Inner Circle (22 page)

“Right!” Amber agreed. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Eve.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don’t go getting all soft and teary eyed on me. I’m not in the mood for no
Color Purple
patty-cake shit. The sooner I get you and Livie out of my house and back at home, the sooner me and my man can start walking around the house naked again!”

“You don’t fool me, Eve Landon. I know you. You can pretend to be a bad ass all you want, but there’s a shitload of toys upstairs that says otherwise. In fact, let me get my ass upstairs and make sure my baby hasn’t overdosed from toy joy!”

“Whatever, heffa. Just because I love you doesn’t mean I’m not sick of you and that spoiled, rotten godchild of mine,” Eve laughed, giving Amber a hug before she left the room.

Eve leaned back in her chair and listened as Amber’s footsteps faded. Although she’d never admit it to Amber, she actually enjoyed having them stay at the house. L.A. was Chase’s home, and Eve was actually starting to look forward to coming home to a family she and Chase would create.

She looked at her phone and thought about calling her mom. The strain on their relationship had gotten completely out of control. Eve knew her mother’s position as it related to her marriage; however, she never thought it would go as far as a five-year grudge. Outside of the occasional holiday, Eve and Nadia barely spoke. And despite the numerous plane tickets she’d sent to her mother with the request of a visit, Nadia always sent them back with a note that said the same thing each time: “
SAVE IT AND USE IT FOR YOURSELF WHEN HE BREAKS YOUR HEART. BECAUSE, TRUST ME . . . HE WILL.
”

Eve took a deep breath and placed her hands on her belly. Secretly, the thought of a baby gave her a lot of hope. Although her mother never expressed an interest in grandchildren, she hoped her getting pregnant would be the thing that changed her mother’s mind and lured her back into her life.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. Eve answered it without looking to see who was calling her.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Eve?”

“Callie!” Eve responded surprised. “I’ve been calling you for over two weeks. I’ve been over to the house, but no one’s there. Where have you been? Better yet, where are you?”

“I don’t have a lot of time to talk. I took the boys to my mom’s house in Brazil. I’m at the airport now, headed back to the States. The police want to question me tomorrow, and Drew is in Mexico for a game. Do you think you can be with me when they do?”

“Absolutely! What time?”

“I don’t know. But I’ll call you when I get in. I’ve gotta go.”

“Okay,” Eve said ending the call.

Eve rose from the table and placed her iPhone gently down on the counter. She couldn’t believe the turn of events that had transpired since the ladies had formed The Wives Association just a few months ago. Already there had been an issue of infidelity, and now with Callie, a possible felony charge lingered over their heads. Even though she knew there would be a need for the association, she never imagined that it would look like this. As the president of the organization, Eve knew that the bulk of the responsibility lay in her hands, and although she was more than willing to do whatever it took to protect her friends, she was beginning to question whether or not she would actually be able to do it.

20

“Now
you’re sure you’re going to be all right meeting Sa’Myra alone?” Eve pressed Amber as she handed her the keys to her white Range Rover.

“I’m good. Stop worrying, I’ll be fine. This isn’t my first time at the rodeo, Eve. Remember, I was the one beating bitches up in defense of you when we were little. I can handle her,” Amber responded assuredly.

“I know, I’m just not comfortable with you going alone,” Eve confessed.

“It’s just like you said. Sa’Myra is motivated by money, and right about now, she’s looking at me like I’m her own personal bank. She’s not about to mess up her big payday. Trust me!”

“You’re right. I just can’t stand this, though. The mere fact that we even have to deal with shit like this is beyond belief. I see why my mom had her strict no-athlete policy. This is enough to drive a person insane. The audacity of these hoes.” Eve used her hand to fan her face. “It makes me hot with anger.”

“What are you gonna do? It’s the life we chose. The life of an athlete’s wife! And once you have kids, there’s really no turning back. You better think about that before you decide to get pregnant.”

“I know. Unfortunately, Chase is past the thinking stage and has officially entered into the making stage.”

“Really?” Amber asked surprised. “How do you feel about that?”

“I love him. And to be honest, I think Chase would make an amazing father. The fact that he doesn’t have any kids is a freaking miracle, especially in this day and age. How many athletes do you know without kids? Hell, besides Chase, I don’t know any, and I deal with all kinds of athletes on a daily basis. Even the new recruits have at least one stray out there. But Chase is different; he doesn’t have any. He’s rare, and that’s special. The fact that he’s been so patient with me makes me wanna give him a slew of babies. Can you imagine a bunch of Landon kids running around?”

“I can imagine the kids, but I can’t imagine you as their mother,” Amber teased.

“What?” Eve barked. “So what are you trying to say, I wouldn’t be a good mother?”

“Girl, you never even played with dolls when were kids.”

“Shut up! Me not playing with dolls has nothing to do with my potential parenting skills. Instead, it had everything to do with there being a lack of Latina dolls to choose from. I was just very particular about what my baby should look like, that’s all. And blond hair and blue eyes wasn’t it.”

“Ummm-hmmm.” Amber shook her head. “I better get out of here if I’m going to make it all the way to Wilshire on time. What time were you meeting up with Callie?”

Eve checked the time on her Cartier watch. “Shit, I need to be leaving right now myself. You’ve still got my spare phone, right?”

Amber waved it in the air. “Got it right here.”

“Perfect. Call me the minute you’re done,” Eve instructed as she watched Amber get into the SUV.

She watched as Amber pulled out of the driveway before darting into the house to get the keys to her Bentley. Within a flash, Eve had emerged from the house with her keys, purse, and Chanel shades in tow, ready to take on whatever the day would bring.

