Kiss Lonely Goodbye (30 page)

“No way. Shaun has always taken chances. He likes the rush of…” Marcus frowned.

“Yeah, he likes to boogie on the edge. Shaun also has expensive habits like luxury cars, designer clothes, and flashy women. Like Aliyah. Put those two together and—”

“Hold up, Nicole.” Marcus backed away from her as he tried to sort through his thoughts.

“What are the odds Aliyah would hook up with Russell? Oh, right, another coincidence.” Nicole advanced on him.

Marcus didn't want to hear what she was saying. “You're wrong about him.”

“I'll admit it, Marcus. I'm a typical Black American Princess. More of my parents' attitudes have rubbed off on me than I ever thought,” Nicole said.

Marcus ached inside. She seemed further from him than ever. “You're also caring, warm, and the sweetest taste I've ever had on my tongue.”

She bit her lower lip. They stood apart, staring at each other for a long moment. Finally she moved toward him. “Is that your roundabout, strong-silent-type way of saying you love me?”

“Yes,” Marcus whispered.

Nicole caressed his cheek, and he closed his eyes to savor her touch. Her mouth pressed against his, insistent that he respond. He gave in willingly, eager to feel the matchless sensation of blending his body and soul with hers. Forever went by in only a minute. When the kiss ended, he felt stunned.

“Don't walk away from me. Not now, not ever,” she murmured.

“Sticking by Shaun isn't walking away from you, baby.” Marcus lovingly traced the outline of her delectable mouth. “It's just something I've gotta do.”

She pushed his hand away with a frustrated groan. “I'm a class-conscious pampered brat, but I'm not stupid. Why was he circling the police station that day?” Nicole's voice cracked with the effort to convince him.

“I don't know, but I have to give him a chance to explain,” he replied with as much intensity.

“Then we'll ask him together.”

“Hell no,” Marcus said promptly. “You're going home to that nice, safe development with the private security patrols.”

“Uh-uh. If you trust him so much, then we can both have a chat with your good buddy. Let's get going.” Nicole pursed her pretty, full lips, giving her an obstinate look.

“Don't be a little idiot, Nicole.”

“Oh, so now you want me to be a pampered bourgie girl.” Nicole put both hands on her hips.

“I love who you are, baby. Attitude and all,” he said in a gentle tone. “Don't change. I may be a little defensive at times about where I came from, but be patient with me.”

Nicole's expression softened. “Deal. I may slip into my upper-class clueless bag every now and then. So, you be patient with me.”

“Deal. Now go home.” Marcus pushed her toward the door.

Nicole tried to dig her heels into the carpet. “Forget it. The police put me on the hot seat, too, you know.”

Marcus easily lifted her up. “Which is why you're going home. Period, don't even waste your breath,” he said when she started to argue again.

“But I—”

“If you're right about Shaun, then I could walk into any kind of situation. Another excellent reason
you're not going
,” Marcus said firmly.

“You do think he's involved in all this.” Nicole wore a worried frown.

“No, I don't. But who knows what his thug cousin has set up? Now go.”

“I'm going to wait one hour. If you don't call me, I'll call your cell phone.” She pointed a forefinger at his nose.

“Fine, bye-bye.” Marcus gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

Nicole wrapped both arms around him and held on. “I'll see you later,” she whispered with her eyes squeezed shut as though it were a fervent prayer.

“Yes, baby. You will see me later.”

Marcus rubbed her back to comfort her. Then he gently forced her to let go. Nicole caressed his face with her fingertips before she walked out the door. His phone rang again, and he picked it up.

“Yeah, Shaun,” he said, knowing who it was by instinct.

“I
t's all a lie.” Shaun paced the concrete floor stained with large oil patches.

Five men stood around them. Marcus recognized two from their old neighborhood. The others were strangers. Shaun had given him directions to an abandoned auto repair shop on Lyons in the Fifth Ward.

