Keshawn and Savannah were hugged up on each other in the middle of their living room, kissing. Lately she'd been on the right track to getting back to herself.
Keshawn first noticed the positive change in attitude when Lisa and Egypt left. Then she started going to the gym to knock off the pounds she put on. She was still insecure but it wasn't as bad as before, so Keshawn was guessing her depression had something to do with Lisa living with them and her being insecure about how she looked.
"Imma get a Summer body and buy my lil' two piece." Savannah said, her black and pink box braids hanging down to her butt. She was 250 pounds now and had lost thirty pounds over the last couple of months. "Watch, by next Summer imma be a slim one-forty and won't nobody be able to tell me nothing!"
Keshawn licked his lips. "One-forty? Nah, keep it at one-fifty or one-sixty. I want some meat on you. You look nice thick." He liked all body types and appreciated the differences. So although Iris who was his last girlfriend was as skinny as a mop stick, that was Iris and what looked good on her. Savannah was different.
Savannah smiled, happy that he wasn't making her feel like she had to lose every inch of body fat. Keshawn was the cutest boyfriend she ever had, and he was very supportive. A ring at the doorbell made the couple pull apart. Savannah had just been a minute or two away from giving him some too.
Keshawn already knew who to expect. He opened the door and was greeted by Hope and Dion. He didn't greet Dion but gave Hope a polite kiss on the cheek. The couple stepped inside and Keshawn closed the door behind them. They didn't have to ask to make themselves comfortable, they went straight into the living room.
Keshawn and Savannah lived in his two-bedroom apartment. He wasn't working right now but he was attending barber classes to learn how to cut hair. It would be his lowest paying and most legit job yet, but there was no shame in any work that kept a roof over his head as long as it didn't involve selling his soul.
"You guys hungry? I fried some fish earlier." Savannah offered.
"Nah, thanks though girl, we ate before we came here." Hope spoke, sitting on the couch Indian style in her matching outfit.
"Ooo! Girl where you got that top from?" Savannah asked seeing the pretty blended colors. It looked unique.
While the women were talking, the brothers ended up in the kitchen searching the fridge for drinks. Breeze noticed Keshawn was sort of quiet, but he figured he just didn't have anything to talk about.
"So, how's the club going? Breeze still standing?" Keshawn quizzed after a moment.
"Oh, I was starting to think I did something. You weren't saying anything. And you would know how the club was doing if you stopped by. You don't come by anymore."
Keshawn passed him a canned Sprite from the twelve pack. He and Savannah usually bought their things in bulk, so they didn't have to go to the supermarket every week. "Well lately life hasn't really been a clubbing vibe for me Dion, so, yeah."
Breeze smacked his lips. Things had been hard on all of them, but Keshawn was the only person he knew that seemed to shut down when things got hard. Even recently he had disappeared for weeks without saying anything or letting his family know he was okay or why he even went ghost. He didn't deal with stress well and it was obvious. But then again, he was the least hood out of everyone Breeze knew.
"Man, whatever Keshawn. Grandma been asking you too, right?" Breeze tested, hovering over the table.
"Asking me what?"
"About ole boy."
"Oh you mean your brother you went and started drama with and ended up dragging me into it by default? Yeah she's been asking about him. I told her we're still not talking to him and probably won't ever again. She told me about church and forgiveness and all that other stuff." Keshawn said dryly.
Breeze scoffed and pointed a finger at himself. "Me? I started drama with him?"
The two girlfriends looked over when they saw their boyfriends getting loud. Breeze looked at them and smiled. He pulled the lid back on the soda can and heard it open before he put the cool beverage to his lips and took a few gulps. By then the ladies had gone back to their own conversation, so Breeze continued.
"You bugging, I started drama with him. Wow, okay, I see who's side you're on."
"Yeah, you started drama with him. Because I told you to leave that man's wife alone. But you can't help yourself."
Breeze's eyes widened in disbelief. He told Keshawn the story a million times, but he was still being blamed for what happened. "She came to me."
"And you shoulda went to her husband. I don't care how Cilia woulda felt about you telling him. That's his wife, let them figure that out. But you keeping a secret like that from him made shit complicated."
