CHAPTER THREE
1292 Words
CHAPTER THREE
“I missed you.” Kevin dashed up to Alexis as soon as she made it to Grant’s buzzing ballroom. “Everything okay?”
“Can we talk alone?”
“Sure.” His cheeks whitened. “But, you got me nervous now. What’s wrong?”
She pulled him through the luxurious halls and to Grant’s outside pool.
“What is it, Lexi?” Kevin stood wide-legged on the marble walkway.
“Gari Hancock is dead.”
His face dropped. “What?”
“Yeah.”
“Fuck.” Kevin waltzed toward the cabana.
“Kevin?” Alexis click-clacked in behind him.
“Shit.” He stooped, gripping his head. “Are you sure she’s dead?”
“I couldn’t be surer. She was strangled.”
“Strangled.” He covered his eyes, exhaling. “Lexi, I gotta tell you something.”
Her stomach flip-flopped. “Okay?”
“Promise me you won’t get mad.” He grabbed her. “And that you’ll understand.”
“You’re freaking me out. What the hell’s going on?”
“I was still in contact with Gari.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Meaning?”
“I go to Boomerang from time to time and we reconnected when she started working there. We became friends.”
Alexis held her breath. “And?”
“s**t, you’re gonna be pissed.”
“God, did you sleep with her? Were you having an affair—?”
“Hell no. You’re the only woman I want.”
“Then what is it?”
“She used to be on drugs, and she’d gotten her life together.”
“What does this have to do with you?”
“Things were tight for her so I’d help her out.”
Alexis gaped, her hair blowing in the wind. “Help her out how?”
He looked her in the eyes. “I gave her money whenever she needed it.”
“I...” Alexis chuckled. “Did I hear you right? Why in the world would you give a stripper money?”
“She wasn’t just a stripper. Gari was from the old neighborhood so we had a bond. I used to look out for her when we were growing up, remember?”
“You gave her money? Behind my back?”
“It wasn’t behind your back.”
“You didn’t tell me s**t about it.” She pointed at him. “What the hell, Kevin?”
“What? I did it to help her. Aren’t you the one always saying I forgot where I came from?”
She walked in a circle, struggling to understand. “How long has this been going on?”
“I don’t know. A few years.” He shrugged. “What difference does it make?”
“A few years? So this was going on before I moved back to Tate Valley, and it continued since we got together?”
“Lexi—”
“Kevin!” She shoved him. “Are you out of your mind?”
“You don’t need to be mad.”
“You’ve been giving another woman money behind my back. Why would you put yourself in that woman’s life like this?”
“Because I cared and wanted to help her. Should I have to apologize for that? You don’t understand what it’s like to grow up the way Gari and I did.”
“Oh, here we go again.”
“You don’t. You had everything a child could have wanted.” He poked his chest with his finger. “You don’t know what it’s like to struggle without a father. You never worried about where your next meal is coming from or to live in a house where you don’t have water or electricity half the time. That’s the world Gari and I come from.”
“That’s not your world now, Mr. Big Shot. You forgot about all those millions you’ve made working for Grant Copeland?”
“That will always be my world.” He beat his chest. “No matter how much I try to forget it.”
“Don’t turn this around on me.” She held her hips. “You hid this, and I don’t appreciate it.”
“I thought you wouldn’t understand.”
“Can you blame me?”
“When was she killed?”
“We won’t know until the autopsy.” Alexis stroked the back of her neck. “We assume this evening.”
“Jesus.” He hooked his arms behind his head. “She has a daughter too. This is terrible.” He pulled her close. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He stroked her cheeks and kissed her. “I won’t hide anything from you again.”
Grant approached, sipping from his champagne glass. “Ah, Firecracker. I smelled that delicious perfume. Is something wrong?”
Kevin wrapped his arm around her waist. “Lexi and I are going to my place.”
“Are we?” She crossed her arms, avoiding eye contact.
Kevin rubbed her back. “We need to talk.”
“Hold on.” Grant took Alexis’ hand and kissed it. “What about my dance? I’ve been waiting all night.”
She snatched her hand free. “Then you can keep waiting.”
****
Leo Pacheco waltzed into the Mexican restaurant the next afternoon to find his ex-superior Captain Enrique Rojas, stuffing his fat face with beef enchiladas.
Leo took a deep breath wondering how he’d get through one minute without killing Rojas.
He shuffled to the table, stroking his immaculate black beard. “Captain.”
Rojas chewed while wiping his mouth. “Thanks for coming, Leo. Please sit down.”
“First, tell me why I’m here.”
“Please.” Rojas laid his chubby hand on the table. “Sit down.”
Leo slid his muscular frame inside the booth. “You had balls to invite me here like you did.” He sat back, propping his arm on the back of the booth. “Too bad you don’t have balls with Grant Copeland and doing the right thing.”
Rojas’ high cheeks expanded as he sipped from the straw. “I deserve that.”
“You deserve way more than this. I should wring your goddamn neck.”
“But you wouldn’t ever do it.” Rojas moved his cellphone away from his plate. “Because you’re truly one of the good guys and hurting even me isn’t in your nature.”
Leo leaned forward, squinting. “You wanna test that theory?”
“I know you better than anyone, Leo. You were the best officer I ever had.”
“Stop.” He lifted his hand. “Why did you invite me here?”
“I’m sorry for what happened to you.” Rojas slouched.
“Wow.” Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you sorry enough to come forward about Grant setting me up? What happened to Nolan Armstrong?”
“I didn’t call you here to talk about—”
“No, I want the truth from you for once. I looked up to your a*s. I wanted to be like you.” Leo swallowed. “I thought you were one of the good guys.”
“I’m still one of the good guys, Leo.” Rojas’ voice shook.
“Then who is the man who’s fallen victim to corruption? The man who sold out his own officer for Grant Copeland?”
“I had no choice.” Rojas banged his fist on the table. “Grant controls this whole town. He always has the upper hand.”
“Is that what you say to make yourself feel better when you look in the mirror? Tell me something. Does your wife and kids know you run a corrupt police force as long as you get your monthly payments from Grant?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like?” Leo shouted.
Customers turned from their meals, gawking.
“Let me tell you what it’s been like for me,” Leo said. “Being a cop was my entire world. When I got kicked off the force I didn’t even wanna live, but someone had to fight for what’s right.”
“You’ve got to stop messing with Grant.” Rojas’ hands shook. “It’s going get you and Alexis killed.”
“I don’t care as long as we expose him for the monster he is. Grant Copeland is responsible for Nolan Armstrong’s death, and if you want to do the right thing, then tell me who messed with Nolan’s brakes.”
“You think I’d go along with murder?”
“Yes.” Leo gritted his teeth. “You’ll do anything for that bonus Copeland dishes out.”
“You and Alexis have to let this go. Grant’s more dangerous than you could imagine.”
“God.” Leo grimaced. “Did you kill Nolan?”
“No.” Rojas jammed his eyes shut. “I’m worried about you, Leo. I’ve been evaluating my life, and I don’t like how things have become. You mentioned my wife and kids. It gets harder each day to look my wife in the eyes. I’m trying to do the right thing now.”
“You should’ve done the ‘right’ thing and not sit there when Grant set me up to lose my job.” He stood. “Are we done here?”
“Leave Grant alone before it’s too late.” Rojas grabbed his hand. “Let things fix themselves.”
“That might be your way of handling things but it sure as hell isn’t mine.”
- Writer
