The Lion (24 page)

Lance smiled. “Tell Mac, Lance said hi.”

Brandon looked at him. “Man will you quit. Stop running from that woman before you lose her.”

  “Why does everybody want to give me advice? I know what the hell I'm doing okay?” Lance responded.

  Brandon shook his head and walked out the door. Lance turned to Corvus. “What you got to say?”

  Corvus shrugged and put his hands up. “Hey, that's your lane dog. Just don't come crying on my shoulder when she's gone 'cause all I'm gonna do is laugh at your ass.”

  “Bye,” Lance said walking away to the desk where Khayla was putting things away. Her phone rang as he approached and she answered.

  “Hey Marcus,” she said happily and Lance stopped. “No, I'm not too busy to talk to you.”

She looked up and saw Lance. “Hold on for one sec,” she said into the phone.

  “Hey Lance, did you need something?” she asked smiling.

He looked down at her. “I'll be here late tonight 'cause I've got some work to do in the office.”

  “Okay, I'll let you know when I'm done out here.”

He nodded. “I'll walk you to your car when you're ready.”

She smiled again. “Thanks sweetie.”

Lance nodded towards her phone. “I'll let you get back to your call.”

Khayla looked at her phone. “Okay.”

Lance turned and started towards the office when she called his name.

  “What's up Katydids?” he asked turning back to her.

She hesitated. “Did you want anything else?” she asked.

  “Not at this moment Khayla, but I will soon.” He kept walking until he disappeared into his office.

  “Hello?” she heard the deep voice through her phone.

Khayla shook herself and raised the phone back to her ear. “Hey, sorry about that.”

  “No problem...Katydids,” Marc responded. “Sounds like you and Lance have some unfinished business.”

  “It's complicated,” she admitted.

  “Well I'm not leaving the picture unless or until it gets uncomplicated,” he told her.

Khayla smiled. “You are something else...and you know it.”

  “If I had known that Detroit had such gorgeous women, I'd have visited a long time ago. However, I now have a beautiful reason to visit as often as I can.”

  “You're not going to make this easy.”

Marc laughed. “If he wants you, he'll have to come and take you.”

*********

  Rion and Tauri sat on the roof deck staring up at the night sky. She was lying back against his chest and he was holding her snugly. Tauri had to admit she'd never felt this content in her life. Orion gave her a peace she never knew existed.

  “I never knew this was possible,” she whispered.

  “What baby?”

She turned to him. “Being this happy.”

Rion smiled at her. “Me either.”

  She turned back to the dark canvas twinkling with stars. “Before I met you I never looked at the sky, now I find myself studying it all the time.”

  “What do you see now?” he asked.

  “I see you and me. I see our future and I see the past.” She paused. “It amazes me that our ancestors looked at this same sky and these same stars so many years ago.”

  “I think they saw the future too,” he told her. “They saw us doing great things that they were laying the foundation for.”

Tauri smiled. “I feel connected to them when I'm out like this.”

  “We're all connected to everything that is created,” he affirmed.

  “I love how you're so in tune with everything,” she said laying her head back against him.

  “I'm in tune with you, always have been since the beginning.”

  “You believe I was meant for you?” she asked.

Rion nodded. “Yes, and vice versa.”

  “That's so crazy.”

He sat up and she turned to him. “Why is it crazy?” he asked.

  “How can two people be meant for another?” she questioned.

  Rion lifted her face to his. “All we are is connected energy that travels through space and time. We seek each other wherever we go and each lifetime our goal is to find another. We didn't require time because our bond was created before we existed here.”

  “You felt it when we met and even though I had been searching for you, I was still unprepared for the way you hit me. Once we came together, it was like we had never been apart,” he finished with conviction.

Tauri held his gaze. “You know what's really crazy?” she whispered.

  “What's that baby?”

  “I believe every word you said.” She cradled his face in her hands and kissed him passionately.

