Too Naughty (26 page)
I turned my head to the side and looked back at him. “You're the bomb, too, baby. And your love don't come close to the love I have for you.”
All I felt was a wet kiss on my ass and another smack. I snickered and cuddled myself into Shane's arms for the rest of the night.
JAYLIN
32
Stephon said it, but Kiley Jacoby Abrams in
No Justice No Peace
said it best.... “It's time to shake, rattle, and roll.” Shake a nigga up, rattle his brains, and roll the fuck out. That was what I intended to do.
No Justice No Peace
said it best.... “It's time to shake, rattle, and roll.” Shake a nigga up, rattle his brains, and roll the fuck out. That was what I intended to do.
I'd been keeping my eyes on Stephon all week long. He flaunted around the Lou as if he'd done no wrong. Shane said he'd gotten a good look at the person's hands who pulled the trigger, and said they were rather dark. I knew Stephon hadn't done it himself, because he was too much of a punk. And even though he was my cousin, I didn't or couldn't claim a relative who had hurt me, and the ones I loved, as much as he had. After seeing how messed up Shane was, I had to do something about it. Nokea kept bugging the hell out of me, especially since I'd gotten the gun back from her. She was upset, and since I didn't need the additional pressure, I asked her to take a flight back home. She made me promise to make it back to her safely, and I gave her my word.
I wanted to tell her what was going down, but Shane and me kept shit underwraps, because so many fools got locked up from running their mouths. Yes, I had enough money to pay somebody to do the dirty work for me, but something inside of me wanted to deal with Stephon face-to-face. That was my intention, but then Shane and I discussed Nokea and the kids. We talked about his future and mine. We knew that if I got caught up, I'd certainly go to jail. So, with that in mind, I made my connection. The shit was supposed to go down once I was back at home, but I decided to stop by Stephon's house and give him my final good-bye.
Before going to his house, I made sure I was strapped. I didn't know what to expect, and since I'd seen him smoking crack this week, I knew the brotha was once again unstable.
When I arrived, I could already see that his front door was cracked. I didn't know if it was a setup or not, but I stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind me. I reached for my gun and held it close to my side. I tiptoed my way back to Stephon's room, but he wasn't there, so I looked in his bathroom. There was no sign of him, so I checked the other rooms as well. I saw nothing, until I noticed the basement door wide open. I could hear some soft music playing, so I made my way down the steps. His basement was completely trashed. It looked nothing like the basement I'd paid to have remodeled for him years ago, and it smelled like liquor and weed. I stepped farther into the basement and that was when I noticed the music coming from one of the bedrooms.
My heart raced, and when I opened the door, Stephon was on the bed, lying flat on his stomach. I could already see the heroin needles on the floor, and when I turned him over, he had a bullet hole near his upper chest. I placed my fist over my mouth, taking a hard and hurtful swallow. I couldn't bear to look at him and stumbled backward. As I backed into the main area of the basement, I couldn't believe that my connection had not followed the rules. I stood in a trance, already having some regrets. Moments later, I heard a noise behind me. I quickly turned and saw this brotha making his way over to the steps. He moved quickly and had a black duffel bag on his shoulder. I chased after him, and when I pulled on his leg, he reached for his gun. I yanked him down the steps, and the gun fell from his hand. I then cocked my gun and aimed it at his head.
“Did you kill my cousin, nigga!”
He held up his hands. “Don't shoot! Please don't shoot! I ... I didn't... .”
“Who are you, and why did you kill my cousin!”
“My name is Pebo. I wa ... was paid to do it,” he cried. “I'm sorry, man. I'm real sorry.”
I held the gun steady and snatched the bag from his shoulder. When I looked inside, I saw the bag contained money.
“Who paid you?”
“Man, look. I swear that I will leave and ... and you will neverâ”
I gripped his collar and shook him. “I don't want to hear all of that bullshit! Who paid you!”
“A ... a chick name Felicia. She told me her name was Kimberly, but one of my partna's said he'd dated her before. He said her name was Felicia.”
I pressed the gun against his temple. “Get your punk ass up and walk slow. We need to take a ride.”
Pebo eased off the steps and slowly walked up them. I followed, and we made our way outside to my Hummer. I forced him inside, and not saying one word to him, I drove to Felicia's house. When we got there, I laid my cell phone in his lap.
“Do you want to die today, Pebo?”
“Nope,” he said, nervously shaking his head.
“Good. Do you want to go to jail?”
