Chapter 8 #2
Axton: I may have some leads. Still working on the numbers and letters list but I have something with the postcard. The zip is Gulf County, Port St. Joe, a little town. I searched Pri and have five possible hits.
He shakes his head in appreciation as he types his response. Axton really knows that computer shit and always comes through for his brother.
Akeem: That’s something. Thanks. Send them.
Axton: Give me five.
By the time Akeem fills the gas tank and is back in the car, he receives the text. Five names and addresses are listed. The first one is Pri Richards and the remaining four are women possibly with the nickname: Caprisha, Priscilla, Prianna, and Pritha.
“Do you mind breakfast?” Sunjiya asks. “I don’t know why I want some but I so.”
“There’s a place still serving breakfast this late?” he questions, noticing the time. It’s after one in the afternoon, hours past normal breakfast time.
“Yeah and it’s only ten minutes from here. They sell breakfast and don’t close until three. We can make it time.”
“Lead the way. I’m just hungry. I can eat whatever,” he says and she starts the directions to Maple Street Biscuit Co.
Because Sunjiya thoroughly reviewed the menu while he was in the store and pumping gas, she knows exactly what she wants to eat and drink. After this morning, alcohol is definitely needed and they have four drinks on the menu.
“A Sunrise mimosa and glass of ice water,” she answers the server, Dreka, as soon as she questions them about beverages.
Akeem smirks at her quick response before flipping the menu over for the drinks. “A tea and water,” he says once he’s looked.
“Sweet tea?” the server questions.
“Yeah,” he says, then offers a nod.
“I’ll be right back with your tea,” she says with an extra friendly smile.
The moment she arrived at their table, she was on Akeem. Even though a blind man can see her attraction to Akeem, he doesn’t. He’s laser focused on Sunjiya, trying to gauge where she’s at mentally. Today didn’t go as planned and they are no closer to finding her sister.
However, Sunjiya definitely notices. She peeped Dreka’s overt attraction from their first interaction.
When she handed Akeem his menu, Dreka brushed his hand lightly and lingered for too damn long.
Sunjiya and Akeem barely know each other and their first interaction isn’t a story to repeat, but damn it, they’d fucked.
They like each other and he’s obviously here with her.
This extra ass server is doing too damn much.
Over the server, Sunjiya tries to snatch her attention from Akeem.
“Extra ice in my water and can you get it now? I’m thirsty.” Like you.
“Got it,” she says, then finally walks off.
“I think she was counting your teeth,” Sunjiya says.
“What?” he asks, totally oblivious to Dreka and her gawking.
“Um, the server. She was staring so damn hard. She probably counted all thirty-two in your mouth,” she says and he hears the jealousy in her tone.
Although amused, he merely says, “Thirty. I had two wisdom teeth removed five years ago.”
“Whatever,” she says before playfully rolling her eyes. “You know what I meant. If she comes back being that thirsty, I’m going to check her. I’m sitting here; she doesn’t know if we are together or not.”
“We are together,” he says coolly and she smiles.
“I’ll make it known. Scoot over,” he demands gently before easing out of his side of the booth and joining her on her side.
After resting his hand on her thigh, he says, “I don’t want to talk about her.
I want to talk to you. Where you at with all of this? ” he says seriously.
Sunjiya inhales and exhales slowly before sinking into the back of the booth.
“I don’t know,” she admits honestly. “I just don’t know.
I’m mad she had me come to Crescent Falls only to be kidnapped, but I’m more worried.
Those medical records,” she says, then shakes her head.
“I don’t blame her for running. What woman wouldn’t.
Only so much a person could take or endure before enough is enough.
Plus, I can feel it. Those medical records aren’t the full picture.
I can only imagine how many times she didn’t go to the hospital. ”
A tear falls from her eye. He thumbs it away then drapes his arm around her. His pull to her doesn’t make any sense, none at all, but it’s powerful and real. He just wants to comfort her, take care of her, and find Tanjaya for her.
“I just need to find her, make sure she’s okay, and kill Marcelin,” she asserts.
“I may have a new lead,” he says and she sits up at his words.
“What lead? Who? I thought you didn’t get any info on Honey,” she says, surprised, thrilled, but somewhat confused. Her eyes peer into him for answers but he waits. Dreka is back with their drinks.
“Are you ready to order now?” she asks and the change in her tone is noticeable and somewhat comical. Her voice is now devoid of the previous sweet notes and filled with bite.
“Give us a minute,” Akeem says coolly and Dreka just walks off. He slides Sunjiya her drinks then turns to face her. “I don’t know if you remember the postcard we found at Tanjaya’s and the name Aunt Pri.”
While slowly shaking her head, she asks, “I do but I don’t remember exactly what was on it. What’s the lead? You know who she is?”
“My partner found five possible Aunt Pris in the zip code. It’s Port St. Joe, a small town about four hours from here. They each have names with Pri in them and fit the age range of a possible aunt, forty to sixty-five. I really think we should head there next and meet with them. I have addresses.”
“You don’t think that’s a long shot? Knocking on random doors, looking for an Aunt Pri and asking about Tanjaya?” she asks and her questions actually surprise him. He definitely thought her reaction would be more hopeful than skeptical.
“It’s better than what we got, and with the town being so small, I think it’s worth going to check them out. There’s nothing here, and if Honey is really avoiding us, she probably left anyway.”
“Or that Marcelin nigga got to her. Everybody I talked to knew him and only had horrible shit to say.”
“We just gotta make sure he doesn’t get to Tanjaya. Going to Port St. Joe might be the lead we need. She kept that postcard for a reason. We can leave after we eat.”
“You’re keeping the rental?”
