The Heart Page 15

  No one moved or said a word. The expressions on their faces spoke volumes. Ryan looked around the room at the others. She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. But the old emotion of anger took over. “What? You never saw a man kiss a woman before?”

  Magna’s eyebrow rose as her lips curved into a smirk. “Not one that wanted to choke you at the same time.”

  “Well,” a giggle escaped Tracy’s lips. “If that don’t beat all.”

  Tucker turned to leave. “I think I’m going to catch up with Al before he kills someone.” He smirked at Ryan. “I’ll see you ladies later.”

  “Chicken,” Tracy teased. As he walked away she swore she heard him making a quacking sound. She turned to Ryan and caringly asked, “Are you okay?”

  Ryan shot her a look that indicated she was treading on dangerous grounds. “Hell yes, I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” she yelled.

  Magna, who knew that Ryan’s bark was worse than her bite, in this case, laughed. “One reason could be the way that man just shut you up.” She snapped her fingers. “Like that. Now what are you going to do?” Magna asked. “The door is open. Are you going to slither away like you’ve been doing or are you ready to accept why you get so angry at the man?”

  The look on Ryan’s face would have warned any sensible man or woman off—but not Magna. “You want your ass kicked today—don’t you?” Ryan asked still reeling from the aftermath of the kiss.

  “Look at you.” Magna teased, “You can’t even threaten me with any real force you are so seared by that man’s kiss. Hell, now I know how to keep you in line. All I have to do is call Al over.” She laughed.

  Steam was now replacing the warmth from the kiss as Ryan stood there trying to come up with a remark that would shut Magna up. But nothing came forth. She turned in her signature spiked heel boots and stormed out of the room yelling, “I carry a gun and I will shoot you.”

  Magna stood, pushing her hair behind her ears. “Well, my job is done for the day. I must say, Tracy there is never a dull moment in your house—never.”

  Tracy stood in the room now alone wondering what in the world just happened. One minute they were talking about Monique and the next minute her brother was kissing her security guard. A smile touched her face. “I wonder what’s going to happen next.”

  Chapter 10

  Al stayed in his room at the house that night. Words from Ryan still vibrated through him. Was he a bad father to Monique? Has he allowed Tucker to take on the role he should be doing? He threw the comforter aside and stood. Walking over to the window he glazed out over the back lawn area. There was nothing he loved more than his child. Her mother, Kayla Perry, was street through and through, but damn if she wasn’t hot. That girl would send him into over drive every time she walked by. Kayla was hard to resist. They burnt some sheets up back in the day. But Kayla’s problem was she wanted that street life. But for Al, it was just a means to get what he needed. This was not going to be a way of life for him. So they had to part ways. He was surprised to find a few months later he was going to be a father. Kayla was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a fool. She knew that having Al’s child meant she would be financially secure and well protected. No one was going to do anything to Al’s child or her mother. Unfortunately, Kayla wasn’t ready to be a mother. The street was still calling her, but she wasn’t giving up the hold on Al by giving him custody of Monique. Al played the father role until he learned Kayla had taught Monique the only thing he was good for was money in your pocket. That’s how Monique treated him, like he was the bank. To some extend she still did, but unlike before, they had established one vital fact, her father loved her. She knew her father would kill anyone that hurt her and if not her father, definitely her Uncle Tucker.

  Al opened the doors to the balcony and stepped outside. It was three a.m. in the morning and he hadn’t closed his eyes. He sat in the lounge chair with nothing on but his shorts. Tucker crossed his mind. The man understood the difficulty he had with Monique and her mother. He would step in whenever things got a little out of hand. Tucker could always get Monique and Al under control before things escalated to a point of no return. For a while Tucker was the glue that kept them together. He hated to admit it, but it was possible Ryan had a point. Tucker was more of a father to Monique than he was. Maybe it was time to make some changes in his life. He walked into the room, picked up his cell and sent Tucker a message to meet him in an hour. He threw a few items into an overnight bag, took a shower then made his way to Tracy’s room. He knocked lightly on the door. He wasn’t surprised to find her awake.

  He sat the bag beside the door before he walked inside. Tracy was sitting in the veranda of her bedroom reading. The skyline of downtown Richmond loomed in the background.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked as he walked over and kissed her cheek.

  “I can never sleep when Jeffrey is away.” She closed her book and moved her legs over so he could sit. “Did you get any sleep before you decided to go see Monique?”

  Al smiled, she could always read him. With his elbows rested on his thighs, he pushed the locs back from his face and sighed. “I need to talk to her. I need to make sure she knows I’m her father. That I’m proud of her and I love her. It’s my job to make her feel secure, if she doesn’t then I’ve failed. It could be she’s doing these things because she is insecure.” He turned to his sister. “If any of what Ryan said is true, I haven’t done a good job with Monique.”

  Tracy sighed. “I think I may be a little responsible for that as well.”

  Al frowned. “Why?”

