Protect and Serve (15 page)

Gerald walked into the foyer and nodded at Jason.

They all seemed to be at a standstill, waiting to see what Carla would do.

Carla reached up and touched Penny’s cheek. “I’m sorry I hit you, Brat. And I’m sorry, but I can’t press charges.” She headed back up the stairs. Before she got to the top, she turned. “Don’t you have some more of Mama’s affairs to settle today? You best get to it. And maybe you should think about either staying with your cop friend or just going on back to Los Angeles. Today or tomorrow. Like I said, this isn’t really the best place to be, and it’s no need for both of us to be in danger.”

“Then press charges!” Penny screamed the words out and it was all she could do not to take off up the stairs after Carla.

Carla shrugged. “No offense, but I don’t trust the cops, and I really don’t think they can help with this.”

Penny turned to Gerald. “What do you think? Please don’t tell me you agree with her.”

“I told you what I think, Penny. I think you and your mother need to get out of town.” Gerald turned and followed Carla up the stairs.

“I swear. This place has turned into the psych ward. They’re all crazy. Am I crazy?” She turned to Jason and then shook her head. “Never mind. Don’t answer that.”

Jason smiled, and she felt her heart stop and restart.

Danger. Danger.

“We aren’t going to be able to make her press charges. And she’s right about one thing. It will be dangerous for you both in this house with him on the loose. This Clyde ‘C-Money’ Markum is a pretty nasty piece of work.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I remember. Boy, do I remember.” A chill went through her, and she shuddered and touched her scar.

Jason stepped over and placed his arms around her.

It felt so good.

“Mmm.” She didn’t realize she’d moaned out loud until his lips brushed her neck in several butterfly kisses.

“I missed you last night.” His arms tightened around her, and he held her closer.

“I missed you, too.”
Too much…Especially since it’s too late for us…
Penny started to pull away, but he pulled her more snugly against his body.

“Go and get some clothes. You can stay with me until we find a way to get Carla to press charges. I’m going to talk with Gerald and see if he can spend more time, at least the time when he isn’t working, here with Carla. I’m going to increase patrols in the area. But until she presses charges, I can’t order a more permanent watch.”

Penny wished she had sense enough to say,
Oh, I won’t have to stay with you. I’m headed back to Los Angeles on the next thing smoking.
But common sense escaped her, because Jason’s arms felt like all the home she would ever want or need.

Was she wrong to want to bask in them for a little while longer, and have some more memories to add to the ones from her youth?

“I’m really afraid for Carla. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

“And I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Penny gazed up at him. The sincerity in his eyes made goose bumps pop up on her arms and neck. She felt hot and cold at the same time, as a warm and sexy chill coursed through her body.

“So go and get a few things. And I’ll go and talk to Gerald and Carla while you’re doing that.”

Jason watched as Penny made her way up the stairs. Watching the gentle sway of her hips as she moved made him simultaneously question his sanity for suggesting that she spend some time at his place and wonder why he hadn’t thought of the option sooner.

The only thing he was sure of was that he would protect Penny at all costs. He still had no idea why he still felt so compelled to do so. He only knew he wouldn’t let anything, not even his own need for closure and information, get in the way of him doing so.

Everything he had discovered about Clyde Markum said the man was extremely dangerous. And if Jason was right, the man was also a murderer.

There hadn’t been a person in Paterson thirty-five years ago who stood to gain more with the murder of those two people and the arrest of Gerald than Clyde Markum. Gerald had been one of his biggest competitors as far as the sale of marijuana, and the husband and wife had called and reported Markum more than any of the other dealers they complained about to the police. With everyone out of the way, Markum had been able to become a drug kingpin once crack hit in the eighties.

But all of that was circumstantial, and Jason was a man of science and evidence. That was why he’d requested that several tests be run against the DNA they had on file for Markum and what they had in the cold-case evidence for the murders.

He knocked on Carla’s closed bedroom door, hoping he wasn’t interrupting something.

Gerald’s voice responded to the knock. “Come in.”

Jason walked in and saw Carla wrapped up on Gerald’s lap with her head buried in his chest. The man looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, but it also appeared that he wouldn’t care to be anyplace in the world other than where he was.

Jason knew the feeling well. That was why he hadn’t wanted to let Penny go a few moments ago.

