Michaels, Skye - Mikaela's Debut [The Black Dahlia Hotel 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (11 page)

“Oh, baby.”

“I didn’t feel like myself. I was scared and didn’t have control over my body. It was scary as hell.”

“They must have drugged you, baby. They drugged you and made you have sex with a stranger while they filmed it. And now they are using that tape to blackmail you. I can’t believe your cousin would do something like that. That is pure evil.”

“I guess I never knew her at all. We haven’t been close in years, but I used to follow her around like a puppy. And I remember she used to kick that puppy.” She buried her face in the bedspread, and he could feel her body begin to quake with sobs. “I can’t believe she did that to me, Dilly. I can’t believe it.”

“We’ll make her pay, baby. I promise we will.” He continued to cuddle her close to his chest. Then he turned her into his arms and let her cry. He hoped she could cry out all the pain and betrayal. She really didn’t need this on top of losing her parents. He didn’t know what to do for her except hold on.

When Mikaela had cried herself out and fallen asleep in his arms, he gently extricated himself from her hold. He walked to the window and stood there thinking. Finally, he picked up his cell and dialed Morgan Court. “Court, this is Cavanaugh. Mikaela has had a memory breakthrough. She remembers her cousin bringing her into a dark room, stripping her and putting her on top of that guy and telling her to ride him like a pony. I don’t know what to do with this, man. If we go to the police, it will all become public. Mikaela doesn’t need that.”

“Dillon, let me talk to Jamie, and then we can all talk about what to do together. It’s unlikely she has another copy of the tape, but it isn’t impossible. I’ve kept surveillance on her. I think I’ll send my girl back in to put a bug in the apartment. I wish we’d thought of that when she was in there the last time. I don’t like going back for seconds when the first trip was so successful. Let me think about it and talk to my head of security.”

“Thanks for all you’ve done. I won’t forget it. If I manage to get elected after all of this, you’ll have a friend in Congress.”

“No need to thank me. I know how I felt when Harper and I had a problem a couple of years ago. That helpless feeling sucks. I’ll talk to you soon.”

A suite at the Chicago Hilton, Chicago, Illinois, Wednesday morning, December 30, 2015

The next morning, Dillon and Mikaela had an early room-service breakfast in the suite. He could see that she still looked tired and was very upset. They had slept through the night, so she should be feeling better this morning. This situation was eating deep, and he wanted to do something to bring her out of it.

“Mikki, Jamie wanted to know if we’re coming back for the New Year’s cruise. What do you think?”

“I don’t know, Dillon. I’m not really up for a social situation.”

“Mik, I think being inaccessible on a tightly secured ship is the perfect place for us right now. We can talk about what to do with Morgan and Jamie—and Jack and Kaylin will be back from Bermuda and taking the cruise to Cozumel as well. Jamie says the ship has a top-notch security team. If something pops up on YouTube we will know about it, but no one will be able to get to you for a comment.”

“You’re right. If Maggie posts another video on YouTube, the press and paparazzi will be shut out, and we will be with friends.”

“Okay. I’ll book us flights back to Fort Lauderdale. I had a thought. Why don’t you call your loving cousin just to say hello and happy holidays. See how she sounds. Do you think you can act like you don’t know it’s her? Can you keep it together?”

“I think so. Let’s finish breakfast while I figure out what to say.”

* * * *

Mikaela was nervous. She didn’t know if she could act like nothing was wrong. She dialed Maggie’s cell phone. She took a couple of deep breaths while it rang and she waited for Maggie to answer. When she heard Maggie’s voice, she said, “Hi, cousin. I just wanted to say a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. How are you? I haven’t seen you since Mom and Dad’s memorial service.”

“I’m okay. How are you?”

“Better now. Dillon and I came down to Florida for a Christmas wedding of some friends, and the weather here is great.”

“That sounds like fun.” Mikaela didn’t hear the ‘happy to hear from you’ vibe in Maggie’s voice.

