18. Up in Flames
Eighteen
Up in Flames
DESTINY
“Ifeel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” I heard Stasha whine on the other end of the phone. “Come have lunch with me!”
“Hmm, I can’t today. I already have plans, sorry.
” I almost felt bad about blowing her off, but every time I thought about that smug little smile she had when she came to tell me I was basically excommunicated from the church, my guilt evaporated.
I had been spending more time with Eden, Luv and I had already grown really close, and Kat and I were also spending a lot of time together.
I hated to admit it, but Stasha was right when she said she wouldn’t fit into my new life—but, it wasn’t for the reasons she initially thought.
I wouldn’t dare tell her that my “lunch plans” consisted of getting a twelve-piece lemon pepper wet from Dream’s and maybe sneaking in a quickie with my husband in his office.
He was feeling better and back to work after a week of getting on my nerves nonstop, and I was so glad.
I was feeling particularly bold that day…
and twice as horny, so the quickie took priority over the wings.
The more I strayed from the ridiculously hypocritical guidelines that my parents put on me, the more I noticed Stasha’s little snide remarks and judgmental side eyes.
“Destiny, please?” I rolled my eyes at her whining.
“I can’t! I’m so sorry! Actually, I’m just pulling up. I’ll call you later girl!” I hung up before she could protest any further.
Things were so good, and I refused to let her bring my mood down even just a little.
I happily skipped past the security guard who gave me a polite nod and let me inside without a word.
I felt so bad for what Brick did to that man when he found out he gave me a hard time my first day going there.
His head was healing up nicely, but I still had to fight the urge to apologize to him every time I saw him.
Humming to myself, I made my way across the floor, making sure to wave at Kitty, aka Kat, as she shook her titties in some happy man’s face.
She winked back and blew me a kiss before turning around so her client could slip her payment between her butt cheeks.
Once the shock of seeing her almost naked every time wore off, Kat was cool as hell. She and I ran into each other on another one of my trips to the restroom and sparked up a conversation. The next time I saw her, we exchanged numbers and had been texting or talking almost daily.
After standing there watching her run that man’s pockets dry, I happily strolled to the double doors and down the hall to Brick’s office.
I gently pushed the door open, but before I could step inside, two very familiar voices stopped me in my tracks.
“No, Eden. You promised that you would say something. I can't keep looking her in her eyes, knowing this shit. It feels wrong!” The two of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice me peeking in the crack of the door.
“Brick, listen… I wanna tell her. I swear I do, but what if she never speaks to me again? I need my sister,” Eden answered back. I held my breath, trying to pick up every word as they moved around the room.
“So, I'm just supposed to keep lying to her over you?” he asked, words dripping with frustration.
“Yeah! Don't act like you never lied before!”
“Not like this… and not to her. This is fucked up, and you know it, Eden.”
I pulled away from the door, bottom lip quivering as my eyes filled up with tears. My mind automatically went to the worst case scenario, and who could blame me? My sister and my… husband?
I stumbled my way down the hall, feet dragging and stomach turning.
I didn’t stop moving until I got to my car.
I wanted to call Kat or Stasha, but my pride wouldn’t let me.
Both of them had some sort of hidden animosity towards Eden, and I refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they were right all along.
Luv was too close to the situation, and I couldn’t take the risk of her saying something to Drew before I could figure out my next move.
The traffic lights were warped with the tears I refused to drop as I cruised through the streets.
I had more than enough money to get a hotel room, new things, and whatever I needed for a while, so I didn’t even have to go back to the house.
I would be the bigger person and not retaliate or let them know how much their actions hurt me.
I could just disappear somewhere in the city and never speak to any of them again.
I was a grown ass woman in her thirties, way too old for games.
Fuck that.
“I got it!” I said to myself as the lightbulb went off in my head. I hit a U-Turn in the intersection, damn near taking out an old lady, then drove like a bat out of hell all the way back to our house.
I knew exactly what I needed to do. If he wanted a bad bitch, I would show both of them who was really the baddest.
* * *
Hours later, I found myself beating on Eden’s front door just as the sun started to go down.
After I did my big one, I left the house and drove around for hours.
