Chapter 15 #2
Make those 48 hours become 24 hours. File a motion for immediate bail review. Make a public statement apologizing for the wrongful prosecution and insufficient evidence. And expedite Zaire Carter's release unconditionally.
Do this, and nobody else needs to know about your very expensive secret lifestyle or dirt dealings.
You have 24 hours.
-A Concerned Citizen"
I encrypted the email, set it to send in two hours, and then I called Kaseem.
"Come to the office," I said. "I need to show you something."
He was there in five minutes.
When he walked in, I could see the shift in his energy. He knew I'd found something. He knew by the way I was sitting, the way I was holding myself, that this was serious.
"Sit down," I said.
I played the audio file first. I watched his face as he listened to the judge and the DA talking about using Demontae Sullivan as an informant. I watched as the realization hit him. I watched as his whole body went still.
When it finished, he didn't say anything for a long moment.
Then I showed him the files. The bank statements. The escort service records. The property transfers. All of it laid out in organized folders, easy to understand, impossible to deny.
Kaseem stood up and started pacing. I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching. Could see him processing what this meant.
"This nigga been working with the feds the whole time," he said quietly. "This whole time, Demontae been a rat."
He ran his hands through his hair.
"So they didn't have a case," I said. "They were just using him as a source. And he wouldn't even testify because it would put a target on him. The judge was right - they got nothing."
Kaseem turned and looked at me, and for a second, I thought he was going to ask. I thought he was going to say something about how I knew so much about this, how I understood it so well. But he didn't.
Instead, he pulled me up and kissed me so hard I couldn't breathe. His hands were in my hair, on my face, like he was claiming me.
"You smart as the fuckkk! Damn, how did I get so lucky?” he said against my lips.
"I got everything we need," I said.
"I know you did," he said, and he kissed me again. "Tonight I'm gonna pay you back for this. Real thorough. You hear me?"
I nodded because I couldn't speak.
He pulled back and looked at me with pride in his eyes. "Demontae Sullivan. That nigga a whole rat. Working with the feds, feeding them information." He said it like he was still processing it. "Hell nah. I got something for rats. Real shit."
I felt my stomach twist.
"I already sent him a message," I said, showing Kaseem the encrypted email I'd composed. "Demanding 24 hours for bail review and public apology."
"Hell yeah, Tattiana!” Kaseem said, reading over my shoulder. "This is exactly what we needed. This seals it."
He kissed me again, hard and possessive, and I felt like I was drowning.
Because now he knew what I'd done. He knew I was smart enough and ruthless enough to gather this information and use it. He thought he was seeing me fully for the first time.
But he wasn't.
He was seeing a version of me that didn't include the girl who loved Demontae Sullivan eight years ago. Didn't include the woman who was paying her aunt thousands of dollars a month to keep a secret. Didn't include the woman I am that I never introduced to my husband.
Kaseem looked at me for a long moment, and I felt something change with him. It was subtle, but it was there. A question forming behind his eyes.
"You good?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah," I said immediately. "I'm good."
But I wasn't looking at him when I said it. And I knew he noticed.
He stepped closer, lifting my chin so I had to meet his eyes.
"Tatti," he said, his voice careful. "Is there something you need to tell me? What happened?”
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would come out of my chest.
"No," I said, lying directly to his face. "Nothing. I'm just tired from all that work on the computer and us waking up so early. It's been a lot."
He studied me for a long moment, and I could see him calculating, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth. His hand came up and cupped my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said, and I pushed myself up to kiss him before he could ask any more questions. "I'm sure."
He kissed me back, but I could feel the doubt in it. Could feel him holding back, trying to figure out what I was hiding.
When he pulled away, he didn't look convinced.
"Aight," he said finally. "But if something's going on, you tell me. You understand? I need to know what's happening with my wife."
"I know," I said. "And I will. I promise."
But we both knew I was lying.
He left the office after that, I heard him making a call, telling the judge to check his email. I sat back down at my desk with my hands shaking.
Demontae Sullivan was alive. Demontae Sullivan was the enemy. Demontae Sullivan was Nari— I couldn’t even think the shit.
And I had no idea how I was going to tell my husband any of that.