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With nothing to say, Leigh turned and walked away. Her mother would never understand that any of her children had a right to their own lives. She preached the importance of who they were and what they meant to the community. The choices they made couldn’t be just theirs. That’s why they had to pick the right friends, the best colleges, at least two degrees, careers of the highest regard, walk the right way, talk the right way and dress a certain way. Taking everything into consideration before any choice was made was the price for privilege.
Leigh could only hope that after she got the clinic up and running, her mother would become a part of it. She wasn’t sure she could do it any other way. Her mother’s approval meant the world to her.
Janet felt emotion well in her throat. She had been so hopeful that things could be different between them after all of this time.
“I want you to be safe. I can’t tell you how many nightmares I’ve had over the last year. All those nights not knowing, and hearing the horrible things going on there. Now with Haley, I just can’t take it.”
Leigh turned back, her mother’s words reaching inside her. “Who would we be as black people in this country if we let fear stop us from helping our brothers and sisters?”
“Everything your father and I have done is so that you don’t have to be a savior. No matter what you say, this is not the right choice for you.”
“Either way, it’s my choice.”
Janet looked into her eyes, believing her sincerity. There was so much about who they were and what they stood for that Leigh never understood; never tried to. She couldn’t let her do this. She wouldn’t.
CHAPTER 4
As she finished ringing up her last customer for the night, Avery was so tempted to call Alex she felt like the phone next to the register was vibrating. She hadn’t spoken to him since kicking him out Saturday night. It was Wednesday and she hadn’t heard a word. They had fought before, too many times to mention, followed by a short time to calm down. A few days, one time a whole week. Only this time seemed different and Avery’s heart was tearing apart at the idea that she may have made a serious mistake.
Her desk was a mess and that was a sure sign that Craig had been using it. He’d barely spoken to her when she’d come in earlier today and didn’t want to talk about what was wrong with him. Avery had so much on her mind that she didn’t push, and right now she had to think about what she was going to say to Alex. If she let her emotions get to her she would lose her point.
“Write it down,” she said to herself.
She saw Craig’s message pad and reached for it. Craig was adamant all calls for him be put on this pad. It was an accountant thing. It was already on the last page so she flipped back a few pages and ripped one out. She could write on the back of…
This was interesting.
Message To: Craig
From: WNS
WNS was code for Would Not Say, when someone didn’t want to leave a name. Avery couldn’t help but be curious because of the way Craig was acting. She went back to the pad and scanned the last few pages of messages going back to the beginning of last week. Three messages from WNS with the same phone number in the past week.
This was wrong. She hated nosy people and didn’t want to be in anyone’s business, but Avery had a feeling she couldn’t ignore. She dialed the number, with her hand on the button to hang up as soon as she saw the Caller ID, but when the number came on the screen, the name above it froze her solid. Unable to accept it, she put the phone to her ear and listened to the message that came without rings.
“You’ve reached Carter Chase. I can’t…”
She hung up, feeling a sense of panic rip through her. She flipped desperately through the message pad as the room seemed to spin around her. Craig’s erratic behavior began the day after Carter’s first visit to the salon. She thought of Carter’s lack of pressure since their first encounter, and now these messages. They had been communicating! She had assumed Carter would try to get to Craig, but when she’d talked to Craig about it he’d promised to let her know any- and everything.
When the phone rang, Avery almost jumped out of her seat. It wasn’t Carter. It wasn’t Alex. It was someone named Lauren Palnak. “Essentials, can I help you?”
“Is Craig there?” The woman spoke with a high-pitched voice.
“Craig left a couple of hours ago.”
“I thought…I wanted to catch him before he went to dinner because my plans have changed. I can meet him after he’s done.”
“Sorry, he’s not here.”
“Would anyone there know where he’s at?”
“No, I don’t.” Avery was about to hang up.
“Well, ask somebody,” she nagged with attitude. “I’m his girlfriend, Lauren. They know me there. His dinner was about the salon, so someone there ought to know.”
Avery felt like she was kicked in the stomach. “What do you remember? Maybe I can help.”
“It was Italian,” she said. “I remember he’s been wanting to go there for—”
“Angelo’s.” Avery was almost whispering, focusing more on her thoughts than her words.
“That’s right! Oh, thank…”
Avery hung up, her hand gripping the phone so tight it hurt. Carter had been one step ahead of her since the moment he walked into her shop. She had been playing fair with someone who didn’t know the meaning of the word, but no more. Some heads were coming off and she wasn’t talking about the ones on top of the shoulders.
The phone rang again and Avery almost ignored it, but Alex’s name and number came on the ID.
“Alex?”
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. What do you want?” Avery was too angry to be conscious of her tone.
“I was hoping we could go to dinner tonight. You know, so we could talk about—”
“Fine,” Avery said. “Let’s go to Angelo’s. Pick me up in ten minutes.” She hung up the phone so mad she could barely breathe.
