Exposed (36 page)
Authors: Naomi Chase
Tamia stared at her sister with mounting horror.“Fiona—”
“When she gets to the house, the woman isn’t too pleased to see her. She thinks she’s being ambushed or something. They argue, and the woman orders the friend to leave. When she stupidly refuses, the woman marches off to another room to call the police. The friend panics. So she pulls out the gun and follows the woman and—POW! POW!”
Gasping sharply, Tamia recoiled from the glass like
she’d
just been struck with two bullets.
A tear rolled silently down Fiona’s cheek. “The friend is appalled by what she’s just done. She panics again, then rushes to the back door and uses the hem of her shirt to turn the knob so she won’t leave any fingerprints. She jumps the fence, and lucky for her, the house backs to the woods. She runs back to her car as fast as she can, never imagining that her best friend will be blamed for her actions.”
Speechless, Tamia gaped at her sister, paralyzed with shock and horror as her brain struggled to process what she was being told. Fiona killed Isabel—not Dominic!
Fiona exhaled a deep, shuddering breath. “See, the smart, successful friend has always nurtured and protected the other one, ever since they were children. She’d do anything for her. And she knows what would happen if anyone else found out what her friend had done. She knows that her friend would be sent right back to prison—this time for life. Or maybe even worse,” she added, making a slashing motion across her throat. “So the protective friend is willing to sacrifice her freedom for a while and put her fate in the capable hands of the best criminal defense attorney in town.”
Heart pounding, Tamia stared at her sister as if she were
seeing a deranged lunatic instead of her own flesh and blood. “Fiona, how can you ask me—”
“Riveting story, huh?” Fiona interrupted, leaning back slowly. “It sounds like something
you
would have come up with—only better.”
Tamia lunged forward, nearly pressing her face against the glass.“Fiona, listen to me. You can’t do this to me. You
have
to tell—”
The corrections officer chose that moment to step for-ward.“Time’s up, Luke.”
On the other side of the partition, Fiona jumped up from her chair.“Damn! I’d forgotten how quickly these visits go by.”
“Fiona—”Tamia began desperately.
“I gotta run, Tam-Tam. You know how anal they are about enforcing these time limits. But don’t you worry. You’re gonna be all right in there. I made a lot of friends who will definitely have your back. But watch out for Ebony! That crazy bitch would shank her own mama”—Fiona winked—“or anyone else who got on her bad side.”
The sisters locked stares.
And Tamia realized, with a shudder, that she’d just been subtly threatened.
Fiona smiled consolingly. “Hang in there, sis. Everything’s gonna work out just fine.”
Easy for
her
to say. Her nightmare ordeal had already ended, while Tamia’s had just begun….
EXPOSED
NAOMI CHASE
About This Guide
The following questions are intended
to enhance your group’s
reading of this book.
Do you think Tamia and Brandon genuinely loved each other? Or was their relationship mostly based on sexual compatibility?
What are your thoughts on Dominic? Do you think Tamia would have agreed to his indecent proposal if he’d been unattractive and broke?
If given the same ultimatum by Dominic, do you think you would have made the same choice that Tamia did? Why or why not?
Can you identify with Tamia? Is she sympathetic or re-latable in any way?
If Brandon and Tamia had gotten married, do you think Brandon’s parents would have eventually accepted Tamia into the family? Why or why not?
Do you think Brandon contributed to the problems in his relationship with Tamia? To what extent is he responsible for what ultimately happened between them?
Do you think Brandon secretly loved Cynthia all along? Or did his feelings gradually develop as a result of Tamia’s shady behavior? Do you think he would have wound up with Cynthia if Tamia hadn’t betrayed him?
Do you think Brandon should have been more forgiving toward Tamia? Should he have been more sympathetic, given that she was being blackmailed?
Do you think Cynthia deliberately set out to seduce Brandon? Was Tamia justified in being suspicious of Cynthia’s intentions?
When do you think Tamia reached the point of no return? At what point in the story did it become impossible for her to salvage the situation?
