Nothing to Lose (21 page)

“Why didn't you tell me about this before now?” Sherise asked.

“Because it happened yesterday,” Erica said. “Besides, I've had other things . . . I mean, for fuck sake, you guys don't know what I'm dealing with.”

“What else could be more important than this?” Sherise felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest.

She was trying to pace her breathing, but she couldn't. It was bad enough that Jonah could ruin her life. There was no way this piece-of-shit thug was going to bring her down.

“Juliet was talking all kinds of shit to me about Jonah and my mother,” Erica said, feeling her blood boil as she recalled the confrontation. “She's saying that their affair continued after he was married.”

“Impossible,” Billie said. “Your mom would never—”

“I know!” Erica exclaimed. “That's what I said, but she's saying she had evidence—enough so that she almost filed for divorce before he put an end to it. I wanted to punch her in the face. If Alex hadn't been there, I think I would have.”

Sherise recalled her meeting with Jonathan, who mentioned the divorce papers, but she decided to keep it to herself. She didn't want Erica focusing on this side issue. That could be dealt with later. She needed to remain focused on Terrell.

“So, what are you going to do about Terrell?” Sherise asked.

“Wait a second,” Billie said. “Alex stopped you? He heard you? He knows now?”

Erica shook her head. “He doesn't know, and, thank God, he didn't push me for an answer. He's just the best. He was there for me and kept me from losing my mind, but he didn't push me when I shut him down on my secret.”

“It's Jonah's secret,” Billie said. “Not yours.”

Erica nodded, smiling at Billie's attempt to comfort her. She was still mad at her, though. “I don't know how long I can keep it from him, considering he's helping me with Terrell.”

“No,” Sherise said. “You can't tell him about Terrell. If you do, then you'll have to tell him about me. I can't have any more people knowing.”

“I wouldn't have to name you,” Erica said. “Besides, I haven't told him anything. He knows that I have to confront my ex tomorrow, and he wants to be there with me when I do it.”

“It should be us,” Sherise said. “We should be there with you. Not an outsider.”

“He's not an outsider to me,” Erica said. “Not anymore.”

“How much time do you have?” Billie asked. “I mean, before Jonah decides to take it into his own hands.”

“Yes!” Sherise slapped her hand on the table. “You should let Jonah take care of it. It's about time Terrell suffers the consequences of biting off more than he could chew. He never learned his lesson, and this just shows he never will.”

“I'm too afraid of what Jonah will do to him,” Erica said.

“Fuck him,” Sherise responded. “He's a danger to us all.”

“Not me,” Billie said. “And I agree with Erica. There is no telling what Jonah will do to him. If she has a chance to save him from that, she should take it. I do think we should go with you, though.”

“No,” Erica said. “I have to do this alone.”

“But you just said you're bringing this boy with you,” Sherise reminded her.

“He's bringing me,” Erica said. “I've already told him he can't be a part of the conversation. I have to see Terrell alone. This is what Terrell wants. I really think if I can just see him, he'll be satisfied. If I bring you two or someone else in with me, he'll just get angry.”

“Well, you know him best,” Billie said. “I'm still afraid. I don't like the way he acted when you broke up with him.”

“I can handle Terrell,” Erica said. “At least I used to be able to.”

“Well, you better handle him,” Sherise said. “Or Jonah will.”

S
herise was being as careful as she could under the circumstances. She was dressed in workout clothes, which weren't too attention grabbing. She tried to blend in, not an easy thing to do for her. She was at the health club for a reason, a purpose, and a mission. Part of that meant not drawing the usual attention to herself.

Elena had been working out midmorning. She was no longer working at the firm, having quit once she was informed that they would not pay her off immediately.

Sherise had been watching all week and was correct in thinking today Elena would show up at ten. Sherise arrived at nine in the morning, claiming to be interested in the club. She was given a tour, which lasted almost forty-five minutes, and then was left to discover the equipment on her own. She'd waited in the locker room after that, and Elena showed up a few minutes after ten.

She picked a locker in the middle of the row, which was not good. Sherise had hoped she'd choose one on the end, making it easier to escape if she got caught inspecting. It didn't matter. After she'd left, Sherise checked her lock and it was solid.

She didn't want to risk being seen out and about. This was a pretty high-end club and she would certainly run into someone she knew. If her cover was blown, there might be hell to pay. Of course, she could always play it off as an incredible coincidence, which was why she laid the groundwork with the tour, but Sherise didn't want to have to deal with that. It would upset Justin—and as good as things were going with them now, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

So she waited and it paid off.

Forty-five minutes later, Elena showed up briefly, grabbed her soap and loofah, and disappeared. Within minutes, having showered, she was back, and in a towel. She dragged her bag out of the locker and placed it on the bench in the middle of the row. The locker room wasn't very active at the moment, so Sherise was able to spy easily. As she suspected, Elena dressed quickly and grabbed her towels with the intent of placing them in the dirty-laundry baskets, which were against the walls several feet away.

