Cameron wrapped up a private session with a female attorney, whose schedule wouldn’t allow her to make the self-defense class at its regular time. Since Calvin and Daron were working at the house, Mia had kindly offered to be the person that actually executed the demonstration with a client. It allowed Cameron to give her client more precise corrections.
Mia had gone into the women’s locker area to change while Cameron walked the client to the door. She observed the lawyer as she climbed into her Lexus and drove off. Cameron returned to the room to gather her things. She paused and her instincts kicked in. Multiple feet sliding across the linoleum tiles. Strange because it was multiple. Normally only one person would check in at the end of the class. It immediately put her on high alert. Was Levi finally making a move?
“Your man isn’t here to protect you this time.” The same three men from the garage incident stepped into the room, looking like the muscle-bound version of the music group, Bell Biv DeVoe, as the one she dubbed Ricky closed the door.
This must be about whatever Daron was into before Levi targeted him.
“You were given the wrong impression.” Cameron calmly zipped up her jacket. “He was trying to save your behinds, not mine.”
“We saw your little self-defense moves.” The tallest of the three, who was now Ronnie in her mind, stepped forward. “You need more than that to take us down.”
The other two laughed.
“Clearly you’re not planners.” Cameron placed her gym bag down on the mat, wondering what happened to Mia. “How are you going to get me out of the front door?”
The shortest of the bunch she called Mike laughed. “We want to be seen. Someone needs to inform Daron you’re gone.”
Ricky leaned on the metal door as if to block her exit.
“You want to fight me?” Cameron smiled sweetly as she eyed the folding chair near the door. “Let’s do this.”
She hit Mike, who was closest to her, with three quick jabs then kicked him in the chest sending him sailing backward. Ronnie fired several punches, catching her in the abdomen, then sent a fist flying toward her face. She ducked under Ronnie’s hand, punched him in the chest, then dropped to her knees spinning toward the chair. She popped up, snatched and closed the metal chair then swung it, hitting Ronnie in the head. His body hit the floor with a reassuring thud. Cameron opened the chair, using it to trap Ricky’s slender muscular frame against the door before he could deliver a punch.
“I don’t think so.” She released the chair, closed it flat and slammed it against Ricky’s abs. Ronnie captured her by her waist as she took another swing. The chair slipped out her hands clanking as it made contact with the floor.
“Ain’t so tough now,” Ronnie growled.
She jammed her elbow into the side of his head in three quick successions. Cameron shifted to the side to get a direct hit to the center of his throat. She grabbed the knife strapped to her ankle, slicing into Ronnie’s thigh then his arm as Mike approached. Ronnie immediately released her. She landed a solid kick to Mike’s face then issued a sidekick to Ronnie’s gut, sending them both to the floor.
“Do you want to bleed today, gentlemen?” She pointed the knife at Ricky who was inching toward her. “Because this is your last opportunity to leave in one piece.”
“We may have underestimated you,” Ronnie confessed as he and Mike struggled to their feet. “Now we won’t go easy on you.”
“Good, because that was just me playing around.” Cameron reached her left hand into her pocket. “This is me being serious.” She whipped out the gold rod, extended it to full staff, then triggered the blades as she twirled it. Cameron was hoping not to leave the place a bloody mess but she’d do what she needed to do.
She slammed the wand down on Mike’s arm causing him to let loose several obscenities then kicked Ricky in the face. Ronnie tackled her, trying to knock the wand out her hand. Cameron brought the blade down on Ronnie’s shoulder as his body pressed her to the floor. Ronnie grunted and he held his mouth tight as though to keep from screaming.
Mia slipped across the threshold, snatching up the chair from the floor and slamming it down on Ronnie’s back. “Couldn’t let you have all the fun.”
Ronnie rolled off Cameron. Ricky lunged at Mia, getting clipped in the chin as she went to take another swing.
The door banged against the wall, drawing their attention. “I’m sorry Miss Cameron, I thought you were finished in here.” Larry, the facility manager, entered the room.
Ronnie stood, nodding toward the door. “We’ll finish this conversation another time. Sweet cheeks.”
