Chapter 100: Danger

Chapter 100: Danger As Jamal drove back to Ryan’s mansion after his discussion with Stefan, he couldn’t help but think about how long the day had been. When he planned to take up this job yesterday, never would he had thought that his life would take such a turn. In one day he had found the love of his life and he had learned he was a father. Jamal smiled, at the thought. He was still lost in thought when his phone rang with a call from Mari. "Hey! I’ve been trying to reach you," Jamal said the moment he received the call. "I’m sorry, my phone was on silent. I decided to go see Em off to the airport. So, I was with her. I’m driving home now," Mari explained. "She has left now?" Jamal asked, and Mari giggled. "Yeah. I have a feeling both her and Cal are going to be calling us a lot more often this period," she said, and Jamal chuckled. "Don’t you think you are enjoying it too much?" Jamal asked, amused. "Is there a reason why I shouldn’t? Anyway, enough about them. Let’s talk about you. Tell me, did you cry a lot when you found out she was Dawn and she has your baby?" Mari asked curiously. "No! Of course, not! Why would I cry?" Jamal denied immediately. Mari giggled. "I can bet with every dime in my account that you cried," Mari said, and Jamal raised a brow. "Why are you so sure?" Jamal asked, keeping his eyes on the road. "Because I know you, duh! You have the softest male eyes I know. You used to shed tears even when we see cripples or disabled people on television growing up and you’d be like ’how can he cope with just one leg? What happened to her eyes? She must be suffering a lot’ I haven’t forgotten all that," Mari said, mimicking him. Jamal laughed. "Alright. Fine. Only a little," he admitted and Mari hollered with laughed. "I knew it! Gosh! The fact that you had to say only a little means you bawled your eyes out! Did snot drip out of your nose, too?" "Mari!" Jamal hissed, and she laughed out loud. "The poor girl must be over herself with worry that she ended up with such a crybaby. Did she have to console you?" Mari continued, still laughing. "I wasn’t trying to reach you just so you could taunt me," Jamal said, smiling. "Well, I called not you. Anyway, I’m so happy for you, Jam. I can’t wait to meet Dawn. Do you think maybe I could come there and pretend to be a housekeeper and join you in fun? That would be the best place for me to hide, wouldn’t it?" Jamal chuckled, "That sounds like a good idea. The downside of it is that you can’t keep house. You’re one of the most lazy and disorganized person I know," he said, and she laughed. "You’re right. I can’t. So, how was the reunion? Did you kiss?" Mari asked, and Jamal groaned. "Mari..." "It was a yes or no question. Don’t know why you’re mentioning my name," she said dryly, and Jamal shook his head and sighed dramatically. "I guess you’re no longer worried or scared about the cartel stuff," Jamal said, changing the subject. Mari sighed this time, "I’m trying not to think about that right now. I’ve been jumpy all day." "Why don’t you listen to your parents and go away for a while? It’s for your safety. Once the threat has been neutralized you can live freely again. You could think of it as a long vacation. You could even go to Husla and be with Em and Cal," Jamal suggested. "I don’t want to leave my parents. My Mom can’t just up and disappear because of her career. My dad won’t leave her. How can they expect me to just leave and go hiding and leave them? What if something happens to them while I’m away? I don’t mind having a bodyguard if that would put them at ease. But I really don’t want to leave," Mari said, and Jamal nodded even though she couldn’t see him. "Is my Mom aware of all this?" Jamal asked curiously. "It didn’t occur to me to ask. I think she might be. You know our moms never keep anything from each other. But I don’t think she is in danger. This is about my parents I think," Mari said, and then frowned when she noticed a black car that had been driving behind her for a while now and wouldn’t overtake her despite how slowly she was driving. "I think your parents should talk to everyone about what is going on instead of trying to handle it themselves," Jamal said, but Mari was no longer listening to him. "Jam, I need to get off the phone now, let’s talk later. Make sure to send me Dawn’s social media details so I can follow her. I need to befriend her before we meet," Mari said, trying to keep her voice normal so she wouldn’t alarm Jamal, even though her heart was beginning to race. "Alright. Talk to you later," Jamal said, since he was approaching the gate already. Immediately they hung up, Mari dialed her father’s line, "Dad, did you get the bodyguard already?" She asked the moment the call connected, hoping it was the bodyguards, who were following her. But wouldn’t he have introduced them to her first if that were the case? Mari wondered. "Not yet. Why? Did you leave the house? Where are you?" Her father asked at once. Mari swallowed, "I stepped out to see Emily off to the airport but I’m on my way home now. I think a car is tailing me," she said, trying not to sound too alarmed else he would insist on sending her away. "Where exactly are you? Is there any busy place around you?" Her father asked, sounding worried. She swallowed hard as her eyes darted between the road ahead and the rearview mirror. The black car was still there, maintaining a steady pace behind her. "I just passed Highland Avenue. I’m about ten minutes from the Estate. I’m close to the gas station," she said, trying to keep her voice even as she kept looking at the car through the rearview mirror. "Alright, listen to me," her father said, his voice firm. "Don’t go straight home. Pull into that gas station, park near the entrance where there are people around, and stay in the car. Keep the doors locked. I’ll send someone to you right away." Mari’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Okay," she murmured, her pulse hammering in her ears. She signaled and turned into the gas station, pulling up near the convenience store attached to it.