Carter knew he was wrong to make the comparison, but it was so obvious Craig was a much lesser man than he. He wondered how a man made it, always struggling to do what came so easily for him. It wasn’t all about money. Carter had seen many men with more money than he had with no control over their own destiny; who couldn’t stand up for themselves to save their own lives.
Craig was visibly shaken, this being their first face-to-face encounter. Carter didn’t want to come off as threatening, but he knew there was probably no helping that. He had lost his patience. This had taken longer than it should have. Even now, sitting across from him for almost a half hour, Craig could barely make eye contact with him.
Craig had hung up on Carter the first time he called, but after a while he was singing a different tune. Craig was dead broke. He was being sued for child support by two women and had gambling debts that were being called in by some pretty dangerous folks. Most importantly, he had been stealing from Essentials for the last three months to keep his head just above water. He wanted to know how Carter knew so much about him, but Carter assured him all that mattered was that it was all the truth and he wanted the papers. He felt some pity for Craig, knowing the man was never really in the game.
“You made these choices, Craig,” he admonished.
“Spare me the speech, man. You’re no different from me. You’re blackmailing me to get at that bitch, and…”
“Let’s keep this civilized.” Carter gestured for him to keep his voice down. “For the record, I am absolutely, positively nothing like you and Avery didn’t make you do this.”
“She thinks she’s better than everybody else. Pretending to be perfect, just keeping everyone at enough distance to never forget they aren’t worthy of her. I know who she really is. She’s an insecure mess and that marriage ain’t gonna happen.”
“I don’t give a damn,” Carter said. “Don’t think about Avery. Think about—”
“Don’t think about her?” Craig laughed. “She’s the reason this is all happening. I wanted to sell when your brother came around. I needed the money, and now I’m—”
“I’m offering you the money,” Carter said.
“I can’t do anything with my shares without Avery signing off.”
“I’m a corporate lawyer, Craig. I told you I’ll take care of that.”
“Where’s the money?”
Carter reached into his briefcase and placed the thick yellow envelope on the table. As he began sliding the down payment across it, a delicate hand reached in and picked it up not so delicately. Both men looked up to see a fuming Avery standing over them.
Craig’s eyes were wider than his head. “What are you—”
Avery waved the envelope in front of their faces. “This wouldn’t by any chance be cash for your share of Essentials?”
Carter eyed Craig, wondering at first if he was up to something, but the look on the man’s face told him Craig had no idea how Avery had figured this out. He reached up, grabbing the envelope from her. “I’ll take that back, thank you.”
“I’ll deal with you later.” She felt her adrenaline running at mach speed. “How could you, Craig? I thought you were my—”
“Friend?” Craig laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Carter saw the emotion in Avery’s eyes and ignored the fact that it sort of mattered to him.
Avery didn’t know what to say. She was seeing hate in Craig’s eyes and she couldn’t begin to know how she had caused this.
“There are friendships,” Craig said, “and there is money.”
“And Avery doesn’t have either to offer you,” Carter interjected, “so don’t try to make it like you can help him.”
Avery’s hands formed into fists as she stared Carter down. “This is between me and Craig.”
“No, it isn’t.” Craig slid out of the booth. “I’ve had enough reality for tonight.”
“Craig!” Avery couldn’t believe he was running away like a child.
“Let him go,” Carter said.
“What did you tell him?”
“None of your damn business.” Carter gritted his teeth. This woman. How was he going to recover this? Tell his father, what? He needed a drink.
“Did you threaten him?” Avery had to control the feeling of vulnerability she now had.
“Like I said, none of your business.” He stood up, throwing a handful of bills on the table. “Thanks for ruining my evening.”
“Ruining your—” Avery was astounded and livid. “I swear Carter, from this moment on you better stay away from anything related to Essentials or—”
His sudden closeness as he leaned in shocked her. His face was only inches from hers and his expression was beyond serious. That calm, cool demeanor was nowhere in sight.
“Or what?” he asked.
Avery swallowed, asking for the strength to speak. She knew she had to stand tall now or she might as well give him Essentials for free. “Or you’re going to be sorry,” she said in a voice not as strong as she had wished it would be.
A surge of energy swept through Carter as he grabbed Avery by the arms, pulling her closer. A mixture of anger and lust ripped through him, the second coming unexpectedly. “Don’t threaten me. I don’t think you want to see the side of me that gets cornered.”
“Get your hands off me!” Avery was rattled through and through. When he let her go, she wasn’t sure if she could stand on her own. “I know what you’re up to, and it’s not going to work.”
Carter watched her as she backed away from him. “You have no idea what I’m up to, and it always works.”
The anger inside him began to temper as he watched her walk away, only to get another rise as he saw who she was walking to; her somewhat confused fiancé, Alex. Why that bothered him, he didn’t know and he didn’t care. He had bigger problems on his hands.
