"Turn to the left for me."
Slowly, Jersey turned to the left. She placed her eyes on the brick wall, carefully trailing the lines with her eyes.
"I need a close-up photo." The heavyset officer claimed as she took a step toward Jersey with her camera in her hands.
The sounds of the camera flickering caused Jersey to flutter her eyelids. When the police officer backed away, she turned her attention toward her.
"We're all done."
"Wait..." Jersey trailed off, lifting her shirt. "I have one more bruise."
The officer cocked her head to the side. She watched as the woman revealed her stomach. She was small yet still round and barely showing. On her left side, there was a deep scratch. Jersey wasn't quite sure how it got there, but she assumed Tilly tried stabbing her with something while they were fighting.
"Another one?" The officer called out in disbelief. She shook her head as she wobbled over with her camera. "This is just disgusting. Why would she do this to you?"
Jersey said nothing as she continued to hold her shirt up. She didn't want to speak about the situation because it was stupid. The fight was literally over nothing, and she only retaliated because Tilly's delusional ass decided to hit her.
After the officer captured the evidence, Jersey received medical treatment. Her wounds were sterilized, lathered with ointment, and bandaged up properly. The baby was fine and unbothered by the drama—Jersey didn't seem to think about him. She was still shocked about the fight.
She finalized her report and was released to Malcolm, who kept pacing the floors. He was worried about her and only wanted to know if she and the baby were okay. When he recognized her at the glass doors, he stopped and stood there with his hands tucked into his pockets. Jersey had her arms folded as she slowly walked over. Malcolm closed the gap between them and wrapped his arm around her torso.
"You alright?"
Jersey nodded her head stiffly and said, "I want to go home."
"Let's go." He whispered while rubbing her back. "Amber is waiting for us."
▲▲▲
2 Months Later
"Yo, you're not ready yet?"
Jersey lifted her head and noticed Amber walking into her room. She rolled her eyes and decided to lay back on the pillow.
"We have a lot of shit to do, Hersh." Amber continued as she neared the bed.
"I'm not really feeling good." Jersey pushed out. "I feel...drained."
"That's because your ass is pregnant. You're what—seven months pregnant now?"
"Seven months..." Jersey stated dryly with a stiff nod. She decided to get up from the bed and slide her shoes on. Jersey wasn't in the mood to dress up, so she decided to wear a cute jogger set with her crocs. It was comfortable and convenient for her ankles. Instead of cutting her hair, she decided to let it sprout without disturbance. The copper color was growing out beautifully, and she was able to do a few styles with her hair.
As expected, Malcolm decided to fire Paul. Unfortunately, he didn't follow Malcolm's orders, which resulted in Jersey getting harmed by Tilly. Malcolm wanted to do permanent damage to the man, but he was begged not to by Jersey. Instead of doing so, he relieved him from his duties. Another bodyguard was put in his place.
Jarod. He barely talked and carried a menace expression across his face. He was cutthroat—vicious—the perfect protection Jersey needed.
"Can we stop and get something to eat on the way?" Jersey questioned the driver while putting on lip gloss. She didn't like the invasion at all. Malcolm was so concerned about her, and she could tell he was still paranoid about the brawl she had with Tilly.
Jersey had a driver that chauffeured her around, a bodyguard who watched over her, and an annoying companion who volunteered to keep her company—Amber. She didn't want any of it, but Malcolm wasn't trying to hear her pleas. He wanted her and the baby to be safe—protected—and free from any harm.
The driver said yes and asked Jersey where she wanted to go to eat. After telling him, she looked down at her phone. A grimace etched across her face as she looked at the FaceTime. Nosily, Amber leaned over to check out the contact.
"Why the fuck is Naomi Facetiming you?"
Jersey shrugged her shoulders and said, "I'm not quite sure."
Instead of declining it, Jersey decided to answer it. Immediately, Naomi's face appeared on the screen. She wore a subtle expression and eventually cracked a soft smirk. Her Indian tresses blew with the breeze as she tried her best to keep her hair out of her face.
