Chapter 8 #2
Once it was time for her father to go back to the exam room, Nahla stood with him, and Cannon assured her that he would be right there when she returned.
After a while, the seat next to where he stood became available, and he sat, his eyes on his vehicle.
Although he planned to check it for bugs and trackers before they got back on the road, he wanted to see if anyone lingered near it.
He wanted to know if the police department knew about Nahla’s last visit before she showed up or if they had just spotted her out randomly.
This doctor’s trip was unplanned for her, so today would help him answer this question.
He had a hunch that someone she interviewed—or planned to interview—had tipped the sheriff off to her arrival.
Cannon’s phone rang. It was Capri.
“Yo,” he answered.
“I just sent you something you need to look at ASAP. If you’re still in the doctor’s office, put your pods in.”
There was an urgency in her voice that had him feeling slightly anxious, so he hung up the phone and immediately took his pod case out of his pocket and put one in his ear.
He went to his sister’s message thread and opened the most recent message she sent him.
His blood immediately boiled after he pressed play.
It was none other than Sheriff Redding standing behind a podium.
It seemed that he had called a press conference in honor of Nahla’s article.
In his remarks, he said her story was a fabrication and that he was “surprised” a paper as respected as The Citizen’s Eye would publish someone who engaged in “reckless journalism.” According to the Sheriff, the city planned to sue the paper if it continued to publish such “defaming material” about Lyle officials.
Cannon chuckled, although he didn’t see a thing funny. Not only were they attacking Nahla’s credibility, but they were also clearly setting the stage for something bigger.
The only positive about this was that Sheriff Redding was attaching his face to all this. If anything happened to Nahla, he would be the first person anyone with a brain would look to.
Damn.
He looked toward the door to the exam area. He wanted to go snatch Nahla up and leave. These people had a plan, and he wanted her nowhere near this city when they put it into action.
Although they had been in the waiting room for a while, the doctor’s visit itself didn’t take long at all. After about twenty minutes, Nahla and her father were emerging from the exam area door, both wearing satisfied expressions.
He was glad to see that the visit didn’t stress her further but knew that hearing about this press conference would.
He decided against telling her about it until they got her father back home.
Capri had caught wind of it because Cannon asked her to keep tabs on Lyle’s local news.
Since the video was filmed only an hour ago, he hoped no one she had talked to in Jasona had gotten a hold of it yet.
“Everything okay?” Cannon asked.
He was talking to Nahla, but her father spoke up.
“Things are as good as they can be with this heart of mine.”
Nahla nodded. “It was a good visit,” she added softly.
“Cool.”
The three of them left the office quietly, and when Nahla and her father were safely in the car, Cannon did a security sweep of the vehicle. Once satisfied that it was clean, he got in and wasted no time leaving.
As they drove, Cannon continuously checked the cars around him, ensuring they weren’t being followed.
None of them talked to each other much for the ride.
Mr. Avery dozed off rather quickly, and Nahla had spent most of the drive on the phone.
First, she spoke with her siblings for the first half of the trip.
Cannon couldn’t help but notice her clipped tone and furrowed eyebrows as she provided her sister and brother with updates about their father.
Her mood lifted during the second half of the trip, though.
Dream, who Cannon realized was her best friend, called, and they talked until they were pulling into Mr. Avery’s front yard.
It took a little while to get him inside, because he was still groggy from his nap, but once they did, they went straight to the safe house.
The sun was setting when he pulled into the garage. Cannon turned the car off and turned toward Nahla. She had fallen asleep during the forty-five-minute drive, and he almost didn’t want to wake her because of how peaceful she appeared.
“La,” he said, in a low tone. She didn’t budge, so he called her name again.
“Nahla. We’re here.” He reached over and brushed the hair away that had fallen in her face, and that prompted her eyes to flutter open. Immediately, she looked at him and smiled, triggering the weird shit in his chest.
Once she sat up, Cannon exited the car and walked around to let her out. As soon as she hopped out of the truck, she raised her arms above her head and stretched. His eyes involuntarily followed the movement.
