by Linda Verji
Next up… the bathroom. He was in there poking through the cabinets when his phone rang. As soon as he saw who was calling and the time, he realized that he’d been in Teddy’s house for much longer than he’d imagined. It was now seven-oh-seven.
Wincing, he answered the phone. “Angel, are you already there?”
“Actually, I wanted to let you know that I might be a teensy weensy bit late,” Jasmine said. “My regular hairdresser had a long line and just started on me. It won’t take long though. Maybe forty-five minutes, an hour tops. But that means I can’t make it at seven-thirty. I’m sorry.”
“No. No. You don’t need to apologize. I was running a little late too,” Lucas confessed even as he breathed a sigh of relief. “You said it will take about an hour. So eight?”
“Eight is good.” Jasmine sounded relieved. “I’ll call Geoff to let him know that we’ll be there at eight.”
As soon as the call ended, Lucas stripped off his gloves. Tomorrow was another day. He could always come back and finish checking the bathroom. But tonight was for him and Jasmine. Their first official date as grown-ups.
Grinning, he took a look at himself in the bathroom mirror. His grin immediately dropped. Yeesh! He needed to shave and comb his hair. He pulled his jacket a little and bent his head to smell himself. He could’ve sworn that he immediately smelt Teddy’s pungent gym clothes. He needed to change too. He turned his wrist to check his watch. Yup! Just enough time.
* * *
NO ONE WOULD’VE described Catz as a luxurious salon. It was more homely and cozy than shiny and new. When they’d set up the salon, they’d probably had a color scheme in place. However, over the years so many miscellaneous colors had found their way into the large space that it now looked like a rainbow.
The walls were green. Some seats were red, others black, others purple. And who could forget the brown, leather couch at the corner that was supposed to be the waiting area. The couch was ripped so badly one could see its beige, cushiony insides. The beauticians who swarmed around the large space didn’t even have uniforms. There were many salons near Jasmine’s apartment; most were more exclusive and luxurious than this tiny place. But Jasmine had never even considered going there. None of those places couldn’t work her 4C hair like this place could.
Despite the late hour, Catz was crowded. The large space was noise and filled with the hum of dryers, chattering people, and music playing in the background. All the seats were filled with clients in various stages of getting their hair, faces or nails done. Jasmine, who’d just finished getting her hair done, was standing in front of the long mirror next to the sinks.
Twirling side to side and watching herself in the mirror, she patted her hair that was now in two French braids and straightened her dress. The dress was a green, sweater dress that came down past her knees. Though it was long, the lace-up between her breasts and the way the fabric clung to her hips made the outfit sexy. Plus, the beige gladiators she’d worn along with it made it even sexier.
“How do I look?” Jasmine asked her hairdresser, Tasha Lee, who was standing next to the mirror watching her. She twirled to and front in front of the mirror. “Okay?”
“Better than okay.” Tasha gave her a long lingering up and down look before adding, “If that boy doesn’t carry you right out the restaurant and straight to bed when he sees you, then you need to check him into a hospital.”
Jasmine grinned. “That good?”
“That good,” the tall, black woman confirmed with a wave of the hairspray she was carrying. “Where did you get that dress from? I need you to hook me up.”
Jasmine canted her head as she tried to remember. “Mmm…. I think it was a store on Rodeo Drive. Yeah. That’s it. It’s called-”
“Girl, stop. Stop right there.” Tasha cut her off. “Did you say Rodeo Drive? Hell no. I don’t fuck with that street. They out there robbing people blind, lying that they clothes will make me look like Kim Kardashian. Shoot! I’m too broke for their ish.”
Jasmine laughed. “It’s not that bad.”
“Daylight robbery. Girl, bye.” Tasha took a step back to take another look at Jasmine. “The dress is dope though. Can I take a picture? I think I can get my sister to make me something like it.”
“Have at it.” With a grin, Jasmine twirled and posed so Tasha could snap pictures of the dress. After about five minutes, she stopped her. “Okay, okay. That’s enough. It’s already seven-thirty. I’ll be late for my date if we keep this up.”
