Excuse any mistakes, please and thank you.
Saturday night
Seattle, Washington
———————
"That was sooooo much fun!" Nia exclaimed while holding on to the stuffed fish animal that Zeke bought her at the Aquarium. "Didn't you have fun, Mommy?" She looked back.
"Yes, I had so much fun." Naomi responded in the same tone. She scooped Nia up, and kissed her all over her face. Nia giggled uncontrollably and Zeke smiled at the moment they were having. He was a few steps behind them, and decided to capture it on his camera.
Once the photo was taken, he looked at it and nodded in satisfaction. "Can we get ice cream?" Nia looked between the two adults.
"Hmm," Naomi looked at her watch then back up at Nia as if she were in deep thought.
"Oh, please Mommy! I'll be good, I promise." Nia begged in her baby voice. She only used that voice when she wanted something. "Tell her ZeeZee."
Zeke looked up as he placed his camera bag on his shoulder. "Ice cream sounds good." He smiled at Nia who cheesed back. Naomi kissed her teeth causing him to chuckle. Zeke really didn't want the night to end. He didn't want to go back to empty house. Although he loved Cato, something was missing.
"Soft." Naomi mumbled. "Ice cream it is."
"Yayyy! Can I get gummy bears on mine?"
Naomi nodded her head. "You can whatever you want on there, baby."
They made it to Zeke's suburban, and he opened both of their doors. Before Naomi got in, she put Nia in her car seat and buckled her in. To the side of her, Zeke was watching her intently and she flipped her hair out of her face to look back at him. "What?" She blushed.
"Thank you." He responded.
"Hmm, for?" She lifted her eyebrow, closing the door.
"For one of the best days of my life." Zeke sighed contently. "I want more days like this with you. And Nia."
Naomi wrapped her poncho around her tighter, and briefly looked away before looking back at Zeke. Before she could say anything, a woman's voice called out Zeke's name. He reluctantly tore his eyes away from Naomi and looked in the direction of the voice. His eyes landed on Senaya, and groaned internally.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Naomi looked at the woman, squinting her eyes. She noticed that Zeke's entire demeanor changed, therefore, she wanted to know who the woman was. "Wait right here." He looked at her, and she nodded while keeping her body on the truck. She watched as he walked up the woman with a harsh tone.
The woman didn't look well in Naomi's eyes. It looked as if she was begging Zeke, and before Naomi knew it, the woman was reaching for his wallet. After a few minutes of arguing, Zeke just gave her the money she wanted. The woman's eyes then landed on Naomi and it looked like she wanted to say something, but Zeke pushed her in the other direction.
Zeke angrily walked back towards the truck, and Naomi got into the passenger seat. Looking out of the window, the woman was still staring at Naomi. She said something, and Naomi tried her best to make out the words. All she got was thank you.
Why would the woman be thanking me?"
Senaya disappeared into the night, and after Zeke put up his camera, he got into the driver's seat. He was visibly angry and Naomi was not going to let him drive that way. She placed her hand on his thigh and he immediately looked her way. "Breathe." At that moment, he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in. "I'm guessing that was your mom?"
"Is it that obvious?" He asked that question like he was disappointed that Naomi had guessed correctly.
Naomi long eyelashes blinked, and she nodded her head. "Don looks just like her." She responded. "And so do you." She added.
"I don't look anything like her." Zeke shot back. "And she's.. not my mom." He started the engine, putting the truck into drive before pulling off.
"Is this how you're going to react every time you see her?" She pursued, resting her hand under her chin. Zeke glanced over at her before looking back at the road. "Because I got the source and it's pretty obvious."
"Naomi, just leave it alone."
Naomi chuckled bitterly, and looked out of the window while shaking her head. "There's a little black girl in the backseat that I'm raising, Zeke. She deserves someone around her who likes her kind."
Zeke sighed, getting quite annoyed with the conversation. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you aren't over it. As long as your mother gets that reaction out of you.. eventually, so am I. And so will Nia." She looked over at him. "I want more days like this with you as well. But, I can't risk our wholeness for it." Zeke bit his lip, not able to say anything or even look her way. "Zeke, the one thing I've learned since being adult is that we do things for different reasons. Sometimes we do things because our parents taught us, it's tradition. At the same time, that may be the reason why we do the opposite. Whether we believe it or not, we also date certain people because of our parents. It's natural."
"I don't hate y'all. I hate her." He tried to explain.
"And that hate and rage towards her will eventually come out towards someone. Maybe me, who knows? I may do something, something small that may remind you of her and you'll probably shut me out. You have to release that anger, Zeke." She leaned her head back against the headrest, and closed her eyes. "Trust me, I know."