Breeze leaned in closer, he knew how nosy Hope could be and if she only knew this conversation was about Cilia, she'd blow a knee out of place. "I was supposed to go and tell that man about his wife's rapist and disregard his wife not wanting him to know just because he's my brother? So then she could hate me and he could stay out of it and mind his business like he does all the time when I fall out with her. Just when we were starting to get along and be cordial, I shoulda went and fucked that up. Great advice."
"Your relationship with Allele is more important than the one with Cilia. So if it meant having his wife hate you but having your brother not, then it would've just had to be that."
"Well excuse me for wanting to have a healthy relationship with my sister-in-law."
Keshawn gave him a look. "By lying to him about not knowing anything about her rapist and then going with her yourself. You were way outta line. You have no excuses, if you wanted to honor Cilia's secret, all you had to say to him the moment she left your house, was 'Look Allele, Cilia came over here last night and I let her stay the night in the guest room because she was heated and upset about something. I think she may be headed to Richmond to do something crazy. I don't know but you need to go after her asap'. See how that was keeping her secret and being loyal to your brother by letting him know you had his whole wife at your crib?"
Breeze shrugged. "Alright but she woulda still knew I snitched, because how would he miraculously show up in Richmond right where she's at?"
"Who cares if she knew you snitched. You didn't tell her secret so oh well. See, this is what I'm talking about, your main priority is Cilia and how Cilia would feel and think, it should be about Allele. Now you went and got me in the shit because he went too far."
Breeze put the can on the table and shook his hand free of the cold droplets from the can. "How did I get you involved? I'm wrong about not telling him she was at my crib, cool. But I'm not wrong for not telling her secret and I'm not wrong for going out there and protecting her whether I gave Allele a chance to protect her himself first or not. I still helped her. He was the one who left me to go to prison on an illegal weapons charge and about two or three first degree murder charges. So you didn't get involved like it was something little. You had better had my back. I could've been in prison right now."
"And that's exactly how you got me dragged into your mess. He went way too far, and I couldn't just sit back and continue being his brother knowing he played with your freedom like that. But it doesn't mean you didn't cause this shit. I had to choose sides because of your dumb ass. Then after all of that, you go and tell him you stroke your dick to the thought of his wife." Keshawn said through gritted. "He shoulda fucked you up again."
"I said that after he left me to get caught by police."
"Oh please Dion, you meant it."
Breeze shrugged. "He asked."
"How good was Cilia's pussy? I mean really. You wanted to lecture me about Lisa, but I was nowhere near this whipped. It was only fourteen days, six years ago and you're still in love with this woman." Keshawn pointed out, rubbing the goatee he had grown out.
Breeze smirked when he thought about it. No one knew the relationship he had with Cilia. Even she could choose to downplay it all she wanted. But she knew the time they spent together, no matter how short, was something special. If it wasn't, when he broke up with her, she wouldn't have been trying to stay.
Besides, he wasn't wrong in admitting he was still in love with her. Allele asked so he told him the truth. And he was with her first anyway. The only reason they broke up was because Allele lied about having slept with her when they were together. So technically Allele stole his woman.
Keshawn felt bad for Allele, he did, especially knowing he chose between his brothers. But if Allele hadn't gone so far, none of this would've had to transpire.
"Um guys..." Hope said looking at them with a little bit of concern. "Wanna come over here and watch Netflix with us?"
Keshawn gave Dion one last look and cut his eyes at him before he walked in the direction of the women. Dion swooped his can off the table before he followed behind his brother.
*****
Katherine was being put in a body bag while Gia and Ty'kerah were crying on the ground near the foot of their grandmother's bed. The funeral home workers came to remove the dead body from the home.
Ty'kerah came in this morning to wake her up so she could take her medication, but found her cold and unresponsive. When she checked her pulse, she was gone. After going to the hospital back and forth for months and doctors not finding anything, Katherine finally passed in her sleep.
Gene was asleep in his father's room all the way on the other side of the mansion. So he was oblivious to all the noise and drama.
The two funeral workers were carefully fetching the body to the door as deadweight now became much heavier than a living being.
But one of the men almost dropped his end of the bag, too busy looking at Ty'kerah sprawled out on the bedroom floor, trying to figure out what it was.
Lotus stepped to the side to allow them out of the room, then went over to the girls. He honestly could care less about Katherine being dead. One less Wilson to worry about. He wouldn't mind if Ty'kerah joined her soon. He only cared that Gia was affected and that Gene would be too. His son had been attached to the old hoe.
