What's Done in Darkness (38 page)

“Thank you.” A tear slipped from the corner of my eye, and I wiped it away. My heart ached for her. I'd been lucky. Rowena had had a change of heart, and for that reason Marie had been spared. But Shawde had lost her brother, and there was nothing that could change that.

“Hold on a second, Jade,” Shawde said. “Someone's calling on the other line.”

“Oh. I should probably just let you go.” I paused when I heard no response. “Shawde?”

She'd already put me on hold, so I did the polite thing and waited for her to come back on the line.

“Jade?” she said after less than a minute, her voice ripe with emotion.

“Everything okay?” I asked, concerned.

“That's my ex-fiancé. He said he saw the news and…” Her voice trailed off. “He knows I'm not crazy now. He still loves me.”

The ring mark on her finger. She'd lost a fiancé because of Katrina, but it sounded as though they were going to work things out.

“I have to go,” Shawde said.

“Of course. I'm sure you and your ex have a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah, we do.” I heard Shawde's shuddery exhalation of breath. Then there was a smile in her voice when she said, “I know Shemar's looking out for me. Finally, I think everything's going to be okay.”

“I think so, too,” I told her, and my eyes misted. Shawde had put her life on hold in order to get justice for her brother, and now she could finally move on.

She'd lost so much. But at least now she hadn't lost everything.

“Please stay in touch,” she said.

“Of course,” I told her. “Now go work things out with your man.”

 

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

The rest of the day was surreal. I had to go to the police station to give my official statement and answer even more questions. It had been a harrowing and exhausting four hours, but Brian had waited there for me. The media, learning of Katrina's murder and Rowena's confession, had set up camp outside the police station, waiting to hear the salacious details from someone who had managed to escape the murderous plans of a deranged psychopath.

“I don't feel like going out the front door,” I'd said to Brian. All I wanted was to rest and to escape the craziness.

“You don't have to. But even if you go back to Erie, you can probably bet that the media will show up there. You survived—they want to hear from you. My advice—give a statement. Answer their questions and put the matter to rest.”

“Will you come out with me?” I asked.

“Not a good idea. Given what I do.”

Undercover DEA. Of course, he wouldn't want to be seen on camera.

But another officer was by my side as I held an informal press conference. I answered questions honestly but without giving too many details. The officer also stepped in to answer certain questions with the standard, “We can't comment on an ongoing investigation.”

When it was done, I slipped out the back of the station with Brian. Together, we walked to his hotel. I didn't want to go back to the apartment. Tomorrow, I would. But for tonight, I needed some distance from the place.

Brian and I made love again, and later we were lying together beneath the sheets when his cell phone rang. He turned and reached for it on the night table.

“Brian Hunter,” he answered. For a while he listened. Then he said, “Really?” Pause. “Okay.” Pause. “Yes, definitely. Thanks for letting me know.” Ending the call, he edged closer to me.

“Work?” I asked.

“Yep. The autopsy on Christian Begley came back.”

“There was an autopsy? Wasn't his cause of death obvious?”

“Yes, but an autopsy is still standard. Turns out he had barbiturates in his system. A pretty large dose.”

“What?” I was astounded.

“My guess? He didn't ingest them knowingly.”

“No,” I said softly. “I doubt it.”

“Which makes it far more likely that there was a plan to kill him. Weaken him with the barbiturates, then when the attack came he wouldn't be able to fight back.”

My brain scrambled to make sense of this news. Had Katrina drugged him, then caused a fight because she knew he would leave the bar in anger? I'd replayed that night in my mind with deeper scrutiny, and the truth was, I hadn't been with Katrina every second. She'd gone to the bathroom without me. She'd hung out with random guys. And I'd spent a good chunk of time with Brian. Had she used an opportunity when we weren't together to slip out of the bar and attack the man she had clearly married for his money?

Or had she hired Luis Romero to kill him?

With Katrina gone, I supposed I would never know the truth. Unless Rowena was privy to the details and shared them with the authorities.

At least Katrina would never profit from Christian's death. For his family, that would be some small comfort.

“You sure you don't want to watch the news?” Brian asked me. “I thought you would have wanted to see your press conference.”

“No,” I said without hesitation. “I'm done. Today I was nearly killed, thought my sister was dead, witnessed Katrina murdered…” I exhaled sharply. “Emotionally, I'm done.”

