Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Jada

“Stop looking at me.”

Tatum raised her eyebrows. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to figure out if you’re still my best friend.”

I rolled my eyes and set the inventory sheets on my desk. We had counted every book in the store, and tomorrow, I was going to go over everything and hope all the numbers added up correctly.

“Of course, I’m still your best friend. Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.

Tatum pointed toward the front of the store. “You wanna tell me when you and Creed went from fake dating to doing it in the historical section?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” If Creed and I had taken one minute longer, Tatum and Murphy would have seen a whole lot more than just Creed and me looking a little flushed.

Tatum folded her arms over her chest. “This is how you’re going to play it?”

“I don’t even know what it is, Tatum, so it’s hard for me to tell you about it.”

“Start from the beginning, and let it all out, girlfriend,” she laughed.

So I did. All of it. Even the part of spending time with my mom.

Tatum knew about my mom, but she had never gone with me to see her because I never let her. I hadn’t told Tatum where she was just to ensure she didn’t just show up. I would have probably stayed the same way with Creed if it hadn’t been for him insisting on driving me around.

I did leave out the sex in the garage. I was still weirded out by the fact that someone might have watched us.

“So?” I asked when I was done. “You don’t have anything to say?”

Tatum blinked slowly and shook her head. “Only you would be celibate for years and decide to get back in the game with a sexy mafia man who you’re supposed to pretend to fall in love with, but then you fall in love with him.”

“I’m not in love, Tatum. We’re just…” I wasn’t sure what we were. Getting to know each other?

“Just falling in love with him,” Tatum whispered.

“I barely know him, Tatum. We’re dating and trying to get the evil Candace to come out. You can take that love word out of your mouth.”

Tatum eyed me knowingly.

“Stop looking at me.” Tatum was the one person in this world who really knew me. It was like she knew what I was thinking and feeling without even telling her.

“Does Murphy know that you and Creed are rocking the boat?” she asked. “Because if he knew and didn’t tell me, that boy is going to have some explaining to do.”

“I have no idea what anyone else knows, Tatum. You and Creed are the only people I really talk to.” That sounded pretty pathetic.

“Well, just know if he hurts you, I’ve been reading up on karate when the store is slow.” She widened her stance and slowly moved her hands around in a circular motion.

“You’ve been reading about karate?” I laughed. “I think you need actually to do karate to say that you know it.”

Tatum shrugged. “Details.”

My phone dinged, and I pulled it out to see a text from an unknown number.

“Jada?” Tatum called. “You look like a ghost texted you.”

I stared down at my phone, petrified.

“Creed!” Tatum shouted. “Creed!”

For a second, I had forgotten about Candace. She was always on the edge of my mind, but she hadn’t been front and center since she messaged me over a week ago.

“What the hell is wrong?” Murphy demanded. He stood in the doorway of my office, and Creed pushed past him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me.

“Sh-sh-she just texted me. I di-di-didn’t open it.” I shakily handed him my phone. I had promised that he would know the second Candace texted me, and I lived up to my word. I didn’t want to tell her a single thing, but something told me that wasn’t going to happen.

Creed handed the phone to Murphy and then wrapped me up in my arms. “Shh, it’s okay, gorgeous. You did great.”

“What if she can hear us?” I whispered. Time to pull my tin foil hat out again.

“I’m going to say that she can’t hear you,” Murphy announced. “She wants you to meet her tonight. She sent an address and a time.”

“If she could hear everything you were saying, she wouldn’t need to meet with you, right?” Tatum pointed out. “I mean, what’s the point of getting information from you when she just needed to listen to you on your phone? She could have just done that without having even to tell you.”

“You’re right, baby girl,” Murphy agreed. “She’s probably just watching you.”

“Right now?” I gasped.

“She could be,” Creed sighed. “Whatever we do next, we have to be careful.”

“She can’t find out that you know,” I worried. “If she finds out, she’s going to hurt my mom. Please, Creed,” I cried. “You can’t let her find out I told you.”

“Shh, gorgeous. She’s not going to find out. I told you nothing is going to happen to you or your mom,” he promised.

Murphy pulled out his phone. “She wants to meet in two hours. We need to get with Leo and find out what he wants her to tell Candace.”

“You guys can’t go rushing out of here,” Tatum pointed out. “You do that, and if she is watching, she’s going to know that Jada told you guys.”

“She can’t know,” I insisted.

“So, we don’t move. We do what we normally do. Once the store closes, Tatum and Murphy go home. You act like you’re going home, and I’ll go somewhere.” Creed threw his hands up in the air.

My phone buzzed again.

Murphy looked at it and shook his head. “Yeah, she is definitely watching you.” He held out the phone to Creed and me. “Tell the Ken doll and your mother is dead,” I read off. Another message appeared, this time a picture.

I stumbled back when the picture downloaded. “Oh my god,” I gasped.

It was a picture of Candace sitting next to my mom at the Larson House. Both of them were smiling brightly for the camera, and Candace’s arm was around my mother’s shoulders.

“Fucking bitch,” Creed shouted.

Murphy took the phone back.

“She’s with my mom, Creed. She has to know I told you. Why would she see my mom if she didn’t know I told you about her?” I demanded, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. “I have to go. I have to make sure she’s okay.” I was so careful about who I told about my mom because I didn’t want her to get hurt, and now Candace was just waltzing in there, making friends with her, and taking pictures.

“She doesn’t know,” Murphy called from the other side of the room. “Look at the digital clock behind them. She took this photo before she even talked to you.” Murphy tossed the phone to Creed.

Creed snatched it out of the air and zoomed in. “The clock is dated last month,” Creed confirmed. “This isn’t right now.”