“No, I don't want to do that, either.”
“Okay. Then I need your cooperation. You can walk away from all of this as long as you do what I ask.”
He nodded.
“I'm going inside to chat with Felicia,” I said. “When I call you on my phone, I want you to come inside, got it?”
He nodded again.
“Don't forget. Don't come inside until I call you on the phone and tell you I need you.”
“Okay,” he said.
I told him to duck, and I got out of my truck. I knocked on the door, and Felicia answered.
“Can I please come in and talk to you about Shane?” I asked.
Without hesitating, she invited me in. Slut probably thought I was there to fuck her.
“What about Shane?” she asked and closed the door. I looked to make sure she didn't lock it, and she didn't.
I took several steps into her living room and sat on the arm of her couch.
“He's still out of it, and I have yet to find out what happened. I'm told that you know the details.”
She leaned against the living room doorway and gathered her silk robe in front of her.
“Jaylin, Shane and I were on our way to dinner. By the time we got to his car, somebody drove by and started shooting at us. I don't know who it was, but Shane and Stephon had a big argument about something. Shane wouldn't give me the details, and I didn't ask.”
“It didn't have anything to do with you, did it? I thought Shane told me Stephon had done something to you?”
“Stephon didn't do nothing to me. We had a minor argument, he told me he wanted to be with somebody else, and I told him to go right ahead.”
I rubbed my goatee and couldn't believe how she was lying her butt off. “Hmmm, that's interesting. So ... I guess you haven't heard that Stephon was murdered, then?”
She put on a serious act and placed her hand over her mouth. She walked into the living room to take a seat, as if the news had startled her. “Jaylin, when did this happen?”
“I'm not sure. I went to his place last night, and there he was. Somebody shot him and stuck some needles in his arm.”
“That's messed up,” she said, starting to tear up. “Did you call the police?”
“Of course. I'm just trying to find out who could've done something like that.”
“Stephon had a lot of enemies, Jaylin. There's no telling who might have done it. Then again, Shane was awfully upset with him that day. Like I said, I don't know what went down between them, but Shane did have some scars on his face.”
No, she wasn't trying to blame it on Shane. I continued to play her game. “So, you think Shane may have been responsible? Come on, Felicia. He's been in the hospital. He couldn't have done it.”
“I guess you're right, but that doesn't mean he hadn't paid somebody to do it.”
“I don't know, but I intend to get to the bottom of this. Stephon and I had our differences, but he was still my cousin. If I could just think of somebody ... anybody who would have.” I paused. “Hey, let me use your phone.”
“You can use the one right next to you.”
I picked up the cordless phone and dialed out. Pebo answered. “Say, man, I need you right now.” He hung up, but I continued to talk. “I'm trying to get some info on any enemies my cousin may have had. If you can make me a list of those enemies you were referring to, I'd appreciate it.”
Just then, Felicia's door came open, and she rushed up to see who it was. When Pebo came through the door, her eyes widened. I put the phone back down on the table.
“Jaylin, this ... this is a friend of mine, Greg. We're on our way out, so I have to get dressed and go.”
“Aw, okay,” I said, standing up. I walked over to Pebo and stood in front of him. I reached my hand out to shake his. “Greg ... Greg,” I said, pretending to be in deep thought. “I swear you look like somebody I know. Ain't your name Pebo? I just saw you over at Stephon's house, and you told me your name was Pebo. You also told me that Felicia paid you to kill my cousin, didn't you?”
He nodded, and Felicia stood stone-faced, looking like a fool.
“I paid you to do what!” she yelled.
“Bitch, game over!” I said and punched her hard in her upper chest. She fell back and hit the wall behind her. I squatted down in front of her and rubbed my goatee.
“You listen to me, and you listen to me good. I got a choice to make, and depending on how well you cooperate, that will determine which route I decide to take. Either I'm going to call the police, have you arrested for murder, and have Pebo vouch for me, or I'm going to get in my truck, go back home to my lovely wife and beautiful kids, and pretend that this moment, this day, or this time never happened. The only way I will do so is if you admit, in writing, to having my cousin killed and you give me back every damn dime that you owe me. In addition to that, you agree to stay the fuck out of my life and out of Shane's business. He or I never want to see you again, and a long trip away from here might not be too bad, either.”
“I don't want to go to jail, Jaylin, but I don't have all of your money. I gave half of it to Stephon, and the rest, I've been splurging on. I can give you some of it.”