Carla looked up with a tear-stained face, saw him and then laid her head back down.

“She’s not ready,” was all Gerald said, but he said it with a finality that let Jason know that now was not the time to try and push Carla to do the right thing.

Jason cleared his throat. “I understand that. But she should understand we won’t be able to police the way we could if she would press charges. His attacking her violates his parole. We could have him back in jail. At the very least, we’d be able to set up an officer for protection. And she should really think about Penny, too.”

Carla sat up. “You gotta make her go back to L.A. You gotta tell her to leave. Or at least make her go to your place. But it’s better if she leaves town. She’s gotta go.”

The panicked, glazed-over stare in Carla’s eyes made Jason’s heart stop. “Did he threaten Penny?”

“Oh, shoot! Oh, shoot! Oh, shoot!” Carla crunched up her fists and covered her eyes.

Gerald pulled her close. “I hate to have to ask you this. A man should be able to look after his own. But can you look after Penny until she heads back to L.A.? I’ll look after Carla. I’ll try and get her to see what she needs to do. I can’t make any promises. But I’ll try.”

Jason nodded, left the couple in the room and went to look for Penny.

A
fter running all of her errands and tying up as much of Big Mama’s affairs as she could, Penny headed back over to Jason’s place. She saw his SUV in the parking lot and thought about all the reasons she shouldn’t have taken him up on his offer to share his space with her.

Technically, she’d handled as much business as she could, and she should head back to her life in Los Angeles.

The sound of Kelis’s “Bossy” pulled her from her thoughts and she took her cell phone out of her purse to see what her friend and business partner had to say.

“You need to get back here before I kill your boy.” Maritza Morales’s voice had a frustrated high-pitched tone to it.

Penny couldn’t help but smile. “Well, hello to you, too,
chica.
”

Maritza and Terrill had a love-hate relationship that Penny tried to stay out of. But her two friends liked to keep her in the middle.

“When are you coming back? Because if your boy doesn’t stay away from me, I’m going to have to cut him.”

“Now, now, Maritza, you don’t have to resort to violence. I’ll be back soon. There have been some recent events that might keep me here a little longer. My mother was attacked, and I’m going to hang around just a bit longer to make sure the person responsible is caught.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your mom. Dang, you just lost your grandmother, and now this. Well, I guess I can deal with
el stupido
a little while longer. Business is going well, with the exception of our silent partner feeling like your absence suddenly grants him a voice.”

Penny laughed. She was sure any advice or commentary Terrill had to offer Maritza would be met with hostility, no matter what.

“I’m sure he’s only trying to help. You should cut him some slack.”

“Oh, I’ll cut him, all right. Don’t give me any ideas.”

“Girl, stop. Hey, listen, I’ve been thinking since I’ve been out here in Jersey. We should think about expanding and opening up an office in NYC. We need an East Coast presence for Keys and Morales.”

Where the heck did
that
come from?

“We should look into it.” Maritza sounded excited about the idea.

“Yeah, I’m thinking I’ll start running the cost and risk factors when I get back. How did the meeting with Da Stunnas go today?”

“Oh, yeah! You reminded me why I called you. Terrill makes me sick. I prepared the perfect image package for Da Stunnas, and his A and R idiots are going to ruin everything I’m trying to accomplish. You know how I work. I know what’s best when it comes to these things. That’s why they pay me, you know…Hold on, Penny.”

While Penny waited for her friend to come back on the line, she tried to come up with a sane and valid reason for all of a sudden thinking it would be a good idea to open up a New York office. It made sense businesswise, but Penny knew her mind and her heart were not on business.

“I’ve got to take this call,
chica.
Listen, take as much time as you need in Jersey. I have things here. Just call your boy and remind him of the
silent
in ‘silent partner.’ Smooches.”

“All right. Later,
chica.
”

Maritza hung up. But no sooner had Penny closed her cell phone to put it back in her purse than the melody of Run DMC’s “Together Forever” began to pour from her phone. She opened it and sighed. “You know I’m not there to protect you, so I don’t know why you’re getting Martiza started.”

Terrill’s soft chuckle warmed her heart, but she decided to remain firm. If Terrill kept goading Maritza, the woman might actually cut him one day.

