Page 11 of Forbidden Fruit

The toothbrush slipped from my hand, clattering into the sink as I stared at the screen in shock. My heart was pounding in my chest, my mind struggling to process what I’d just heard.

Johnny was dead.

The man who had terrorized me for years, who had shown up in my life out of nowhere, threatening me…was gone. Just like that.

My initial reaction was relief—pure, unadulterated relief that I wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore, that he couldn’t hurt me or destroy my new life. But that relief was quickly followed by something else, something darker and more confusing.

Burt had promised me he would handle Johnny, and now Johnny was dead. Had Burt done something? Had he and the FBI arranged the accident to get rid of him? Or had he acted alone, without the FBI’s involvement? The thought made my stomach turn. I didn’t want to believe it, but I also didn’t know how far he was willing to go, how much he was willing to risk to protect me—or to protect his own interests.

As I stood there, staring at the news report, I realized that the lines between good and bad, right and wrong, were starting to blur. I wasn’t sure which side I was on anymore, or if there even was a side. All I knew was that I was in way over my head, and the only thing I could do was try to keep my head above water for as long as possible.

I barely heard Trina come out of her room. Her eyes flicked from the TV screen to my face, her brow furrowing in concern. “What, did you know that guy?”

The knot in my chest tightened, and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I didn’t even have the strength to nod. I just whispered, “Yes.”

My voice broke, and the tears I’d been holding back spilled over. Before I could stop myself, I was sobbing, hands trembling as I tried to wrap my head around everything. “I’ve gotten in too deep, Trina. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who to trust.”

Trina’s eyes widened, and in an instant, she was by my side, wrapping me in a tight hug. “Talk to me, Raya. What the hell is going on?”

I felt her warmth, her concern, but it just made me feel guiltier. I pulled back enough to look at her, my vision blurry with tears. “That was Johnny,” I choked out.

Trina gasped, her blue eyes going wide with shock. “You mean the guy who took advantage of you back in Texas? The one who claimed he was your boyfriend but then got you hooked on drugs and started pimping you out?”

I nodded, the memories flooding back—Johnny’s sly smile, his promises, the way he made me believe I was special before dragging me down into a pit of darkness. “Yeah…He showed up at the bar and threatened me, Tri. And now he’s dead.”

Trina’s face paled. “And you don’t think it was an accident?”

I shook my head slowly, trying to make sense of the chaos swirling in my mind. Taking a deep breath, I forced the words out. “There’s something I haven’t told you…Remember that night at the bar when the man in the dark suit started chatting me up? He’s an FBI agent. He’s blackmailing me to spy on Maxwell Evans.”

Trina’s jaw dropped. “What? Maxwell Evans? That’s the guy you were out with the other night?”

“Yes…I was trespassing on his property to get the raspberries for my cocktails, but I didn’t know it at the time. And Burt…” I could barely say his name without feeling a pang of dread. “Burt did his homework. He found out about my past and used it against me.”

Trina was staring at me like I’d just confessed to murder. “I knew there was something going on. You usually let me know where you’re going, who you’re gonna be with at night if you’re not working.”

I bit my lip, feeling the weight of my lies crushing me. “Yes.”

Trina’s voice softened, but there was a hard edge to it. “Have you found anything suspicious?”

I hesitated. What had I really found? Some photos of armed men, documents I didn’t understand…Nothing concrete, nothing that screamed Maxwell was involved in anything illegal. “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But he’s been so kind to me, Trina. Even gentle. I don’t want to believe anything bad about him. I think…I think he’s got a past he’s trying to leave behind just like I am.”

Trina studied me for a moment, her expression softening. “Oh, Raya…You’re falling for him, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. But the truth was, I did know. I could feel it in the way my heart fluttered every time I thought of Maxwell, the way his touch lingered on my skin long after we’d parted. But how could I admit that when I didn’t even know if I could trust him?

Trina sighed, pulling me over to the couch to have a seat. “So tell me more about him. What exactly does the FBI think he’s into?”

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to sort through the tangled mess of my thoughts. “Maybe cartels, drugs…I’m not sure. I know that Maxwell runs an agricultural export business, but…”

“But what?” Trina pressed.

I shook my head, feeling more confused than ever. “I don’t know. I don’t know if Maxwell or maybe even Burt had something to do with Johnny…”

Suddenly, it hit me. Trina had been there, at the bar, the nights both Burt and Johnny showed up. Did she know more than she was letting on? Had I said too much?

Trina’s face darkened as she watched me, and I realized I’d been silent too long. “Raya,” she said quietly, “I’m your best friend, for god’s sake. You can’t possibly think I had something do with your ex getting offed? I thought you knew me better than that.”

“Trina, I…”

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