She hopped into the car and pressed the automatic start button. Before pulling out of the garage, she sent Callie a text message indicating that she was on her way. She set her navigation to Callie’s address and backed out of the garage. Callie and Drew lived in Brentwood, which was approximately half an hour’s drive from her house, giving her plenty of time to make it there before three o’clock. Eve wasn’t sure what she was walking into, but trusted that she would finally get all the answers to her questions.

She exited the gates of the Playa Vista Estates community anticipating her meeting with Callie. Callie had been sketchy with the details of exactly what she needed Eve to do, but as president of The Wives Association and one of Callie’s best friends, no matter what it was, Eve knew that she was absolutely, positively going to do it.

“Thank
you, Mrs. Peteers. We’ll be in touch,” Detective Rollins concluded. “By the way, Mrs. Landon, me and the fellas at the station will be rooting for your husband in the big game on Sunday. We’re all huge Leopards fans down there in Orange County.”

“Thank you, Detective. As a matter of fact . . .” Eve went into her purse and pulled out two tickets to Sunday’s Leopards game. She handed them to the detective on his way out the door. “If you’re not working on Sunday, perhaps you and your partner can make it to the game.”

The detective beamed with excitement. “Wow, these are on the fifty-yard line! You always keep tickets like this on you?”

Eve smiled. “Actually, no. I’d just gotten those from my husband for another couple we know, but I can always get them some more. You should definitely come and enjoy yourself.”

“I will. Thanks.” The detective shook Eve’s hand. “And hey, tell your friend to try not to worry. I’ll personally see to it that we get to the bottom of this.” He handed Eve his card. “I wouldn’t normally say this, but it’s not a bad idea for your friend to have an attorney present
if we need to speak to her again. It has been my experience in dealing with celebrity types that it’s just best to be prepared, ya know?”

“Thank you, Officer. I’ll let her know.” Eve turned and looked toward Callie who had already made her way back to the front door of her house. Not even a fifteen-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro could make her look bad. Only Callie could take some basic black sweats, a pair of classic brown Ugg boots, and a man’s white dress shirt tied at the waist and make it look like a ripped-from-the-runway ensemble. Her naturally sun-kissed skin was a little more tanned than usual, but that was probably due to the fact that her mom’s house rested on the beach in Rio, compliments of Drew’s last contract.

Eve met Callie at the door and noticed something different about her. She reviewed her once again, trying hard to pin-point the change, when it struck her.

“Oh my God, you cut your hair!”

“Yeah,” Callie replied subtly. “I actually did it just before I left. I was going to surprise you guys at the next meeting, but then all this happened and . . . you know.” Callie ran her fingers through her neck-length locks.

“Damn, how many inches did you get cut off?”

“Almost fifteen. I donated it to Locks of Love, of course. It’s kinda refreshing. It’s definitely easier to manage, that’s for sure. Drew hates it; he prefers long hair, which is probably why I cut it to begin with,” Callie snickered. “It obviously didn’t stop him from cheating, so what’s the point?”

Eve walked closely behind Callie through the living room, down the hall, and into her bedroom. “Well, I like it. But hell, you could have shaved your head bald and still looked amazing. I swear you make me sick,” Eve grinned.

“Excuse my room. I know it’s a mess, but I left in a hurry and told Maria not to come to the house until I got back.”

Eve surveyed the room and wasn’t sure what Callie was talking
about. With the exception of a few clothes tossed about near her opened suitcase, everything else in the room was perfectly intact. “Um, yeah, this place is a pigsty,” Eve said sarcastically. “You gonna be okay?” she asked, taking a seat next to Callie on her bed.

“I really don’t know. You heard them, Eve. They think I actually did this to that woman.”

“It is a crazy coincidence though, don’t you think?” Eve frowned.

“Wait a minute! Eve, you can’t possibly believe I’m
guilty
of this, can you?” Callie probed.

“All I know is that one minute you’re showing us pictures of Carmen and Drew fucking, then I’m advising you to beat that broad up and cut off her hair, and the next minute Carmen’s on the damn news black, blue, and bald. Either that’s one hell of a coincidence or . . .” Eve speculated.

“I’m guilty,” Callie whispered.

“I didn’t say that,” Eve explained.

“No, but that’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”

“Callie, I’m not gonna lie to you. The shit looks bad. But if you’re telling me truthfully you did not do this, then I’ll have no other choice but to believe you.” Eve pursed her lips together. She watched as Callie walked over and kneeled down in front of her. She placed her hands on top of Eve’s with tears in her eyes.

“I need you to believe me.”

Eve squeezed Callie’s hand tightly. “Okay, then,” Eve sighed heavily.

“What do we do now?” Callie asked, hoping Eve had a solution.

Eve scratched her head and thought for a moment. “Well, I’ve certainly made a friend in that Detective Rollins, but I honestly don’t know how much leverage those playoff tickets give us. We’ll have to do something else, or, like he suggested, get you a lawyer.” She rose to her feet and began pacing the floor. “What does Drew have to say about all of this?”

“Nothing yet! He doesn’t know I’m being questioned. The funny
thing is I’m not sure he even knows I know about Carmen. Or at least if he does, he hasn’t let on that he knows,” Callie confessed.

“Why did you take your boys to your mother’s then? You mean to tell me he didn’t say anything about that?”

“It’s carnival in our country. The boys go every year. Guess you could say it’s perfect timing, huh?”

“When are you going to let him know that you know?” Eve asked.

“He’s back from Mexico tomorrow. I’ll speak to him then. In the meantime, I’ve got a little money stashed away. I don’t know if it’s enough for what I’ll need, but I’m sure it’ll be enough to at least retain a lawyer until I can sort things out with Drew.”

“Put together what you have, and I’ll talk to the other ladies about pulling together the rest. That was the whole point in forming the association, remember? To have each other’s back during times like these.” Eve gave Callie a hug. “Don’t worry, girl, we’ll get you through this.”