Framed, p.14
Framed, page 14
Jessica’s eyes welled with tears. She reached in and took the offered bags and paper cup. “Thank you.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Hopefully not on the news.”
Stacey breathed a laugh. “I agree. Take care, Jessica.”
Jessica nodded and closed the door. She stepped back from the curb and watched as Stacey pulled away. When she turned the corner, Jessica looked around to see where she was.
And found herself three blocks from Karli’s apartment. And the killer’s.
Damon stomped around his office and seethed. That little weasel fucked him. He was not going to get away with it. Damon was going to enjoy killing him.
As soon as he found the fucker.
A knock on his door had him growling. “What?”
The door opened, and Mick stepped in.
“Anything?”
Mick shook his head. “Nothing. We have no idea where he is.”
“Fuck!” Damon shouted. He swiped everything off of his desk, feeling slightly better when it shattered on the floor. He faced his desk and put his hands on the edge, staring at the wall. Where could Silver have gone? The son-of-a-bitch wasn’t smarter than Damon, so why the fuck couldn’t Damon figure out where he was?
His people had searched the man’s apartment, his favorite hangouts, and his work. No one had seen or heard from him. If they did too much digging, they could tip off the wrong person and bring more attention to the Company. Something Damon already had his ass handed to him about.
Well, if Silver had done his fucking job, Damon wouldn’t have forgotten about the shipment. It was on Silver that the guns they were supposed to have delivered didn’t get delivered. If Silver hadn’t stolen something from Raina and had kept an eye on Jessica like he was supposed to, Damon would have been able to focus on his job instead of trying to clean up after the worthless fucker who couldn’t do anything right.
“What do you want to do, Boss?” Mick asked.
Damon hung his head and snarled. He didn’t know. He needed to find Silver and put an end to the man who caused so much trouble. Confessing who Silver was and why he was working for Damon was hard to admit to his boss. The truth did not go over well. Damon knew who really ran the Company, but he couldn’t officially take over, yet. He would, though. One day. When he had Raina by his side and couldn’t be stopped.
“I want to find that slippery fucker and make him regret sneaking out of here after I left last night. How is it possible we don’t have him on any cameras?”
Mick shrugged. “Don’t know, sir. Hard to imagine he had the brains to figure out how to turn them off, or could avoid them.”
“He’s dumber than a brick wall. And thinking he could get away from me is proof. We need to find him.”
“What about the shipment? The boss said—”
“I know what the boss said,” Damon snapped. His ass was going to be on the chopping block if the deal fell through a second time. Damon was the one responsible because he was the one who could handle it. Failure wasn’t an option. Especially not a second time.
“So, what are we going to do? The shipment is getting delivered in an hour.”
Damon growled. He hadn’t slept, hadn’t eaten, and hadn’t fucked in hours. He was tired, hungry, and horny, and he couldn’t fix any of them. “Did the boss send over anything for me?”
Mick’s brows jumped with shock before he quickly schooled them. “Um, no, sir.”
More evidence Damon was on the shitlist. He was a fan of the guns they brought into the area and always took a few for himself. The drugs he only used on rare occasions these days. The women were usually strung out and far too skinny for Damon. He liked a woman who could handle a good, hard fucking, not one who could barely stand long enough to take it. The boss had started giving him first go at some of the new merchandise. Before the women were hooked on whatever drugs they had pumped into their systems. They were eager to please and happy to fuck.
But that week’s gift hadn’t arrived. Which meant Damon was no longer a favorite. He had to prove himself again, or he’d lose his chance to take over when the boss inevitably fucked it all up and brought the Company down.
Damon growled and pushed away from his desk. “Get someone to clean this shit up. I need food. Then we have a deal to save and a weasel to skin.”
Mick nodded and followed Damon out of the office. Damon went outside and got into the waiting SUV, trusting his new driver had already been told where they were going. It was not the day for Damon to be answering questions and leading someone around by the nose.
They went through a drive-thru and got food for both of them. Damon sat in the back and angrily ate his breakfast, hating every bite. He was still tired and horny, but those things had to wait. He had a deal to seal and a boss to please. He lost sight of things once, and he couldn’t let the boss think he wasn’t back on track.
His life depended on it.
15
Braden was ready for his shift to be over. He spent the last twenty-four hours ready to claw at his skin. He reached out to Dex, but Dex didn’t know where Jessica was. No one knew anything. No one could do anything. Including Braden.
“What’s wrong with you?” Wray asked early in the morning after they got back from a call.
It had been a full day since Braden spoke to Stacey. Since he found out Jessica was on her own again. He hadn’t been able to voice his fear that he might never see her again.
“Okay. How about where did you go yesterday morning? Because you’ve been on edge since then,” Wray said.
“Stacey called me.”
Wray’s brows shot up. “My Stacey?”
Braden nodded.
Wray’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”
Braden looked around the weight room and shook his head. He jerked it toward the door and led the way to the bunks. He checked to make sure no one was sleeping or hanging around, then dropped onto one of the beds.
Wray sat opposite him and waited.
