Driving through downtown after leaving the prosecutor’s office, Danielle tried to maintain her anonymity. She pulled into the back parking lot of the casino and snuck up the back stairs, confident no one saw her. Reaching the door to the suite, she swiped her keycard and swiftly opened the door. Quickly shutting it behind her, she fell back against it, releasing a heavy sigh. She didn’t see Richard sitting on the sofa.
“Where the hell have you been,” he demanded.
Flinging off her hood she screamed, “Jesus Christ, Richard!” Leaving her sunglasses on, she threw her coat across the back of the chaise. “You weren’t supposed to be back until this afternoon.”
Getting up he walked over to her. “Yeah, well, it didn’t turn out the way I had hoped.” He kissed her on the lips and then reached for her glasses. Pulling away from him, she lowered her head and slowly removed her shades. Her face was tinged with shame. Lifting her chin gently with his finger, he caught glance of the slight bruising under her eye. Anger encased his eyebrows. “You wanna tell me what happened while I was gone?”
Pursing her lips, she explained, “I’m taking care of it.” Tucking her sunglasses in her bag, she strolled over to the desk to begin gathering the deposit to be taken to the bank. Sitting in the chair, she tried to ignore his glare.
Frustrated, his voice became demanding. “Dan-ielle?”
She stopped counting the money and threw her hands over it. “Well, there is no sense in trying to hide it. You left Saturday and Steve decided to pay a visit. But at least the weekend is over and I can get someone to cover my shift for the next few days so I can get rid of this mark on my face. So how was Atlanta?” She smirked, not attempting to hide her irritation.
Shock took over his features before enquiring, “Steve Robinson did this? Son of a bitch!” He began pacing back and forth while pushing his hand through his hair. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you here alone. I’m sorry.”
“Like I said, I’m handling it.”
“And what, exactly, does that mean?”
“I went to see Elizabeth Strong this morning.”
His eyes grew wide and his face elongated. “You - did - what?”
Taking in a deep breath, she tried to rub the stress from her forehead.
Trying to shake his bewilderment, he asked, “You do realize that is the woman who accused me of not only beating my wife but trying to kill her?”
“You mean soon to be ex-wife?”
“You know what I mean, Danielle. Christ! Elizabeth Strong? Seriously? I just can’t even begin to grasp what the hell you could have possibly been thinking!”
Snapping back, her red hair fell over her shoulder as she stood. “I was thinking, Rich-ard, that you left and within hours Steve’s hand was making contact with my face.” She cocked her head as she said, “Do you realize, in all the time I was tied to him - all those years of succumbing to his knowing what ‘was best’ for me, his effortless brutalities, and his disgusting way of trying to make it all seem normal -,” sucking in her bottom lip, she released it and smiled, proudly declaring, “- all that time, until now, I managed to never be the brunt of his fist.”
Riddled with guilt and anger, he asked, “So this is my fault? Is that what you’re really trying to say?”
“No, Richard, I am not saying that at all. I am well aware this is all my fault. It’s my fault that I didn’t stand up to him years ago and it’s my fault that I allowed him to continue to take advantage of me long after I thought I’d escaped his grasp.”
She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she continued, “He’s like a leech that latches on to your soul and begins sucking you dry. But I am telling you now, I am done being his host and I am going to do whatever is necessary to finally rid myself of Steve Robinson.”
He took a breath as if to stop himself from doing or saying something he would regret. “What did you tell Elizabeth Strong?”
“I told her enough to understand that going to her was the right thing to do. Do you have a better idea? How did your little trip go, Richard? Can Daddy Warbucks save the day this time or did you even tell him what was going on?”
Gnashing his teeth, he said, “I told you I would handle this.”
Her mouth gaped as a laugh erupted from her gut. “Oh my God! You went to your dad for a loan, didn’t you?” His non-response was all the response she needed. “Did you really think you could pay Steve off and make him go away?” Shaking her head, she continued, “You have absolutely no idea, do you?”
Hitting the mic on his Bluetooth, he called Smalls. “Put a hold on reviewing the weekend footage. I need you up here right now.”
Not at all surprised, she rolled her eyes as her lips gathered to one corner. She sat in the chair and crossed her legs, waiting patiently for Smalls to make his entrance. Considering the security room was right below the suite, within seconds she heard the weight of his feet on the stairs.
Opening the door, he took one look at Danielle behind the desk and shook his head in disappointment. He sighed, crossed his arms over his bulging chest, and waited for Richard’s instruction.
“So, Danielle has taken it upon herself, yet again, to decide what’s best for this establishment, Smalls.” He walked over to the bar and poured himself a decent sized glass of whiskey, shooting the liquid to the back of his throat. Giving Danielle a stern glance, he raised his chiseled chin.
Her lip curled at him in disgust. “Don’t look at me like that.”
After pouring himself another shot, Richard turned around, continuing with his story. “Danielle thought it was a good idea to pay a visit to our friends over at the prosecutor’s office and let them in on our little problem.” Taking a large swig, he raised his glass to Smalls before clearing his pathways and nodding his head as he laughed.