“What I know is your cousin pops up on the Most Wanted list connected to thefts from my company. Then I find out Aliyah is still doing you while she's playing Russell Summers. Fix it up for me, Shaun.” Marcus ignored the five pairs of hostile, paranoid eyes trained on him. The whole scene gave him a bad feeling.

Shaun strode over to stand inches from his face. “What you tryin' to say?”

Marcus had thought hard on the drive over. His trip had been more than just a series of turns onto familiar streets. He'd traveled back to his past. Much as he'd hated it, he'd started to examine Shaun's character and behavior over the last ten years.

“I remember you used to run with Olandon. In fact, you used to be his brains.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I don't think Olandon could have come up with such an intricate scenario,” Marcus said quietly.

Shaun stared at him for several seconds. His intimidating frown melted into a hard smile. He took out a slim cigar, lit it, and blew out a thin stream of smoke. “I'm gonna take that as a compliment. Relax, all right? You ain't in this.”

“You put me in this,” Marcus replied with a steely edge to his voice.

“Come on. The most you'll lose is that cushy job.” Shaun glanced at Marcus from head to toe. “With your degree and fancy connections, you'll land on your feet. Nicole will hook you up.”

Marcus felt a sharp stab of disappointment between his shoulder blades. “That's a piss-poor way of apologizing for sticking a knife in my back. How'd you do it? I never told you sensitive information about our clients.”

“Computers are amazing. I'd visit you at that impressive office you had. I'd sit there waiting while Mr. Big Time finished up some important work. You never noticed me watching those keystrokes when you typed in your password, did ya? Guess you didn't think I was on that level.” Shaun's eyes flashed resentment. Then he smiled again and stepped back from Marcus.

“It wasn't like that,” Marcus said, shocked to see the hostility that flared in a brief moment. How had he missed it?

Shaun went on as though Marcus hadn't spoken. “Russell helped me out by going through all those secretaries. I dated three and got a little more information each time. None of 'em stayed long enough to get suspicious about me. Lucky break. Besides, ladies really like me. It's a gift.”

“How did Aliyah fit in?” Marcus glanced around. Two of the men now blocked the door Marcus had entered.

“Every once in a while I'd hook up with Aliyah. She liked it rough, and I believe in givin' a woman what she wants, at least in that department.” Shaun let out a guttural-sounding laugh. “Anyway, she had what they call social ambitions. She did a fairly good job of cleaning herself up. You know, a fake story about where she grew up and her prominent family. Thanks to you, I told her where she should hang out to meet Russell.”

“He was a perfect sucker.”

“Yeah,” Shaun said with a broad grin.

Marcus shook his head. “You spent three years planning this?”

“Hey, like your grandmother used to tell us—do it right or don't do it at all. Summers Security got bigger and better, thanks to you. I decided to go along for the ride.” Shaun waved the hand that held his cigar.

“I trusted you.” Marcus looked at someone he didn't know after all.

“Once you started hanging with the elite you forgot about me.” Shaun slapped a large palm on his chest.

“Come on, Shaun.”

“All my business ideas were beneath the great Marcus Reed with his picture in
Black Enterprise
magazine.”

Marcus pushed away the pain. His anger crystallized into a thin, blistering laser beam aimed at Shaun. “You smiled in my face and used me.”

“I won't lie and say it wasn't personal.” Shaun's face twisted with animosity.

Despite the agony of knowing the truth about Shaun's feelings for him, Marcus had to know everything. “So, what did Aliyah do to you, Shaun?”

Shaun stared at him for several minutes. He puffed on the
cigar and walked in a circle. “I don't like people messing up my plans. Bitch gets uppity with me. Where's the gratitude?”

“So you killed her.” A cold sense of desolation spread through Marcus as he watched Shaun shrug. “What are you going to do with me now? I mean, you can't just let me walk out of here.”

“No proof, bro.” Shaun shrugged again. The ghost of his brotherhood for Marcus appeared in his light brown eyes. “I was hoping you'd be down.”

“No way, Shaun.”