This woman is something else, man.
Shaking his head, he opened the door to the house, and they both headed straight for the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” Nahla asked, opening the refrigerator.
“As hell,” Cannon replied.
“Your sister bought just about everything you can think of to cook, so what do you have a taste for?”
Cannon smirked. “You gon’ cook for me twice in one day, Nahla?”
Nahla glanced back at him. “It’s La, and I’m going to cook for us. What do you want?”
“Surprise me. I ain’t picky.”
He watched as she started pulling things out of the refrigerator.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Nahla said.
Nahla moving around the kitchen as if she owned it, turned him on just as much as Nahla staring out the passenger’s window. Cannon chuckled. He was feeling her something serious.
He admired her silently for a while, but when she bent over to turn on the oven, he spoke up to distract the other parts of his body.
“I gotta show you somethin’, La. But I don’t want you to let it get you upset, because I’ma handle it.”
He noticed her freeze momentarily before placing the potatoes in the oven. Once she closed the oven door, she turned to face him.
“Show me.” On the surface, she seemed composed, but he had spent the last day and a half observing her and could see the worry in her eyes.
“You heard what I said, though? Don’t let it affect your day.”
“Okay,” she said, not sounding convincing.
He shook his head, not wanting to present this video to her, but knowing that she would see it with or without him.
“Come here.”
She did as he asked, and he handed her his phone and sat back as she pressed play. As she watched the video, Cannon watched her.
He watched as her expression shifted from shock to anger to resolve. One thing he didn’t see was fear, and part of him admired that in her. Once it was done playing, she silently handed him back his phone.
Calmly, she said, “This just means that I’m on the right track. It means they’re nervous about what I’ve uncovered.”
“I agree,” Cannon said. Just because he agreed didn’t mean he wanted her to keep this going, though.
He recognized how many people her work would potentially help, but his priority was her.
Besides, it was bigger than just her at this point.
She officially meant something to him, so losing her behind a story about a criminal enterprise wasn’t an option.
He wanted her to let the story go for her own safety, but he knew that wasn’t an option, either, so he had to devise a plan that would keep her safe while she continued working on this.
“You know this means nothing to me, right?” she asked. A lone tear fell from her eye, and she swiped it away quickly. It caught him off guard because nothing in her expression or tone seemed sad. She continued.
“This means nothing to me,” Nahla repeated. “I’m not stopping. Not after this. The people whose lives they’ve messed up deserve my perseverance.”
“I don’t expect you to give up, La,” he said.
They stared into each other’s eyes for the longest time.
Eventually, she exhaled and said, “Good. Now let me finish your dinner.” With that, she turned on her heels and headed toward the stove.
Cannon ran a hand across his face. He hated being behind.
Capri was right when she said he hadn’t had time to prepare for this job properly.
He needed some time to focus solely on recon so that he could develop a solid plan.
His mind raced as he watched her prepare dinner.
Her demeanor was calm, and he knew that the video would only motivate her to dig deeper.
As time passed by with him in that same spot, one thing became clear: He wasn’t just working to keep her safe.
He was fighting to protect that part of her that he was witnessing now.
The part that kept going even when outside forces tried to break her.
The part he was beginning to care about, more than a little bit.
“You’re really somethin’ else,” Cannon said, eyeing the meal Nahla had just placed in front of him. The breakfast she’d made him that morning was excellent, but this dinner looked and smelled even better.
It had been a minute since Cannon enjoyed a home-cooked meal, so the roasted potatoes, Tuscan chicken, and sauteed vegetables had him hype.
Smiling, Nahla handed him a fork and sat across from him where her plate was.
While cooking, Nahla discovered a nice wine collection in one of the cabinets.
Although Cannon said that he didn’t drink while on the job, she decided that she deserved to relax a little.
She had chosen a nice bottle of Cabernet and a large wine glass.
Both Nahla and Cannon bowed their heads and silently blessed their food before digging in. After a couple of bites, he said, “This is good as hell, La.”
She nodded and smirked. “It really is.”