“Aw, I was having fun with our little mini fashion show.” Tasha pouted.
“Next time,” Jasmine promised. “You still have to do my eyebrows and touch up my make-up.”
“Oh, I forgot.” Tasha swept past Jasmine to stop by her chair. “Come sit here.”
“Can I have the bathroom keys first?” Jasmine made a face. “Nature’s calling.”
Once Tasha handed her the keys, she hurried out of the salon and down the hallway to the ladies’ room. Because of the late hour, there was little traffic along the hallway. The only person Jasmine saw was a cleaning lady who’d parked her cart a little distance away from Catz.
She opened the door and got into the bathroom. Once she was done with her business, she came out of the stall. She was washing her hands when the door opened. The cleaning lady came in, wheeling the cart.
At first Jasmine didn’t notice it, then she did. Those legs were too bulky and hairy to be a woman’s. Also, there were too many veins running along the cleaning lady’s hand. Worse, her face was too hard, jaw too square, and there was even a hint of a five o’clock shadow on her chin.
The cleaning lady was actually a man.
Now, Jasmine didn’t have any problems with men dressing as women but there was something shifty about the way the man looked at her then at the door. However, when he firmly shut the door behind him and turned the lock, her heart dropped to her stomach.
“What the hell are-” Jasmine stopped speaking when he rushed towards her.
The mean look in his eyes was enough to make her stagger backwards and start screaming. But she didn’t even get to the second note of her scream. He got to her before she could. Everything Lucas had taught her about defending herself got lost in the middle of trying to punch him. The man easily ducked her punch, grabbed her arm and spun her around until her back was to him and his arm was around her waist.
Terror biting at her, Jasmine jabbed her elbow backwards. The man’s pained ‘oof’ met her action, but he didn’t release her. She tried to jab her elbow again as she struggled in his arms, but right then he slammed a blue cloth over her face.
Immediately, a pungent, sweet smell hit her. Whatever he’d laced the cloth with was fast acting. As soon as its smell seeped in, Jasmine felt nauseous. Drowsiness followed seconds later.
She tried to fight the drowsiness, tried to struggle in his arms, tried to hold her breath so she wouldn’t take in more of the chemical. But it was no use. The chemical seeped into her body quickly and determinedly. She sagged back into her attacker’s body, closed her eyes and sunk into darkness.
CHAPTER 25
This was the peak time for Grandpa’s Gate. Chattering, laughing and the clinking of cutlery echoed in the large restaurant to meld seamlessly with the pop music playing softly in the background. Servers dressed in black weaved their way between the square tables carrying trays filled with various barbecued meats and other dishes.
This place was obviously popular because all the tables were filled. Lucas’s table was close enough to the window that he could see several people waiting outside on the street for a table to be free. Several of the waiting patrons kept glancing his way as if wondering why he had a table all to himself when they couldn’t even get one. Lucas just shrugged. It wasn’t his choice to be here alone.
Where was Jasmine? She was supposed to be here by now. Lucas glanced at his watch then frowned. Eight-thirty? Half an hour past the time they’d agreed to meet. When he swiped through his p
hone to the app he’d installed to track her, he saw that she was still in the salon.
Had she decided to do more than her hair? A second later, he gave himself a mental slap. This was Jasmine’s hair they were talking about. When they were younger, he remembered her telling him that Sundays were off-limits for dates. Why? Because it was her ‘hair-day’. At first he didn’t understand what she meant. Washing his hair and drying it took half an hour, an hour at most. What so different about hers that it required a full day? Then he saw what she did with hers; finger combing, deep conditioning, hot oil ‘something’, don’t forget the amount of time it took her to plait it…. You know what? He’d give her thirty more minutes.
However, thirty minutes later, she still hadn’t arrived at the restaurant. Even the servers were now giving him dirty looks. He swiped to her number. Should he call her? Should he not? He didn’t want to rush her, but this was getting ridiculous.