"Hey!"
"Hey, Naomi."
"I haven't heard from you in two weeks. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. How are you?"
[Cringe] - Interesting Fact: I don't care for introductions.
Naomi took a deep breath and said, "I'm exhausted, but I'm in London with Smoove. I have a couple of photoshoots, and I have to appear in this fashion show." She closed her eyes for a brief moment and eventually opened them. Naomi lifted her glass of champagne and said, "But I'm thriving."
"I've been exhausted lately, too...." Jersey replied, running her fingers through her curly hair.
"Well, you're pregnant...How's the baby?"
Jersey looked down at her protruding belly. She was no longer small and barely showing. Her belly decided to pop out during the third trimester.
"He's great and growing—see." She held her phone out, allowing the woman to see her belly.
"Wow, you're carrying your pregnancy so well." Naomi smiled and eventually narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe when we first met, you were five months pregnant. Girl, you didn't look it at all."
June managed to blabber about it after the surprise was revealed to both Frida and Bernie. Frida seemed excited about the baby and Bernie didn't react negatively to the news—surprisingly.
But she managed to serve a look for Jersey.
"Thank you. I know..." Jersey trailed off, placing the phone back into her view. "I have a small figure, so that's probably why."
Her figure was still small—she was just all belly with her pregnancy.
"Jersey, are you planning a baby shower?"
The familiar voice questioned her. Smoove popped up in the camera with her signature look. She wore a blonde buzz cut, and her makeup was perfect. Jersey liked how her black lipstick. She was just chocolate perfection.
"A baby shower? No." Jersey shook her head no. "But I do have a few registries."
"Aw, why not?" Naomi questioned her with a hint of sadness laced in her voice. "A baby shower would be nice. This is your first baby."
"I wouldn't know how to put one together, and...I'm not sure if people will show up," Jersey answered honestly. She didn't know many people and was afraid of having an empty baby shower.
"Send them to me," Smoove replied and left the camera. "The registries."
"Why are ya'll asking her about a baby shower?" Amber questioned the girls. She forced herself into the camera, basically pressing her face against Jersey's. "Hershey don't want no damn baby shower."
Naomi's eyes bugged. Clearly, she was surprised by Amber's popup.
"Smoove brought it up. I was just wondering why she doesn't want one...."
"Right, like we just want to know if she was having one." Smoove added with a little sass.
"Yeah, right." Amber jibed. "Get her registries and leave the subject alone."
"Why are you being so defensive? We only asked a simple question, Amber. Damn." Naomi cursed.
"Because I can be defensive if I want to," Amber argued back. She knew Naomi better than Jersey did. Naomi was sweet and cool, but she could be a mean girl at times, and Amber was not about to let that happen to Jersey.
"Alright, you two." Jersey raised her voice and pushed out another breath. "No arguing, please."
"She's too damn sensitive for me." Naomi jibed.
"No bitch, you're sensitive." Amber countered while pushing her face back into the camera. "And your lace is lifting, ho."
"Oh my God," Jersey commented while rolling her eyes.
Immediately, Naomi looked at her scalp, trying to fix the issue. She continued to argue with Amber while examining her hair. Fortunately, she found no defects and decided to place the camera on her face.
"And my lace is not lifting," Naomi remarked. "Jersey, I'll text you. Amber—lose my number."
"Alright, I'll call you later." Amber waved her off and eventually flipped her.
"Okay, bye." Jersey held a small grin while ending the FaceTime. She looked over at Amber and couldn't help but to laugh out. "Why are you like this?"
"Because Naomi be trying to bully people into doing shit. If you don't want a baby shower, you don't want one. You shouldn't have to explain to her and Smoove."
"It wasn't a big deal to me," Jersey replied with a shrug.
"I'm telling you..." Amber trailed off as she smashed her fist into her open hand with every word. "Naomi is a mean girl. She will bully your ass into doing shit. I know her, Hershey...I've been knowing that ho for almost five years now."
