An Arrangement of Love (29 page)

“I lied.”

“So you snuck off to see her like some bumbling adulterer.” Dawn shot up. “And instead of your perfect little black princess waiting for you, she’s being a whore with some other guy.”

“Be careful.” He rose. Part of his lip lifted in a sneer. She got in front of him.

“Or what?” She slapped him across the face.

I flinched from the impact. It was so uncomfortable to witness this, both of them at their worst and me being the cause of so much pain. I looked back down and almost turned the page. I didn’t. My name was on the birth certificate.

Jasmine Bernice Nix.

What the fuck?
I had my mom’s last name, Montgomery. Nix was Vivian and Benny’s last name. I swallowed and traced my finger to the father’s name. Benny Cedric Nix.

This can’t be right.

The birth certificate I had in my records left the father’s name blank. It was one of those embarrassing and painful reminders that my dad didn’t care enough about Troy and me to stick around.
Benny is our dad?
The room swirled around me. My mind seemed disconnected to my body. My brain scrambled into mush.

And Chase knew the whole time. Why didn’t he say anything? Why would he keep this a secret?

I thought back to that day outside the police station. Benny had talked about dealing with the girls’ death certificates. Chase had countered that Benny had dealt with other certificates.
Chase had been hinting at Benny messing with my birth certificate?
I scanned the rest of the binder, just in case more secrets lay in the pages. There were old photos of my mom and Benny in a bar on the next page. She’d been a go-go dancer at the Kitty Kat Club. It was the one thing my aunt would remind me about all the time.

“You stick to them grades, girl. Your mama dropped out of high school and used to dance naked for all them white people downtown, getting all used up.”

I realized Dawn’s screen turned quiet and glanced up. Chase held Dawn as she cried in his arms.

“Please. Please,” she mumbled in a soft voice.

“I can’t get rid of her,” he whispered. “I just can’t.”

I left the binder where it was. There was no need to take any proof. Even if Benny or Mom denied it, I knew all I needed to know. And it all made sense. This was why he was always there when I needed him. And to think, all those years I felt like a charity case and he’d been doing what he was supposed to.

Now it all makes sense.

I never understood why Troy and I went to nice private schools when our brothers went to the crappy local ones. Once when I’d asked, Mom told me she’d applied for a low income scholarship and was only able to get it for Troy and me, but not for our older brothers. Now I doubted it. Especially since we were enrolled in the same schools that Vivian went to. It was how we’d all met.
And Benny was always there.
I couldn’t remember when he wasn’t taking us home from school or picking us up. I’d known Vivian since kindergarten. He’d been carpooling us ever since, from the ghetto to suburbia. We barely saw Vivian’s mom. She’d been in and out of the hospital ever since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Benny is my dad.
Troy and Vivian’s faces entered my mind.
Oh god. Oh my god! How do I tell them? Should I tell them? Yes. God! What am I thinking? I have to.

This was why Chase stared at Troy and Vivian’s hand holding in horror. He knew.

“I’ll walk away if she stays.” Dawn climbed out of his arms. “Wendy and Lucy will probably come too. Then what will you do? How will your dick feel about that?”

Chase just stood there, gazing at her.

“I told you we didn’t need another. Every time there’s a fourth girl it causes problems.” She marched off to a tiny bar near her TV and poured clear liquid into a crystal glass. “You and Lucy mourned their deaths. I didn’t.”

“I’m tired of this conversation.”

“You should be, because all three of their deaths are on you.” Dawn pointed at him. Some of the liquid spilled from her glass.

“I deal with my guilt over their deaths. I don’t need you to help me with that.”

“Yes you do, because there will be a fourth death.” She gulped some of her drink. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as she laughed. “Oh, it’s coming.”

“Is it?” He put his hands into his pockets and formed his lips into an angry line.

“She’ll reject you. She’ll have that guy’s big dick in her mouth by the end of the week.”

The muscles in his jaw twitched.

“What happened with her would’ve never happened with me. You know that. I’ve been loyal to you.” Tears fell from her eyes as she took another sip.

“I know you have.”

“Where was Jasmine when I was washing Yancy’s blood off your body?” she yelled.

Blood? Oh God.
My own blood raced. My heart pounded in my chest.

