CHAPTER TWENTY

She woke up around six that morning to the soft hum of music playing, the wonderful smell of Hammer's cologne throughout the bedroom, and nothing. She felt for Hammer and felt nothing. That was when she opened her eyes. That was when she saw him, putting on his suit coat after fully dressing, standing at the foot of her bed. She sat up as the covers pooled around her waist and exposed her naked, still sore breasts.

Hammer looked over at her as her hair fell over her forehead and her eyes looked droopy and so damn sexy he wanted to do her again. "Good morning."

"You're leaving?"

She looked devastated. And Hammer hated that he was the cause of it again. But he knew all along there was not going to be an easy way to tell her. He didn't tell her earlier because she needed to get some sleep. "I've got to be in DC."

"It's six in the morning."

"The meeting's at seven."

Amelia stared at him. She'd never been a clingy person in her life. But after what happened last night, she needed Hammer. She wanted to cling to him. After what happened, he should be clinging to her. "Do you have to go?" she asked him.

Hammer understood how hard it was for her to ask that question. On no day was that Amelia. Trauma was driving that question.

He went over to her and sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs and placing the palm of his hands on both sides of her: boxing her in. "Unfortunately yes, I have to go." She could see the regret in his stark blue eyes. "I'm sorry, baby," he said and kissed her again.

When they stopped kissing, Amelia looked at him. This was why it would never work between them, and they both knew it. He had to go. That was always his bottom line. And she also knew she couldn't live at the bottom. "You have to do what you have to do," she said to him.

He knew exactly what that meant: She had to do what she had to do too. And just as he was doing his thing, she was going to do hers. It cut Hammer to the core.

He stood up. Stared at her and her beautiful body a moment longer. And then he left.

Amelia remained sitting, and then she laid back down. Tears began to roll down her eyes. Because nothing could soothe her. Not the strength that moving on would give to her. Not the comfort in knowing she was finally looking out for herself. Not the reassurance that Hammer would continue to be a good father to their son. Nothing soothed her.

And even when Aretha came over the sound system singing the Ertegun/Nelson-penned Don't Play that Song, that didn't help either. It made it worse. It seemed as if nothing was going right for her life in that moment.

"Don't play that song for me.

Brings back memories.

Of the days that I once knew.

Of the days that I spent with you.

Oh no, don't let it play.

It fills my heart with pain.

Please stop it right away.

Because I remember just what he said.

He said,

Darling, I love you.

You know that you lied.

Darling, I need you.

You know that you lied.

Darling, I love you.

You know that you lied, you lied, you lied---.

To me."

Amelia closed her eyes, unshed tears falling even more. But she couldn't bury her head in anybody's sand. Or turn a blind eye to the fucked-up situation she found herself in. And not just with that damn senator who broke into her house either. But with Hammer's ass too. Even after her trauma, he still left her.

She opened those eyes right back up. Wiped her tears away angrily. And got up.

But three hours later, after showering and dressing to go into the office, her doorbell was ringing. She was curious who it could be because she knew it wasn't Hammer. He would never ring her bell.

Knowing Security was all around her house, she opened the door quickly. Security was there alright. En mass. But they were standing in the background. What looked like an entire squadron of police officers stood up front. With two plainclothes detectives directly at her door. Her heart dropped. "Yes?"

"Are you Mrs. Amelia Reese?"

Nobody referred to her as a Reese. Mainly because she never used Hammer's last name like that. What was this about? "Yes."

The detective nodded and one of the uniformed officers hurried over and turned her around, putting handcuffs on her. "You're under arrest for the murder of Senator ---"

Before the Detective could finish his statement, Amelia, now terrified, was already objecting. "For what?" She was trying to turn around even as she was being handcuffed. "For murder? Are you serious?" They found Darby Reiner's body already? Hammer's men were that sloppy? It made no sense!

But the Detective, a veteran who knew guilty people often put up the most protest, would not be deterred. "You are under arrest for the murder of Senator Stanley Kucinich," he said.

When he said that name, Amelia, stunned, did turn around. And for the first time, she actually looked genuinely surprised to the detective. "Senator Kucinich?"

Stanley Kucinich was the senator she had threatened at that no tell motel the night before. Before Senator Darby Reiner broke into her house and was killed. This was insane! "Did you say I killed Senator Stanley Kucinich?"

"That's the charge, yes ma'am," the detective said as he ordered the officer to take her away.

Amelia, stupefied, walked by the security chief who was powerless in the face of the cops. "I'll call him," he yelled after Amelia.

"Don't you dare," she yelled back. She was still angry at Hammer. She wanted nothing to do with him. "Call my brothers," she yelled at Security as the cop held down her head and put her in the squad car. "Call my brothers!"

But she was as confused as she was angry. Her heart was pounding. She felt as if she was going to have a heart attack. Because it didn't make sense. She knew what she'd done. She could understand if they found Senator Darby Reiner's body and wanted to arrest her for something she actually had done. But this bullshit here? This nonsense somebody had concocted and attached her name to it? That was where it was going way left for her. That was where it was looking like Twilight Zone shit for her.

Because she knew the truth. There was a senator she actually did take out, and another senator she was being accused of taking out. Neither senator she had ever seen before their encounters last night.

What in hell was going on?

And why did Hammer leave her at a time like this? How could he have just left?

They would never have arrested her if he had been here too.