Fast Life (26 page)

She pulled back from the kiss and embraced him, resting her head on his chest.

He ran his hands over her hair as he held her in that blissful moment. The silence of the room was perfect. He had come all the way from Prince Paul for a moment like this.

“Hey, J, we're about to go….” Michael interrupted the cherished moment and invaded the living area with no other than Natasha by his side.

“Uh-uh! What is
she
doin' here?”

Justin and Michael exchanged looks of confusion at Kyra's odd reaction, but Natasha was well aware of what was going on.

“Mike, let's go.” She pulled on his arm, trying to make her way out the door.

“Goin' to spend your new-found fortune?”

“Shut that shit up, Kyra!”

“Fuck you!”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up.” Michael didn't understand.

“Naw, tell this bitch to hold up,” Kyra argued.

“Look, just because we aren't friends anymore doesn't mean you're about to be disrespecting me.”

“Whateva. I'll do as I damn well please. What are you gonna do? Beat my ass?”

“Look, I said sorry. That's all I can do. Why can't you understand that I made a mistake?”

The girls' eyes made contact, but Kyra was close-mouthed. Natasha had a certain longing in her eyes that said she wanted to speak to her old friend, but Kyra was too stubborn to participate.

“Mike, I need to use the bathroom real quick and then we can leave.”

“Okay.”

Natasha excused herself to go to the bathroom. Her eyes were glossy with tears as Kyra maintained her cold attitude in the living room.

“You should go talk to her.”

“There ain't shit to talk about, Justin.”

“You two were tight. What happened that could be that bad?” He was clueless to the secret cash deal Natasha had made with Makai to get Kyra away from the island.

“Fuck her, she ain't shit. J, I'm tellin' you, she's just a greedy, selfish, sneaky—”

“Kyra…”

“What?”

“Please go talk to her baby? Do it for me?”

Kyra shot him a mean look, but his puppy-dog eyes made her weak. How could she say no to something he asked of her that was so simple? After he'd made a trip all the way to the U.S. just to find her, she couldn't refuse.

“Fine. I'll do it.”

“Thank you.” He showed his appreciation with a kiss on her cheek.

“What was that all about?” Michael whispered his puzzlement as he watched Kyra walk off in the direction of the bathroom.

“I don't even know,” Justin whispered back.

 

Kyra rapped on the door a few times and then walked in to find Natasha sitting on the swirled blue and green marble sink top.

“It's you,” Natasha said, trying to build up an attitude.

“Yeah, it's me,” she sighed as she shut the door behind her.

A thick feeling of awkward tension fell on the room.

Another awkward moment halted their conversation. In all their twelve years of friendship, neither one of them could remember getting so mad at the other that they'd stopped speaking.

“Kyra…” Natasha was starting in on another round of apologies.

“Don't. What's done is done. I'm here now.”

“Yeah, but it was still messed up.”

“I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, 'cause we both know it was, but I can't be mad at you forever. We've been friends too long to let Kai fuck that up. I ain't sayin' we cool or anythin', but I ain't got no beef with you.”

“How are things at home?”

“Better.”

“Does he still…” Natasha cautiously hinted at her question concerning Makai's physical abuse.

“Sometimes. It's been a while.”

“You shouldn't have to put up with that.”

“I know, but it's like right now I don't got a choice but to deal with his bullshit. I hope he'll get tired of me and let me go. He got other girls anyway. He even has another girlfriend. I don't know why he's still draggin' me along.”

“Who?”

“Some model chick…I forgot her name…. Who cares…?”

The girls just sat there quiet again, each miniconversation coming to an abrupt end. Kyra played with a small hand towel on a nearby rack while Natasha studied the floor.

“I gave the money back,” she blurted out. Her eyes never left her focus spot on the floor.

“What?”

“I gave Makai the money back. All five grand.”

“Why? You might as well have spent it.”

“Don't be like that. I just didn't realize what I did until you showed up at my house that night. After that, having the money just didn't seem right. And then to go out and spend it? Uh-uh. Plus, you know I hate that nigga,” Natasha declared with a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Me, too.”

“Never thought I would see the day.” She giggled.

O
nce Michael and Natasha left, Kyra and Justin had the suite all to themselves with time to waste. A day of relaxing, talking and lovemaking was a pleasant one, as was every other visit Kyra made following that day. Their casual hook-ups at random hotels around Chicago were considered precious.

By the end of the month, the undercover couple had seen the inside of almost every hotel in the Chicago area. Kyra had to ensure that if Makai caught her, he wouldn't be able to track Justin down at the Sutton. To ensure Justin's safety while he was in Chicago, Kyra was more than ready to sacrifice her body to abuse at the hands of Makai. She was determined not to let anything happen to Justin.

On an unusual night, Makai stayed at home. He once again occupied himself on Kyra's side of the bed. Any other night she would have wanted to get it done and over with, but tonight it was different. Tonight she was into it, moaning and screaming, her body wet with sweat as he plunged deep into her. Tonight she fantasized that Makai was Justin.

