Sitting behind my office desk, I was buried up to my neck with paperwork.

My visit with Wes and Adrianna had me second-guessing our entire plan. They knew all along that Mario was innocent. Which was probably the reason they allowed me to take on his case from the very beginning. If I managed to get Mario off and learn what Madam now knew about Stone’s operation in the process, great. But, if not, it didn’t matter. Like Wes said, Mario could sacrifice himself to the system. Whatever it took to ensure nothing of what happened came back to him or his nightclub, Mint.

I picked up several old photographs from Maria’s crime scene. Heat rose behind my eyelids. I still couldn’t believe it. Wes moved her to Echo from—

Mint.

Setting the photographs back down on my desk, I leaned back and lifted my head. Wiping my sweaty palms on my thigh, I couldn’t get over the initial shock.

No wonder Wes wanted to micromanage our plan to take down both Stone and Madam. He knew. Knew all along that I was working on false information. And I was only as good as what I knew. But, with him, I could be my best. That was why he made sure I needed him.

Looking toward the door, I flicked my wrist to check the time.

I was expecting Giselle to arrive any minute, and I still wasn’t sure how I was going to tell her about any of what I’d learned. As frustrating as it all was, it wasn’t worth my energy staying mad at Wes. I had to trust that he knew exactly what he was doing. That he had all our best interests in mind. After all, he was the only true ally I had in this big cluster-fuck of a mess I seemed to have found myself in.

Bringing my elbows to the desk, I hunched over and continued digging through the files I hadn’t gotten to yet today, but must have looked at thousands of times before.

There were witness statements.

A timeline of events.

Disturbing images of a beautiful young woman whose body had been battered and abused.

And after a while they all swirled into one. Over and over again, I stared, read, and scratched my head. But I couldn’t stop doubting myself, thinking that maybe I had missed something that would lead me back to Sylvia Neil.

Which got me thinking about Bella.

I didn’t like hearing Adrianna warn me to get Kendra out from Madam’s harem. I might not have been able to understand what Kendra was up against the same way Adrianna could, but I could feel the pressure rising, the heat building. And I could see it in Kendra’s eyes when she asked me to get her out. There was fear, terror, uncertainty. None of which I wanted her to feel—let alone, experience.

Reaching for my cell phone, I pulled it toward me from across the desk.

Kendra still hadn’t responded and I was starting to worry that maybe something had happened to her. I wanted to protect her, shelter her from harm. It wasn’t like her to ignore me like this and that was what was so infuriating. Especially after last night’s conversation. That and the fact that I found her thinking about suicide kept me on edge.

Sitting on pins and needles, I put a call in to Maxwell. He picked up after the first ring and, without greeting him, I dove straight into what it was I wanted to ask. “Have you found her?”

“No, sir. I haven’t.”

I closed my eyes and dropped my head. All feelings of hope went fleeing from my body, leaving me feeling more pessimistic than before. I needed to learn where she was and who she was with. Desperate to hear back from her, I would do anything just to know she was okay.

“There is no sign of her,” Maxwell’s voice sliced through the line. “Not even from her doorman.”

Rubbing my pulsing temples, I applied enough pressure to forget the headache I already had. “He hasn’t seen her at all?”

“Not for a couple of days.”

“Keep looking.”

“Of course.”

“Thanks, Maxwell.” I sighed. “And keep me updated as your search develops.”

Ending our call, I set my cell off to the side thinking Kendra had to be close. She wouldn’t just up and bounce for the entire day without letting someone know where she was.

Then it hit me. Like lightening striking, I suspected that maybe Madam knew Kendra’s location. But did I really want to put a call in to Madam now? I wasn’t sure I was prepared to have to deal with what she would try to get from me in return.

Diving back into my research, I thought how Madam must have known where Maria’s body was originally found. It made sense. With as many girls as she had working for her, I couldn’t see how she wouldn’t have not known. I searched my piles of notes, photographs, and reports hoping to find a link to her but, just like Sylvia, there was nothing.