This was her chance.

Not bothering to lock her bag up for a short trip, Elena just headed over. No one was in the aisle. Sherise rushed over to her bag and started searching frantically. She reached for the phone and looked at the text messages. Scrolling down, she found what she was looking for. The witness, the biggest threat in her case against Justin: Bartholdi Park. Wed. 3! - Dennis.

Dennis Stevens must be getting nervous,
she thought.
Good.
He was going to have to recant everything if Justin was going to be exonerated fully.

Sherise knew she was out of time. She only had a few seconds. She tossed the phone back into the bag and turned to leave. Just then, she noticed something. She turned back to examine it. On the bag was a button.

It was a picture of Elena as a young girl with another girl, who looked a lot like her, inside a heart frame. She looked almost exactly like her. They had to be siblings. But hadn't their PI told them that Elena was an only child?

When Sherise realized she was wasting more time, she leaned up to leave. Elena was walking right toward her!

Sherise froze; then she realized that Elena hadn't seen her yet because she was looking at something on her hand. But it didn't matter. She was less than twenty feet away; and even if she didn't look up from her hand, the second Sherise moved, Elena would notice. Sherise was caught.

There was nothing she could do. Was she going to have to fight this girl? She was pregnant, still in her first trimester. She couldn't get into a fight, no matter how appealing the idea of tearing out some of this girl's hair might seem.

“Elena!”

Sherise jumped at the same time Elena jumped. Someone was calling her name. Sherise was immensely grateful, as it caused Elena to swing around and look toward the call, giving Sherise the two seconds she needed to jump around the corner of the lockers.

“Elena Brown!” the high-pitched voice called.

“Brown?” Sherise whispered.

Sherise could hear Elena rustling up her bag and slamming her locker shut. She was too curious not to look. Peeking around the corner, Sherise caught a view of Elena and could see that the girl was nervous as hell. Elena wanted to get away from there.

A dark-haired, pale beauty in her thirties, wearing a blood-red workout combo, came into the row, looking confused as to why she'd been ignored.

“Elena,” she said, “didn't you hear me?”

Elena quickly swung the bag over her shoulder, turning to the woman. Her back was to Sherise now, so Sherise felt safer, observing them, and leaned farther in. She could read Elena's body language. She was not happy.

“Laura!” Elena said, and laughed. “Was that you? Sorry, I've just got so much on my mind.”

“What are you doing in D.C.?” Laura asked.

Sherise detected a distinct Southern accent, more like a Texas twang.

“I'm . . . I'm visiting a friend,” Elena said. “She gave me a pass to her club.”

Wait a second!
Sherise wasn't sure, but she thought she suddenly detected that same twang in Elena's voice.
What is going on?

“Who are you visiting?” she asked. “Do I know her?”

“Um . . . no, I just met her last year at a conference.” Elena slammed the locker shut. “She's not from home.”

The woman looked confused, but she persisted. “We should have lunch. How long are you gonna be in—”

“I'm leaving today,” Elena said quickly. She brushed past Laura without bothering to look back. “It was nice seeing you, Laura. Bye!”

“Um . . .” Laura looked thoroughly perplexed. “Bye?”

Sherise didn't hesitate. She walked around the corner into the row and made eye contact with Laura.

“Did Elena come back yet?” she asked. “I thought I just heard her?”

Laura pointed toward the door. “She left, I guess. That was weird.”

“She left?” Sherise asked, looking utterly confused. “We're supposed to be going to lunch before she heads back home today. Maybe she's coming back.”

“You're the friend she's staying with?” Laura asked.

Sherise nodded. “Yes, I'm Kelly. She came here to visit me, but she's been acting so weird. I guess I'll go look for her.”

“I'm Laura.” She shook Sherise's hand. “That was the weirdest encounter I've ever had with her, and that's saying something for Elena. We grew up together in Denton.”

Denton.
Sherise caught that red flag right away.
Cleveland, my ass
.

“What do you think it is?” Sherise asked. “I mean, she called me up and said she just had to get away and could she stay with me for a bit. I didn't ask questions.”

“It's probably about Rose.” Laura was shaking her head, seeming sad. “It's been over a year, but she's still having a hard time getting over her death.”

“Must be,” Sherise said. “And what exactly—”

“Oh, my God, is that the time?” Laura asked, glancing down at her watch. “I'm going to be late for Zumba! It was nice meeting you, Kelly. Bye!”

“But . . . ,” Sherise called after her, but Laura was gone.

Sherise contemplated waiting again, but she couldn't pull it off. It would be weird to find her still in the locker room an hour later. Laura would get suspicious. Also, she had to get to work. The doctor's appointment she claimed to be on could only last so long.

She would have to work with what she had, and it just might be enough. Elena Brown was up to something as Elena Nichols—and she didn't want anyone who knew Elena Brown to know about it. Maybe she had an agenda that went beyond getting a few bucks out of the firm at Justin's expense. There was a lot to do, and very little time to do it.

