Cory was baffled. “Who they trying to take out?” he asked them.
“Did Joy call Tess,” Max asked him, “or did Tess call Joy?”
“Joy said Tess called her and told her she was at the bus station,” Cory said. But before he could finish his sentence, William and Max were running out of that office so fast that Cory was still turning around to see where they were running. But they were already gone.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“This is a nice building, Joy,” Tess said as she and Tony followed Joy off the elevator and toward her apartment. “It’s so ritzy. You like it here?”
“I love it,” Joy said. “And the people who live here are real nice and friendly too.”
“That’s right up your alley,” Tony said.
Joy laughed and began unlocking her apartment. “I’m just shocked to see y’all in town.”
“You can thank Tony for that,” said Tess. “He said since you can’t get away and come see me, I should go see you. He said he was coming along as my escort.”
“As if you need an escort. Him, on the other hand,” she said jokingly. “Come on in,” she added as she opened the door wider for them to walk in first. Tess walked in, followed by Tony.
But when Joy was about to enter her apartment behind them, Sanchez, who was following them although Joy didn’t realize it, hurried up behind her and pushed her into her own apartment. He pushed her so hard that she fell into Tony and nearly hit the floor.
Tess was still talking when Joy let out a scream and began fighting against Sanchez as he covered Joy’s mouth while Tony quickly closed and locked her apartment door.
Tess’s heart pounded when she heard Joy’s scream, and when she turned around and saw who was duct-taping Joy’s mouth, she was shocked. “Sanchez? Where did he come from?
“Get your bitch!” Sanchez said angrily to Tony as he pulled out duct-tape and Tony quickly grabbed Tess.
Tess was fighting back too, but was stunned that Tony was manhandling her. But Tony was doing more than that. He pulled out duct-tape and covered her mouth. Then he began taping Tess’s arms and legs together while Sanchez taped Joy’s mouth, arms and legs together too. Then they sat both ladies on the sofa.
Both women were trying to speak and to break free, and Tess had tears in her eyes as she realized her own boyfriend was doing this to her.
But Sanchez was smiling. “I finally got my Joy back,” he said. “And what on earth has she been up to these past six months? She’s been whoring around with some rich old white dude. That’s what! My old lady is a whore.”
He could hear Joy say, through her muffled, tape-covered mouth,I’m not your old lady, which made him laugh. But Joy could see the bitterness beneath the smile.
And soon, his smile was gone. “Didn’t come see me not one time. Not once. I was locked up for all that time, and my own old lady didn’t give a fuck. I’m gonna enjoy killing you.”
“Not so fast, Sanchez.”
Joy heard a voice behind her and was shocked that somebody else was in her apartment. Then she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. And when two ladies stood in front of her, she could hardly believe it.
Melissa and Sloane stood in front of Joy and Tess and stared at them as if they were a circus act. Sloane was staring daggers at Joy, while Melissa seemed to be sizing her up. “Remove the tape,” she said to Tony.
Tony, the man Joy knew for years as Contessa’s old man, snatched that tape off Joy’s mouth as if he hated her too. He did the same to Tess.
Tess still couldn’t believe it. She was staring at Tony. But Joy was staring at Sloane. “How did you get in my apartment?” she asked her with a baffled look on her face.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Melissa asked. “Really?”
But Joy had to know. “How did you get in here?”
“All of that security Mr. Skeffington insisted go wherever you go,” Sloane said, “went where you went. When you left this apartment, they left too. And we came in. How we got in? That’s our business.”
“But why? What do you want?” Then she looked her puzzled face at Melissa. “And who are you?”
But Melissa was too busy looking Joy up and down. “So you’re his woman now. You. I didn’t know it when Felicity told me about you, but now I’m certain. You’re my golden ticket.”
“A ticket?” Joy was frowned. “A ticket to what?”
