"What's going on B? Why haven't you contacted Tasha? You're my blood, I stand with you against the world, but Abigail and Tasha are good girls and I won't let you hurt either of them."
I downed my whiskey and stared moodily into the empty tumbler. Nate.. my cousin, my brother and my closest friend.. did he really just say his loyalties were with a couple of lying whores? I laughed bitterly, standing unsteadily and moving to the bar, refilling my glass with shaking hands.
"Good girls? You're a deluded fuck Nate! They're lying bitches."
Slumping back into my chair, I recalled everything I had learned over the last few days. The clients I had spoken to that had fucked Tasha for money, the Psychologists who had diagnosed her, the rich old man she had unsuccessfully tried to trick into marrying her and the surgeon who had made her a virgin again - physically anyway.
I hadn't believed anything Hazel had told me, not really.. it sounded far fetched and ludicrous. I had had a moment of rage and doubt at first but when I had calmed down I had decided to continue investigating so as to help defend Tasha.
Finding out that the girl I was in love with didn't exist.. that I had been targeted by a dirty, golddigging slut.. killed something in me.
I'd refocused all my efforts into taking down Jasper and I'd been spending a lot of time with Katrina. 8 days had passed since I'd held Tasha in my arms.. 8 days since I'd been happy.
"I'm goin' to pretend you didn't say that, but remember Blade, Abigail is my woman, if you talk about her like that again I won't be so forgiving. Get your head out of your ass and come down to my office once you've sobered up!"
Nodding absently, I was vaguely aware of Nate slamming out of my office. I knew I shouldn't be drunk at work but I hadn't been sleeping well and needed something to take the edge off.
Placing my half empty glass on the table, I decided to sleep it off in my adjoining bedroom and meet Nate later. I hadn't discussed what I knew with him, it was too raw to talk about, but I knew once I did he would understand my rage.
Stumbling up to my large, king sized bed, I couldn't help but remember Tasha's face when she'd first seen this room. I had thought her so sweet.. her face filled with childish wonder.. but what I had mistaken for naivety was actually calculated avarice.
It was so hard to accept that the girl I knew, MY girl, was nothing more than a pretty lie.
* * *
"Nothing.. fuck!"
I kicked away the box on the floor in front of me and left Nate's office without even saying goodbye.
I had slept off my drunken stupor, getting around three hours of much needed rest, before heading straight to Nate's. I had sorted through the box Lane, Tasha and Nate had put together of possible evidence - but we had hit another dead end.
It was getting to the point where we may never get the evidence we needed to prove Jasper killed Flo, her murder forever unsolved, no justice for her and her child.
A red haze settled in front of my eyes and I found myself instructing Briggs to take me to Tasha's apartment. A voice in the back of my mind was telling me to stop, to change my destination, that I wasn't in the right frame of mind to see her, but I ignored it.
I had to knock about thirty times before she answered, her eyelids fluttering as if I had woken her, one side of her face red.
I hated her, but the second I saw her my dick got hard and I forgot for a moment who she truly was.
"Wildcat, can I come in?"
"No, you can go to hell!"
The little bitch just reminded me of her true nature, playing hard to get to spike my interest, the oldest fucking trick in the book. She tried to shut the door, but her strength was nothing compared to mine, so I easily gained entry.
"Do you seriously think you're welcome after ignoring me for the last 8 days?!"
I smirked, the slut was good, I'd give her that.. all fake indignation.. but I knew better now and l wouldn't fall for it again. Seeing something in my eyes, her expression faltered and I saw with smug satisfaction that she looked wary.
"What.. are you my girlfriend baby.. or my wife? Is that what you thought huh? If you gave it up to me I'd marry you?"
Her face crumpled and for a moment - just a short moment - I wavered, before collecting myself and going in for the kill.
"What can I say.. you just weren't that good."
My cheek burned where she slapped me, and I didn't wait for another.. she was obviously mad that I'd called her skills into question - she was, after all, a professional - so I'd better take her for another spin.
Before she could recover my hand was under her skirt, ripping her panties off while she battled to get away from me.
I couldn't be sure she didn't want it even as she fought me so fiercely.. I'm sure she'd serviced many a client who liked a struggle fuck.. even if she didn't want it she deserved it.. she was nothing but a dirty little whore and she'd take my cock and I bet she'd come too!
Fed up with her fake distress, I thrust myself between her legs whilst pushing her against the wall before reaching between us and lowering my zip.
Testing her I was surprised that she wasn't ready for me so I spat on my hand - as good as spitting on her overused pussy - let her see she was nothing to me!
Forcing my dick inside her, I pounded away fast but she seemed to be in genuine pain and I wasn't sure anyone could act that well, so I slowed my hips, rolling her clit between my thumb and forefinger. I didn't want her accusing me of rape later if she didn't come..
Her first orgasm hit quickly, her juices flooding my cock, whilst her walls clenched down on me hard. She didn't stop at one, before I came inside her with a shout she'd had 3 orgasms one after another. I knew the bitch wanted it. She can lie to me but her body can't.
Stepping back from her, disgusted by her, I let her drop to the floor, used and discarded by yet another man - but that was how she liked it.
"Consider that your severance, you're fired effective immediately."
I never wanted to see her despicable face in my company again. Glancing back at her one last time before I left, I was gut-punched to see her lying where I left her, legs apart, blood and come running down her thighs and heaving, hacking sobs being torn from her.
Shutting Tasha's door with a bang behind me, I had Briggs take me home. In the shower once back, I couldn't stop replaying the way she looked before I left. Those cries and the blood. Before I knew it I was lurching from the shower, vomiting painfully into the toilet.
Cleaning up quickly and pulling on a pair of pyjama pants I hurried to my home gym, hitting the punching bag over and over again until I could barely lift my arm, my knuckles bleeding.
Why was I feeling like this? Why did I throw up? She was just a very accomplished actress, I didn't do anything wrong. I had investigated extensively there was no way so many different people could be lying.
A blur of movement had me refocusing on my surroundings but I was still caught completely off guard by Nate and his fury.
"The fuck is wrong with you Blade? You fuckin' raped her? I fuckin' saw her!"
Each word was preceded by a punch or kick and by the end I was a bleeding, aching mess. On a normal day I could have beaten him or at the very least given as good as I got, but I was still exhausted from my workout and didn't have the strength left.
Coughing, I struggled to sit up, wiping some blood away from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand.
"She's not who you think Nate. All the evidence is in my office, I can show you."
Studying me with cold eyes, Nate shook his head in revulsion.
"There's nothin' you could say to make what you did okay. Right now I can't even look at you."
Watching Nate stalk from the gym, I had the terrible sensation that I had made a grave mistake.