Interjecting, Danielle let out a slight giggle, “Yeah, well ‘Boss’ man thought he would get a loan from daddy and pay Steve off.” Turning to Richard curiously, she asked, “I’m curious, exactly how much did you think it would take to buy him off, honey?”
Rocks glass in hand, he pointed his finger at her with a strict look on his face. “I told you I would take care of this and you didn’t listen to me. My father has been in this business for years. You think he hasn’t run into this type of thing before? It was going to be handled!”
Befuddled, she leaned forward on the desk, resting her forehead in her hand. Slyly moving her hand from her face, she looked at him and said, “Go ahead, Richard. You got it all planned out. Steve will gladly take your money, put it in his pocket as if you owed it to him, and still show up some time this week with his next drop as if nothing happened.”
Smalls maintained his stance in front of the door. His eyes shifted from Richard to Danielle as they spoke, while he gauged the situation from their squabbling.
Richard turned to him begging, “Will you please explain this to her? My entire livelihood is at stake! We could all go to prison for Christ’s sake!”
Smalls lowered and shook his head. “I don’t know, Boss. Far be it from me to agree with her on anything. I really hate to say this, but I think she’s right. Robinson is not just gonna walk away from a goldmine.”
Danielle was almost as shocked as Richard at the response.
“Don’t look so surprised, Princess.” He turned to Richard and said, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but getting the authorities involved at this point may be the only way any of us are getting out of this one unscathed. I think it’s an option you need to consider.” Focusing back on Danielle he asked, “Who did you talk to at the prosecutor’s office?”
“Elizabeth Strong. She’s got as much riding on this as I do.” Rolling her eyes at herself she said, “Well, to a certain extent I suppose.”
Running his hand through his flattop, he said, “Then I say we wait and hear what she brings back to you. In the meantime, I can bring in Lucas. Maybe he can help soften our relations with SPD since that whole debacle with Michelle.”
Fear washing over her, Danielle quickly stood up and screamed, “No!”
Smalls looked at her cross.
Throwing up his hands, Richard was becoming more and more irritated. “Well, it appears the two of you have this handled.” He walked over to the bar, poured another drink, and sat on the sofa.
Danielle threw a harsh glare at him. “Now is not the time to act like a petulant child, Richard!”
Rubbing the scruff on his chin, Smalls argued his case. “I personally vetted Lucas. He’s a good cop.”
Taking her chance at a dig, Danielle lashed out, “As good a cop as you were, Smalls?” She walked over to the bar to fix herself a drink.
His face coiled at her remark. “I worked over a pedophile who was drugging up little girls and taking advantage of them in his basement. I was never dishonest. That seems to be your game.”
Growing tired of the back and forth between all of them, Richard slammed his glass on the table. “Alright, I’ve had enough. Nothing leaves this room for now. We’re the only ones who know anything about this and we need to keep it that way. When Miss Strong contacts you, I’d like to know what your plan is, Danielle.”
She drank from her glass and took a deep breath. “My plan is to do what I should have done six years ago.”
Opening her eyes, Elizabeth heard a faint tapping on the glass. The wind rustled the windows. She lifted her head from pillow and tossed the throw to her side. The fire being the only light in the room, she knew it had to be past seven p.m. Touching the screen on her phone, it read 7:18. She swiped up hoping for a notification. Nothing. Martinez should have at least text her by now. Getting up from her position on the sofa, a soft tap against the window made a chill ran through her body. She walked over and placed another log on the fire hearing the sound again.
Turning her attention to the window next to the stereo, she froze. There’s no tree out front. It’s not a branch. She stood silent. A wind gust rattled the house again. Brushing off her insecurities to the pending storm outside, she took her wine glass to the kitchen to fill it. There was a tap at the window in front of her, over the sink. Peeking out the slit she made in the blind, she saw a figure move out of the way. Jolting back, wine spilled out of her glass onto her hand. Tapping on screen door to the side of the refrigerator made the glass fall from her hand, shattering in the sink. Backing away, she stared at the door, breathing heavily as her heartbeat escalated.
His voice was cool and he pleaded with her, “Lizzy, I know you’re in there. Please open the door. We need to talk.” Not getting an immediate response, Steve began violently banging on the door. “Lizzy! Open the door!”
Running to the living room, she grabbed her phone from the table. It was dead. Damn it! It only took a second for her to remember the gun.
The door shook from under his fist, and his voice over took the wind’s fury. “Lizzyyyyy! Open the fuck-ing door!”
Dropping her phone to the floor, she sprinted to the bedroom, lifting the bed skirt as she fell to her knees. Taking in short panicked breaths she pulled out the gun case and opened it. Hand shaking, she gripped the weapon tight, steadied it with her other hand, and placed her forefinger over the trigger guard. There was a loud shattering of glass from the door as a roll of thunder passed over the roof.
Jolting from her slumber, she flung the blanket from herself, the corner of the fabric flicking the wine glass over onto the table. Pounding on the side door interrupted her sigh of relief. Taking a moment to gather her waking thoughts, she told herself - breath in… breath out…
Again, the pounding.
“Liz, it’s Martinez. Please, open the door?”
