Chapter 10
One Month Later
The past four weeks passed in a slow, golden haze. Cannon had been living a life so far from anything he ever imagined for himself, but it also felt comfortable. It felt like home.
Nahla in his T-shirts.
Nahla curled up next to him on the sofa with her laptop.
Nahla bonding with his little sister whenever she came over—and with his grandmother whenever they talked on the phone.
Nahla cooking him the best meals he’d ever had, daily.
Nahla.
Everything with them just felt natural, and they had been going with it—probably a little too much.
Their plan to lay low had gone better than Cannon expected.
She had been back to the news office a few times, and there were no strange cars or people around.
She hadn’t received any more suspicious emails or calls.
Since her brother took their father on his most recent doctor’s visit, Nahla hadn’t had to go back to Lyle—thank God.
And because she was sticking to publishing small, harmless pieces every week, it gave the appearance that her life had returned to normal.
Everything had been smooth, and the new couple had been living in the bubble they had created for themselves.
It had almost been as if they believed the facade that they had been trying to sell to Lyle PD, because they hadn’t done much work regarding the story.
Instead of using the time to explore her leads, they’d been exploring each other.
Last night, Nahla randomly mentioned that all the victims she had interviewed must have thought she had given up by now.
A part of their plan to lay low was for Nahla to cease contact with all her sources. It was for her safety and theirs, just in case they were being watched. But still, the goal wasn’t to let this story slip through the cracks, so today, Cannon was getting things back on track.
The encrypted email Nahla received a month ago had been sitting untouched.
They needed answers. Right now, they had a bunch of pieces but needed glue to hold them together, and they hoped to find it today.
So, he and Nahla loaded into his truck and made the forty-five-minute drive into the city.
They were going to be spending the day at Porter Protects.
When they entered the building, Capri was leaning over the reception desk with her tablet.
Cannon was a little surprised to find her there, but then again, it made sense.
Capri didn’t play about business. She believed that if their hours of operation were listed as open in their web search results, they needed to be open.
She always said her worst fear was that someone in dire need of protection would come to their office and find no one there to help.
Capri looked up as they stepped through the door. She observed her brother first, then Nahla, who was tucked under his arm, wearing a hoodie she knew belonged to her brother.
Capri blinked then squinted and pointed at them.
“Oh, hell nah. Y’all go together real bad. Lyin’ asses!”
Nahla burst out laughing, and Cannon just shook his head.
“Nosy ass,” was all Cannon said.
They had yet to tell Capri or anyone else about the developments in their relationship. Capri knew they were feeling each other, but because they kept their distance from each other whenever she visited, she couldn’t prove it.
“I knew it,” Capri said, smiling. “I was just telling Mama that—”
Their doorbell sounded off, cutting Capri’s statement short. Cannon walked over to the receptionist’s desk and observed the security camera monitor.
“The fuck?” he said, more to himself than anyone else.
Because he was now blocking the monitor, Capri asked, “Who is it, Cane?”
He looked at her with a frown. “It’s Mace.”
“Come here, La,” Cannon said calmly.
He could see the concern in her face, and it was likely because of the frown on his. He didn’t anticipate a problem. He and Mace didn’t have any bad blood that Cannon knew about, but he hadn’t seen Mace in several years. People changed, and if he were on some bullshit, Cannon would handle it.
Once Nahla moved away from the front door and joined Capri and Cannon behind the desk, he slowly pressed the button that unlocked the door. Seconds later, Mace walked in with a smile.
“Wassup, brother? You don’t call, you don’t write,” Mace said, walking in further.
“What’s good, Mace? Long time,” Cannon replied, walking around the desk and approaching him. As if they’d seen each other yesterday, they greeted each other with the same handshake they’d done since middle school then ended it with a brotherly hug.
Once they released each other, Cannon asked, “What the hell are you doin’ here?”
Before Mace could reply, Capri emerged from behind the desk.
“Mace?”
Mace focused on her, and the look he gave Capri had Cannon ready to punch the shit out of him.
“Cap,” he said with a smirk. “You done grown up.”
Cannon glanced at his sister. He now wanted to snatch her up because of how hard her light, bright ass was blushing.
She kissed her teeth and said, “And you grew old.”
“Old? Girl, please, I’m in my prime,” he said.
Capri opened her mouth to reply, but Cannon cut her off.
“Nigga, what the fuck you doin’ here?” he asked, making Mace laugh again.
In true Mace fashion, he completely ignored Cannon’s aggression and clowned him instead. Looking at Capri again, he said, “Aye, Cap, why you ain’t got this nigga in therapy yet? Mean ass still got attitude problems.”
Capri, Mace, and Nahla all started to laugh, which did nothing to help Cannon’s mood. Nahla was the next one to join the group.