Lotus got on one knee and rubbed Gia's back. He looked next to her at Scarface who was hollering and holding her chest. Lotus knew he had to be decent to her because Gia was in the room. He gently squeezed Ty'kerah's ankle.
"Guys it's okay...ssh, I know, I know." He said.
Lotus sat on the floor and pulled Gia into his side. She cried into his chest while he rubbed her back. He helped Ty'kerah sit up and pulled her against the other side of his chest. He consoled them as they cried, telling them everything would be okay.
They cried themselves into headaches and until they eventually fell asleep. They were next to a wall, so Lotus braced Ty'kerah up against the wall and lifted Gia bridal style.
He fetched her to his room and put her down on the bed next to a sleeping Gene. Then went back for Scarface and did the same. Lifting her into his arms bridal style and taking her to his room. He put her down next to Gia and then pulled the silk sheet over them.
He kissed Gene's forehead then Gia's. Her eyes cracked open, so he had to do the same to Ty'kerah because she was watching. He was able to do it though because she was laying on the bad part of her face, so the undamaged side was showing. She looked decent enough. He kissed the side of her temple and Gia's eyes closed again.
Lotus left the room and closed the door behind him. He went down to the living room and stood by his floor to ceiling windows, looking at the men load Katherine in the hearse.
He missed Noelle and wanted to see her. But he couldn't under the circumstances. That would be a real asshole move to leaving a grieving child in a house to go flirt. So, he settled for a phone call instead.
He knew she was busy and most likely at work, so he was chancing it. But she answered on the third ring.
"Hey," she smiled, "how's everything going?"
"Alright. Am I bothering you? Can you talk now?"
"Yeah, I'm in my office playing Angry Birds on my phone. June hasn't dumped paperwork on me yet, so I'm good for now. What's up?"
"Gene's mother found her grandmother dead in her bed this morning. She passed in her sleep. The funeral workers just took her body out. Think Ty'kerah went to go wake her up for medication or something. That's how she found her."
Noelle gasped and didn't say a word for a few long moments. She wasn't expecting that. It's not like she knew Katherine to be shocked. She didn't know what the woman's health was like; but it was one of the people who lived with Lotus, so it was still surprising to hear. "Oh my god, that's horrible."
Lotus didn't know what to say to that. So he kept it simple. "Yeah."
"Aww," Noelle said. "and how's the little ones doing?"
"Not well." Lotus said. His hand was inside his left pocket. He held his cellphone to his right ear with the other, watching the men drive out the gate. "Gene doesn't know yet, he's sleeping. But baby girl is a wreck."
"I hope you're comforting them Mr. Hunter."
Lotus smirked. "Them?"
"Gene...what's pumpkin's name?"
By pumpkin Lotus assumed she must've been talking about Gia. "Gia." He responded.
"Yes, Gia. And Gene's mother."
"I'm attempting my best."
"What do you call an attempt?"
"Consoling, hugging, if and when they need food get it for them, check on them...am I going in the right direction so far Ms. Wright?"
"You are."
"Glad you think so."
"How are you holding up?"
He knew she wouldn't know how well he and Katherine's relationship was, so she was just asking to be polite.
"I'm fine, we weren't really close."
"Oh, okay. Well I'm still sorry any way, that's really upsetting."
"Wish you were here to console me." He said.
Noelle smiled. "You just said you weren't close to her."
"Well I feel kind of sad now. I must've been close to her in my heart." He smiled.
Noelle did too, he was something else.
"Listen, I know this is kind of random and out of the blue. But would you be upset if I told you I had a daughter?"
There was silence on the phone. Noelle didn't know how to answer that. They weren't dating, just friends with benefits. So technically he didn't have to tell her anything about his personal life if he didn't want too. But he introduced her to Gene, so why was he bringing his daughter up after so long?
"Um...are you joking?" She asked in a skeptical tone.
"No. It's Gia. She's not my daughter yet officially. But I wanted to adopt her. Not because of her grandmother's passing, I've been thinking about it for a while. She asked me, so I think now is a good time to do it. Kind of ease some of the sadness of her grandmother dying."
Noelle was getting wet, she thought that was so sexy. Most men don't even sign the birth certificate to their own children. But he signed his son's own and was going to be responsible for another child that wasn't his biologically.
