Suits & Aces (#3)

10 // Trouble

Home was not the same, not without Logan.

She wondered what it would take to get him to move back into the house.

She did not understand why he was staying with that old lady.

To top it off, Cameron was still not home when she woke up. What was the use of being here if she was going to be all alone?

She and Cameron never really had a good relationship, they were like an odd pair of shoes, water and oil, they just could not get along.

With Logan on the other hand, they did not have a perfect relationship, but they got along just fine.

She had to figure a way to get him home. An idea popped in her head, she was tired of being cooped up in this house.

"Honey," she said to her son who was having cereal in the kitchen. "Don't have a lot for breakfast, we will have something on the way."

"Mom..." He heart swelled in joy when he addressed her. "Are we going somewhere?" He asked excitedly.

She messed with his hair and smiled. "Yes, honey. A friend of mine invited us for breakfast. So, go get ready, we will be leaving in a few minutes." She sighed as she watched him run up the stairs. At least she had him.

She followed after him and got ready, and by the time she got back downstairs, Cameron had just returned.

"Hey!" She mused, crossing her arms. "Look who the cat dragged from hell."

He looked drained. "Montana, not now. I'm not in the mood for your comments." He walked past her and climbed the stairs.

"Jerk!" She snorted. "Honey, let's go." She took her son's hand, and they walked out of the house.

The drivers and guards gave her a hard time before they eventually let her go, her brothers were treating her like a prisoner.

She could not believe she stayed away from home for such a long time, this was the best place to be. There was never a dull moment, especially where she was involved.

She arrived at her destination, excitement brewing in her chest.

"Mom, what are we doing at Shannon's house?"

Since when does that little brat have a house? She thought.

David had done a pretty well in the last few years, clearly he was not as careless with his money as he was before, Lola must have done a number on him. Or better yet, his little sister, he nearly died when she damaged his expensive car.

"Chad, I told you we were invited for breakfast," she said, biting her fingernails.

"I don't think Shannon likes me much. She's going to hate me, especially after she finds out that we tricked that lady," Chad said, fear written all over his face.

Montana sighed and turned to him. "Honey, don't worry yourself about Shannon, okay? I know exactly how to deal with her. Come on, let's go." She stepped out of the car and waited for him to join her, and then she held his hand.

There were two cars parked outside, clearly the power couple was still at home. With the line of work David did, one would think he would take extra security measures to protect his family, but no, the gate was open to anyone who came by.

This was going to be much easier than she thought.

She knocked on the door and waited.

"Are you expecting something?" Came a voice that sounded like Lola.

"Maybe it's Zoe!"

The door opened. "Who is she coming to interrogate–" Montana? What are you doing here

"Lola, it has been years!" Montana cheered. "You look amazing."

"Honey, who's there?" David appeared behind his wife, and his cheerful expression turned to horror as soon as he spotted her.

Montana smirked subtly. She was not expecting any less from them, nobody was happy with her wherever she went.

"Montana what are you doing here?" He asked in a hushed whisper.

She placed her hand on her chest dramatically. "Dave, I was not expecting to find you here. I thought you'd be at work or something."

David did not say anything, neither did Lola. Lola look like she was battling with herself, she was furious and yet she was fighting to keep her cool.

Montana did not blame her though, she would have reacted the same way if her husband's ex showed up unannounced.

"David honey, who is there?" Someone shouted from inside, and that only excited Montana, she would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Is that Lillian?" Montana asked in wonder. She did not see that one coming, as far as she was concerned, David's mother stayed with her husband. How was she here so early in the morning?

"What's taking you guys so long? The food is getting cold. Lola, come and dish up for the kids, their transport will be here soon."

Lola shut her eyes momentarily and bit her tongue. "Would you like to come in?" She asked.

As if I would ever miss the opportunity, Montana thought. "No, I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Come on, Montana," Lola scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You have already made it this far, why turn around now? We both know your being here is not a mistake, so save the crap for somebody who buys it."

"Whoa, Lola!" Montana covered Chad's ears. "Watch your language, there's a child here. Come on, boy." She led him into the house, leaving the couple behind. "Hi, family!" She cheered and strolled into the dining-room where Lillian, David's aunt, Shannon, and Lola's kids were sitting around the breakfast table.

These two women under the same roof? That smelled like trouble.

Everyone looked shocked to see her, except for Lola's daughters who looked confused since they did not know her. However, Shannon was more focused on Chad while the two women were looking at her.

One would swear they had just seen a ghost, too bad for them, she was very much alive.

"Oh, my goodness!" Lillian gasped. "Montana, is this really you?" She asked, her lips slightly ajar.

No, I'm a clone, the real Montana is in my closet. She thought with a wide grin. "Lia, I have to say this is such a big surprise, I was not expecting to see you here!"

Lillian waved her off. "I know, I've just been visiting, you know. I missed my children and granddaughters," she said, but her daughter-in-law did not exactly agree.

"Oh, she's been visiting for months, okay. I personally think she has overstayed her welcome if you ask me," Lola jabbed as she took a seat.

Ah! So, even after so many years, they still did not get along?