“How did I know she would have called you complaining already? All I did was make a few tiny suggestions, and she blew up. You would have thought I’d asked her for blood or her firstborn. I don’t know how you put up with her.” Terrill laughed again, and she could almost see his devilish grin. “So when will you be back here? And should I start looking for a place for Carla in the wonderful condo area where I have my mother?”

“Ha ha ha. Please do not bring up my mother. I don’t know what is getting into that woman. Anyway, someone attacked her the other day—”

“Oh, my God. Is she okay? Do you need me to come back out there?”

“No, I don’t need you to come back out here. But thanks for offering.” Penny couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have a friend like Terrill. “Carla’s banged up pretty bad. But she’s out of the hospital now. Do you believe she won’t tell who did it to her? But Jason and I came up with the person we think is responsible. And my father thinks it’s the same person. Do you remember that lowlife she used to mess with, C-Money?”

“Okay, slow down, Penny. You have dropped too many things in one breath for me to just let go without at least a
say what?
But I’m going to start with the most shocking one. Jason? As in Jason Hightower? Y’all playing Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew up in that piece.” Terrill started laughing again. “Or is there something else you want to share?”

Penny rolled her eyes. “Yes, Jason Hightower. He is a cop, you know. And he’s been working the case and offering his help and protection. Because Carla won’t just come clean and tell us who—”

Terrill cut her off, full of glee. “So, have you talked with him about what happened in the past? Is that why he’s offering his help? I knew he’d under—”

She sighed and cut him off right back. “I haven’t told him anything. I don’t plan on telling him any—”

There was a tap on her car window and she stopped in mid-sentence as she looked up.

“I’ve gotta go, Terrill. Jason’s here. I’ll call you later.” She hung up her phone and put it in her purse.

Stepping out of the car, she walked right into Jason’s arms.

“I figured I’d come out and make sure you weren’t having second thoughts. You were sitting in the car for a minute. I didn’t realize you were on the phone.”

Her cell phone started playing “Together Forever” again, and she wished she had taken the time to put the dang thing on silent.

“Just work stuff.”

“Your business partner? Maritza, right? Is she holding down the fort all right with you away?” He glanced at the purse with the vibrating, melody-producing phone inside. “Are you going to answer that?”

Penny shook her head. “Nope, the office is now officially closed for the day. I’m all yours.”

“Mmm…I like the sound of that.”

She felt the heat rise up to her cheeks and felt a warm tingly sensation throughout the rest of her body. “Together Forever” started playing again, and she almost answered it.

“Well, come on inside. I’ve made you a delicious meal.”

They headed into his town house, hand in hand.

His town house was located in West Paterson, near Garret Mountain. The grey and white stone buildings that made up the complex appeared to have been recently built and had a modern design.

It amazed Penny how the sections of North Jersey changed in a matter of minutes, depending on which direction you were headed. The area of West Paterson where Jason lived was a far cry from some of the more urban sections of Paterson where they had grown up.

“You cooked? Oh, my…I don’t know about that. As far as I can remember, you couldn’t even boil water without burning it.”

“Hey, a brother learned a few things over the years.”

Penny eyed him suspiciously. “You wouldn’t be trying to poison me or anything like that, would you?”

Jason laughed. “Girl, come on in the house.”

“Umm…that wasn’t an answer, and it certainly wasn’t a ‘Why, no, Penny, I’m not trying to poison you.’” Penny followed him in the house, giggling at the thought of Jason cooking, and not knowing what to expect.

From the moment she walked into his home, she became more relaxed. Even though the place screamed bachelor pad, it also fit Jason. It fit with everything she’d known about him as a young man and everything she was learning about him as a grown man.

The furniture was sleek and modern, but at the same time comfortable and homey. It reminded her of Jason—cutting-edge but true, fine as all get-out but still down to earth and cool, a smooth player with a true and dedicated heart. The black leather sofas had clean lines, but they also looked like you could curl up and take a nice nap on them. The artwork on his walls had an experimental feel, but it also seemed to speak to her soul. Even the dining table had an artful but still everyday-use kind of feel to it. She loved his decorating tastes, because they made her think of him and all the things she felt about him.

“Nice place,” was all she could say as she took in the living room and dining room area when they first walked in.

“I’ll give you the grand tour after we eat.”

She didn’t even want to think about what she would feel once she saw the rest of his home.