Leaning back in my chair, I closed my eyes and thought about what Wes said. He explained why Stone had purposely chosen Mint. Motivated by revenge for what Wes did to get Stone arrested made sense. But there had to be more to it than just that.

I stood and paced the room, deep in thought.

Blake Stone used Sylvia to murder Maria. I got that. But how? And was Maria just an innocent victim in all this? Or was there more to her than what my papers were telling me? I didn’t know, and though I posed the question to myself, I wasn’t sure it mattered all that much. The focus of my research remained the same. Connect Sylvia Neil to the Maria Greer murder and prosecute her—either in the court of law, or publicly—then move on to ensuring Stone remained behind bars before shifting the fight to Madam.

The heaviness of the situation rounded my shoulders. Suddenly, I felt weak as I lowered my tailbone to the edge of my desk. Picking up the photo of Nora, I looked to her for strength as I had so many times before.

“Guide me, love. Be my angel.” I gently stroked the pad of my finger over her bright face. “Show me what is true.”

The sun shined and the room lit up.

Then complete silence.

Staring into her face, I let everything else go. Soon, it was just us as I listened for direction. No noise. No pressure. No sense of failure threatening my health, life, or job. Just calm regrets and feelings of agony that always crept to the surface every time I looked in her direction.

But it was the secret hiding behind her that had me wondering why I felt the need to look now.

Flipping the frame over, I popped open the back with a racing heart.

I wasn’t sure why I did it, but I did.

It had been forever since I’d had the courage to look, to speak to a memory that I was often too afraid to confront. I peeled off the picture behind Nora and kept my eyes open with a heavy pulse until the child’s bright face shined up at me.

My lips tugged at the corners as I smiled down at Patrick, our son.

Tears filled my eyes as the guilt of what I did to destroy my once perfect family overtook me. My muscles shook and my spine bent. And though tears dripped down my cheeks, I refused to look away, knowing that he and Nora were my reason to correct all that was wrong in my life.

Never again would I make the same mistake.

They were my motivation.

My strength.

My reason to never forget the decisions I’d made. Because of them, I was the person I was today. Broken. Alone. And currently without a moral compass.

“I’m so sorry,” I cried. “I’m doing my best to make things better.” I sniffed. “I really am.”

A calmness fell over me as if Patrick was there in my office with me.

“Your daddy misses you.”

But the comforting feeling I had in that moment with Patrick suddenly vanished as quickly as it had come. And soon the knots of regrets filled my belly with unbearable agony.

I wished I could go back.

I wished that my life would have turned out differently. But it was what it was, as difficult as it was for me to have to face reality.

Wiping my cheeks dry, I quickly put the frame back together, tucking everyone back into their respective places. Making a promise to do my best, not wanting to let my son down again, I went back to work knowing that if I was going to represent Blake Stone I needed to make sure that there weren’t going to be any more surprises coming across my desk later.

Over the next half-hour, I plowed through all the information I had, never once coming up for air. I learned everything I could about Stone.

His history with Wes.

The far reaches of his business empire and his love of capitalism.

Blake Stone was a real mover and shaker, from producer to talent agent, and wasn’t afraid to challenge the status quo—including Premier Agency, Wes’s business.

And then he risked it all by getting into the drug trade, supplying cocaine to the Hollywood elite. He was also the reason Adrianna Eastman was put in rehab. Then, like a storm in the night, Wes set him up to get caught by the authorities. Which led us to where we were today, with Stone presumably seeking revenge for what Wes did.

Nobody said this town was easy. We all knew it wasn’t. It was hard as hell—no matter the profession—and was quick to spit you out the moment you showed any signs of weakness. Perhaps Stone knew that better than anybody. Because the industry Stone decided to dip his toes into was highly competitive and often played dirty.

Dirty—like the way Madam was taking advantage of the situation and using Kendra to launder the drug monies she was effectively now stealing from the operation Stone once controlled.