"Lotus that's beautiful." Noelle whispered. "Of course I wouldn't be upset. That's so amazing of you. I think it's a great idea."
"Yeah, me too." He smiled, relieved that she didn't seem bothered. He had feelings for her he wouldn't lie. She was such a sweetheart, so if she would've gotten jealous and annoyed he knew they would most likely stop talking.
"Not to overstep boundaries or anything, but...if you want, I can come over after work. Help take care of the girls."
"No no no that's not necessary. I got it, Noelle. This is not your stress and you'll just be getting off work. You'll be tired—"
"I can sleep at your place if you want me too." She wasn't trying to come on too strong. Or interfere in his personal life. She knew he would most likely want to be alone with his family. But she couldn't help it. She naturally cared about other people and wanted to help when she could.
"I would love that, but really, I wouldn't want them to feel weird. Like I abandoned them to hang out with you."
"I understand. I really like you and I just want the mother of your child to know I'm not her enemy. And to show your future daughter that I'm a nice person."
Lotus looked down at his black socks, he hated that he couldn't just have sex and not be attached. But he was that guy, the one who needed the connection to sleep with someone and he couldn't say he didn't have feelings for Noelle. He liked her before, but he was starting to like her a lot now. He just hoped he didn't fall for her because it was the last thing he needed. But every day she reminded him why he liked her so much.
"Completely understood sweetheart and I really appreciate the offer. But the distance is better right now. When you're free and have time for me I'll come see you and thank you for your gesture."
Noelle didn't know why her stomach tickled at his words. Him thanking her could've been anything. Flowers, a date, movies, bonding. She didn't know why her mind went right to dirtiness.
"H-how?"
Lotus heard the shy tone in her voice and smirked. "However, you want me too Ms. Wright."
Noelle blushed but jumped when she saw some of her bosses walking through the halls. "O-okay I'll think on it and get back to you. Bye Lotus."
"Bye gorgeous."
*****
Mark sat in a small room in the dark. A tall lamp was on to illuminate the book in his hand. His reading glasses were on as he read a classic novel, The Great Gatsby. The ankle of his left leg rested on top his right knee creating a square shape.
He found peace in reading literature or the Bible. He turned the page, now on page 57. He had read the book twice before already. He held a yellow highlighter in his hand, lips twisted to the side. He uncapped the lighter and highlighted dialogue from a character.
The light turned on making him look up. He was so engrossed in the book he hadn't heard footsteps coming toward him. Mark narrowed his eyes from the harsh light and saw White Locus standing there in a mint green baby doll.
The cups were a see-through floral pattern, showing her breasts and caramel nipples underneath. The small bridge in the middle of the cups was in a tiny bow. The rest of the lingerie was mesh, giving him a view of the matching V-shape thong, she wore.
Mark felt himself rising in his jeans, she was so beautiful.
"Mark, hey, what are you doing in here?" Locus asked innocently.
"Reading The Great Gatsby."
White Locus walked into the room, her small hips swaying from side to side. When she got close, she saw the book all marked up with orange and green highlighters from previous reads.
"You've already read and taken notes on it twice, Mark." She knew he liked to highlight things to research them or look it up later, going back to catch something he may have missed before. So each time he used a different color highlighter so he wouldn't confuse the old notes with the new ones. "Same reason as always. Just like to figure out things."
"But it's a fictional book."
He smirked. "I know." He rested the book on the couch beside him when she ended up between his legs. He dropped his left leg as well and opened his hands and Locus straddled him, her ass settling on his dick.
He let out a soft sigh, her body felt so good on top of his. His hands snaked around to her ass, squeezing her small but juicy cheeks. "Why are we dressed like this?"
"I wore it for you." She whispered. "I thought you were upstairs, so I came looking for you."
"But when you realized I wasn't where you thought I was, you should've covered up. There are other men in here all the way from kitchen staff to security. I don't want them seeing you like this." He looked at her breasts for emphasis then looked back into her eyes. "This should be for my eyes only."
"I'm sorry baby I won't do it again." Locus whispered.
Mark leaned in and grazed her lips with his own. She moaned and Mark smirked, continuing to tease her lips with his own without actually kissing her. White Locus loved her little dork with his color-coded books.
