He groaned. "Mmm, ready for seconds?"
"We overslept. Get up. I don't want my dad to see you in here," Makayla whispered in his ear.
"Okay, that’s not what I want to hear in the morning." Tamarius sat up as Makayla rolled over onto the floor. "Just one more time to hold me over?" He leaned over her.
There was another knock at the door. "Where is Tamarius? He's not in his room. Did he leave?" Fa asked.
"He probably went for a jog, Daddy," Makayla lied.
"Oh, okay."
Makayla listened to her father’s footsteps fade away then whispered, "Hurry." They scrabbled to put clothes on.
"What do you want me to do?" Tamarius asked.
"Go through the window." Makayla hurried over to open it.
"Okay, why am I getting the feeling you've done this before?"
"Just go, sexy." She laughed softly and smacked him on the butt.
"Now I feel cheap." Tamarius smiled and stepped out of the window. "Hey...you have done this before."
"Just go."
"I’m jealous,"
Makayla finished dressing and met her parents and Tia in the dining room for breakfast.
Tamarius was also sitting at the table, smiling innocently. Makayla was baffled, but then remembered his ability to teleport. "Good morning." She smiled at him.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"I feel like I’m sixteen again," Makayla joked.
Tamarius smiled and shook his head. "Okay, what are we going to do about the orphanage?" he asked.
"Let’s go and clean everything up. Just gut it and get everything brand new. Get all industrial equipment for the kitchen," Makayla said.
"Wait, Kay... Please don't go there," Tia said weakly.
"Tia, what happened?" Tamarius asked. They still had not heard the full story about the night she was attacked at the children's home.
"Tamarius, don't let her go over there. She’s in danger." Tia brought her hands to her face and wept quietly.
Tamarius walked around the table to sit next to her. He consoled her by gently putting his arm over her shoulder. "We need to know what we are getting ourselves into."
"A week before this happened we got a new little boy. He was found wandering the mall long after it had closed. Nobody knew where he came from. He wouldn't speak or eat. He would just wander around the house. None of the kids liked him. They were afraid of him. The night that I was attacked, I had a nightmare about that little boy. I woke up to check on him and he was gone. I was blindsided and the last thing I remember is a demonic voice screaming, ‘Where is Makayla?’"
Tamarius straightened up and looked at Makayla. "Oh, you’re not going anywhere."
"Tamarius, come on," Makayla protested.
"No." Tamarius was clear.
"Kay, he is right," Fa said. "It’s too dangerous."
"Dad, don't help him."
"Kay, you’re not serious," Coretta said.
"Mom,” she whined. “Okay everyone, listen and listen good. If I don't face this demon, he will eventually win by destroying everything I love and care about. If I don't stand up to him now, he is just going to find another way of getting to me later. I know that you all love me and you don't want to see me get hurt, and thank you for loving me, but I have to do this, especially now."
Tamarius stood up and walked around the table. "Can I talk to you privately?" he asked with his hands on his hips, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Excuse us," Makayla said as she stood up. They walked out to the gallery and leaned against her father's car.
"I understand what you’re saying, but I don't want you getting hurt. If I hadn't showed up when I did..."
"I let my fear get in the way."
"Kayla, this is crazy. I can't lose you now. I just found you."
Makayla pulled Tamarius by the waist of his pants, brining him closer. "How did you get dressed so fast?" She smiled.
"A magician never reveals his secrets."
"I love you and I have to do this."
"Are you busy tonight, Ms. Li?"
"No, why?"
"I will be back," Tamarius said, kissing her before walking back into the house to call a taxi.
Makayla followed him, curious about his sudden need to leave.
Tamarius hid his smirk as he watched Makayla search her mind for a reason to his behavior
"Where are you going?" Makayla questioned.
"Just wear something nice tonight. Why don't you and Tia go shopping?" he suggested.
"For a date?"
"Surprise!" Tamarius said sarcastically.
"Whatever!" Makayla walked off to find her cousin. Tamarius laughed, amused by her frustration.
When he returned later that evening, Makayla was in her room getting dressed while talking with her cousin Tia. Spending time with Tia, brought back so many good memories of their childhood. They reminisced over their crazy teenage years, laughing at how they drove Fa and Coretta crazy.
Makayla stood in front of her full length mirror. "Okay, how do I look?" Makayla asked her cousin.
"Well, after going through hundreds of dresses, I can see you picked a beautiful one. You look hot. Tamarius is going to love it," Tia said.
"You should come with us. He won't mind." Makayla sat on the edge of the bed to put on her high heels.
"I sort of have plans," Tia replied.
"What?"