 

It was late the next afternoon when Kyra awoke. She tried to raise her head from where she lay but winced with soreness. Her head was throbbing.
What happened last night?
She asked herself as she carefully sat up in bed.

The emotional toll of living under Makai's rule was affecting her in more ways then one, and if it didn't stop, she was fearful of where it might lead. That single thought was scary in its own right and was all the more reason to take action. She needed counsel. She needed another opinion. The morbid thoughts of pushing Makai down the stairs to his demise, as well as committing an assortment of other violent acts, were ones she would attempt to pursue if she didn't receive help, and quickly. She needed Justin.

Kyra caught two cabs just to make her meeting with Justin at their new destination for the day, the Econo Lodge. It wasn't one of the nicest places they'd had the luxury of staying in, but it certainly wasn't one of the worst. Being fussy wasn't an option. Anything would do.

Once Kyra stepped in the room, Justin shut all the blinds to hide them from the outside world. She hadn't even sat down before she started to remove her boots and make herself more comfortable. Justin watched as she unzipped the knee-high boots, and his eyes traveled up her legs to her tan tank dress. He couldn't resist the urge to run his tongue across his lips. Their location was perfect for the things running through his mind.

He flicked on the light switch out of his desire to see her body in all its glory. Kyra was just removing the green camouflage hat that shaded her bruised face. Justin's hormones were meaningless when he caught sight of her assaulted face.

“He hit you again?” His jaw tightened in anger.

“Last night…” Her voice was a mere whisper.

“Why? What happened?”

“Because…I said your name by accident…. Anymore questions?” She didn't want to dwell on the incident and didn't want to reveal the details as to when she'd let his name slip out of her mouth.

He didn't answer but took a seat on the edge of one of the two queen-sized beds.

“I swear, if I see him…” His temper was increasing as thoughts of violent payback raced through his mind.

“No, no. Don't do nothin' crazy,
please,
baby.” The image of what would happen to him or anyone else who hurt Makai greatly disturbed her. Whoever the perpetrator turned out to be, they would surely suffer a slow and painful death at the hands of Makai's henchmen, after hours of excruciating torture.

“Why are you so worried about this cat? I can handle him. Any nigga who puts his hands on a female ain't shit.”

“You don't know what you're talkin' about. He's not like you….”

“So you're really trying to stick up for him? After how he beats on you? You're gonna take his side?”

“No, no. You just don't understand.”

“Then
make
me understand! Make me understand how I have to sneak off just to see you, and how I have to sit by and let another man beat on you and God only knows what else! It's bullshit!”

Kyra flopped down on the edge of bed with a sigh. Things were difficult. She hadn't told Justin much about Makai, especially not what he did for a living. She'd never had the need to discuss him in Prince Paul and never found the time to now. She could never seem to find the right time to mention the subject, but this seemed like it was the best opportunity she'd got. She couldn't let it slip by. There was a time for everything, and the time for the truth was now.

“Makai…well…he's a…he's a hustler. He's not like you dad or your brother….. He's…in the drug business. And he's been in it for years, long enough that now he has power, and a lot of it. This is his city. We just live in it.” Kyra fumbled over her words.

“You mean to tell me you been up here all this time when you got an easy way out?” he exclaimed. The whole situation was beginning to frustrate him.

“An easy way out? What the hell do you mean an easy way out? If there was one, don't you think I would've took it by now? How dumb do you sound right now?” she yelled, offended by his comment.

“All you gotta do is call the cops and have them arrest his ass. Tell them what he does and then boom! He's in jail and you're free. That's pretty easy if you ask me.”

“Are you fuckin' stupid? Kai has connects with the cops! And God knows who else. They would probably come to the door, see that it's his place and bounce. And if he
did
get locked up, hypothetically speaking, and it was
my
fault, his people would track me down. They wouldn't stop until they found me, and if they find me, they find you, they find my mom, they wipe all of us out. Do you have any idea what they would do to us? To me? You must be tryin' to get me killed!” Kyra exploded at his insensitive statement as she got up and began to pace the room. “Look, I'll figure somethin' out, okay? I'll figure somethin' out!”

“I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have brought it up.” Justin apologized as he took her in his arms, feeling guilty for the tears that were now streaming down the slopes of her cheeks.

He pulled back and took her face by her chin to kiss her lips. She winced and pulled back for second, the presence of her cut reaffirmed. Her body then melted into his, their kissing becoming more intense as they gently fell back onto the bed.

He held himself over her, his lips making a trail down from her face to her neck, and with the removal of her dress, her chest and stomach. Things were getting hotter by the second with the removal of each article of clothing.

With Kyra's whimpers and moans coming quicker, Justin reached down into his pants pocket to retrieve protection. He could feel his time to perform approaching.

 

Kyra soaked in the deep bathtub, surrounded by bubble bath and warm water. She lit all the unused candles for the first time, and their light vanilla scent calmed her as she soaked and reflected on her still-fresh encounter with her lover. She had returned to the empty and tranquil apartment just as predicted, pulling off yet another visit to see Justin undetected.

