Chapter 6 #2
She rolled her eyes then looked away from him.
Her eyes traveled to a small picture frame on the coffee table.
She picked it up, causing Cannon to shake his head.
Capri kept trying to leave personal touches around the safe house, but every time she did, Cannon would make them disappear.
He didn’t use this place often, but when he did, it was for work.
He never needed his professional and personal lives to mix.
It looked like she found time to make the drive out here and place yet another family photo here. It probably wasn’t the only one.
Turning the photo toward Cannon, Nahla asked, “Your family?”
Cannon nodded as he scanned the photo. “Yeah, my sister and grandma.”
Nahla stared at the photo again. With a soft smile, she said, “Your sister’s beautiful.”
You’re beautiful, Cannon thought.
“And your grandmother looks so sweet,” Nahla finished.
“She is.”
“What would she say about you kidnapping me and stashing me in your top-secret spy house?”
That earned her a smirk from Cannon.
“She would ask you if I fed you yet,” he replied with a chuckle.
Nahla pouted again, and Cannon had to adjust himself.
“You haven’t fed me, and I’m low-key starving.”
“What do you want to eat?”
She shrugged. “I’m not picky. Can I go take a bath while you order something, or is that outside of one of your boundaries?” She tried to maintain a straight face, but her eyes let him know she was trying to joke.
“Go wash ya ass,” was all he said as he pulled his phone out.
Laughing, Nahla disappeared down the hall. Although the home was large, Nahla didn’t ask for assistance getting back to her room. He figured her nosy ass already had the place mapped in her head.
Cannon dialed and placed the phone on speaker.
“I’ve been calling you,” was the first thing out of his sister’s mouth.
“It’s been a lot goin’ on, Cap. My bad.”
“A lot going on, like what?” she asked, her voice full of concern that quickly.
“I’ll catch you up when you get here. I had to bring Nahla to the safe house, but I didn’t get her anything to eat first. Can you pick up something and bring it here?”
Cannon knew he was asking a lot of his sister. She lived thirty minutes away from the safe house, and she was probably settled for the night. Capri knew that he never had anything delivered there, though. He wanted the location to remain low-key for safety reasons.
“Sure. What does she want?”
Cannon shook his head. “I’on know. She said she’s not picky, but get somethin’ nice.”
There was a pause.
Finally, his sister said, “Something nice?” He could hear the amusement in her voice and just chuckled.
“Yeah, man.”
“I’ll be there in about an hour.”
“Thank you. Love you.”
“I know,” she replied, hanging up.
Cannon sighed and rested his head on the back of the sofa once again. It had been one hell of a day, but he had a feeling that this was only the beginning. He thought about what Nahla said when he suggested she drop the story for her safety.
That’s not happening. People are depending on me to follow this through.
He pegged her as the ambitious type, but when she said that, it sounded like this was more than just another story to her. She felt an obligation to the people who had been hurt, and he could respect that. He could even resonate with it in a way.
The determination and purpose in her tone made him a little uneasy, though. She was going to test every rule he had set. He knew that.
The problem was that he didn’t think he minded that.
Nahla shut her bedroom door softly behind her and leaned against it. Exhaling, she pulled her phone out. She needed answers, and there was only one person who could give them to her. Once she unlocked her phone, she realized the very person she wanted to call had already called her several times.
“Nahla? I’ve been calling for hours. Are you okay?” Mr. Hill asked as soon as he answered the phone.
“Yes, I’m fine, . . . kind of. Someone through bricks through my window tonight.”
“What the hell? Where are you? Are you still home? Are you safe? I’m coming to get you.”
“No, I’m not home anymore. Cannon was actually at my house when it happened and has taken me somewhere else. Apparently, he insists on protecting me.”
“Really? Well . . . you’re definitely in good hands. I trust him with you.”
“Why?” Nahla asked. What did Mr. Hill know about this man that made him so sure?
“He’s got a lot of experience keeping people safe. I have first-hand references, and I know you’ll be fine in his care.”
“This is too much,” Nahla said, her tone low.
“I know, which is why I need you to listen very carefully.”
Nahla stilled, hearing the shift in his tone.
His next words surprised and annoyed her at the same time.
“You’re officially on leave until this is sorted out.”
Nahla blinked. “What?”
“You heard me. I was already feeling nervous about it, but this is getting dangerous.”