The food was magnificent. Jason had prepared fettuccine Alfredo and a Caesar salad with the most tender and tasty grilled chicken she had ever had. He had grilled the chicken breasts out on the state-of-the art grill that sat on his amazing deck. Watching him work the grill had an arousing effect on her. He oozed masculinity, and it shot right to her erogenous zones. The way he lovingly prepared her meal kicked her already intense feelings up to something she wasn’t sure she was ready to name. So she smiled and figured she’d try to hold her emotions in check and go with the flow.

The chardonnay he picked to complement the meal not only worked well with the food, but also helped to calm her nerves.

“Well, I guess I stand corrected, Jason. You can do a little something in the kitchen. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks. I had to learn how to cook something, or I’d end up at my mother’s house for dinner every night.”

“You could have learned to cook a long time ago. If I remember correctly, you boys would tease me when I would stay in the kitchen with your mother, learning to cook. She would have taught you, as well.”

“Please, I tried to get my mother to teach me a few things, and she wouldn’t hear of it. She said she couldn’t be sharing her recipes with just anybody.”

Penny busted out laughing. She could totally picture Mrs. Hightower saying that. The woman was a hoot. Penny knew she would miss her and the entire family.

“It’s not funny. I swear, that might be one of the reasons why she’d love to see us get back together. She taught you all her tricks and recipes, and she wants to be sure they stay in the family.”

Penny cracked up even more. “You wrong for that. Wait till I see your mama. I’m going to tell her how you were clowning on her.”

Jason took a sip of his wine. “Tell her. I bet she won’t deny it.”

Penny wiped a tear from her eye and held her stomach. She tried to remember the last time she’d laughed this hard. It had been a while, a long while.

“I love your laugh.” Jason had a hooded look in his eyes, and it sent pools of desire to her core.

Her phone started playing “Together Forever,” and she excused herself from the table. “Let me get this, or they’ll be ringing all night.” She answered the phone, knowing it was Terrill. “Yes?”

Terrill had the nerve to laugh. “Girl, you know you can’t just leave a brother hanging like that.”

“Right, you’ll have to deal with my partner on this. I’m out of town due to a death in the family. Please call the office during business hours and someone will be able to respond to your inquiry.”

Terrill really busted a gut then. “Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow, and by then I want
full
disclosure.”

“Right. Call during business hours. Goodbye.” Penny made sure she put the phone on silent.

“I can’t believe you have ‘Together Forever’ as your ring tone. Do you remember the summer camp talent show when we lip-synched to Run DMC?”

“Of course I do. I gave up a chance to be in the winning group impersonating Salt-N-Pepa to be with you two, and missed out on my chance to get my very own big trophy. All because you and Terrill both wanted to be Run.” Penny shook her head in mock disgust. “When we all know my Run was
way
better than the either of you guys’. But no…I had to be Jam Master Jay because I was a girl.”

“Awww…you looked cute up onstage fake mixing and scratching. And my Run put the both of you out of the game.” Jason grabbed his fork and got up from the table and recited some lyrics.

“Please.” Penny grabbed her spoon and stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her legs spread in a B-girl stance. She twisted her lips to the side and then rapped her favorite Run verse from “Together Forever.”

They finished the verse in unison, then broke out in a peal of laughter.

“Okay, your Run might be better than Terrill’s, but it can’t touch mine.”

“Uh-uh, you better recognize!”

Jason pulled her into his arms. “Recognize what? My skills? I already do.” He laughed and leaned down just before covering her mouth with his.

If the combination of goose bumps and heat was any indication, her body must have been waiting for his lips to touch hers all day. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her tongue lick its way to happiness. She moved her hands across his broad shoulders and down his arms.

So many muscles…so little time…

His hands went from her waist to her behind. And as he cupped her ample bottom, she couldn’t help but give it a little shake. He groaned and gave her a scandalous squeeze. His firm grip caused her to moan, and her hands found their way under his shirt and fondled his abs and chest.

“Mmm…This feels good,” she said, in a voice that was somewhere between a groan and a hiss.

He nibbled her lower lip. “Then don’t stop.”

“We have to stop.”

“No. We. Don’t.” He started walking her backward to what she could only assume was the bedroom.

“Yes, we do. I need to wash the dishes, since you prepared such a lovely meal for me. And then we need to talk about what’s going on with Carla…” The feel of his tongue on her neck and behind her ear made her forget her line of argument.