Lillian gave a small smile. "Aren't you going to have a seat?" She offered, gesturing at an empty chair at the table.

"Thank you." Montana pulled the chair for Chad and sat on the next one.

"Who is this handsome young man?" David's aunt asked, and all eyes turned to Chad.

"This?" Montana smiled staring at him in admiration. "This is Chad," she said and looked up. "My son."

Someone at the table choked and started coughing furiously.

"Did you just say your son? You have a son?" Lillian asked, but judging from her face, she did not look surprised . "How old is he?"

"He is turning fourteen next month."

The tension in the room multiplied tenfold, and Montana saw this as her cue to leave, she had done what she came here to do. Often times all you had to do is plant the seed in a place where it will grow.

All eyes were on David, and Lola looked as if she was going to faint.

Montana looked at her wrist watch. "Would you look at that? Chad, we are late," she gasped dramatically. "It was nice to see you guys, but we have to rush. There is something happening at the cafe. I'm going to drop by just to see how things are, you know, with the latest drama and everything." At this point, nobody cared whether she stayed or left, and that was fine with her. She pushed her chair back and stood up. "Come on, Chad. Let's go." She did not waste time getting out of there, but before she could get into the car, someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"What do you think you are doing?" David asked in a hushed voice.

Montana pulled snatched out of his hold and folded her arms. "Something I should have done long ago. It's about time you and your family acknowledged your son."

"Shhh, keep your voice down." He looked around cautiously.

She scoffed. "Why? Are you scared that your wife will hear me? It's no use hiding the truth anymore, the sooner she finds out, the earlier she will get used to the idea of having him around, because trust me, you haven't heard the last of me."

David gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "How do I know that he is my son? For all I know, this could be just one of your games."

"You want proof? Then let's make a doctor's appointment and do a DNA test. Not that it's going to change anything, Chad is your son, your real first-born." She turned around and climbed into the car, and this time he did not stop her.

She did not know how to feel, she was conflicted. She did not know whether to feel victorious or angry, David just worked on her nerves. She took breathing exercises trying to calm myself down, she did not want Chad to see how stressed out she was.

The drive to the cafe was quiet and long, Montana was lost in her thoughts throughout, but the moment she arrived at the cafe, a new sense of excitement brewed within her and she found a reason to go on for the day.

The old lady and her staff had a display outside where they were giving out free food.

Trying to ease their guilty conscience, huh? She thought.

"You can go home, I will call you when I need you to fetch me later," She said to the driver once they were out of the car.

"Yes, Ms Parker," he said before driving off.

Montana headed towards the table in determination, and she was lucky to come face to face with the owner herself. "Hi, Mrs Dos Santos, right?"

The woman nodded. "Uhm...yes. Have we met before?" She asked.

No, but after this, you will never forget me. She smiled and extended her hand. "I'm Logan's sister, Montana."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise, and she shook her hand. "Oh, Montana! Logan is not around at the moment."

Montana waved her off. "Oh, no! I actually came to see you."

Mrs dos Santos frowned and turned to the waitress on her right. "Will you manage?" She asked, and the girl nodded but gave Montana a suspicious look. "Please, let's talk in my office." She led them inside, and Montana ordered Chad to stay inside the restaurant before she followed the old lady to her cramped office. "I'm sorry about the mess, we have been quite busy, especially your brother."

"I have no doubt, Logan is a great man and a hard worker," Montana said, taking a seat. "I know you did not expect to see me here, but I thought I should stop by and see how you're holding up after everything that's happened."

The woman looked confused. "I don't understand, what do you mean but everything that's happened?" She asked.

"I mean the shootout that happened here in the cafe don't you remember? The mass funeral is tomorrow." Montana folded her legs and leaned back into the chair, she did not give her a chance to recover. "How is your staff coping with the death of their colleagues? Also that poor girl, what was the name again? The one who recently had a baby. Poor thing, she does not have a mother anymore. Who could have thought? People are so cruel out there," she rambled on, satisfied with the reaction she was getting. "I can just imagine what you are going through, I mean, you only survived by chance, and my brother..." She gasped and placed her hand on her chest. "I don't even want to think about what would have happened if he was here when the whole thing went down."

The woman was rendered speechless, her face was a canvas of many emotions as she went down memory lane. She shook her head as everything came back to her.

Montana could see her mind working, the fear and guilt coming back, and in the midst of it all, the anger at the realisation that she was betrayed. It was as if she was trying to understand what was going on outside, and yet, she could not find the answers.

Montana enjoyed every second her face wrinkled in thought. Who the hell did she think she was? She could not suddenly barge into her brother's life and keep him away from his family.

She may be feeling a lot of things now, but once everything settled in its place, her anger would be the end of everything. She already hated him.

Montana pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'd better get going, it was good to see you," she said smoothly and walked out of the office, running into the suspicious waitress on the way, at least she would get there before the old lady could have a stroke. "Chad, let's go."

He was having a sandwich and juice, at least he had something to eat after she stopped him from eating at home, there was just no way she could have sat through the entire breakfast table with the Bothas with all that tension.

"Mom, where are we going?" He grumbled.

She smiled delightfully. "We are going to prepare dinner, uncle Logan is coming home."