Page 13 of Harboring Shantae

"I know exactly who you are, Senator Adams, and I don't give a shit. But I'm guessing you're going to care real soon when the neighbors start talking."

Shantae lived in a townhouse, and from what Panther could tell, she had nosy neighbors. Her father probably liked that when he picked the place out, but was regretting it now as he quickly looked around.

"Tell my daughter I stopped by and would like a word with her immediately."

The man didn't bother to wait around for an answer, nor did he say goodbye. Panther couldn't care less either way.

Panther watched the senator hurry down the walkway and climb into a town car. He waited until it pulled away before he shut and locked the door. They needed to get a move on. There was no telling how Shantae's father would react to being sent away.

He took the stairs two at a time. He was just stepping onto the landing when Shantae hustled out of one of the rooms, with a small suitcase clutched in her hand.

"Who was at the door?"

Panther contemplated lying to her, so she didn't worry more than she already was, but he hated liars.

"Your father."

She did exactly as he expected and froze. He gave her the minute she needed to gather herself before he pushed.

"We really need to get going. Your father wasn't happy I sent him packing."

"What did he want?"

He hated the way her voice trembled. He wanted to smash the senator's face in for causing the slight shiver that took over her body. There was only ever one good reason a woman should shake.

Anticipation.

"Didn't give him a chance to tell me. You said you wanted out and that's what we’re going to do. Tell me now if you changed your mind."

"I want to go with you."

That's all he needed to hear. Grabbing her suitcase for her and taking her hand in his, he tugged her down the stairs.

Panther didn't let her go until they were standing in her nicely decorated kitchen. He had to admit, the place was cozy. It was too bad her parents picked it out. Although the coziness was more than likely due to the woman standing next to him than the actual place itself.

"Grab anything else you think you need. I'm going to text Falcon so he can follow us to the plane. There's a good chance he and Trista didn't make it far after they left."

Even with his wife tagging along, Falcon would always put the job first. Safety wasn't something his team leader slacked at.

Pulling out his phone, he sent a quick text out, letting Falcon know they would be ready to leave within five minutes. Sure enough, he didn't even get to put his phone away before he got a response.

FALCON: We'll be there before you leave.

Just like that. The one thing he always knew but never really experienced was the level at which the members of his team would drop everything just to help another out. He'd done it for the others, but was never in a position where he needed it. Now that he did, it felt good knowing someone had his six.

"Ready."

Shantae was adorable when she was flustered. He watched as her eyes darted around the room, probably looking to make sure she didn't miss anything. Being packed to leave at a moment's notice wasn't the way most normal people operated. But he wasn't normal, and neither was his team.

"I think you should leave your phone behind." He watched as she looked down at the piece of technology in her hand. "People can trace you with it and we can always get you another one once you're settled."

Five seconds. Yes, he counted. That's how long Shantae took to make the decision.

"There's no one important enough for me to talk to anyway."

She tossed the phone on the counter and walked away without a second glance. Panther was surprised. Most people were glued to their phones in this day and age. It was tough finding a person who actually felt like they didn't need it.

A breath of fresh air. That's precisely what Shantae was.

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