your fucking mind ? How can you even open your mouth to say some outrageous shit like that to me? You let me take the fall for a crime you committed! After everything I’ve done for you, you were willing to let me spend the rest of my life rotting in prison. As if that weren’t fucked up enough, you threatened to have me killed if I told anyone the truth about what really happened! Do you have any idea what the past five months were like for me? Constantly looking over my shoulder, sleeping with one eye open, inspecting my food, wondering which of those crazy bitches would walk up to me one day and shank my ass because my own sister told them to. And now you have the audacity to stand there and talk to me about old times? It will never be like old times again, Fiona! Do you hear me? NEVER !”
Guilt assailed Fiona, bringing tears to her eyes. “I never meant to—”
“Save your fucking apology,” Tamia snarled furiously. “Nothing you can say will ever make up for the way you betrayed me. So, yeah, bitch. I’m taking all the furniture, linens, pots and pans, silverware—every damn thing that I bought with my hard-earned money. And I wish you would try to stop me.”
Fiona gulped hard, blinking back tears. “Fine,” she mumbled. “Be that way.”
“I will, fuck you very much.”
Fiona hesitated, then couldn’t resist adding snidely, “It’s not like I can’t replace everything. I make good money now.”
Tamia smirked. “Only because Brandon asked his brother to hire you as a favor to me . But how long do you think you’d keep that job if they found out that you killed Isabel Archer?”
Stricken, Fiona stared at Tamia. “You wouldn’t.”
“Maybe I would.”
“But you promised not to!”
“Maybe I’ve had a change of heart.” Tamia jabbed an accusing finger at Fiona. “You killed a woman for no reason. We both know your psycho ass should be locked up, not working at one of the top sports agencies in the country. My conscience has been bothering me for months. So maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow morning and decide it’s my civic duty to turn you over to the police, like I should have in the first place.”
The blood drained from Fiona’s head. She couldn’t go back to jail. She’d rather die than see the inside of another prison cell. “You promised,” she whispered.
A malicious gleam filled Tamia’s eyes. “Some promises are meant to be broken.”
Fiona’s heart thudded. “If you tell—”
“You’ll do what? Put out a hit on me? Do what you gotta do.” Tamia leaned closer, eyes narrowed menacingly. “But you’d better make damn sure the motherfucker gets the job done. ’Cause if I’m still standing when the dust settles, I’m coming for you. And when I get through with your black ass, you’ll wish you’d never met me.”
Shaking from the inside out, Fiona watched as Tamia slid her sunglasses over her eyes and smiled coldly, then turned and headed toward the door.
Fiona knew she should just let her leave. But she couldn’t—not when there was a chance that Tamia would walk out that door and go straight to the police.
“What about Brandon?” Fiona blurted desperately.
Tamia stopped walking but didn’t turn around. “What about him?”
“He broke up with you because of all the lies you told him. How do you think he’s going to feel when he finds out that you sat by and let him defend you in court when you knew all along who the real killer was? Even if you try to explain that you were just trying to protect me, he’ll see it as one more lie you told him. And he’ll never trust you again, let alone take you back.”
Tamia turned slowly around.
Sensing that she’d gained the upper hand, Fiona smiled tauntingly. “Isn’t that what you want? To get your man back? Haven’t you spent all these months plotting how to take him away from Cynthia? Haven’t you tortured yourself thinking about him going home to her every night, eating her pussy, fucking her doggy