Chapter 13 #2
“Well,” I muttered, craving a change of pace and seriousness. “She trusted you so much that she ended up getting herself grounded for the entire summer. I’ll be lucky if I’m allowed to even get the mail from the mailbox.”
“Mmm,” he pondered. “That’s not the worst thing in the world considering Silas has got dozens of people in these streets lookin’ for you like you’re a winning lotto ticket.”
“Did the price go up again?” Last I checked, we’d hit the six-figure milestone, up from seventy-five grand.
“One-twenty-five,” Kain shared. I read the most recent increase as desperation. As though reading my mind, Kain added, “Feels like things are getting desperate over here.”
“Is he finally starting to feel like he’ll lose?” I didn’t even bother masking my hopefulness. Kain already knew how I felt about his father.
“No. I doubt it.” Kain shot down my hopefulness in one fell swoop. “Honestly…” He chuckled. “…I think it’s a pride thing now. A little girl shouldn’t be this hard to pin down. It’s got him real annoyed.”
“Has it got him thinking to refocus his attention back to my dad?”
Kain sounded disappointed when he said, “No. They still want you.” He explained, “It would take too many feet on the ground and much more than one-twenty-five Gs to bag a state attorney. The failed hit last spring lost Silas at least eight hundred. He’s not tryna have a repeat.
Even though you have been next to impossible to snatch, it’s still an easier job than getting a whole ass government official. ”
“Is he getting suspicious yet?”
“Nah,” Kain assured. “Like I said last week, Silas has got this whole thing structured like a sick scavenger hunt. Most of the key players are going it alone. So when my friends intervene, it just looks like people duking it out over the last Easter egg.”
I rolled my eyes at his analogy. Leave it to Kain to equivocate a kidnapping plot to an Easter egg hunt.
Kain didn’t have a ton of flaws, but his biggest imperfection was in how he didn’t seem to take lawlessness as seriously.
I had to keep reminding myself that while all this was new for me, this was his every day.
“I bet your friends will be relieved to hear that I’m grounded all summer.”
“They were gonna call it quits for the summer regardless,” Kain reminded. Of course. Marlon, Jay, and Amir looking out for me after Spring Break was a favor, not a job. Now that Kain was here… “You were supposed to be my problem for the next few months.”
“You sound so disappointed to have lost a problem,” I giggled, a yawn escaping me as the dawn sun began to rise in the morning sky.
“Can they really still ground you at your age?” Kain questioned, humor in his voice. He evidently thought the idea was ridiculous.
This was something we agreed on. “We’ll see.”
***
My house was a maximum security prison, and my parents forcibly made Morgan the warden. I was grounded for the summer for dating the heir to a criminal empire, but Morgan was being forced to oversee me, as punishment for not saying anything about it.
Three weeks had rolled by, turning May into June. My sister’s resentment for me grew as the summer days wasted away. While her punishment was less severe than mine, the fact that she was being subjected to the boredom of watching me in the day while my parents were at work was bad enough.
I clicked through the television channels in the living room, my mind wandering to Kain the way it usually did. We’d been on the phone the night before until three o’clock that morning. The only thing that kept us from going till sunrise most days, was Kain’s early wake-up time.
That summer, Kain had a strict study regimen for the LSAT exam he was taking in September.
He liked to get studying out of the way early in the day.
It was probably because being home for the summer held a dozen other responsibilities Kain simply chose not to talk about.
Silas Montgomery didn’t strike me as a person who would be fine with his chosen successor sitting at home all day.
“Lauren,” Morgan called out suddenly from the dining room table. I tossed my head back to see my twin sister standing at her seat, a silver key in her hand. “I can’t take it anymore.”
I raised a single eyebrow, watching her make a dramatic show of grabbing her purse from the storage closet near the front door. “What can’t you take anymore?”
“This!” She pushed out her fingers, motioning all around the house. “Every day.”
“And so?”
“I’m leaving – we’re leaving!” she announced.