Her heart sunk and her head lowered before she pried herself from the sofa and scuffled into the dining room. Lifting her head as she exhaled, she disarmed the security system, unbolted the lock, and opened the door. “Cheese and rice, Angel! Couldn’t you just send me a text?”
Covered in drizzles of rain, a drop of water slid down his forehead and seeped into his brow as his eyes begged for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry about earlier. I’m a selfish jerk.”
Curling her lips at him, she pushed the handle on the screen door allowing him entry. Turning from him, her feet scuffed the carpet on her way to the kitchen to grab a paper towel and clean up the little bit of wine that spilled on the table before it left a liquid mark. She curled her feet under her legs and pulled the blanket on her lap before she grabbed the bottle, and refilled her glass.
Brushing the remaining dampness from his head, he followed her lead. He wiped off his face, took off his coat, and hung it on the back of a dining chair before joining her on the sofa. He rested the palm of his hand on her cheek and swiped under her eye with his thumb. “I really am sorry.”
Slightly frowning, she was instantly embarrassed. “Oh my God. I must look a mess!”
Shaking his head as he gently rubbed her cheek, he never sounded so truthful, “You look beautiful.”
She pulled away from him and looked into the fire. “I really needed you today.”
Lowering his head, he took a breath before admitting, “I messed up, Liz. I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
Quickly turning back to him, her eyes silently begged for an explanation.
Back stepping, he was fast to correct himself. “It’s not that I wasn’t honest. I just didn’t share everything.” He rolled the stress from his shoulders and confessed, “When I first suspected Robinson sent you those flowers, I paid him a visit. I just wanted to give the guy a little warning, you know? I wasn’t involved in the home visit. I stood back, out of the way, and didn’t say a word.”
Her face stiffened as she waited patiently for clarification.
“Well, after that asshole showed up at your office, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I asked his parole officer to assist me in paying another visit. Only this time, I tried to drive the message home for him to leave you alone.”
The skepticism in her face subsided.
“Turns out, things didn’t go as well as I planned. He found a way to provoke me and I lost it.” Shaking his head in shame, he raised it enough to look her in the eye, sucking in his bottom lip as if a silent plead for understanding.
“And that’s exactly why this day is so horrible!” Setting her glass on the table, tears welled in her eyes as she bluntly stated, “Steve is laundering money through the casino.”
Shocked at the response, Martinez said, “Wait - what? How do you know this?”
Taking a breath and clearing the mascara that was being washed from her face, she began to explain, “Danielle came to see me first thing this morning. At first it was really bizarre and I didn't know why she was there. I mean, she insisted on talking to me privately. It was almost as if she just wanted to apologize for not coming forward all those years ago. But I soon realized, how serious she was.
“He has been in contact with her since before he got out. He put her right in the middle of that whole mess with Johnny Warren, and God knows what else. After he was released, she was the first person he went to. Hell, he already had his claws in her. I always thought she was somehow involved and I guess in a way she was, but it turns out she's just afraid of him as I am. So, he pushed his way into the casino and started funneling. She never told Richard about it thinking she could handle it but now they’re both in so deep she didn’t know what else to do.”
Martinez swept his hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head. “Wow. I guess I really messed up, didn't I?”
Steadying her breath and calming herself down she looked at him and asked, “How could you have possibly known? You just have to talk to Holden. Straighten all of this out. Right?”
Shaking his head from side to side he said, “It's not that easy Liz.”
“Well, we have to do something! He attacked Danielle and it's like she said, he's going to come for me. He already has, in his own twisted little way and it's only going to get worse from here out,” she pleaded with him. “She's ready to come forward, get him out of her life and mine, possibly for good this time.”
Wringing his hands together, he was deep in thought.
“I’m afraid that isn’t all.”
His eyes danced around as he asked, “What more could there possibly be?”
“Well, from what Danielle said, apparently Officer Lucas has been moonlighting at the casino for some time now. She doesn't trust him and thinks he might be involved with Steve somehow. I don’t know - she said she gets a bad vibe from him.”
Martinez’ face lit up but his head was spinning. Shaking off the information dump, he began putting it together. “Lucas is the guinea pig! Son of a bitch! Have you told anyone else about this?” Wrapping his strong hands gently around her shoulders he begged, “Liz, please tell me no one else knows about this?”
Confusion washed over her face. “No. I left the office early. I was planning on going to Marilyn tomorrow but Daniel made me promise that you were the first person I talk to. For some reason she trusts me and she knows that I trust you implicitly.”
Lifting his hand from her shoulder, he tenderly touched her cheek before relaxing in his seat.
Going back to her original thought she probed, “Guinea pig? Angel, what are you talking about?”
“Remember when we went to Mansfield for the parole hearing? Well, someone screwed that up. It had to be someone from the inside. Those emails didn’t just get lost. I’ve been working with my CI this whole time trying to figure out who it was but we keep coming up empty handed, bits of information here and there but nothing solid. It’s all starting to make sense now. I just need the proof to connect the dots!” He pulled out his phone and started typing furiously.
“Who are you texting?”
“Holden. He needs to meet us in Marilyn’s office first thing tomorrow.”