Sitting upright, I reached inside my suit jacket pocket and pulled out both the notes I had recently received. Even though I knew each by heart, I couldn’t stop reading the first.

Look what you made me do.

Pushing my shoulders back, I strengthened my posture knowing I needed to learn who was behind these messages—who wrote them and why did they want me to see them? Those were the questions I kept asking myself. Because, once I knew those answers, I would then know who was behind Tonya’s death.

Turning my attention to the window, I let my thoughts slowly unfold.

Naturally, Parker made the most sense. But Parker was a businessman, not an actor. And I saw the look in his eyes when I confronted him about Tonya. He was terrified. Afraid that this would come back to him. And he wasn’t that far off. Everything seemed to point to him, except for the fact that Wes vouched for his integrity.

And then there was the message given to Parker. The one that was meant for me.

Stop looking into the Maria Greer murder before another woman gets killed.

Sylvia was the first to warn me people would be silenced if they didn’t stop investigating what happened to Maria Greer. And with the secret Wes was keeping close to his chest, now I understood why someone wouldn’t want the truth to come out.

But was that someone Sylvia?

If Sylvia did kill Maria in a jealous rage over Nash Brooks, then Sylvia wouldn’t stop trying to convince the world otherwise, not until she was certain all noses were off her scent.

Diving back to the paperwork, I knew that those answers had to be hiding somewhere in here. I needed evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, to be 110% certain that I had this right. I couldn’t have a repeat of what happened with Nash Brooks. My integrity meant more to me than that. I had to get this right.

When I heard the front door open, I snapped out of my thoughts.

Knowing it would be Giselle, I waited for her to poke her head in my office. When I felt her presence, I lifted my head as she asked, “How did your visit with Parker go?”

Taking the note he had given me between my fingers, I held it out for her to take. “You need to read this.”

She stepped forward, taking the paper. Lifting it up to her face, she began reading it as her eyes scurried over the sentences. Then she handed it back, frowning.

“You might also be included on the list of women this person would like to see silenced.”

“Any ideas who gave it to Parker?”

I shook my head and diverted my gaze.

Giselle swallowed hard. “I managed to get some new information from the DA’s office.”

“Should I ask what you had to promise Oscar in return?” I arched a brow.

“You know Oscar,” she licked her finger and trailed the tip down her chest, “once I get him talking, he’s impossible to shut up.”

I chuckled. “What did that asshole have to say?”

“Parker is a person of interest in Tonya’s murder.”

My brows raised. “Good to know.”

“Seeing as he was the last known person to be dating Tonya, and with him disappearing immediately after the news broke, he naturally looks guilty.” Giselle stepped forward. “Kelly, I would like to work a deal with Oscar.”

Leaning back, I kept my eyes fixed on her.

“Since we know where Parker is hiding out, I want to offer Oscar that information in exchange for revisiting Mario’s case.”

“If you think he’ll go for it, then you have my blessing.”

“But there is something else more interesting than that …” She remained silent but I didn’t take the bait. “Angelina Davis has also been brought in for questioning for Tonya’s murder.”

Leaning forward, I said, “Angel? Why? Are you sure it’s not for Maria’s murder?”

Giselle shook her head

“Angel set Tonya up with Parker.”

“We know that already. Could she be involved in both the murders?”

Giselle shrugged. “But what you didn’t know,” her eyes sparkled, “and neither did I until today, was that Angel was the last person known to be with Tonya just before she was found dead.”

I squeezed my eyes closed and rubbed my face. “Shit.”

“Right.” She smiled like we had finally caught a break. “This is big, Kelly.”

Once again, our investigation took another sharp turn. Then, suddenly, my cell phone started ringing. Quickly, I answered.

“Kelly,” Maxwell said. “I have eyes on Kendra.”

Sitting forward, I asked, “Where is she?”

“Entering her apartment building now.”

“Stay there.” I stood. “I’m on my way.”