Mark reached down and stuck his hand inside the front of her baby doll. He eased his hand past her thong and found wetness. He used two fingers to enter her, and she pulled in a deep breath and released it slowly, as he moved his fingers in and out of her wetness.
"Mark..." Locus whispered, holding his face. She started grinding back and forth against his digits, trying to match the pace.
He loved the way she said his name. He slapped her ass lightly, not wanting to bring attention to where they were. They didn't have the privacy of a room with a door protecting them.
"Say it again."
"Mark." She moaned in his ear as he fingered her. He curled his two fingers inside her and massaged her walls. Locus rode his fingers, feeling her wetness splashing about.
Mark continuously kissed her cheek as she moaned out her orgasm. He told her how good she felt and encouraged her to cum on his fingers and before long, Locus granted his wish.
She writhed in his arms, trembling as her juices soaked his hand and ran down his wrist. The front of his jeans was soaked, making the denim darker like he pissed himself. The ex-pastor was brick under his pants.
Mark pulled his hand out her thong and Locus licked and sucked on his hand, cleaning her juices off while staring in his eyes. Mark watched her the whole time she did it, his member twitching underneath the fabric of his jeans.
Then they made out, sharing what essence was left on her tongue.
"You turn me on so much, fuck I love you." Locus moaned.
"I love you too."
"Fuck me, right here."
"I won't be able to stay hard." He said truthfully. "I need privacy Angel, you know that."
White Locus got a little stiff when he called her Angel. She hadn't heard the pet name in a long time, but she kind of missed it. It let her know he really did love her, because all his guards were down. He was going back to calling her all the loving names he'd been calling her before he found out who she was. He wasn't lacking with the Queen treatment either.
"So let's go upstairs. It's a full moon tonight, we can open the curtains—"
"Oh!" Mark shouted, startling her. "Speaking about the moon, did you know Australia is wider than the moon? The moon sits at thirty-four hundred kilometers. But Australia's diameter from East to West is about four-thousand kilometers. I learned that a year ago."
Locus raised her eyebrows and blinked a few times. "Oh wow."
"I know." He smiled. "Crazy, huh?"
Locus was sure she was dry now. It got super quiet.
"Oh uh...I forgot but I have to tell you something." Mark mumbled.
His reading glasses were a black square frame from Yves Saint Laurent. He looked so wholesome and handsome. White Locus just wanted to handcuff him to her and take him with her everywhere she went. She was so happy now that she had Mark back.
"I'm going to see Synthia tomorrow."
The smile on her face fell a little bit, "...Synthia?"
"Yes. I want to check on her, see how she's doing."
It was so quiet her silence was enough to tell she wasn't approving of it.
"Check on her for what? She's your ex-girlfriend, Mark."
Mark gave her a slow shrug then fixed his glasses. "Well, I don't think that matters. I'm checking on her because she's a good person and I want to make sure she's alright. I'm not even gonna show my face. I doubt she wants to see me after everything I've done. I'll just stay in the background. Stop by the church, if she's not there then I'll pass by her house or something. Slip some money in an envelope and slide it under her front door. Write a note saying it's from the church or something. I don't know." He shrugged.
Locus folded her arms under her B-cup boobs. "W-well I don't think I want you doing that."
Mark looked away and opened his mouth like he was going to speak but closed it back. He looked at her again, his tone firm but soft. "I wasn't really asking your permission White Locus."
The eye contact between them was intense, that cold look returning in her amber eyes. She stood abruptly then walked off, making Mark release his breath. He watched her hips sway angrily as she stormed down the hall.
He sighed, rubbing his temples. He sat there for a moment just thinking. He'd been wanting to go see Synthia for a while; but because he knew Locus's reaction would be something like that, it stopped him from doing it.
Then there was Lotus. He wondered if Lotus would know when he left. Him going back to New York eight hours away was the perfect time for him to catch White Locus alone. Would he come back to her being slaughtered inside the home?
But he made up his mind. Whether White Locus would be angry with him. Or her brother would use his time away to carry out his execution. He had to go see her. Just to make sure she was doing okay. Even if this would be the last time, he couldn't just never look back at someone who had his back through it all. Even if him being with Locus was selfish, him going to see Synthia was that selflessness that still lived inside him.
If he could keep a small piece of the old Mark, he would hold onto it with his life.
