The Last Chance (16 page)
Authors: Darrien Lee
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, Keilah woke up extra early to get her workout in before meeting back up with the family. Just as she exited their hotel room, her cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Keilah. I thought I would check in to see how everything went last night and to see if you were feeling better today?”
Keilah pushed the button for the elevator and smiled upon hearing Ramsey's voice. “It was beautiful, Ramsey, and for the record, I'm feeling much better. Thanks for asking.”
“I didn't mean to call you so early, but I know how you like to work out, so I figured you were already up,” he replied.
“You're right. I'm on my way down to the fitness room now.”
“What did your brothers say about Michael?”
Keilah sighed and said, “They don't like anybody I date, Ramsey. Of course they feel like he's too old for me, but when you look at it, there's not that much difference in our ages.”
“Who gave you the hardest time?” Ramsey teased.
Keilah giggled. “Do you have to ask? You know it was Luke.”
Ramsey laughed. “Well, don't be so hard on him. You're like his daughter more so than his sister, and he only wants the best for you.”
“I know, and I appreciate it so much, but my brothers definitely need to lighten up.”
“Maybe they see something in Michael that you don't.”
“That would make me blind as hell, wouldn't it?” she replied with a smile on her face.
“Keilah, I know you've only been gone for about twenty-four hours, but I miss you around here.”
“That's so sweet of you and just so you know, I miss you too. I'm having a great time with my familyâwell, I am when I'm not arguing with my brothers over stupid stuff.”
“Stop being a hard-ass, and listen to them. You know they mean well,” Ramsey replied.
“I know, but they really know how to push my buttons.”
“Tell me something I don't know. By the way, some of your regulars are missing you, too, and we picked up a few new clients. When you get back, we need a meeting to discuss scheduling assignments.”
Keilah looked at her watch and said, “Sounds good. So why are you up so early?”
“I couldn't sleep,” he admitted. “So I thought I would get some work done, and then I'm going to go work out myself.”
Keilah stepped out of the elevator and walked through the lobby and down the hallway to the exercise room. She was so into her conversation that she didn't realize she was being followed.
“Yeah, I noticed you getting a little thick around the midsection.”
Keilah was joking with Ramsey, and he knew it. He had a rock-hard, chiseled body that she was very familiar with. Ramsey spent countless hours defining his body and was nowhere close to being out of shape. He stood and laughed. “Yeah, Keilah, just like you and your beer belly.”
Keilah laughed at Ramsey's comment. “Seriously, I am so ready to get back to D.C.”
“Don't rush back. Spend some time with your family. They love you, Keilah, and if they didn't care, they wouldn't be making fools of themselves like they do. Remember, they raised you, and you've been their responsibility for almost all of your life.”
Keilah let Ramsey's words sink in and understood that they were right on the money.
“Thanks for bringing me back to reality, Ramsey.”
“You're welcome.”
“Oh, you know that grand opening of the second casino I was telling you about?”
Ramsey made himself a cup of coffee and said, “Yeah, what about it?”
“They gave it to me. It's called the Special K Casino.”
He took a sip of coffee and then smiled. “Get the hell out of here. Are you serious?”
Keilah laughed with pride as she punched in a series of numbers on the treadmill and started jogging. “I was just as shocked as you are. You should've seen Michael's face.”
Ramsey sat back down and turned on his computer. “I'm sure Michael was very impressed. Your brothers don't expect you to run it, do they?”
Keilah shrugged her shoulders and said, “Surely not. They know I don't live here anymore and that I have a business to run in D.C. Besides, there are enough of them to manage it without me.”
“You're right, but you need to clarify that with them because you and I both know they've been trying to get you to move back home for some time now.”
Keilah thought about what Ramsey said for a moment and realized he was right. “I'll talk to them about it later today.”
Ramsey logged on to his computer and said, “So, where's your loverboy?”
Keilah smiled. “He's asleep.”
Ramsey grimaced at the thought of Keilah and Michael together. “I guess you guys stayed up late celebrating, huh?”
“Something like that,” she replied. “He had a good time.”
“I bet he did. Well, I can't wait to check the casinos out. I know they're some of the best in the nation,” Ramsey said.
“They are,” she answered. “So, Stone, have you heard from Andria yet?”
“Where did that come from?” he asked.
Keilah giggled. “I just thought I would ask since you're all up in my business. She was pretty angry with you the last time you were together, wasn't she?”
“Sort of,” he admitted. “I haven't heard from her, but I have a strange feeling she'll raise her ugly head sometime in the near future.”
“You and I both know she's nowhere close to being ugly, but I know what you mean. You're going to need my services one day just to protect you from some of those future stalkers you're dating, including Andria. You're very charming, Ramsey Stone. I know that from experience, and I also know you have the gift of pleasure that's hard for a woman to give up.”
Ramsey raised one eyebrow and asked, “Is that so?” Had Keilah given him a clue to her feelings for him? Maybe he should test her.
“Oh, yeah. It's so. Seriously, Ramsey, be careful. Fatal attraction is real.”
“If you were mine I wouldn't have to worry about stalkers, now would I, Miss Chance?”
Keilah's heart pounded hard in her chest. Ramsey was playing a game of cat-and-mouse with her. “Don't be so sure, Stone, because if I was your woman and thought there was a chance that I had some competition, it would be on.”
