Truth or Consequences

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “No. No … they just caught me by surprised.” Natasha’s pulse pounded in her ear, anxiety jumbling her thoughts. “Uh, we should probably get going. It’s getting late.”

  “You’re right. Sorry about the detour. Since my aunt doesn’t usually get here until late, I didn’t want to take a chance on my mom not taking her medication.” He pulled away from the garage. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He patted her knee. “You still look a little spooked.”

  Natasha tried to relax, but she was wound tighter than a drum and now she just wanted to get to the gym. “I’m all right.”

  “I guess you’re probably still a little jumpy from when Dr. Halsey was killed, huh?” He rubbed her thigh as if that would comfort her. She eased her leg away, placing her handbag between her and the center console. “Well, you don’t have to worry, love. I would never let anyone hurt you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “So this guy is all that, huh?” Travis asked, staring down at the photo of Brandon Walsh, better known as Street. Since Wiz was on an undercover assignment and Stan was on a special project, Malik decided to use the newbie, Travis, to make a run with him.

  “If anyone knows about any underground operations, it would be Street.” Malik glanced at his cell phone again, wondering why Natasha hadn’t texted him. He had agreed to back off with the bodyguards if she agreed to stay in contact at all times. The morning and nights were covered since most of those times she was with him. It was everything else in between that made him leery about not having eyes on her.

  “So this guy has it like that? He knows everything about everything?”

  “Pretty much.”

  They were sitting outside one of Street’s hangouts. The law office Susan worked for came back clean, but one of the partner’s names stood out.

  Malik pulled out his cell phone, checking to see if Natasha had texted him as agreed. When he saw that there was still no text, he called Victoria.

  “Hey Malik. Did you forget something?”

  “No, but I need a favor.”

  “Shoot.”

  “I’m not sure how long it’ll take me and Travis to take care of some business, so I’m forwarding my calls to you. Also, use that app Wiz created and check my text messages in about ten minutes.”

  “I take it that you’re expecting an important call or message.”

  “Yeah, I should have heard from Tasha by now. She was supposed to text me when she got to the gym, but I’m assuming she forgot. If she doesn’t text or call my number in the next ten minutes, I need you to find her.”

  “Really, Malik? You don’t think that’s a little obsessive?” she asked. Had the question come from anyone other than her or Wiz, he might’ve snapped. He and Victoria had a sister-brother-like relationship and she could get way with things that others couldn’t.

  “Vicky, just do it?”

  “I’ll do it, but she’s going to eventually get pissed that you’re checking up on her all the time and you know it.”

  “Yeah, but she’ll get over it. Until we find the guy who killed that doctor a couple of weeks ago, Tasha is stuck with my overprotectiveness, if that’s even a word.”

  “There he is.” Travis pointed at the tall, thin man talking on a cell phone, his slow gait coming toward them.

  “Okay, Vicky, I gotta go.”

  Malik shoved his cell phone into his jean’s pocket and they exited the car. Street didn’t see them right away, but when he did, the smile that was on his face fell. He looked left, then right, and Malik cursed under his breath knowing what was coming next.

  “He’s going to run,” Malik murmured. The moment the words left his mouth, Street took off; Malik and Travis were right behind him.

  I’m getting too old for this shit.

  Malik waved his hand and pointed, giving Travis the signal to go around the opposite way. Malik chased Street down Wentworth Avenue and through an alleyway, following him through a yard. What Malik didn’t understand was why Street was running. He knew Malik wasn’t a cop, so something else was going on.

  Malik leapt over a fence and cut across a vacant lot to cut Street off. He was glad he had changed into street clothes, opting for a T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of black Timberlands. Had he been in one of his suits and Stacy Adams chasing Street down, he would’ve kicked the kid’s ass once he caught up to him.

  Malik and Travis ended up in the same area just as Street flew around the corner.

  “Where yo ass going?” Malik barked and snatched him by the collar, yanking him into a doorway, concrete blocks on the side and a green awning overhang. “Keep watch,” Malik told Travis.

  Street struggled against him. “Let me go, Tree. You tryin’ to get me killed or something?”

  “Hey! Hey,” Malik said, shoving him against the wall. “What the hell is up with you? Why’d you run?”

  “I’m not talking.”

  Malik stared at the man who had helped him out plenty of times with information. Street always hooked him up, and Malik always looked out for him. So whatever … or whoever had him scared had power, or something on him.

  “Street, you know me, man. Don’t I always have yo back? You help me, I help you. Isn’t that how it usually works?”

  “Yeah, Tree … but this is different.”

  “What’s different? You don’t even know why I’m here. So what has you rattled?”

  “Lawyer Man.”

  There’s that name again. Malik didn’t have a clue to who he was talking about, but if he played along, he’d have a better chance of getting answers.

  “What about him?”

  “He was talkin’ with … to your girl.”

  Natasha was the first person to come to mind, but there was no way he was talking about her. “What girl?”

  “You know, man. The tall, skinny, light-skinned chick you used to hang out with at that club on Eerie.”

  Susan.