Jersey chuckled lightly but didn't reply.
"I'm only trying to protect you. I know you can defend yourself, but you're also easygoing—too easygoing for me."
"Let me guess. People like Naomi pry on easygoing people?"
"June, Naomi, Smoove, TK—all them hoes pry on easygoing people. They'll take advantage of you and bully your ass if you let them. I'm only telling you this because they're trying to come around you all of a sudden."
Jersey placed her attention on Amber and noticed the sour expression she wore. Obviously, she didn't like how the women suddenly tried to build a relationship with her. Jersey didn't seem to mind it because she barely had friends. She was still cool with Alesha, but they weren't close anymore. Alesha seemed to distance herself from Jersey after Newton popped up questioning her.
"Noted." Jersey quipped and pursed her lips. "Thanks for letting me know."
Amber nodded her head and said, "I consider you my sister... it's only right."
Jersey laughed and gently nudged Amber. Hearing that did make Jersey feel better.
"Well, you don't have to worry about them bullying me. I won't let it happen."
Amber placed her attention on Jersey and said, "We don't play that shit."
▲▲▲
"That's right..." Malcolm trailed off, stretching out his long limbs. "Pick your nails until they bleed."
He placed his honey-brown eyes on the woman in front of him. She sat there with a subtle expression on her face.
"Give us the information," Dock demanded in a gentle voice. "It's been four hours, Zoey."
Zoey scoffed and eventually slapped a grimace on her face. She sat in the chair, looking exhausted and disoriented. Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head.
"You're asking me to...betray my sister. I can't do that."
"You can...and you will." Malcolm continued with a nonchalant expression. He didn't have to pull out a gun to threaten Zoey. His facial expression was more than enough to scare a bitch.
"Seema has a habit of creating more drama than she can handle," Dock added.
"Look, I don't know much about Seema's business," Zoey explained while wiping the tears that continued to cascade down her cheeks. "She's keeps everything enclosed."
Malcolm shook his head while looking off for a moment. He was growing impatient with Zoe and her little antics. He knew those tears weren't real, and he knew she had access to Seema's dark world.
"I don't buy your bullshit story, Zoey." Malcolm stated casually. "You know all about your sister's lifestyle. You know all about the murders she committed and the attempted ones."
Zoey flinched at his words but didn't bother to object to his claims.
"That weapon business is just a front, right?" He continued to pester her as he lifted his chin. "A front for her sex trafficking business."
Zoey's eyes lingered toward Dock, who just stood there with his pistol equipped in his hand. Unlike Malcolm, he wanted to threaten her with his gun.
"You're her assistant. You bring in the old millionaires who purchase underage girls." Malcolm pointed out while glaring over at Zoey. He wanted to choke the life out of her, but decided against it. "That shit is sick and disgusting."
Zoey placed her eyes on Malcolm narrowed them into slits.
"Seema is in some deep shit, and she won't be able to get herself out of this situation. I know what you're thinking, Zoey. You think your sister has enough power to keep the law away." Malcolm scoffed and said, "Everybody is going down...so I want you to make a decision carefully."
"I'm scared," Zoey admitted while wiping her face. "And I'm not proud of what I've been doing. I know it's wrong and...I want out. But it's not that simple with Seema. Once you're in, you're in. There's no quitting unless you end up dead."
Malcolm stood there for a while without speaking. He was too busy thinking about Zoey and her chances of getting away unharmed. Seema did have a powerful team, and he knew shit would probably trace back to Zoey. They would more than likely kill her for not being loyal.
"Move to a different country and start your life over. Get a clean slate."
Zoey looked up at him with teary eyes. She blinked a few times and even sniffled.
"What? Move to a diff—"
"It's the only way to keep Seema's people from killing you," Dock added.
"Get your family and leave tonight," Malcolm stated with authority.
"I don't know..." She trailed off, shaking her head.