When Brandon became suspicious of Tamia’s behavior, did you think he might end up hurting her and/or Dominic?
Were you surprised that Fiona killed Isabel Archer and expected Tamia to accept the blame for her crime? Do you attribute Fiona’s actions to mental instability or jealousy?
Were you surprised that Brandon came to Tamia’s rescue after she was arrested? Do you think they might reconcile in the future? Would you want them to?
After the way Fiona betrayed Tamia, do you think the two sisters can ever be close again? If you were Tamia, could you forgive Fiona for her actions?
Do you think Tamia is going to take the fall for Fiona? Do you think she should? Would you ever consider making such a sacrifice for a loved one?
If you enjoyed
Exposed
,
don’t miss Sasha Campbell’s explosive debut,
Confessions
On sale now from Dafina Books
Nikki
“It’s ten o’clock and you’re listening to Nikki Truth, the host of the most talked about radio show in the Midwest,
Truth Hurts
. As my listeners know, I don’t believe in holding your hand. If you want my advice, then you better have the balls to accept the truth … even if it hurts. Caller, you’re on the air.”
“Hi, Ms. Nikki. My name is Kimberly.”
Obviously, Kimberly had been listening to my show, because everyone knows if I’m not referred to as
Ms. Nikki,
I have straight attitude. “Hello, Kimberly. What can I do for you?”
“I’ve got a little bit of a problem.”
I leaned forward on my seat, ready to hear what crazy drama was about to unfold.“I’m all ears.”
“Well, Ms. Nikki, I’ve been married to my husband for thirteen years, but for the last year our relationship has grown distant. I tried talking to him about it, even suggested maybe we get counseling, but he refused, saying nothing was wrong with our marriage. But I knew something wasn’t right, because we haven’t had sex in four months.”
“Yep, that would do it. So what did you do?” I asked while adjusting my microphone.
“Well, something told me my husband was messing around.”
“Something like what?”
“Like locking his cell phone, coming home at all hours of the night.”
“Hmmm, those are definitely some signs.”
“Well, yesterday I waited for him to get off work and followed him to this house. When I knocked on the door, guess who answered?”
“I hope for your sake it was a woman and not a man,” I said with slight laughter, trying to make light of the situation.
“Oh, it was definitely a female. He came up behind her in his underwear. I confronted him. He screamed at me and acted like we’ve been separated for years instead of still living in the same house!”
“Okay, wait a minute. The brotha tried to pretend the two of you weren’t even together?”
“Oh, yeah, and I went off!”
“Good for you, Kimberly.”
“I finally asked him to choose, and he told me on her front porch in holey draws and a dingy wifebeater, he was in love with the other woman.”
“Ouch! Girlfriend, say it ain’t so.”
Kimberly breathed heavily into the phone.
“Yep, I’m afraid it’s true. I was devastated. I got back in my car and drove home.”
“Daaayum, girl! I wouldn’t wish that kind of drama on anyone. So tell me, what did you do when he got home?”
There was a noticeable pause.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” This female was stuck on stupid.
“Ms. Nikki, that’s the problem. I love my husband and I’m willing to do whatever I can to save our marriage. That’s why I called. Because I need someone out there to tell me what I need to do to bring him back to me.”
I shook my head and glanced through the glass at my producer, Tristan, who was shaking his head as well. There are some women out there who allow a man to get away with just about anything.
“Kimberly, honey, obviously you don’t know anything about respecting yourself, ’cause if you did, instead of calling me, you would be packing his shit and burning it in the nearest
Dumpster. Why in the world would you want a man who obviously doesn’t want you?”
“He’s the father of my kids.”
Don’t you know she had the nerve to sound defensive?
“And that’s supposed to make it right? Men can only get away with what women allow them to. He disrespected and played you in front of another woman. That’s more than enough reason to dump his sorry ass.” Tristan was going to have to do a whole lot of bleeping tonight.
“Hold up, Nikki. I love him, and I don’t appreciate you talking negatively about my husband!”
“Excuse me, but it’s
Ms.
