The engine roared to life, the exhaust echoing loudly off the concrete walls as I shifted into drive. I peeled out of the hospital parking lot, the tires screeching against the pavement, heading toward the highway because I already knew exactly where I was going.
Chapter 38
Indigo
It took me almost two hours driving south from Clearwater to get to Gasparilla Island.
The whole ride, my hands stayed clamped tight around the steering wheel, my thoughts moving entirely too fast for the road beneath me. My daddy’s estate sat tucked behind a fortress of manicured palm trees and wrought-iron gates in one of those ultra-rich, white neighborhoods. Daddy loved this place. He always said all the old money and heavy police presence made it safer when Miami got too hot. Nobody ever expected high-level criminals to hide between yacht clubs and luxury golf carts.
I pulled through the back entrance and parked my car right beside a matte-black Range Rover. To my surprise, my old security keycode still worked on the side door.
The exact second I stepped inside the house, my fingers wrapped around the grip of my Glock, pulling it from my waistband on pure instinct. The estate was dead quiet except for the distinct sound of water running upstairs. I stepped out of my Nike slides, leaving them by the door.
I moved through the grand hallway carefully, my bare feet silent against the cold marble floor. I kept my gun raised as I followed the rush of the water toward one of the main guest bedrooms.
The master bathroom door was cracked open just an inch. I pushed it wider with the barrel of my gun—and stopped dead in my tracks.
Diamond was bent completely naked over the marble counter, moaning while Cooly fucked the hell out of her from behind. His right hand had a firm grip on the roots of her fresh silk press. Steam curled through the air, rising from the giant rainfall shower pouring beside them.
All three of us froze.
Diamond’s eyes widened first, the breath catching in her throat. Cooly just looked caught—like I was his actual girlfriend and he’d been busted cheating.
I blinked once. Then, a sharp snort escaped me.
“Damn,” I spat, my voice dripping with cold disgust. “This might actually feel like a betrayal if I gave a single fuck about either of you.”
Diamond immediately scrambled back, pushing herself upright and trying to cover her chest. Cooly finally pulled out slowly, completely unconcerned about his own nakedness. He casually grabbed a plush towel off the counter and wrapped it loosely around his waist.
“Indigo, this ain’t—”
“What the fuck are y’all doing in my family's house?” I cut him off, the weight of the Glock still leveled in my hand.
He let out a slow sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Three years ago, I heard from your father that you ran from Malachai,” he said, his voice dropping into that smooth cadence. “I sent her to watch out for you when you got to New York. She works for me, Midnight.”
Diamond folded her arms tight over her bare breasts, looking awkward as hell under my gaze. “Everything was real, Indigo. I just… I watched you, too.”
I laughed, a short, ugly sound that rattled my chest. “So my whole friendship in New York was a setup? What about Malik?”
Diamond opened her mouth to explain, but I looked straight into her eyes, cutting her off before she could start lying. “And why the fuck were you pushing him on me so hard if you were the one fucking him?”
Cooly answered for her before she could even find the words. “This is just what we do. She got Malik. I want you. I’ve got needs. It's simple.”
I stared at both of them, my gun hanging heavy at my side now. “So you never actually went back to New York,” I said, my voice dead flat. “This is some deeply fucked-up shit.”
Cooly shrugged his shoulders like it was a minor detail. “Business and pleasure, Midnight. They cross lines sometimes.”
I shook my head, a sickening wave of disappointment hitting my gut. “Y’all really had me out here thinking I had real friends. Real people in my corner who actually gave a fuck about me.”
Diamond took a small step forward. “I do care. That part wasn’t fake, Indigo—”
“Save it,” I snapped, cutting her off cleanly.
Cooly leaned his weight back against the marble sink. “I didn’t shoot your husband,” he said quietly.
“I know. Or I would have shot you the second I walked through that door. But you still ain’t explained why the fuck you're in my daddy’s house.”
Before he could respond, another voice cut through the steam from behind me.
