A Commitment to Love, Book 3 (49 page)

“Because I had a boy bring me home.”

“That’s it?”

“He thought I was dating him, and all my brothers had told me that I couldn’t talk to any boys like that. I was forbidden.”

I grinned. “Yes, that’s probably why I like Sherman so much.”

“My brothers were freaking crazy.”

“I think they were protective.”

“Psycho protective. Either way, he watched me step out of the car and close the door. The guy that had brought me home was just a kid I knew in Algebra. I’d missed the bus from staying in class and talking to the teacher. He offered me a ride home because he was nice—”

“And he wanted to fuck you.”

“No way.” She shook your head. “He was just a boy from math class.”

“I’m a man, and I know many of them. I was also a fourteen-year-old boy. You, my lovely tesoro, have some of the biggest, pillowy breasts I’ve seen. And then those luscious hips of yours and ass.” My body heated. I had to stop talking just to make sure I didn’t rip her clothes of and go in for a round two.

“O-kay.” Jasmine giggled. “Either way, Sherman jumped off the porch to talk to the boy, but since he was a math white kid driving a decent car in the hood, well, he sped off. And Sherman wasn’t pleased. He pretty much questioned me for a good hour, and told me that I couldn’t date him anymore. Being fourteen, I thought I was close to being a woman so I told him that I would do what I wanted. So he stormed into my bedroom, opened my rabbit’s cage, yanked her out, raised her in front of me, and snapped her neck. Just like that. No warning. No discussion. Just one quick snap. And then he told me that if I didn’t stay away from boys he would do the same thing to me.”

I couldn’t find the proper words to say.

“And he continued to get worse as I got older,” she said. “I just ended up doing as he said, and staying away from most of my brothers.”

“All of this means that we need him. He’s more invested in you being protected than any man in my security team.”

“No. I don’t want him going up against Benny.” She got out of my arms and scooted to the other side of the backseat. “I’ve already lost Troy. I can’t lose anyone else, even though Sherman is insane.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll keep him out of it.”

Can we kill Benny without Sherman? Can we kill him period? Will I lose her? Am I doing the right thing?

On the last morning of the London trip, we all sat at the table, while our butler attended to the kitchen staff. I was between Jasmine and Vivian. Sherman and Sophia stared across from us.

The whole mood was odd. Tension rode the air, and I didn’t like it.

“Are you going to tell me your plan?” Sophia looked at me, and didn’t even give a glance to Jasmine.

I had no idea if Sophia had contacted Benny. My men monitored her and Sherman the whole time, but they’d shown in these past months to fail at the worst times. Sophia could’ve figured out a way. In Benny’s journals, he claimed that she was resourceful. Her planning exemplified how skilled her mind could be. Anything was possible, when Sophia put her hands in the situation.

“Chase, did you hear me?” Sophia pursed her lips. “Are you going to tell me your plan?”

“There’s no plan.” I returned to the newspaper in front of me.

Our butler appeared. “Breakfast is ready.”

Two gray uniformed women entered the dining area with separate silver carts.

The butler explained the dishes that the servers put in front of us. “Here we have a small bowl of fruit salad dressed with lime and rosewater syrup. On the plate next to it, we have caramelized plantain fritters. On top, sugar-cured prawn omelet with smoked chili sambal.”

Neither Sophia nor Sherman appeared overjoyed at their plate.

“Is everything okay, Mrs. Montgomery?” Mr. Sharpe said to Sophia. “If you would like something else, I can go into the kitchen and ask the chef to make something else.”

“Yes, please.” She pushed hers and Sherman’s plate to the side. “We would both like two eggs, sunny-side up, wheat toast, bacon or sausage, and some fruit on the side without all of that rosewater syrup.”

The butler nodded.

“Wait,” Sherman lifted his hand, “I don’t want that. I’ll have this right here.”

“You want this crazy stuff?” Sophia gestured at his plate. “Caramelized fritters and chorizo omelets.”

“I read about chorizo in jail,” Sherman countered. “I want to try it.”

“It’s really good sausage,” Jasmine added.

Sophia pretended like her daughter didn’t say anything. “Eat what you want, boy. But don’t start asking for my food, when it comes.”

Sherman picked up his fork with those huge hands and commenced to eating the meal up. Jasmine dug into her plate, too, murmuring her pleasure of the flavor between bites. The butler rushed off to put in Sophia’s new order with the chef.

Sophia glared at me. “Do you have a plan?”

“No.”

“You should.”

“Really?” I asked. “And why is that?”

“Just because Benny has been quiet, doesn’t mean he’s not coming for you. In fact, that’s probably the worst time to close your eyes and go to sleep. It means he’s right on top of you.”

I winked at her and flipped the newspaper. “I believe I would know if Benny is on top of me.”

“This isn’t a game, Chase.”

“No, it’s not.”

She pointed at me. “That man shot my son. I want in on whatever is going on.”

At the mention of Troy, Sherman and Jasmine both paused from eating. Tesoro held her fork in mid-air and just stared at the chorizo for several seconds. Sherman put his utensils down altogether. Vivian chose that moment to stop eating, scoot her chair back, rise, and leave the table.

Sighing, I folded the newspaper and placed it on the table. “You’ll be returning home, Sophia.”

“And where are you two going?” she asked.

“Miami.”

“Why?” she asked.

“For our engagement party.”

“Benny will show up.”

With a bored expression, I stared at her. “Will he?”

