What About Me?

Chapter Twelve

Lexis.

"Nigga I don't owe you a fucking penny." I yelled into the phone. "What's going on? Are you okay baby?" Karina emerged from our bedroom still looking tired. I quickly hung up the phone and turned to face her. "I'm sorry if I woke you K. It's just business stuff." I mellowed my voice and rubbed her shoulders. "That wasn't business. What's going on Lexis Amere Richards? I swear to—"

"Hey, hey, hey baby listen. It's not what you think. Okay? I promise you, I am not in the game anymore." I looked her in the eyes for assurance. "Okay." She said in a questionable tone and got back in bed. I closed the master bathroom door and redialed the number.

"Stop calling this number. What the fuck do you want from me huh?" I snapped at him before he could even say hello. "I told you nigga. My money!" He spat with venom in his voice. I was growing agitated. For weeks now, Mawly, an old associate of mine has been calling. I couldn't believe after all these years he had the audacity to call me. He was the one who set me up to rob that bank. What he didn't know was that I had a plan b and that plan b was Karina and my unborn. Butter and Leek would have died before they told him anything about what I had planned that night. Now that I'm out, I guess he still wants the money. I just thought he set me up so he could take over the street. "I don't have no fucking money nigga! You set me up to get caught to get me off the streets so you can take over! Well guess what? You won. Stop calling my motherfucking phone." I yelled in a hushed tone. "You better fix ya attitude when you talking to me nigga. I want my fucking money and since you don't have it, you owe me. Pay me, or work it off. You got 48 hours, otherwise your family is dead." I didn't understand what family he meant. Nobody knew about Aubree and Karina. The only other family anyone know about is my sister and she left the country years ago. "Leave her out of this, or I swear to— Hello? Hello? FUCK!!" I yelled punching a hole in the wall.

"Lexis, tell me what's going on. Now." Karina appeared behind me with her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm so sorry." I put my head down trying not to look at the disappointment on her face. "Sorry for what? What is going on?" She placed her hand under my chin so I could look at her. When I did, there was no disappointment on her face... it was sorrow. "It's Mawly. He's been calling for the money. He said if I don't pay, I'll have to work for him or my family is dead. K, I swear I'm not in the game anymore. I wouldn't do that to Aubree—"

"I know." She cut me off and kissed my lips. "We'll figure out how to pay him, but I will not let you go back to that life. If something happened to you, it wouldn't just be me affected by it. It would hurt Aubree."

"Okay. I'm so sorry. No matter how hard I try trouble just can't seem to be able to stay away from me." I sighed in the crook of her neck. "There was a time where I was willing to live a life on the run to be with you. I'm the last person you have to explain your intentions to. I'm here to stay."

"I don't think he knows about you and Aubree, but he definitely knows something about my sister. I need to call her and tell her to stay somewhere else until I fix this." My biggest fear was being dragged back into this shit. It's like the only real way out is to just... die. I won't put my daughter through this, I can't. I just found out I had a daughter and I'm getting to know her still, I can't mess this up.

I have to come up with a plan.

G.

Today I followed Monica after she got off work, but she didn't go home. I saw Jynx answer the door for her, and I thought he must've gotten his own place. But then what grabbed my attention was how low his hand sat on her back... that's one hell of a family friend. He was trying to get with her right under my nose. How the fuck didn't I see it? What struck my nerve the most was when I saw my baby girl jump into his arms. "Daddy, Daddy!" It stung my ears like an abnoxious screeching noise. I couldn't find it within myself to drive off. I just... watched, you know?