“No. Have you tried him on his cell?” Montana asked as she held the door open.
“Yes. Well, tell him to call me when you talk to him,” Jason said.
The guy standing next to him never said a word.
“Okay. Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Montana said. “It’ll be about thirty to an hour, but you’re welcome to stay and have breakfast with us.”
“No. We got work to do, but thanks anyway,” Jason responded.
Montana closed her door and locked it. She looked out the peephole and noticed Jason get in the driver side and the other guy get in the passenger side. She located her cell phone and called Sean.
“Call Jason. Something doesn’t seem right with him,” she said on the voice mail she left since Sean didn’t answer his phone.
The knot on the back of Montana’s head had gone down and she didn’t feel any pain. She wondered what was going on with the vials. Pushing all of that out of her mind, she went to the kitchen and cooked a hearty breakfast, just in case Sean and Troy stopped by.
Savannah was the first one to come downstairs. They greeted each other with a hug. “Sis, we were worried about you,” Savannah said as she fixed her a plate.
“I’m fine. Thank God,” Montana said, wiping the lone tear threatening to fall from her cheek.
“Troy’s not answering his phone. I was a little harsh with him. Now I’m feeling bad about it,” Savannah said in between bites.
“What was the argument about?” Montana asked as she took a seat at the kitchen table with a plate of food.
“He was upset that we endangered our lives by going to Fort Worth. I told him that the last I checked, he wasn’t my daddy. That I was a grown woman and could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and if he didn’t like it, he could step.”
“Ouch,” Montana said as she sipped some of her juice.
“I know what he was saying but I just felt like he was a little too harsh with me so I bit back.”
“He cares about you. You’ve been through a lot and he doesn’t want to lose you. Give him some slack, sis. Or is there more going on here than you’re telling me?” Montana asked.
Savannah stared at her plate. “I’m afraid. There, I said it.”
“Not you. You’re a bad chick. Thanks to you, I got my man back.” Montana tried to lighten up the situation.
“I’m afraid that Troy will get an assignment and it might take him away from me permanently. Like Dad. I don’t know if I could deal with losing another man I love. And, Montana. I love Troy just as much as I love you and Asia, if not more.”
“Wow,” Montana said at Savannah’s revelation.
“I know it’s stupid of me to say things to push him away, but I got to get my feelings in check. I feel like I’m losing control. Now he’s not answering my calls. I don’t know what to do.” Savannah threw her hands up in the air.
Montana wasn’t used to seeing Savannah like this. She was the older sister who usually had everything under control, or at least she always seemed to have it under control. “I’m going to tell you what Dad used to tell me about situations. Pray about it.”
“I know. I’m just being stubborn,” Savannah responded.
The house phone rang. Montana got up and answered. She held the phone out. “It’s for you.”
Savannah eased up from behind the table and took the phone.
Montana left the kitchen to give her some privacy. Troy was calling Savannah, so why hadn’t she heard from Sean? She pulled out her cell phone to call him. She looked at his name in her saved contacts. Maybe she had misread Sean. She was under the impression they were getting closer. If Sean wanted to talk, he would have to call her. She opted not to call. She threw the cell phone on the sofa.
Savannah came in the living room shortly thereafter. “All’s forgiven. We’ve made up,” she said with a smile on her face.
Montana wasn’t feeling too good. “That’s good.” A frown remained on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Savannah asked, still standing up.
“Just thinking about these last few days.”
“Yeah, right. You’re thinking about Sean. Well, Sean is knocked out. Troy said they’ll meet up with us later and give us an update.”
Montana felt relieved a little, but was still uneasy that she hadn’t talked to him. She knew she was being selfish because after all of the things that had been going on, she knew Sean had to be physically and mentally exhausted.
“Thanks for telling me, sis. I was wondering.”
“I went through that with Troy. Troy tells me Sean is the real deal. He’s loyal to those he loves.”
But does he truly love me? Montana asked herself.
30
Sean needed those few hours of sleep. Norman was now behind bars and hoped his lawyers wouldn’t be able to get him off on bail. Surely, no judge would release him but stranger things had happened. His body and mind now felt rejuvenated. After thanking God that he was alive to see another day, he looked at his phone and saw several missed calls. He smiled when he saw Montana’s number was one of them.
He checked his messages. “That’s odd,” Sean said after listening to Montana’s message. He also saw he had several missed calls from Jason.
Sean dressed and went in search of Troy. Troy was watching sports when he entered the living room area. “Man, have you talked to Jason?”
“No. I saw he had been trying to reach me so I called his phone but I’m not getting any answer.”
“Well, Montana said he stopped by there and something didn’t seem right to her.”
Troy pulled out his phone and dialed a number. He put it on speaker. “Mike, have you talked to Jason?”
“No, but got calls. I was knocked out so didn’t hear the phone ringing.”
“Why was he over at Montana’s looking for me?” Sean asked.
“I don’t know what’s up with that. I’ll track him down and get back to y’all,” Mike said.
Troy ended the call. “Guess we’ll know soon enough.”
