Page 38 of Ten

“Yeah, I found out last night.”

“I wondered if you knew,” she said apologetically. “I saw him flirting with you one day, and I was surprised that you were smiling right back at him.”

“Well, it’s not as if Tony was a saint.” I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around the man I had known as the lighthearted comedian of the group was a child molester.

“No, he wasn’t.” Chess grimaced. “Neither was Adrian as I found out later.” She looked like she might be sick. “I didn’t know until it was too late. He ran away like a fucking coward rather than face up to what he had been doing by making those videos and selling them.” She glanced away and inhaled a deep breath. “I took everything to the FBI. All of it. They followed up on it and used the evidence to catch other men involved in the ring, but they never found Adrian.”

I didn’t want to know. I really didn’t. But I had to ask. “Was Kiki on the videos?”

“I only watched a few seconds of one,” she said with a shudder of revulsion. “He wasn’t on it. It was just Fat Tony and Adrian behind the camera yelling at the boy.” She put her hand against her mouth, and I felt so guilty for bringing up such painful memories. “I’m sorry, Nisha. I can’t.”

“No, it’s okay. I understand.” God, did I ever. “We don’t have to talk about this ever again.”

“I’m taking Callie and getting out of town.” She glanced at the double doors of the lobby. “Artyom is so stressed out, and I know he won’t rest until we’re safe in a different state.”

It wasn’t the first time she had mentioned the three-fingered Russian who seemed to shadow her. I knew who Artyom was, of course, and I knew what he did. Back when Kiki and Adrian ran guns and drugs together, Artyom had been Adrian’s street captain and boss.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Savannah snarled as we stepped out of the building. “Here comes that lawyer bitch from yesterday! And her annoying cameraman!”

My panicked gaze flitted toward the stairs and Robin Harris, Kiki’s attorney. She was bounding toward us with the podcaster, Chad, right behind her. A few steps behind them, there was a crush of media, some of them local news crews and the rest amateur sleuth types who wanted to use me to get more views on social media.

“Nisha! Do you know where your ex is hiding?”

“Nisha! Do you think there are more bodies?”

“Chess, where is your ex hiding? Is it true he was a pedophile?”

“Chess, did he make you act in pornos?”

“Is Kiki going to kill again?”

“Does Kiki have a hit list? Are you on it?”

“Why aren’t you in protective custody?”

“Chess, does your daughter know her father was a child molester?”

“Are you truly a victim or were you the secret accomplice?”

The last one got my attention, and I scanned the crowd to find the bizarre voice that had shouted it. “Who said that?”

But I never got my answer.

There was a crack and athwapsound. The noise had barely registered before I saw Robin jerk forward. Blood exploded from her chest and splattered all over me. Something hit the concrete by my foot—a bullet I would realize later—and bits of the cement and metal tore into my leg.

Suddenly, everyone was screaming and running. I froze, and Savannah grabbed me by the hand. “Come on! We have to—”

Savannah lurched forward, and her eyes widened with shock. Blood erupted from her shoulder and breast, staining the shimmery coral blouse she wore. She fell into my arms, her full weight taking me to my knees.

“Savannah!” I screamed her name and pressed my hand to her chest, desperately trying to stem the blood flow. “Savvy!”

“We have to move!” Chess shouted and tugged at my arm. All around us, police were firing their weapons across the street.

“Help me!” I flinched as gunshots cracked on either side of us.

Chess grabbed one of Savannah’s arms and Eloise joined at Savannah’s feet. We moved her off the steps and toward a statue with a broad base we could hide behind. We were nearly there when Chess cried out in pain and stumbled forward. An expanding bloodstain blossomed on the thigh of her clover green pants.

“Chess!” I couldn’t believe another person I cared about was now bleeding right in front of me. I kept one hand on Savannah’s chest and pressed the other on Chess’s thigh.

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