“Unless the clock at the nursing home is wrong,” Tatum said, clearing her throat. “I’m just playing the devil’s advocate here, okay? The broke clock on my stove is only right two times a day. That one could be the same.”

“Baby girl, do you think you are helping right now?” Murphy asked, shaking his head as he punched a few buttons on his phone. “You’re not really helping to keep the panic to a minimum.”

“You calling Leo?” I asked, trying to steady my breathing.

Murphy nodded. “Figure that’s the next best thing other than rushing out of here like the building is on fire.”

I paced the room, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts. My mom was vulnerable, and Candace being with her could mean trouble. I couldn’t just sit around and wait.

“I can’t just stand here and do nothing,” I said, my voice breaking. “What if she’s planning something?”

Creed stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Jada, we need to think this through. We can’t afford to make any rash decisions.”

Murphy held his phone out in front of him, and it rang loudly.

“Leo does FaceTime?” Tatum whispered. “How high-tech of him.”

Murphy cut a glare at her. “Leo,” he called when he picked up, “we need your help. Candace just reached out.”

Leo’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Good. What’s going on?”

Murphy quickly explained the situation, showing him the photo and describing the timestamp on the clock. Leo listened intently, then sighed.

“Okay, first thing’s first,” Leo said. “We need to verify the timestamp on that clock. Do any of you have contacts at the Larson House who can check it for us?”

Creed shook his head. “No, but we can call them.”

Creed dialed the number for the Larson House and put the call on speaker. After a few rings, a receptionist answered.

“Larson House, how can I help you?”

“Hi, this is Creed. I’m calling to check the time on the clock in the common area. We’re trying to verify when a photo was taken,” Murphy explained.

The receptionist sounded puzzled but cooperative. “Sure, let me go check.”

“You just told her the truth, huh?” Tatum whispered. “I would have cooked up some story about my great aunt visiting her friend at the Larson House, and she couldn’t remember when she went, so she looked at the time on the picture, and then she rea–”

“Tatum,” Leo called. “Put a damn sock in it.”

Tatum pressed her hand to her mouth. “Sorry. Blame it on all of the books I read.”

We waited in tense silence, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the wall. I glanced at Creed, who was watching me with concern etched across his face. Finally, the receptionist came back on the line.

“The clock in the common area is showing the correct time. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, that’s all. Thank you,” Creed said, ending the call. “So the clock is correct. That photo was definitely taken last month.”

I let out a sigh of relief but still felt a gnawing worry. But why was she with my mom then? What if she’s planning something for now?

Leo’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Jada, you need to stay calm. Candace wouldn’t risk being seen with your mom if she was planning something. It doesn’t add up. She’s just trying to scare you to make sure you don’t tell us she’s got you spying on us. When does she want to meet you tonight?”

“Eight,” Murphy answered. “Green Door Tavern.”

“That’s good,” Leo replied. “I would be worried if she wanted to meet at some remote building. There will be lots of people at the Green Door. I’m sure she just wants whatever info she can get from you.”

“But I don’t have any info,” I called.

“Yeah, you do. Tell her Creed told you I’m headed out of town for the weekend to St. Louis.”

“Uh, okay? What if she asks me why you’re going to St. Louis?” I asked.

“She won’t,” Leo promised. “She knows the information she gets from you will be limited.”

“You think she’s going to follow you to St. Louis?” Murphy asked.

“I think she’s already been there,” Leo announced.

“If you think she’s already been there, then why am I going to tell her that you’re going there?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about the why, Jada. Just tell her I’m headed to St. Louis,” Leo repeated.

“What if she wants more?” I asked.

“Just tell her what Creed’s been up to. Hell, throw in some shit about Murphy, too.” There was static on the line. “Just mention St. Louis.”

“I’ll take care of Larson House,” Creed called.

Leo nodded. “Good. I’ll get some people in place at Green Door.”

“Won’t Candace be able to spot anyone who works for you?” Tatum asked.

“We added some new people since we found out Candace was a roach,” Murphy explained. “There’s no way in hell she will know anyone in that bar works for Leo.”

I freaking hoped so.

“I’ll check in once I land.”

“You’re actually going to St. Louis?” Murphy asked.

“No. I’ll have Apollo with me.”

“Then why the hell are we telling Candace that is where you’re going?” Creed asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Just do what I told you to, and I’ll check in with you when I land.” Leo ended the call, and we all just stared at the phone.

“Am I the only one who is completely confused right now?” Tatum asked.

I raised my hand. “I am confused and afraid.”

“Do you think you guys can just bust a cap in Candace’s head when she meets with Jada?” Tatum asked. “Just right between the eyeballs.”

“If they were meeting somewhere less crowded, abso-fucking-lutely. In the middle of Green Door? Can’t do it, baby girl, unless you want to visit me in prison for the next thirty to forty years,” Murphy laughed.

Tatum folded her arms over her chest and pouted out her bottom lip. “Talk about life not being fair.”

“What happens after I meet with Candace?” I asked. This was all so insane.

“Order some dinner to go, and I’ll meet you back at your place.” Creed pulled me into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

“Where are you going to be?” I asked.

“Making sure your mom is safe, gorgeous. And then I’ll be at your house waiting for you.”

I nodded. That sounded damn good to me. I took a deep breath and leaned into Creed. “Thank you for taking care of my mom,” I whispered.

“Don’t even worry about her, gorgeous. Just focus on your meeting with Candace and coming home to me.”

I wished that Creed could come with me, but I knew he couldn’t. No one I knew could come with me. The only comfort I had was knowing that in the crowd at Green Door, there were going to be people protecting me.