Braden finally looked up at his friend. “I was with Jessica. At a safe house. Dex told me where it was, and I found Jessica after our last shift and took her there. I only came back for this shift because PD was going to arrest me if I didn’t show up, and I’d lose my job.”
“Fucking hell. Is Jessica okay? Where is she?”
“That’s why Stacey called me. I left her at the safe house, but a few hours later, the cops showed up there.”
“You turned her in?”
“No!” Braden glared at his friend. “I wouldn’t.”
“You think the world is black and white. That people are good or bad. When she ran, you thought she was guilty because innocent people don’t run. That’s changed now?”
“She’s innocent. It was instinct. She ran because she was scared. She didn’t kill her friend. That’s not who she is.”
“I’m glad you finally realize that.”
Braden nodded. “It took me a little while, but I got there.”
“Okay, but she hasn’t turned herself in. Do you think that means she’s guilty?”
Braden shook his head. “I asked her to. I don’t know what the right thing is, though. She wants to figure out who killed Karli, and why, and I get that. But I did not tell the police where she was. I have no idea who did. No one knew we were there except Dex and his team, and they’re the ones who told us to go there. They’re in danger of losing their contracts because they aren’t willing to cooperate with the police on this.”
“That’s not good, but it sure is admirable.”
“Yeah,” Braden said absently.
“You don’t agree?”
Braden shook his head. His mind was jumbled. He agreed with Dex’s choice to keep Jessica safe. He knew it was the right thing to do. He couldn’t stand the idea of her going to jail. But he also believed in the system. In the police doing what was right. In justice being in the hands of the courts and not in the hands of an individual.
But the two couldn’t work together. The gray zone was getting bigger.
“Jessica is innocent. I have no doubt about that. But I know she’s right that the police aren’t even considering someone else could be to blame. They’re all in on her being the killer. So if she’s caught, it’s over.”
“I agree.” Wray drew a breath and stood. He paced to the other side of the bunk room and back. “Are you going to tell me what any of this has to do with Stacey?”
“She’s the one who told me the safe house was exposed. Marcus told Francesca, and she told Stacey. I met with them and Raina at Shelter in the Storm. Someone tried to kidnap Raina early yesterday morning.”
“Whoa. That’s… Is she okay? Why didn’t Stacey tell me any of this?”
Braden nodded. “You’ve been here. The only reason she told me is because of Jessica. The person who tried to kidnap Raina said he was there under orders of her ex. When Karli was killed, Jessica told Stacey to get in touch with Raina in case the person who killed Karli was really after Raina. Raina thinks the guy lived in Karli’s building.”
Wray blew out a breath of exhaustion. “Shit. This is complicated.”
“Yeah. And Jessica is missing, out there somewhere. And I’m stuck here with no way of finding her or helping her.”
“Do you think she went after him?”
“No. If this guy is the one behind it, Jessica won’t know that. I have no idea where she would have gone, where she would be hiding. But wherever she is, she thinks I called the cops on her.”
“Probably,” Wray said with a snicker.
“It’s not fucking funny. How would you feel if Stacey thought that?”
“Well, Stacey’s my wife and my everything. I’m hoping she would know I didn’t do that. Have you told Jessica you’re in love with her?”
“I’m not,” Braden protested.
Wray lifted one brow. “Really?”
“Yeah, I…”
Wray chuckled. “Yep. That’s what I thought.”
“I—”
The alarm went off, stopping Braden’s thoughts. It was go time. And he couldn’t let anything else get in his way. He had to stay focused or people could die. He could evaluate his feelings for Jessica later.
Jessica tied her hair back and put a hat on her head to hide the rest of her dark hair. If she had makeup, she would have tried to disguise herself, but she was out of luck. The only thing she could do was pull her hood low over her face and try to avoid the cameras in the lobby when she managed to get inside.
Walking up to Karli’s building again made her entire body shake. It was the last place she wanted to be, a realization she didn’t have until she tried to open the door and found herself unable to do it. A young mom struggled to get her stroller and toddler out of the building, and Jessica stepped up to help. She held the door for them and smiled at the frazzled and grateful woman before letting the door fall closed.
Jessica walked away from the building and shook her hands to get rid of the uneasy feeling. She had to go inside. To climb the stairs to Karli’s floor and confront the man who killed her.
Jessica dug into her bag again, trying to find something that would help hide her identity. Her fingers brushed the mask Stacey gave her. In the few minutes since they parted ways, Jessica had forgotten about it. Her fear and the memories from the last time she walked into the building were too much, and the mask was buried.
It was a simple mask, plain and worn. She couldn’t imagine it would actually do anything for her. She lifted it to her face and rolled her eyes. It was silly. Wear a mask. She shook her head and stuffed it back into her bag.
She walked to the door again. She passed by when no one was there to let her in. Her entire body trembled once more. Karli’s skull. The blood. The sickening softness of her head.
Jessica hurried away, crossing the alley and finding a trash can to empty her stomach. People stepped away from her in disgust. She tried to breathe, but her stomach flipped again. She stuck her head in the trashcan once more, heaving until nothing came up.
