Trooper looked my way and I could tell from the way his expression changed he knew he had really messed up. She had just told on him, and not only that, she was there to arrest him or whatever she planned on doing. Why on earth she needed me was what had me really confused.
“A flight? A flight where?”
“Back to New York. Trooper’s not your typical man. He’s very loyal, but not really to anyone in particular other than you. Ineed you to make him talk. If I can get him to confirm a few things for me, my case will be solid. Oh, well him and your mother. She will also have to testify, but with the two of them, Harold Prescott will be going to prison. I can assure you of that.”
“You sound dumb as fuck for even saying that shit out loud. Do you really think you can take him down? The only way to stop him is to kill that muthafucker, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
“Really? Because it seems to me like I’m the one calling the shots here. I don’t really see how you can change that.”
“He can’t, but I can.” Carlos’s voice flowed from the door just before I heard a gunshot and blood spattered out the back of her head.
Moving in slow motion, her body fell back and hit the wall before Trooper jumped out of bed and threw his arms around me.
“Go to the living room,” he said calmly after kissing me on the forehead, but I couldn’t move.
This was the second time I had been up close and personal with a potential dead body.
“Sophie,now!” This time, Trooper’s voice raised and I started toward the door, grabbing a pair of shorts in the chair next to it since I was only in a T-shirt and panties.
“What the hell is going on?” I heard Story say, just as he passed me and stopped at the bedroom door near Los and Trooper.
My mother and Maddie entered the living room at the same time, looking confused, and I slipped into my shorts before I sat down on the sofa, stuck in my head.
Carlos had just killed a cop, but what bothered me the most was Trooper had some type of relationship with her. Why was that the one thing that kept playing over and over in my head?
“You’re all set. The body is gone and they’re cleaning everything up now.” Trooper and I made eye contact briefly before he addressed Isaac.
“’Preciate that. Just tell me what you need,” Trooper said to him and glanced at me.
“It’s taken care of. You don’t owe me shit. In fact, I’m pretty sure I still owe you.”
“Nah, not at all. Let’s just call it even. I appreciate you though.”
“Same,” he said before he looked my way again and nodded. “Take care of her and I’ll see you next trip.”
Trooper walked him out and returned a few minutes later. We were finally alone. Maddie, my mother, Carlos, and Story had left on a jet to New York a few hours prior.
I tried everything in my power to go with them, but of course Trooper wasn’t having that, and my father backed him up, so here we were. Alone. His eyes were on me intently, waiting for me to react to everything that had gone on in the past few hours.
“Why did he do that for you and how does he even know how to?”
Trooper looked at me like he was debating on what to tell me before he finally answered.
“He did it because I helped him out with a situation he was in years ago, because of his family’s ties in illegal things. He just knows shit, like I do, but that’s not really something you need to worry about. So you ready to talk to me now?” Trooper asked as he sat on the glass table in front of my chair.
I was surprised it held his weight; it was stronger than it looked.
“Sophie?” This time his voice was pleading and I looked right at him.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Shit, anything. I know that was a lot, but…”
“But what, Trooper? Do you even know what’s bothering me the most?”
His hand moved down his face and I could tell that he was annoyed, but I didn’t care. First Orin, now a cop. Things weren’t as good as I thought they were.
“Yeah, I know why you sitting there with your lips all poked out, but you don’t need to. What you’re thinking ain’t what went down.”