“Yes!” she screamed.

I tapped my finger on the table and turned to Sherman. “I was going to send you home, too. Did you want to go anywhere else?”

“Yes.” Sherman nodded. “I want to go to Disney World.”

Everyone’s attention went to the big man.

“I’ve always wanted to see Mickey Mouse,” Sherman said.

“Mickey Mouse?” Jasmine still held her fork, but hadn’t eaten the eggs yet. “You do know that he’s a fictional character.”

“Go on, girl.” Sherman touched his plantain, picked it up, and munched on it. “I just want to do Disney.”

“So you want me to fly you to Orlando?” I asked.

“Yes. That would be good.” Sherman returned to eating. “I would like that. And I don’t need a way back. I got my ways.”

“What does that mean?” Jasmine asked.

“Don’t worry about what that means,” he countered.

I waved them both away. “Doesn’t matter. I can get you a nice suite in one of the Disney Kingdoms, and if you would like a driver and car, I could take care of that, too.”

“Thank you.” Sherman shoveled chorizo into his mouth. “This sausage is spicy, but I like it.”

And then Sophia banged her fist against the table. “Enough! What’s the plan? I want in.”

“Stop it,” Jasmine said through clenched teeth. “Don’t you dare disrupt this breakfast again.”

Sophia’s angry face faltered into sadness. “My son died.”

Jasmine pointed her finger at her mother. “And you caused it.”

“No.” Sophia held both of her hands to her chest. “I didn’t know that Benny would hurt Troy. He said he would never hurt his kids. He’s always protected you all—”

“Just shut up!” And it was then Jasmine’s turn to jump up from the table and march off.

Sophia glanced at me as if asking for help.

I could’ve came to her rescue in some way. Perhaps, I should’ve talked to Jasmine, or maybe considered adding Sophia to the plan against Benny. But I didn’t.

Instead, I grabbed Jasmine’s and my plates and walked off to our bedroom. “Have a safe trip, Sophia.”

For the rest of the day, we lay in bed, between soft blankets, smoking some of Vivian’s weed, and reminiscing about our lives. We talked more than we ever had before. Whispered about our dreams. Laughed about our nightmares. Cried at the deaths that had come to hurt us. Rejoiced in our love, and kissed until our lips ran numb.

However, I never let myself completely go as I lay next to my tesoro. Sophia was right about one thing—Benny would come for us. Even worse, he probably watched us now, peering deep into a dark corner as he wielded a knife.

Those sort of thoughts caused tension to build in my shoulders. Kept my focus off of Jasmine and on our possible demises.

He’s too quiet. What is he doing? Will our plan work?

That night, we returned to the States, and I got an odd message from my lawyer. Apparently, Sophia had taken all of those expensive suite paintings back to the States. The same ones she’d picked out from the London art galleries and decorated the suite with. I had no idea how she’d done it. No one spotted people loading them onto the plane.

Somehow, she’d stolen them. The hotel billed me high. The gallery threatened to file a suit. And all I could wonder was what the hell Sophia was planning now with all the money she would get from those paintings.

C
HAPTER
30

Jasmine

C
hase’s
top security guard and I stood in front of the Doll House adult entertainment nightclub. And he did not enjoy our conversation.

We were at a standoff.

It was two days before the engagement celebration. Benny had remained out of sight. Vivian and I thought it was a perfect time to do my surprise for Chase.

Since the Holmes museum, my baby had stayed true to his word and didn’t touch me anymore, no matter how many times I begged. Chase thought I needed to heal. He might’ve been right. I lay in his arms as much as I could and he massaged my back and ran his fingers through my hair. During the mornings, he did his best to get work done in small pockets. Every hour he checked on me, whether by phone or stopping by wherever I am and spending time with me.

By the afternoon, we boxed in the gym. He worked on my punching, sparing with me every few lessons, and getting me hot and sweaty as we wrestled on the mat. We’d turned his boxing gym into an erotic mixed martial arts space. Half the time, I think we both just wanted to rub our bodies against each other.

Then we went to the gun range. We were done being targets, and I was tired of needing to be protected. If Benny came in front of me, I would shoot him. No questions. Statements. Last words or ponderings. I would raise my gun and pull the trigger with no remorse or second thoughts.

The first day we spent three hours in the gun range, competing with each other on who could get closer to the center dot. Chase bought us guns before we left. Him, a gold fifty caliber desert eagle. Me, a sig sauer .380 automatic pistol. Chase wanted to dress it up, get diamonds on the stainless-steel, maybe even make it all gold plated somehow. I couldn’t do it. People purchased weapons for just in-case emergencies. Benny had forced my hand. This gun would be used. No matter how many gems and jewels covered the pistol, I would need to focus on learning how to aim and shoot with precision.

I called my gun Nina, and I spent more time with her than anyone else in the past days. Some mornings, I skipped breakfast and Chase found me filling her with bullets and blasting them at white and black targets in front of me.

Sometimes he found me shooting with tears, when I didn’t even realize I’d been crying.

At night, he bathed me, spilling warm bubbly water over my body and gazing at my flesh with lust. He might’ve groaned a few times as he slid the washcloth over my nipples. Every time, they hardened under his heated touch, and I whispered how much I wanted him inside of me.

He never did.

Chase deserves a break. I do, too.

Tonight was’t about stopping this no sex nonsense, but letting him understand how much I appreciated his taking it slow with me as I mourned Troy.