“My gut is saying we need to go to his place.”
“Let me find my shoes and then I’ll be ready to go,” Troy responded.
Twenty minutes later they were pulling up to Jason’s apartment. “I didn’t see his car,” Sean said, as he found a parking spot.
“Neither did I,” Troy responded.
Sean knocked on the door. No answer. Troy called Jason’s phone. Sean said, “Did you hear that? Call his number again.”
Troy obeyed. He put his ear to the door and heard the phone ringing. Sean put on some gloves and turned the doorknob so as not to destroy any fingerprints that may be there just in case there was foul play. The door didn’t budge.
Troy said, “I got it.” Troy pulled out a small, slim metal device. He used it to pick the lock. He turned the doorknob and it opened.
Jason’s apartment was ransacked, but nothing was taken. Troy and Sean both had their guns out as they went from room to room.
Sean said, “Found him.”
Troy walked in the bathroom behind him.
A note was taped to Jason’s bloody body. Troy ripped the note away and read it. He handed it to Sean. “It’s meant for you.”
Sean read the note: “We’re coming for you and anybody who knows you.”
Sean dropped the note on the floor, but Troy bent down and picked it up and put in his pocket. “I better call this in,” Troy said.
“I need to check on something.”
While Troy was calling his friend, and the police department, Sean dialed Montana’s number. “Baby, sorry I’m just calling. How are you feeling this morning?” he asked. He hoped she couldn’t pick up on his nervousness.
“I’m doing fine. No headaches and I’m not dizzy anymore.”
“That’s good. Has anyone else stopped by there?”
“No. Did you ever catch up with Jason?” she asked.
“Sort of. I’ll tell you about it when I get there. In th
e meantime, do not and I repeat do not answer the door for anyone.”
When the police officers got there, they asked Troy and Sean many questions. Sean kept looking at his watch because he needed to get to Montana. Mike was doing his best to track Jason’s car. The person who had it was more than likely Jason’s killer. Mike sent a text message to both of their phones to indicate he had located the car.
Sean texted Mike back to let him know they would go check it out. As soon as the police were satisfied with their answers, they headed to Jupiter Road.
“He has to be the dumbest criminal,” Troy said as they parked on the side of the road.
“Or it could be a setup,” Sean responded. “Maybe we should get some reinforcements.”
Troy gripped his weapon. “This is all the reinforcement we need.”
“I got an uneasy feeling about this, man.”
Just when they were getting ready to walk across the street, they noticed someone use a crowbar to break in Jason’s car.
Troy shouted but the burglar looked back at Troy and then jumped in the car. As soon as the door closed, the car exploded.
Troy and Sean both hit the ground. Debris from the car flew and fell all over the place, barely missing Sean’s truck.
Troy said, “Let’s get out of here. We don’t need to be here when the cops come.”
People from some of the nearby buildings were coming out and checking their surroundings.
Troy called in the explosion as he and Sean drove in the opposite direction of it.
Sean called Montana. “Look. Something’s come up. I need to pay Norman a visit.”
Montana seemed disappointed but she didn’t say anything. Sean ended the call as he drove to the federal prison where Norman was being held. After going through security, and after the guards verified his and Troy’s security clearances, they were allowed through the gates.
“Patterson. Sean Patterson,” the guard called his name over the intercom.
Sean walked up to the guard station. “I’m Sean.”
“There seems to be a problem. I have here that the prisoner is being transferred to the Oklahoma facility.”
“Who gave those orders?” Troy asked.
“I’m not at liberty to say,” the guard responded.
Sean asked, “How long ago was this?”
The guard looked at the computer screen. “An hour ago.”
Troy stated, “Let me speak to Colonel Payne.”
“The colonel’s off today,” the guard responded.
Troy repeated himself. “I suggest you get the colonel on the phone, or some jobs might be in jeopardy.”
Sean cursed under his breath. Norman was not supposed to be transferred. This was not good. Not good at all.
31
Montana ended up putting in the refrigerator the extra breakfast she had cooked. She called into the office to see how things were going. Fortunately for her, she was the boss, or she would have been fired.
Savannah and Asia were both busy doing their own thing. All of the sisters worked for themselves. They didn’t all set out to do so, but it just happened that way. Montana smiled because if it weren’t for her father’s encouragement, she would still be spending countless hours slaving away making someone else richer. Instead, she used her contacts and her skills and started her own public relations firm. She had the nickname in the industry of the Image Maker, because even if her client was notorious, she could make him or her sound like the best thing since the television was invented.
Montana was good and the people she hired had to have that something extra special too. Although she had a person over human resources, no one got hired without Montana’s scrutiny and final approval.
Montana logged on to her office e-mail and followed up on several of her projects. Some of her regular clients needed press releases done for some upcoming events. She created bids for potential clients. She needed something to keep her mind occupied. Something to keep her mind off the events of the last few days. Something to keep her mind off Sean.
Montana was wrapped up in work when Savannah came downstairs. “Sean and Troy are pulling up outside.”