The five men moved toward Marcus at the same time. Shaun lifted one hand, and they stopped. “Look, man. I'm into serious debt with some dangerous dudes, but it's worth the risk. I'm talking millions, international-type business arrangements.”

“Meaning drugs or guns, probably both.” Marcus glanced at the men. They all had the look of organized gangstas into big cash. They wore real gold chains and expensive clothes.

“I ain't no street dealer, brother! This is me, Shaun.” He tossed the cigar on the concrete floor. “Look, a few of my boys got stupid and lifted small stuff. I let 'em slide. You know, a perk, so to speak. I was into the computer systems linked up to government sites.”

“You talk too damn much,” a short, burly man to Shaun's left barked.

Shaun shot a heated glance at the man. “Marcus is in, fool. Some of his clients have federal security clearance.”

“He already said he ain't interested. He don't walk outta here. The deal is off.”

Shaun looked back at Marcus. “See, now you gotta go with me. C'mon, man. Don't be dumb.”

“Right, I should let you use me some more.”

Marcus had nothing left to lose. He punched Shaun and dashed toward a window. Two of the men caught him and pinned his arms before he could break the glass. A fourth man punched Marcus in the stomach, causing him to double over. The men snapped him back. Pain ripped through him until Marcus saw white flashes. He groaned. Shaun recovered his footing and rubbed the reddish spot on his face.

“I gave you one last chance, brother. It's outta my hands.”

The door to the garage exploded open. “Don't move, Shaun. You ain't my friend, okay?”

Dayna held her Glock pistol with both hands. Five uniformed police officers stood on either side behind her, their weapons drawn.

Marcus glanced at one of the men holding him. “Get off me,” he managed to pant, despite the throbbing in his midsection. They lifted their arms in surrender.

“You brought the police? You wrong, man.” Shaun stared at Marcus with a malevolent scowl when an officer led him away. “My lawyer will have me out soon. I'll see you later, Marcus,” he yelled over his shoulder.

Dayna studied Marcus for a few seconds, then lowered her gun. “I was hoping you weren't gonna be dumb enough to meet up with him.”

Marcus tried to stand straight, winced, and decided walking bent over wasn't so bad. “I was hoping you weren't dumb enough to lose me with all the turns I made.”

“Right, like you knew I was behind you,” she said with a snort. She slipped the gun into her shoulder holster.

“Dark blue Chevrolet Lumina with a dent in the side.” Marcus wheezed slowly to get air and avoid more agony.

“C'mon, smart-ass. We need lots of answers.” Dayna nodded for him to walk ahead of her.

“I'll be glad to come to your party, Detective. I've just got
one phone call to make.” Marcus was careful to show her the slim cell phone before reaching for it.

Her eyes narrowed. “Your lawyer?”

“My lady.”

 

Nicole and her father stared at each other across the boardroom of Summers Security, LLC. Stanton glanced away when one of the board members approached. He wore a tight expression. Nicole suppressed a sigh. For once she wanted them to act more like a family than a corporation. Apparently she wanted too much. Russell stood ten feet away, resisting another cousin's attempt to mollify him. Jolene left his side and approached Nicole.

“You'll screw up again,” she murmured through the smile she wore for show.

“Maybe. But on my worst day you can't touch me,” Nicole replied in a low voice with an equally fake smile.

“Bitch.” Jolene glared at Nicole. She rearranged her features into a smile again when another relative approached. “Aunt Philly, I didn't get a chance to say hello at the AKA charity ball last month.”

With a sigh of disgust, Nicole walked away. She was at least glad this hellish board meeting was over. Now if only she could think of a civil, yet effective, way of clearing them all out of here. Her father extricated himself from one of his elderly aunts and headed over to her.

“Here we go,” she muttered.

“Relax, I'm right behind you.”

Her irritation melted at the sound of the deep baritone. Nicole glanced up into Marcus's rich, chocolate brown eyes. “Thank goodness. Otherwise there might have been bloodshed in here.”

