It was early and we had barely slept, but the next day was upon us.

Kendra pulled back, brushing the tips of her fingers lightly over my lips before sliding out of bed. She left me with a sizzling kiss that had me hard and I smiled as I watched her hips bounce from side to side as she made her way to the bathroom.

What a sight she was, I chuckled to myself.

Purposely keeping the door wide open, I continued to watch her. Her feet glided over the tile before turning on the shower. The sounds of rain filled my head with heated memories of fun times we’d had behind those glass walls. When she spun around, the overhead lights highlighted the marks I had given her last night. They lined her body like the tattoo running up her side—lioness.

The corners of my eyes crinkled.

Smoothing my hand over my chest, I felt the marks left behind by Kendra’s claws.

She’d claimed me.

Was as fierce as the lioness she claimed to be.

Was absolutely relentless in her pursuit last night.

Each climax I gifted her had to be better than the one before. Memories of her moaning and grunting filled my mind. She’d worked her body harder than I had ever seen. Sweating through the anguish of outdoing herself only to finally realize that she had given all she had to give. Now, it was time to see if last night proved to be the cure she was seeking.

With my hand on my dick, I thought about how our time was soon to expire.

Feeling my eyebrows pull together, I was scared shitless how Kendra would handle the news I feared Madam was close to dropping. The fact was, I was losing confidence in my ability to find—and bring in—Sylvia before Madam’s patience waned.

Scrubbing a hand over my face, dread consumed me.

Thinking back to my conversation with Angel, I knew she was right; I was bad luck. Everyone knew it but I couldn’t admit it myself. My worries didn’t stop there. Wes was growing more anxious as the investigation got closer to him. I couldn’t blame him. Mint didn’t need the publicity Sylvia would bring it.

Then there was the mayor. What he revealed to me last night about Oscar had the makings of the biggest scandal this city’s elected officials may have ever seen.

Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting off the threat of a migraine.

I cringed when the home phone started ringing. Checking the time, it was far too early for someone to be calling. That, too, had my insides twisting into knots. Rolling my neck to the side, I was unable to keep myself from staring at Kendra.

Pellets of water sprayed the glass, glistening her body smooth. Her nipples were sharp and her ass plump. She made it far too easy to lust after her, though I couldn’t ignore the phone. Finally getting annoyed with it, I dove across the bed and answered with a frustrated breath. “What is it?”

A woman’s voice cackled through the line. “Any news worth sharing from your party last night?”

Sitting up in bed, Sylvia’s voice made my blood run cold. Her voice was far too calm for my liking. When she should have been running for fear of getting caught, she kept calling me as if this was a game. “How did you know I was there?”

“You put a couple names on a guest list and it’s not difficult to assume others will follow.”

My feet dropped to the floor as I kept one eye on Kendra. She was working a razor up her leg as I moved to the window. Peeking outside, I looked to the street below followed by a sweep of the apartment, if only to assure myself that Sylvia hadn’t somehow broken inside.

“So, Counselor, you have nothing to report?”

My eyes darted in every direction imaginable. With how fast Sylvia was to call, I was suspicious that she could be working with Angel. Or it was simply her growing impatience to tell the world where Maria’s body was originally found. Whatever it was, she was fighting for her innocence and I was fighting to save Kendra. The stakes were high. Neither of us willing to budge.

“I know you didn’t kill Tonya.” My voice was low as I spoke clearly into the microphone.

“You’re just finding that out?” Her tone was more amused than surprised.

“The DA is filing charges against you for her death,” I said, thinking of the evidence I’d seen planted inside her apartment. Anger coursed through my veins as I moved back into my bedroom.

“And you want him to charge me for Maria’s.” She huffed out a disbelieving laugh.

Kendra was soaping her beautiful body and I forced myself to look away to keep from being distracted. “Come in,” I said. “We can work this out. Doesn’t our history mean anything to you?”

The line crackled but was filled with mostly silence. The longer Sylvia didn’t respond, the more I hoped that maybe she was at least considering my offer. Not long ago we had trusted each other. I believed we could rebuild that friendship to the point of helping us each get what we were after.