“All of it, damn it! Nothing more and nothing less! Remember? Thanks to Pebo, I have some of the money in a bag in the car, and when I let you know how much it is, I'm giving you one week to come up with the rest. If my money isn't sent to me within a week, you'd better get ready to spend some time in jail.”
I stood up and pulled out a small notepad and pen from inside of my jacket. I handed it to Felicia, and she took it from me.
“Make it good,” I said. She started to write, and I turned to Pebo. “Give me your license,” I ordered. He reached in his jacket, giving his license to me. “I'm keeping this. I might need it in the future, and if she fucks up, you'd better be damn ready to testify. Don't cross me, Pebo, because I know plenty of important people. You just never know when you'll turn around and wind up like Stephon.”
After a few minutes of writing, Felicia handed the paper and pen back to me. “Here,” she said, in tears. “Now, get out of my house! I will have the rest of your money to you in a week.”
I pointed my finger down at her on the floor. “You're in no position to speak to me that way. I hold the key to your future in my hands. The next time you see me, if you see me, I want some respect. Got it!”
She rolled her eyes but hesitantly nodded. I read her letter, front and back, where she admitted to having Stephon killed. She signed it, and Pebo and I witnessed it. Having no further business here, I walked to the door.
“Well, folks, it's been real. Don't forget about me, Felicia, and I surely won't forget about you. Make sure you call the police, have Stephon put away for me the right way, and make sure there are some flowers there from me,” I said. Then I walked over to Pebo. I held my hand out and he reached for mine to shake it. Instead, I pulled my hand back and punched him as hard as I could in his mouth. I heard his teeth crack, and he was instantly floored. He slowly sat up, while holding his mouth. “That's for killing my cousin. You didn't think you'd get off that easy, did you?”
I glanced down at my busted hand, opened the door, and walked out.
On the drive home, I couldn't help but reminisce about all the good times Stephon and I had growing up. From the fights we had with the kids in the neighborhood, to the girls we'd snuck into the basement. As we got older, we still had a bond that couldn't be broken, but somewhere along the line he developed major hatred for me. I never understood it, but I was often told that drugs made you do crazy things. I hated like hell that it had to be this way, but his situation had been out of my control for a very long time. Even so, I couldn't help but shed a few ... several tears for the good times we had.
SHANE
33
Finally, I was out of the hospital and attempting to get back on my feet. The therapy was helping, but I still had a long road ahead of me. Best of all, though, I could walk. At times, it was kind of painful, but I was following the doctor's orders so I could get well soon.
From spending so much time with me at the hospital, Scorpio and my moms had gotten pretty close. My mother said that she liked Scorpio, and more than anything, she could see and tell I was in love.
As for Jaylin, we talked almost every single day. He filled me in on how everything had gone down, and I was so happy that it turned out as it had. No doubt, doing things our way might have gotten us some time in the pen. For me, it would've been worth it, but I was so pleased that we didn't have to live with possible regrets. I refused to go through life living with regrets, so I knew that my decision about moving to Florida and starting my business with Jaylin had to be made.
Scorpio's and my relationship had been progressing well, and ever since my incident, it seemed that our relationship had gotten even stronger. I didn't mind talking to her every day, and shame on me for not wanting to in the past. Thing was, I knew we could handle a long-distance relationship. Once I got settled in Florida, I could come back on the weekends to see her. I didn't want her moving to Florida with me, because I knew there was no possible way for her and Jaylin to get over what they'd been through in the past. I didn't feel right continuing to put her or him through it, as well as Nokea. She'd be the most uncomfortable, and there was basically no other way around it.
My future, my life, and my career were the most important to me. Before I could make anyone else happy, I had to make Shane happy. That was why after thinking until I couldn't think anymore, I decided to go ahead and move to Florida for at least six months to a year. If things didn't work out, I could always come back. I knew Scorpio wouldn't agree to it, so that was why I waited until the last minute to tell her. She was on her way over to have dinner, so that would be the perfect time to ... discuss it. No matter what the outcome, my mind was made up.
The doorbell rang, and my heart quickly sank to my stomach. I was right in the middle of taking the meat loaf out of the oven and placing it on the table. When I opened the door, Scorpio had some flowers in her hand for me. She reached out for a hug and handed the flowers to me, along with a stack of my mail.
“That was nice of you,” I said, giving her a kiss for the flowers. We smacked lips and then made our way into the kitchen. The table had been set for two, a bottle of wine was in the middle, and so were two raspberry-scented candles. I pulled back the chair so she could take a seat and immediately served our food. Feeling as if I'd wasted enough time already by not telling her my decision, I spoke up, telling her my plans.
