“Kendra is doing fantastic. She went all out today,” Mike reassured me.

I had called Mike the moment I pulled into the office parking lot. Something inside me needed to know that Kendra was there. We couldn’t avoid taking risks, but they needed to be calculated. Heading into the building, I relaxed with Mike’s words. “Thanks. I’m glad this arrangement is going well.”

“She’s wonderful.”

When I killed the call, my mind went straight to thinking about the flash drive Sylvia said was in Kendra’s possession. I didn’t want to do it but had no other choice.

After my call with Sylvia, I’d searched Kendra’s things for that stupid thing. I tore the place apart and still couldn’t locate it. I assumed she had it on her for safe keeping and wondered if she had checked what was on it.

Sylvia had failed to communicate one thing with me: what she wanted more; the flash drive, or me to expose Oscar as Mario’s killer.

I was left wondering if that was a decision she wanted me to make.

Giselle’s head was down as she sat behind her desk, busy preparing for Stone’s preliminary hearing. When she heard me approach, she lifted her head and asked, “What happened to you last night?”

“Didn’t feel the need to stick around any longer than was necessary.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Could have at least said goodbye.”

Lowering my tailbone to the edge of her desk, I asked, “Did you happen to speak with Kendra last night?”

She briefly cast her eyes down. “She looked uncomfortable without you by her side.”

I lifted my head to the office door and nodded.

Setting her pen down on the desk, Giselle rolled her shoulders back. “She wasn’t happy that you paraded her in front of the media.”

“It’s the only way to change the perception.”

“I know. She doesn’t, though.”

“Did last night’s party remind you of anything?”

She lifted a brow. “Nothing out of the ordinary, why?”

“Just felt like there was a familiar energy to it—like the parties Stone used to host.”

Giselle retreated inside her head, thinking over the events of last night.

“I saw some evidence in the bathroom, but maybe I’m just being paranoid and turning a few users into something more than it was.” I leaned over and cleaned a scuff mark off my shoe. I wanted to mention what the mayor had told me, but instead said, “Angel invited me to Tonya’s funeral.”

“Yeah, me too.” Giselle’s voice was as light as a feather. Then her eyes flickered up to mine. “Do you still think she had a hand in Tonya’s death?”

Nodding, I said, “But the voice recording is the only evidence I have linking her to the crime, and a jury won’t convict on that.” I raised my brows. “You heard Oscar is charging Sylvia with the murder, right?”

“Two birds, one stone.”

I could still hear Sylvia’s voice ringing in my head. This wasn’t right. Sylvia definitely knew more than she was saying. She was fighting for her innocence. As much as I wanted to bring her in to save my relationship with Kendra, I also wanted to learn what she knew in hopes that we could go after something bigger—like Oscar Buchanan.

“Any new theories as to why Sylvia had Drake Goodman’s name circled in her notes?” I asked.

Leaning back in her chair, Giselle laced her fingers over her stomach. “Nothing new. I can only assume that she knew that I was dating him. and since we’ve been looking into Maria’s case she was hoping to use him to get close to me.”

“She hasn’t contacted him, has she?” I held my breath.

Giselle shook her head.

“What about you?” Fear tensed my muscles. I still wasn’t sure who was next on Sylvia’s list to target. “Have you talked to Sylvia?”

She grinned. “You know I would tell you if I did.”

Turning my head away, I muttered, “Well, I hope that’s all it is.”

Casting her gaze to Stone’s papers spread across her desk, Giselle said, “The state has enough evidence to indict.”

I nodded when I found myself staring at her notes.

“What’s our angle?”

I narrowed my eyes with my mind’s gears grinding.

I thought about Madam’s need to convict, and my desire to put Madam away. What was our angle? On top of it all, we needed to somehow make this happen before word got out that Oscar assisted Mario’s alleged suicide. I could expose Oscar first in hopes of erasing his name from the prosecution, or…

“I think our angle is to somehow get federal prosecutors involved.”

Giselle’s eyes rounded into white discs.

Tapping her desk, I dropped my feet to the floor and said, “See if there is any way we could convince the prosecutor to add federal charges to his name.”

“Kelly, are you sure that’s the right move? I mean, your name is attached to this case. The media is already swarming thinking this will be the next OJ trial.”

“Just do it.” I headed for my office. “And make sure no one knows that this is what we want.”