Zeke pulled the truck over, putting it in park. He looked in the backseat noticing that Nia was knocked out. Something he was grateful for at this moment. He didn't want her to hear any of what was being said. He didn't even wanting her to think he disliked her. Because, he didn't. There was only one black woman he hated, and that was Senaya.
"So, that's it? We don't get to see each other anymore?" He looked at Naomi.
"I'm protecting myself, and Nia. If it were just me, I'd risk it. But, I can't just think about me. I don't have that option." Her eyes began to blink rapidly as she tried to stop the tears from falling. "She has so much control over you and I know how that feels. You don't want that, Zeke. You have to let it go." Naomi held her head down as she started to cry.
"Hey, hey." Zeke softly turned her face towards him. He used his thumb to wipe her tears off of her cheeks. "Talk to me. Tell me who that man was."
"Is she sleep?" Naomi asked, and he nodded his head. "Samuel is a friend of the family. When I was younger, I really liked being around him. He was fun and very.. funny, I guess. After our dad left, he really picked up the slack. He helped my mom and everything. But, he had a real mean streak. He could be so evil at times. And one night, I walked in on him molesting my little cousin. That night changed everything."
"Did he—"
Naomi shook her head no. "At least not then. Even at that age, I knew it wasn't right. But, I never said anything because Sam really couldn't do anything wrong in the eyes of my mother. As long as my mom's bills were paid, she didn't care. When my mom wasn't being money hungry, she was the best mom ever." There was a long pause before she shook out of her trance. "Anyway, when I got older, Amir got caught with possession of cocaine. He was supposed to do 15 years, but only served ten. While he was in prison, it was rough. We lost the house, we hungry and homeless. I had to do something, you know? My mom couldn't work. I figured that Sam would help us because this was for my mom. He would help... But, he wanted something in return."
Zeke sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry Naomi. So sorry you went to through that."
Naomi looked at him. "He would beat and rape me every night then throw the money on me like I was worthless. Like I didn't mean anything to anyone. Then to make matters worse, he allowed his friends in on it. I was sleeping with 5 guys for money. Money that got my mom her house back and her bills paid. Surely she didn't think that me being a waitress at a small diner was getting that paid off. No, she just didn't give a fuck." She shrugged her shoulders. "She got what she wanted. That's why she'll never see Nia again. Because if she allowed him to do that to me, she wouldn't care what he did to her. And toys is how he starts his abusing."
She roughly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm such an ass." Zeke shook his head. "I'm out here hating black women because of what woman did to me. To hear what you went through and to see what you are now, guys like me don't deserve women like you."
"Why do you deny yourself heaven?" She looked at him. "Yes, I usually don't like guys like you. But, you have a reason and it may not justify it, but I get it. You shut every woman out who looked like her because she's the source of your pain. Zeke, that's totally natural. And you probably just told people that you disliked us because we're loud or something of that nature. There's many black men like you. I still fight for black men like you whether I know it or not. Whether I like it or not. But, you see that we're not all the same. You see it. You deserve a black woman who's going to love you, cherish you, hold you.. don't ever deny yourself that because of what one black woman did. You see that black girl back there?" She pointed towards Nia. "She adores you and she just met you. She sees what I see."
"What is that?" He finally looked up at her.
"In your eyes is your humanity, the person you really are. There are times it gets lost, when you wear that suit, when you become the man the world demands of you. There is something in your spirit that dances when you play, like a fire giving just the right amount of warmth. I have seen it die too, just now.. the flames almost extinguished, when you are under the gun of guilt, shame and fear. I know that isn't you, not the real version. That's why I had to see your eyes, to see the real you. You had to see me too, the woman who messes up, but would do anything in her power to keep you safe, to keep you emotionally healthy. Because you deserve that."
Suddenly, Zeke sobbed unceasingly. Naomi undid her seatbelt, and got out of the truck to go around to his side. Opening his door, she reached for him and he laid his head on her chest. Her tears matched his, and in that moment, they both knew that they were broken. Life had taken its toll on both, but in a way, they needed one another. Neither was going to heal the other, but together, they would get on that path to emotional freedom.
————————
Sunday night
An unidentified woman's body was found in the woods sparking a comeback from the killer. He had been MIA for about two weeks up til tonight. Remy was asleep when she'd gotten the call, and dreaded going to the crime scene. All of the cases bothered her until they were able to find out who it was. But, those feelings would be short lived because someone else will began their killing spree.
"I'm sick of this son of a bitch." Landon snarled. "Like damn, we get it. You hate women."
