Accused

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “So what, you think we can’t have a lunch date?”

  She didn’t say anything. What could she say? Did it really matter what they called this outing?

  Once inside the restaurant, Egypt inhaled, taking in the enticing smells of succulent spices, onions, and something zesty filling the air. Suddenly hungrier than she’d been moments ago, she was glad they hadn’t had to wait long to be seated. They dodged servers carrying plates loaded with food as the hostess showed them to their table. Egypt took in her surroundings. The place wasn’t a diner or greasy spoon establishment. It was larger with a long bar, and the mounted televisions, photos, and paraphernalia covering the walls gave it a sports bar vibe.

  At the table, she perused the menu, and her mouth watered just reading the lengthy descriptions of the burgers. Everything sounded good, but she eventually settled on the smokehouse burger and tater tots.

  She noticed Kenton hadn’t reviewed the options. “What are you getting?”

  “My usual, a bad ass burger.”

  “That’s the name of it?” she asked, scanning the menu again before reading, ten-ounce patty, buttermilk fried bacon, and the list went on and on. “That thing sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen.”

  “Best burger in town.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  Once they place their order, it didn’t take long to get their food. The first bite into her sandwich had Egypt closing her eyes. Oh, my goodness. This is good. It was no wonder Kenton and Dakota loved the place. They were right, best burger in town.

  “Told you,” Kenton said, and Egypt frowned at him.

  “Told me what?”

  “Told you it was the best. The look on your face and the erotic sounds you’re making over there says it all.”

  She laughed. “Whatever. I didn’t make any sounds.” She took another bite of her sandwich while eyeing his dishes. “It amazes me how much you eat.” Besides the sandwich, he had ordered a large salad, fries, and onion rings. Kenton was a big guy, but from what she could tell, he didn’t have a lick of fat on him.

  “I’ve always had a healthy appetite, but I don’t eat like this all the time. Maybe once a week. I usually try to stick with fish, chicken and lots of vegetables. This isn’t the norm. I missed lunch, and I’m starving. So I suggest you get to eating. Otherwise, I’ll be eating your food, too.” With his fork, he speared one of her tater tots.

  “Hey!” she said with mock indignation, narrowing her eyes at him. “Stay out of my plate unless you want me eating some of your food.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re welcome to anything I have, and I’m not talking about just food.” He wiggled his brows, and Egypt couldn’t help laughing.

  “You don’t stop do you?”

  “Nope. Not when there’s something I want. Or someone.” When she started to speak, he lifted his hands out in front of him as if surrendering. “I know. I know. You can’t date me, and this is not a date, and blah, blah, blah. As of right now, we’re dating. So if some of those chumps you’ve gone out with lately decide to call you, tell them to lose your damn number. You’re taken, and I’m definitely the jealous type. I’m just sayin’.”

  Egypt leaned back in her seat laughing and wiped her mouth. “You are too much. How you gon’ tell me that we’re dating? Shouldn’t that be something we agree on?”

  They bantered back and forth, and Egypt did more laughing than eating. She had a feeling dating Kenton would provide more fun than she’d had in a long time. Still, she was hesitant, but maybe it was time to trust her feelings for this incredible man. Maybe it was time to trust him with her life.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next day, Egypt paced the length of her office. The interrogation had gone fine after she and Kenton returned from lunch. But when the FBI got to the last question, asking if she went by any other names, flashbacks from sixteen years ago bombarded her. It had been a struggle to keep herself together, especially when she lied and said she had no other names. All night, memories of the past invaded her mind. Memories she thought she would never have to revisit.

  Egypt squeezed her eyes shut to keep from going back to that dark place. She wasn’t in Chicago. She wasn’t in South Carolina. And she was no longer in Los Angeles.

  I’m in Atlanta.

  No one knows my real name.

  I’m safe here.

  Now all she had to do was get through the next couple of hours. When she arrived to work, Hamilton had informed her that the FBI wanted Supreme to work with them on Ross’s case, and he agreed. Saying that one day Supreme might need to call in a favor, and the more allies they had, the better.