Sean knocked on the door to Haley’s bedroom for the second time. He knew she was in there. She was the one who’d called to tell him something about the case. He wasn’t sure she was telling the truth, but it had been a week and a half since the break-in and every lead had grown cold. As the second knock came unanswered, he began to suspect her motives. When he opened the door, she was in the middle of getting dressed with an unbuttoned shirt and pants half pulled up.
“What are you doing?” Haley asked.
“There’s supposed to be someone outside your door.”
“Maybe he died, too. I’m getting dressed.”
“I’ve seen the whole show, remember?” He certainly hadn’t forgotten. “Where is the bodyguard, Haley?”
His patience was too short for Haley to enjoy teasing him. She preferred the buildup for her own entertainment, but she had to behave tonight. She needed his help if she was going to get out of there. “He went to the bathroom. Hopefully no one will try to kill me before he comes back.”
Sean was disappointed. “Somebody wanted you dead.”
“But I obviously don’t know anything,” she said. “I couldn’t recognize anything from those pictures you showed me. Maybe they realize that and they’re giving up.”
“What are you getting dressed for?”
“I didn’t tell you? I’m going out.”
“No, you’re not.”
“That’s why I called you over.” Haley ran behind him and closed the door. “The Yankees are in town for the playoffs. There’s a big players’ party tonight.”
Sean felt like an idiot. “I’m leaving.”
“Wait. I’m not playing games. I do take this seriously now. I’m very frightened.” She could tell from the look on his face that he was close to buying it. Well, it wasn’t actually a lie. “I know I need to be guarded, but I can’t stay in this house anymore. It’s been two weeks and I’m losing my mind.”
“I can understand it’s hard, but if he can get in your house—”
“The party I’m going to is for the players. It’s extremely exclusive. The VIP list is highly scrutinized and all of the players’ security will be there.”
Sean had to admit, it was probably a safe environment. Several high profile players in one spot. Not to mention the stars who would show up with their security.
He shouldn’t have done that, Haley thought to herself. His little sigh told her she was making some sense. He was hers now. “This place has metal detectors and cameras on the ceilings.”
Sean was shaking his head, but his resolve was fading as she moved closer to him. “You’ll still be exposed before you get inside and when you come out.”
“Not if I have both of those bodyguards,” she said. “And you.”
“Me?” Sean knew he should have asked to be on that new case about that missing drug dealer. It was less dangerous than Haley.
Men were so easy; especially the younger ones. “You saved my life. My daddy trusts you. He likes you. He’ll let me go if I’m with you.” Still some hesitation. “You’ll have fun. There will be beautiful girls there and I promise I’ll behave.”
His brows narrowed. That was a lie if ever he heard one.
“Derek Jeter,” she teased.
Haley was already slipping into her shoes. “We need to pick up Carly and Olivia before we get there.”
When they arrived at the party at ten, Sean was on edge. He was thinking of Steven’s threats if anything happened to Haley and Jason’s indignance at his instructions. Neither he nor Erik, the new bodyguard, appreciated his advice, but he didn’t care. They would be able to see Haley from every angle and he would personally never let her get more than three feet away from him. When the players started showing up, Sean expected he would have a hard time concentrating on Haley, but it was nothing like that. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She tried to escape him time after time, talked to her girlfriends with the mouth of a sailor, drank too much and went from pretending he wasn’t there to teasing him continuously. Sean hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, but there was something intoxicating about her bad behavior. It was so genuine to her that she almost made it seem innocent. He was completely disgusted with her and drawn to her at the same time. She knew it, which only made him angrier, but didn’t seem to make him want to stop. Not even when she pulled him onto the dance floor.
A little buzz began to flirt in Haley’s ears as she danced around Sean. Out of his element, which he definitely was right now, he didn’t have that holier-than-thou attitude. It made him more attractive; more interesting. He would hate himself in the morning for having so much fun with her and that amused her more than anything. He had a strong sense of morality and professionalism, but in a few hours she had become his weakness. As the music changed to a slow beat, Haley grabbed Sean by his shirt and pulled him to her. He was still a boy in so many ways, but he wasn’t awkward. He was too turned on by her for that. She could see the hint of denial in his eyes, holding on to all he had to resist her, but she would break that soon. She would break him and it would be the most fun she’d had in a while.
Sean looked down at her, knowing that a woman this sexy could never be any good. She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him as if she held a secret he should be willing to give his life to know; and Sean believed he would.
If Leigh was in a better mood she could appreciate Richard’s kind words praising the work she’d done. The work they had all done. He was a good guy, contrary to what she might have thought when they’d met over a week ago. Since then he had managed to come up with over ten thousand dollars in donations from L.A. General. Alicia hadn’t been able to come up with anything, but she had already given her entire savings for the down payment on the clinic and Leigh couldn’t ask for more.
While Richard walked Alicia to her car, Leigh sat on the floor of the clinic determined to make the numbers work. They had spent the last week cleaning the place up from floor to ceiling, inside and out, with help from people in the neighborhood.
