Juicy: The Complete Series (42 page)

A single tear flowed down my cheek as I slowly felt life slipping away from me. I thought it was over. It was just my time to go, I guessed. My body spewed blood and urine out onto the floor. Lexi moved over to me; kneeling down by my side, and covering her mouth with both hands to conceal the whimpering that was forming in her throat.

“Jasmine? Are you okay, baby? I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to do it. I’m sorry. I swear to you that I am so sorry.” Andrew’s lip quivered as he looked up with one eye at what he had done. “I’m so fucked up. I’m just so fucked up.”

“It’s okay, baby. I’m here.” Lexi’s smile was so angelic as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I’m not scared. That’s what’s so funny.” I smiled. “I’m not scared at all.”

She smiled at me as Andrew stood and walked over to the scene. He hovered over my trembling body, breathing insanely with his eyes bulging. Lexi did what she could by removing her shirt from her body to apply pressure to my wound. He never blinked one eye at her as he raised his gun to her head.

She was sure that she was next, but seemingly she wasn’t afraid either. She felt his presence behind her and knew what was coming. I knew that her heart had to have felt like it was dropping into her stomach, as she anticipated a bullet to be planted in her brain.

“I loved you, kitten. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Get on the ground! Drop the fucking gun.” The police had finally made their way to the apartment and had kicked in the door.

“It’s okay. I’m a cop,” Andrew mumbled.

“Man, look, I wouldn’t give a fuck if you were the President, alright? Drop the motherfucking weapon, now,” one of them ordered erratically.

“You aren’t running this shit.” Andrew’s tears ran down his face. “I run this shit.”

He stood there breathing oddly for a minute, never taking his eyes off of either of us. With the amount of pain I was in, I couldn’t focus my vision on much else. All I kept thinking was that someone needed to come in and help me quickly before I bled out right on my living room floor. Minutes later, he raised his gun towards the cops at the front door as they yelled, ordering for him to stop what he was doing. One second after they warned him, the house was riddled with bullets, too many
to even count. As the bullets flew, Lexi lowered her head to my chest.

Andrew fell to the floor, convulsing like a fish out of water before becoming completely still. The only sound I heard after that was the sound of people entering my living room. Lexi raised her head back up to me. I thought she was dead for sure. We didn’t even bother to look over at the carcass lying a few feet from us. He wasn’t worth our time anymore,
and he was going on to his rightful throne in hell.

“Hang in there, Jazzy. You’re going to be okay.” Lexi sent a few sweet
pecks to the back of my hand as the paramedics began working on me.

“I hope so. I guess I just had to take one for the team.” I felt blood fill up in my throat as we smiled at each other.

Six months later

Lexi

My fingers rubbed the lip-gloss stick across my lips and ruffled my hair with my fingers. I had been waiting for this day forever,
and it seemed like it would never come. I walked up to the mirror checking myself to make sure that everything was in place.

Walking out of the bathroom with my head held high, I hoped that everything would go as well as I dreamed it would last night. I felt like God had sent me that dream to ease my nerves about the impending decision that would make or break the rest of my life. When I was in
jail, the guard that reached out to me made perfect sense. And, ever since that day that I met him six months ago, I had a new outlook on life.

“You ready baby?” Jasmine said as she straightened the collar to my ruffled button down white blouse.

“Yeah, I think so.” I kissed her lips, relishing in her presence.

To say that Jasmine was blessed to be alive was an understatement. Since being by her side while she was in the hospital, I’ve viewed her in a very different light. She was now my all, my one, and my only. I could see
myself with no one else, but her.

Jasmine was the epitome of what a down ass bitch was supposed to be like, and I was willing to give her all the respect and love that she deserved. But, I couldn’t fully give her all of me until I got one thing settled, once and for all. It was the only thing looming over my head, but the time had come to either pay the piper or celebrate a victory.

“Baby, what do you think they will do?” Jasmine asked, fluffing her hair as we walked out the door. “I’m just so nervous about this.”

“It’s
gon’ be alright, girl. You trippin’. I mean, by the grace of God you were able to get me a damn good lawyer and the things he’s been saying to me has been on point. So, I’m not worried.” That last part was a lie, but it was what she needed to hear to ease her mind.

“Well, I know it’s been a nice little while since the craziness happened. But there is something that I’ve been holding back from you,” Jasmine recited as she pressed the keychain button to unlock the car doors.

“Awe, man. Jasmine, we were doing so good, though.”

“I
know. But, it was something that I felt like I couldn’t tell you until I could see the change in you. Baby, you are so good to me now. You are everything that I have ever hoped and dreamed for now, and it seems like its only getting better. I didn’t want to hide the shit from you, but I just needed to make sure you never leave me again. I had to make sure you wanted me for me.” Jasmine’s words sounded sincere.

“
Alright, well talk and drive because I don’t want to be late for court.”

She sat there for a
minute staring out the front windshield, unable to move or speak. I buckled my seat belt then leaned over to get a good glimpse of her facial expression as I wondered what was wrong. Whatever it was it was obviously so deep that she needed a minute to collect herself about it.

I began
to seriously worry that she had done something wrong or devious to get back at me for all of the bullshit she had endured from me. I was thinking the absolute worst and to top it all off; she was busting this shit out on me at the worst possible time.

“Okay, Jasmine. You’re fucking scaring me now. Just spit it out already. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“When I was in the hospital, I didn’t know what I was coming home to. I kept thinking in my head that it was probably not going to happen to someone like me, but it did. I feel like I was blessed to have everything that I ever wanted in you, and I’m just not ready to give that up,” Jasmine spoke but never moved an inch.

My palms grew
sweaty. In the back of my mind, I knew what she was pussyfooting around, and I didn’t know if I was ready to hear it. She was the best person I’ve ever known, and she never turned her back on me when she knew I needed her the most.

