Page 35 of His Baby Her Gift

By the time Harlem came out of the kitchen, Carter was standing next to the door. “I don’t know how you can still eat that.”

Harlem had just put a spoonful in her mouth. “What?”

“That nasty ass ice-cream.” He laughed.

Harlem took her spoon and pointed it at him as she waved it around in a circle. “I refuse to have you analyze my life-choices, Mr. Owens.”

He pulled her close. “One more for the road.” Carter leaned in for a kiss.

Playfully, Harlem leaned back. “Are you sure? I taste like that nasty ass ice-cream.”

Carter grabbed a handful of her butt. “I kinda like nasty, and I love ass, so I guess it’s a win for both of us.” He leaned in, this time connecting with her lips.

Harlem didn’t know how long their kiss lasted, but she was breathless when it ended.

“See you tomorrow. Be ready.” Carter walked out of her condo.

Harlem closed and locked the door. She leaned against it with a goofy smile plastered all over her face basking in the feel of his touch. Finally, she pushed off of it and headed toward the bathroom. “I need a shower–a cold one.”

*****

Elaina hid in the closet by the door. She had seen and heard every word between Harlem and Carter. If she wasn’t sure about her plan before, she was now one-hundred percent sure.I have to get rid of that bitch.

Once Harlem left to go into the bathroom and Elaina heard the shower come on, she eased out of the closet.

Her plan had initially been to leave the hidden cameras and listening devices behind so that she could plot her next moves. But Elaina realized this was an excellent opportunity to deal with her Harlem problem once and for all.

Silently, Elaina tip-toed into the kitchen. She turned the burners on the stove just enough that they wouldn’t catch but would emit gas. It might take a few hours to fill up the condo, but that was perfect. Harlem would probably be in bed. Elaina couldn’t have planned this better, even if she had tried to choreograph it.

She put the hood up on her trench coat . . . Harlem’s trench coat. Elaina had stolen it from the closet earlier.

Everyone thought Elaina wanted to transform into Harlem for kicks and giggles. There was always an ulterior motive. It started to form the day Harlem left her purse on that carousel. Elaina went through it hoping to find her keys, but that damn best friend came back too soon. After losing the baby, Elaina had to activate her back-up to the back-up plan. It was a good thing the maintenance men in this building didn’t give a shit about anything. So, when she pretended to get locked out of Harlem’s condo, they had no problem providing Elaina with a spare key. She had had free reign for the past two months.

Elaina took the elevator down to the main floor. When she got off and walked past the security desk, the guy from earlier was gone. He was replaced by someone else.

“Good evening, Ms. Thomas.” He said.

Elaina threw up a hand to wave. Instead of going into the garage, she walked right out of the revolving doors. Elaina lifted her phone and set the alarm for two hours. She then clicked another button, and she had Harlem’s entire apartment on video.

Elaina walked the two city blocks to her car. She opened her trunk and removed the door to the hidden compartment.There it is.Elaina pulled out a black duffle bag and unzipped it. Inside were a hammer, a gun, a few towels, alcohol, lighter fluid, another wig, a newborn onesie, and a scalpel. She grabbed the bag and closed the trunk.

In just a few hours, all of her problems would be over.

*****

Harlem stepped out of the shower and walked over to the sink. As she was wrapping a towel around her body, she noticed Carter’s cellphone. It was on the counter. She couldn’t even call him to say he’d left it. That thing was usually tied to his hip. Harlem figured he had probably already realized he had left it.

Harlem yawned as she walked into her bedroom. She was so tired. Harlem wasn’t sure she could stand much longer. Somehow, she managed to put on a nightgown and climb into bed.

Before her head even hit the pillow, Harlem was out cold.

Chapter 17

Carter was more than half-way home when he realized that he’d left his cell phone at her place. Without a second thought, he whipped his car around to go get it. For a millisecond, Carter thought about just going home then decided against it. A corner of his lips lifted in a lazy smile—anything to see her again.

It took him almost forty-five minutes before he pulled up into Harlem’s parking garage. Carter still wouldn’t park in Damian’s designated spot. Fortunately, there was a visitor’s parking space close to the door. He pulled his car into it, then went around to the trunk to retrieve his overnight bag. It was too late to drive back to his place tonight. He would just sleep on the sofa.

Carter walked into the building toward the security desk. Max was gone for the evening and was replaced by a different person. Carter couldn’t remember his name. He thought it might be James.

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