D A V I D
I climb to the top of the slide with Zyena. "Damn Meeka this slide to damn small how imma slide down with them." She laughed and continued to record. I didn't find it funny. "Stop cursing in front of my babies and slide boy."
"Zyena daddy's to fat to slide down." Zuri joked standing behind us. I laughed as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I pushed off the top and held on to Zyena in my lap and Zuri on my back. We managed to make it down to the bottom and they cheered. "AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN !"
She smiled at us and turned the camera off. "Girls Let daddy rest up then he'll come back." I nodded in agreement and walked over to the bench to sit down. It felt good to be with my kids but C kept running through my mind. She wouldn't answer the phone and she's been locked at JoJo house not speaking to me. I know she ight but I wanna hear her voice.
"Thinking bout ya wife?" She asked sitting next to me. Part of me wanted Meek, especially looking like this. She had on some All black Joggers that complimented her frame, A black and white Cropped Nike top the showed off her perfectly pierced belly button with her black infrared Jordan's. Her hair was straightened and ran past her shoulder to the top of her ass. Damn why'd she have to leave me. "What?" she questioned after a while of waiting for me to answer.
"Nun I was just in deep thought is all." My phone went off and it was Ja. I answered and dismissed myself from Meeka. "Wasup Ja any news?"
"Nah man not at all, JoJo still shook up about all this shit. Marie hooked up to this machine and still knocked out cold. Ja'Nae still missing in action no word on where she at, I got eyes looking out word spreading around town, ain't nobody talking about shit. We go this party tomorrow night I don't know what's to come no more D. We was so well thought out plan in action now everything falling down around us. Maybe we need a cancel this event and handle things more carefully. Who knows what's running through everybody head, shit who knows what's gone happen. You got two little girls one on the way, Lo got his baby, JoJo may be able to handle himself but that's still my son and he Ain't ready to let go of me just yet. It's to much to lose man. Too many grudges we holding on to. Too many people against us. I mean Ian doubting our skills but damn it ain't that easy running shit with these young ass folks now days man."
"Ja listen to yourself, this shit ain't gone never end unless we handle business. This ain't a time to handle shit carefully it's time to crack down and get the information we want even if it means drilling niggas now. My nigga pull yo shit together we need a meeting ASAP."
"David are you not hearing me motherfucker, JoJo making no moves without finding that gir-"
"Then I guess we got 22 hours to find Ja'Nae, meeting ASAP." I hung up and he texted me ight. I walked back over to where Meeka stood watching the girls on the swing.
"We Needa talk." I said stern making her look up at me. We walked away from our girls but just enough so they couldn't hear us. "I need you and them to get outta town for like the next two weeks until shit get straighten out."
"What David? My Business is here I can't just drop my life AGAIN! This some bullshit."
"I'm not asking you to drop your life Meeka I just want you and the girls in safety ight?"
"I knew I shouldn't have came back.."
I stepped to her and looked down dead into her eyes. "I'm glad you came back ma, but right now it's some shit going on and if anything happened to you or them I would lose my mind." I stared at her for a moment then I kissed her on the lips and for a while she didn't move but I mean I knew she wasn't going to because it was obvious she was still in love with me, maybe part of me still loved her.
She bagged up and I didn't even notice she was crying. "David your married."
"Engaged-"
"It's the same fucking thing David! And I will not be your side chick because I know you love her deeply,"
"I love you too me-"
"Maybe, but you can't have us both. I didn't come back to ruin your happy home, I refuse to hurt your WIFE because you wanna play house." She walked away and wiped her face gathering the girls. I rubbed my head and looked up at them both running over to me.
Putting on a smile and squatting down to their level, I picked them up kissing their cheeks while they laughed. We said our see you laters and I put them back down watching them run over to Meeka and grab her hand leaving the park.
I sat on the bench calling the crew.
J O J O
"I'm not doing shit without her Ja so make something happen." I sat back in the chair staring at the wall. I was more so angry at myself at the fact I put her in yet another life or death situation.