The rest of the team looked at him weirdly, wondering what was up with him. He was grouchier than usual. The leaves crunched as the lead detective led the team to where the body was found. When they made it, they noticed how messy the crime scene was. Taylor placed her hand over nose, and everyone else followed suit.
"This isn't a fresh crime." Remy muffled.
"Yea, the only reason why she hasn't decomposed is because it's freezing out here." Dr. Valentine replied as she walked around the body, grabbing a pair of gloves from one of the crime scene investigators. She didn't need to stifle the smell, it was something that she was used to. Unfortunately.
Remy observed the woman further, noticing that she wasn't Caucasian. "This woman is Hispanic." Matthew stated.
"Change in ammo. Wonder why." Remy mumbled to herself.
"Well, he's been consistent with his choice of victims up until this point. White, blonde hair. Are we even sure this is the same guy?" Landon looked at the lead detective.
"Yep." Dr. Valentine held up her foot, exposing the missing tissue from the bottom of it.
Remy wrapped her arms around herself tighter. "Maybe it is just one person." She said outloud, garnering the attention from her team members.
"I thought you said it was a team." Landon looked at her.
"Yea, a team of personalities. The tissue removal is not perfect, but whoever is cutting it, has patience." Remy responded. "But, everything else is.. messy. The scratches and stabbing." She pointed to the marks on the woman's body.
"What about his absence? He hasn't killed in two weeks, and then when he does, he chooses a Hispanic woman." Taylor asked.
"Maybe he has a job. A demanding job." Dr. Valentine suggested.
"If, and when, you identify her, run her bank statements, please." Remy looked at the detective, who nodded his head and took the note on his pad.
Landon pulled Remy to the side, and gave her a look. "You don't think Zeke Ingram..."
"If her bank statements is traced back to his accounts, we have to investigate him." Remy whispered.
He nodded his head. "Okay, I was just seeing where your head was." Remy sighed, turning back around. The crime scene investigators were finishing up, and Remy's eyes turned to Taylor's hand. Her engagement ring was missing causing Remy's eyebrows to raise up out of curiosity.
"Ok, go get some sleep and we'll pick it back up at the Bureau." Dr. Valentine ordered.
Everyone nodded their heads before going their separate ways. Remy caught up with Taylor as they began to leave the crime scene. "Taylor." Remy called out, catching Taylor's attention. Taylor looked at her expectantly. "Let's go somewhere to talk. It's been a minute."
Taylor looked at Remy for a minute before nodding her head. "Okay, that's fine. Where to?"
"I know the best place." Taylor followed Remy to Remy's car. The two got in, and Remy turned up the heat before driving off. She made the short drive to one of the late night cafè's. Taylor looked up at the sign that read Beth's.
The tiny café huddled despondent among the huge city buildings. Washed out under the overcast sky, it hunched in itself, fighting against the drizzle. Remy and Taylor walked in silently. The half a dozen customers glanced up as the door swung open, heralded by a blast of cold wind. Unlike the outside, the interior of the café was warm and cheery, with bright lights and colourful walls. The customers returned to their conversations as the door swung closed behind the new entrants and the cold breeze was forgotten.
"Welcome to Beth's. Booth or table?" One of the older, white servers asked.
"Booth," Remy answered, glancing back to her phone that was in her hand. The server motioned for them to follow her, and as they passed by the sitting customers, most of their glances landed on their badges and guns on their waist. The two coworkers slid into the booth, sitting across from one another.
"Drinks?" The waiter asked, laying a menu in front of each.
"I'll just take some hot chocolate." Remy gave a brief smile, replying to Adonis's message he'd sent earlier.
"And I'll have a water with lemon." Taylor added. The server nodded, and excused herself. It didn't take her long to bring the drinks back, and the two coworkers would let her know if they wanted to order something off of the menu.
"It smells good in here." Taylor sparked a conversation as Remy laid her phone on the table. She nodded in agreement, removing her coat. "I have never been here before."
"Aaliyah told me about it. It's been a while since I've been back, though." Remy sighed contently, happy to be in some heat.
"How are you two?" Taylor inquired, picking up her glass and taking a sip of her water through the straw.
"We're well." Remy responded, not sure if she even believed that. "But, we're not talking about me. We're talking about you."
Taylor looked at Remy with confusion written on her face. She placed her drink back on the table, and Remy pointed to her ring finger. "Remy." Taylor sighed.
"What?" Remy asked. "The last time we talked about it, you sounded unsure. And I know you, you don't like to talk to anybody. You hold things in and allow it to affect you. So, spill it."
"Jack and I... we just aren't ready." Taylor answered hesitantly. "The decision was mutual, I assure you."