“Yeah. It’s easier to drive four hours,” he responds.
“I hope you can handle four hours by yourself,” she says before taking a big ass gulp of her mimosa. “I’m going to kill this and get another one.”
“Drink what you want. Four hours ain’t shit for me to drive.”
“Thank you,” she sighs, relieved, before drinking more.
“We’re gonna find your sister,” he assures her and she nods.
“I really hope so,” she utters.
“We will. I really feel like this Aunt Pri lead might be the one,” he says.
Dreka returns to take their food orders.
Needing something to absorb the drinks she plans on filling her belly with, Sunjiya orders their hash bowl.
Akeem orders a bowl as well but opts for the grits bowl.
After seeing a food runner place a chicken biscuit on the table to the left of them, he adds one of those as well.
The minute Dreka walks off, Sunjiya studies his handsome side profile then places her hand on the side of his face.
After lightly turning his face toward hers, she peers into his eyes.
Too many times in her life, when deciding to let anyone in, she has missed signs, warnings, and clues.
People she believed would love, care for, or even protect her did not and she suffered in the end.
God, please let him be different. Please.
“Why are you helping me, for real?” she wonders but the words fall off her lips in a low mumble.
“What’d you ask me?”
“Why are you still here helping me? You could be back to your regular life back in,” she says, then pauses. I don’t even know where he’s from or lives. “Back home. Wherever that is.”
“Austin. Austin, Texas,” he offers. When she gave her body to him, they crossed a line he doesn’t plan on going back on. He’s willing to tell her whatever she wants to know about him.
“Then why aren’t you back in Austin instead of being in Florida, in a random ass restaurant with me, chasing dead ends?”
After closing the small space between them, he shifts his body to face her more. His hand caresses the side of her face then he moves it to the back of her neck. While slightly gripping, he stares intently into her beautiful, soul stirring eyes.
“Because I like you,” he says plainly and she starts to shake her head at his simplistic response.
He continues though. “Let’s be clear. I’m a man who appreciates a beautiful ass woman, so when I saw you, I definitely liked what I saw but it’s more than that.
I had you tied up but you never caved, never showed fear, and never let up on me.
You have more heart than most men I encounter and that is sexy as hell.
I really like you, and plus, you already let me taste you,” he says, then winks.
“So I’m going to do whatever I can to help you, and right now, that’s finding your sister. She’s clearly in trouble and the nigga hurting her is the one who hired me. I don’t like that shit at all. So, for you, we’ll find her and then for me, I’ll go kill him.”
“We’ll go kill him,” she corrects him adamantly.
“We’ll go kill him,” he repeats. “Then I want to see where this can go with us. Even in the midst of all this shit, I know you’re feeling me as much as I’m feeling you.”
“I am. I really am but it’s a lot. I’m a lot and I just need you to know that,” she says seriously.
“I peeped that already,” he says with a smirk, hoping to ease some of her seriousness. “I’m used to a lot though, and trust me, I handle anything you got or come with.”
“Just remember you said that. If you really want to try this with me, there may be a day your ability to handle anything comes into question,” she says as her eyes peer into him.
“A hash bowl,” a male voice interrupts, causing them to break their stare.
A short, stumpy young man holds a large tray of food standing next to the booth.
The large bowl of crispy potatoes, two eggs, spinach, bacon, cremini mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese is in his other hand. “Hash bowl with cheddar,” he repeats.
“Right here,” Sunjiya says while holding one finger up.
“And the rest here,” Akeem says once the young man places Sunjiya’s food in front of her.
“You need anything else?” the young man asks.
“Extra napkins, ketchup, and hot sauce,” Sunjiya responds, then looks at Akeem. “What about you?” she asks him.
After looking at his food, Akeem answers with a nod. “More butter.”
“Me or Dreka will bring that out,” the young man assures them before walking off.
Right before Sunjiya closes her eyes to pray, Akeem asks, “You can eat all that?”
“I’m hungry but this is a lot of food,” she admits. “I wasn’t expecting the bowl to be this damn big.”
“Nah. I mean your allergy. Is it safe?” he clarifies and she smiles.
He’s so concerned.
“Yes,” she responds, still smiling. “This is soy-free and safe. I’m good.” Her smile morphs into a little chuckle.
“What’s funny? You couldn’t breathe,” he says solemnly.
“No. No. I know. That’s not why I’m laughing. It’s you,” she admits, then leans closer to his ear. She doesn’t want prying ears nearby to hear her next words. “It’s just you’re a gun carrying kidnapper who cares,” she says and he shrugs.
“Guns are my job, not who I am. Plus, my son has a food allergy and I don’t take that shit lightly.”
“Son? You have kids.”
“Yeah. Just one but we can talk about him in the car. We got four hours, plus I can’t eat no cold ass grits.”
“Eat. We’ll definitely talk in the car after I nap. This and my drinks ’bout to put me in a food coma.”
Sunjiya bows her head and he joins. When they finish saying grace, Dreka returns with the extra napkins and condiments.
“Do you want anything else from the kitchen or bar? We are closing in fifteen. You can stay and eat but we won’t be preparing anything else,” Dreka informs them.
Akeem looks at Sunjiya, and when she shakes her head, he looks back at Dreka. “Nah, we straight. Just the check,” he says.
When Dreka walks off, Sunjiya pushes her questions to the side for now.
Although Dreka said there was no issue with them staying past closing, seeing the restaurant starting to clear of customers and watching staff members stack chairs on empty tables influences their eating pace.
Twenty minutes later, both Akeem and Sunjiya are finished.
She’s in the restroom while he handles the bill. When she emerges, they head out.