“We’ll be back before Mom gets home from work.
I can’t do this babysitting thing with you in the house…
I just…” Morgan’s voice broke, and I actually expected her to start crying.
“I have been craving a nicoise salad from Designer Greens for almost a month now. And you know what? Designer Greens closes at four in the afternoon. Mom gets home at five-thirty. Do you see my dilemma?”
“I feel so bad for you.” My flat-toned mocking did not amuse her.
Here I was, confined to the house twenty-four-seven, and my sister could barely handle nine hours a day, five days a week.
To top it all off, today was Friday. Morgan had a whole weekend of freedom ahead of her.
My tone was saccharine when I said, “Aren’t you afraid of getting in trouble? ”
“Don’t patronize me, Lauren,” Morgan warned, looking around for her driving sunglasses. “You won’t snitch. As if I can’t hear you talking up a storm every night with your thug bae.”
I pulled a face. “Wait, what?”
“Yes,” Morgan stressed, pulling open the front door and nodding for me to follow her out. “They may not be able to hear you downstairs, but girl, I’m next door. And nosy.”
“But you haven’t told Mom and Dad yet.” I circled around the front of our shared car, reaching for the passenger’s side door. “Why?”
It was very unlike her to want to help me out.
Morgan shrugged, her voice sing-songy when she replied, “I thought I might blackmail you with it one day.” Of course. “Besides, even though we’re not friends, I know you best. You wouldn’t have it this bad for Thug Bae if he was really out here being reckless. That’s not your type.”
“I’ve never even had a boyfriend,” I reminded, as Morgan started the car. “How do you know I have a type? What’s my type?”
Morgan tugged her sunglasses down from her forehead, pulling out of the driveway. She looked at me briefly, a touch of mischief in her smirk. “Nah, I’m enjoying watching your little journey. You figure you out, sis. No cheat codes. I’m gonna get this salad.”
My cellphone was tucked into the waistband of my pocketless jean shorts, causing me to hold my stomach as I stepped out of the car and into the Designer Greens parking lot. The noon sun was high in the sky, and so I felt appropriately dressed in my denim shorts and black cropped tee.
Morgan, however, was overdressed like she usually was, looking like an Essence Magazine pictorial.
She wore a flowing maxi sundress that hugged her at the waist, its orange color making her brown skin pop.
Her straight black hair was styled in a chic high ponytail that fell between her exposed shoulder blades.
Doing absolutely the most for an afternoon lettuce stop.
Designer Greens, my sister’s favorite restaurant, was in an affluent Miami neighborhood, a stone’s throw away from the luxe Aventura Mall.
The parking lot was a collection of luxury vehicles, each competing to be the flashiest one in the yard.
On the ride over, I’d texted Kain about my movements, and he’d expressed doubts that I’d run into any problems in this part of town.
Morgan swiped her sunglasses off and into her purse, making her way to the restaurant’s entrance. She didn’t bother holding the door open for me as she walked in, so it slammed in my face as I followed behind her. I sighed, pulling the door open to let myself in.
The brush of cold air hit my face just as Morgan ran into one of her many sorority sisters.
I heard them before I saw them. Without even looking in her direction, I could hear their little squealing call as they greeted each other with the warmth of real sisters.
Morgan wasn’t even this nice to me, her real sister.
“Is that my so, so pretty soror?” Morgan’s voice went up an octave. No doubt, the hand signs are up. I smiled to myself, scanning the establishment for any sign of being watched, before turning my attention to my sister and her sorority sister. “Cierra, it’s been a minute!”
My breath caught.
Morgan tossed a discrete glance in my direction, her eyes confirming what I already suspected.
Cierra Montgomery.
As in, the sorority sister that Morgan was so afraid of offending that she dragged me to a party in Silas Montgomery’s home. As in, Silas Montgomery’s youngest daughter. As in, one of Kain’s four older sisters.
Cierra Montgomery looked nothing like her younger brother.