“Excuse me, sir.” A server stopped by his table. “Are you going to order? We have a lot of people waiting outside.”
“I’m waiting for someone.” Lucas gave the guy an apologetic smile. “Just another ten minutes. I’m sure she’s on her way.”
“Okay.” The server smiled and turned. But as he walked away, Lucas heard him mumble, “Isn’t it obvious that you’ve been stood up?”
No, I haven’t been stood up, Lucas wanted to yell. But because he couldn’t, he picked up his phone and dialed Jasmine’s number. She didn’t pick up on the first call, or the second. She didn’t pick on the third call either.
On the fourth call, he started to worry. Jasmine never, ever ignored his phone call. It was time to check on her.
Still calling her, he pushed his seat back and stood. Imagine his relief when the phone finally got picked up.
“Hello?” someone answered. The voice was female but it didn’t sound like Jasmine’s.
Frowning, Lucas asked, “Jasmine?”
“No, sorry. This isn’t Jasmine,” a woman answered. “I’m her hairdresser, Tasha.”
Lucas’s frown deepened. “Where’s Jasmine?”
“That’s what I want to know too.” Tasha clucked her tongue repeatedly. “She said she was going to the ladies’ room and disappeared. I was supposed to do-”
“She disappeared?” Lucas cut the woman off even as his heart started to beat rapidly.
“Yeah.” Sounding irritated, Tasha added, “I’ve checked the ladies’ room. She’s not there.”
Lucas started walking. “When did she go there?”
“Seven-thirty-ish,” Tasha said. “It’s been more than an hour and a half.”
“Did you see anyone lurking around her?” Lucas asked as he strode swiftly to the front door. A server tried to stop him but he swept past without even a sideways glance.
“Someone like who?” Tasha asked.
“Someone following her or watching her.”
“Um… I don’t think so.” Now, sounding worried, Tasha asked, “Do you think someone took her?”
It looked like it. Fear like ice trickled down Lucas’s spine. It churned his stomach leaving him nauseated. He could feel the sweat drenching his skin, the throbbing of the pulse at his throat, the thumping of his chest.
To Tasha, he said, “I’m on my way there.”
Maybe she’d just stepped out to buy something, Lucas consoled himself as he got into his car.
No, his instincts refused. If she’d stepped out to buy something, she would’ve taken her purse. The fact that her phone was still in the salon meant that her purse was probably also there.
Someone had taken her.
Fresh panic raced through Lucas as he drove. Who could have taken her? The conversation between him, Shane, Michael Walcott and August immediately flashed in his mind. Michael had subtly hinted that if Lucas and Shane didn’t drop the case, someone they loved might be next. Lucas had thought of it as an empty threat then. He should’ve taken it seriously. Michael Walcott had already murdered Teddy and York. He was capable of anything, including kidnapping Jasmine.
Damn it! Lucas slammed the steering wheel with his fist. He should’ve taken the threat seriously. He should’ve been more careful. He should’ve protected Jasmine better.
The salon was just as close as Jasmine had said it was. Five minutes later, he zoomed into the parking lot of the building that hosted the salon. He was about to get out of his car when his phone beeped.
Maybe it was Jasmine. He quickly drew the phone from his jacket. When he checked his screen, all he saw was a text message. The message appeared to be from a strange number.
He swiped his finger over the screen of the phone then frowned when he saw that the message only held a link to a video. As soon as he clicked the link, his heart stopped as did every cell in his body. The whole world stopped moving as he took in the video’s contents. In the video, Jasmine was lying on a dirty mattress on the ground. Her sleeping wasn’t even the problem. The problem was the zip-ties binding her wrists and legs.
She’d been kidnapped.
Before Lucas even had time to absorb that news his phone rang. It was the same strange number.
As soon as he answered, Lucas answered, “Where is she?”
A chuckled echoed over the line. “Is that anyway to greet the man who’s holding the life of your girlfriend?”
