Read Precious Stones Online

Authors: Darrien Lee

Precious Stones

Precious Stones
Darrien Lee
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Prologue
Keilah woke up in a panic, gasping for air, which startled their German shepherd, Target, out of his sleep. He quickly came to her bedside and whimpered upon seeing her in distress.
She gently patted his head and said, “I'm okay, boy. It's just another bad dream.”
Her sleep hadn't been disturbed by nightmares of her ex in a long time, but for some reason he had seeped into her subconscious tonight. Her husband, Ramsey, was in Atlanta on a business trip and wouldn't be returning until tomorrow, and their one-year old daughter, Neariah, was sleeping peacefully across the hallway. She glanced over at the clock, which read 1:45
A.M.
, and sighed. Needing to regroup, she slowly climbed out of bed, and with Target following close behind, she made her nightly routine trip across the hall to check on her daughter. Neariah was sound asleep but had kicked her blanket off her tiny body. Keilah pulled the blanket back over her sleeping child and quietly exited the room.
With a dry throat she descended the stairs and made her way into the kitchen to quench her thirst. Target decided to seize the opportunity for a cool drink of water as well while standing guard over his owner. Keilah walked over to the French doors and look out over their perfectly manicured yard and large pool. They lived in a gated community in an upscale section of D.C. Being in the personal security business, Keilah and her husband took their privacy and security seriously. Their property was equipped with special sensors and cameras, but having Target around was an added bonus and he was a great companion, especially when Ramsey was out of town.
“Are you ready to go back to bed, boy?” Keilah whispered to Target before turning out the light.
That was when a perimeter alarm siren went off, startling her. Out the window she could see the strobe light flicker, indicating a breach of their property. She immediately picked up the telephone and called the neighborhood security officer who patrolled a couple of neighborhoods in the area. The officer made his way over to the Stones' residence, where he surveyed the property for possible intruders. After about thirty minutes he met Keilah at the front door and gave her the all clear.
“Mrs. Stone, I didn't find any evidence of a break-in or anything disturbed on your property. If anyone tried to get over your gate, they're long gone now. More than likely it was an animal. If you have any more problems, feel free to call me and I'll come right over.”
“Thank you, Officer Blake. I really appreciate you getting over here so fast.”
He smiled and said, “You're welcome.”
Keilah waited until the officer exited her gate before reactivating her perimeter alarm. Feeling uneasy, she made her way back upstairs and moved Neariah's crib into her bedroom just as a precaution. It wasn't like her to be shaken from the alarm going off, but since she had become a wife and mother, a lot of things had changed.
Family had always been important to her since she grew up in California with four older brothers, who were more like fathers than brothers. They showered her with love and affection, and while she knew they meant well, their attentiveness sometimes turned into overprotectiveness. Now that she was grown and living in D.C., she didn't get to see them as often. That was why she had convinced her husband to volunteer their home for Thanksgiving dinner this year. She knew it was going to be an exhausting weekend, and she had only a week to prepare, but it would be worth it having everyone together under one roof.
Before climbing into bed, she pulled her 9 mm handgun out of the nightstand and slid it under Ramsey's pillow and prayed that sleep would come easily for her. As she closed her eyes, a vehicle slowly drove past the entrance to her driveway and then sped toward the expressway.
Chapter One
It was a cool fall morning as Keilah kissed her daughter good-bye. Camille, the Stones' nanny/housekeeper/ chef/friend, had arrived, and after having a short conversation with Keilah, she had quickly taken the baby out of her mother's arms and placed her in the high chair so she could start her breakfast.
“Don't worry about a thing, Mrs. Stone. Neariah and I have a big day planned,” Camille said as she kissed the baby's forehead. “We're going to the market to get some fresh vegetables and some other goodies so we can make a delicious dinner for you and Mr. Stone tonight.”
Keilah picked her purse up off the countertop and said, “Camille, I told you to call us by our first names.”
Camille waved her off and said, “It's difficult to do that, Mrs. Stone. As you young people say, I'm old school, but I'll try.”
“Great,” Keilah replied with a smile. “Besides, you're practically family, anyway.”
Camille Harrison was an African American lady in her midsixties who was a retired schoolteacher. She'd come highly recommended by their friend Kyle Bradford, who worked in a high-level government office at the Pentagon. Camille had kept the small children of a high-ranking military officer for a few years, until he was relocated.
“Call me if you need anything,” Keilah stated as she gave her daughter one more kiss. “Ramsey should be back in town this afternoon, so whatever you decide to cook for dinner, we'll love.”
Camille followed her over to the door leading to the garage and basically pushed her out to door. “Okay. Now, get out of here, before you're late to work. You're in our way. Neariah and I have a lot to do today.”
Keilah opened the garage door and then turned back to her nanny and said, “Before I leave, I don't want to alarm you and it's probably nothing, but the perimeter alarm went off early this morning. The security guard didn't find anything or anybody, but I wanted to mention it to you as a precaution.”
Camille listened attentively and said, “I'm sure it was nothing, but I'll be extra attentive, anyway.”
Keilah hugged her nanny's neck and said, “I knew you would. I'll see you this evening.” She blew her daughter one more kiss before picking up her coffee cup and climbing into her car.
 