“Baby, you know I've been thinking a lot about the future of Alexander & Company. Due to my incident, I kind of got behind on some things, and now I have to work hard at building it back up. Jaylin agreed to help me out, but only if ... if I move to Florida. What do you think?”
She continued to look down at her plate and chew her food. “I think you're out of your mind, that's what I think.”
“Why do you say that?”
She laid her fork down next to her plate. “Because moving to Florida would mean losing me.”
“No, it wouldn't. I'd come here every weekend to spend time with you. We would still be together and would talk on the phone every day. Not much would change.”
“Shane, I can't believe you still don't get it. I don't want a long-distance relationship with you. I want you here, with me, every single day. What would make you think I want anything different? Let me guess ... Jaylin. This was all his idea, wasn't it?”
“He's been suggesting it for a long time, but after all that's happened, there's no way for me not to agree to it.”
She looked at me hurt. “You know what? I just want to sit here and cry my eyes out. But what good will it do me? If moving to Florida is what you want to do, then you go right ahead and do it. Your decision is based on what Jaylin wants, not on what I want. I have no plans on stopping you from furthering your career, but how soon do you plan to go?”
“Tomorrow. But I was hoping that you'dâ”
Scorpio wiped her mouth and dropped her napkin on the table. She scooted her chair back “Good luck to you. I hope everything goes well.”
I reached for her hand. “Now, wait a minute. Why can't you be happy for me ... for us as I plan for our future? If you'd just allow me six months to a yearâ”
Her beautiful, watery eyes stared me down. “Shane, I don't have six months. I ...” She paused and let out a deep sigh. Moments later, she reached for her purse and stood up to leave. “I need to get out of here,” she said. “I have some major thinking to do, and I'll call you later on tonight.”
“I'm not going to force anything on you, and if time is what you need, then I'll allow you that. Please don't make me leave here under these conditions. We can work this out, all right, baby?”
Not saying one word, she stepped away from the table and headed for the door. I sat and listened for it to close, and soon after it did.
Feeling bad about the news I had to deliver to Scorpio, I didn't feel like being alone. I packed up the dinner I'd made and took it over to my mother's house. Always, she was glad to see me, and when I showed her the meat loaf I'd cooked, she was even happier.
“Did you cook this for me?” she asked while putting it in the oven.
“Mama, now you know I'm not gon' lie to you, but no, I didn't. I made it for Scorpio's and my dinner, but that didn't go too well.”
“So, I guess you finally got up enough nerve to tell her about your move to Florida?”
“Yes, I told her. She wasn't too thrilled about it, either, but for the time being, I have to do what's best for me.”
“What a selfish thing to say, Shane Alexander. After all that woman has done for you, you should have considered her feelings, too.”
“I did take her feelings into consideration, Mama. But this is an opportunity of a lifetime. You want me to continue to be a successful businessman, don't you?”
“Yes, I do. And you're already a successful businessman, aren't you?”
“To some extent, but I want more. What's so wrong with me wanting more?”
“Nothing at all,” she said.
She took the meat loaf out of the oven, and I helped her fix our plates. Afterward, we sat down at the table. She took my hands, holding them with hers. After saying a lengthy prayer, we started to eat.
“This isn't too bad,” she said. “I can't believe you made this.”
“You're just saying that because you're my mother. You're supposed to say those things.”
“Am I supposed to tell you when I think you're making a big mistake by moving to Florida?”
I quickly caught an attitude. “Mama, how am I making a big mistake? I'm a grown man, and I have to make my own decisions. People might not like them, but, oh well, I can't please everybody.”
“No, you can't, but I surely thought that once Scorpio told you about her test, you'd see things a bit differently.”
“Test? What test?”
My mother covered her mouth. “So, she didn't tell you?”
“What kind of test are you talking about? Is she sick or something?”
“I'd better let her tell you.”
“Tell me what!” I yelled. I was getting angry.
“You'd better lower your tone. Grown man or not, I can still spank your butt.”
“I ... I'm sorry for yelling, Mama, but what kind of test are you talking about? Scorpio didn't tell me anything about no test.”
“Who could blame her? After the news you broke to her, I wouldn't have told you, either.”
The bites into my meat loaf slowed. “Is she pregnant? Did she tell you she was pregnant?”