  Rion gathered her into his arms holding her close returning her kiss. Underneath the stars the lovers pleasured each other while doing their part to add to creation.

   Tauri returned to work to find the office a buzz with the news of Jeremy's arrest. Chief Green had charged him with bugging her computer and assisting in the plot to harm Orion. Jeremy had turned himself in and placed bail. People who worked with him were shocked that the docile and quiet Jeremy had resorted to such tactics.

  Lisa had called Tauri when she heard the news and the two had agreed to meet for dinner as Orion was out of town taking care of his business in New York. Just like on his last trip he called her everyday and they slept on the phone with one another at night. He'd been gone just a few days, but had assured her he planned to be home soon.

  Jury selection would be starting in two weeks and Tauri had her case in order. Trent and Marc had delivered her ample evidence that should result in a quick conviction. Now that her appointed second had been arrested, Richard had been promoted to assist her on the case. He knocked on her door and she looked over at him.

  “Hey Tauri, isn't it crazy what happened with Jeremy?” he asked entering her office.

Tauri watched him. “Yes, crazy.”

Richard shrugged. “Who would've thought he'd do something like that?”

She stood to her feet. “Certainly not me.”

  “Well I'm here to do whatever you need for the Shaw case.” He smiled at her.

  Tauri nodded. “I'll fill you in on the details later today. I need to switch gears now that I don't have Jeremy.”

  “I understand you have some pretty damaging evidence. Any smoking guns?” he asked curiously.

  She folded her arms and looked at him. “My guns are always smoking Richard. Don't you know that?”

  He laughed softly. “Yes, I forgot. Tauri Patterson has the highest winning percentage of any prosecutor.”

  “Tauri Patterson-Shaw.”

  Richard nodded. “That's right, you're a married woman now.” He looked her over and smiled. “Rion Shaw is a lucky man.”

  Tauri lifted a brow. “I suggest you switch back into your lane before I have your ass up on harassment charges,” she said sternly.

  Richard put his hands in the air. “No disrespect Tauri. My apologies, I was simply complimenting your husband.”

  “Like I said, I'll meet with you later regarding the case,” Tauri said pointedly.

  “I'll wait for you to contact me.” He turned and walked out of her office.

  Tauri took her seat and released her breath. When Brandon had explained to her and Orion that he'd had to make Richard her second, it made her sick to her stomach. Orion had not been happy about it and he'd made it known but Brandon insisted that he needed the best on this case and with Jeremy gone, that left Richard. Tauri knew to stay on constant guard with Richard. She leaned back in her seat and felt the comfort of the weapon against her back underneath her suit jacket. Orion and Brandon had told her the importance of  bringing down John Beckham but they'd also agreed that if Richard made one wrong move, she should put a bullet in his chest.

Tauri's phone rang and she glanced at the screen and smiled happily.

  “Hi Granny,” she answered.

  “How is my beautiful married granddaughter?” Millie asked.

Tauri smiled some more. “I'm wonderful.”

  “That young fella is taking care of you?”

  “Yes Granny, Orion is taking very good care of me. He's in New York right now but he'll be back soon.”

  “I want you to stay on your guard Tauri Ann,” her Granny said and Tauri sat up straight in her chair. Whenever her grandmother called her Tauri Ann, something not good was about to happen to her. She'd called her Tauri Ann when she'd told her that her mother wasn't coming back to get her, and every time she'd gotten a spanking.

  “What's wrong Granny?” Tauri asked concerned.

  “Remember the fire you started?” Millie asked.

  Tauri was silent for a moment remembering. “Yes, one minute I was playing with the matches and then the next minute, the bed was on fire. Granddaddy heard me screaming and came to pull to me out of the room.”

  “There are matches all around you right now baby girl and sometimes there's no smoke before you find yourself right in the midst of a fire. Trust your instincts...about everyone.”

  “Yes Granny, I understand. I'll be careful.”

  “I love you ReRe. You are my heart and soul.”

