After Charlie setting Chanel up to get robbed and raped, murdering Melanie, disfiguring Wanda with acid, and now seeing another dead body connected to her sister, Claire was coming unhinged. She looked into her sister’s eyes and said, “I can’t do this anymore.”
Like a zombie, she walked away, not sure where she was going. There was no destination in Claire’s mind. The only thing she wanted to do was get away from the body and get away from Charlie.
Charlie couldn’t worry about her sister. KB was dead, and she wasn’t going to call the police. She took a napkin and wiped away her fingerprints from the door handle, but not before removing his Rolex watch and his pricey gold chain.
Charlie was sure that this was Ahbou’s handiwork. Ahbou was a dirty cop with plenty of connections, and it was foolish of her to believe she could keep her affair with KB a secret from him. He was dangerous, and she was seeing it firsthand.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chanel woke up to memories of the horrific ordeal flooding back to her. She and Mateo were having the time of their lives. There were gifts and laughter and promises, and they were planning a trip to Hawaii to get married. And then they weren’t. Funny how circumstances change within a split second. But life moves on, and time moves on, and today she wanted to spend her time with Mateo.
She got dressed in thick leggings, a nice top, and winter boots and drove her Range to the city to see her man.
“Hey, baby,” Mateo said with a smile when Chanel walked into the room.
Chanel smiled back and replied, “Hey, you.”
She climbed into his bed and hugged him lovingly. He was so brave. Not too long ago he had to piece words together to make conversation, and his emotions were flat. He was unable to carry out small tasks that people take for granted like holding a utensil or sitting up in bed by himself. He had come so far. Their conversations were back to normal, his muscles were strengthening, and he was getting better. Mateo was more awake and aware, and it wouldn’t be long before he would be able to leave the place and function on his own. In fact, she felt he was ready for checkout.
She tested him. “Do you remember what we talked about the first day we met?” she asked.
“Yeah . . . I do.”
“You sure?”
“Of course. How . . . how can I forget?” he said thinly as his mind searched for the answer.
But the look in his eyes was telling Chanel a different story. The trauma had left some gaps in Mateo’s memory, and though he remembered certain things, there were events that were completely black to him—simple memories that Chanel was cherishing alone, for now.
She spent the day with him. They had lunch together and watched a few movies in his room. Chanel was grateful for the quality time with her man.
That evening, she left his bed to return to Pyro’s place to get some rest. She kissed Mateo goodbye as he drifted off.
When Chanel walked into Pyro’s apartment, she was shocked to find that Pyro had ordered them an expensive dinner and some pricey champagne.
“Surprise,” he said. “You’ve been down lately and I wanted to do something to cheer you up.”
“Wow. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I could do. I know you’ve been through a lot, and seeing you this morning, how sad you were . . .”
“I appreciate this, Pyro.”
“C’mon, what are friends for? We look out for each other, right?”
She nodded. “No doubt.”
Pyro had decorated the kitchen table for her with lit candles and they feasted on lobster tails, grilled scallops, and salad. Chanel had a thing for seafood, and Pyro went all out.
He asked about Mateo and she replied that he was doing fine. They joked and laughed and were working on their second bottle of champagne.
“So, any plans this weekend?” he asked her.
“Seeing Mateo,” she said.
“Good to hear. But I got you a gift too.”
“Pyro, a gift? Why?”