At twenty-three years old, she could have easily passed for nineteen, like Morgan and I.
Her fawn colored skin was a far cry from Kain’s deep umber complexion.
On her head rested an impossibly gorgeous head of curls, dyed dirty blonde, pulled up into a tight puff.
She was short, a single flaw rectified by the six inch Louboutin heels she wore with her dark wash jeans and off-shoulder white blouse.
And I thought Morgan was overdressed…
A long time ago, Kain let me know that his sisters were pretty much left out of the loop when it came to “family business”.
Silas didn’t believe in his daughters, “getting their hands dirty,” as Kain aptly put it.
Kain’s older sisters were about as normal as Morgan and I were, living privileged lives completely removed from the Miami underworld.
Of course they weren’t stupid — they knew what their father was.
But the only capacity they’d ever known Silas in was as their father.
I was only afraid of them for one reason.
The fear I felt creep up my chest came from the simple fact that my boyfriend’s sister was standing right there.
I hadn’t prepared for this. Like a coward, I told myself that I wouldn’t address the elephant in the room.
I was sure Kain hadn’t told any of his sisters about me yet, so I didn’t need to introduce myself as anyone’s girlfriend.
I would play it cool.
Behind Cierra, a familiar face stepped closer, and my plan went down the drain. All I want in life is that pause button, for real. To my horror, two of my boyfriend’s sisters were standing right there. And one of them had already met me—Sanaa Montgomery.
Sanaa’s heels clicked toward Morgan and Cierra, folding the receipt in her hand. She, like her younger sister and Morgan, was dressed beautifully, a white maxi dress that damn near smelled like money. Her straight black hair was cut into a sharp, asymmetrical bob. She looked so darn chic.
Suddenly, I felt dumb for thinking Morgan was overdressed. She was dressed just the right amount to stand a chance beside these women. I tugged at my two-day-old wash ‘n go curls. My jean shorts and crop top made me feel like such a bum now. I backed further away, trying not to be seen.
Sanaa’s eyes lit up as soon as she laid eyes on Morgan.
“Lauren!” Sanaa exclaimed, interrupting my sister midsentence, mistaking her for me.
“Oh wow, you look so… different.” There was something almost shady about her observation.
“Did you flat iron your hair? Please don't tell me you relaxed those beautiful curls! Summer is all about curly hair! I liked you better with the kinks,” she whined, pushing out a pout.
Sanaa was so amusingly animated and perky. You could tell that she was the type to deliver the most offensive comments with the friendliest smile on her face. Morgan looked confused for a moment, but that quickly turned to poorly hidden anger, as she realized what was happening.
“Cici, this is the one I was telling you about last spring,” Sanaa gushed, grabbing Morgan by the shoulders. “Kain's little girlfriend. The reason he skipped your birthday dinner.”
What was once a bright and friendly smile on Cierra’s face began to fade, transitioning into a steely scowl. Cierra looked Morgan up and down. “Huh,” Cierra spoke, attitude thick in her tone. “This is news to me, Morgan.”
“Lauren,” Sanaa corrected, to which Cierra looked at her older sister, ready to dispute that.
Morgan saw an opening and took it. “No, it’s Morgan,” she tried to be polite.
“I think you have me confused with my sister. My twin, actually. She’s the one who’s been seeing your brother.
” To my horror, Morgan tossed her head back, scanning the room before ultimately finding me and pointing. “There.”
Sanaa’s eyes grew with excitement, a smile blossoming on her face. You would think her and I were old friends from the way she eagerly beckoned me over. I quietly groaned my entire way there.
“Hello.” I waved, keeping my distance, feeling myself being assessed by Kain’s older sisters. Did they see my lax outfit in comparison to my sister’s and think I was the lesser of two? Could they tell that I was intimidated by them?
Cierra and Sanaa looked at one another, exchanging a look I could only wish to interpret. When they turned back to face my sister and I, they were only looking at me as they, together, said the words, “Have lunch with us.”