  Tauri's eyes watered. “I love you Granny. You and Granddaddy mean everything to me,” she whispered.

  “We're here if you need us,” Millie told her.

  “Yes, I know. You always have been.”

  Tauri ended the call and placed her face in her hands. She had to win this case so Orion could be safe and obtain his dream. The John Beckham's of the world had gotten away with this for too long and now it was time for it to end.

  Tauri worked for the rest of the afternoon until Lisa called to ask if they could ride together to dinner. She gave Tauri the location where to pick her up then Tauri cleared her desk and grabbed her bag. She had not met with Richard since he'd had to leave early for an emergency, which suited her just fine.

   Tauri drove to the location where the business appeared to be closed. She looked around for Lisa then tried to call her phone. As she was waiting, there was knock at her window. She looked up and saw Jeremy standing next to her car. Without thought, she went for her weapon and had it drawn in seconds.

Jeremy put his hands in the air. “Don't shoot me Tauri. I'm not trying to hurt you!” he yelled.

Her eyes narrowed. “You were just arrested for trying to hurt my husband.”

  “Tauri please, you know me better than that. You think I'd hurt you?” he asked.

She lifted the weapon higher. “What do you want?”

  “You're in danger. I'm here to help you,” he pleaded.

  “How are you going to help me Jeremy?” she questioned.

He kept his hands up. “Things are not what you think Tauri.”

  A shot rang out and Tauri watched in shock as Jeremy fell to the ground. “Jeremy!” she screamed looking at him lying on the ground. Tauri looked in the direction of where the shot came from and saw Lisa coming her way.

  “Oh my god Tauri, he was trying to kill you!” Lisa screamed.

  Tauri sat her gun down and jumped from the car. “He had his hands in the air Lisa! Why did you shoot him?” She dropped down and checked Jeremy for a pulse. “He's alive. Call an ambulance!” Tauri shouted to Lisa as she tried to look for the wound.

When Lisa didn't move, Tauri turned to her. “What the hell are you doing?”

Lisa pointed the gun at Tauri. “Get up Tauri.”

Tauri paused then lowered her head. “Oh my god Lisa. No!”

  “Get. Up. Tauri,” Lisa said slowly.

  Tauri slowly got to her feet and faced the woman she'd considered a friend. “You're involved in this?”

Lisa smiled. “I'm not involved. I'm the mastermind.”

  “Why? Why would you want to hurt Orion? You don't even know him.”

  Lisa smirked. “I don't give a damn about Rion Shaw. John Beckham controls everything in this area. He can take me places I've never been, like the trip I went on before I saw you in the club, by the way that wasn't a coincidence that I ran into you that night. John was having you followed. He wanted me to rekindle our friendship and get close to you.”

  Tauri shook her head. “So what? You're supposed to kill me? Another prosecutor will still go forward with the case.”

  “Of course they will. Your second is at your service.” Tauri turned at the sound of the voice.

  “Richard. I knew you were a bastard the first day I met you,” Tauri told him.

Richard laughed softly. “You still have a smart ass mouth, even with a gun pointed at you.”

Tauri glanced at Jeremy on the ground not moving. “You two set him up.”

Lisa laughed. “He was so easy, so damn gullible.”

  “So you're just going to kill him?” Tauri asked.

  “Put your big girl panties on Tauri. This isn't a game. We're talking about billions of dollars coming in from a new team. There's no way a black man will be allowed to control all that,” Richard told her.

Tauri turned to Lisa. “You'd do this to a brother?”

  “When the hell have you seen brothers taking care of me?” Lisa asked. “The only color I see is green.”

  Jeremy moaned and Tauri's attention was drawn back to him before out of nowhere two cars pulled into the parking lot blocking them in. Lisa moved closer to Tauri pointing the gun directly at her. Tauri watched as her brother-in-law and Lance exited the cars with their weapons drawn.

  “Let's not do this Lisa. Let her go,” Lance called out.