  In Egypt’s heart, she knew that all FBI agents weren’t bad, but her experience had taught her to be wary of them anyway. Well, not all of them.

  The two dozen pink roses sitting on the desk in a crystal vase brought a smile to her face. They arrived an hour ago and were the highlight of her morning. Lowering her head, Egypt inhaled the sweet scent, and then picked up the small card that had been delivered with them.

  Now that we’re dating...

  She couldn’t fight the grin that spread across her face. No matter what she told Kenton the day before at lunch, he insisted they were dating. Not that she put up much fight. The idea of being his woman made her giddy inside.

  The intercom on her desk buzzed.

  “Yes.”

  “Hey, Egypt. Agent Griffith and two other agents are here. Do you want me to send them up?”

  “Yes, please. I’ll meet them at the elevator.” Egypt straightened, a slight tremor gripping her body.

  Just be cool. They’re not here for you.

  When she arrived at the elevator, the doors opened. “Hi, I’m Egypt. Welcome to Supreme Security.”

  “Thanks, I’m Agent Damien Griffith,” the taller of the three men said. He looked to be in his late fifties early sixties, with smile lines around his deep, blue eyes and dark brown hair that was thinning on top. He turned to the other two men. “And this is Agent Jay Franklin, and you’ve already met Agent Lamar Jones.”

  Egypt nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable with the way Agent Franklin’s dark gaze traveled the length of her body. In his early forties, with skin the color of milk chocolate and a short military haircut, he had a swagger about him. Maybe even a cockiness if his confident smirk was any indication.

  She’d been around enough guys to recognize a man’s appreciative inspection and was glad she had opted for a pants suit, feeling more professional than sexy. But his leer held a bit of hunger she didn’t like.

  “Follow me,” Egypt said and started walking down the hallway, her high heels clicking against the travertine tiles. “I’ll show you to the conference room. There’s a whiteboard, plenty of pens and notepads, oh and a projector as requested. You can let me know if anything else is needed. Right in here.” She stepped into their largest conference room. “May I get either of you something to drink? Coffee? Soda? Water?”

  “Coffee would be great,” Agent Griffith said, and Agent Jones agreed.

  “Can you point me in the direction of the men’s room?” the creepy Agent Franklin asked. He wasn’t a scary looking guy, but in addition to the way he’d checked her out moments ago, his presence made her uneasy.

  “Sure. Follow me.”

  “Have we met before?” the agent asked. “You look familiar.”

  Egypt shook her head robotically. “N—no, I don’t think we have. Here’s the restroom.” She pointed to the closed door and maintained a comfortable distance between them until he moved closer.

  “I rarely forget a pretty face, maybe we—”

  “You must be one of the feds,” Kenton said, stepping out of the restroom, his gaze meeting Egypt’s before turning to the Agent.

  “Uh, yeah, I’m Agent Franklin, and you are?”

  “Kenton, a security specialist here. Myself and a few others will be sitting in on the meeting.” The men shook hands and Egypt didn’t miss the fact th
at Kenton hadn’t given his full name. Was that intentional or an oversight?

  “I was just saying to Egypt that she looked familiar.” Franklin returned his attention to her. “I think we should talk, get to know each other before I leave, figure out where I know you from.”

  “Is that right?” Kenton said dryly, staring at the man who was around six feet tall with a lean build, and that same smug smile as earlier.

  Instead of sticking around, Egypt used that opportunity to make her exit. “I’ll have coffee in the conference room shortly.” She hurried away before either of them could respond. Normally, drinks would’ve been set up already, but it had slipped her mind.

  In the kitchen, Egypt quickly prepared the coffee and poured it into one of the oversize thermal dispensers they used for meetings. Then she placed a few bottles of cold water, juice and soda in a bronze bucket.

  “Hey. How’s it coming?” Kenton strolled into the kitchen, looking dangerously delicious in a black suit, and a black shirt and tie.