In fact, I was glad that my cell phone had been destroyed, because I didn't want any calls or texts from people. I had no interest in answering any more questions about what I'd been through.

“Yeah, I get that.” Brian urged me closer and kissed my cheek. “Hey, you said you wanted to write a book. Maybe you could write this story? I bet it would be a bestseller.”

I snuggled against him. “Maybe. After some time has passed.”

It was an idea that had flitted through my mind earlier. That one day I might write about what had happened to me. Put the crazy story into a novel or a memoir.

Maybe.

But right now, I didn't want to think about the future or the past. I wanted to concentrate on Brian, make the most of our time together. By tomorrow or the next day, I would be starting my drive back to Erie. And I had no clue what the future held for me and this amazing man I'd been so fortunate to meet.

He must have sensed my thoughts, because he said, “So. You head back to Erie in a couple of days.”

I made a little whimpering sound. “On one hand, I can't wait to get out of here, see my sister again.” I paused. “But then…”

He eased his head back so that he could look at me. “But then, what?”

“You,” I said, admitting what was on my mind. “I'm enjoying … this.”

“Yeah, me too.”

I pouted. “But you're going back to California, and probably Mexico, and I'll be going back to Erie.…”

A few beats passed. “Does that mean we'll never see each other again?”

I turned onto my side to better look at him, hope flittering in my heart. “You'd want to see me again?”

“I came to Key West to see you, didn't I?” Suddenly he scrunched his forehead. “Wait—is this when you drop the bomb that you were using me for my body?”

I laughed. Then playfully swatted his chest. “Of course not. Though what an incredible body.” I sighed softly, becoming serious again. “Our lives, Brian … we live in two different states. Two completely different worlds…”

“Which will make it challenging,” he said, “but not impossible.”

The corners of my mouth fought to smile. “You're serious.”

“I want to see you again, Jade.” He held my gaze with steady, intent eyes. “Look, I understand the deal. Neither of us can really make any promises at this point. But I'd like … I'd like to keep the options open where we're concerned.”

My smile couldn't be contained any longer, and I beamed like a teenager who'd just learned that the guy she liked, liked her back. I stretched a leg over Brian's body, running my foot along the back of his calf. “Would you, now?”

“Of course.” He raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn't?”

“Oh, I do,” I said, sliding my body onto his.

“You're killing me. Here I am, trying to have a serious conversation, and you're making it all about the sex.” He faked a pout.

“Are you complaining?”

He circled my waist with his arms, holding me against him. Beneath me, his member grew hard. “Hell, no,” he whispered.

“I absolutely want to see you again,” I said softly. “What you said about our connection being real, I feel the same way. Whatever this is between us, it feels good. Really good. I want more of this, Brian. Of us.”

Brian stroked my face. “Then where there's a will, there's a way.”

“Is there a will to do me again?” I whispered hotly.

He grinned. “Most definitely.”

“Then kiss me, baby.”

Brian curled his hand around my head and drew my face down to his. And when his lips captured mine, the sweetest heat flooded my body. Each stroke of his hands on my skin and each tangle of his tongue with mine helped push the ugly ordeal I'd endured into the far recesses of my mind.

At least in this moment, the past no longer mattered.

The future lay ahead of me. And I just knew that it would be a bright one.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kayla Perrin
is a multi-award-winning, multi-published
USA Today
and
Essence
bestselling author. From the time she could hold a pencil, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and sent her first book to a publisher when she was just thirteen years old.

Kayla is published in a variety of genres, including mystery/suspense, romance, and mainstream fiction.

Since 1998, she's had over fifty novels and novellas published.

Kayla has been featured on television shows such as
Entertainment Tonight Canada
,
Who's Afraid of Happy Endings?
(a Bravo documentary about the romance genre), and
A.M. Buffalo
(among others)
.
She has been featured in
Ebony
magazine,
Romantic Times
magazine,
The South
Florida Business Journal, The Toronto Star,
and other Canadian and U.S. publications. Her works have been translated into Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

In 2011, Kayla received the prestigious Harry Jerome Award for excellence in the arts in Canada. She lives in the Toronto area with her daughter.

You can find Kayla on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Please visit her website at
www.kaylaperrin.com
. Or sign up for email updates
here
.

    

 

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Kayla Perrin

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The Best Man

 

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