“W hat did you want to show me ?”

Sylvia turned her head and looked at me. Her eyes shifted across the room and she couldn’t sit still. “Kelly, I don’t like how you insisted we meet here .”

The smell of ground java beans filled the air as spoons clicked against the sides of mugs. I could see her point, the reason her nerves were standing on end. We were surrounded by strangers, ears that could possibly overhear what it was we were here to discuss .

“Well,” I scooted forward, bringing my tailbone to the edge of the chair, “it was near my last visit and time is against me today .”

“You’re busy, I get it .”

Nodding, I stared into my coffee froth and inhaled the sweet aroma I loved, thinking about my meeting with the judge .

“Then you should also know the media is after you, Kelly .”

I gave her a look that didn’t inspire confidence .

“Trust me, I know.” Her brows lifted and fell .

My heart paused as I assessed who may be lurking nearby. I didn’t need what I was doing now to become some tabloid fodder. I had enough on my plate already, and Parker was only half of the reason I had trouble sleeping at night .

“There were very few of us even allowed inside Ty’s party last night,” Sylvia continued. “And those of us who were had signed a strict confidentiality agreement,” she rolled her eyes, “agreeing to only tell the stories Ty signed off on .”

My brows pinched. “Why are you telling me this ?”

“I’m your friend, Kelly.” She smirked. “You need to know what’s happening behind the scenes.” She paused, adding to the suspense I knew we both could feel in our bones. “Hungry rookie reporters have your name pegged as top priority .”

“What do they want ?”

“What everyone in this city wants.” She laughed. “To see this drama between you and Timothy escalate to a level we only see on prime-time television .”

I sighed. Then I turned my head and assessed the area again. Looking to the counter, nothing was out of the ordinary. Extra lids, napkins, cinnamon shakers and everything else you would expect to see at a coffee shop. And when I rolled my eyes to the windows, there was no sign of any reporters. The coast was clear. At least for now .

“And this doesn’t help.” Sylvia pulled the Hollywood Reporter out from under the table .

My eyes grew as I found myself staring at a photograph of Kendra ducking under my arm against the onslaught of cameras pointed in our faces when leaving Ty Lemon’s gala. “And I should be surprised by this ?”

“You’re only feeding the fire.” Her long dark lashes blinked over her eyes .

“Parker will come to his senses.” My fingers drummed on top of the table as I looked around, a sour taste filling my mouth .

Sylvia wrapped her fingers around her mug and stared into the frothy dark abyss. She hadn’t taken a sip of her drink since sitting down and I knew there was something on her mind—something she just couldn’t wait to share .

“What is it?” I asked, counting the pearls around her neck .

She twirled a curl of hair around her finger before saying, “Did you bring the photos I requested ?”

A barista behind the counter tapped out used grounds from a filter. “I did .”

Sylvia turned her head and looked over the shoulder of her grey blazer toward the man tapping away on his laptop computer .

Taking a sip of my chocolatey espresso, I raised my brows, my patience beginning to wane .

“Well, are you going to show me?” she asked as she brought her head back around .

Anything to get this conversation moving quicker, I thought as I set my hot mug back on the table. What she wanted to see was the pictures of Maria. The images that haunted all of our dreams. The sights that inspired us to do everything it took to find the person who did those things to her .

But Sylvia had said she had something to show me, and that was why I was here. So, before going any further, I needed to understand how what I had related to what she had. “First, tell me what this has to do with anything .”

Her gaze dropped to her steaming cup of coffee before flickering up to me. “There is something I need you to know about me .”

Bringing my elbows to the table, the crown of my head pulled to the ceiling as my curiosity grew. “Okay .”

She looked around the room, nervously licking her lips. “Nash and I, well,” she tucked her hair behind her ear, “we have a history .”

Leaning back, my face remained deadpan as I made sure to not let her know that I already knew that about her. “How long were you together?” I asked, seeing what else she would be willing to dish up .

She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “Just one time .”

“So? People have one-night stands all the time.” I shrugged, taking another sip of my drink .

She covered her face inside her hands, shaking her head. “This was different .”

I didn’t know if she wanted me to feel sorry for her, offer my condolences, or what. The only thing on my mind was determining whether or not Nash would soon be taking Mario’s place in jail. “What made being with Nash different ?”

She dropped her hands away from her face, eyeing me through narrowed slits. Then she started to cough through a nervous laugh. “It would have been more .”

I gave her an arched look, unsure what had her cracking up .

“Hell, Kelly, I wanted it to be more.” She pulled her hair back on her head before letting it go. It cascaded down her spine in waves and I wondered what kind of men she normally dated. “Let me tell you, with the reputation Nash Brooks has when it comes to women—” her cheeks flamed hot as she waved her hand through the air, laughing. “—well, I’m sure you’ve heard .”

“Why do you think Nash wasn’t interested in continuing to see you?” I asked coolly .

Her forehead wrinkled as she frowned .

I watched her shoulders rise and fall before asking, “What happened after that night ?”

She turned her head away, whispering under her breath, “This is so embarrassing .”

There was a lightness in my chest as I followed her gaze across the room. Silence fell between us and I remained patient, knowing that I was close to uncovering the truth of what happened between them. It was important that Sylvia felt comfortable telling me her secret. Curling my lips around my mug, Sylvia rolled her eyes back to me .

“Kelly,” her shoulders hunched, “please promise me that you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to show you .”

Swallowing down the hot liquid, I promised not to tell a soul .

I felt the pulse in my neck tick out of control as I watched Sylvia bend over and begin digging through her oversized purse. I couldn’t wait to see what she had—what she insisted I see—and how this related to Nash. How this related to anything. But I also knew Sylvia well enough to know that she wouldn’t show me just anything if it wasn’t important enough to know about .