“If you were mine, you wouldn't have to worry about any other woman because no one can compete with you,” he answered seductively.
A huge smiled appeared on Keilah's face. Ramsey was obviously flirting with her, and it sent shivers all over her body. “See, that's why I love you. You know exactly how to stroke my ego.”
Now Ramsey's heart was beating wildly in his chest. He wanted to stroke more than just her ego, and he prayed she would give him the opportunity once again.
“Is that the only reason that you love me?” he asked softly.
Keilah continued to play the game with Ramsey, and then she realized it might not be a game. She decided to cut things off until she could analyze what was going on more closely. “Of course not, Ramsey. You offer so many other reasons for me to love you.”
The pair was silent for a few seconds. Keilah felt like something major was getting ready to happen, and so did Ramsey. But just when he was about to get up the nerve to question Keilah about their relationship, she said, “Hey, partner, you're keeping me from getting my workout on. Can I call you back when I'm done?”
Ramsey scolded himself discreetly for letting another opportunity slip away. “I'll be here. Don't overdo it. You call your brothers extreme, but you're just like them.”
With a smirk on her face, she replied, “Bye, Ramsey.”
Ramsey stood and gulped down the first cup of coffee. “Good-bye, Keilah.” After hanging up the telephone, he leaned back in his chair and exhaled. His conversation with Keilah had left him drained even though nothing was revealed. He slammed his fist down on the desk and immediately refilled his cup before he started working on his computer.
Keilah tucked her cell phone inside her pocket and put her iPod earplugs in her ears. The conversation she'd just had with Ramsey left her wondering about him, but she would wait until later to give it deeper thought. She was in a full sprint and now able to totally concentrate on her workout. After about thirty minutes, Keilah lowered the speed so she could jog for the last thirty minutes. Once she was finished, she stepped backwards off the treadmill, but she was blinded by something thrown over her head. She fought off her attackers fiercely and was somehow able to knee one of them in the groin. She could hear him moan in agony as he fell to the floor. The other man grabbed her, and Keilah did everything she could to get whatever was covering her head off. Before she could, one of the men tripped her, knocking her to the floor. He held her on the floor with the weight of his knee, making it hard for her to breathe.
“Stop fighting before you make me hurt you,” her assailant yelled. Keilah could still hear the other man moaning on the floor beside her.
“Hey, man, get up so you can help me with her,” the man yelled as he continued to keep Keilah pinned to the floor.
She knew she had paralyzed one of them with the hard kick to the groin. Now if she could just get this one off of her so she could do what she did best. She continued to struggle against the man until she was able to raise her leg and kicked him in the back of the head, which caused him to fall away from her.
“Dammit,” he yelled. “Grab her.”
Keilah crawled across the floor to get away so she could remove the item that was covering her head. This time she was successful and came face to face with two very large men. When they charged at her, Keilah grabbed one of the five-pound weights off a nearby rack and hurled it toward them, striking one of them in the head. The man yelled out in pain and was somewhat dazed as he dropped down to his knees.
“I see you like it rough. If that's the way you want it, that's the way I'm going to give it to you,” the second man said as he lunged at her.
His efforts were all in vain, because Keilah kicked him so hard in the chest it caused him to stumble backwards and fall over a rack full of weight equipment. Keilah hoped the loud noise would alert security so they would come investigate or at least give her some backup. In the meantime, she was doing everything she could to keep the men off her. By the time she turned back to the first man, he had a gun pointed directly at her. “Chill, bitch, before you make me do something I'll regret.”
Keilah realized she was at a disadvantage, at least until she was in a position to make a move. Seconds later, voices were heard coming from the end of the hallway.
One assailant helped the other up and yelled, “We gotta go, man. Five-o is on the way.”
The second man, still dazed, stumbled toward the doorway. Before walking out, the first man turned and said, “Tell your brothers this shit ain't over, and if they know what's good for them they'll take the deal.”
Keilah was angry and confused by what just happened to her. By the time security guards made it to the exercise room, the men were gone. The guards attended to Keilah to make sure she was unharmed. Once they found out she didn't need medical attention, they questioned her about the assault, filed a report and called the police. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Michael's phone, and shortly he was by her side. He was frantic, but did his best to comfort her. Minutes later, local authorities arrived to accompany hotel security and the pair back to the fitness room so Keilah could give them the details of the incident. Once the authorities finished taking their report, they explained to Keilah that they would review the hotel's security tapes and do everything they could to find out who had assaulted her. After thanking them for their help, Michael escorted Keilah back to their room for a closer examination. He started with the obvious bruising on her neck.
“I'm fine, Michael. You don't have to fuss over me.”
He ignored her as he inspected her neck and arms. “They could've killed you.”
She stood and removed her T-shirt.
“What the hell happened to your chest?”
Keilah looked down and explained in detail how she got the mark on her chest. “One of the guys held me down with his knee.”
Michael gently ran his hand over the area and let out a breath. He was doing everything he could to hold back his anger. “Sweetheart, maybe you need to have a doctor look at you. Does it hurt?”
“Just a little bit, but after a soak in the tub, I'm sure it'll feel better. I'll be okay. Don't worry, Michael, I'm used to getting bumps and bruises like this all the time.”
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