Mark stood and picked up his book. He turned the lamp and the light off and exited the room. The mansion was silent, so the halls were eerie. It was late at night and Roselyn was sleeping in her room and most of the staff were sent home. Maybe only one or two guards were roaming the halls.
Mark knew he had to go calm Locus down.
The corridor was extremely long as all he heard was his own feet. He didn't understand why she bought this house with the intention of being the only person in it. It had been way too much for one person.
Mark turned the corner of the hall and the length of the corridor continued. The curved staircase that led upstairs was at the end of the walkway.
He heard footsteps coming from that way and looked up. He saw Jay coming toward him and the staring started. The closer they got, the more intense their eye contact became.
Jay couldn't stand this nigga. He acted like he was so tough but the only thing keeping him alive was Locus's obsession with him. The day he got the signal he was gonna blow this preacher nigga's head off.
The eye contact was going on for more than ten seconds. The hall was narrow, so it made the space they were in feel even smaller. They were just about to pass each other but Mark couldn't take it anymore, he said something.
"I'm sorry...who are you?" Mark stopped, looking Jay in his dark brown eyes, unfazed. "Every time I see you, you look at me with so much hostility."
"The nigga that was piping your girl."
"My girl." Mark repeated, looking off like he was thinking about who the woman could be. His eyes met Jay's again after a few seconds. "You mean my ex-girlfriend? The one you were ah...piping?" Mark said putting up air quotes with his fingers and mocking his accent. "After I left her? Is that what you're really standing here bragging about? Sex with a woman I left, which is why you had a chance with her?"
"Cute, but you leaving her doesn't explain why I still had a chance. If she loved you so much even if ya'll weren't together, she shouldn't have been bouncing on my dick church boy. What the hell she even see in you? Look at you," Jay said, motioning to the large wet spot on the front of his pants. "Clumsy mu'fucka. That's what she attracted too?"
"Actually it's from her orgasm. Is that what you were pointing at or was it my print? With you I can't tell because you seem to have a thing for me."
Jay took a menacing step closer, the silver crucifix earring swinging in his ear. "Watch your mouth, nigga. Don't ever play with me like that. I kill niggas for shit like that, you hear me? You better act like you know where you at. But of course you don't think 'cause ya life is bubbles an' shit. You a lil' square who grew up with mommy and daddy. You ain't from no trenches and you better stop actin' like you is. You gotta lot of mouth 'cause White behind you. But I keep telling you, you better hope dat girl don't get tired of you partnah, forreal. 'Cause first chance I get imma leave you stinkin' bruh."
Mark didn't answer right away, thinking he had more to say. But when he realized he was done, he spoke. "Now translate that to English so I can have a comeback for it."
Jay chuckled but he didn't find anything funny. The gangster looked up and down the hallway, Mark's eyes following him the whole time. When Jay was satisfied that there was no one else around for at least two hundred feet; with a quickness he took a step back and his heavy hand met the pastor's cheek, sending him flying to the ground and his glasses flying down the hall.
Jay wouldn't beat his ass; he knew how frantic Locus got behind her punk. But it was just to remind him of who he was getting fly with.
Jay didn't expect Mark to move so fast. He got up and Jay barely dodged his punch, ducking just as Mark's fist went through the wall. The walls were no cheap material as the framing was sturdy, being accompanied by multiple layers and insulation inside the interior. So Jay knew for him to put a hole in it, he fucked his hand up.
The noise brought one of the security guards out who stayed on the ground level. Locus tried to have a guard stay upstairs and downstairs to cover each part of the house. He came out, gun in hand just in case it was a break-in and saw Mark and Jay fighting.
He ran over and broke them up, he was a big guy. 6'4 and three hundred pounds of muscle, both of them could try and get passed him if they wanted.
The guard saw the hole in the wall and looked between the two men. He didn't even have to ask as the fingers and palm on Mark's right hand were swollen and bloody. He was breathing heavily, remnants of the wall on the ground. A picture that was hung up on the wall close by had caught the impact and was now slanted.
Mark felt like Jay's handprint was on his face.
"Gonna go cry to your girlfriend now, pussy?" Jay taunted.
Mark didn't say anything, he just watched him, his anger through the roof. He wiped his hand under his nose but didn't come back with any blood.
"I told you stop playing with me. Stop letting that girl make you think you invincible. I will really put hands on you, next time—"
Mark tried to lunge for him and although the security guard easily got in the way, Jay still backed up out of instinct. He laughed, taunting him.