Everything she did, she did it out of love to teach me to grow the fuck up and stand on my own two feet. I was forever grateful and indebted to her for all of that. But, I was wondering if I could give her what I think she was trying to give me.

“Um, Jasmine. Are you trying to propose to me?” I swallowed a big gulp of saliva in my mouth.

“Propose? Well, I guess that wouldn’t be a bad idea either.” She smiled brightly turning to me, as she lovingly caressed my hand. “Is that something you want to do, right now? Do you wanna get married?”

“I don’t know. Is that what you were going to say?”

“Lexi, I would love to marry you one day,” she pointed out. “But, that’s not what I was about to say though.”

“Oh, my bad. Okay then, what were you going to say?” I bit my lip and prepared myself for bad news.

She was hesitant to speak as she gazed into my eyes, seemingly looking for the right words to say. Her shimmery glossed lips were bumbling against each other.
She knew exactly what she wanted to say, but it proved to be difficult for her to release the words to me.

I was becoming impatient, but I didn’t want to display my irritation. My eyes cut from hers to the clock on the dashboard realizing I was going to be late as hell for court. That was something that I was not prepared to do,
and as the sweat bullets formed on my forehead, I knew it was time for us to go.

“Baby, can you please tell me what it is or at least talk about this as we’re driving
. I’m going to be late,” I pleaded with her as she turned to start the car.

We drove down the street, pass the airport and down towards Cicero Avenue. We were at the stoplight right in front of Giordano’s pizzeria, when she pulled over on the side of the road. I couldn’t believe it. She was forcing me to miss my court date because of something she couldn’t even voice.
My fears increased the more we sat there watching the planes take off and land in the airport that was directly across the street.

“What’s going on, Jasmine?”

Her chest moved up and down rapidly seeming like she was hyperventilating, “In my truck is a black duffle bag. In that bag is approximately $300,000, at least that’s how much it was after I put back the $60,000 I had stolen from out it to bail you out.”

“What the fuck? Are you serious? Where the hell did you get that kind of money?” I was ecstatic and confused all at once.

“I stole it, well more like hid it from Andrew. That’s the money he was talking about. I found it hidden in my closet and so I hid it from him. I thought for sure the cops would find it once they began their search of the crime scene.” She grabbed my hand. “But, when I finally got home from the hospital and realized it was still there I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.”

“How could you hide this from me?”

“Baby, I’m sorry—“

“No. I mean, how could you hide this from me without
me knowing about it? I cleaned every inch of that apartment, and I never found any black duffle bag in there or in the car.” My mind was going crazy trying to replay in my head everything I did during the cleanup.

“The kitchen was the prime place to use, underneath the kitchen sink, on the side with the broken cabinet door that’s difficult to get open.” She covered her eyes with her hands. “I kept it there until you went to sleep last night. It was the only time I took it out to count exactly how much there was in all. I put it in the trunk last night, along with a few of our mementos and favorite knick knacks.”

“So, you’re telling me this because of what, Jazz?”

“Because…I think we need to be on one of those planes right now going to
a far off country where no one knows us and preferably one that doesn’t have any extradition laws that tie with the U.S.”

“Jasmine, I think I’ve got a good chance of beating this, though. Your crazy ex-boyfriend didn’t exactly have the picture perfect background and the lawyer said
that he believes he can get me off. I don’t want to be a fugitive on the run anymore. I want to take this head on,” I was proud of myself when the words exited my mouth.

“Lexi, I have a really bad feeling about this. I didn’t like the way that
jury was looking at you during cross-examinations. I think that DA has it out for you, as well, and they are on his side…” she paused, staring me in my eyes as she caressed my cheek gently, “…I can’t lose you again. I’d die first.”

“Jasmine, I think you’re just paranoid.”

“Am I? Or were you scared as shit when you got off the stand last week?”

She had a point. I wasn’t exactly confident when I left the stand and the jurors eyed me like they were gutting a fish. But, I was trying to remain positive and listen to my lawyer. I had played everything cool and done everything I was supposed to do during the trial, but the evidence could only point to me.

I had to give it to that dead jerk-off; he definitely set up a good set up. His cop skills afforded him the knowhow. But, as a woman of my word, I wanted to start living my life righteously and fleeing the country wasn’t going to do that.

“Jasmine, I love you, but I think we need to…” I huffed and paused
staring off into the sky as another plane took off.

“Yes, baby. I know what you’re gonna say,
and I don’t blame you. It was just a stupid suggestion. Who knows, you may be right about them acquitting you on all charges.” She lowered her head as if she was about to cry. “God is probably going to bless you with that.”

“He probably is. But, I’m not sure that I want to take that chance.” I turned to her parading a grin from ear to ear.

“Oh, my God! Really? Can we go, really?” Her face lit up like a carnival at night.

“Where do you want to go, baby?”

“Let’s go to Paris. I really, really want to go to Paris,” she shined. “It’s the city of love after all.”

“Okay, that sounds like our plan then. Let’s do it,” I smiled.

Jasmine showered me with kisses before she pulled back into traffic and made a left towards the main airport entrance. She tucked our cell phones in the glove compartment as we drove. There was no need for anyone to get in touch with us where we were going.

I was impressed by her spontaneity, though. She was willing to do any and everything for me even if that meant putting her life on the line. My down ass bitch, but she was always much more than that to me. It was at that point that I decided; I wouldn’t mind calling her my wife.

She needed me just as much as I needed her, and it felt good to no longer deny it. I couldn’t wait to take flight and start a brand new life with her in a country where no one knew our names. And, if we never came back to the states to face my charges, as long as I had her by my side, I didn’t need nobody else.