“You don’t sound so good, Maggie. What’s up?”

“Oh, the usual bullshit. My laptop just tanked with all of my business and personal stuff on it.”

“Oh no. Did you take it to a computer guy to see if they can save it?”

“Yeah. I have a friend who is in IT. No dice. It’s totally fried. Everything is gone.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. Do you want me to lend you money for a new one?”

“No. I’ve got it covered. I have insurance. Apparently my apartment was broken in to and it was taken along with some other stuff.”

So, that was the story she was going with. Defraud the insurance company for a new computer. That sounded about right. “I’m glad you’re okay then. How’s work?”

“Same old, same old. You know the holiday season in retail. It’s insane.”

“Well, Dillon and I are going on a cruise to Cozumel with some friends, so I’ll be out of touch until the first week of January. Have a good New Year’s. Remember when I came down to the city for your Y2K party? That was a blast. I’ll never forget it. I felt so…I don’t know…grown-up and mature.”

“Really. That was a good time. Have fun on your cruise. I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks. Have a good New Year.” Mikaela disconnected the call and turned to Dillon. “She sounded upset. I think she might have discovered the tape and DVD are gone. She said she was going to say her laptop had been stolen and make an insurance claim.”

“Interesting.”

“Really. I’d love to be a fly on the wall in her apartment.” She would bet big bucks that her older cousin was ranting and raving about now.

“We may be able to soon. Morgan was going to see about putting a bug in Maggie’s apartment if they can get in and out again. We’d like to know if she has a backup for the tapes and if anyone else is involved.”

“Wow. I wouldn’t want Court or his people to get in trouble over this, Dill.”

“I’m sure his people will be careful and can handle it.”

* * * *

Maggie Sexton was shaking with rage.
The bitch! Cozumel! While I’m stuck here in bum-fuck-Brooklyn. Shit
. What the hell was going on? First her computer crashed—all data, including the video, irretrievable. Then she had gone into her closet for the masters, and they were gone. Could she have put them someplace else for safekeeping and forgotten?
Not very likely
. Where the hell were the originals? No one except Jim even knew they existed, and she hadn’t heard from him in fifteen years. Surely he had forgotten all about her little cousin’s sex tape. They had broken up shortly after that incident. For some reason he had sprung a set of scruples in place of his balls and felt bad about the whole thing after the fact. She had heard he was working for some B-list movie studio in Hollywood. It couldn’t be him.

What was she going to do now? Tough it out and pretend she still had the goods and see if she could wring that money out of Mikaela? She really didn’t have many options. Why hadn’t she made another copy just to be safe?
Shit, shit, shit
. Her life sucked, and now her big chance was in major jeopardy. Her plan was falling apart around her. Mikaela sure hadn’t sounded like she had a major problem on her hands. She should have been nervous and upset. After all, her boyfriend’s election was on the line. He sure wouldn’t be happy if her past foibles cost him the election. Was that it? Had Mikaela somehow figured out she was behind the blackmail scheme and made arrangements to get the tape? How could she? She didn’t even remember the incident. She had sounded cool as a cucumber when she mentioned the Y2K party. Maggie was at a loss for what to do next. Maybe she would just continue on with the scheme as though nothing had changed and see what happened.

She grabbed her coat and her handbag. She needed a couple of things from the mom-and-pop grocery store around the corner, and she should go out now and get them.

* * * *

Dillon clapped his hands. “That was a magnificent performance, babe. I bet you gave her the hives with that cool-as-ice reference to Y2K.”

“I hope she bought it. Do you think she’s found out the video is gone?”

“If it was me, that’s the first thing I’d look for. And there was that reference to her apartment being broken in to. Morgan assured me his girl didn’t leave any evidence behind that she had been there.”

“I guess we’ll see what happens. You know I’m going to be checking YouTube constantly again.”

