EXCERPT FROM BETRAYED - A romantic suspense novel | Page 19

BETRAYED

voice was that of Judge Creed.
It’s too early.
At the mere sound of his voice, fear darted across all three
women’s faces. They knew the Judge’s kinky tastes all too well.
There was no telling what he might do. After he roughed up
Sonia a few months before, Sal told him he’d worn out his
welcome. She had been in such bad shape she couldn’t work for
two weeks. In a spurt of apologetic generosity, Judge Creed
gave her a new Cadillac to make up for the black eye and the
bruises. He hadn’t been back since.
Angela’s distinctive tinkling bell laugh broke into Sherry’s
thoughts. Sonia shook her fist toward the other room. “What do
you suppose he’s doing here?” Angela made a face, as though
something rotten had entered. “I don’t know and I don’t care,
as long as he doesn’t touch me. Who knows, maybe Sal needs a
favor from him.”
Sherry swiped at the little drops of perspiration dotting her
forehead, and hoped the others hadn’t noticed. More women
now milled around in the luxurious setting. Afraid she might
say something wrong, she made an excuse to leave the room,
then lingered on the stairs long enough to listen to their
nervous chatter, just in case any of the women said more about
Creed.
None of them would ever forget gaping at a gruesome photo
of a dead girl plastered across the front page of the Chicago
Tribune several months before, because in their hearts they
knew it was the pretty blonde teenager they’d caught a brief
glimpse of two nights before the murder. Creed had a date with
her that night and was in one of his manic moods. Sherry
shuddered and thought about backing out of the whole thing,
but then the vision of a warm tropical place with palm trees and
sandy beaches filled her head. As she climbed the stairs, she
told herself she deserved to be somewhere else. By the time she
reached the top, her fright had ebbed.

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