“What about this stuff on the table? Are you calling the man in Miami?”
“Not tonight,” is all he offers but it’s enough to give her relief.
Akeem heads upstairs. When he’s on the main level, Sunjiya stands. Her shoulder is back in place and wearing the sling helped because she barely feels any pain. However, as she walks around the basement freely, she’s careful not to move her arm too much. She’s sitting on the soft and comfortable bed when he returns with her luggage. After placing it beside her, he leans in.
“That window is locked from the inside and the door will be locked too. Don’t try anything,” he warns.
“All I want to do is sleep,” she says.
“Good because I’ve done enough shooting for tonight.”
When he turns to walk off, she rolls her eyes then glares at him until he’s gone. As soon as the door closes, she falls back on the bed and plots her next move.I’ve gotta convince him I’m not Tanjaya in the morning.
The moment Akeem is in the main bedroom, he sends a text to Axton. Her soy allergy caught him off guard and added another level. Since Axton mentioned medical records, there’s a good chance her allergies are documented.
Chapter
Five
The patient has four small,two-cent bruises on her upper arm, 2 cm apart. The patient reported: I fell down, I don't really remember what happened.
Patient crying and seems agitated. Lacerations over her right eye and her left eye is swollen shut.
This is the patient’s third visit in eight months. Left arm fractured and three golf ball sized bruises are on her left side. Clear signs of DV but patient refuses to report to the authorities.
Patient’s entire lower extremities bruised. Pinky and thumb on left hand broken.
Never one to sleep more than six hours a night, before the sun rose, Akeem was up and waiting on his phone was a text and files from Axton. He sent the full medical records for Tanjaya and Sunjiya. The medical records from Sunjiya are very limited. Aside from her birth record, only eye exams and prescriptions. Tanjaya’s records, on the other hand, are extensive. Over the past few years, she’s made several trips to emergency rooms and it’s clear from the patient notes that Marcelin deserves to die.
Akeem has spent the last hour and a half reviewing the notes and diagnosis from her most recent visits. There appears to be an escalation in the last year, which definitely explains why Tanjaya left him and is running. Originally, he was simply looking for allergies, something that would finally convince him Sunjiya is who she claims and her twin story is true. So he only read the intake notes and vitals. One after the other reported no allergies for Tanjaya. None.
It took him a few moments to accept the very thing he has been struggling with since Sunjiya first revealed she’s Tanjaya’s twin. He witnessed her allergic reaction to the food. He saw her visibly affected. Her eyes filled with water. She struggled to breathe and he’d had to save her by administering her EpiPen. No denying what he lived and witnessed in real time.
Sunjiya had a very real allergic reaction. I saw that shit.
Tanjaya’s extensive medical records clearly show no allergies.
Sunjiya was and is telling the truth.
Although Akeem had found what he was looking for about allergies, the amount of visits Tanjaya had taken to the emergency room intrigued him and caused him to dig deeper. Report after report, he discovers an ugly and horrific truth. Marcelin was hurting Tanjaya.
Akeem has no qualms about who he is and what he does for a living. He’s a calculating killer with expert marksmanship. Under the guise of the military along with his own contracts, he has successfully killed forty-four men. He’s no saint by any means but he has standards and morals. Women are off limits. Having Sunjiya in those zip ties fucked with him enough. He hated knowing Marcelin had actually broken Tanjaya’s bones, blacked her eyes, and bruised her body. No man should ever put his hands on a woman.
No fucking exceptions.
After this morning’s discoveries, three things are very clear to him. Marcelin’s days are numbered. No way Akeem can leave him breathing after reading those records. Tanjaya needs his help. If Marcelin hired Akeem to find her, he’ll hire another to track her down and possibly kill her. Akeem has to find her first and he needs Sunjiya to help him. Since she is indeed her twin sister, her insight will be invaluable.
Needing to channel his anger and map out his next steps, Akeem throws on a hoodie, his sweats, and Ones and treks to the kitchen. After grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, he drops it into his pocket and heads out of the house. For the next hour, he jogs the ranch twice, working up a sweat and clearing his mind.
As soon as he’s back inside, he takes a hot shower, dresses, grabs his and the two other cell phones, then heads to the basement to see if she’s up. He’s worked up an appetite but doesn’t want to take any more chances with ordering food after his fuck up last night. Plus, they have so much to discuss. Unlike the last several times he’s entered the basement, he knocks this time. Things are different and he suddenly feels uncomfortable with just opening the door and walking down.
Hearing the three short taps on the door surprises and confuses Sunjiya. “Why the fuck is he knocking?” she utters as she ambles out of the bathroom. Just fifteen minutes ago, she was in the shower handling her morning regime. Having her things and being alone last night and this morning rejuvenates her and gives her the energy needed to deal with this predicament.
The gun-toting kidnapper is back, knocking. I need all my energy to convince him today.
“I’m up,” she announces after taking a deep breath.
At her words, he unlocks the door, opens it, then descends the stairs. She walks to the small dining table. Because she’shopeful but definitely not at all naive, her scissors and eyebrow razor are tucked into her bra. When she sits, he joins her on the opposite side.