“I know Madam’s after me.” Her voice finally sliced through my eardrum. “And she’s using you—and Oscar—and whatever other resources she has at her disposal to bring me in.”

My mind raced to shift my angle of defense. “What did you expect?”

“I never expected anything.”

“Not even from Nash?”

When I heard the shower turn off, I left the bedroom for the living room. Kendra didn’t need to listen in on my conversation and, depending how it ended, I wasn’t sure that telling her any of this would settle her nerves.

Sylvia laughed like she knew something I didn’t.

“We can’t change what happened in the past—”

“Wrong, Kelly. We can change it.” Her voice hardened. “In fact, isn’t that why evidence connecting me to Tonya’s murder has been planted inside my apartment? To rewrite history?”

“Sylvia, you stole Madam’s money.”

“Your cute little number gave it to me.” She snickered.

“Look, I know where you killed Maria—”

“And you would like to keep that a secret.”

My heart slowing, Kendra walked out of the bedroom in her gym clothes. “I’m meeting up with Alex at the gym.”

I covered the phone with my hand, not wanting Sylvia spying on us. “I have to go in to the office.” Nodding, Kendra lifted herself up on her toes and kissed my cheek. Watching her leave, I knew that she was safe with Mike Ricci. With all of the allegations and conspiracies being spread about us, it was important we kept our lives as normal as possible.

“But, Kelly, you have it all wrong.” Sylvia’s angry voice was back on the line the moment my front door shut. “You’re not seeing the clues.”

“What clues?” I grinded my teeth.

“Let me ask, who do you think had Mario killed?”

Choosing to remain silent, I replayed what the mayor said last night. “It wouldn’t be hard to make the case that you had a hand in that murder as well.”

“Except you would be wrong.” Her confidence was unwavering.

“If not you, then who?”

“I think you already know the answer to that question.”

The muscle in my jaw ticked through a sharp pain. When I didn’t respond, Sylvia knew what I was thinking. We both knew Madam was involved, but what I didn’t know was if Sylvia also knew that Oscar was a suspect in Mario’s death.

“Call off the dogs, Kelly.” Her tone was firm. “You’re not going to find me.”

“You’re making a mistake by running. I can represent you for Maria’s murder.”

“You were the one to break the case!”

“Something tells me you didn’t act alone.” The line fell quiet. “That you were given no choice but to have her killed.”

Sylvia clucked her tongue. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Let me help you.” I tipped my head up and squinted into the light shining through the window. “Wouldn’t you rather I find you than Oscar does?”

“And end up like Mario? Ha.” Her shrieking laugh sent a wave of chills down my spine. “Not until I can be certain I’m going to be given a fair trial.”

“Is there reason to think you wouldn’t?”

“If you haven’t received the memo, Oscar is corrupt.” The sharp tone in her voice was back. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. You know it as well as I do.”

I wondered how much she knew about my night at Angel’s. If she knew that the mayor reached out to me. If she knew that cocaine flooded through Angel’s doors like a breached dam. She sure as hell was talking like she was there, like she knew it all. When I heard the next words out of her mouth, my heart leaped into my throat.

“Except you only know half of it.”

I squinted my eyes.

“And there is something that I want,” she said.

“Are you asking me?” I took a step forward. “Or are you telling me? Because there is a difference.”

“Expose Oscar for being the corrupt DA that he is, and nail him for killing Mario Jimenez—”

“—can you prove any of these allegations? I work on facts. Not theories.”

“Of course,” she answered proudly. “But you’ll have to trust me.”

Feeling my lungs squeeze the last bit of air out of them, I found it hard to believe anything she said when she was the one to have told Kendra about Patrick and how I’d inadvertently got both him and Nora killed. “And what if you’re wrong?”

“Your sweet Bella has a flash drive.”

I quirked a brow and snapped, “What?”

“It was given to her by Madam. I want it, Kelly.”

“What’s on it?”

“I need it destroyed.”

“And if I can’t?”

“Then I’ll have no choice but to release the article I have exposing to the world that Maria was killed at Mint and that your buddies Wes and Nash moved her body to Echo before anybody knew.”

Feeling taken advantage of, I lowered my head and said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Don’t wait long, Kelly. We don’t have much time.”