“Mr. Hill, no. Absolutely not. I’m not giving up my story.”
“I’m not asking you to,” he said calmly. “But I am telling you to prioritize your safety while you continue investigating.”
“But—”
“No buts, Nahla.” His tone softened but didn’t budge. “I hired Porter because I suspected things in Lyle would escalate, but I thought I was overreacting. I had no idea it would be this soon or this violent.
“If Mr. Porter is willing to protect you for the time being, we’re going to take him up on that.”
Nahla inhaled deeply. When she exhaled, it was slow and shaky. She was overwhelmed and upset, but she knew he was right.
“Do you hear me, Nahla?” Mr. Hill asked.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Good. I need you alive, and so do the people who trusted you with their stories.”
Her chest tightened at that.
“Thanks, Mr. Hill,” she said, meaning it. The fact that she felt compelled to call him and not her father spoke to the bond they shared. It was kind of sad, but since she and her dad weren’t too close, she was highly grateful to Eli Hill.
“Thanks for believing in this story.”
“No disrespect to the people involved, but Nahla, I believe in you.”
That made her smile. Mr. Hill continued.
“Take a minute for yourself and settle down, okay? I’m going to check in with you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
With that, they hung up. Nahla lowered her phone slowly and continued her deep breathing. This had been a whirlwind of a night, but she knew one thing: She refused to give up her story.
But, maybe, just maybe . . .
She could finally admit that she wasn’t in this alone.
Cannon checked his watch when he heard the garage door lift. His sister said it would take her an hour to reach the safe house, but she made it there in forty-five.
After a couple of minutes had passed without the front door opening, Cannon stood with a frown.
The hell was she out there doing?
He walked out of the living room and through the kitchen before opening the door to the garage.
His sister’s car was parked beside his, and it seemed to be turned off, but there was no movement coming from it.
Cannon descended the steps, approached the driver’s side of her car, then opened the door.
His sister was sitting with her arms folded and her face tight.
Smirking, Cannon asked, “The hell you still sittin’ out here for?”
Capri rolled her eyes. “Waiting on my brother to act like the gentleman my grannie raised him to be.”
Cannon chuckled. Their grandmother had raised him right, but Capri’s ass was just spoiled. She acted like she couldn’t see doors when her big brother was around. Cannon would never admit it to her, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“My bad, Cap,” he said, extending a hand toward her. She sat, mugging him a few seconds longer before flashing Cannon a smile and placing her hand into his. Once Capri was out of the car, she whisked past her brother.
She said, “The food’s in the passenger seat,” before heading inside the house.
Shaking his head, Cannon closed the driver’s door, rounded the car, and retrieved a large paper bag with The Rose Garden printed on it.
He was immediately reminded of how hungry he was, because it was one of Cannon’s favorite places to eat.
He knew his sister had ordered his go-to meal, and couldn’t wait to eat.
Once he made it back inside, he placed the food on the kitchen island then headed into the living room, where he found his sister chilling on the sofa with the remote control in her hand.
Without looking at him, Capri said, “You need to call Mama. She’s about ready to cuss you out.”
Cannon dropped his head and sighed.
“Why am I gettin’ cussed out? I just saw her last week.”
“And you know that’s not enough for her. Whenever you’re in town, she wants to see you at least every other day.”
It was true. Cannon’s line of work kept him away from home more often than not. He always made sure his grandmother had whatever she needed, but it didn’t stop her from worrying about or missing him.
“I know. I’ve just been caught up with this case. I’ma make sure I pull up on Mama tomorrow, though,” he said, wondering how Nahla would feel about that. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight any time soon, so it wasn’t like she had a choice.
“Yeah, the case. Let’s talk about that.”
A sly smile graced his sister’s face, and Cannon immediately shook his head and walked away from her. As he entered the kitchen, he heard footsteps behind him.
Taking the first food container out of the bag, he said, “I ain’t doin’ this with you, Capri.”
She laughed. “Doing what? Discussing work? We’re business partners, Cane. It’s kind of a necessity.”
Cannon cut his eyes at her. “I know you, Cap, and you ain’t tryna talk about no damn business.”
With a dramatic sigh, Capri placed both her hands on the island. “I am too. Is she . . . okay?”
Finally removing the last food container, Cannon said, “She’s straight.”
“The last time we talked, you said you were gonna keep an eye on her at her own house. Why are we here?”