Nikki to you, and if you love him that much, then why you even call my show? Next caller.” I ended the call. Damn! I hate to say it, but women like her deserve what they get.
“Hi, Ms. Nikki. My name is Tasha, and my family thinks I need to leave my man.”
Oh, Lord, not another.“Why is that?”
“Well … uh … a couple of weeks ago we were at my cousin Boo-Man’s birthday party, and one thing led to another and my man hit me. I know he didn’t mean it, and he swears he won’t do it again.”
It must be something in the air, because that night everybody was acting cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. “Let me tell you something, Tasha. Any woman who takes a man back after he hits her, all she’s doing is telling him it’s okay to do it again.”
“But he’s going to counseling!”
“Good, he needs to. And what you need to do is find a man who respects you.”
“He can’t help it. His father used to abuse him.”
“And that makes it right? Girlfriend, you have to respect yourself first before you can expect a man to show you respect.”
“I know, but I’ve prayed on it and God wants me to take him back. I’m certain of it.”
“Nooo, the Lord helps those who help themselves. If you
go back to a man that hits you, that means you don’t feel worthy of a man who won’t.”
“I believe everyone deserves a chance to change!”
What was up with these defensive women? “True, but are you willing to risk your life on it? What if he really hurts you next time?”
“That ain’t gonna happen, I’m certain of this. He’s been trying real hard to work on our relationship. In fact, last week he asked me to marry him and I accepted. So there’s no way I’m letting my family or anyone else stand in the way. I just wanted to go on the air and say that, ’cause I know my cousins Alizé and Lingerie listen to yo show.”
“If you’re adamant about staying with him, then all I can do is wish you the best of luck. In the meantime, do me a favor … take some boxing classes.” I ended the call, and the phone lines lit up with callers anxious to put in their two cents.“This is Nikki and you’re on the air.”
“Tasha, you are pathetic. I would have taken a frying pan to his head!”
I had to laugh at that one.“I know that’s right, girl.”
“Trust and believe, I used to date a man who hit me. I used to think it was my fault. That maybe if I did things the way he asked me to instead of the way I wanted, maybe he would love me more and stop hitting me. But you can’t change people like that. The more I tried to make him happy, the angrier he got and the beatings got worse until one day he hit me in front of my son.”
“What!” I cried, adding dramatic effect. “Girlfriend, what did you do?”
“Ms. Nikki, something in me snapped. I picked up my son’s baseball bat and I swung and knocked that fool hard in the arm, then I kept on swinging. I had him running out the door in his draws screaming murder!”
“Good for you.” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.“I like to hear about a woman standing up for herself.”
“Humph! I might be a big girl, but I know I deserve better.”
“Yes, you do. Next caller.”
“Ms. Nikki, this is Petra, and I’m calling in response to the call you got from Kimberly. Yep, that was me she was talking about. I’m the other woman, and as far as her husband is concerned, I’m the only woman in his life. Kimberly, get it in your head, daddy ain’t coming home!”
Click.
“Oops, there you have it! Kimberly, dear, if that don’t give you a reality check, then I don’t know what will.” I noticed Tristan waving his arms in the air. As soon as he had my attention, he signaled for me to take line two.“Caller, you’re on the air.”
“Hello, Ms. Nikki.”
I groaned inwardly the second I recognized the voice. If it had belonged to anyone else, I would have considered the sound sexy and soothing. Instead, I was on the line with Mr. Loser.
I looked through the glass at Tristan, who was cracking up laughing, and stuck up my middle finger high enough for him to see it. “Caller, please introduce yourself,” I said as if I didn’t already know.
“Ms. Nikki, you hurt my feelings. I just knew you would never forget my voice.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sorry, Charlie, but I hear hundreds of voices every week. I can’t remember just one.”
He chuckled.“
It’s me … Junior
.”
“Hellooo, Junior!” I said, trying to sound excited to hear from him. This man was like nails on a chalkboard—annoying as hell. “Long time no hear. What’s it been, a month, maybe two?”
“It’s been one month, two weeks, and three days, to be exact.”