I found myself staring at Nora’s photo while sitting behind my desk, listening to a message from Wes. This was the most paranoid I had ever seen him. I knew he had a lot to lose if the story broke. Then I thought of Sylvia’s latest threat, and again about the flash drive, wondering how long it would take Wes to figure out everything I already knew. He had Julia Mabel on his side, and she was one heck of an investigator herself. Was she enough to shift the potential media bomb Sylvia threatened to drop?

I kept the receiver to my ear and dialed Wes back. “I hope you’re calling to share good news,” he answered.

“There is something I didn’t tell you last night.” Wes cursed under his breath. “There’s evidence suggesting Oscar had a hand in getting Mario killed.”

I could imagine Wes’s brows being together. “I thought you said it was Stone.”

“Initially, that’s what I thought.” I paused to allow him time to think.

“Why did you wait to tell me this?”

“Because Sylvia called me this morning on my cell.”

The line fell silent. “And she told you this?”

“Not exactly,” I said, needing to protect my source. “But she was the first to suggest I look into Mario’s death.”

“Why would she do that?”

“She suspected foul play, and I believe she’s right.”

Wes let out a heavy sigh. “So, what does this have to do with me?”

Thinking of Stone’s offer to help me bring down Madam, I said, “I think it’s time to change our approach.”

“What do you suggest?”

“We first bring Madam down, then go after Stone.”

Wes cleared his throat as he thought it over.

It was a change from our original plan of first taking Stone down, but with Madam growing more desperate to take over the market Stone left behind, I realized that it was up to me to start leading this charge toward victory.

“I don’t like this idea.” Wes’s voice cut through the line.

“We have no choice.” I raised my voice in defense of my plan. “Sylvia has asked me to expose Oscar for being the corrupt asshole we all know he is. He had Mario killed, and we can only assume that Madam gave him the orders.” I stood and started pacing the office. “Once Mario gave them what they were after, they had no choice but to make sure he never said a word about their involvement. Sylvia isn’t reaching out to save her own ass. She can continue to pass blame to Mario for what she did to Maria—she’s been doing it from the very beginning. Wes, she wants to help expose the man covering for Angel.”

“Can you prove Angel killed Tonya?”

“No.” I tipped my chin back in defeat. “But I’ll find the evidence I need.”

“It’s hard for me to trust someone who is blackmailing me.” He had a fair point.

“But Sylvia will release that story if we don’t help her.”

I turned back to face Nora, staying on the line despite Wes going silent. I needed him to come around, needed him to see that this was the angle we had to take to survive. Sylvia could be an asset to break the case, bringing down both Stone and Madam. Getting rid of a corrupt DA in the process was just the cherry on top. They’d brought this upon themselves when deciding that I could be manipulated. Now I was out to prove them wrong.

“Maybe we had it all wrong,” Wes said. “Think about it, Kelly. What if Stone wasn’t the one to manipulate Sylvia into killing Maria?”

The veins in my body constricted. “If it wasn’t him, then who?”

“The same woman who has been manipulating us all.”

My heart pounded against my ribs.

“If I’m right about this, and Madam did have Sylvia kill Maria, and Oscar is working with Madam to grow her new business, then they both know—”

“—Maria was killed at Mint.” My skin prickled as a shiver moved over me.

It didn’t matter if Sylvia released the story explaining the cover-up or not. Our hands were tied. If we went after Madam, she would expose the truth. If we didn’t help Sylvia get what she was after, she would expose Wes and Nash. No matter what I chose to do next, I was certain I was going to lose Kendra.

“Except, if that were true, we still don’t know why Sylvia suddenly turned on Madam,” I said.

“You mentioned the kill list found in her apartment,” Wes argued. “Let’s just say that Angel killed Tonya, and Oscar had Mario killed.”

I listened with a sharp ear, wondering what Wes was getting at.

“Maybe Sylvia was only connecting the dots?”

A jolt of sudden realization pulled my spine straight. It made sense. Especially considering her willingness to reach out and work with me on this. “Then let’s give Sylvia what she wants.”

“Give her an alibi for the day Tonya was murdered and that will expose Oscar as the corrupt DA we all know him to be.”

My mind churned as I thought back to what was on that flash drive Kendra had.

“Give her the evidence you collected at her apartment,” Wes continued. “Let her tell you her side of the story, and then we can shift our focus to Madam before ending on a high note and finally putting Stone away for good.”