Marcus smiled. “That kind of behavior is expected of us ghetto rats.”

“These high-class folks can be just as cold-blooded,” she said in a quick undertone before her father arrived.

“Hello, Marcus. I want you to know I have the greatest respect for your ability. What I did was to protect Nicole and the company,” Stanton said and stuck out his hand.

Nicole raised an eyebrow. “Protect me, huh?”

“Yes, Nikki. I certainly hope you don't hold a grudge. You have to admit the situation didn't look good. You're my little girl, but business is business.”

“The unique Summers perspective.” Nicole gazed at him for a few moments, then smiled. “I needed the rest before I took over again, I suppose.”

Stanton threw back his head and laughed loudly. Russell and Jolene glanced at them sharply with twin frowns. Other relatives smiled with relief.

“Damn if you didn't come in swinging just the way I would have, Nikki. You kicked my butt. Never got such a whipping before,” Stanton said.

“Think of it this way, Daddy. Getting spanked builds character.” Nicole beamed at him.

“What the—” Stanton burst out laughing again. He stopped long enough to plant a kiss on her cheek before walking off again. “She's going to take this place over the top,” he announced to those nearby.

“Can we have a moment?” Marcus pointed toward her office.

Nicole nodded and led the way. Once the door closed, she turned right into his arms. “People will talk.”

“I don't think they have much left to say at this point,” Marcus replied, and kissed her.

After one hard knock Russell swung open the door. “The future of Summers Security in the hands of a former juvenile delinquent and an amateur.”

“I wanted to discuss your future with the company. Might as well do it now, since you seem so eager to see me.” Nicole gestured for him to enter.

“I can't be fired.”

“I could with effort, but I won't have to. You're going to resign.” Nicole glanced at Marcus.

“You're crazy if you think I'd make things easy for you!” Russell said.

“No, you're going to make it easy for yourself.” Nicole walked to Russell and adjusted his Yves Saint Laurent silk tie.

He brushed her hands away. “What are you talking about?”

“You're more devious than I gave you credit for. You knew Aliyah was using you. As long as it made Marcus and then me look bad, you didn't care. Plus you got her and wild sex as a bonus.” Nicole made a circle around him, then went to her desk.

“You really
are
crazy.” Russell gave a short laugh.

“The police don't think so. Aliyah decided to blow off Shaun.” Nicole leaned against her desk.

“Except Aliyah didn't realize Shaun was on the hook with some major league criminals,” Marcus put in. “He couldn't afford to have his access cut off to all those computer networks. Aliyah thought they were stealing liquor, cigarettes, jewelry, stuff like that.”

“Shaun didn't tell her everything,” Nicole said.

“You let her think she was fooling you. The loss wasn't that big. You figured once Nicole and I were out, you could put a stop to her little scheme.” Marcus studied Russell with his head to one side.

“Interesting the way you two fire each other's imagina
tion.” Russell put a hand in the pocket of his pants. “You should write a script for one of those cheap made-for-TV movies.”

“You let her get inside information on our customers. By the way, I had Andre do a forensic sweep of your computer. The only real way to destroy data on a hard drive is to chop the darn thing up with an axe,” Nicole said with a smile.

Russell's smirk wilted. “Anyone could have used my desktop.”

“Nice try, but you've got a real sophisticated encrypted password set up. Not so hard for a whiz like Andre, though,” Marcus replied.

“You used an online payment service to hire an out-of-state private investigator. That's how you found out Aliyah was lying. Once Marcus and I uncovered the extent of the thefts, you had to stop her.”

“You found out about her and Shaun, right?” Marcus stood with both arms loose at his sides.

“Then to add insult to injury, Aliyah decided to blackmail you. You got over her death real fast for a guy so deeply in love,” Nicole countered. “Either way, you killed her.”

“You're living in a dream world, Nicole. Marcus was all over her that day in his office. He and his best friend Shaun were in on the thefts. I wouldn't be surprised if they were sharing Aliyah,” Russell snarled.