  “Turk, you spent your life looking out for me. You have been my personal guardian angel. In the past you have forsaken others, including Monique to make sure I was safe. But you never neglected the child in any way. Ryan wasn’t totally wrong, but she wasn’t one hundred percent right either. Some of her feelings came into the conversation. You just happen to be on the receiving end of her anger because you hurt her feeling when you let that woman kiss you.” His locs fell when he dropped his head. She pushed his locs back over his shoulders. “Ryan’s in love with you and doesn’t know how to handle those feelings.” She smiled, “I suspect the same thing is happening with you.”

  Al shook his head, “I don’t think I can do the love thing, Sugie. I mean, Billie loved Lena and you know how that turned out.”

  “That’s their story and everyone can do the love thing. It can’t be controlled. I tried for the very same reasons you are trying now. Our mother was not the best, hell, she was probably the worst, but she had four remarkable children.”

  “And we’re good looking, too.” He smiled.

  “A little arrogant are we?” she smiled.

  He stood, “I have to go. I’m asking Tucker to hang out here until I get back.”

  “Okay. You will be back in time for the party on Saturday—right?”

  “Yes,” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back.”

  “Turk.” He stopped and turned back to her. “What are you going to do about Ryan?”

  “You mean besides wring her neck?” he shrugged his shoulders, “I’ll have to deal with that when I get back.”

  Tracy nodded her head, “Be careful on the road.”

  “I’ll call,” he said as he closed the door. He picked up the bag and wondered what he was going to do about Ryan.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  This could not be happening, Monique thought as she opened her eyes and looked at the clock. It was showing 6:15 a.m. The last time she looked at the device that she was beginning to despise it read 4:05 am. That was the time she finished her first field report and sent it through the secure email to her boss. Because she was a new recruit on her first assignment, it was imperative that contact was made at the designated times. If she went as much as fifteen minutes past that time, someone would be busting through her door. After the aggressive training program, Monique was intent on being not just successful, but also an elite operative for the Central Intelligence Age
ncy, like her trainer.

  When she was first approached, during her junior year at Howard, she thought the people that pulled her from class had lost their minds. But then they explained their reason for coming to her. Her analytical mind when it came to formulas was impressive and her ability to decipher codes was a skill that was desperately needed in the agency. But her ability to read or hear something once and repeat it verbatim made her a candidate they couldn’t afford not to secure. Talking with Joshua Lassiter convinced her, this was the direction in which she wanted to go. However, it wasn’t easy convincing the brass to bring her on board. With all her skills and abilities, they feared her family connections. The decision was made after a one-on-one interview with the Director. He was so impressed with her understanding of the threat to America, foreign and domestic, that he not only approved the appointment, he assigned her to Joshua for training. His words were simple, “If you’re going to do this, I need to ensure that you stay alive. I value my life.”

  She laughed, but understood his concerns. If her father ever found out what she was doing, he would probably have Uncle Tucker kill everyone that had had a hand in recruiting her.

  There it was again. It sounded like a scuffle going on outside her door. But she lived in a secure building. Fights should not be happening in the hallway. She groaned as she crawled angrily out of bed. Not bothering to put a robe on over the boy shorts and tee shirt, she walked to the door and yanked it open ready to do battle.

  “Who in the hell is this?” Her father stood in the hallway of her building with his hands around a man’s throat holding him up against the wall with his feet dangling.

  That woke her up. “Daddy? What are you doing?” She ran over and tried to pull him off the man.

  “I want to know why this man is peeping under your door.”

  “I don’t know, Daddy.” She replied with her hands on her hips frowning. “But he is my neighbor, so let him go.”

  Al looked at the man whose face was red as a beet. “Why were you looking under my daughter’s door?”

  The man attempted to answer, but Al’s grip was so tight he could barely breathe. “Daddy, the man can’t answer you. His voice box is in his throat. Your hand is constricting the box.”

  The anger in Al’s face was displayed purposely to the man. “Don’t let me catch you near my daughter’s door again.” He released the man and he fell to the floor.

  Monique bent down next to the man. She didn’t know his name, but she had seen him in the building before. “Are you okay?”

  The man crawled a few feet down the hallway. “I swear,” he whispered while holding his throat, “I was just reaching for your paper. I swear that’s all it was.”

  “Well get your own damn paper,” Al stated as he turned and walked into the condo.

  “I’m so sorry,” Monique said to the man who was clearly too afraid to move. Walking back into the condo, Monique gave her father an angry glare as she walked back to her bedroom to get her robe. She wondered what he was doing outside of her door at six o’clock in the morning. Not looking where she was walking she hit her toe on the leg of the chair near her bedroom door as she was returning to the great room. “Ouch, damn it,” she cried out.

  “You should be careful walking in the dark.”

  “Really—you think!” Monique replied hopping around on one leg with the other foot in her hand.

  He had to smile. It was good to see her. “Hey, baby girl. Having a rough morning?”

  Monique put her foot down and frowned at him. “It’s not morning. Most people are still asleep.”

  “You apparently have been on the internet.” He looked around.