I took my phone out my pocket and the small sheet fell out. I picked it up looking at the number again. I tried calling. The first time nobody answered.
After a while of ringing it asked for an extension I put it in and it begin to ring once more. I was about to hang up but someone answered. "Hello," I was stunned, shocked even but I couldn't speak. "Hello? Who is this?" She hung up.
I called again and this time after the extension it was a straight pick up. "Stop callin-"
"Ja'Nae?" Ja looked up at me and so did uncle Lo, I didn't acknowledge them they could just be tormenting us.
"JoJo?"
"Nae? Where are you? Are you ok-"
"JoJo what's going on?"
"Baby I don't know but if you tell me where you are I can come and get you."
"All I remember is being home then a break in and someone saved me and I blanked out-"
"Saved you? Was it Michael? Jacob?" Baby who was it?"
"I don't k-know JoJo but he said I was going to be okay and that he was putting me in hiding because shit was dangerous."
"Baby we gone track your phone and I'll be there ASAP." I hung up and looked at Ja and Lo.
"Leave her."
"What?"
"We know she's okay, she's in hiding, leave her, in fact we need to put everybody in hiding, who knows who's after us and what's their capable off, game day is coming boys and we need to be focused." Uncle Lo added standing up. "We'll try and track her and see exactly where she is but obviously somebody was looking out for her and made sure she was safe."
"Logan's right JoJo we need all of our heads in the game and our women need to be somewhere far and safe in order for that."
"But how do I know she's safe if I don't know where she is, or who's with her."
"Just call often, I'm pretty sure if anything goes wrong she'll tell you JoJo."
"It's killing me how okay y'all are with this." I got up and left the office. Leave her? I don't know who the hell got they eyes on her and they talking about leave her? Hell nah. I began to call Michael to see if they had any other relatives that could have did this.
J A ' N A E
JoJo hung the phone up and I looked back at him. "There you happy now? I lied for you. But I don't get it, you say your an old friend and your here to help then why you won't let me tell them who saved my life, if you actually saved it and ain't planning something different."
He dropped the gun on the table and turned to the refrigerator taking out a gallon of Koolaid. "You want some?"
"No I want answers, who are you and why are you holding me hostage."
"Hostage? Last time I checked ain't no chains, ropes, wires wrapped around your arms and legs, I haven't touched you, hit you, or held a gun to your temple. You not trapped in a basement or closet. I thought my condo was nice. So I don't get where Hostage comes from, you can go if you want, but I'm telling you now, you're going to die." He shrugged and put the koolaid back and walked upstairs.
I had every opportunity to leave but I really thought I was going to die. I had a gut feeling. Someone knocked on the door and I jumped then stood up backing towards the stairs. I backed into a wall and gulped hard before hearing his footsteps travel down the stairs. He looked at me and laughed. "Calm down it's probably my babymama."
My heart began to beat again and I eased back to the couch. He picked the piece up off the counter and walked to the door. He disarmed the alarm and opened the door. There stood a woman smiling from ear to ear with a child laying on her shoulder. They exchanged a few words before he took the small child out her arms, kissed the lady on the lips and closed it back. He locked the door and walked back passed me whispering in the little boys ear as they headed upstairs. He looked half sleep.
I cradled my knees against my chest and looked out the large window. I just wanted this nightmare to be over already. I missed being home in the safety of JoJo's arms. Surrounded by people I didn't have to be skeptical about.
J A S O N
I waited outside the building on Kim. My mind was drifting around constantly on the subject of everything going on around me. I spotted her leaving the building by herself and she didn't look in the best mood. I exited my car and leaned against it waiting on her.
"Don't look at me, you could've stayed in the car, I'm a big girl." She snapped walking around the vehicle to her side. I raised an eyebrow and got back in starting it up and pulling off. It was quiet and she just bounced her leg rapidly looking out the window. Eventually she glanced at me but rolled her eyes.
