Page 165 of The Sweetest Devotion

I shook my head. “Where is Cain?”

Vino made a face as he approached me and I backed against my Lexus. He went and patted me down, making sure I didn’t bring any weapons, and as he peeked briefly into the sweatshirt I was wearing, I imagined he was also making sure I wasn’t wearing a wire.

When he was certain I wasn’t a threat, he took a firm grip of my arm and tugged me around the side of the building to the back where the garage was. On this side of Rod’s Repair, I noticed a Rolls-Royce Phantom and knew Cain was near.

One of the three garage doors was pulled up and one step inside sent the tears flowing.

“Keith!” I wasn’t able to get to him as Vino’s strong arm wrapped around my middle, holding me back.

Among the distinct smell of motor oil, metal, and gas, bound to a chair, bleeding from his brow, was Keith. Beans stood behind him and Cain stood in front of them. All around the ground was plastic sheeting. The perfect setup…formurder.

My hand covered my mouth as I looked on at Cain in shock. His jacket was gone and his tie loosened.

“Nice of you to join us,” he drawled.

“What is going on?” I asked.

Cain rolled his eyes. He went and flung a stack of papers at my feet. Vino let me go and closer inspection found them to be photographs. All in black and white. Of me…and Keith.

My eyes snapped over to Cain who wasn’t hiding his anger. “You…you followed me?”

“Not at first. Didn’t have a reason not to trust you. You seemed like a compliant woman,” Cain spat venomously.

“How did you know?” The photographs were from my trip to On Tap, of me going home with Keith, of us shopping the next day and getting catfish at Yvette’s Kitchen.

“You were right not to like those women,” Cain said. “I got a little phone call and then a very interesting video of you.” His gaze flickered over toward Beans. “Show her.”

Beans stepped from behind Keith and brandished a cell phone. On the screen was a video of me sitting with my mother at LeChé’s. The angle was low, from behind, but there was no missing us.

“Keith is good to me,” I was saying in the video. “I, uh— When I left the engagement party that night I went to Bedford Heights and caught a flat tire. He came to help me and we just sorta happened. He’s such an amazing guy, he’s hardworking, honest?—”

Beans cut the video short as panic set in.

Betrayal. I’d been stabbed in the back. I was having a heart-to-heart with my mother, being vulnerable, only for it to be stolen and recorded to share with my enemy.

“Elyse?” I asked as I got back to Cain.

He shook his head. “Stephanie. She even offered to be here for me in case I was having a ‘tough’ time dealing with this.” He chuckled and his face lit up. “Now, that’s a social climber if I’ve ever seen one.” He became serious again as his gaze fell to the photos at my feet. “I hired a private investigator after that to confirm there was a Keith. I gotta tell you, I’m more than a little disappointed there is. Especially now that I know what’s under all those clothes.”

Keith’s eyes raced to me and I shook my head, trying to let him know nothing had happened.

“Please,” I begged, getting back to Cain. “This is between me and you. Don’t do this.”

Cain pulled his gun from his holster. “Uh-uh. I want you to see this. Keith’s death will be onyourhands. I warned you, Kennedy, and you didn’t listen.”

“NO! NO! NO!” I didn’t think. I fell in front of Keith on my knees, not above groveling. “Don’t do this!”

Cain cocked the hammer, his eyes empty as he stared down at me. He was going to do it. He was going to pull the trigger and shoot Keith.

“Take me! Take me! I’m not worth it. I’m not,” I pleaded desperately.

I couldn’t let Keith die. Not when he meant so much to so many people. Not when he made a difference in his community. Not when he mattered.

Behind me I could hear Keith’s muffled protests as he struggled with his bindings, scraping the chair across the ground.

“Take me,” I begged tearfully as I peered past the barrel of Cain’s gun into his eyes. “Please, take me.”

“Move,” Cain ordered.

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