"So, did he take the ring back?" Remy used a straw to sip her hot chocolate. She didn't trust drinking straight out of a mug that wasn't hers. She was a serious germaphobe.
Taylor looked out of the window. "He left." Her eyes flickered back on Remy, and a tear fell out of her eye. Remy's eyes grew wide, she was shocked. Genuinely shocked. Jack really loved Taylor. He basically worshipped the ground she walked on so to hear that he left, Remy was speechless. "He said he was tired of me choosing my career over him."
Remy reached across the table, and squeezed Taylor's hand. "I'm sorry, Taylor."
Shaking her head, Taylor wiped her face with her free hand and sniffled. "Why can't we have both? Why do I have to choose between my job and my boyfriend?"
Hell, if I knew the answer to that...
"Sadly, we don't have ordinary jobs." Remy replied.
"But, I have worked so hard to get where I am today and it seems like Jack wanted me to just throw that all away. It's not fair because I would never ask him to do that with his job. Matter of fact, I don't." Taylor confided in Remy. "Maybe I could make a better effort to spend more time with him. That's the only thing I'm guilty of."
"Has he said what he wants specifically?"
Taylor adjusted the glasses on her face, and nodded. "He wants kids. He wants a family, and so do I."
Remy shrugged. "What's stopping you?"
"Kids changes so much, Remy." Taylor began to explain. "We have really dangerous jobs, and if I put kids into the mix, I may have to let this job go. And I don't want to. I love what I do."
"And?" Remy motioned for her to continue. Taylor looked at her, and Remy shook her head. "There's something else. You're not telling me everything. Your body language—"
"Stop profiling me." Taylor gave Remy a blank expression.
"Okay, okay. I can't help it. But, continue."
Taylor tapped her hands against the table, and sighed heavily. "What if I don't be a good mother? What if I'm one of those mothers who will love her job more than her family? I don't want to bring kids in an uncertain situation."
"I, personally, think you'd be an amazing mother." Remy started. "I watch you every time we have a case dealing with kids and you're so good with them. You have all of the qualities to be a good mom, Taylor. If you have kids, I'm pretty sure you'll make the best decision for you and your family. And if Jack wants them that bad, I think he'll help out more than you know."
"I love him so much, Rem." Taylor covered her face.
"Well," Remy removed her hands from off of her face. "That answers most of your questions."
And mine.
Remy's phone rung, and she looked to see that it was her sister, Yazmine. Remy usually didn't hear from her sister often unless she wanted something. Plus, it was late so she definitely wanted something. She excused herself and went towards the back to answer the call. "Yes?"
"Damn, no hello?" Yazmine asked in her thick Spanish accent.
Remy sighed through the phone, running her hand across her head. "What do you want, Yaz?"
"You need to come home. Mami esta enferma."
Remy's eyes widened. "Sick?!"
"Mhmmm. Now, don't say I didn't tell you. Get your ass on a plane and come home." Yazmine said before hanging up the phone. Remy leaned her head against the wall, and sighed.
If it's not one thing, it's another.
———————
Later that day
Los Angeles
The airport was like a sea of faces moving in an unseen current, flowing like water to their destinations like a wide river down the aisles. Small groups would sometimes stop and cause a small eddy, but the others would flow around the outside and continue on their way. There were plasma screens of arrival and departure times on the wall of the airport. People were lined up at the check-in desk with suitcases and baggage.
Standing in the middle of the floor, Adonis and Ascaria were kissing like it was going to be their last time seeing each other. After the wedding, she was scheduled to fly to D.C. with Scarlett. She was trying to pull away from Adonis, but he kept pecking her lips. She smiled against him, finally pulling away.
"I have to go." She said softly.
"I mean, you really don't."
"Well, I really don't like flying commercial so you're right. But, I decided not to be a spoiled brat this time and not get on my daddy's nerve about the jet. Therefore, I have to go before I miss my flight." She wiped her lipstick off of his lips, but he kept his arm around her waist.
Adonis sighed, and looked ahead to see Scarlett waiting patiently. "Okay. Scar is waiting and I guess I should let you go." He removed his arm from around her, allowing her to place her bag on her shoulder. Even as she was knocking the door at thirty, she didn't look a day over 21. Her face really hadn't matured much.
"Thank you." A flirtatious smirk formed on her lips. "I really enjoyed you last night."
"I did too, Aria. When am I going to see you again?"
Suddenly, her demeanor changed and she sighed sadly. "I'm going to visit my grandmother and she's not doing too well. So, I may be in D.C. for a while."
