the last post was named incorrectly and should be 23.1, but I named it 23.2. i was going to go and change it, but I’ll just make the observation in the comments and see how many people bug me.

on with the show…

interracial – suspense – romance – sensual noir

To catch up, click here.

To continue .. keep reading... She stood there for a long moment because she wanted to scream and cry at the same time. Yes, Monica bothered immensely and Jona had to face the demon for another couple of hours.

Monica must have known because this was how she was going to help Jona escape.

Jona hadn’t felt this frustrated since she had found herself in her father’s house faced with evil from all sides that she couldn’t see. Her stomach churned as she listened to her aunt’s lawyer just outright lie as if Jona was stupid as sheep.

“There’s no way to prove paternity so you’ll have no claim of anything Jonah Crump’s.”

There were words to fight with, but her spirit wasn’t there and Jona hated trying to fight evil she couldn’t see. Where was Shadow when she needed her?

Jona was determined to find her.

Warm arms came around her waist and a soft kiss to her neck told her James had come in the room.

She composed herself quickly. “Nicole said you were dressing in the other room.”

“I know, but I wanted to see you before I had to meet with my brother,” he said. “Once Ethan starts talking business, it could be hours.”

Turning around in his arms, she looked up at him suspiciously. “You remember that?”

He frowned briefly and then said, “No, but Nicole warned me.”

Her gut twisted and maybe since she was on high alert from her troubling thoughts, she knew deep down, James was lying. He remembered something and didn’t want to say.

The observation made her ask herself did he remember other things?

He quickly changed the subject. “What were you thinking about that was bothering you when I came in.”

“The past,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I must’ve brought up some things about going to see your father’s relative that hasn’t set right with you. It must have been hard to have them lie in your face like that.”

“She made sure of that – Even having her fat lawyer husband tell me nothing could be proved.” She trembled a little remembering his ragged breath, bad skin and … limp. He’d had a limp, just like the person who’d shot James. What a coincidence, but she didn’t voice this out loud. Moving out of his arms, she said, “I need time to get ready, James.”

“I know, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay, with everything. Mostly us.”

“You were worried about what I think of all this?”

“Yes,” he said.

“You don’t look like a person who worries about what goes through the mind of silly females.”

“I’m usually not, but your opinion and how you feel matters to me unlike others, Hope.”

He was telling the truth. She could tell and his genuineness tugged at her chest. “I’m okay,” she assured him. “This afternoon was good and I’m hoping tonight we can-”

James kissed her passionately before she finished and Jona responded feeling his semi hardness against her stomach. This was nice and she wished they could jump into his red truck, drive away from here and forget all this.

A knock on the door interrupted their kiss and Ethan opened the door with disapproval in his eyes.

“You can have dessert later, brother. You need to get dressed so we can hurry up and talk before our guest arrive.”

James stole another kiss from her and winked with a promise to get “dessert.”

Jona couldn’t help but giggle, as he seemed to skip out of the room. Once the door was closed, she could feel the dread in her belly again. Leaving him would be very hard for her, but she knew this was best. This life wasn’t for her. Even if she told James about what she had done or returned the ring to him and tell him of Monica’s deceit, there was going to be more.

Her mother had been right about this world. Nothing was normal here. Nothing was happy and one had to fight for their happiness everyday.

Jona was like her mother. She didn’t want to fight. She just wanted to wait to die. On the streets it was much peaceful to wait.

*           *           *

            “I hope you used protection,” Ethan sneered.

“My love life has always been a bane in your side, Ethan,” James said as he straightened his tie in a mirror. “Can we get back to business, brother and quit beating around the bush trying to protect my feelings or my precious mental state? I can take it.”

Ethan couldn’t wait until James was dressed and down in the front room. When James had come out of the bathroom semi-dress to greet Ethan who had been pacing back and forth, James knew whatever Ethan had to say this was vital to the business.

“We’re firing the Lawton Berg.”

“Why?’

“I told you my suspicions of him already and I knew when I asked for those papers to draw up, he would find some way to stall.”

“Why the need to fire him tonight?”

“Well, it’ll be the only time we don’t have to meet him on his territory and number two, he’ll be face to face with both of us. He’s away form an office and he can’t make any important phone calls to any bank to take anything of ours before we can shut him out, but I need your permission. In order to block him from our accounts the bank needs to have us both present. If you hurry and dress we can get over there right away and be back before they get here.”

“Okay, Ethan, why the hurry? What did he do to make you feel this should be hurried?”

“When Lawton was confirming that he was in route here, I mentioned that he should just bring the papers for you to sign. He flubbed a lot and said, he wouldn’t be able to draw the papers up for a couple of days.”

“And?”

“He’s lying. I spoke to Kenneth Bianchi, another lawyer, and he said that there shouldn’t be a problem and Kenneth also found out that there are three large bank accounts in Lawton’s company in Europe that he doesn’t account for.”

Even though he felt he needed to take this into account, he had to defend his father. “Dad trusted him. They go way back. Why would Lawton steal from us? Steal from Dad?”

“In case you haven’t noticed James or choose not to accept this Dad is not around. And you’ve been so focus on just doing jobs that you haven’t taken to account what the business is like. Our company is a goldmine to others and Lawton’s asked many times to just buy us out after Dad died. He even had the nerve to say he gave Dad the money to start the company, which Dad paid him back twice fold, not including the incentives he’d given Lawton through the years and the five percent he left to Lawton when he died. I don’t think that’s enough and now Lawton wants it all.”

“This is just suspicions, right Ethan.”

“I’m going on my gut, yes, but-”

“Ethan, I just want to make the right decisions for the company and for Dad’s memory.”

Ethan cringed because of the old animosity that he had about their father.

“You’re going to have to lay whatever you have about Dad on a personal level aside and really be sure of what you feel Ethan,” James said. “Are you really making the best decision for the company that Dad built with blood sweat and tears or are you letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment?”
“I’m making the best decision for this company,” his brother said determinedly.

He went over to get his jacket and turned to his brother. “Then let’s go. Tonight we’ll fire him and work together to make this company a success.” By now he had walked up to his brother.

Ethan looked shocked because he had really expected a bigger fight about this, but James really knew Ethan was very much for the company and for a long while there had been some doubts about Lawton, but only because …

James couldn’t remember and his head hurt to think about everything.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would think about everything.