I killed the radio. "What's your problem?" She was mute, like I hadn't said anything so I pulled over and killed the engine. "What the hell?"
"Now you wanna talk? I asked you a question."
"Jason just drive the damn car what the fuck." I nodded and got out closing the door walking around to her side. I opened the door and pulled her out standing in the way so she couldn't walk off. Cars continued to pass occasionally but I didn't give a damn.
"Kimberly wasup? Why you so shitty?"
"In not shitty I just wanna go home damn."
"You bitching at me like i did something to yo ass. What you having a bad day or something."
"I guess you can say that." I stared at her for a brief moment then moved getting back in the car. We rode the rest of the way to her house in Silence.
I parked out front and cut the car off looking at her. She didn't budge. I didn't speak I just took my phone out texting Lo back. "Jason's who's Brianna?"
"My ex, why." I wasn't gone sugar coat it me and her had something it's over. I didn't tell her cause she ain't important to me now. "Did you kill her?"
I stopped typing but I didn't meet her eye contact. "What?"
"You heard me Ja, did you or did you not kill your ex."
"I didn't kill her but she is dead."
"How'd she die?"
"She was shot."
"And you know who shot her."
"I saw it. So yeah I guess you can say that."
She shook her head and didn't say anything for a moment. "You didn't stop it, you didn't say anything to anybody?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"She crossed me and the person handled the situation."
"So you had her killed."
"No, it just happened."
"So what if I cross you, you gone off me too right?" I rubbed my head and shook it No. "Ja.. I knew you was in that business but I didn't know you've murdered somebody."
"I didn't kill her."
"But you witnessed, you stood there and watched therefore your just as guilty as whoever put the bullet in her!" I let her calm down before looking at my phone. "Look obviously we need some time from one another cause this shit I'm not prepared for."
"What shit? You been knew what I did for a living-"
"Yes I knew you sold Drugs, I knew you was a connect but I didn't think you actually killed people, I can't be with you knowing maybe one day you'll get tired of me and boom, body bag, I feel like I just don't know you Jason." She let a couple tears fall as we set in yet another silence. After a while she kissed my cheek and opened the door. "Goodbye Ja.."
"See you Kim."
After she got out and closed the door I started my car and pulled off heading to the warehouse.
I pulled up and parked in my usual space and got out heading inside. "Wasup BP, David here?" He nodded still holding his guard and I continued through the building watching everybody at work. People nodded at me and I did the same back heading upstairs. I entered the office to everybody sitting at the table talking business.
"Wasup pops." JoJo greeted. He seemed to be in a better mood than earlier. "Wasup JoJo." Me and Lo shook up as I looked around for David.
"Where D at?"
"He downstairs handling something." I nodded. "We been over the plan a couple times, you need a run through Ja?" I nodded again sitting in the chair listening to Lo and Jo explain the moves to me. It was so much on the line everybody had to be in sync.
"The crew know Wasup?"
"Yes sir,"
"We got one more thing to handle,"
"What's that?" JoJo asked looking at me with Lo. "We gotta get these females and kids out of town."
"Man I'm tryna get Meeka to go she not making no moves bruh." D said coming into the room. We shook up before he sat down. "I think Kim done with my ass man."
"What? What you do now Ja?"
"Still fucking Jennifer I bet."
"Nah I been done with that, She uh.. Found out about Bri, she think I had her offed."
"Why you ain't tell her beanie killed her ass for stealing yo shit."
"I told her Bri crossed me and somebody shot her ass, it just happened, she said I witnessed so I'm just as guilty and I wasn't about to rat Beanie out like that."
"So you female free,"
"Nah I still care for the girl I want her outta harms way too bruh, pretty sure niggas done got word that's my girl by now."
"Look ill get Aunt C to invite Kim out on a girls trip or something ight? We'll handle it,"
I nodded. "I'll talk Meeka into going somewhere too D don't trip, Lo we can send Lilly with Claudia." We all nodded and got to work.
Why females gotta be so stressful.