Suzetta Perkins - Déjà Vu

Margo smiled. “You may not have known this, but I remembered the times you would get close to me and smell my hair. I often wondered what I would do if I had someone who was that attentive to me. Jefferson used to be that and more, but something happened in our lives to push him off track. Yes, Malik, I remember-I believe it was then that I began to lean on you.”

Malik held her and began to caress her again. It was hard to tell what she was thinking with her eyes closed and no expression on her face, but he sought to make Margo his. It certainly wasn’t a bad position to be in. She was his friend, and Margo had come running to him, asking him to share his bed and to make love to her. If it was time Margo needed, he could more than accommodate her request.

No, it wasn’t a conquest. Malik smiled as he made love to Margo again. Through all the emotions and good feelings, he failed to see the tears that threatened to seep down the sides of Margo’s face.

Anger and frustration enveloped Santiago like a dark, nasty cloud that announced the onset of a terrible storm. He and his goons had combed the city and come up empty-handed. Angelica was nowhere to be found, and it infuriated Santiago that she had so easily slipped from his clutches.

Underestimating Angelica’s prowess had caused him to lose time, money, and the energy he had invested to make sure that his vengeance was carried out in the methodical way that he had planned. Aside from the few unexpected glitches, his plan was falling in place. Soon the breaches of trust in his fallen empire that had been dubbed Operation Stingray would be eradicated once and for all.

Five years was a long time to wait, but now that his new team had been properly organized and trained, it was only a matter of time before he, like King David in the Bible, would kill the giant pain in his ass with one shot from his sling. While it was proving to be more difficult than he expected, one down was not bad.

Needing to calm his nerves, Santiago went to the wet bar and poured himself a brandy. He swished the drink in the snifter and brought it to his lips. Taking a sip, his mind reflected on the room where Angelica slept. He walked to it, opened the door and surveyed it once again.

Had she planned on returning or was freedom more important than a few pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage, clothing, and other personal effects? Santiago threw the brandy snifter to the floor, its contents splashing and wetting the carpet. He screamed for Sammy and Dominic, though they could not hear him. Angry that no one responded, he left the room and slammed the door.

He found his cell phone where he had left it and dialed Dom’s number. “Get ready. You, me, and Sammy are going to take a trip down south.”

Santiago slammed the phone shut. He knew where to go. The bitch had found out about Hamilton, and she went running . What amazed him was that she found a way to do it. Courage-he had to give it to Angelica. Well, her end was near, and her boyfriend wouldn’t be able to help her because his body was probably decomposing where he and the boys had left him.

Smiling for the first time, Santiago rushed to the vault where he kept his arsenal of weapons. He’d take two or three assault rifles and a Glock for himself.

He held the gun in his hand, took off the safety, and pointed at the target he used for practice. Pop. “Bull’s-eye.” A hearty laugh erupted from deep within. Santiago released another shot. “Bull’s-eye. That was for you, Angelica. You’re gonna wish you had never double-crossed me. Ask Donna.”

Santiago’s laughter was so loud that he didn’t see Sammy and Dominic walk in with puzzlement in their eyes. Turning around at last, he saw them at the entrance to the vault and pointed the gun in their direction.

“Whoa!” Sammy shouted. “What’s up with you, man?”

Santiago laughed harder now. He put the gun down and placed the safety back on it. “A little practice, boys. Good for my psyche.”

Sammy looked at Dom. “Understand, boss,” Sammy replied, the fear finally released from his eyes. “Dom and I are ready to ride.”

The front door shook like a mild earthquake. The tears that had fallen from Margo’s face hours earlier had long since dried, but anger had replaced them. She pulled the belt from around her trench coat and, after slipping out of it, threw it on the nearest chair.

“You’re a cheater and a liar!” she said, throwing her pointed finger in Jefferson’s face.

He held out his hand. “Hold it, Margo. What are you talking about?”

“I saw you, Jefferson. I saw you with that slut, Angelica. Yes, I followed you to the cozy hotel. I guess you figured if you were out in the open, you would blend in.”

“Margo, it wasn’t what you think.”

“Don’t interrupt me!” Margo screamed. “You told me you didn’t love her…that you didn’t want anything to do with her. Made me believe that I was all you wanted. The moment that wench moved onto your radar, you went sniffing and running like a basset hound; you couldn’t resist. You make me sick!”

“So why didn’t you come in and find out what was going on?”

Margo raised her hand and swung it at Jefferson. He grabbed her arm and held it in mid-air. He looked like a trainer giving his student an exercise tip. “You, you…”

“You aren’t a good detective,” Jefferson said, his eyes trained on Margo as he let her arm go. “It’s apparent you didn’t stay long enough to see Angelica’s brother, Edward, come to the hotel as well. Now what do you think happened?”

“Don’t try to play reverse psychology on me, brother. Tell the truth for once,” Margo hissed. “You were in the hotel with her.”

“You’re doing all the accusing. Sounds to me like you’ve gathered all the facts and come to some kind of conclusion that I’m sure is incorrect.”

“Don’t get smart with me, Jefferson. I’m not playing with you.”

“Angelica asked me to review some documents and account information Hamilton had given her for safekeeping. Edward had put them away while Angelica was in prison, and it turns out that Angelica will realize a small fortune. Hamilton had inherited all of his mother’s assets after she died some years ago, and although he and Angelica were divorced, Hamilton trusted Angelica with his finances. He didn’t have a great relationship with the other members of his family. When he was in the hospital before they carted him off to prison, he had Angelica go and retrieve the papers from his house.

“Nothing happened between me and Angelica. She, Edward, and I reviewed the documents and I advised them on what to do. I may not be able to practice, but I still know my money.”

Margo bit her lip and tugged at her dress. She sighed heavily, ingesting what Jefferson had said. She began to sway unconsciously from side to side, tapping each foot on cue. There was no way to know whether Jefferson spoke the truth, but she wanted to believe him.

This bit of news stripped the venom from her heart. She had wanted to be angry because it justified what she had done, running straight away to Malik and crying crocodile tears on his shoulders. Now she felt like a fool because she used what she thought was Jefferson’s deceit to fall into the arms of another man and give up her goodies-her hidden treasure-without a second thought. Maybe she was in love with two men, she admitted to herself-and just gave her puddin’ away. Damn that Jefferson.

“Since you have nothing to say, I’m going to help Angelica finish the funeral arrangements. You can come if you like. It seems it was a good thing Angelica came to town because Hamilton’s family members weren’t interested in him-only his assets.