  “This isn't about you Lance,” Lisa returned still holding the gun on Tauri.

  Corvus spoke up. “If you shoot her there's no way in hell you're getting out of here. I promise you.” Lisa turned in his direction right before Tauri turned in a flash and hit her in the throat with a precise blow. She followed it with a punch to the abdomen and then one to the face. Lisa fell to the ground out cold dropping the weapon. Richard went to make a move to grab it when Corvus let off a shot.

  “Don't fucking move!” he yelled coming over to grab Richard by the collar.

  “Call an ambulance!” Tauri screamed running over to Jeremy. She began to shake him. “Jeremy! Jeremy!” she screamed at him.

  He groaned. “Sorry Tauri. Didn't... know, would...never...hurt...” He passed out before he finished.

  Lance ran over to her. “They're on the way. Where's he hit?” he asked.

Tauri looked at him. “She shot him in the back.”

  “Damn...” Lance said as they heard sirens in the distance.

*********

  Rion was sitting in negotiation meetings that were extending into the evening hours. He hadn't spoken with Tauri today since he'd been in these same meetings since the wee hours of the morning. His phone buzzed with a text and he looked at the message from Lance.

  
You need to get your ass home to your wife.

  Rion froze then looked around the table. “Excuse me gentlemen, I need to take a break.” He stood and quickly walked out the door calling Lance's number.

  “What happened?” Rion asked when Lance answered.

  “It's bad Rion. You need to come home now,” Lance told him.

Rion couldn't breathe for a moment. “Is she hurt?” he whispered.

  “Not physically,” Lance answered.

Rion put a hand to his face. “Let me talk to her.”

  “She can't right now. She's at the hospital.”

Rion's head popped up. “The hospital?”

  “Jeremy was shot...by Lisa.”

  “Where the hell is Corvus?” Rion demanded. He'd told his brother to watch out for Tauri before he'd left.

  “He's with Tauri inside.”

  Rion started walking back towards the room. “Tell her I'm coming. Right now!” He ended the call and walked into the room.

  “Excuse me gentlemen.” All the men around the table looked at him. “I want to own this team more than anything in the world. It's been my dream since I was a little boy. It's my desire to stay and answer all your questions, but I have an emergency concerning my wife. Owning a team is important to me, but nothing is more important than her, so I have to leave...now.”

  He turned and walked out the door leaving a room full of men watching him go. As he entered the taxi, Rion's head was spinning. What the hell had happened? Lisa had shot Jeremy? How did Tauri fit in to all of this? He needed answers, but first he needed to take care of his wife.

*********

  Corvus drove Tauri  home and escorted her inside the apartment. He had finally gotten her to leave the hospital after the doctors were able to get Jeremy stabilized. He knew his brother was on his way back from New York and when he got here, all hell was going to break loose.

  The police had arrested both Richard and Lisa. They had plotted to get rid of both Tauri and Rion then let Jeremy take the fall. Lisa had Jeremy so besotted that he'd been a willing pawn in her game. He'd unknowingly provided her with all of the tools and information she needed. She'd taken pillow talk to a whole new level.

  John Beckham had been paying both of them handsomely to accomplish his plan of getting rid of Rion and Tauri, to the point of killing them. Corvus wondered now if the night of the Mayor's party had truly been an accident. If he hadn't rushed out and grabbed Tauri, would she be alive today?

  Tauri was crushed knowing that someone she'd considered a close friend had tried to hurt her so badly. She was very upset about Jeremy, knowing that his trying to help her had landed him in intensive care. Corvus noticed how quiet she'd been in the car. Even when he'd told her that Rion was on his way, she'd barely spoken a word.

The elevator doors opened and Rion rushed inside. “Where is she?” he asked in a hurry.

  “She's in the bedroom.”

Rion looked at his brother. “What happened?”

  “Richard and Lisa set up Jeremy. He took the fall and got arrested. They lured Tauri to some abandoned building and tried to kill her.”