Jessica straightened and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. She backed away from the trashcan and dug her water bottle out of her backpack. She swished the water in her mouth, trying in vain to get rid of the horrible taste. She spit the water into the trashcan and walked down the street away from the building.
She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t walk into there and pretend like it was normal. Like she belonged. Her best friend was dead. And facing the man who called nine-one-one and probably killed Karli was more than she could handle. She had to figure out something else.
Jessica walked until she came to a park a few blocks away. She slowed her pace. The park was quiet, peaceful. There was a runner on the other side. Two parents chatted and pushed kids on swings. An older couple strolled ahead of her, holding hands.
The fall flowers were wilting and dying. The leaves on the trees were dull reds, oranges, and yellows. Leaves sprinkled the ground. The cold weather was not far off.
Fall was Karli’s favorite time of year. She loved football and leaves changing and chilly nights around a fire pit. Her thirty-fourth birthday would have been in a few weeks. Instead, she was gone.
And the person who killed her was free.
Jessica sat on a bench and closed her eyes. She brought back her last memory of Karli, when she was alive. They were talking about life and love and what they were hoping to find one day. Raina was talking about her ex, and Karli looked at her with all the sympathy of a friend who wanted to protect and love her.
At one point, Karli looked at both of them and made them promise they would help her bury the body if she ever met Damon. Raina laughed, but Jessica agreed without hesitation. No one should ever go through what Raina went through. Jessica agreed with Karli that the man didn’t deserve to be on the topside of the dirt.
The conversation was mostly in jest, but it was the one and only time Jessica wished someone was dead. Raina was so beautiful, inside and out, and knowing what Damon put her through, the horrors he inflicted on her, made Jessica sick.
Just like seeing Karli’s skull smashed in made her sick.
Jessica had no proof Raina’s ex had anything to do with Karli’s death, but if he had someone try to kidnap Raina, Jessica doubted he wasn’t involved. Damon was evil and heartless, from what Raina said, and killing Karli and framing Jessica was an easy way to leave Raina vulnerable. If Jessica was ever going to prove it, she had to walk into that building and face the man who told the police she killed Karli.
Jessica reached for the mask again. She drew a breath and shook her head at herself, then put it on.
And knew she could do it.
For Karli. And Raina. And Stacey’s friend Holly. And all the other women who never got the justice they deserved.
Jessica pushed off the bench and stalked back to Karli’s building. She ignored the snickers and eye rolls she got from people passing by and kept walking like she was on a mission.
When she got to the building, her stomach fluttered but didn’t revolt. A man was walking out in a hurry and let the door dangle from his fingers to let her in. She thanked him and ducked her head as she rushed inside and to the stairs.
The stairway was blissfully empty as Jessica moved up from the ground floor. She kept her head down, but she didn’t pass another person. When she got to Karli’s floor, Jessica turned down the hall and drew a deep breath for strength.
Karli was with her. Protecting her. Helping her. She was going to find the truth. Now.
Jessica wasn’t sure how she was going to get into the apartment to see the man from the call. She walked down the hallway toward his door, trying to come up with a story that would work. Something that would get him to let her inside.
She realized there wasn’t anything that would make him talk to her and admit the truth. If he did kill Karli, he wasn’t going to just tell her. Not unless he was going to kill her, too. And Jessica really didn’t want that to happen.
She lifted her hand to knock on the door and paused. What if she just walked into his apartment? No. She shook her head. She wasn’t a criminal, and she had no intention of becoming one.
Jessica knocked on the door. She felt silly standing there in her mask and knocking, but when she asked the man if he killed her friend, it wouldn’t matter what she was wearing.
No one answered the door after a few seconds, so Jessica knocked again. Harder. Some of the apartments were big, and if someone was in another room, they might not have heard her knocking.
This time, when she knocked, the door popped open.
The same thing happened when she went to Karli’s.
Jessica’s stomach flipped. If she hadn’t already emptied it, she might be searching for a trashcan.
“Hello?” Jessica called out. She pushed the door open wider and stepped inside. She closed her eyes and tried to shove the memories of Karli from her mind.
The apartment was far from clean. Dishes filled the sink in the kitchen to the left. The couch was stained and dirty. Pizza boxes covered a coffee table in the middle of the living room. A desk drawer was pulled free of the desk near the window and dumped onto the ground.
A chill raced up Jessica’s spine.
“Is anyone here?” she called out.
She stepped inside, lifting her feet to avoid tripping on the half dozen pairs of shoes at the door. The bedroom door was open to the right, an unmade bed the only thing visible from the entryway.
“Hello?” Jessica tried again. “Your door was open.”
Jessica walked a few more feet, trying to talk herself into checking the bedroom. If someone was there, he could be hiding. Or he could be hurt. She didn’t want to go to be accused of a second murder she didn’t commit, but she struggled to walk away when someone could be hurt.
“Is anyone here?”
Jessica took another step toward the bedroom when she heard the floor creak.
“Hello? I don’t want to scare you. Are you okay? I just wanted to ask you a few questions.”