* * * *

Cassandra Wright was tired of standing on the corner waiting for Maggie Sexton to decide to leave her apartment. It was fucking cold out here, and she had actually been propositioned once. Well, who else would be standing out on a cold corner in Brooklyn but a prostitute? She’d had a hard time convincing the guy she didn’t want to “party.” That was all she needed—to get picked up by the NYPD for solicitation. Try and explain that one back at the office on Madison freakin’ Avenue. That would definitely not be cool.

Finally, she saw Maggie leave the building with her handbag and what looked like an empty tote bag. This was her chance. She pulled her hat down low on her head, hunched her shoulders, and crossed the street. She watched as Maggie turned the corner, and then she went into the building and took the stairs two at a time. She just knew she didn’t have any extra time today. She had to get in quickly, plant the bugs, and boogie. It wouldn’t do to get caught since the subject probably suspected that someone had been in the apartment and taken the tapes. Too bad Court and McGregor hadn’t told her to plant the bugs while she was here the last time. Oh well. That was the breaks.

Once she was inside, she wasted no time. She put bugs in the bedroom and between the kitchen and living room areas. That should cover it. The place was small. She took another quick look around since she was there. Who knows? Another tape could be lying about for her to pick up. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

She finished and gave another fast look around in case anything jumped up and bit her. She opened the door, took a quick look out in the hallway, and stepped out. She had just finished relocking the last of the three locks when Maggie Sexton came around the corner. Her tote bag bulged with groceries, and a baguette of French bread was sticking out the top. Her head was down as she fished in her handbag for her keys.

Cassandra gave a silent sigh of relief as she sauntered past Maggie to the stairs and headed down. She kept her face turned away and made tracks. She was out the front door and around the corner headed for the subway within two minutes. She doubted Maggie had had time to put her bags down in the hallway and unlock the three locks before she was out of the building and down the street. That was close. Too close.

Cassandra’s heart was beating a mile a minute. She scampered down the subway stairs and stood on the platform waiting for the next train. When she was finally sitting in a subway car, she began to relax. Holy shit! That was close.
Hi, there. Don’t mind me. I’m just planting some bugs in your apartment and BTW I broke in here yesterday and stole your blackmail tapes
. Yikes! This was more excitement that she was ready for.

In the Cavanaugh suite at The Black Dahlia Hotel, Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, Wednesday afternoon, December 30, 2015

Dillon had managed to book a nonstop flight from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, which was amazing given that it was the middle of the holiday season. Once they had returned to their suite at The Black Dahlia Hotel, Dillon took her into his arms for a deep kiss and a tight hug. He knew she was still on edge from her telephone confrontation with Maggie. He wished he could just absorb her nerves into his own body.

“Baby, why don’t you go down to the beach and get some sun while I go talk to Jamie Devereau and Dane Dunross?” He needed to vent, and he didn’t want to use Mikaela as a sounding board. She had enough on her mind as it was.

“Good idea. I could use some time listening to the waves and soaking up the sun. Maybe it will help me settle down. You know, nothing happened on the phone call, but it really upset my apple cart just hearing her voice.”

“I know, Mikki. Just knowing what you know and having to deal with her is a lot to stomach. Try to let it go. I’ll catch up with you in a while and we can decide what to do for dinner. The cruise starts tomorrow afternoon. You can think about what you want to take and if you need anything else for the trip. That big mall is right down Sunrise Boulevard if you need something.”

“Okay. See you later, Dilly.”

Dillon walked into the admin offices and found Dane Dunross getting a cup of coffee. He looked pissed. “Hey, Dane. What’s up?”

“Nothing. Old business. How are you guys?”

“I was going to use you and Jamie as a sounding board. Mikaela called Maggie just to have a holiday chat and see what she had to say, if anything. She sounded upset. Her computer had crashed. Imagine that. She was planning to make an insurance claim for the laptop since her apartment had been broken in to and some of her stuff was taken. It sounded like she might have discovered the tape and DVD were gone.”