Smokescreen

A small shiver of uncertainty runs up my spine as I play back the conversation. What the hell does he mean “knowing what I know now”?

My mind and body go through a flood of emotions over the next few days. It’s like a cycle, I scream in anger and cry in sadness as my name is tossed around with the words child endangerment, prostitution, and pedophile. None of the journalists or news reports actually accuses me of any wrong doings, but the insinuations are there as they relay the same story over and over. There has been no movement towards charging me with anything.

Max drives into the office every day and tells me that the employee morale has sunk. He tries to show unity by making himself seen, but people give him sideways glances when he walks through. Another problem we have is that Erica has reared her ugly head again. She was quiet for a while, but now she’s called and shown up trying to worm back into to Max’s life. According to Dana, she snuck into his office and freaked out when she saw the picture of me on his desk. Edward had to retrieve her because of her dramatic show. Luckily Max was in a meeting, but he was livid when he heard.

My parents have tried to keep my spirits up, but I continue to slip into a depression. Max feels it and pushes me to talk, always comforting me. Not knowing the direction of my life is taking its toll.

For three days this goes on until we finally have a break. Max comes in at two, surprising everyone. He looks nervous, tired, and completely out of character. He walks straight to me, pulling me into his arms and holding tight. Without saying anything else, he lets me go and motions to my dad to follow him outside. All the women watch, trying to see what is happening, but Max is smart and leads my dad down to the dock.

The front door opens and people start piling in. Sara, Matt, Mason, Dana, Dave, and even Landon walk in with questioning looks on their faces. As soon as Laci and I see Landon, we jump to greet him. He squeals as loud as us. Chris walks in next, wearing another power suit, and carrying what looks like a case of champagne.

My heart flutters that we may actually have a reason to celebrate. Max and Dad walk back in and both are visibly more relaxed. Max comes straight to me again and situates me to his side.

“It’s over. Stella’s name has been completely cleared. Jake will be here in a few minutes and explain everything.”

Shock floods my system and I look into his deep blue eyes swimming with relief. “Really?” I squeak.

“Yeah, Bella, really.”

I can’t stop the sob that escapes, it’s like an avalanche of emotions washes through me. Arms wrap around me from all sides and Amy and my mom cry silently into my back. Heaviness seeps from my shoulders and disappears as his words sink in. My nightmare is over.

“Shhh, sweet girl.” Max’s hands rub gently up and down my arms until I get my breathing under control.

“What the fuck happened here?” Jake’s deep voice booms through the room and I scramble out of everyone’s embrace and run to him. He barely catches me before I plow him down, hugging him tight.

“Thank you!” I scream. “I’m so sorry I was ugly to you the first time we met. You really are a good bodyguard.”

He grunts and chuckles. “Stella, if that was your ugly, we gotta talk.”

“Stella, want to let him go?” Max snarls and I move away slowly, wiping my face. Laci hands me a tissue as I back into a wall of muscle. Strong arms circle my waist and move me to the sofa.

“Alright, man, tell us everything.”

Matt hands Jake a beer as we wait in anticipation.

“It was the right call sending me down there. Otherwise, we’d still be scratching our asses. All it took was some gentle persuasion to get the truth. Like we thought, it was all money. The pictures, the girls, the Stella look al

ike—all of it was money. At first, it seemed Diaz was the mastermind, but his death left unanswered questions. His cousin, who is the kingpin, is pissed. Looking for revenge. There’s no way he’d be this mad if he ordered the hit. He’s after blood.”

“Am I the only one lost here?” Laci interjects.

“Hold on, sweet lips, I’ll get to it. The guy taking the pictures, the factory employee’s name is Raul. He lives with his sister and her kid. The kid’s sick. Really sick. According to him, Diaz approached him and his sister about providing specialized medical treatment in the states if they’d agree to the photo. It was simple. Diaz got Stella alone and propositioned her with the money, then threatened her. Raul took the picture. Later that day, Diaz set up the meet and greet with the sister, dressing her in similar clothing that Stella was wearing that morning. Raul, once again, took the pictures and then handed them over. They kept the money with a promise to get further information on medical treatment in a few days.

“When I approached him, he didn’t even deny it. He sang like a bird, telling me everything. After the investigation was open, he and his sister realized they were played. The only source of income they have is his job and he put that in jeopardy. He was scared to death of Diaz until I told him he was dead.”

“That explains a little about the pictures but what about the girls?” I ask.

“This is where the details are a little fuzzy. Diaz was dating one of their mom’s. He asked the girl to get a picture of y’all talking and she had her friend take it while you were at the school. After she gave it to him, he promised them a large sum of money to say you were soliciting them. It wasn’t until the police started asking questions that they got nervous. Diaz cornered each of them alone and threatened not only their lives, but their loved ones as well. He was an idiot, but he knew what he was doing. A couple of teenage girls are easy to scare.”

“So the girls finally admitted to lying?”

“Not to me.”

“To who?” Max inquires.

“Your boy. Fucking Pedro is slick. He was pissed, poking around, asking me questions. When he found out what you were accused of he went for the weakest link. His charm worked magic. He got a full confession and taped it. He single-handedly approached all three girls and demanded a confession. Then he took the tape to the police. Once the girls knew Diaz was dead, they told their story for the record.”

“Oh my God, Max!” My hand flies to my mouth.