"I met this guy a few months ago and I haven't seen him since... well, you know... anyway, he finally got a hold of me."
"You guys are going out tonight?"
"I figured it's time for him to meet Daddy dearest," Tia said.
"Oh, good luck," Makayla said, remembering the first time she introduced Tamarius to her father. She’d been a nervous wreck. Fa hadn’t cracked a smile and hadn’t joke with him one bit. He’d just grilled him for four hours straight. Makayla had been horrified. "You know Dad. He just loves us too much. It took me a long time to realize he wasn't being mean, he was just trying to be a good father and protect us from the crazies."
"I know, but it's just so nerve wracking." Tia laughed.
Tamarius tapped on the door. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." Makayla opened the door.
"Goodness," Tamarius exclaimed. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you." Makayla turned to wave goodnight to her cousin.
Tamarius led her to an awaiting limo and they were driven to a private helicopter.
Makayla had no idea what he had in store for her. She sat quietly in awe, not knowing what to expect next.
He smiled at her, eagerly looking forward to her reaction to his surprise.
Makayla wanted to talk to him, but couldn't. She had no clue what to say. She was speechless.
Tamarius grabbed her hand and pointed to lights on the beach far below. The pilot maneuvered the helicopter so that Makayla could get a better view.
Spelled out on the beach were the words 'WILL U MARRY ME'. Makayla covered her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned to Tamarius and hugged him. After circling around a bit more, the helicopter landed, and Tamarius helped Makayla out. They stopped to take off their shoes before stepping onto the sand.
Tamarius had a picnic basket waiting for them on a blanket. A steel pan band played beautiful music in the background. He held Makayla's hand and led her to stand next to the blanket. Turning to face her, he got down on one knee. "Makayla Li, will you marry me?"
Makayla gazed down at him and couldn't believe what was happening. As she lost herself in his eyes, her mouth whispered, "Yes."
Tamarius jumped up and kissed her. He pulled a jewelry box out of his pocket then paused. "I hope you like it." He opened the box to reveal a stunning diamond ring.
Makayla gasped. "Tamarius, it's beautiful." She reached for the ring.
"Wait," Tamarius said. He took the ring out of the box and put the box aside. "Let me." .
Makayla held out her left hand as Tamarius slipped the ring over her
finger. Her eyes lit up as she gazed at the ring. Tamarius was unaware that although Makayla had been married twice, this was the first time she’d been formally proposed to.
Tamarius held Makayla close and whispered, "I love you," as they stood on the beach.
Makayla looked up at him. "Nobody has ever done this for me."
"I know. It's over the top. I figured that way you couldn’t say no." Tamarius laughed.
"It's beautiful. I don't know what to say except... I love you."
Justice
Jason Reyes stood across from Cressida, admiring her convincingly stoic demeanor. She stood alert and focused on the judge as he glanced over the court papers pertaining to Blake Carter's case.
Judge Austin Allaway shook his head repeatedly with displeasure. He looked up at Jason then over at Cressida. "I need both of you to approach the bench." The frustration in his voice could be heard throughout the room.
Ronald Morgan, a handsome man in his late forties, sat at the back of the room, inconspicuous.
Ryan Harris sat in the bench behind the prosecuting attorney, Jason Reyes. Maxwell secretly slid into the last bench. He wanted to be close to the door just in case he needed to leave early. He’d also not told Cressida he’d be at the courthouse and didn’t want to distract her.
She focused her energy on portraying an attorney who was convinced of her client’s innocence.
Cressida and Jason looked at each other when the judge called them forward. She took a deep breath and walked towards the judge's bench alongside Jason. The judge leaned over and looked down at both of them. She could tell he was disgusted by what he’d read in the court documents.
"What in the hell am I reading? I feel like I’m in some kind of jacked up movie where the villain gets away with murder." Judge Allaway spoke with annoyance.
"Your honor...," Jason began.
"Do you think I eat cow-pies for lunch?” Judge Allaway snapped. “This case doesn't make any sense. Damn, I wish we were in Texas right now. I would be frying his ass." The judge was furious when he spoke. His heavy country accent intensified with each new vein that protruded his forehead.
"Your honor, these cases are not easy to deal with. What we have found won't hold up in a case. We need more time and more evidence," Jason pleaded.
"Ms. Dash, you have the right to ask for the charges against your client to be dropped, but from what I see here, I just don't know if that is wise."
"Your honor, I request permission for us to meet with you in your chambers." Cressida feared Blake would overhear their conversation or doubt her recent apology.
"Granted," Judge Allaway agreed. "Court will be adjourned for five minutes." He slammed the gavel on his desk and stepped down from the bench.
