CHAPTER 46
NIYAH
Niyah stood in front of the mirror, looked down at the faded black jogging suit, and smiled.
It had to be the most comfortable outfit in her entire wardrobe.
She wrapped her locs up in a tight bun and pinched her cheeks.
That was all the time allotted for glamour.
Hell, she was barely on her feet. At the ass crack of dawn, they’d been awakened and damn near scraped off the lake house floor by the Creeds’ staff.
That was everyone except Victoria. Somehow, she’d managed to pull herself together and left around three in the morning.
Niyah sighed. She just needed to get through breakfast so she could get on the road.
It was getting harder and harder to avoid Bella.
She knew. The moment she walked into her office and saw Naomi, she'd realized that Bella knew.
She was no fool. In fact, she was one of the best detectives in the department.
Niyah had fucked up when she stole evidence from a crime scene.
And she really fucked up when she tampered with the DNA.
It was just a matter of time before Bella would snatch her criminal activity from the dark and toss her deeds into the light.
When it was all said and done, Naomi could be headed to prison for multiple cases of murder.
And Niyah would be right behind her with charges for tampering with evidence, accessory after the fact, and only God knew what else.
Niyah shook her head. She had to ask herself, would she do it again?
Would she risk her freedom to help her sister?
Sadly, the answer was no. Truth be told, Naomi was a fuck-up.
Niyah could have risked her freedom for nothing.
Because even if Naomi did get away with murder, she was bound to fuck up again.
A ding notified Niyah of a text received. She assumed it was Xander checking her whereabouts. She left the phone on the dresser and left the room. Hopefully, she’d get through breakfast without the third degree from Bella. Surely, she wouldn’t attempt to question her at the breakfast table.
Niyah took the hall and made a few turns before realizing that she was lost. Thankfully, she ran into a member of the Creeds’ house staff. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Dr. Reed,” the young woman greeted in return.
Niyah smiled. “I’m a little lost. I'm trying to get to breakfast.”
“You want the morning room, Doctor. If you’ll come this way, I’ll show you.”
Niyah sighed. “Please. Thank you.”
The staffer led her through the Creeds’ massive house to the morning room. She opened the French doors and held them open for Niyah. “Enjoy your breakfast, Dr. Reed.”
“Thank you.” Niyah entered the morning room and almost laughed at what she saw.
It was like the beginning of an SNL comedy sketch.
Senator and Dr. Creed were seated at the end of the table, indulged in conversation, and looking as fresh as a pair of daisies.
It was all downhill from there. Bella was slouching at the table with her eyes hidden behind dark shades.
Her hair was a rat’s nest on top of her head.
And as bad as she looked, she somehow managed to look better than her sister.
Donna was still wearing her costume, except she’d cut the thong from between her legs and slipped into a pair of leggings.
She was resting her head against the back of the chair. It seemed she might have been asleep.
Niyah sat between Xander and Lincoln and frowned. Xander smelled like the sticky carpet in a west-side hole in the wall. “Damn!” She wrinkled her nose, sliding her chair closer to Lincoln to create a bit of distance between her and her smelly roommate.
Niyah looked around the table. She turned to Lincoln, who looked perfectly fine. In fact, he actually looked like a man who had gotten a good night’s sleep. “Where is everybody?” she asked.
Lincoln placed his coffee mug on the table and waved for the server. She moved to refill his coffee, but he stopped her and took the carafe. “I got it,” he whispered with a smile. He turned to Niyah. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please.” Niyah slid her cup closer to him. “Thank you.”
“No worries. Well, to answer your question… Victor and Taylor are back on the campaign trail. Maria and Kena hitched a ride back to the city with them. I’m almost sure that Jaysen is still passed out in the boathouse.
” Lincoln chuckled. “He’s a lightweight.
” He frowned and looked around. “I have no idea where Lucas is. Mom, Dad, has Lucas been down?”
“No,” Tabitha responded. “Maybe I should send someone for him.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Victor Senior assured. “Bella, have you seen him this morning?”
Bella moaned. “Mm-mm. Not yet.” She slid her coffee cup toward Lincoln. “Hit me.”
Lincoln poured coffee into her cup and kicked Xander under the table to stop him from snoring.
“What a bunch of children,” Tabitha scolded. “You all ought to--”
Her words were clipped by Lucas’ entry. Niyah looked up and nearly choked on her coffee. Donna did the complete opposite and involuntarily spat coffee across the table.
“What the…” Tabitha started.
Not only did Lucas look like he’d been run over by a bus, but incredibly, he entered the morning room with a half-naked blonde attached to him by a set of handcuffs.
Niyah looked over at Bella with a desperate need to see her reaction to her fiancé and his leggy new accessory. A person could hear a mouse pissing on cotton when Bella pulled the dark glasses from her face and looked up at her man.
Donna burst into laughter while Niyah held her breath and waited for all hell to break loose. But to her surprise, Bella gestured toward two seats across from her and slid her glasses back on. “Look at this fool,” she muttered under her breath before letting her head fall to the table.
***
“Ready,” Xander announced, grabbing her overnight bag.
“About time,” Niyah muttered. She’d been waiting hours after that shit show of a breakfast for Xander to get ready. Avoiding Bella at her own event had become difficult. And had she not been extremely drunk the night before and hungover at breakfast, Niyah would have never been able to pull it off.
The way Bella had looked at her when she walked in on her and Naomi’s heated exchange could only lead to one conclusion: she was on to them.
She may not have known everything, but she certainly suspected something.
Maybe she had clocked Naomi’s secret. Either way, Niyah needed to get out of Indiana and back to the ME’s office.
If nothing else, she needed to dot some I’s and cross some Ts.
Niyah looked around to make sure that she’d left the guest suite as close as possible to the way she’d found it. She and Xander left the room, took a few halls, rounded a few corners, descended a flight of stairs, and finally exited the enormous house.
Xander dropped his arm over her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “Andrew is having someone pull the car around.”
“Okay.” Niyah slid her arm around his waist and did her best to pretend like she wasn’t struggling with anxiety. More than anything, she wanted to put some distance between her and Bella.
The sight of Lincoln’s expensive car pulling up was the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
Xander opened the passenger door and closed it after tucking Niyah inside.
She exhaled a sigh of relief when he walked around the car and got in.
Unfortunately, the celebration ended before it began.
When they locked eyes, Niyah felt a chill.
Bella’s expression was downright accusatory.
She walked over to the car. Niyah fixed a smile on her face and lowered the window.
“Hey!”
Bella leaned into the window and rested her arms on the windowsill. “Sneaking out without saying goodbye?”
Niyah chuckled, more nervous than she intended. “Girl, I figured you were still sleeping.”
Bella shook her head. “Nope. Wide awake. You headed back to the city?”
“Yeah. I gotta work tomorrow. When are you coming back?”
“Oh, I’ll be back tonight. I’m working.”
Xander leaned over and tapped Bella’s arm. “Hey, we’re gonna get on the road. Can you tell Lucas to give me a call later?”
Bella nodded. “Sure.” She stood upright and tapped the hood of the car. “Drive safe.” She turned and walked back into the house. Unfortunately, she left the chill behind.