“Krishna.” I looked over my shoulder to see Keatyn waiting for me. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Go ahead. I’ll be upstairs.”
I waited until my mother’s steps faded before going over where Keatyn stood. “Is everything okay?” I hoped she wasn’t going to ask me what the Chief and I talked about so she could go back and tell Atlas.
“Come with me.” Before I had the chance to protest, she grabbed my wrist and pushed me into the downstairs bathroom.
“Keatyn, what the hell is going on?”
She locked the door and then reached into her back pocket. “Please don’t fight me on this, Krishna. I pay attention to everything and notice it all. Right now, isn’t the time to ignore the signs. Handle your business and let me know what you want to do.” She placed the rectangle box on the counter and left.
Plopping down on the toilet I held my hands in my head. When it rained it poured? If the results in that box told me what I had already guessed, Amell better get his ass out of jail.
I always loved traveling to Chicago during its windiest time of year. The chilly breezy. Wearing boots and fur coats. I loved everything about the city. From the food to the architecture buildings. I just loved Chicago. When I found out that was where we were traveling, I almost smiled. I hadn’t done that in days.
However, this trip was everything but leisure and fun.
“Whew.” I giggled to myself lowly as I breezed into the uptown elite bar called White Ivy.
White Ivy was an exclusive establishment, so exclusive I didn’t even know it existed until this morning. The kind where you had to be oil-rich before you were even considered for membership. Anything less than one million a year wouldn't cut it. It was a lowkey place for the rich and not famous, where all dirty dealings and connections take place.
Shaking off my coat, I rubbed my hands down my olive-green dress. A crew neck with lace trim, cinched waist, and a sexy split in the front that went all the way up my right thigh before it stopped at my lady parts. Backless, tight, and fit my body like a glove. The plum suede pumps matched my earrings and the diamonds on my custom Rolex. Instead of letting my hair run wild and free I settled for a sleek ponytail that dripped down my back. No makeup except a few layers of shiny gloss. Can’t forget the camera attached to the quarter sized pendant on my necklace.
I wanted subtle yet sexy. Classy but inviting. I had to catch the eye of a killer and this was my catching a killer look.
Making my way to the gold and black tufted bar I took in every face that was on the ground floor. A guard at each four exits. About a good twenty people in total conversed at the tables scattered around and three people at the bar.
“What can I get you, Beautiful?” The bartender, a cute brunette with green eyes giving off the bad girl barbie vibes inquired.
“Hey. Can I get a sprite with pineapple juice and three splashes of grenadine, please?”
“Coming right up.” After she walked away, I took in the occupants at the bar one last time and that’s when I noticed the man sitting at the end of the bar. Vanilla skin and probably in his mid to late forties. Hazel eyes I believe. The light above his head shined right on his face and from the golden glow I knew they were either hazel or a light green. Nicely built man. Well-manicured. Probably practiced martial arts to stay in shape. He just gave me that type of vibe.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.” Right when I raised the glass to my lips the man stood. 5…4…3…2…1
“Mind if I sit here?” His voice was nice. Warm like the brown liquor in his glass.
“Please do.” I smiled to myself taking in the sandalwood and coconut of his cologne. Reminds me of something my father once wore.
“Can I have your name?” He held my eyes with a slit smirk on his lips as if he’s waiting for me to tell him a lie.
“Carrie. Carrie White.”
Our smiles grew. “Nice to meet you. My name is Miguel. Miguel Martinez.”
For about thirty minutes or so Miguel and I chatted like we were old college friends. Talking about our businesses and families. A little flirting here and there. I laughed. I giggled. I squeezed his damn muscled biceps. He paid for another round of my non-alcoholic beverage and his scotch and coke. He never stopped complimenting my beauty.
It was natural. We connected. We had chemistry.
His nephew murdered my father.
I’m a damn good actress.
I even managed to slip away to the bathroom with his phone and attached a smile pea size tracker in the jack slot for his headphones. When I returned and slipped it back where he had it in his blazer hanging off the back of the bar stool, he never suspected a thing. The whole time, however, it felt like I was seconds from shitting my damn pants.
“Ms. White.” An Asian man dressed in a grey suit stood behind me with a briefcase.
“Aye, yes. Hello, Mr. Reed. I’m gathering my things.” I actually had no idea who this man was. All the Chief told me was that an Asian man would come in after forty-five minutes of me chatting with Miguel and that was my signal to end all communication.
“Thank you so much for keeping me company, Miguel. It has been a delight chatting with you.” I stood to gather my purse and coat.
Standing, he gave me that warm smile. “The pleasure and delight were all mine. I’d love to keep in touch. Maybe take you out to dinner once your meeting is over.”
Giving him my best smile, “Next time the wind blows me your way, drinks are on me. Have a good evening.” I winked before leaving him with my best catwalk.
Mr. Reed and I sat in a booth on the other side of the lounge with no one around us. “The tracker is activated, and we’ll monitor his movements until given instructions on what to do next.”
“What if he hypothetically drops his phone and replaces it? Or gets a new one?” If Mr. Reed was part of the Chief’s business, then I knew they had to be smarter than this.
“Yes. We already know which hotel he is staying in and other information from his phone. Though it is a tracker it was used to access his most private information like emails, bank accounts, text messages, and so forth.”
“So, what do we do now?” This is the million-dollar question I wanted to know. Mr. Reed sighed. “We wait for the green light from Amell.”
I tried not to roll my eyes, but I did and just so happened when they stopped rolling they landed on Miguel who was gazing at me from the door. As he placed on his coat and tipped the bartender, he gave me another warm smile and walked out.
Why was Amell waiting?
Chapter 17
Krishna
A few months later…
My feet moved. My legs kept walking. I held my head high no matter what I just heard. No matter what the judge had just sentenced Amell, I kept my composure. I listened and silently cried after the verdict. I squeezed my mother’s hand blue and almost fainted again, but I held on. Mahogany, though I had a nasty dislike for her, she had done a phenomenal job of defending Amell’s character against the countless charges. She painted him to be an upstanding guy who cared for his community and loved his family. She did her job.
But I still was walking out of this courthouse never seeing him again.