Both Travis and Jackie nodded their heads. “She did.”
“Is Simone dead?”
“Yes,” Jackie said cautiously, not knowing how Jada would react.
“One shot to the head,” Travis said with a smile.
Jada paused for a moment to take it all in. “What happened to Simone’s body?”
“Edwina took care of it,” Travis said.
“If you want to give her a proper funeral, we can see that the remains are returned to you,” Jackie offered.
“That won’t be necessary. I am sure whatever arrangements were made are quite sufficient, and under the circumstances, warranted. Fiona is not property to be bought and sold. If Fiona wants to stay here with you, she is more than welcome to.” Jada stood up. “Fiona! Fiona! Come out here this instant!”
Fiona came rushing out of the room, thinking that it was time to go back. She had changed into an eye-catching sequined black Joanna Mastroianni cocktail dress and black Rene Caovilla crystal mesh point-toe pumps and stood practically at attention. “Yes, Jada.”
Jada took Fiona’s hands in hers. “I want to apologize to you for what Simone attempted to do to you. You are nobody’s property to be bought and sold. You can stay here with Ms. Washington and Mr. Burns.” Jada paused and looked directly at her. I need to be sure that this is what she wants. “But only if you want to.”
Fiona hugged Jada. “Thank you, Jada,” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Yes, Jada, I want to stay.”
“Then you are more than welcome to,” Jada said when Fiona finally let her go. “You don’t belong to me, Fiona. You and I were always partners in this business. Call me tomorrow morning and we’ll make arrangements to have a late lunch.” Jada smiled. “Of course, you are welcome to bring Ms. Washington and Mr. Burns, if you like. We’ll have a nice meal and I’ll provide you with all the information you’ll need to access your account in the Caymans.”
Chapter Seventeen
Glenda Dukes was changing her life. She had graduated from New York Medical College to become a trauma surgeon and had just began her residency at Westchester Medical Center Hospital. She was looking forward to beginning her residency training in general surgery before moving on to training in trauma and surgical critical care. Her goal after certification was to be accepted into a trauma surgery fellowship.
At the end of a long shift, she was talking with fellow residents, Jordina and Susanna about the shift they’d just come off and where to get the best pizza.
“I know where they make the best pizza in the city.” Glenda looked at the two younger residents. “But the environment may be a bit much for you ladies.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, in addition to having the best pizza, there’s … let’s call them a criminal element that hangs out there.”
“I love me some bad boys,” Jordina said quickly. She was twenty-seven years old, self-confident, bold, some would say a brazen and arrogant woman, but there was no quest
ion about her passion for medicine. Jordina was smart and she was beautiful and apparently adventurous. “Let’s go.”
“Are we talking real thugs, or just a bunch of wannabes?” Susanna asked. If there was somebody in the world that was Jordina’s exact opposite, it would be Susanna. Where Jordina was considered to be brazen and somewhat arrogant, Susanna was cautious and diplomatic. The only similarity between them was their knowledge of and passion for medicine.
“Trust me, these are the real thing and some of them are quite dangerous,” Glenda said with a smile as she thought about one man in particular. “But they are some of the nicest people you ever wanted to meet.”
“How do you know them?” Susanna asked.
“My husband grew up with them,” Glenda said and thought about Perry.
Glenda Foster was an impressionable nineteen-year-old nursing student who was working her way through school as a certified nursing assistant when she met a handsome young med student named Perry Dukes. Glenda fell in love, got pregnant and was a mother before her twentieth birthday. Glenda and Perry were married, and she was pregnant with their second child before she graduated at twenty-two.
It didn’t take long after he finished his residency for them to open a clinic in his old neighborhood and for the two to settle into married life. As their business expanded, they opened a second clinic in Mount Vernon and moved their family to the suburbs. There were years of happiness to be sure, but there were problems in the marriage as well. There was his constant infidelity that had existed throughout their relationship. She had caught him in lies and compromising situations more times than she could count, and each time, there would be a declaration that she meant nothing to him, followed by the promise that it would never happen again, but it always did. And each time, Glenda would resolve herself that she was staying for the children. But her children were grown now, so the question was, why was she still in the relationship that had caused her so much pain over the years?
Since she didn’t have a good answer, Glenda knew that it was time to get out, or at least she began thinking about it. What pushed Glenda over the edge was Karenna Patterson. She was a patient at their Mount Vernon clinic that made no secret of her interest in Perry and quickly made her presence known to Glenda and that she was going to be a problem. And she quickly did. She believed that putting some distance between her and Karenna was the reason that Perry opened a third clinic in New Rochelle … that just happened to be a ten-minute ride from her condo. When things came to a head and exploded as they always do, Perry was back with the same tired lines.
She meant nothing to me, Glenda. I promise that nothing like this will ever happen again.
But this time, his declaration would not be enough. Glenda was done and began planning for a future that did not include being married to Perry. To celebrate her decision and her declaration of independence, Glenda went to Impressions and that was the night that she met Carter Garrison. He was everything that Perry wasn’t, and soon grudge-fucking Carter turned to her falling in love with him.
“What’s the name of this place?” Jordina asked as they got in the car.