Broken (Endurance) (14 page)

"The only thing I’m kicking to the curb is your condo."

"I don't know, Maxwell." Cressida sighed.

"Okay, go to your condo, but when you miss me I don't even want to hear about it."

"I gotta go. I will call you tonight," Cressida said smiling then hung up the phone.

She stepped into the elevator, leaned back against the wall and sighed.  Things were really heating up with Maxwell and it confused the hell out of her. If it wasn't for that stranger standing her up, she would never have known she could feel this way for Maxwell.

It was eleven forty-five when Cressida walked into Jason Reyes's office. Jason was an average height and build Hispanic man who had been a lawyer for the past twenty years. He dedicated himself to keeping criminals behind bars.

Jason stood and walked around his desk to shake Cressida's hand. He was immediately captivated by her beauty.

"Please, have a seat," he said as he gently placed his hand on her back, guiding her to the empty seat next to where detective Ryan Harris stood, politely waiting for her to take her seat.

Cressida smiled at Ryan and shook his hand.

Ryan Harris had moved to Central Florida from England ten years earlier. He was a tall charismatic character with an alluring British accent.

"Very nice to meet you," Ryan greeted. "Jason has spoken highly of you."

"You’re too kind," Cressida said, smiling at Jason.

"Let’s get right down to business," said Ryan. "We got the DNA results back and although the test excludes him as the main suspect, further testing showed that he is related to whoever actually committed the crimes."

"Okay, so maybe he knows..." Cressida began.

"There's a problem," Jason interrupted.  "The test showed that the DNA belongs to Blake's brother."

"Brother?" Cressida repeated.

“But, there is no record of him having a brother. What I mean is… Blake must have a twin.” Jason tried to explain

“A twin?”   Cressida repeated again, searching her mind for any information she may have come across that would confirm this.

"We’re thinking that maybe he is trying to protect his brother."

"What do you mean? He doesn't seem like the type of guy who’d care about his brother," Cressida replied.

"Is it true he requested you to represent him?" Ryan questioned.

Cressida groaned as she threw her head back. "Yes, and I don't know why. I should be the last person he would want to represent him. I know I'm not the right person to handle this case."

"Why did you take it?" Ryan asked.

"I work for my father and he knows how to get to me," Cressida confessed. "Look, there is m
ore to this story, but I don't have
all the pieces. We need to get to the bottom of this. Nobody here wants to send an innocent man to prison and nobody wants to let a guilty man go free. I know I have to go before the judge on Monday and request to have all charges against my client be dropped. I don't want this man out in public."

"Well, this is where you may be able to help us," Ryan said. "We need to let him feel like he is off the hook, but we don't want him out of our sight. Blake seems comfortable with you for some reason. I really hate to ask you to do this, but I need you to get close to him."

"Close to him? Like how close?" Cressida asked.

"Close enough to get information about his brother and where we can find him," Ryan said.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Cressida asked nervously. Her mind filled with thoughts of her faking a romantic relationship just to get close enough for Blake to spill the beans.

"Nothing too crazy.  Just develop a friendship with him. Maybe approach him in a way that’ll convince him you now believe he is innocent and that you are happy to clear his name. Let him know that if he will give up the location of his brother, then you’ll be able to clear his name," Ryan said, praying she would agree to help capture Blake Carter.

"So you want me to befriend him?"

"Yes, but we would like you to consider working with one of our undercover agents." Ryan pulled out a card from his breast pocket. "His name is Ronald Morgan. He is one of our best. Maybe together you can work out a plan." He handed her the card.

"I don't know if I can do this," Cressida mumbled.

"Please go home and think about it.  Call me tomorrow and let me know what your decision is." Ryan rose to his feet.

Cressida slowly stood and reached out to shake his hand. She turned to Jason Reyes. "I will see you… speak with you tomorrow concerning my decision. I don't feel comfortable about this, but I don't want the real murderer to get away, either."

Ryan held the door for Cressida as she left. She walked slowly out of the office, her mind tormented by various thoughts about the case. "How can I get close to this man? Will he figure me out? What will Maxwell say about me befriending this man?" she muttered to herself as she walked out of the building.

Cressida slowly made her way to the correction center where Blake Carter was being held. She struggled to find the strength in herself to hide her true feelings. She loathed Blake and everything about him made her want to claw his eyes out. She unwillingly stepped into the visitation room to meet with her client and waited patiently as the officers brought him in and placed him to sit across from her.

He glared across the table and grinned at her, already knowing that he was going to be let go.

Cressida shoved down her animosity and forced up a smile as she looked at Blake Carter.

"Congratulations, I was very wrong about you.  Thank God for DNA testing." She smiled as pleasantly as she could.