Cressida glanced back at Blake and smiled as she followed Jason to the judge's chambers.
"What in heifer's creek is happening?" the judge shouted as he stood behind his desk.
"Your honor, we need to catch Blake off guard," Jason answered.
"I'm in the process of convincing Blake Carter that I am one hundred percent on his side,” Cressida added. “If I can get him to open up to me then... well, we believe he will lead us to the real killer."
"So you think this sick bastard is innocent?" the judge asked.
"That's just it. We really don't have enough evidence to think one way or the other," Jason stated.
"Your honor, sometimes you have to loosen the rope so that they can hang themselves."
Cressida looked into the judge’s eyes.
"All right. Just don't get tangled," the judge said before walking out.
Jason turned to Cressida. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"We really don't have a choice." She left the room.
Jason and Cressida had met earlier that morning to discuss the case. Ryan Harris had joined them, suggesting a radical idea that had made Jason nervous. Ryan had assured everyone that Cressida would be safe. His plan was to have his undercover agent, Ronald Morgan, stay with Cressida, posing as her live-in boyfriend while they worked together on trapping Blake. Ryan wanted the judge to release Blake into Cressida's custody as insurance that he would not skip town.
The day following the court hearing, Ryan Harris worked quickly to rent a fully furnished home in Kissimmee. He had the house fully secured with hidden video cameras, hidden guns and emergency alert buttons secretly placed throughout every room of the house.
Cressida was hesitant, but she agreed to the wild plan. Jason didn't agree to the whole plan, but went along with it.
Court was back in session. Cressida and Jason performed their well-rehearsed
performances. Cressida requesting the case against her client be dropped and he be released.
Jason expressed his concern over Blake leaving town while he was still a suspect. The judge requested they approach the bench again.
"Ms. Dash, are you sure about this?" Judge Allaway asked.
"It's okay, your honor." She was touched by the concern in his eyes.
"Mr. Reyes, I hope you know what you are doing," the judge stated before dismissing them.
Cressida returned to her spot next to Blake. She nodded at him, letting him know that everything was working in his favor.
Jason stood and cleared his throat before he addressed the judge. "Your honor, it is requested that Blake Carter be released to his attorney, Cressida Dash." Jason paused as gasps then a hush went through the courtroom. "He is a flight risk and, although he is no longer the main suspect, he is still a suspect in this case and numerous others," he explained, as he swallowed a lump in his throat. He could feel the intense stare of people instantly opposing his request.
What Jason didn't know was that Maxwell was the cause of his discomfort. Cressida had not told Maxwell everything, especially this newly hatched plan by Ryan Harris.
Cressida had planned to call him after the case to let him know what was going on. She wasn't looking forward to the conversation at all.
"Ms. Dash, the ball is in your court. Are you willing to take your client into your custody?" the judge asked.
"Yes, your honor. It won't be a problem."
Maxwell was furious as he stared at Cressida. He’d not been prepared for her response. He sat straight up in his chair, holding himself back from bolting out of the courtroom.
The judge sighed as he leaned back in his chair, silently arguing with himself. He then leaned forward and looked at Cressida and Jason, shaking his head again. "Mr. Reyes, your request is granted. Blake Carter will be released into the custody of his attorney,
Ms. Cressida Dash, until further notice. Court is adjourned." He slammed his gavel onto his desk with a deafening thud before leaving the room.
Blake was elated as he turned to Cressida giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek. "So you don't mind me staying with you?" he asked.
"Of course not. I told you, I know you’re innocent, but we need to find the real killer so that we can clear your name." Cressida hoped her performance convinced Blake she was on his side.
"Time to go," a police officer said, placing handcuffs on Blake.
"But, I just got released," Blake protested.
"No, you get released from the jail, not the courtroom. This ain't television," the police officer snapped with exasperation.
"I will be by to pick you up soon," Cressida informed her client.
Maxwell couldn't take it any more. He stood and left the room, stopping to wait for Cressida outside the court room.
She was talking to Ryan and Jason outside of the courtroom when she turned and noticed Maxwell leaning against the wall staring at her. By the look on his face she could tell he was upset with her. As Cressida began to excuse herself, she was stopped by, detective Harris.
"Ms. Dash, I would like you to meet Ronald Morgan."
Ronald was a well-mannered, handsome man with light blue eyes and dark hair. He smiled at Cressida as he shook her hand. "It will be great working with you. Ms. Dash."
"Thank you," Cressida replied. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he found her attractive. Unfortunately for him, he had two things against him; his height and Maxwell.
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