She shut her eyes and was letting the atmosphere relax her when suddenly her eyes popped wide open. A loud crash emanating from the first floor startled her out of her peaceful state. Kyra sat stiff. She heard another thunderous crash. Her heart was racing. Someone had come for her.

Absolutely petrified at the thought of who was in the apartment, Kyra cautiously climbed out of the tub, her body dripping wet as she grabbed a white cotton robe to cover herself. Her curiosity overpowered her fear and enabled her to tiptoe down the hall to the top of the stairs. The sound of breaking glass sliced through the silence.

“Who's there?” Her throat was tight as she shouted down into the darkness. There was no answer. “I said who's there?”

A glass object struck the stairs in front of her and she jumped back, clambering to the hall light and switching it on. The glow only managed to light the hall and the upper half of the staircase. The face of the prowler still could not be seen below.

Makai stepped out from the darkness into the light. He was out of breath and his eyes were red. Something was gravely amiss.

“Come down here.” He then disappeared into the darkness.

Kyra hesitated. She'd never seen Makai look like this before. He looked upset. Had he found out about her affair? He was obviously angry, yet sadness could be seen in his eyes. Sadness was an emotion she couldn't place with him, even after all the years she'd known him.

She carefully descended the stairs, avoiding the shards of glass from the form that used to be one of the crystal glasses that decorated the dining room table.

She was uneasy after evaluating the condition of the bottom floor of the duplex. The once-stunning dining room was a shell of its former self, with the exquisite china in pieces across the floor. Down the hall, the mirror in the foyer was cracked, and the statuette that used to rest on the center table of the living room had been split in two. It was the reason for the mirror's destruction.

Kyra didn't know what to make of the situation as she entered the living room. Plants were lying on their sides, a couch was overturned, as was the center table, and the glass ashtray that used to rest on it was in pieces on the rug. The dark wood chair also lay overturned in front of one of the large windows after Makai's futile attempt to send it flying into the Chicago sky.

Makai sat on the only upright couch with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. He took a swig and wiped his mouth. Kyra could have sworn she saw his eyes beginning to glisten and began to question her sanity.

“Kai…what's wrong?”

“Deshawn…” He hung his head low and let his hands cover his eyes.

Kyra stood amazed at the scene before her. The monster she had been living with for the past two months was sitting before her crying like a baby.

“Kai…”

“They killed him. Those mothafuckas…they killed Deshawn…. They killed my little brother….” His voice was calm but his eyes poured tears as she rushed to his side. She took a seat next to him on the couch and placed her hand on his shoulder in support.

“What happened?” She shared his sadness. Deshawn had always been a nice boy, ever since she'd first met him when he was only ten years old.

“Reggie and them…they raided a house of ours, and it was the one that De was working…. They killed everyone and took all the product we had in there. Cleaned the place out. There was nothing left. No white, no survivors, nothing.”

“Who else was there?”

“Just De and some other people. No one else from my crew, though. Just some workers….” Makai waved off the other deaths as though they meant nothing. “You know they took ten kilos of my shit? Ten fucking keys. With all that money in their hands, they're waging all-out war….” The attack Reggie had pulled had caught Makai off guard and weakened him in more ways than one. Not only had Reggie and his crew hurt Makai financially, but now they would have equal firepower. The throne was up for grabs.

Kyra sat still. She searched the depths of her soul to find the right words to say, but she found none. Not that anything she said would have made a difference. Deshawn was dead, and no one and no sweet words or gestures could bring him back. That was something she had learned the hard way, but it was also something that Makai recognized. “And the thing about the shit is that I can get that shit back…. No matter what I can't get De back. I would give all the shit we got in every last one of my spots to bring him back, and I can't. I was responsible for him…and my ma, oh my God…” He tossed between fury and grief.

“You can't blame yourself, Kai,” Kyra murmured as she let her hand massage his shoulder.

“That was my little brother. Ever since we were little, I had his back. Every day and every night. Every night
except
tonight. I should've been there…. I would've been there any other night…. There's no one else to blame
but
me….”

Being an only child, Kyra never quite understood the connection between siblings, and she couldn't quite relate to what he was feeling. She kept quiet, not wanting to say the wrong thing at such a pivotal time.

“I need to get the crew together….” He thought aloud. “Kyra, do me a favor?”

“Yeah?”

“Grab me a suit from the closet upstairs. Any one; it doesn't matter.” He requested the favor as he took another swig of his whiskey and planted the earpiece of his two-way in his ear.

“Okay.”

“Thank you, baby girl” He gave thanks with a look of appreciation in his eyes. It was as though for that split second the old Makai, the man she used to know and love, had resurfaced.

 

Kyra was lying in bed asleep when a powerful early-morning storm woke her. She sat up in bed with her clothes from the previous night still on. Her tired eyes fell to Makai's side of the bed to see that he wasn't there. He had been gone all night.