  “Hi,” she said, breathier than intended, but who could blame her? The man was big, sexy and as tempting as a package of double-stuffed Oreo cookies. “The coffee is done.”

  “All right, I’ll carry it for you, then come back for the other drinks.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that since I forgot to bring the rolling cart back after using it to transport some materials upstairs. I’ll grab everything else.” Egypt gathered cups, napkins, and condiments, placing them on a tray. She turned from the counter and almost dropped everything when she slammed into Kenton’s hard body.

  “Whoa.” He steadied her and took the tray from her hands, setting it on the table while keeping a hold of her arm. “Sorry about that. I guess I got a little too close.”

  He was close all right. Close enough for Egypt to inhale the woodsy scent of his cologne and feel his warm breath brush across her face. She had to fight the overwhelming desire to reach up on tiptoe and touch her lips to his for one of his scorching kisses.

  “God, I want to kiss you so bad,” he whispered next to her ear as if reading her mind, and placed a feathery kiss behind her earlobe. Then another on her cheek.

  Each kiss felt like an enticing caress, sending a flutter of excitement rushing through her body with a promise of much more. But they couldn’t. They were at work. Even if she wanted to feel his mouth on hers, they had to remain profess…

  The thought flew from her mind when Kenton captured her mouth with his. Within a heartbeat, need spun through Egypt like tumbleweed during a tornado. She couldn’t get enough of him, especially when his tongue explored the inner recesses of her mouth the way it was doing now. Each time they came together like this, she craved more.

  The strong arms around her waist loosened, and his large hands glided up her body and then cupped her face as he deepened the kiss. This man, this incredibly sweet man made her feel so wanted, so desired. Egypt marveled at how his big, strong body was such a contrast to his gentleness. She knew they should stop and get back to work, but she didn’t want him to stop. Ever.

  “Don’t start nothing in here that you can’t finish,” Angelo said, and Egypt leaped away from Kenton. “Sorry to interrupt, but Ham sent me for the coffee.”

  “O—Okay, we were just getting ready to take it up,” Egypt said, wiping a shaky hand over her mouth.

  “Riiight. Tell it to someone who didn’t just catch you two making out. All I can say is—it’s about damn time. Y’all been skirting around each other for months, trying to pretend there’s been nothing between you.”

  “Whatever, man. Just grab the damn coffee and get out.” Kenton handed Angelo the large coffee dispenser.

  Egypt noticed that he and Angelo were both dressed in all black. They were close in height and build, but Angelo was more of a pretty boy with diamond stud earrings in each ear, and wavy hair pulled back into a long ponytail that hung down his back.

  “What happened to white shirts with black suits?” she asked of their usual formal uniform.

  “That was changed yesterday to black on black.”

  Egypt nodded, remembering Hamilton talking about the security team making the small change to their business attire. “Cool. It’s a nice look.”

  “Nice?” Angelo said in mock disgust and headed to the door. “Woman, you better recognize. We look like total bad asses.”

  Egypt laughed as he walked out of the room, saying that he’d meet them upstairs.

  “How about another kiss?” Kenton pulled her to his side, placing a kiss against her temple.

  Egypt eased out of his hold. “Not here. No kissing at work, and no more until after our second date.”

  Kenton grinned and handed her the tray while he carried the drinks. “So, we really are dating, huh? Good. I’ll pick you up tonight at seven.”

  “Wait. I didn’t say…” Egypt started, but his long strides carried him out of the kitchen, forcing her to jog to catch up. “The least you could do is ask me, and not just assume I’ll go out with you.”

  “Oh, sorry. Tonight, at seven all right with you?”

  “Yeah, but next time—”

  “I’ll ask.” He winked, then pursed his lips and blew her a kiss. “Oh, and stay away from Agent Franklin. I saw the way he looked at you.”

  “Surely you’re not jealous.”

  “Damn straight I am. You’re a sexy, desirable woman. I’m not going to stand by and let some chump like him try to push up on you.”

  “You know him?”

  “No, and I doubt he knows you either. I’m not buying that line about you looking familiar. The asshole wants to get to know you.”