  “He helped her get a job at a law firm and then when you knocked … uh, when she got pregnant, he was telling her about this adoption agency. Some underground shit. Um … um, My Child somethin’.”

  “Why? Why was he telling her about the agency?”

  Street shrugged. “He wanted her kid. Prob since she was fine as hell. Was gon’ pay big money, too.” Malik loosened his grip on Street. “She said the kid was yours and she wasn’t giving it away.”

  Frustration gnawed away at Malik’s patience. Why the hell would she tell people he was the father? He didn’t care what her journal said, or what her sister said, Susan knew he was not the father of her kid.

  “So why did you run?” Malik asked. The urine smell mixed with trash was starting to get to him, especially since they were in close quarters.

  “’Cause, man, I thought you … you know, I thought you were gon’ start taking out folks since what happen to her.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “You don’t know?” He looked at Malik suspiciously. “They killed her, man! Had some doctor take her out and they took the kid.”

  “I need a name, Street.”

  “All I know is, he go by Lawyer Man.”

  “He working with anyone?”

  “He’s got this guy that do work for him. Used to be military or some shit. A bad ass. Looks innocent, but will shoot a man dead without blinking an eye. I know. I saw him do it. T-dog was looking for his sister a couple of months ago and mentioned Lawyer Man. Next thang I know, this soldier-like dude, dressed in all black, showed up on sixty-fifth and shot T-dog right between the eyes.”

  “Street, I’m going to need you to take a ride with me,” Malik said, still trying to process everything, but knowing Street was telling the truth.

  “Nah, man. I’m already dead by telling you that much.” Street shook his head and tried to pull away from Malik.

  “Street, you know I got you, but I need more info from you, man. And I gotta know where you are if I’m going to look out for you.”

  “I don’t know, Tree.�
�� He shook his head. “I’m not try—”

  “I have a place where you can lay low, and by the looks of you, you could probably use something to eat. You’re wasting away to nothing, dude.” Malik needed more information. He could force Street to ride with him, but he preferred him to go willingly. “If that’s not enough to convince you, maybe that little hottie I hooked you up with before can—”

  “Let’s go, but if I get gunned down, it’s gon’ be on you.”

  Malik set Travis and Street up at one of the agency’s safe houses. He kept replaying in his mind all that Street had shared, still unable to wrap his brain around the part about Susan. His relationship with her, if anyone could really call it that, was casual. If it had gotten out that he and she were an item, it was because she made people believe they were together. When in reality they weren’t, at least not the way she made it out to be.

  The moment Malik climbed back into his truck, he deactivated his call-forward and the phone rang.

  “Yeah?”

  “Malik, you need to get to Natasha,” Victoria said in a rush.

  “What? Where is she?” His chest tightened. All types of thoughts ran through his mind, unsure of what Victoria was going to say, but knowing he wasn’t going to like it.

  “I never reached her on her cell, so I called the gym and pretended I was her assistant calling from the hospital. She wasn’t there, Malik. She wasn’t at the gym.”

  “What?” Malik increased his grip on the steering wheel. “What do you mean she wasn’t at the gym? She should’ve fuckin’ been there an hour ago,” he roared.

  “Would you calm down and let me finish? Dang, you got it bad! She’s there now.” He started his truck and took off in the direction of the gym. “When she arrived at the gym, they had her call me back. She lost her cell phone, which is why she couldn’t text you.”

  “Why the hell didn’t you just say that in the first place, instead of almost giving me a heart attack?” His heart still pounded erratically against the inside of his chest.

  “Well, don’t freak out, but there’s more. She didn’t sound right. She said she was fine, but her voice sounded strained. Something’s up with her.”

  “Did you tell her to stay there?”

  “Yeah. Her car wouldn’t start and it’s still at the hospital. So she’s going to need a ride anyway.”

  Malik frowned. “So how’d she get to the gym?”

  “She didn’t say, but she did say, ‘I need Malik to pick me up as soon as possible’. Those were her exact words.”

  Silence fell between them and Malik knew Victoria was thinking the same thing he was thinking. Something was definitely up. Natasha had fought him daily about him wanting her to have a bodyguard and she hated that he was so protective. She claimed that she was independent before he came a long and now he made her feel too needy. She vowed to never ask him for anything unless it was an emergency.

  “I’m on my way.”

  Natasha dragged herself to the women’s locker room, her body screaming in pain. The spinning class she’d taken was much more intense than she had expected, but she needed to work off her anxiousness. Thinking about her ride to the gym, she had probably overreacted. Malik’s fears about her being in danger had transferred over to her, causing her irrational reaction to Ray’s little detour.

  Malik.

  Natasha knew he was going to be pissed. Not only had she not contacted him as agreed, but considering the number of times Victoria asked if she was okay, Natasha was sure she had picked up on her anxiety. And if she had, she probably told Malik.

  After a quick shower, Natasha left the women’s locker room more than ready to go home. For the past couple of weeks, her emotions had been all over the place and it felt like they were coming to a head. She just wanted to go home with Malik, and curl up in front of the television. First, she had to tell Ray that she didn’t need a ride home.

