Misty (23 page)

Surprisingly, Paloma wasn't in the kitchen, and Anya assumed she was still tidying up the dining room. The woman was a meticulous worker and kept Sergio's home spotless.

In the microwave, Anya heated up her own creation of Dominican chicken stew and also an exotic-looking dish of rice, lamb, and vegetables that Paloma had prepared. She sat at the island scarfing down the meal that was scrumptiously spicy and sweet.

Being nosey, she wanted to question Paloma about Majid's visit—find out if she knew any details. Surprisingly, Paloma still hadn't returned to the kitchen. Anya washed out the dishes and utensils she'd used before searching for Paloma. Barefoot, she padded toward the dining room. When she neared that area, she heard voices. Angry voices. She tiptoed toward the sound of the voices, and covered her mouth in shock when she saw Sergio and Paloma, on their knees, side-by-side, with their mouths taped and their hands tied behind their backs.

Holding a gun, Majid paced in front of them. A man named Hassan, who was one of Sergio's bodyguards, stood next to Majid. He also held a gun.

Dear God, what's going on?
Anya's heart rate accelerated.

“This muthafucka is going legit and trying to leave us hanging,” Majid said bitterly.

With the tape across his mouth preventing him from speaking, Sergio could only shake his head in denial.

“Yes, you were,” Majid yelled hoarsely. “Man, I got eyes and ears everywhere. I know about the sneaky move you're tryna make.” Majid was so angry, he was practically frothing at the mouth.

Natalie! That no-good, treacherous bitch set us up!
Anya surmised that Natalie had gone back to Majid, reporting that Anya had mentioned that Sergio was considering going legit. What Natalie didn't know was that Sergio was going to give Majid a top position in his business venture. And that's why Sergio was shaking his head while Majid accused him of betraying their partnership. If only Majid would remove the tape from his mouth, Sergio could explain.

The duct tape could not contain the mournful moans that escaped Paloma's lips. She had nothing whatsoever to do with the beef between the two men. She was merely at the wrong place at the wrong
time, and Anya couldn't bear witnessing Paloma trembling in fear.

“Go upstairs and bring that stuck-up bitch down here,” Majid ordered Hassan. “She's gonna get it right along with her man and this maid-bitch.”

Hassan left the room and went in search of Anya
. Ohmigod, they're gonna kill all of us.
Her stomach seized and dread inched up her throat. As she hid in the shadows, she made eye contact with Sergio. He was trying to use his eyes to communicate with her. His frantic eyes kept darting to the left, trying to give her some kind of signal. Suddenly, she realized he was telling her to save herself—to flee in the direction of his gaze. And she remembered the hidden safe room that he'd shown her several weeks ago. A room he said no one knew existed.

W
ith no landline on the premises and with her cell phone zipped inside her purse, which was stowed in a cubby inside Sergio's closet, Anya had no way of calling for help. But she had to do something. What were her options? Thinking fast, she decided she could either explain to Majid that Natalie had given him incorrect information or she could abandon Sergio and hide like a coward in the safe room. She couldn't leave Sergio helplessly tied and gagged without at least trying to save him. Maybe she could reason with Majid and explain that there'd been a huge misunderstanding. Sergio was a good man and she could vouch for his loyalty to his crew.

Even though Majid's very presence radiated danger, she couldn't stand by and allow him to hurt Sergio over some inaccurate information that he'd gotten from that dumb-ass Natalie, who was trying to win points with Majid by throwing Sergio under the bus.

And poor Paloma! The housekeeper was completely innocent. She'd only been in the country for a little over a month. She was trying to make a better life for herself and had worked late tonight to earn extra money. If Anya hadn't asked her to work overtime, she wouldn't have even been in the house when Majid and Hassan arrived. Feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt, Anya decided she had to say something on Sergio's behalf.

Terrified but willing to risk her life, Anya took one brave step forward but instantly froze when she heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot followed by the ominous thump of a body hitting the hardwood floor.
Oh, dear God! No!
A quick, stolen glance and she saw Paloma's lifeless form, facedown with blood pouring from a wound in the back of her head.

Majid turned cold, malevolent eyes on Sergio. “Do you see what you made me do to your housekeeper? All of this because you allowed that bitch, Anya, to make you weak. You let her get into your head and turn you against me. When Hassan brings her downstairs, I'm gonna pistol-whip her and rearrange that pretty face—beat it beyond recognition,” he said vehemently, holding his deadly gun up and waving it around. “I'm gonna bury this gun deep inside her whoring cunt before I pull the trigger,” Majid threatened, his lips curled in hatred.

Anya shuddered. Majid looked positively evil. She didn't understand why he despised her so much, but she believed his hatred for her had been an instant reaction on the first night she'd met Sergio at the club.

Majid suddenly ripped the tape from Sergio's mouth. “I'm running shit, now, yo. So, start talking. What's the combination to the safe?”

Sergio flinched at the sight of Paloma's dead body. “Why would you do that, man? You're taking shit too far. I was planning on bringing you and a few others on board with the new company after everything was established.”

“Tell that shit to some other sucker,” Majid said sneeringly. “Now, what's the fucking code?”

“I'll tell you; I'll tell you. But you have to promise you won't hurt Anya.”

“Man, I'm not sweating that ho. All I want is the money that I helped you make. You been paying me peanuts and I want my share of the dynasty you wouldn't have been able to build without me. Give me the numbers,” he growled. “I'm not going to ask you again.” Majid pointed the gun at Sergio.