I was still just as torn up as I was before.
Brick had called me twenty-three times and I ignored every single one of them.
Fuck him. I knew he couldn’t just leave the club because they had a safety inspection that afternoon that clearly ran late.
“Hey girl!” My sister opened the door with the biggest smile. It promptly fell off her face the moment she got a good look at me. “What's wrong?”
“You're foul as fuck, Eden!” I spat, finger pointed in her face.
“It wasn't real at first, but it is now! How could you do this to me?” I tried to channel my rage, but it came out in a mess of tears that wouldn't stop no matter how hard I tried.
My body trembled and I could barely see the room through the water in my eyes.
“Destiny, slow down. What are you saying right now? Come sit down and tell me what happened?” She looked like she was prepared to fight somebody on my behalf which was wild because she was the culprit.
“I don't wanna sit with you! I don't wanna do shit with you! Y-You fucked him!” I sniveled pitifully, accusatory finger still pointed her way.
“Girl, I fucked who?” she asked with a raised brow.
“My husband!” I choked on the words as they came out, never thinking that the one person I trusted the most, and the one I was starting to trust just as much, would do something like this to me. In the middle of my breakdown, my sister looked me dead in my face and laughed.
“Des, girl what the fuck?” she said in between cackles. My body didn't know whether to be offended, pissed off, or hurt, so I just stood there wiping away tears as she got a good cackle at my expense.
“I look like a joke to you?” I asked.
“No, but the fact that you think that I would do something like that is insane,” she said, her expression a bit more offended. “You know me. I would never!”
“I wanna tell her. I swear I do, but what if she never speaks to me again? I need my sister,” I said, parroting her words back to her and watching her face fall.
“Des, no. You got that all wrong… It’s not what you think,” she said softly.
“Then what is it? You got the floor, so tell me what the fuck is going on!”
“I…” Her voice trailed off and she looked scared. I stood there watching her and wondering what could possibly be worse than her admitting to sleeping with Brick behind my back.
“Des, I love you,” she said softly as she stepped toward me. The hurt on her face when I stepped back was almost enough to make me feel bad.
“Start talking or I’m leaving,” I demanded. She stood there fidgeting with her hands and shuffling on her feet, and I realized that I had never seen her look so unsure in my life. She made a whole show of clearing her throat, looking off, then reluctantly looking in my eyes before she spoke again.
“I’ve been lying to you… for years. I’m not an art curator, I’m… more like a contract killer,” she said, deliberating each word before it left her lips. I blinked slowly, then doubled over in laughter even harder than she did a few moments ago.
“Destiny… That’s funny to you?” she asked, nose crinkled into a frown.
“Look, if you wanted the dick, just say that!” I said, nearly falling over from laughter. “It’s good enough to lie for… but this? Come on Eden, let’s be fuckin’ for real!”
She mugged me before walking over to the cabinet in her living room. She put in a code, then used some sort of thumb activated keypad which popped the lock so she could pull it open.
“What the fuck?” I mumbled when my eyes landed on the vast assortment of knives, guns, and other weaponry she had stored inside. I watched in bewilderment as she pulled out a huge box, then jumped at the sound it made when it clunked on her coffee table.
“See for yourself.” She flipped the latch and pulled the lid open. Curiosity had my feet rushing over and my hands pulling out one article after another as I read quietly to myself.
12 Dead in Warehouse Fire, Signs of Foul Play.
Local Man Found Dead in Vehicle, Police Say Signs of Struggle Found.
Sleighton Native Found Dead From Apparent Overdose.
There were dozens of articles, and I sat there rifling through each clipping before finally looking back up at her.
“What does this have to do with you? And why are you telling me this now when I confronted you about Brick?” I asked.
“You ever heard of Endgame?” Her eyes reluctantly rose to mine.
“Eden,” I choked out through another laugh.
This one was a bit more nervous because either she was serious, or she was crazy as hell.
I could tell she really meant what she was saying.
“You expect me to believe that you are this mythical assassin that’s been terrorizing the city for the last ten years? Please.”
“They did this to me, Destiny,” she said solemnly before looking away and blinking back tears.