Driving in rush-hour traffic was never fun, and for some reason, this morning was worse than others. If it wasn't for her satellite radio playing smooth jazz, Keilah didn't know how she would make it. Then she thought about her unsettling night, and it angered her. Her child's safety came first, and she would die before she would let anyone or anything harm her.
At that moment, her cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“Keilah, this is Patrick Welch. I have a problem.”
Keilah listened as one of her employees explained to her that his vehicle would not start and he was late meeting a client for an assignment. She looked at her watch and realized she didn't have time to replace him with another employee on such short notice, so she had to make a decision that her husband wasn't going to be happy about.
“I don't have my itinerary in front of me, Patrick. What is your assignment today?”
Patrick explained to his boss that his assignment was to accompany a model to New York on a day trip for some appointments. He was supposed to meet her at the airport and fly on a private jet owned by her modeling agency.
“Forward the itinerary to my phone so I can cover you until you can get to New York to relieve me.”
“I will,” he answered before apologizing again for the mishap.
Keilah and Ramsey told their agents to always make sure their private vehicles were in pristine condition, and if for some reason they had a situation like this, they had to have a backup plan in order to make sure they made it to their assignments. On this day, Patrick didn't, and he would have to be reprimanded for it later.
At the airport Keilah parked her car, texted the client that she would be there shortly, then hurried into the terminal building. She didn't get a response, which didn't surprise her. She wasn't dressed for running in her tailored navy suit and three-inch heels, and she hadn't planned to, anyway. If the client wasn't there when she arrived, she wouldn't be upset about it, but something told her the model would be there and would probably have an attitude because she was late. Most of them were like that.
“It's about time!” the model yelled at Keilah. “You're forty-five minutes late! What kind of business are you running?”
Keilah calmed herself before speaking, because the businesswoman in her was telling her to say one thing, but the hood in her was telling her to say something else.
“I'm sorry I'm late, but the agent assigned to you had some unexpected personal issues to attend to this morning, so I'll be accompanying you on your trip.”
The model looked Keilah up and down and asked, “What kind of protection could you possibly be? You look like you weigh a hundred pounds wet!”
At that moment a male voice from behind Keilah interrupted them, and it was a voice she had never expected to hear.
“Chill out, baby,” the man said as he walked over to the model and gave her a kiss. “You're in the best hands possible with Keilah Chance.”
“Hello, Trenton,” Keilah greeted as she held out her hand.
He walked over to her and gave her a hug instead. “It's been a while, huh?”
Trenton was Keilah's ex-boyfriend and a professor at Howard University. Since they had broken up, he had had several books hit the national best-sellers list. He had basically become an overnight sensation in the lit world and had recently got a part-time gig on BET, leaving him to teach at Howard on a part-time basis.
“You two know each other?” Chrisette asked with a scowl on her face.
“Yeah, we go way back,” Trenton answered without offering Chrisette any more details.
“How do you two know each other?”
He clapped his hands together and said, “Let's just say we used to hang out in the same circle.”
“Is that so? I thought maybe she was one of your students,” Chrisette replied sarcastically.
He laughed and said, “She sure does look the part, but I can attest to you that she is definitely an adult.”
Chrisette gave Keilah a nasty look and asked, “Can we please leave now? The Big Apple's waiting on me.”
Keilah couldn't move for a moment, but once she got her legs to move, she followed them down the tunnel to a private jet. She hadn't seen Trenton in almost two years. Their breakup had left her bitter because he couldn't accept her career choice. What he wanted was to be the breadwinner and for her to be a housewife, but that wasn't who Keilah was and she wasn't going to change and live a miserable life. In the end it was Keilah's good fortune that Trenton ended their relationship, sending her right into Ramsey's arms and life.
On the plane Chrisette immediately entered the bathroom as Trenton took his seat across from Keilah.
“So, how have you been? How's your family?”
Keilah reluctantly answered, “Everyone's fine. Thanks for asking.”
He smiled and then whispered, “I think about you all the time. I really hate how things ended between us.”
“I really didn't have a say in the matter, now did I?” Keilah reminded him.
“Wow! I guess I deserve that,” he admitted. “Keilah, you have to understand where I was then. I loved you dearly, but I wasn't used to a woman like you. I couldn't handle that life.”
Keilah put her hand up to stop him from talking. “Trenton, I'm here on business, not to talk about our past. It's over and done with. Okay?”
He leaned forward and took her hands in his and said, “I don't mean to upset you by bringing this up, but I need to know if you're happy, Keilah. I mean, are you really happy?”
She pulled her hands away from him and said, “I've never been happier in my entire life.”
He leaned back in his seat and was about to speak when Chrisette exited the restroom, interrupting his thought.
“What do you think about this dress, Trent? I'm thinking about wearing it to the first appointment.”
“The dress is fine, babe,” he answered, barely looking at her.
“I kind of like the red one better,” she replied as she twirled around in the dress.
He ran his hands over his face with frustration and said, “Then wear the red one, Chrisette. You look great in everything you own. Just pick one.”
Just then the pilot came over the intercom and instructed the passengers to buckle up and prepare for takeoff.
Chrisette leaned down and gave him a peck on the lips and said, “Thank you, sweetheart. I'll be right back.”
Trenton grabbed Chrisette's wrist and pulled her down in the seat. “Sit down so we can take off.”
“But I have another dress to try on,” she told him, pouting.
“It'll have to wait,” he replied as he discreetly stared at Keilah's shapely legs as they all sat back and prepared for takeoff.
 