"How your face feel? I translated that well enough for you?"
"Yeah laugh," Mark said, his voice was shaking in anger. "we'll see who'll be getting the last laugh in the end."
Jay mocked him, laughing harder.
Mark walked away, heading toward the stairs. He wasn't gonna go in the room right away, he had to cool off before Locus saw. It wasn't like she would take long to figure out something was wrong. His hand was swelling up by the second and she had a big hole in her hallway wall.
Mark went into one of the bathrooms in the hall and closed the door behind him. He turned on the light and gasped at his hand. He had to go to the hospital, his hand looked like it was suffering from an allergic reaction. Underneath all of his fingernails was dark red blood, his hand was bright red and blue in some areas. It was definitely broken.
He stayed in the bathroom for five minutes in excruciating pain before he finally exited. He couldn't stay in there forever. He thought about lies to tell Locus over the broken wall but couldn't come up with any. When he entered the bedroom, Locus was by the vanity mirror brushing her hair for bed.
"Roselyn is sleeping in my mother's room in case you went to go check on her in her room and saw she wasn't there." Locus said flatly.
Mark so was focused on the pain in his hand he didn't hear her speak. Locus looked at him when she got no response. He would never ignore anything about Rosie. She looked in the mirror and saw his hand and turned to face him so fast she almost got whiplash.
"Mark? What the hell happened to your hand." She questioned in a panic. She stood ad rushed over to him.
He was about to tell her nothing, but she grabbed it to inspect it and caused him to yell out in pain. "Shit Locus!"
She quickly let go, "Sorry, sorry, baby I'm sorry. What happened to your hand?!" She asked again. He was fine five minutes ago. Now it was bloody and swollen. In her line of cartel work she had seen her fair share of torture to know what a broken hand looked like. And Mark's hand was definitely broken—in several places.
"I was watching this video on my phone and saw this character punch a wall. I-I was being silly and punched the wall. I didn't expect my hand to go through it, I just—"
"So what did you expect Mark? That doesn't even sound like you. You need to go to the hospital, your hand is broken."
Locus ran over to her walk-in closet and started looking for clothes. "Come on, I'll drive you."
"I'll pay for the wall, I'm sorry."
"Mark stop, you're not paying for a wall." Locus was dressed in under five minutes in some sweatpants and a light jacket. She had a doctor that could've come to the house and checked him out, but the hospital would be better in case their x-ray would pick up something the eye couldn't.
After she dressed, she found Mark a clean pair of jeans and help him put them on. He couldn't go out in the ones she soiled. She texted her mother that she was taking Mark to the hospital over a broken hand, but doubt she was awake to read it. Ember chose the perfect time to come over and bond with Roselyn because she lived with Lotus, and it was a far drive out here so she wasn't here all the time.
Mark held a bag of ice to his hand in the passenger seat while Locus drove her madeira red Rolls-Royce Dawn. This wouldn't stop him from going to see Synthia if that's what White Locus was thinking. But it would stop him from going after Jay for now, at least until his hand healed. And when he did, he was gonna beat his ass until he felt the same pain in both his hands he was feeling now and see if he would still be laughing then.
Locus looked over at him, speaking for the first time during the car ride. "Are you sure that's what happened to your hand?"
Mark returned her gaze. Maybe it was obvious he was lying. It's not like lying was his thing. "Yeah...punched a wall trying to be silly, that's all."
Locus saw the look in his eyes. It was the same look he had the first time she saw him snap. When he threatened to punch Samuel in the face over the phone for talking to her sexually.
Something had happened and she was sure it had something to do with Jay. She already warned him to leave Mark alone, so if she found out this was his doing, he would soon find out why she was so talked about.
*****
Yana tilted her head to the side, watching Bonnie as she stood in the middle of his living room. "So you're sleeping with Brandy." She blurted out.
"Yup." Bonnie yawned.
Yana had chosen to go over there without Bonnie one day and ask some questions. The behavior between the two started to become too suspect to Yana and she wanted to make sure it wasn't just her. So, she pulled up and told Brandy straight up she was sleeping with Bonnie. Only to be surprised the forty-something year old woman was too.
Yana then came straight to Bonnie's house to confront him. He'd been asleep when she arrived, because all the lights in the house were off. He only turned on the living room one on his way to the door.
