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Jonathan watched Dee and Connie walk out the mansion through surveillance on his office computer.
He snickered, drawn to the sensuous black cop who threw her weight around as if she owned the world. “You’d be fun to tame.” He ran his finger down the screen, imagining touching her.
Shauna burst through the frosted-blue door, panting as if she’d run a marathon. “Were you watching the whole time?”
“Of course.”
“So you heard them then?” Shauna stomped to the desk. “They want to get a warrant, Jonathan. They want to come back and search the place.”
“She said they’d do that if I didn’t comply.” He smirked, closing the laptop. “I had no issue with talking to them but you insisted I didn’t.” He took her hand and her face relaxed. “You don’t have to protect me, Shauna. What’s the harm in me speaking to them?”
“You don’t need to be tainted by that one.”
“You mean Detective Quarter?” He rocked in the suede red recliner.
“She thinks we had something to do with Autumn’s death. Can you believe that?”
“I have no worries because I didn’t do anything to Autumn.” He raised his thick eyebrow. “Did you?”
“No. How could you ask me that?”
“I’m not accusing you but you’re so wound up about this.”
They stared at each other for a moment, Jonathan struggling to read her thoughts.
“This is serious.” She touched the desk. “What if we go to jail?”
“If neither of us did anything wrong, then you shouldn’t worry.” He laughed, throwing up his arms. “I’m not worried.”
“You’re never worried.” She moved from the desk, rolling her eyes. “And look at me. I let a few minutes with outsiders bring in negativity.” She closed her eyes, humming. “I have to meditate—”
“She’s sexy, isn’t she?” He laid his head back, staring at the gold, flush mount ceiling light. “Detective Quarter?”
“Sexy?” Her nostrils flared. “Sorry, if while being accused of murder I didn’t have time to check her out.”
“Such venom in your voice, Shauna.” He stopped smiling. “You’ve forgotten who you’re speaking to?”
“I’m sorry, Jonathan.” She bowed. “I meant no disrespect.”
“You’re forgetting your place more and more—”
“No.” She gave a shaky smile. “I’ll never forget my place.”
“We don’t worry.” He squinted. “We don’t fret. We don’t let outsiders get into our heads. Stay grounded.”
“Yes.” She nodded, swallowing. “That’s why we need you in our lives, Jonathan. You remind us of what’s important.” She went to the door.
“Shauna?”
She turned sideways. “Yes?”
“Did you kill Autumn?”
She flinched, a bead of sweat drizzling her face. “No.” She tugged on the doorknob.
“Something else bothering you?”
“They tried to make it look like I was jealous of her, but I have no reason to be. We don’t get jealous but even so...” She rushed back to him, a look of pleading in her eyes. “I know you love me more than you do the rest of them.” She walked around the desk and placed her hands to his cheeks. “I know, Jonathan.”
“Course I do.” He gripped her neck, lowering her head for a kiss. “You’ve been there for me through everything no matter how much it tested you. Don’t worry, Shauna. No one could ever take your place.”
She smiled, blushing.
****
“What did you think?” Dee drove onto the highway after exiting Jonathan’s property. “They’re something else, aren’t they?”
“Definitely strange.” Connie opened a Snickers bar and bit into it. “They live in their own little world.”
“Girl.” Dee got in the middle lane behind an empty bus. “What did you think of Shauna?”
“Might be hiding something.” Connie licked nougat off her lips. “For someone who doesn’t get jealous she got jealous when we mentioned Autumn.”
“Her face turned white as a sheet.” Dee flicked her signal on and switched into the next lane. “Don’t tell me they don’t get jealous of each other.”
“You think Jonathan’s attractive?” Connie watched her out the corner of her eyes, chewing.
“What?”
“You said he was when we were questioning Shauna.”
“So? He is.”
“But, it was the way you said it.” Connie tilted her head. “As if you were interested.”
“You want me to throw you out this car?”
“I didn’t mean interested romantically but in knowing more about him.”
“If you’re worried about me getting sucked in you don’t know me well at all. You gotta be crazy to fall into a cult. Did you see those women? Acting like Stepford wives and shit.” Dee turned off the highway onto a quiet street. “I can’t stand men like Jonathan who prey on vulnerable people. It’s abuse if you ask me.”
“A lot of normal people fall into these groups.” Connie crunched nuts. “They don’t all have issues. Sometimes people just need a place to belong and these unions provide that.”
“They brainwash people.” Dee shook her head. “The people think it’s a choice to stay but they’re manipulated from the first moment they meet someone like Jonathan. I can see how it can happen though.”
Connie fixed her seatbelt.
“It’s not just that he’s good-looking but he has this presence about him. This aura. Even on the website it leapt from the screen.”
“Really?”
“His eyes are so magnetic. It’s like he looks into you instead of at you.” Dee caught Connie’s bewildered expression. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Connie squinted, her head rocking with the car. “No reason.”
****
That night, Sylvia peeked into Grayson’s living room made of wood-panel walls with a packed bookshelf in the back that took up half the room.
“Are you all right, Dee?” she asked. “You sure I can’t get you anything?”
“No, uh...” She placed the half-done manuscript on the table and crossed her feet at the ankles. “Is he coming out or what? I’ve been here ten minutes.”
“He should be out the shower by now.” Sylvia twisted toward the stairs that led straight into the room. “I’ll go check.”
“No need.” Grayson’s voice bellowed from the top of the stairs. “I apologize for having you wait.” He walked downstairs with his robe exposing his toned pecs and white jockey shorts.
“Jesus.” Dee grimaced. “Put some clothes on, Grayson.”
“Why?” His mouth rose in the corner as he tied the robe. “It’s not like you haven’t seen all this before.”
Sylvia fidgeted. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“We will.” Grayson smiled.
Sylvia left.
Grayson stalked toward Dee, wobbling his head. “What? Seeing me half naked too much for you to take?”
“I didn’t come here to play games.” She got off the suede, floral sofa that forced vibrancy into the room. “On the phone, you said you had information that might help my case but if that was bullshit then I can—”
“All right, all right.” He exhaled, his hair plastered flat from being wet. “But, don’t you still find me attractive?”
“You got one minute to tell me what you got to say or I’m gone.”