Page 45 of Joker's Ghost
Derek goes back to his room. I secure the door, then freeze my hand still on the lock. On the floor separating the kitchen from the pantry lies a yellow manila envelope.
I slowly bend, pick it up, flip it over, then carefully open it.
My heart kicks up, and even the baby makes a violent move inside me as I gaze down at pictures of Joker in the garage, me getting into our SUV, Derek leaving UNLV, and Deana on the playground of her school.
A cold sweat covers my arms, and when the room tilts, I grab on to the counter for support. I cautiously move to the kitchen chair, then fan the five-by-seven-inch photos across the table.
I swallow hard when I realize, in the span of the fifteen minutes I was in the storage unit, someone was in the condo with my children only two rooms away. I try to control my breathing as I examine the photos again, but an overwhelming fear consumes me, so I shuffle them together and shove them back into the envelope.
I plan on showing Joker when he gets home, but by the time I reach my bedroom, I change my mind. He’s so jittery lately with the baby coming and what happened on Halloween that I don’t want to add to his stress.
I open up the bottom drawer of my bureau and shove theenvelope under a pile of t-shirts and shorts, sure I’ve made the right decision.
The next morning, Joker’s phone wakes me, but I feign sleep, just like last night when he returned home from The Gold Mine, I made sure I was already in bed under the covers. Most times, that wouldn’t deter Joker, especially if he wanted sex, but the man took pity on his pregnant wife and let me sleep.
I didn’t like deceiving him in this small way, but I fear he would see I was hiding something from him.
“What’s up?” Joker mumbles into the phone.
I can only assume he’s talking to Cobra. They have a language all their own which few understand. Joker leaves the bedroom still on the phone, and I notice he’s already dressed.
I stretch my stiff body, then roll to a sitting position in the bed. With all the added weight in the front of my body, I’m totally off balance. I sit on the side of the bed for a few minutes listening, but I can’t hear any more of Joker’s conversation. I’ve learned over the years, club business is private, and even though Joker tells me more than most, he still keeps information to himself.
My eyes drift to the drawer where I hid the pictures, and the same uneasiness washes over me. I contemplate telling Sheena, but I’d have to swear her to secrecy, and it wouldn’t be fair to her. Somehow, I have to figure this out on my own.
CHAPTER 15
JOKER
I continue my conversation with Cobra in the kitchen so as not to wake Daisy.
“We’re all set for a meet with the Nomads at nine tonight at The Cathouse,” Cobra’s low rasp filters through my phone.
“Sounds good.”
“There’s something else.” I hear the flip of Cobra’s lighter and then a deep inhale. “Stop by The Gold Mine before you head to your shop today.”
“What’s up?”
“I’ll show you when you get here.”
I disconnect the call just as Daisy pads into the kitchen. She pecks me on my cheek as I busy myself with making coffee. “How’d you sleep last night?”
“Good. Or as good as expected.” She pats her baby bump. “For some reason, this little person waits until I fall into a deep sleep then starts kicking.”
The kids are still asleep, so it’s just her and me in the kitchen. I try to act as normal as possible, but truthfully, I’m glad she was asleep when I got home last night. Saved me from the temptation of telling her what Boa said aboutWarrior’s powers or the ghost or whatever I saw in the parking lot.
“How did you sleep?” she asks, and I can’t help feeling something’s off with her too. Or maybe I’m just projecting my bullshit onto her.
When the coffee is done brewing, I pour it into a to-go cup and snap on the lid. “I wanna get to the shop early now that my head isn’t pounding against my brain.” In truth, I still have a dull headache, but I’m not about to tell Daisy about it, or Cobra’s cryptic request.
I pull her into my arms. “You know I love you, right?”
“As much as I love you.”
I linger for an extra minute. “If you’re too tired, you don’t have to come into the shop today.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”