  Monique smiled as she watched him surveying the place. “Do you like it? I’m still getting used to the furniture.” She frowned, thinking about her toe.

  Al nodded his head in approval, “Looks nice.”

  Eagerly, she took his hand. “Let me show you around.” She wrapped her arms through his and pulled him along. “This of course is the great room. Look at this view.” She pulled him over to the bay of windows that covered an entire wall. From the window you can see the White House and all its surrounding buildings.

  “Nice view.”

  Then she took him through the rest of the house. When they returned to the kitchen she pulled out a box that had an assortment of teas. “Select your poison,” she said as she turned on the stove and placed the teakettle on the eye. “What are you doing here and why are you harassing my neighbors?”

  Al sat at the breakfast bar and stared at his daughter. She had her mother’s coco brown skin tone, her silky wavy hair that Monique kept braided, but everything else was all him. Her light brown eyes, five-six sleek frame, and that room-brightening smile. He clearly understood why men wanted to be in her presence, but as a father, he just couldn’t accept any man being good enough for her. She placed the cup in front of him and waited. “Your neighbor should stop being cheap and buy his own paper.” He sighed, “I need to ask you something.”

  She turned to the kettle as it began to signal the water was about to boil. “Okay,” she looked up at him as she poured the water into his cup. Noticing his hesitation, Monique put the kettle down and gave him her undivided attention. “What is it, Daddy?”

  “Am I a deadbeat dad?”

  Of all the things Monique expected to hear, that was not it. The question caught her off guard. She picked up the teakettle poured her water into the cup, then sat the kettle back on the stove. “No, daddy. You are not and never could be a deadbeat dad. You were not always there when I wanted you to be, but you were always there when I needed you—just like God.”

  Al laughed. “Baby, I’m not God.”

  “To me you are—always have been.” She pushed her cup across the counter then walked around and sat next to him. “Where is this coming from?”

  After sipping his tea, he blew a long steady breath out. “Someone said I’ve allowed Tucker to be your father figure. That at times I haven’t been there for you.”

  She nodded her head, “That’s a good assessment.” She shrugged. “There were times I felt the only way I could get you to pay any attention to me was if I acted out. Really push you to your limits.”

  “Is that why you are sleeping with McClintock?”

  “Whoa.” She held up her hand. “That’s crossing the line. You are my father, but who I decide to sleep with is my business. We have been through this already.”

  Al inhaled to keep his temper under control. This was not the first time they’d had a round or two about her sexual habits. “This one is different. This can have rippling effects if it were ever discovered.” He calmly replied. “If this is one of your rebellious antics, to get my attention, you have it.”

  Monique sat her cup down and looked at her father. “I grew up, Daddy.” She stood and walked into the bedroom.

  Al followed her and leaned against the door jam. “Then explain to me why you are working for his father?”

  Pulling her clothes from the walk-in closet to get dressed for work, Monique walked back into the room and laid her suit across the bed. “It’s an internship, Daddy. I need the experience and you said I had to contribute to my living expenses, so the little pay I get help.”

  “Why McClintock? You know he is running against your uncle for the presidency. How do you think this will play in the media?”

  “The economy is bad, and a sister needs a job. No one else offered a paid internship.” She continued walking around.

  He grabbed her arm as she went to walk by him again. “Monique, stop. Listen to me. I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

  Looking up at him, she smiled, “Of course I do.”

  “And you are sure you are not sleeping with the enemy to get my attention?”

  She sat the shoes down she had just pulled from the closet then turned to her father. “Daddy, I’m going to say something and I want you to remember that you started this conversation.”

 
Al folded his arms across his chest. “Hit me.”

  “All right you asked for it.” She laughed at him. “Daddy, I am sleeping with Jerry because he is a damn good lay.”

  “Awe, man.” Al threw his hands up in the air. “Did you have to go there?” Al turned from his daughter and walked out of the room.

  Monique had to laugh. This happened every time he initiated these conversations with her about sex. “Look, Daddy,” she followed him back to the kitchen. “I realize you showed me love the only way you knew how. By making sure I was provided for.” She placed her hand on his thigh, “We are not the Cleavers from Leave It to Beaver family or the Walton’s. We are the Day’s. Remember, Lena Washington is my grandmother. If nothing else she taught me to be comfortable with my sexuality, because you didn’t know how.”

  “Modeling your life after Lena isn’t the best thing in the world, you know.”

  “No not all of it. But, Daddy, she was a female and was there to answer questions you couldn’t. I’m glad she was there. At least I didn’t have to grow up without someone to talk to about love, sex and men. Mommy always equated men with money. Lena, taught me they were very different things.”

  “Lena said that?”

  “Yes. Her exact words, “Love without finance is a nuisance.”

  “Now, that sounds like Lena.” He laughed.

  “Yeah, but she also said real love is priceless. It’s a good thing I had Aunt Tracy and Uncle JD around, too. While Lena gave me the practical, they gave me the ultimate. They showed me that real love is out there. You just have to recognize it when you see it. So I apply a little of Lena’s theory and Tracy’s and established my own.”