
“How could anything be more important?” Laylah asked.
Avery laughed. “You don’t know, Teddy.”
“I know he’ll break the law for you,” Laylah said.
Avery winced as if she’d been slapped.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Laylah said quickly. “I just meant...for him to do what he did, I’m sure he loves you–”
“Stop!” Avery squeezed her eyes shut. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, it’s just – you don’t know him.”
Laylah sighed. She hated this thing between them. Although Laylah would never forgive Teddy for what he did to her mother, what about Avery? The girl who would do anything for love. Even cheat.
Laylah opened her mouth, prepared to try again when Avery touched her cheek. Laylah turned her head and Avery softly pressed her lips against hers.
After a few seconds of chaste kissing, Avery leaned back.
“You’re really good at that,” Laylah whispered.
“Kissing?”
“Avoidance,” Laylah said.
Avery smirked. “Did it work?”
Laylah grabbed the back of Avery’s neck, pulling her close, and within moments, Avery was on her back while Laylah hovered above. As they kissed, their roaming hands explored each other but stayed strictly within the unofficial ‘safe zones’ – stomach, thighs, and back.
The longer they made out, the more responsive Laylah became, and when Avery’s hand brushed Laylah’s erect nipple, Laylah whimpered and arched her back. Avery growled and reached under her shirt, but Laylah pulled back.
Avery closed her eyes, panting. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have–”
“It’s okay.” Laylah sat up, her entire body humming. “I should get back out there, anyway.”