Now William was completely confused. So was Joy. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “I don’t even know you.”
‘You don’t remember me. Why am I not surprised? You don’t remember the woman you so graciously gave twenty-five-million dollars to after yourgotdamn self-centered negligence caused my husband to lose his life.”
Her bitterness was on full display now. But William still didn’t know what she was talking about.
“My husband,” Melissa said, “was a member of your security detail the day your daughter died.”
Tess was lost. What daughter? Joy had never mentioned he had a daughter that died.
“My husband died that day too,” she said. “They died because you didn’t want security close to you. Then a kidnapper jumped in your car with your baby girl inside and they were so far back that they had to speed to catch up with you. That’s why my husband died!”
That wasn’t entirely true. They died after a gun battle with the kidnappers. But he knew that was beside the point. He remembered that they all died. He’d never forget that. “I paid each surviving widow twenty-five-million dollars. I paid you!” he said.
Joy knew the money had nothing to do with it. But in William’s world, it was always about money.
But Joy was right. Melissa became angrier. “Who gives a shit how much you paid me?!” she cried out. “My husband wasdead. That was just money. My husband was dead because of you!”
Then she settled back down. “And you didn’t even come to the funeral. You paid us all that money, and you didn’t even attend any one of their funerals.” Her rage returned. “And you expect that money to exonerate you? I’ve been plotting and scheming your demise for an entire year! I’ve took all of that blood money and paid anybody willing to do you harm. Including Sloane. She got me into this apartment. Felicity told me how terrible you treated her that night because of your whore over there.”
“What happened to Felicity?” William asked her.
“Bottom of the ocean,” said Tony. “Where she belongs.”
Melissa laughed. “I like him.”
“You treated me like a dog,” said Sloane, still staring at William. “Now at least now I can take the money and live my life. I can find me a man worthy of me.”
William shook his head. He never once gave that woman any reason to think she could be his woman. Never. But that never stopped them.
Melissa stood up. “Your Joy will die first,” she said. “I want you to see your joy die just like you killed mine. And then it’ll be your turn.”
“Please,” said William. He didn’t even remember that woman’s name. “Please, I beg of you. Let her go. Let Joy go. You’ve got me. I’m the one that caused your husband’s death. She had nothing to do with it. Please let her go!”
“I’ll let her go alright,” said Melissa. “I’m sending her straight to hell right now!” she said.
As soon as she said those words, Tony joined Sanchez and aimed his gun directly at William too. And suddenly a crash so loud that it startled everybody in that room could be heard, and everybody turned toward the window.
Maximus Bluff, in a harness, crashed through that window with two guns drawn, and took out Sanchez and then Tony to neutralize their weapons. They both dropped dead at the same time that the front door of Joy’s apartment was knocked down from the outside, and police officers stormed the place. It was obviously a choregraphed rescue.
“Police, hands up!” they came in yelling. “Police, show us your hands!”
William knew it was coming, but his heart was still hammering.
Joy and Tess couldn’t hold their hands up, but they had never been happier to see the police in their entire lives.
Some of the officers hurried over to handcuff Melissa and Sloane, while others went to help Max get unhooked from the harness they had put him in. But William hurried to Joy and Tess and freed them both.
But as the cops were hurrying Melissa and Sloane out of the apartment, Joy yelled for them to wait. William, worried that something else had happened, hurried up behind Joy. Joy moved in front of Sloane and punched her so hard in the face that her knees buckled. The cops were about to restrain Joy, but William motioned for them to leave her alone.
“I thought you didn’t wanna touch me,” Joy said. “You slapped me, bitch, when you couldn’t stand to touch me that night in that car.” Then she pointed at a now-bleeding Sloane. “Don’t you ever lay a hand on me again! Don’t you ever!” she said to her.
“Don’t worry,” said William. “She’s going away for a long time. These glasses I’m wearing are camera glasses. I recorded the whole thing. The cops and Max knew when to come in, and who to take out, because they were watching the scene in real time.”
Joy smiled. “I knew something was up with those glasses. You looked like a nerd walking up in here.”
Then she smiled. “But my nerd,” she said. And William, relieved they got there in time, pulled her into his arms as the cops took the ladies away and the paramedics ran in to ensure the demise of Sanchez and Tony.
Then Joy reached out to Tess, who was crying over Tony’s sorry ass, and Tess fell into the comfort of their arms too.