"Look, you already had plans to leave town." Malcolm pointed out. "Remember the text messages you sent to my phone. You wanted five million dollars."
+05213: five million dollars look good to me.
+05213: i know a lot about you.
+05213: 014593289, 0923596850
Shamefully, Zoey nodded her head and peered over at Malcolm in fear. She somehow developed the courage to text him from an unknown number. Zoey didn't think the plan through, but she automatically assumed Malcolm wouldn't figure out it was her. His IT skills gave him the information he needed—it took Malcolm two minutes to figure out who Zoey Devoe was.
Malcolm looked over at his uncle and signaled for him. Dock leaned over and pulled out three crispy stacks of cash wrapped in currency bands. Malcolm grabbed the stacks and tossed them over to Zoey.
"That's sixty thousand dollars right there. Take it and start over with your family."
He watched as she looked at it.
"It's not much, but I'm sure you have money in the bank. This is just to get you out of here."
Zoey nodded her head stiffly and said, "I-I'll tell you everything."
Mission accomplished. Malcolm knew she would switch up after seeing the cash.
▲▲▲
"Look at you."
Jersey glanced back and realized Malcolm was standing by the door. His eyes were trained on her as he took in her pregnancy fashion. She was modish yet straightforward with her look. In Malcolm's eyesight, she was beautiful and glowing.
The baby was definitely enhancing her beauty.
She wore a ribbed black jumpsuit with a denim jacket and Balenciaga shoes. Jersey made sure to wear her diamond studs and Aquarius pendant. The tennis bracelet Malcolm gifted her months ago was a part of her look as well.
"How do I look?" She questioned Malcolm, doing a full rotation so he could get her whole look.
"Sexy..." He muttered without regretting it.
Jersey couldn't help but blush as she looked away from him. Then, she grabbed her defining comb and ran it through her curls. While doing so, Malcolm managed to near her and wrapped his arms around her.
His large hands settled on her expanded belly as he planted kisses on the right side of her face and neck. She allowed him to do so while continuing to get ready.
"Oh shit, he's kicking." Malcolm commented as his eyes bugged. He looked at Jersey through the mirror. This wasn't his first time feeling his son kicking. Malcolm seemed to have the same reaction whenever the baby kicked.
"Yeah..." She muttered, concentrated on her hair. "He's been doing a lot of kicking lately."
"He's going to be active as fuck when he comes out."
Jersey shook her head, not wanting to think about it. She wasn't ready to deal with an overactive baby, and her lack of expression showed it.
"We need to leave. I told Abshir I would meet him at the lab." She pushed out while cleaning her comb.
Malcolm watched as she started putting away her things. He could tell she was nervous about the whole situation. This would be her first time meeting Abshir, and she didn't know what to expect.
"You don't have to be nervous. I'll be right there with you."
"I know..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "It's just that I'm worried about how this situation will end going." Jersey stopped in her steps and looked over at Malcolm. "I don't even know how this man looks. Why didn't you find a picture of him?"
Malcolm shrugged his shoulders and said, "I tried. Abshir keeps everything lowkey."
I'm starting to wonder about this nigga. Malcolm said to himself, causing Jersey not to hear him.
"I'm also nervous about the house. We're going to look at the progress today. They're supposed to be building it quickly, but I have a feeling it won't be done by the time I have the baby."
"And that's cool," Malcolm remarked. "We have a new apartment now, and nobody knows where we live. We have enough room for the baby, and we can stay here until the house is finished."
Jersey gave him a lopsided smirk and said, "I hear you."
"You hear me but are you listening to me?" He questioned her in a low tone as he leaned over to kiss her lips.
"Mmhm." She hummed warmly, loving the affection he showed her. Her eyes closed as she stood there wanting to melt.
"I'm trying to get as many kisses as possible." He pecked her on the lips continuously and said, "Before you put that gloss shit on your lips."
Jersey couldn't help but break out into a chuckle.
▲▲▲
TO BE CONTINUED