Cameron retracted her wand, glancing at the few splatters of blood on the floor. “Larry, I’m finished with them.”
Mia smiled, sweetly leaning the chair against the wall. Larry’s eyes went to the bloodstain on Ronnie’s arm, then his leg. The three men crossed the threshold with Cameron steps behind them as they enter the hallway, making sure they didn’t try anything stupid.
They better be glad I’m retired, otherwise I’d track them down and make them wish they’d never come at me.
As they neared the exit, a little boy no more than twelve ran up to them. Ronnie rubbed his head then slipped him money before sliding out the door. Cameron checked the announcement board wondering if some of the activities were how they found the people to traffick.
“Is this fall out from Daron working with Calvin?” Mia asked, as Cameron returned to grab her bag.
“I don’t think so.” Cameron waved to Larry as they left the building. “Daron’s latest tracker helped locate a missing girl so fast, police and the media were all over it. It’s probably more about that.” Or whatever else has caused Daron’s Warden persona to return.
Calvin drove up less than a second after Mia opened the passenger door. “It looks like I don’t need that ride after all. Be safe.”
“You too.” Cameron waved at Calvin as he drove off with a familiar black sedan trailing him.
Since Linc was in a separate car, there was no immediate threat. The security detail was a precaution. If Linc had been in the same vehicle, then it would’ve increased the possibility of Mia’s concerns being correct. At first, Cameron had thought the incident at the garage had been about the Katara-Tracy situation. Daron was usually honest about the Calvin project. If he couldn’t tell her specifics, he’d mention just that. Daron had recognized at least one of the guys who followed them. She hoped he wasn’t caught in his old life.
Ten minutes later, she parked a couple of blocks away and walked up Longwood to Daron’s house. Daron insisted on escorting her to the car if she left late, which grated on her nerves at first. She wasn’t accustomed to anyone beside her small cluster of friends and crew being concerned for her well-being. But for safety reasons, she parked somewhere different every time she visited. Only when she knew she wasn’t staying the night did she park at the back of the house so that he’d have only a short distance to walk. She pulled her baseball cap low over her forehead and sported a plain jogging suit. Cameron hustled up the hill to the front door, not even trying to avoid the sensor this time.
Daron opened the door wearing a pair of dark-gray slacks and a black shirt. He leaned down, planting a kiss on her lips before sliding the bag from her shoulder and letting her through the door.
“It smells good up in here.” Cameron slipped her shoes off. “How did things go with Calvin?”
“Productive.” Daron wrapped his arm around her waist, nuzzling her neck. “Since we’re not hanging with your friends tonight, I thought maybe we could eat in.”
Tonight was her evening to pick the activity. Most times she chose to hang with the family of her crew, Greg and Rob. Now that they didn’t work together, she rarely saw them. She tried to catch up with them for basketball, bowling, or a game night. They had taken her exit from the business better than she expected.
“Sounds great. Let me shower and change.” She slid out of his arms then smiled, giving him an appreciative once over. “Maybe you should slip into something sexy for me.”
“Exactly what would that be?” he teased.
“Get creative.” Cameron winked as she headed to the shower.
“How about I join you?” Daron called after her.
“Did you make that cantaloupe drink? ‘Cause if you didn’t, you have work to do.” Cameron said, knowing if he joined her in the shower they would have a late dinner. She was famished.
She stripped, turned on the warm water and stepped under the stream. Normally she wouldn’t mind but with that little episode at the center earlier, they needed to talk. She was out of the shower within minutes and was dressed when the door opened.
“Damn, Cam. That was the quickest shower ever.” Daron leaned in the doorway, wearing only his silk boxers.
“Aren’t you supposed to be making my drink?” She shoved him gently out of the doorway. “Did you make dessert?”
He glanced back at her. “You are my dessert.”
“Mmm,” she mused. “Well, you’ll have to get that after dinner.” Cameron guided a playfully reluctant Daron into the dining room, before taking a seat at the square walnut table. “How was the earlier part of your day?”
“Busy, but I crossed a lot off my list.” Daron talked about the changes to his programs, upgrading some tech gear and a few elements of working on Calvin’s project.
