“Good!” Relief floods me. “And the bad news?”
“Well, it’s not bad exactly. Dean got a get well soon card at the hospital this morning. It seemed innocent at first, but when he opened it, it was from his attacker. They’re trying to blackmail money out of him.”
“What?” Shock consumes me. “He’s being blackmailed?” Bishop and I never talked about this. What is that bastard up to now?
“An orderly delivered the card. It says to bring $50,000 to the fountain at the park tomorrow night at eleven.”
“Are you serious?”
“Can you believe it? I told Dean he had to tell the police, but he keeps saying he has to pay it or they won’t leave him alone.”
“No,” I say, sitting down on the sofa beside Jesika.
“Crazy, right? It’s like an action movie.”
“Or a nightmare.”
Jesika nods, taking another drink of her coffee. “I can’t wait to have him home. It’s not the same without him.”
“I bet,” I huff. My mind is a blur with all the thoughts running through it. I’m resentful that it’s come to this, bitter that I’ve involved someone else in my revenge plot and now they’ve gone rogue. I can’t control my husband or Jesika—and least of all Bishop. He’s the true wild card, and now he’s become a liability. At least he doesn’t know my real name, but he can tell the police exactly where to find me if he decides to flip on me.
“You feeling okay? You look a little pale? Maybe I gave you my flu from last week. Oh no, now I’ll be the one taking care of you.” She chuckles with the absurdity of it.
“I’m fine. I think this coffee is just hitting me extra hard this morning.” I cover my mouth as if I might be sick and then rushoff to the bathroom just for the escape. For as self-involved as she is, Jesika is still more observant than I gave her credit for.
I freshen myself up in the mirror for a moment, opening the medicine cabinet once to glance at Dean’s prescriptions again. They’re all gone—every last bottle that was there is missing. I imagine he has all of them at the hospital, other than his magic little blue pills, which were flushed down the toilet, thanks to me.
I have to get control of this situation. I need to talk to Bishop. I need to figure out what happens next, before this situationship I’ve found myself in blows up in my face. But first…first, I need to get out of here because Dean is coming home today. I dig through my bag, searching for something to leave as a small token of my affection for my lovely husband. The only thing I find is a pack of my favorite gum, Juicy Fruit. I open a stick and quickly chew it, waiting until the gum is malleable before spitting it into my palm and then shoving it deep in the crevice between the white marble counter and copper sink.
I push down a swell of emotion as I realize he is hers now. She’s the one excited to see him again, worried sick at home as she carries his unborn baby. But I will get my consolation prize to the tune of $50,000.
I just have to handle the wild card first.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Mind your own fucking business, Maya.”
“I am! This is my business! Or have you forgotten? This guy isn’t just your next hustle, this is my ex. This is personal.”
“Oh, I know.” Bishop tears the tag off a ski mask and shoves it into his pocket. “You’ve told me all about how personal this is.” Anger pulses in Bishop’s irises. This is a side of him I’ve never seen before, and I don’t like it. “That asshole hit you. He deserves to be dead, as far as I’m concerned. A few days ago, you were asking me where to get Fentanyl to overdose him, and now you’re on his team?”
“No,” I breathe. “No, Bishop, I was just mad…he doesn’t deserve to be dead. That’s a little dramatic, even for you.”
“He’s scum. He gives men a bad name. It would be a pleasure to wipe him off the earth.”
“He does?” I cringe, realizing I’ve painted this picture of Dean, and it’s not entirely accurate.
“It’s too late to stop this now. My ass is on the line.”
“Just drop it. We don’t need the money. I don’t need themoney. I have a business, let’s just forget this ever happened,” I plead.
“No can do, kid.” Bishop winks, then turns the handle on the hotel door and is stalking out of the room before I can say another word.
“Bishop!” Against my better judgment, I follow him. “Wait for me!”
“You’re not involved in this, Maya. Just wait for me to get back. It’s safer this way.”
“Please don’t hurt him. Please, Bishop.” I catch up to him in the hallway. “I can’t put this in the past if I have to worry about you getting arrested.”