"Aw, damn. I'm sorry to hear that. Why didn't you tell me?" He responded in her tone.
"Because I didn't want to think about it. I needed exactly what I got from you." She squeezed his hand. "But, I'll call you. I promise."
"Okay." He nodded, and she looked him a little bit longer before releasing his hand. Adonis watched as she walked to where Scarlett was. Many people attempted to stop along the way to get her autograph, but she successfully made it through. He waved goodbye to the sisters as they walked through the door.
"You smooch on my sister like that again. We gon have some issues." Kamari said causing Adonis to turn around.
"Smooch?" Don chuckled to himself as they walked out of the airport.
"Yes, nigga. Smooch. I almost kicked your ass, but she grown now. Can't be beating up her boyfriends." He rolled his eyes.
"Nigga you need a girlfriend or something."
"Hook me up with Naomi." Kamari playfully hit Don's back. "She is fine as hell and savage. I need a Naomi in my life. And if she's taken, then I'm just going to be single forever."
"Well, looks like you'll be single forever." Don laughed, unlocking his car door.
Kamari kissed his teeth and walked to the passenger side. "Swear?"
"My baby brother got that on lock." He said as he slid into the car. Kamari followed suit, and shut the door.
"But, I thought—"
"Let's just say that the brother is woke now." Don pushed the engine button, and put the car in drive before heading to the barbershop.
"Damn, man. I was trying to be her daughter's step daddy. Her and Sophie could be sisters and shit." Kamari shook his head in disappointment. "All the good ones are taken."
"What about Farrah?" Don asked, glancing between Kamari and the road.
"She married dawg. Been married for like nine years now."
Don shook his head. "It's really looking bad for you."
"Well, Iman single now so we can be bachelors together." Kamari chuckled. "It's kinda cool being single, though. I menz of course, you got your days when you wanna love on a woman. But, I enjoy myself. It's so many beautiful women on this earth."
"Oh, trust me. I've had my fair share."
"Yea, well, all that shit cut out now, buddy." Kamari looked at him seriously. "I don't care how long Ascaria gon' be gone. You not fucking her over twice."
Don looked at him with a questionable look. "We not even together, Mari."
"Nah, nah. I'on wanna hear that." Kamari shook his head. "Aria love you. And you love her. But, you a playa too. I seen how you was actin' with the bald head girl."
"Who? Remy?"
Kamari shrugged. "I don't know the woman name. I just know she bald head and fine as hell."
"Man, she gotta girlfriend. She don't want me." Don waved him off.
"So, you're telling me there's a chance?" Kamari lifted his eyebrow out of curiosity. Don laughed at his facial expression, trying not to crash. "She gay or bisexual?"
"Bi." Don answered.
Kamari wiggled his eyebrows, dancing a little in his seat. "If she flirting with you while she taken, everything ain't good at home."
"Our relationship different though. It's harmless flirting. We never did anything." Don explained. "But, you might be right. You can try. I don't know how successful you're going to be. Oh, and she's a FBI agent."
"Fuck that." Kamari shook his head. "I'm good big homie."
Don laughed a little harder, parking in front of the barbershop. "Bro, she's an angel. I mean, she from Houston and got a little hood in her, but she's an angel. You'll get the same thing if you dated Naomi. My brother is going to learn real soon."
"Oh, they're from Houston? That explains a lot." Kamari said as he got out of the car.
Don got out, and closed the door. "What does that explain?" He asked, fixing the collar on his shirt.
"Houston girls are beautiful. Naomi's ass is just right and so is Remy's. I mean, I don't wanna sound disrespectful because I'm not that typa dude. So, I'll keep the rest of the comments to myself." Kamari winked at him, and put his shades on his face. Don laughed at his silliness and they both walked into the barbershop.
When you first walked into the barbershop, there was a large mural of Kamari and his dad. Kamari currently played for the Lakers like his dad and he was three time NBA champion. The mural was them two holding up their 11 combined trophies and it read Valentine Legacy.
Khari was currently in one of the chairs, getting his hair lined up. "Wazzam pussy?" Khari greeted his son.
"Wassup old man?" The two slapped hands.
"Aria and Scar get on safely?"
"Mhmm, and Aria was tonguing Don down in the middle of the airport." Kamari snitched, and Don kissed his teeth.
"Hol' up, did she stay with you last night?" Khari glared at Don. Don shook his head no, lying. The men in the barbershop laughed at him, knowing for a fact that he was lying. "You lyin' like a bitch." Khari chuckled lowly.
"Aye, aye. I came to get my hair cut." Don joked. "Now, I just need a fade in the back and side. Cut off my curls and I'll whoop your ass."