“Fifty bucks a pill.”
She couldn’t believe she was negotiating a price for fentanyl. “Fifty dollars a pill! That’s highway robbery.”
“Lady . . . do you want them or not?” Gone was the pleasant person from the restaurant.
Nicole opened her wallet. She had five hundred dollars cash. “I only have a few hundred dollars.”
“I’ll give you a break. How about ten pills for three hundred and my number? When you get more money, you can call me, and I’ll get you more of these.” He held up the little baggie full of pills and shook them.
Nicole bit her bottom lip.
“I don’t have all day. My break is almost over. Do you want them or not?”
She didn’t have a choice. “Fine.” She pulled the money out of her wallet, and he gave her the drugs.
He tucked it into his pocket, gave her a small bag, and smiled. “Nice doing business with you. Hope to hear from you soon.” He used two fingers to salute her then walked out.
Nicole waited a few minutes before she left as well. She only had five minutes to spare and decided to make her way to the Angel Foundation meeting. She was tempted to pop one of the pills into her mouth but decided against it. The man, Sam, said they would work pretty fast. Nicole hoped her body could survive that meeting.
*****
“Mrs. Chatham, please understand the position that we are in.”
She slammed her hand down on the table. “No, I will not! When I was installed as a board member, the seven of you sitting around this table, who are now judging both my husband and me, were in a damn storefront at a strip mall. Had it not been for Davis and me and our friends who have donated millions to this foundation, you wouldn’t even have a reputation to protect!”
“Please calm down, Mrs. Chatham.” Aimee still lacked any empathy for her situation. Her words and her expressions didn’t match up. “Again, we are sorry you feel this way.”
“I bet you are.” Nicole stood. “You don’t have to worry about removing me from the board. You’ll have my resignation by the end of the day.”
When she left the meeting, her blood pressure was boiling. She immediately rummaged through her purse and found the pills. She put one of them in her mouth and walked to the nearest water fountain.
Nicole went down the escalator and decided to stop off at her office before heading home. Someone called out to her. It was her boss.
“Julie.”
“Hi, Nicole.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t checked in. Things have been a little crazy.”
“Yeah. I heard. I just want you to know I’m so sorry. I’m sure everything will get straightened out.” She paused. “I hate to have to even bring this up.”
Nicole closed her eyes. “You too?”
Julie splayed her hands out in an offer of surrender and had a genuine look of remorse. “Look. If it were left up to me, I would say fuck em’. But it’s not. And we’re not firing you. We’re going to call it a temporary leave until the investigation is over. I was able to negotiate a statement of support.”
“This has really been a shitty day, Julie.”
“I can only imagine. But please know, I’m fighting for you.”
Nicole’s smile was shaky. “Thanks.”
Julie reached out and squeezed her arm. “Take care and please call me if you need anything.”
Everything Nicole had worked so hard for over the past few years had been stripped away in a matter of hours. She needed a break from everything and everyone for just a little while. She didn’t want to think or feel anything, and she knew just the thing that would help her do it.
Nicole went into her office to gather her things. When she was alone, she took another pill and swallowed. This time not bothering to wash it down with water. It took her all of twenty minutes to finish collecting her belongings. She was starting to feel woozy and wondered how the hell was she going to get home? Nicole didn’t think she was in any condition to drive. Maybe I can hide out in the restaurant downstairs for a few hours.
She made her way to the elevator on shaky legs and pressed the button. When the doors opened, Roman stood on the other side.
Chapter 18
Davis held the phone up to his ear. “I don’t know where the hell she is! We had a fight. But even if she was mad at me, it’s not like Nicole to be gone for hours and not call. She would at least check in with the kids.” Davis paced back and forth in his living room surrounded by his sister, Jane, her husband, Russell, and Dana. “Harlan, what happened to the man you had on her?” He stopped walking in the middle of the floor then yelled into the phone. “I called the fuckin’ police! They won’t do a damned thing until she’s been missing twenty-four hours. Yeah . . . make sure you do.” After they disconnected, Davis threw it into the sofa.
Jane asked the obvious question. “What did he say?”
“His guy followed Nicole into the Clarks Tower Building where she had her meeting. He lost track of her when she got onto the elevator.”
His phone rang. Davis almost did a hurdle to get over to it. “Yeah! Okay. I’m on my way.”
“Did they find her?” Dana’s eyes were full of worry.
“No.” His voice was strangled. “But they found her car. It is still