Capri looked at her and said, “La, this is Mace, Cannon’s oldest and best friend. They were joined at the hip until Cane left the service.”
Nahla’s brows lifted. “Oh! You’re a marine, too?”
Cannon broke up the pleasantries by wrapping an arm around Nahla’s shoulders and saying, “Y’all ’bout to piss me off, ignoring me and shit.”
Mace kissed his teeth. “Crybaby ass. I got discharged, man. I had been wanting out but needed to complete my term of service. The last mission I was on just about took me out, and my superiors granted me my discharge earlier than expected. My mama is sick and shit, and since my pops ain’t here no more, I’m all she got. Long story short, I’m home, nigga.”
Cannon felt bad instantly. He had no idea Mace’s father had died. After his dishonorable discharge and all the mess that came with it, Cannon cut that part of his existence completely out. That part included his oldest friend, who didn’t deserve to be exiled from his life.
“I didn’t know your pops died, man. I’m sorry, for real.”
“I’m sorry, too, Mace. I had no clue,” Capri said softly.
Mace sighed. “Yeah, it’s been a couple of years now, but I try not to dwell on it. Look, though. The first thing I did when I made this move was look you up. You got out and went ghost, but it looks like you’re doin’ big shit, Cane,” Mace said, looking around the large office building.
“Yeah, we gettin’ by.”
Mace scoffed. “Gettin’ by? You know I know people, and people be talkin’ about Porter Protects. You’ve been all over the country with this shit, man. From what I heard, you’re damn near running your own Homeland Security over here.”
Capri rolled her eyes. “I wish. If Cannon would just let me hire more security professionals, we could be way bigger than we are.”
Cannon shook his head. “I’on care about size. I care about efficiency. Plus, I’on be trustin’ niggas.”
“You trust me, I hope,” Mace said.
Without thinking, Cannon replied, “With my life.” Apparently, it didn’t matter how many years had passed. His brother was his brother. “Always.”
“Good. ’Cause I want in.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I want in. I just quit my job, and I’m too young to be fully retired. The Marines kept me overseas, which is why it wasn’t working for me anymore. With you, I can be closer to my moms and not lose my sanity because I ain’t doin’ shit. Put me in the game, coach.”
Before Cannon could even consider the request, Capri spoke up. “You’re hired. Now we could really use your help with Nahla’s situation—”
“Cap,” Cannon said in a warning tone.
She cut her eyes at him. “What? You just said you trust the man with your life. I’ve been telling you we needed more people. What’s the problem?”
“Give us a minute, y’all,” Cannon said, looking at Nahla and Capri.
Nahla looked concerned, while Capri just looked annoyed. She turned on her heels and stomped toward the hallway, and after a few seconds of peering at Cannon, Nahla followed her. After they were out of sight, Mace spoke up again.
“You ain’t even gotta say nothin’, ’cause I already know. You’re in love as hell.”
Cannon frowned, but instead of denying it, he found himself asking, “What makes you say that?”
Mace chuckled. “That woman Cap just introduced is named Nahla, right? The same Nahla that she said has a situation? I peeped how y’all were lookin’ at each other, nigga. She’s your client and you in love wit’ her, so you’re trying to keep it close to the chest. I respect it.”
“It ain’t that, I just—”
He cut Cannon off. “It’s exactly that, and like I said, I get it. Look, I was ya brother before the Marines ever gave us a uniform. I’m rockin’ wit’ you before anybody, and the years apart don’t change that.
“I’on know everything that happened when you left, because they were real discreet about it, but I know Ox was involved in whatever went down.
I know that it’s because of him that you shut down on me, and I know it was bad.
It had to be for you to feel like you couldn’t come to me with it.
For you to feel like I wouldn’t have had your back. ”
“That wasn’t it, Mace—”
“It was, but like I said, it’s cool. I don’t know all that you went through over there, but I know we’ve both seen some messed-up stuff, and those kinds of experiences stay with you. Just know that I got you for whatever, and if you need me, I’m here.”
Cannon ran a hand over the top of his head.
Mace wasn’t wrong about anything he said.
Ox was the only other marine Cannon trusted like a brother.
He was the reason they even joined the Marines.
When Ox betrayed him, Cannon shut down completely.
He automatically assumed that Mace would likely side with Ox and the Marines and turn his back on Cannon, so Cannon beat him to it.
It wasn’t right, but it was how he felt at the time.
Honestly, it was how he felt until the moment Mace walked into Porter Protects.
“I know you are, bruh, and I appreciate that. Honestly, I owe you an apology. My issues with Ox and the Corps ain’t have shit to do with the brotherhood we had built since youngins. I know you’re a real one, and I know you have my back.
“With this case, though, just give me a minute to think about it, aight? Slide me your number. I’ll hit you up.”
They dapped up, and Mace said, “Fair enough.”