“While she was over here last week helping me hang my curtains, she told me that she thought she was. We went to the store to get a pregnancy test, and once she took it, it showed positive. I can't tell you who cried the most, her or me. She was so happy about telling you, Shane, but I asked her to wait. Right now, I can't even imagine how she's feeling.”
“Damn,” I said, placing my hand on my forehead. I closed my eyes and then lowered my hand to rub them. Right about now, I was so, so confused.
“Shane?” my mother said.
I could never stand to let her see my emotions, so I quickly stood up. I kissed her on the cheek and told her I had to leave. She knew where I was headed, and she refused to stop me.
As soon as I left my mother's house, I used my cell phone to call Scorpio's house. Leslie said she was at Jay's, so I headed there to see what was up. When I pulled up, the place was almost empty, but her car was parked outside. Bernie's car was outside, too, and as I looked inside, I could see her doing one of her customers' hair.
Bernie and her customer were the only two up front, and when I asked where Scorpio was, told me I could find her in her office. I moseyed my way on back, and when I got there, she was sitting at her desk with her back turned. I cleared my throat, and she quickly turned around.
“Why didn't you tell me about the baby?” I asked.
“Would it have made any difference? You seemed to have had your mind all made up. Besides, I didn't want to use my news to keep you here. If you have plans to move to Florida, then go.”
I walked farther into the room, standing with my hands in my pockets. “How far along are you?”
She shrugged. “I don't know yet. I suspect that I got pregnant when we made love at the therapy center that night.”
“Yeah, that was definitely possible.” I smiled.
Scorpio gazed at me with a look of disgust in her eyes.
“I hope you're not upset with me,” I said. I walked around her desk and pulled her up from her seat. I held her in my arms, but she turned away. “Okay, so I deserve the cold treatment. But I want you to know that this ... this changes everything. There's no way in hell I'm leaving at a time like this.”
She finally looked at me. “But if you stay, I won't feel right. We will know what ultimately made you change your mind, and I can't live with that.”
“Listen, if I had moved to Florida, we could've easily made things work. There's no way that our relationship couldn't have survived as a long-distance one. Now that we're having a baby, like I said, this changes everything. I have no intentions on not being here for you or for my child. If anything, we're going to do this together. My wanting to move to Florida didn't change my feelings for you. I still love you, and right at this moment, I love you even more. I'm excited for us and for our child. We have a bright future ahead of us, and you've got to stop giving up on us and hang in there with me.”
Scorpio bit her bottom lip. “Damn, Shane. Why does it take the baby for you to want to stay? I wanted you here with me, no matter what. I'm going to always wonder if I hadn't gotten pregnantâ”
“Sweetheart, things in life happen for a reason. All I can say is, thank you, God, for being on time. Our child is a gift from Him, and we had no control over the timing.”
“I ... I understand, butâ”
Scorpio gagged and placed her hand over her mouth. I thought she had the hiccups, but when she puked right in my face, it was too late for me to step away.
“I'm sorry,” she said while holding her stomach. I wiped as much of her vomit off my face as I could and hurried her to the bathroom. She threw up some more, and afterward, we cleaned up in the bathroom. She complained about being tired, so we left Jay's and headed back to my place.
When we got there, we lay in my bed, embracing each other. For a long time, we talked about the baby and about all that we had to look forward to. Scorpio seemed happy, and so was I. In such a short period of time, we'd been through a lot and our relationship had definitely encountered its ups and downs. Eventually, I knew it would all work out for the best, and even though she shared with me her feelings for Jaylin, she knew that she'd someday have to put her feelings for him to rest.
Once Scorpio fell asleep, I eased out of bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. I pulled the sheets over her and smiled. Feeling more than excited, I opened my drawer and pulled out the necklace I was supposed to give her. Now seemed like the perfect time, but first, I wanted her to get some sleep. I laid the necklace on the dresser, closed the bedroom door, and went into the kitchen. Before I made another move, I called my mother and thanked her. She couldn't stop telling me how blessed we were, and deep down in my heart, I truly knew it.
I also knew that I'd be an even better man to Scorpio, especially since she'd be the mother of my child. I hadn't been perfect, and allowing Felicia to stay with me, and letting females continue to call my house, was wrong. I kept holding back on my relationship with Scorpio because I expected her to be the woman that she was with Jaylin. I was worried about hurting Jaylin's feelings, while depriving myself and Scorpio of the happiness we both deserved. Until now, I hadn't realized that she'd grown into a better woman ... one that I knew she could always be.
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