In Atlanta, Ramsey tried calling his wife again as he finished up breakfast with some business acquaintances at the Omni Hotel. He had one more meeting to attend before finally catching a flight home to his family. Keilah's voice mail came on again, so this time he left her a loving message. It wasn't abnormal not to reach her on her cell, so he decided to call his office.
“The Stone-Chance Protection Agency. How may I direct your call?”
Ramsey recognized the voice of the receptionist on duty and spoke personally to her.
“Good morning, Tia. It's Ramsey. Transfer me to Keilah's office, please.”
With a jubilant tone of voice, the receptionist said, “I would love to transfer you to Keilah's office, but she's not in yet.”
Ramsey glanced down at his watch and tried not to get worried. “Okay, then transfer me to Cameron, please,” he said.
Within seconds, Keilah's assistant, Cameron, picked up the line. “Good morning, Ramsey. Are you on your way back?”
“I will be shortly,” he revealed. “Listen, Tia said Keilah wasn't in the office yet. I tried to reach her on her cell, but she's not answering. Is everything okay?”
Cameron could hear the tension in his voice. He had been Keilah's assistant for a long time and had witnessed the progression of their relationship. He knew when he had a fire to put out.
“Calm down, Ramsey. Keilah called me before Tia made it into the office. She's just fine,” Cameron said to reassure him. “Unfortunately, she's on her way to New York.”
“New York? What's in New York?”
Cameron hesitated before answering because he knew Ramsey was going to blow a gasket. “Patrick was supposed to escort a client there this morning, but he had car problems, so Keilah went in his place.”
“Car problems?” Ramsey asked angrily. “Has he forgotten what our company guidelines are?”
“I'm sure he hasn't, but I don't know the details of his problem. For all I know, his car could've been vandalized or stolen.”
“Call him and tell him he'd better be in my office by the time my plane hits the tarmac so we can have a one-on-one.”
“I would if I could, but Keilah told him to fly to New York ASAP to relieve her as soon as he was able to get to the airport. The client she's with might decide to make it an overnight trip.”
Ramsey's blood pressure went up a few more degrees, because he had made it clear to his wife that they were not field agents anymore, especially to Neariah. While he knew she wouldn't put herself in immediate danger, she was in a high-risk position anytime she was guarding a client.
“Did you clear Keilah's appointments for today?” he asked.
“Yes, she made sure everything was rescheduled or taken care of. Don't worry, Ramsey. I got this.”
He laughed because Cameron was right. He and Keilah had two of the best assistants in the business, and they compensated them well for their efficiency and expertise.
“Okay. I'm getting ready to go to my last meeting, and then I'll be heading to the airport. If you talk to Keilah before I do, tell her to call me as soon as she can.”
“I will,” Cameron replied. “And don't worry. She'll be fine. Have a safe flight.”
Ramsey hung up his cell and hurried off to his meeting.
 
The flight to New York seemed to be taking longer than Keilah had anticipated. It didn't help that Trenton kept staring at her seductively. Chrisette returned to the restroom to try on yet another outfit as soon as the pilot gave the all clear for them to relax.

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