 

As she waited outside Porter's building, Billie reflected that she probably shouldn't have drunk that Red Bull before coming over. She was a tiny dynamo at the moment, having a hard time focusing. But this shouldn't be difficult. She just needed a little help with her nerve.

She was actually very excited. Things were about to change for her. When she'd mentioned to the girls the other day about getting Porter to let her see Tara again, it hadn't really occurred to her before that moment. Now it was all she could think about.

She did everything she could to keep her thoughts from Michael, not wanting it to interfere. Things were going so well with him in the last week. After their argument, they'd met for dinner and he said his apologies. He admitted to being wrong for reading her phone and said he wanted to understand, but he just didn't want to invest his heart in someone who was obsessed with her ex.

For her part, realizing how much she missed him in just that short span of being apart, Billie made promises to let her issues with Porter go. It wasn't a lie. Now that she was confident she'd get to see Tara, she truly intended to keep her promise to Michael and Porter. She was going to let it go. After all, she could really see herself falling in love with Michael. If she could have Michael and Tara, then Porter would lose all significance in her life.

She and Michael had spent almost every evening together. It was hard not bringing the topic up. She loved Tara and missed her so much; Billie wanted to share that with him, but she knew it wasn't the right time. Of all the pain she'd felt in the last year, losing her connection to Tara was the worst.

It was remembering this truth that gave her the courage the second she saw Porter step out of the building. He turned right to head down the street and that was where Billie intercepted him.

He stopped in his tracks, taking a moment to register what was happening.

“What the fuck do you want?” he asked.

“I'll be quick,” she said. “I'm meeting my boyfriend for dinner.”

“Great,” he said. “Be on your way to your next failed relationship.”

“I was on my way up to your offices.” She placed both hands casually on her hips and looked up at him with a teasing gaze. “I was going to tell your bosses how disappointed I am in your work.”

“I got to hand it to you, Billie. You got me last time. You played that well.”

“I learned that trick from you,” she said. “Making someone else look foolish, while you seem so innocent and not intentional. I did a great job, if I say so myself.”

“It worked once,” he said, a look of disdain on his face, “but it won't work again. I'm onto you now. You're not gonna get away with that shit.”

“I don't need to,” Billie said, feigning sympathy. “You see, Gil caught the bait too. He's actually worried you're not up to working for me, for us. I'm inclined to agree with him, especially after that last outburst.”

Porter sighed heavily, his entire body lifting and lowering in defeat. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her with no sign of emotion on his face.

“You've won,” he said. “Whatever it was you wanted to win, you got it. So, why not just stop before it gets out of hand?”

“Funny,” Billie said, placing her index finger on her chin and looking up, “I recall saying that same thing to you during our divorce proceedings when you blindsided me and took everything. I think I also said it, after you paid a paralegal at my firm to spy on me so you could get me in trouble. And what about that time—”

“I get it,” Porter said. “I don't have time for this, Billie. What do you want?”

“I want my daughter,” she said plainly.

Porter's jaw clenched; his eyes narrowed. “She is not your daughter. She was—notice the word ‘was'—your stepdaughter. She's not anymore.”

“Leave it to someone like you to think that titles are what matter,” Billie said. “I want to see her.”

“I'm surprised at you, Billie,” he said, seeming disappointed. “I never thought you'd use her in all of this.”

Billie laughed. “Your hypocrisy is disgusting. You used her so many times to hurt me or to pull me closer to you. You sent her away to hurt me for turning you down again.”

“I love my daughter,” he said. “More than you ever could, and I—”

“Save it,” Billie said, determined to get this straight. “Besides, I'm not using Tara to get to you. I'm using you to get to Tara. I want to see her.”

“So you can fill her head with poison against me?” he asked.

“I've never done that!” Billie yelled, losing her cool for the first time in this encounter. “Even after everything you've done to me, I never tried to turn her against you. You would have deserved it, but I never did that.”

“Then for what?”

Billie shook her head in disbelief. He could never understand. That was how void of real feelings he was. It was pitiful and maddening at the same time.

“I love her, Porter. I want to see her, hug her, and talk to her about her life. I want to remind her that I still think about her, miss her, and pray for her.”

Porter lifted his head up, leaning away to gain his own composure. For a second, Billie thought she saw some real feeling, some weakness in his eyes, but only for a moment. Within seconds, that cold stare came back. That wall was never going to fall, but Billie had passed the point of caring.

“Not only will I stop . . . this,” she said. “But I'll give you a glowing review to your bosses. I'm sure that'll smooth things over when your promotion comes up in a few months.”

Porter contemplated her words for a moment, before asking, “What about Gil?”

“I'll get him to do the same,” she agreed. “Don't worry about how. He's my boss and he likes me. If I want him to give you great marks, I'll figure out how to get it.”