Page 14 of Harboring Shantae

Panther didn't waste any more time. He grabbed the suitcase again, but this time he couldn't hold her hand like he wanted to. He reached behind his back and pulled his gun out of the holster.

"Wait, you're carrying a gun in D.C.?"

It was cute that she thought his team followed the same rules as others. Wes hated politicians more than anyone else he knew. His boss would do anything to stick it to them. Carrying a concealed weapon wasn't even a blip on his boss's radar anymore.

"Yup. Got a lot to learn about me, babe."

Panther opened the door and did a sweep. Falcon's rental was parked behind his on the street. His team leader stood outside the passenger door, watching the area. None of the cars on the block looked out of place. They were the same ones that had been there when he arrived, and again when Senator Adams showed up. It would appear those who lived in the area were the type of people who stayed home after a work shift.

"Let's move. Stay close to my left side and keep your head down."

Shantae didn't argue. He would dwell on that later. Her level of trust surprised him.

Panther continued to scan the area as they moved at a fast clip down the walkway when a car coming from the opposite direction caught his attention. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, but he kept a firm lock on the vehicle until it passed by. The woman driving didn't give them a second glance, but Panther still categorized everything about the car just in case.

Falcon met them and took Shantae's suitcase while Panther opened the door for her. He did his best to give her a reassuring smile as she slid in. With the door closed, he looked back at his team leader.

"I'll meet you at the hangar. Her father stopped by after you left, so I fully expect him to be sending someone out shortly."

"I submitted a flight plan for immediate departure after you texted me. We'll be in the air soon enough."

Neither of them said anymore as they slipped into their respective vehicles. It wasn't until they were pulling out of Shantae's block that she finally spoke up.

"My father is going to send someone to my house. That's if he hasn't already. He won't be happy that you denied him access to me." She looked at him expectantly. "That's what you did, isn't it?"

There was no use lying. Shantae wasn't stupid.

"Yes, I denied him access. I made him stand out on the porch like a commoner, and when I noticed one of your neighbors eavesdropping, I used it to my advantage. I don't regret it."

Panther wanted her to know exactly who he was. There was no time for niceties. He hated them anyway. What people saw was exactly what they got. The good, the bad, and everything in between.

"You won't get an argument from me. For years, I've wished someone would put him in his place. I'm just sad I missed it."

Panther looked over just in time to see her eyes drop into her lap. Her voice was barely more than a whisper when she asked, "Is that wrong of me? To wish something like that on my own father?"

He didn't answer immediately. Panther needed time to find the right way to say what he was thinking. After he nixed the third idea because each one sounded more fake than the other, he decided the cold, hard truth was his best bet.

"I know sharing stuff about your family was usually off-limits, but based on the little you have told me and now what I've seen, no, you shouldn't feel the least bit bad about wanting your father put into his place. He flat-out told me I shouldn't be alone with you because you're engaged. That's not just messed up, it's fucked. He wants to control you and I'm sorry to say this, but I would hedge to bet the only thing he cares about is whatever he's gaining from this arranged marriage. He doesn't give a shit about you."

That was blunt and probably not the best way he could've handled the situation, but he refused to feel bad. Honesty was his number one policy. It was better Shantae knew that from the start. He wanted her to see that he didn't just talk about honesty in his letters. This was who he was in every aspect of his life.

"I can't believe he said that to you," she seethed. "I'm not someone's property. Especially not a man who I have never met or even spoken to."

That's the fire he wanted to see coming from her. It was a hell of a lot better than that shy and reserved look she had just moments earlier.

"That's what you need to remember when your family tries to coerce you into doing something by giving you the guilt trip for thinking of yourself first."

Because they would. Sooner or later.

Chapter 7

Pissed.Therewasnoother way to describe how she felt about what her father said to Camron. How dare he comment on who she spent her time with? It was her own fault. If she really thought about it, she had no one to blame but herself. Her father assumed he could control who she spent her time with because he always had and she’d never challenged it before.

Complacent. That was exactly what she allowed herself to become.

"We're here."

She had been so lost in her thoughts about her father that she hadn't realized how far they had traveled.