Gently setting a yellow envelope on the table she looked around nervously, acting as if she wanted to make certain no one was able to see the secret that hid inside .

“Your secret is safe with me,” I whispered, sliding my arm across the table and dropping my fingers on the corner of the envelope .

Both our gazes were fixed on the envelope as the room began to spin with the anticipation of what was hidden inside. When I tugged, she refused to let go. But the moment of truth was now, and my time to help was close to running out .

“Sylvia, you know you can trust me.” I tugged again .

She closed her eyes above a trembling chin. Nodding, she finally released her grip and let go of her dark secret .

Keeping one eye on her, I pulled it across the table to me. Opening the top, I peeked inside. I didn’t have to pull them out to see the reason why she wanted to keep this hidden. It was ugly, painful, and something that no one should have to see, let alone experience. Rifling through the pictures, a stone formed in the pit of my stomach. “Did Nash do this to you ?”

When she closed her eyes she nodded, squeezing out her first tear .

Reaching inside my suit jacket, I pulled out the photos of Maria. They were bundled and wrapped inside their own envelope and it wasn’t worth pulling them out. We both knew what they were, and without having to mention the obvious, we also both knew that Sylvia’s injuries were identical to Maria’s .

“Now you can see why I quickly ended it with him.” Her voice cracked with subdued pain .

Retreating inside my head, I could see what Nash had done to her. The bruises. The marks. The pain glistening in her eyes. It was all there and it damn near broke my heart. Anger coursed through my veins and I could feel it pulsing in my temple. I openly stared, thinking how unbelievable this all was. “Sylvia, I have to ask …”

She fixed her moist eyes on me .

“Did you ask him to do this ?”

She did a double take, looking at me like she couldn’t believe I was even asking her if she wanted this to happen to her. And I couldn’t blame her. But with what I knew about people like Nash—men like me—it was what we did when asked. It was how we coped with our own struggles; how we came to terms with the world in which we lived .

And it was a world few would ever understand .

“Nash isn’t who people think he is.” She sniffed, wiping her nose. “He’s a monster behind closed doors.” She dabbed a napkin at her eyes and then fixed them on me. “Tell me that Nash didn’t kill her .”

I held her unwavering gaze, wishing I had it in me to tell her that. Because with every minute that ticked away, Nash looked guiltier than before. But it was too early to say for sure and with the pressure the judge had put on me, I had to be certain I got it right .

“It could have been me he killed.” Sylvia leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest .

Staring at the envelopes with a wrinkled brow, I murmured, “I’m worried about his new girlfriend .”

“Me, too.” Anger and animosity flashed in her eyes. “It’s starting to make sense, isn’t it ?”

Leaning back in my chair, I let my gaze drift to the pastries .

“Kelly, has he taken her to Mint ?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” I blinked and rolled my head back to her .

“He will,” she said confidently. “He always does.” Her forehead wrinkled. “That is, if he’s even still a member .”

“I talked to Wes at the gala .”

Sylvia sprang forward. “Did he confirm it ?”

Subtly shaking my head, I said, “Nor did he deny it, though .”

“Kelly, you’re the only one who will be able to get to the bottom of this. No one will believe my story—believe me when I tell them what Nash does to his women. It’s up to you to stop it before that new girl of his is found dead .”

Holding up my hand, I said, “Relax. What do you think I’m doing ?”

She sighed and looked away .

“Wes invited me to come check out his nightclub .”

“Shit, Nash is back. He’s taking that girl with him. Why else would Wes invite you there?” Jealousy flashed across her face .

Shrugging, I said, “We don’t know that yet .”

She slapped her hands flat on the table. “Kelly, you need to warn that woman before it’s too late .”

“Relax.” My brows pinched. “I don’t know if he’s even back to spending his nights at Mint. I need to confirm when he first stopped visiting—” My phone buzzed with a text. Pulling it out of my pocket, I quickly opened the message to find an image of Oscar’s car parked outside of Madam’s building. I lifted my gaze to Sylvia, “—or if he ever did stop .”

“I told you already.” Sylvia jabbed the packet that held Maria’s photos with her finger. “He stopped and it was after her death .”

Lifting my eyes off of my phone’s screen, I barked, “Then you shouldn’t mind me confirming it .”

“Do what you have to do, but you’re wasting your time .”

Then my phone rang .

Waiting for the caller ID to catch up, Sylvia reminded me, “And if his new girlfriend dies, don’t come crying to me. I’ve warned you about what we both know is coming for her .”

Glaring at Sylvia, I answered my phone, not wanting to think about Alex being the next victim to die at the hands of a killer; a murderer whose name we still weren’t certain we knew. “Maxwell, was that who I think it was ?”

“You were right, sir. Oscar and Madam are definitely up to something .”

“Do you have eyes on him ?”

“He’s inside meeting with her now .”

Glancing across the table at Sylvia, I wondered what the Madam was doing meeting with Oscar. If Maxwell was able to track Oscar down there, then anyone could connect the dots and start digging into all of our paths, exposing the secrets that we all shared. Gathering my things, I covered the mic on my phone and told Sylvia, “Something’s come up. I’ve gotta go .”

“So soon?” She threw her head back and groaned. “Kelly, I need to know what you find out .”

Nodding, I turned my back and hurried to the exit telling Maxwell, “Keep your head down. We can’t let them know I’m on my way .”

“You got it, sir .”

“And Maxwell ?”

“Sir?”

“Good work,” I said, feeling vindicated for the effort that brought us here—one step closer to learning the truth of who Madam was secretly working with behind my back .

And I couldn’t wait to see it with my own eyes .