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“You sure this is a good spot for you to talk?” Sonia was jumpy, cloaked in apprehension and anxiety that sent a blaring message: she hoped she didn’t regret giving me the time of day.
I was so enthralled with this woman before me...damn near speechless, and I couldn’t stop staring at her head. She’d put the wig back on, but her scarred scalp and patchy hair were an image that had been seared into my brain just that quick.
Sonia squirmed in her seat, eyes darting around as though she was expecting trouble to run right up on us. We were seated in a small, ‘mom and pop’ style seafood spot. Despite this being the place of her choice, she still looked uncomfortable, which threw me for a loop. She did, however, request that we be seated by the door, and she wasted no time sliding into the side of the booth which gave her full view of the entrance.
Sitting across from her with the image of her injuries bouncing around in my head, I still couldn’t quite fathom the horrific offense she was accusing Max of.
“So, how long have you been working for that demon-spawn?” she spat as though the words stirred a rancid taste in her mouth. She kept half her attention on me and the other on tearing into the sugar packets before stirring them into her tea with her straw.
“Several months,” I offered, leaning forward with my arms folded against the table top. “And to be honest, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a side of Max that seems capable of doing something like...” Not wanting to offend her, I let my words fall, leaving her to fill in the blank with what we both knew was omitted.
Bank robber wig and the scars it concealed aside, I could easily determine that Sonia was a beautiful girl. Big, cocoa eyes and rich cinnamon complexion, she had a natural beauty that still sucked you in despite her damaged mouthpiece. A skilled stylist and a wardrobe upgrade would easily return her to the ‘perfect ten’ that was tucked away under her trauma. Pretty much anything would be an upgrade to the grungy t-shirt and jeans she paired with worn sneakers she currently wore.
“If you really believe that, why go so hard to find me after all this time?” Head cocked to the side, Sonia glared across the table at me, eyes narrowed to slits of defiance. I managed to swallow the lump that had threatened to choke me into a long nap.
“Let me guess. You have a plan, think you’re about to hit a lick on Max for a serious come-up, so you hunted me down to dig up some dirt to give you the upper hand.”
When I took too long to respond, she sucked her teeth and set those narrow slits on me again, grabbing her purse as she edged to the edge of the booth, ready to leave my ass sitting there looking stupid, slow, and alone.
“O-okay, you got me,” I relented. “You say he attacked you and I’m not doubting that. But why? He seems so...controlled. What happened to make him lose it like that?”
Truthfully, the shit didn’t add up. Either I was missing a huge piece of the puzzle or this Sonia girl was batshit crazy and probably provoked whatever situation caused Max to lose it. Based on the sheer fact that she’d chosen to disappear, but was still very much alive, I could only assume one thing: this girl had a serious story to tell, and it was likely dark, twisted even-the type of shit that made your hair stand on end.
“When you do dirt, you gotta make sure you don’t leave witnesses to run off at the mouth. Let’s just say I’m a witness that got away.”
Unfortunately, the waitress appeared before she could go into more detail. Food was the last thing I wanted, though. I needed that tea I just knew Sonia had to spill about my twisted, sadistic boss. Plus, I barely had two nickels to rub together, so I damn sure couldn’t afford even the cheapest item on the menu. I looked on as Sonia placed her order, my stomach growling at hearing the sumptuous entree she’d ordered.
“Witness...so, you saw something you shouldn’t have...”
Drawing in a long sip of her tea, she pressed her back into the booth, arms snapped across her chest as she took care to tuck her scarred hand out of sight.
“If I tell you what you wanna know, what’s in it for me?”
It took everything in me not to roll my eyes at her one-up attempt. This broad and her sister were definitely cut from the same cloth, so I channeled yet another fake ass smile before letting her think I took the bait.
“What do you want? Money?”
“Hell no!” She snapped, eyes darkening with something sinister. “I want revenge...you can’t even begin to imagine what I had to endure with him...the humiliation...”
Oh, I can imagine...can definitely relate...
“Took months for me to recover after...” Her words halted just as her head began a frenzied shake, almost as though she was trying to shake the memory loose and discard it permanently. What felt like hours passed before she found her voice again.
“I knew Max well...worked for him for years...and stupidly, I loved him.”
“Loved...you fell in love with your boss.”
“Thought he was my everything.” Hearing Sonia’s voice quiver as the memories of her time with Max washed over her, I fumed inside because it proved something I’d been in denial about: there wasn’t shit special about the warped sexual trysts Max had sucked me into.
“So...what happened? How did things go left?”
“Because I questioned him about his wife and kid.”
“He’s not married,” I challenged, brows knit together in confusion.
“Right, because that’s what everyone is supposed to think. But I found out and when I asked him...that’s when shit got real.”
I hung onto Sonia’s every word, like she was dropping the winning lottery numbers that would finally end my being three paychecks behind on life.
“So all this...you disappearing, him...hurting you...was to keep his secret family...secret.”
Sonia’s story sounded like it could be true, but it also sounded like some ID Channel stuff. No doubt, Max was a type-A with control issues, but setting this girl on fire to protect a secret family? Seemed over the top, in my opinion.
“He...Max killed her,” Sonia whispered, and I swear I thought I’d piss my pants right there in that booth.
“What?”
“I found out that he’d been recording us...every filthy, sick second of our...he had it all on tape.” Her words were capped with a darkness any woman that had ever been unappreciated would recognize: rage.
“I felt violated, was pissed. And he needed to pay. So I went to see her, but when I got there, it was too late.” Her lip flew up to hide the tremble in her lip as the vision of whatever she saw that day had her shook all over again, like she was seeing it for the first time.
“Wh-what happened?”
“I saw someone through the window, choking her. I confronted him about it and next thing I know...”
Jaw on the table, I was in awe, hanging onto her every word because as bizarre as it all sounded, the kaleidoscope of emotions she was reliving made one thing clear: this woman had survived the wrath of Max Calloway and was ready to tell her story.
“My little sister showed up, chased them off and away from me. She’s the reason I’m alive.” Sonia was now choking back a soft sob, fighting to hold it all together while the sordid memories of Max threatened to rip her apart.
“My god...” was all I could manage as she disclosed the last few details.
“So you see, he’s a monster. The worst kind, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be me−if you live to tell your story.”