Once Daron finished putting more Chicken Kare Kare on his plate and poured the last of the cantaloupe juice into her glass, she asked, “Is everything else all right?”
He stopped mid-bite. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged, weighing her next words carefully. “Three men visited me this evening planning to kidnap me to send you a message. I was wondering if they sent you another one earlier.”
“What?” Daron’s fork clicked against a blue over-sized bowl as he reached for the cell that had been vibrating on the table on and off all night. “Why didn’t you say something when you first came home?”
She placed her hand over his as he unlocked the cell, undoubtedly to call Steve. “I planned to, then I got here and it was smelling so good. My stomach said it could wait. I figured we could discuss it over dinner.”
“Do not wait to tell me something like that, Babe.” Daron leaned toward, the concern in his eyes made her heart soften a bit. “I want to know as soon as you get somewhere safe. Was it Levi?”
“No, the same men that approached us when we left the Cheesecake Factory,” Cameron said, referring to the garage incidents that happened weeks ago then took a breath. She was still getting adjusted to being with him and having to answer to anyone in this way. “Telling you sooner isn’t an unreasonable request.”
He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. “That wasn’t a request. That was an order.” He smiled as she frowned.
Daron was messing with her, knowing she hated when people barked orders, even though he was serious. “Are you going to call me when stuff like that happens to you?”
The oven dinged.
“Let me grab dessert.” He moved quickly into the kitchen.
“I can still hear you from there, so answer the question.”
Daron pulled the pan from the oven and set it on the stovetop. “Do you want some wine since we’re out of juice?” He motioned toward the empty pitcher on the table, then pulled out a bottle of Riesling and glasses.
“I take you avoiding answering me as a no.” She finished off the juice and he replaced it with wine. “But we will discuss it further when you least expect it and I’m not in the mood to let you sidestep.”
Daron leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’d tell you.” As he sat down, he whispered “Eventually.”
“I heard that.”
“I’m going to have Steve put a protection detail on you,” Daron stated, sliding a fork full of chicken into his mouth.
“Do you have one?” she shot back.
He took his time before answering. “We’re talking about you.”
“But you’re the one they’re really trying to send that message. I’m just the conduit. Eventually, they’ll come directly for you.”
“Accept the detail, Cam,” Daron demanded along with a stern authoritative glare.
“No,” she countered. “Not unless you do the same.”
“Babe, I don’t want to argue with you.” Daron’s lips were curled upward in a forced smile but his hand had a death grip on the fork. “It’s happening.”
“Not in this lifetime.” She stuffed a bite into her mouth. “Man, you’d better be glad you can cook because I will tell you Mr. I Run Things, I’m not one of your employees. You can’t boss me around or issue demands and expect me to comply. I’d leave but I’m trying to get a second plate.”
Daron chuckled and his hand relaxed a little. “Think about it.” He lifted her hand from the table and placed it in his. “If anything happens to you because of me. I’d never forgive myself.”
“Don’t try to be sly about it and your people end up dead, attempting to discreetly follow me.”
“I can’t make that promise.” Daron gave her a half-smile, then he seemed to become lost in thought for a moment, which meant he was creating a strategy to do exactly what she asked him not to do. That determination in Daron’s eyes let Cameron know she’d have a difficult time getting him to let it go. The last thing she wanted was that damn ghost drone following her around.
“Warden, are you back in business? Is that why I suddenly need a detail?”
Daron’s head snapped toward her. “Calvin’s project—”
“Has its dangers, but it’s not currently what’s causing the problem. Otherwise, Calvin’s detail would be sharing a car. Despite Mia being on your roster, you’d have someone watching over her. So why are men coming after me to get to you?”
Daron’s gaze landed on the wall. He placed the fork on the edge of the bowl, abandoning all efforts to finish dinner. “Calvin isn’t the one who they’re trying to get to stop working on the project.” Daron’s jaw tightened as he spoke. Although he was looking her in the eyes, he wasn’t really focused on her.
Cameron sighed. Another half-truth.
Daron stood, his steely gaze landed on her briefly as he gathered the bowl and the pitcher.
He gave her his back to ponder. Not a good sign.
The conversation was definitely over, for now.