The voice was disjointed enough that Lucas realized the kidnapper was using a voice-changer app. However, the kidnapper had already identified himself as a man. Furthermore, the calm way of speaking was oddly familiar. Almost as if Lucas had heard it somewhere.
“Where is she?” Lucas repeated.
“If I was going to tell you that so easily,” the kidnapper said, “I wouldn’t have bothered taking her. I’m sure you can ask a better question than that.”
Lucas wanted to jump into the phone and slam his fist into the man’s face. But that was impossible. He swallowed to calm himself before asking, “What do you want?”
“Good. Now, you’re asking the right questions. ” The kidnapper chuckled again. “What do I want? I want you to close a case.”
“What case?” Lucas bit out through gritted teeth.
“Hmm. Let me think.” The kidnapper paused for a long time as if he was actually thinking about it. When he spoke again, his voice was hard and devoid of emotion. “York Emerson’s case. I want it closed by the end of the week. If you can do that, you’ll have Jasmine back safe and sound.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Oh, but you can.” The kidnapper reminded him, “It’s your case, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s my case,” Lucas admitted curtly. “I assume that you’re his murderer.”
“Don’t assume anything. It’s a waste of time. Your only job is to close that case,” the kidnapper added, “And you’ve even got a suspect you can use. Teddy. Just say Teddy killed him.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Then make it simple.” The kidnapper’s voice took on a mocking tone as he added, “Surely dear, dear, dear Jasmine is worth the effort.”
Lucas didn’t answer but his nails dug into the steering wheel.
“I’m glad we agree,” the kidnapper said. “I don’t have to add that you can’t call your buddies, do I? If I see so much as another cop snooping around, she’s dead.”
With those last chilling words, the phone went dead in Lucas’s ears.
For a moment, Lucas had to take deep breaths to quiet his booming heart and catch his breath. As soon as he could think again, he went into action. Who did this guy think Lucas was? An amateur. Not call the police? Please! Only a civilian would fall for that bullshit. The best chance of finding Jasmine was to use the police and all the resources available to them.
“Shane.” Lucas called his partner. “I need you to trace a number for me. It’s probably a burner phone but doesn’t hurt to check. I’m also sending you a video that I need analyzed. See if they can find a location or anything I can use.”
A mere minute
after that call ended, Shane called again.
“What the hell is this?” Shane sounded shocked. “Jasmine’s been kidnapped?”
“Yeah.” Lucas was surprised at how calm he sounded. “Could you get the video looked at? Also that number I sent you… I doubt you’ll find whoever used it but try anyway. Also find out where Walcott and August are and what they’ve been up to.”
“Man, this is just-” Shane paused. “What about you? Where are you?”
“In my car,” Lucas said as he started the car.
“In your car going where?” Shane asked. When Lucas didn’t answer, he took in a sharp breath. “To see Walcott?”
Lucas didn’t say anything. His partner knew him too well.
“Gallo, you can’t go there.” Shane sounded worried. “Not in your current state of mind.”
“Send me anything you find,” Lucas said simply before hanging up on his partner again. Shane tried calling him again, but he ignored the call. He was busy.
His heart in his throat, he turned his car into the main road.
* * *
MICHEAL WALCOTT WASN’T at Walcott Towers. Disappointing but not unexpected, after all it was past nine in the evening. There were two other places he could be; his home or the club. Lucas decided to start with the club.
It was just his luck that just as he zoomed past the gates that led into the club, he spotted Michael’s car coming to a stop in front of the main entrance. Michael’s driver jumped out of the car and opened the back door. Moments later, Michael emerged from the club. He was flanked by August Wells and his son, Jonas. Jonas was chatting animatedly with Michael while August was silently walking beside them like a good secretary.
Still in his car, Lucas watched them. His gaze locked on his target, he picked his phone. Shane had called several times since Lucas had told him what was going on. Lucas had consistently ignored those calls. But the man wasn’t one to give up. Even now, he was calling. This time Lucas picked up the call.