Thoughts of what Stone knew about Nora swirled in my head as I raced from my apartment to my office.

Things were falling apart. Alliances were shifting.

It didn’t make sense. What did Stone know about Nora? I had been the one to find her dead. I had seen the pills she had taken. Read the toxicology report of her autopsy. There were no red flags suggesting foul play. I had been there in our house the night before. I was still there, reliving that nightmare over and over again.

I down-shifted and screeched to a halt, double-parking in the front of my office building.

Learning that the accident that killed Patrick may not have been an accident at all, anything was possible and I had to prepare myself for the worst.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I ran inside with my hand tucked behind my back. I was afraid to let go of the gun, not knowing who would be waiting for me next.

Jerome had shot at me. If it hadn’t been for Kendra, I might now be dead.

Giselle’s desk was empty and I assumed she was still out with Drake. The office was silent except for the sounds of my own thrashing heart. Skirting passed Giselle’s desk, I hurried into my office with my thoughts drifting to Kendra.

I had to get her back.

Madam wouldn’t make it easy, but there had to be a way.

I had to do it before Madam cut me out for good.

My head swiveled on my shoulders as memories of Kendra roaming my office floors played out inside my mind. Her scent was here. Her lively spirit that took shit from no one. When my eyes stopped on the framed picture of Nora, I thought back to yesterday when Kendra took a selfie of us, telling me I should add it to my collection of women who I let get away.

A rock formed in my stomach. My muscles flexed. I had the undeniable urge to hit something.

Kendra had seen the future coming. She knew how our contract would end. I didn’t listen. Thinking I had plenty of time, I got caught up in the distractions and took my eye off of the one thing that made me feel whole.

I hung my head, feeling my eyelids sag with regret.

I could have done more.

My sweet Bella had been pleading to escape Madam, and now I feared that my chance had passed.

Not wanting to waste another minute, I fell into my desk chair and began gathering the notes Sylvia had collected on Oscar’s corruption, combining them with the notes on the accident I had collected from my apartment.

Reaching for my desk phone, I put a quick call in to County. When the officer answered I arranged to meet with Stone, giving his full name and identification number to speed up the process. Hanging up, I opened the desk drawer and grabbed another box of bullets and the burner phone from Sylvia. Then I was off, back in my car and racing downtown.

A part of me already knew what Stone was going to reveal. I had to prepare myself for the possibility of joining his alliance. In a strange twist of fate, he’d gone from being Enemy Number One to becoming a friendly ally in a few short weeks.

The moment I arrived to County, I stashed my gun inside the glovebox and was through the front entrance and security two minutes later.

I nodded to the uniformed officer when collecting my belongings.

Time slowed as I walked down the corridor.

The florescent lights flickered overhead and I kept my focus forward.

Another officer stood guard outside the door of Stone’s visitation room. I nodded and the locks clicked over. Stepping inside, Stone didn’t flinch. I rounded the table, noticing he had his hair slicked back. When our eyes met he asked, “How was the funeral?”

“Angel talked to me.” I dropped into my seat, setting my bag off to the side.

“Angel?” He scratched his chin.

“Angelina Davis.” My brows raised.

“That is wonderful.” He folded his hands on the table in front of him. “How is she?”

My eyes narrowed. He knew how she was doing. “I’m here to listen to what you know about how my wife was killed.”

One corner of his mouth curled. “Did Madam take your woman away?”

“Angelina said you knew how my wife actually died.”

Stone leaned back, stretching his legs off to the side. “Doesn’t it seem strange how Madam picked you up and put you back on your feet just as you were about to quit?”

“Tell me, dammit!” I slammed my fist on the table.

Stone grinned and stared. “I like a man with passion.”

“If you want me to give your case my full attention, then you better tell me what you know.”

“I was told you had it.” His lips flattened. “Passion.” He nodded.

I tipped forward and whispered, “You have no idea.”

He smirked, holding my gaze. A minute later he said, “The client Nora was meeting with the night of the accident was no mishap. It was planned to have your wife call you to make the pickup. Now, I could be wrong,” he turned his head and gave me a sideways glance, “but I think she was trying to kill you.”

My pulse ticked hard up my neck.

“So, when your son died instead, Madam saw an opportunity—” he pulled his ankles under his chair and twisted around to face me. With a furrowed brow he continued, “And she took it.”

“Nora?”

Stone nodded. “Once she was out of the picture, Madam would swoop in and heal your wounds like a mother to a child.”

My breathing shallowed as I retreated inside my head.

“You found her, didn’t you?”

I blinked through flashbacks playing like a movie reel behind my lids. The feelings of panic swelled my chest. I could still feel Nora’s cold, unresponsive body on my fingertips. She was so cold, limp, lifeless. A lump lodged in my throat. I wanted to kill Stone for reminding me how painful an experience it was.

“Madam recognized your wife’s weakness.” His face deadpanned. “Took advantage of the grieving mother who had just lost her only son. Convinced her that you were at fault for killing Patrick and, when the reminders became too unbearable to endure, she supplied her with the medication that would eventually take her life.”

Leaning back, I shoved both hands through my hair.

Shaking my head, I thought back to the pill bottle next to the bed.

I never considered where it had come from. Nora had always been responsible with her medications. I knew how our relationship had frayed after the Patrick’s funeral. We’d drifted into our own worlds, dealing with the pain of losing our son in our own ways.

Stone dipped his head forward, looking me in the eye from beneath his brow. “Tell me, Black, how was business for you once Madam came knocking on your door?”

My mouth was dry, my eyes dull.

“Business boomed for you after, didn’t it?”

I couldn’t respond. Everything Stone was saying was plausible.

“When you established her escorting business to look legit, you had a harem of women to choose from if you wanted. Beautiful women to make you forget the loss of a wonderful, loving wife.”

I was frozen stiff on the outside. Inside, my muscles jumped with irritability. “I didn’t know.”

“You did, though, Kelly. You did.” Stone’s voice boomed. “And now Madam has set you up again to fail.”

My blood boiled as anger coursed through my veins. The need to seek revenge settled inside my chest as I thought about Oscar breaking into Kendra’s apartment last night. I wanted to kill him and Madam both.

“Don’t make the same mistake twice, Black.”

I rolled my eyes back to Stone. “Exposing Oscar won’t get you out of here.”

“No. It won’t.” His eyes darkened with fury. “But what it will do is bring attention to a woman who does a fantastic job of avoiding it.”

“And then what?” My nostrils flared.

When he smirked, he knew he had me. “Then we take her out.”