“They wouldn’t cringe if they saw Hakeem Underwood or his package. Plus, Hakeem never led me on. He made it clear he didn’t want anything serious, and I was fine with that,” Grace insisted.
“Liar. You thought you’d be the exception to his rule, so you let him use you like a sex toy until he found another,” Isaac said.
“Stop being dramatic. He didn’t break things off with me because he found another girl. His work takes him on dangerous missions, and he didn’t want me to be the target of al-Harakat or some other crazy rebel group because of him. Now that Wangari’s father has hired TIDES as part of the family’s personal security detail, he might be assigned to guard the Irungu Center, which would give me the perfect opportunity to make him regret his decision to push me away,” Grace said.
Mena looked up, suddenly interested in the conversation. “Grace, did you say TIDES?”
“Yes, check your email. Bodyguards from TIDES are going to be assigned to the museum and Irungu Center as we get closer to the primaries in April. With all the political connections Wangari’s family has, her father is ramping up security to prevent an attack or kidnapping to further some political gain,” Grace said.
“TIDES is a private security firm for the rich and famous. When kidnappings or corporate espionage occurs, wealthy Kenyans reach out to special ops security firms like TIDES to protect their interests by any means necessary, including tactics the police would never do,” Isaac explained.
“Julian got a job working with TIDES,” Mena said, an uneasiness settling within her. Julian had told Mena his new work could be dangerous, but she wasn’t expecting it to be anything like what Grace and Isaac were describing. Any work that would bring Julian into the crosshairs of terrorists and rebel factions was not something she wanted him involved in anymore. “He said the company is owned by one of his old Navy buddies.”
“He’s ex-military, right?” Isaac asked. “Makes sense that he’d work for an outfit like TIDES.”
“Old Navy buddy?” Grace shrieked. “Did Julian really say that about Sunny Tate?”
“Yeah, why is that a big deal?” Mena asked, walking toward Grace’s desk.
Grace’s fingers flew across her keyboard as she accessed her social media accounts online. Mena’s eyes blurred as Grace scrolled through her friends' list, then stopped on one small logo—the same trident-speared peach with a wave curving over it that Mena had seen on Julian’s folder last night. Grace clicked on the link.
“This is your man’s old Navy buddy,” Grace said, clicking on a picture, then magnifying it to fill the entire screen.
Sucking in a breath, Mena stared at the old Navy buddy—Sunny Tate. The woman was stunning, with dark skin, sparkling brown eyes, and a smile that had to be worth millions. She could have easily been a model on the runways of Paris and Milan, yet her bio stated that she was a retired naval special ops pilot, owner of TIDES, ATL native and self-proclaimed fashionista.
“She’s gorgeous,” Isaac whispered, stepping between Grace and Mena to get a better view.
Blood boiling, Mena couldn’t stop watching the monitor as Grace continued to scroll through Sunny Tate's social media page. Pictures flew by in a blur. Why hadn't Julian told her that the owner of TIDES was a breathtakingly beautiful woman from his past? Perhaps he hadn’t thought it was important, and maybe it wasn't. Why should she make a big deal about a pretty woman who’d served in the Navy with him? There was no reason for her to freak out—
"Looks like there's more to the story of Julian and Sunny," Isaac said, pointing at the screen.
Staring back at her was a young Julian Montgomery with an arm wrapped around Sunny Tate, dressed in a scantily clad bikini, on the beach in what looked like Destin, Florida to Mena.
Despite the warning bells clanging in her head, Mena couldn’t help but take stock. Sunny was curvy and voluptuous and infinitely more attractive than she was. A spasm of panic shot through Mena.
Reaching over Grace, Mena grabbed the mouse and magnified the photo. On the left of Sunny, a light-skinned black man with short dreadlocks and a sweet smile also had an arm wrapped around her, leaning his head on her shoulder. But Sunny’s arms were locked around Julian's waist, her head inches from his as she was caught mid laughter for the photo.
"The post says 'Hanging out with my favorite boys' and tags Julian Montgomery and Broman Garrison,” Isaac recited.
Mena felt dizzy. Julian and Broman with Sunny Tate. Sunny and Julian looked close, intimate in the photo while Broman looked like a third wheel. Had Sunny and Julian been a couple back then? Why would Julian think about working with his ex without giving her some kind of warning or heads up?
Grace quickly pressed the close button on the website, jarring Mena from her thoughts.
“Enough of that. No need to think about Julian working with Sunny. If you ask me, that charm bracelet says everything you need to know about where his heart lies,” Grace said, probably trying to encourage her out of the funk settling over her.
“I agree with Grace. A ten thousand dollar charm bracelet from Tiffany’s should be more than enough to make you feel secure, even with a gorgeous woman like Sunny Tate around,” Isaac added.
Mena glanced down at her bracelet, flipping the heart-shaped charm over to stare at the engraved J and M on the surface. Normally, staring at her bracelet made her feel overwhelmed with love, but today the jewelry struggled to work its magic.
“There really should be a lot more working going on in here,” Wangari said, a playful hint in her rebuke as she walked into the room.
“We’re working,” Grace said, fumbling to grab a mask resting on the corner of her desk.
Wangari gave her a skeptical glance, then said, “I received clearance to extend a special invitation to some of my staff for an event occurring at the museum. How would the three of you like to attend a special, private dinner being held tomorrow night to raise money for President Thairu’s re-election campaign?”
Starting in April, voters would head to the polls to choose candidates for the dozens of political parties across Kenya. Mena had noticed the buzz building across the city. There were still concerns, despite the peaceful state President Thairu had ushered in over the past four years, that violence could occur at polling stations around the country as rival parties and tribes clashed.
“You know, I’m in. I’m a huge supporter of the President,” Grace said. “I need to figure out who I’m going to bring as my plus one.”