“Be quiet,” Chase said through clenched teeth.

“Let her hear me.” Dawn laughed. “Let Ms. Special Pussy find out how long her list of responsibilities is when it comes to you.”

My phone rang in my pocket. I jumped back and bumped into the shelf. A cardboard box caught my eyes. Video tapes and manila envelopes filled it. Names were written on the envelopes in black marker—Vicki, Evelyn, and Yancy. I grabbed Yancy’s envelope as the phone rang again.

“Hello?”

“Just checking to make sure everything is okay,” Vivian said on the other line.

I looked up at the screen. Chase and Dawn still stood in her apartment, arguing.

“It’s bad.” My chest swelled with a burning pain. A numbness filled my trembling fingers as I forced them to open the envelope.

“What’s bad? What do you mean? Troy, turn around. What’s going on, Jasmine?” Vivian asked.

“I can’t tell you over the phone.” I didn’t even know if I could tell them face-to-face.
How do I say it? Vivian, Troy, guess what. We’re all siblings.

“Should we come back? In fact, don’t answer. We’re not even that far away and your voice sounds shaky,” Vivian said. “Jasmine?”

“Yes.” I pulled out the first picture. A dead woman with gashes on her chest and neck looked back at me with vacant eyes. Bile rose in my throat. Inside my head, I screamed over and over. “Yes. Please hurry back. I’m scared.”

“Scared of what?”

I shoved the photo back in the envelope and glanced up at the screens. Lucy continued to sleep on the floor. Wendy’s screen showed her in her living room, drinking wine as she watched TV. Dawn and Chase were still in the apartment standing there in silence. Chase poured himself a glass of whisky while Dawn scowled at him with red, puffy eyes.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

“Jasmine?” Vivian asked.

“How far are you?”

“Barely, a minute or so,” she said. “We ended up staying in front of the mansion and getting it on in the car—”

“Oh god.” I clutched my stomach.

“What? Are you okay?” Vivian’s voice sounded on the verge of hysteria. “Say something.”

“Don’t do anything else, okay? No touching or anything. Just hurry up.”

“What?”

I rubbed my face. “Trust me.”

“Alrighty,” Vivian said. “I can see the house up ahead. We should be at your door in less than two minutes.”

“Okay.” I hung up and scanned the rest of the envelope, trying my best not to look at any other pictures. White sheets of folded paper lay between the photos. I yanked them out and unfolded them. They were copies of email messages between Dawn and Yancy. I browsed the first two. Yancy had gone to a publisher with a book proposal about her life in Chase’s arrangement.
She must’ve never had to sign an anti-disclosure agreement.
Dawn had been pissed.

“And now you’re just going to leave me?” On the screen, Dawn displayed a wicked grin. “Are you going back to finish fucking her in your apartment? I heard you tell her to meet you there.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Yes it is.” Dawn sniffled. “Do you even care that I’ll be here crying while you do her?”

“I’ll return to finish our conversation.” Chase combed his fingers through his waves. “I just have to talk to her about something.”

“Sure you do.” Dawn crossed her arms and hugged herself.

He muttered something under his breath and headed for the door.

Fuck.

I threw everything down on his desk and hurried back to the closet. There was no way I would sit in his apartment by myself. I sprinted down the steps and slammed the wall closed.

There’s no lock. He can just come in as he pleases. Did he do that with the other girls? Or did one of these women use the secret passages? I’m not going to stand around here to find out.

I darted into the kitchen. A burnt smell corroded the air. Thick gray smoke rose from most of the pots. Waving the smoke away, I covered my nose with my arm and turned off the stove.
Where’s the knife drawer?
Like a crazy woman, I slung open drawers until I spotted a huge steak knife. I wasn’t sure I even needed one, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt.

Did he make it to his apartment yet? If he did, he’s probably looking at me now on his screen.

Shivers of fear crept up my spine. I tried not to look up, pretended like I didn’t know cameras were in there, and rushed out of the kitchen.

Why am I even pretending? I’m sure he’ll notice the freaking knife in my hand and be alarmed.

I rushed out of the kitchen and bumped into Chase.

Chapter 31

C
hase stood there,
towering over me. Wrinkles creased his forehead as he stared. “What’s wrong, baby?”