"I told you. I could never do anything so monstrous," Blake said with a wink.

She fought back the urge to throw up as she shifted her focus. "Well, I will have you out of here quickly." She looked at him. "Blake, please accept my deepest and most sincere apology."

"I will be seeing you when I get out," Blake replied, smirking as he undressed her with his eyes.

Cressida bit her tongue, holding in her repulsion. "That would be lovely. I will look forward to it," she lied.

"I will pick you up. Be ready." Blake smiled.

Cressida got up feeling violated by Blake's demeanor. She left not really knowing how to handle what he’d just said. She couldn't bear the thought of going on a date with Blake Carter. She got into her car and picked up her cell phone. "Maxwell," Cressida blurted out the moment he answered.

"Hey, sweetie. You sound down."

"I just came from visiting Blake."

"Why?"

"I met with the prosecutor and the detective working the case and they want me to get close to him."

"Close to him?  Why?" Maxwell asked.

"Because of the DNA stuff."

"Where are you now?"

"Heading home."

"You’re really not coming?" Maxwell said, sounding disappointed.

"I just need to be alone right now." Cressida sighed.

"Okay, I understand. I’m hurt, but I’ll see you tomorrow?"

"Ah. Yeah, I have some meetings, but I’ll try," Cressida lied. Her fears were beginning to eat at her and she was starting to push Maxwell away.

"Cressida."

"Yes?"

Maxwell was silent for a while. He knew she was pushing him away, but didn't know what to say to her. Emotionally she was going through a lot right now. "Have a good night," he said before hanging up.

Cressida felt bad for pushing him away. She had too many thoughts going through her mind with Blake, Maxwell and her father. Who Cressida needed right now was her mother, but it was hard to see her. It was emotionally taxing to sit next to her mother who just stared blankly into space.

Her cell phone rang. She quickly picked it up hoping it was Maxwell.  Instead, it was her father on the line. "What!" she answered.

"Cressida! I want to see you tomorrow, in my office."

"Go to hell," Cressida hung up.

Dormitory

Max laid on his bed, restless again. He could hear his son calling to him and it was heart-wrenching. He looked at his watched. It was almost eleven thirty. Max heard his roommate coming in and sat up in bed. He smiled at Samuel as he greeted Max with a head nod.

"Still up?" Samuel stated.

"I can't sleep," Max confessed.  He leaned back against the wall.

"Man, if I were you, I would be sneaking into the girls’ dorm." Samuel laughed.

"How?" Max replied sarcastically.

"Oh, don't let old Helga scare you. She can't stay up past eleven. That old fart falls asleep on her watch every time," Samuel confided.

"Really?" Max said coming to life as his mind began to put a plan together.

"Yeah, I just came from this chick’s room. Devina Matthews, have you seen her?"

"No," Max replied, not really interested.

"Man, she is one hot, slamming body. Pretty eyes and between her..."

"Ah, that’s nice," Max said, cutting him off.

"If I were you, I would be enjoying my freedom. No wife. No kid crying in your ear. You could have whatever chick you want. All the girls at this school are sweating you big time. I see them watching you." Samuel snickered.

"I didn't notice. I got too much on my mind." Max reached for his shirt and pulled it on.

"How could you miss it? You’re lucky."

"Yeah, but not for the reasons you’re thinking." Max smirked, thinking about Mei.

"I still haven't met your wife. She must have something good to keep you on lock down."

Max turned and glared at Samuel. "It takes more than being good in bed to maintain a relationship."

"So, she is good in bed."

Max stepped towards Samuel. "That's my wife you’re talking about, not some chick."

"I don't mean any disrespect. Sorry if I disrespected your wife. I'm just not used to seeing a guy your age married and actually enjoying it."

Max understood his point and backed off. "Well, Mei and I have been through a lot. I’ve had a crush on her since I was young." Max tried to explain why he behaved the way he did over his wife.

"It's just that all the other guys at this dorm are doing their own thing on the side. Then you come along and you make us look bad. They see how you are with your wife. My friends say you two walk around in your own realm."

"And?" Max said raising a brow.

"You’re making us look like jerks."

Max just looked at him as if to say, aren't you?

"Okay, I got that." Samuel laughed and walked away.

Shaking his head Max grabbed a few things for Uriel and left his dorm room. He knew Uriel was still up and crying, and Mei needed a break. He made it to the girls’ dorm area and, just as Samuel had said, the female guard nicknamed Helga was fast asleep in the security box.

In her dorm room, Mei tried desperately to calm Uriel’s crying. It was eleven fifty-three at night and Uriel was still crying. He refused to sleep despite his exhaustion from crying for the past three hours.