  She spotted him at the end of the hall, walking toward her. Broad shoulders, a lean midsection, and legs that went on forever, he definitely had a presence about him. The confidence in his stride added to his strong, powerful presence. Unlike Malik, there wasn’t a dangerous air about him, except for when he yelled at the drunks who were hanging around his van. Ray seemed like a nice guy, edged with a little street. Or, at least that’s how her friend Layla would describe him. Natasha smiled at the thought.

  “How was your workout?” Ray fell in step with her as they walked up the stairs toward the entrance. “I looked around for you and figured you must have taken one of the classes since I didn’t see you in the cardio or weight rooms.”

  “Yeah, I took the spinning class. I was a little late, but got in on enough of it to make me realize how out of shape I am.”

  His seductive gaze swept the length of her body, as if photographing her with his eyes. “Well, if you’re out of shape, you make it look damn good.”

  Natasha looked away, not wanting to encourage his advances. She definitely had to keep her distance from him. She knew now that it was a mistake to ride to the gym with him and the last thing she wanted was for him to get the wrong idea.

  She set her gym bag and purse in one of the chairs near a bank of windows and tied her shoe.

  “Why don’t we stop and get a quick bite to eat?” he said. “I know this great place not too far from here. What do you say?”

  “I’d say you need to find yourself another date. She already has plans.”

  Natasha’s breath caught when she turned to find Malik standing behind them, all six feet eight inches of smooth dark chocolate. Words escaped her as her gaze worked its way down his powerful body. The fitted black T-shirt, which stretched across his wide chest, showed off solid pecs, and arms that both of her hands together couldn’t fit around. He was one of the sexiest men she’d ever met and she could easily look at him all day. Her gaze strolled down to his dark jeans hanging low on his hips and partially tucked into a pair of black Timberlands. If he was going for the rugged, bad-boy look, he had nailed it.

  Natasha thought back to her conversation with Victoria, remembering the anxiousness in her own voice. Though she was happy to see Malik, she hated knowing she was turning into one of those needy type of women. One of those women who always needed a man around. The only redeeming quality of her neediness, was that what she felt for Malik was so much more than that. It was love. Somehow, she had fallen in love with this giant of a man who cursed too much, who was possessive, and by the scowl he wore, was the jealous type.

  “Hi,” she finally said, the word coming out breathless. She couldn’t see his eyes due to his dark aviator glasses. Yet, with the firm set of his jaw and the down turn of his lips, reminding her of Morpheus in the Matrix movie, it was safe to say he wasn’t happy.

  Malik extended his hand to Natasha, but kept his gaze on Ray. He wanted her away from this man. Normally he wasn’t the jealous type, but when it came to Natasha, nothing about his behavior was normal. One minute she made him feel as if he could leap tall buildings, and other times, she made him want to lock her in a tower and protect her from the rest of the world. But right now, all he wanted to do was wipe the stupid smirk off of Ray’s face. The guy irked the hell out of Malik, and it bugged him that he couldn’t figure out why.

  “I’m glad to see you,” Natasha murmured when she stepped into Malik’s embrace, kissing him on the lips, her words loud enough for only him to hear. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he gazed into her eyes. Victoria was right, something was up.

  “You all right?” he asked, and she nodded in reply.

  Malik ran his hands slowly up and down her back, loving the feel of her softness molded against his body. If she was trying to take his mind off the fact that she’d been hanging out with another man, it wasn’t working. Although, some of the agitation gripping his body earlier did lift … somewhat, when she batted those big brown eyes up at him and smiled. It was weird that she had this type of power over him. He’d stared down some of the most dang
erous men in the world without yielding, but this woman comes along and bats her long eyelashes and he turns to mush.

  “Thanks for the ride,” she said to Ray. “Because of you, I finally followed through on getting a work out in, so that a certain somebody can stop teasing me.”

  Hold the hell up! He brought her to the gym?

  She smiled up at Malik, who didn’t return the smile. Instead, he said, “Let’s go.”

  She stepped out of his arms and walked over to where her bag sat on a chair, and Malik took that moment to talk to Ray.

  “Stay the fuck away from her,” he growled, his voice low and menacing.

  “And if I don’t?”

  “You’ll wish you had.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Malik and Natasha rode in silence. They had just left the hospital parking lot, trying to get her car to start. When it didn’t, Malik contacted his mechanic to have it towed. While taking items from her vehicle and putting them into his truck, Natasha found her cell phone in the front seat.

  Malik had yet to question her about the past couple of hours, but thoughts of her being with Ray kept popping into his head. He wasn’t totally sure why he was so pissed that the guy had driven her to the gym, and didn’t want to know whether Ray had seen her in some little skimpy workout gear. It was that nagging feeling he got whenever the guy was around that had him on edge.

  “So are you going to give me the silent treatment for the rest of the night?” Natasha asked. He glanced at her, the streetlights shining into the window just enough for him to see her exasperated expression.

  “I don’t do the silent treatment,” he stated simply. Until she’d said something, he hadn’t realized that they hadn’t spoken since climbing into the truck.