My lips quivered. Sweat trickled down the side of my face. I opened my mouth. The sound of my heart banged against my eardrums in a staccato rhythm.

“Why do you have a knife?” he asked.

“I just do.” My voice screeched.

He stayed where he was. I feared he would charge at me and snatch away the knife. He raised his eyebrows as I pointed the sharp tip at him.

“Did you go upstairs?” he asked.

“Back up!” I gripped the handle hard. It dug into my skin.

“Why are you afraid of me?” He backed up.

Glass crashed downstairs. The house alarm blared, ringing in my ears.

“What the hell is going on tonight? Stay here.” Chase covered his ears with his hand, ran to my door, and rushed to open it. I trailed behind him, hoping it was Troy and Vivian that had triggered the alarm. When we arrived in the hallway, Chase held his arm in front to guard me. Doors opened in the hallway. Dawn, Wendy, and Lucy peeked out from each one.

My brother’s huge frame thundered up the stairs.

“Where is he?” Troy yelled.

“It’s just my brother.” I ducked under Chase’s arm. “You can all go back inside.”

“Why’s he here?” Chase raised his eyebrows.

“What the fuck did you do to my sister?” Troy stomped Chase’s way.

I got in between, waving my knife at Troy. “Nothing. Everything is okay.”

“Then why do you have a knife?” Troy pushed me out of the way and advanced toward Chase. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing.” Chase turned to me. “What’s going on, Jasmine? Did someone threaten you?”

“No. Troy, let’s go.” I grabbed his arm and yanked him back an inch.

Troy dragged me back with no problem. His eyes targeted Chase. “I find out you hurt her and I’m coming for you.”

Several bodyguards stomped upstairs.
Where the hell were they when Troy broke in?
One of the guards held a towel to his nose. Blood streamed through the cloth. Purplish, swelled skin decorated his eyes.
Oh. Troy got one.

Chase shifted his view to me. “Jasmine, wait. Are you leaving?”

“Yes.” I tugged at Troy’s arm. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Troy twisted around. I sighed. But, instead of running downstairs with me, he snatched the knife out of my hand. “Why does she have a knife?”

“Ask her,” Chase said through clenched teeth.

Everyone turned to me. The guards paused on the stairs. Dawn and the others moved in closer. I considered lying, but Chase would know what I’d seen as soon as he went back to his apartment and Troy would simply recognize I wasn’t telling the truth.

I gulped down some of my fear. “I heard his fiancée saying she had to wash a dead girl’s blood off him. So I’m just being cautious. He didn’t touch me.”

“Let’s discuss this upstairs in my apartment.” Chase held his hand out to me.

“That’s not necessary. I’m going home.” I shook my head and went down one step. “Please come on, Troy.”

“Jasmine,” Chase pleaded.

“Back up, man.” Troy gripped the knife like he’d been wielding one since he was young. Mainly because he had.

“You should put the knife down so we can talk this through,” Chase said to Troy, but his eyes stayed on me. “You go to jail tonight and I won’t be bailing you out.”

“My sister is everything to me.” Troy got down on the step with me and held my hand. “I won’t hesitate to go back to jail for her.”

“Chase, stay there. Please.” Regardless, Troy would kill him and he’d be back in jail.

“Let’s go, Troy.” I lowered down another one and pulled his arm. “Please.”

“Jasmine? Can we talk about this?” Chase asked again as Troy reluctantly followed me downstairs. We had to squeeze between the guards at the bottom, but we made it to the first floor.

“No, we can’t,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I can’t be a part of this. It’s too crazy for me.”

It took three of the longest minutes of my life for Troy and I to finally leave the house. No one moved. They all watched us. Each step, my legs wobbled and hands moistened with sweat. Once outside, I noticed Vivian was a few feet in front of the door with the car running like she was the getaway driver. And just like in the movies, as soon as we jumped inside, she sped off.

I’ll figure out how to get my car later.

I slid into the backseat. Chase positioned himself in the doorway. His silhouette cast a huge menacing shadow over the pathway. I rested my chin on the seat as I gazed out of the back window. The image of that huge house and him decreased with each turn of the long driveway.