“Eleven-two-sixteen,” Sergio blurted, and then exhaled in relief. Without warning, Majid raised his gun and pulled the trigger, blowing a hole between Sergio's eyes.

Eyes bulging, Anya covered her mouth to smother a gasp. Shock and fear flooded her body and she tried to creep backward, but her legs felt weightless, threatening to give out. Unable to move, she leaned against a wall, trembling from the shock of what she'd seen.
No, no, no. Not my sweet Sergio. This can't be happening!

Anya heard Majid running up the stairs, anxious to grab the money from Sergio's safe. She realized he believed she was in Sergio's bedroom and was also eager to torture her before taking her life. When his footsteps no longer echoed on the marble stairs, she fled to the kitchen pantry and pulled on the shelving unit that doubled as a secret, reinforced door.

The safe room was soundproof, an impenetrable fortress. No one could get in unless she opened the door, which could only be unlocked from the inside by using the combination of numbers that Sergio had given her with his last breath. Majid would be in for a rude awakening when he was unable to open the safe and also unable to locate Anya.

Panicked, Anya looked around the room that was equipped with a portable toilet, nonperishable snacks, bottles of water, soft drinks, and Sergio had even stocked the room with top-shelf liquor.

Her darting eyes landed on surveillance equipment and she let out a sigh of relief when she spotted a disposable cell phone that
was connected to a charger inside the safe room. She picked up the phone and called 9-1-1. In a surprisingly calm voice, she reported the murders, gave the dispatcher Sergio's address, and clearly spelled out the names of the victims as well as the murderer and his accomplice. She hung up and turned off the phone, killing its signal after the dispatcher began questioning her about her connection to the murders.

The surveillance equipment inside the safe room didn't have audio, but she didn't need sound to interpret what was going on. Majid was inside Sergio's bedroom, his face contorted as he yelled at Hassan. Most likely, he was blaming his sidekick for Anya's escape. She saw Hassan leave the bedroom in search of her, and she watched as Majid went inside the walk-in closet and worked on the combination lock that failed to pop open. Angry, he kicked a wall and exited the closet.

His eyes darted around Sergio's bedroom as if the mystery of the combination was something he could snatch out of thin air. He took the bottle of champagne out of the bucket of ice and helped himself, guzzling the bubbly straight from the bottle. After he emptied it, he lowered his head, scratching his chin, deep in thought. His lips moved menacingly as he most likely cursed Sergio for giving him the wrong numbers to the safe and for having the last laugh.

Majid returned to the closet and fiddled with the combination again. Hassan reappeared, holding out his arms in defeat with a look of exasperation on his face. Majid stared at Hassan in disbelief, his eyes glittering with rage. He smacked Hassan on both sides of his face and then sent him out of the room again, probably ordering him to check the grounds.

Eight minutes had elapsed since Anya had called 9-1-1 and she
wondered how much longer it would take the police to arrive. A few minutes later, while Majid tinkered with the safe, Hassan ran into the bedroom, his mouth stretched wide, yelling something. Majid quickly pushed the pine wardrobe against the wall, concealing the safe. To Anya's amazement, Majid eased deep in the recesses of the closet, hiding behind Sergio's numerous suits that hung in the closet. Hassan looked around trying to find a hiding place and opted for slithering under the bed.

Moments later, police officers stormed into the bedroom with guns drawn.

Anya watched with bittersweet satisfaction as both men were yanked from their hiding places, roughed up, handcuffed, and then led out of the bedroom. Unfortunately, the surveillance in the safe room didn't focus on other areas of the house, only on Sergio's bedroom where the safe was kept.

Holed up in a room that no one knew existed, Anya had to wait it out while homicide detectives and other criminal investigators gathered evidence and evaluated the crime scene. She remained hidden for the next twenty-four hours and after disconnecting the surveillance equipment, she emerged from the safe room. Instead of rushing upstairs to get her clothes and her purse, she spent a few moments in quiet meditation in the room where Sergio's and Paloma's blood was splattered on furniture, artwork, and the walls. Bitter tears ran down her face.

On my mother's soul, I swear to you, Sergio, if by chance Majid beats this case, he's going to have to answer to me. The same goes for Hassan. And that bitch Natalie pretended to be my friend, but was using me to win points with Majid. She's gonna pay dearly for the senseless destruction she caused. Her last moments are gonna be a slow and torturous agony; she's going to beg for death.

Anya raced upstairs, grateful that the police hadn't located her clothing or her purse that contained her phone and her identification. They had no idea she'd been on the premises. If it weren't for the fact that she needed to move with anonymity in order to get to Natalie and unleash her vengeance, Anya would have revealed herself to the police as an eyewitness to murder.

She dressed hastily, and then struggled to move the heavy wardrobe that concealed Sergio's safe. Sergio wouldn't want his money locked up in the police evidence room or divided up between crooked cops; he'd want Anya to keep the money for herself. It went without saying that she'd look out for Paloma's family as well as keeping money on the books for Sergio's uncle.

Tugging and pulling, she finally moved the wardrobe. For security reasons, Sergio changed the code once a month. He'd mentioned that most recent series of numbers was her date of birth. She swiftly punched in the code and the safe swung open.

The stacks and stacks of bills inside the safe were supposed to be Sergio's admission to a legitimate life in the corporate world. With tears flowing once again, she stuffed the money in a drawstring laundry bag and stealthily exited the house.