"You so lame for hiding that. What was the point? We said we can be honest and sleep with other people. You sleep with other women already so why lie about Brandy? You embarrassed you messin' with someone your mother's age?"
Yana really didn't mean to bring his mother up, it just slipped. But Bonnie knew what she meant and didn't take it personally. "Nah I just didn't want Brandy not to fuck with me because of it. Out of all the pussy I get she has the best and I know for sure she not with the multiple partners thing. So it was either tell the truth and lose her or lie and keep her. I chose the second option."
Yana folded her arms under her breasts. She didn't know why he made the 'Brandy has the best vagina' comment, but she didn't appreciate it. "What you being so rude for? You're coming off as a wannabe Lotus right now. If you feel that way keep it to yourself. And more importantly, if she's so good why are you still sleeping with me?"
Bonnie was sitting on his couch, arm draped over the back of it. "Don't compare me to another man."
"So don't compare me to another woman." Yana snapped.
"I didn't, I simply said Brandy has the best pussy. I'm sleeping with more women than just you and her. So I didn't directly compare her to you. That's just my opinion, why're you getting mad about it? If you feel so disrespected by what I do and say then why are you still sleeping with me?"
Yana was hurt because she liked him. They'd been sleeping together for two years and he never showed this type of interest in her the way he was showing it for Brandy. She shouldn't feel anything for Bonnie, he was horrible. But she couldn't help that she did.
"Because I like your dumb ass!" Yana confessed. Her fists were squeezing together so hard her nails dug into the palms of her hands. "I have feelings for you."
Bonnie just stared at her like he was taken aback by the confession.
Yana stood there feeling dumb. She was waiting for him to say something. Laugh, call her names, tell her she was delusional. Tell her he wanted to be with Brandy since he swore she was the best he ever had. But he simply sat there, just eyeing her.
"You like me?" He asked like he was doubting her.
"Yes." She said, her voice cracking. She wasn't gonna cry, she wasn't gonna give him that.
"What do you like about me?" His question wasn't about arrogance or happiness. He really wanted to know what she liked about him. A woman had never confessed to liking him before.
Yana started swinging her body from side to side. She saw potential. She knew in this new generation that was a big no-no and women encouraged other women not to date men who weren't already established. But Yana had never been a follower. Bonnie was really rough around the edges and on the inside, but she saw something in him. The potential for him to change and be something really great.
"You have potential. I see something in you. I like you and I think you try hard to be too hard, but you come off like you can be soft to someone you love."
"And you gathered that how? You don't know anything about me. All we do is have sex. So how can you tell me what you think I'm like beyond that?" Bonnie inquired.
Yana didn't say anything, just shied away from his gaze. Bonnie got up and walked over to her. She still wouldn't look at him, so he had to touch her elbow to get her attention.
"I'm not the boyfriend type, really, I'm not. But I'm flattered you have a crush on me. Like I said though...that can't go anywhere because I'm not into things like that. Besides, I'm not gonna give up fucking other women. I'm not trying to settle down."
Yana rolled her eyes. "We aren't in high school anymore. You're in your late twenties, what are you, twenty-nine? Grow up, how long you gonna keep fucking a bunch of women?"
Bonnie licked his lips. "My age doesn't have anything to do with me not wanting to commit. If I don't want a relationship, I don't want one. That doesn't make me any less childish than the mu'fucka that slap a ring on his girl finger. So, if you wanna keep seeing me we can do that. But I'm gonna keep doing me just to let you know."
Yana sighed loudly. "Just to let you know, Brandy blocked you. She did it in front of me so I could see when I told her I was sleeping with you. So if you want your vintage vagina back, you might have to make an in-person trip. Do you dislike me now since I made her dislike you?"
He shrugged. "Life goes on. Whether you told Brandy we were sleeping together because you suspected I was sleeping with her and you wanted to know, or you figured it out and was just being spiteful, I'm not gonna stop messing with you. Pussy is pussy at the end of the day."
Yana nodded at his rude and dismissive words. It was routine with them. She didn't know why she even told him like she expected to get a love confession back. He didn't even defend her against Lotus' verbal onslaught a few weeks ago. She was the last thing on his mind. Bonnie watched her the whole time she turned and walked out his house, closing the door behind her.