  Egypt didn’t say anything else, just nodded, hoping that was all there was with Franklin.

  They took the stairs instead of the elevator, and when they arrived in the conference room, everyone was there. Besides Hamilton and Angelo, Myles and Laz were in attendance.

  Egypt quickly organized the coffee and condiments on the long table in the back of the room, and let everyone know that they could help themselves. She was halfway down the hall before Hamilton called out her name.

  She turned and started back. “Yes?”

  “I’d like for you to join us. I want your take on everything since we might have to do some juggling with the schedules. And before you protest, you can hang out in the back.”

  “Okay. Let me run to my office, and I’ll be right back,” she said calmly, though inside she cringed. She understood playing nice with the feds, but she didn’t want to work with them.

  By the time Egypt returned, Agent Griffith had started the meeting. She went to the coffee dispenser and poured herself a cup of the dark brew. Then she found a spot at the back wall near Kenton and Angelo.

  Egypt surveyed the room that now seemed small with so many tall and wide men taking up the space. For whatever reason, everyone, except Hamilton and two guys Egypt didn’t recognize, were standing around the perimeter of the room, their arms folded across their chest.

  She slowly sipped the steaming coffee, listening as Agent Griffith shared intel regarding Ross and his company. He couldn’t disclose everything, but he did provide them with information surrounding their reason for soliciting Supreme’s help.

  “What made you put Hoakley and his company under surveillance?” Hamilton asked.

  “We had reason to believe they were trafficking drugs through the company, and as of late, money laundering. Hoakley has been under investigation for a few months as we’re building a case against him. The guy was good. Sneaky bastard. He evaded all of our traps as if he had inside help.”

  Kenton straightened, his body noticeably going rigid at that comment. Maybe he was wondering the same thing that she was thinking. Was that inside help within Hoakley Manufacturing…or the FBI? Egypt wouldn’t be surprised by the latter which made her even more uncomfortable about Supreme getting involved.

  “It’s a perfect set up that Mrs. Hoakley is now a client of yours,” Griffith said.

 
He stood at the front of the room near the oversize screen. Every so often, he’d press the presentation clicker, and photos popped up on the screen. He showed three consecutive pictures of Mrs. Hoakley with her looking around before climbing into a two-door Mercedes Benz.

  “As of right now, we don’t know for sure if she’s as innocent as she claims. Her responses to our questions are inconsistent, but her fear that her husband’s enemies will come after her seemed believable. Like Mr. Hoakley, if she is doing anything illegal, she’s good at covering her tracks.”

  “Are you saying that while we’re providing protection for her, you want us to also spy on her?” Myles asked.

  Griffith nodded. “Yes, we’d like for you guys to report back anything you see that might be suspicious. Who she talks to, who she visits or those who visit her. We have agents watching Mrs. Hoakley, but we can only get so close without probable cause.”

  Hamilton cleared his throat. “Wait. We’ve worked with various law enforcement divisions, and participated on numerous task forces over the years. But what we will never do, is risk the integrity of our company. My guys will not be spying on our client and then reporting back to you. If Mrs. Hoakley does something illegal while on our watch, then we will inform you.”

  And that was why Egypt loved her boss. Outside of Dakota and his son Dominic, Supreme Security and the Atlanta’s finest team were his top priority. He was also relentless in offering the best, most dependable service to their clients. Egypt had the utmost respect for Hamilton and how he conducted business.

  “I understand,” Griffith said. “But we still want your guys involved in other aspects of this case.”

  Egypt remembered Laz once saying that Supreme’s guys could do things that law enforcement couldn’t get away with. She never asked for details but now wondered just how involved Supreme would get in the case.

  “We already froze Ross Hoakley’s accounts, but there were two that included his wife’s name on them, and we’ll be monitoring them. Also, in scouring through Hoakley’s personal computer, we found new intel,” Griffith continued. “Years ago, the FBI took down a ruthless crime family out of Chicago. Shortly after, the patriarch of that family died, and it was all quiet from those left behind.