Savannah went to the front door and opened it. She walked outside. Soon afterward, Sean walked in. He made his way directly to Montana. They held each other tight. He kissed her on the forehead before reaching for her hand. They walked to the sofa. Montana picked up the papers she had been working on and moved them and placed them on the coffee table in front of her.
“I’ve been so worried about you,” Montana confessed.
“I might have to go to Oklahoma. Went to see Norman but he got transferred.”
“Well, that’s only about four hours away. I’ll be okay.”
“Another thing. Jason’s dead.”
Montana’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God. What happened?”
Sean stated what happened and told her about the explosion. “So, you see why I’m so concerned about your safety.”
“My sisters are here, but now I’m wondering who the guy was with Sean. Let me do a quick sketch of him.”
Montana got up and found a pen. She placed typing paper on the pad in front of her. She closed her eyes and drew the vision she saw in her head. The man had a round bald head. She opened her eyes and looked at the picture. “He was never introduced, but this is him.”
Sean took the paper from Montana and looked at the picture. “Are you sure?” he asked.
“Positive. Does he work for you?”
“No, he’s a federal agent.”
Sean got up and left Montana alone. He returned, followed by Troy and Savannah. Sean’s phone was glued to his ear.
When he got off the phone, he said, “Ladies, pack up some clothes. We need to get y’all to a safe house.”
Montana protested, “We’re fully capable of taking care of ourselves. I think our track record speaks for itself.”
Montana saw fear in Sean’s eyes. Something she’d never seen before. “I know you are. Just trust me on this. Please,” Sean pled.
Montana turned her laptop off and placed it in the case.
Troy said, “Where’s Asia?”
“She’s at her place,” Savannah responded.
Troy said, “We’ll swing by and pick up Asia. Sean, we’ll meet you and Montana at the safe house.”
Montana was already on the phone with Asia. “Pack some bags. We’re taking a trip.”
Asia didn’t ask questions. “Give me about thirty minutes.”
Montana responded. “No, stay put. Troy and Savannah will call you when they’re out front.”
Sean helped Montana pack. Montana turned on the house alarm and the surveillance cameras. “Asia has it set where she can view what goes on here remotely.”
“She’s thought of everything, I see,” Sean stated, sounding impressed.
“After Uncle Raymond tried to kill Savannah, we added extra security on top of what our dad already had in place.”
“Troy needs to recruit you ladies because y’all some bad mamma jammas.”
They both laughed as they entered Sean’s car.
Sean said, “I need to swing by my place first and grab a few things.”
Once they reached Sean’s house, Montana decided she didn’t want to remain behind. Sean’s house wasn’t as elaborate as Troy’s but it was still nice. The one-story house was decorated in blacks and browns. Montana followed Sean through the rooms and she could think of many ways she could give his place a nice makeover.
Montana was staring at a picture of a woman and a man on the mantle when she felt Sean’s arm wrap around her waist.
“That’s a picture of my grandparents. It’s the only picture I have.”
“You look just like your grandfather,” she said.
“Too bad I didn’t get a chance to meet them before they died. That picture is the only thing that ties me to them,” Sean said.
Montana turned around and wanted to remove the sadness she heard in Sea
n’s voice. “If I have anything to do with it, you’ll never be alone again.”
Montana wasn’t usually that forthcoming. She wrapped her arm around Sean’s neck and pulled his lips on top of hers. She used her tongue and parted her lips to his welcoming mouth. The built-up passion didn’t take long to ignite into a full-blown inferno.
Montana wrapped her legs around Sean’s waist. Without breaking his lips away from her, Sean carried Montana to his bed. While he unbuckled his pants, Montana removed hers. Sean took control of removing her panties. He pushed her bra up and took each one of her nipples into his mouth, causing moans to seep out from both of them.
He used his free hand to open up her legs. His fingers inserted into her wet spot causing Montana’s body to shiver. He removed his fingers and replaced them with his throbbing manhood. The moment he entered Montana’s body, they both exhaled.
Montana wrapped her legs around his waist for a second time and enjoyed the ride. With each stroke, Sean was able to make Montana forget all of her worries. Time stood still as they became one with each other. If this was what pure bliss felt like, Montana didn’t want it to ever end.
They both moaned, “I love you,” as they climaxed.
32
Sean knew he shouldn’t have made love to Montana because their lives could have been in danger, but he was feening for her and needed to feel the inside of her or he would have exploded within his pants and that wouldn’t have been a nice sight. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he lost all control and here they were now, lying naked in his bed like he had dreamed so many times.
The satisfied smile on her face made it all worth it. Montana was his dream come true and he would do whatever he needed to do to protect her. First order of business was getting dressed and getting her to the safe house.
Sean ran one of his hands through her hair. “Baby, as much as I would like to lie here with you, we need to get going.”
“Okay. Where’s your bathroom so I can freshen up?”
“Normally, I would be like, I’ll meet you there. But you can use the one in here and I’ll use the guest bathroom. I’ll meet you in the living room when you finish.”
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