Too Salty: Ain't a Damn Thang Changed (Part 6) (4 page)

“What, besides make up jump and spill popcorn everywhere?”

Pam gave him a weak smile.
“It takes me away from my reality.” Michael gave her a head nod, and the two finished picking up the popcorn. Pam stood up with the bowl in her hand. “Thanks for helping me clean up your mess.” She took a handful of the popcorn and tossed it in her mouth.

“Ughhh… Nasty.” Michaels laughed.

“What?” Pam spoke with her mouth full.

“You eat off the floor
, too? Unbelievable.”

Pam shrug
ged her shoulders. “God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt.” They both shared a laugh. Pam chewed the remainder of her popcorn. She then reached on the table and sat the bowl down, grabbing her glass of wine in the process. She took a sip and looked at Michaels. “Would you care to watch the rest of the movie with me?” Michaels gave her a questionable look, making Pam believe that she may have tried her game too soon.

“Sure
, why not?” Michaels winked.  He took a seat on the sofa and patted the empty spot next to him for Pam to have a seat.

“Oh
, yes, Calvin, just like that.” Dena had her legs on Calvin’s shoulders and he was deep stroking her. “Damn, Calvin.” She moaned.  Calvin was close to releasing his load. He grunted, and pounded harder and faster. “Oh, oh, oh...” Dena cooed.  Calvin grabbed Dena by the neck. She already knew what time it was. She locked her pussy muscles on his dick and rotated her hips, driving Calvin crazy. She already knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. “Get it, baby, get it, baby, nut all in me,” Dena cooed.

“Grrrrrr
.” He let out his load inside of her and right after he collapsed on the side of her, he said, “You got some good ass pussy.” He told her, “Get up and go get me a towel.”

“Ok
.” She got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom. In the bathroom, she went into the cabinet and grabbed two clean wash clothes. She walked over to her sink and dropped the towels in it. After she turned on the water, she looked up in the mirror. Underneath her eyes, she saw black lines. She touched the side of her left eye, it seemed as she was getting crow’s feet. She had been stressing lately. She tried her best to hide it with a smile, loving on Calvin, or interacting with baby Amanda, but nothing seemed to ease the pain she had caused by losing her son. Thinking of Diesel, she tried to fight back the tears that were welling in her eyes.
He killed my baby
, she thought.
I will not let you get away with this, Ken Cox
.

“Aye
, Dena,” Calvin called after her.  She wiped the tears that manage to escape.

“Yes
, baby?”

“Your phone keeps goin
’ off.”

Who could it be?
She grabbed the Oil of Olay body wash and poured it onto the towels. “Here I come.” She rang the water from the towels. First, she cleaned and dried herself, and then she went back into the room. “Here you go.” She handed Calvin his towel. She picked her cell phone up from the dresser and looked at the screen. I it read,
Client F.
Her face automatically frowned and her stomach felt like it was in a knot. “Fucking bastard,” she grumbled. She opened the message and read it.
Meet me at the same spot. ASAP.
She looked over at Calvin, who was snoring lightly.  “Babe, are you asleep?” she inquired. Calvin didn’t respond. She then texted back,
I’ll be there shortly
. She set the phone down and stood from the bed. “Baby, I need to go meet a client.” Calvin still didn’t respond. Dena hurried and dressed in jeans and a shirt, and her brown leather coat with the matching boots. She left out the room quietly. When she made it to the car, she texted Calvin to let him know that she went to meet a client.

     By the end of the movie, Pam was all up under Michaels. His arm was wrapped around her and her head was on his chest. It felt good to be up under a man, especially one that was as sexy and nice as Michaels. But, she knew there would be nothing more. Michaels felt the same way. He didn’t want to let Pam go. In fact, he wanted to hold her all night. He had been digging her just a little bit from the first time he laid eyes on her. Pam was a sexy woman. A little older than he was, but that was right up his alley. At twenty seven, he preferred them older, but with Pam, he knew he couldn’t take it there with her. F would flip and he could lose his job.

Pam sat there for a minute acting as if she was watching the credit
s. In actually, she was wondered if she should try seducing Michaels then or wait until later. She didn’t have that much time, though, she needed to find Jazz ASAP. But, if she made a move and it turned out to be the wrong one, she would probably never connect with Jazz until she was behind bars.               She didn’t know what to do.

“Thank you for spending time with me
. It gets lonely.”  She admitted truthfully. Although, her motive was different, it was the truth. She was tired of being isolated and her only company, if that was what you wanted to call it, was being with F. Pam wanted out, but, most of all, she wanted and needed to save Jazz. 
Damn, Ken I thought my baby was safe with you
.

“I enjoyed watching the movie with you,” Michaels replied.

“Thanks, would you like some wine?” Pam stood up from the couch.

“No
, I’m on duty.” He looked at his watch. “Let me get back on my post, I still have eight hours.”

“Please
, don’t leave. I’m scared. Let’s watch another movie.” Michaels stood and stretched.

“Maybe later, F is coming by.”

“For?” Pam frowned. “It’s late.”

“My walkie
talkie battery is dying.” He picked up his baton and put it back on.

“Why aren’t you on patrol
, in the field chasing bad guys? If you don’t mind me asking.” Pam was straight up. He was nowhere near a fat slob, so she knew he could catch a criminal. He didn’t strike her as scary, and if he was the force wouldn’t gave a damn, they would still put him on the streets. So, why was the handsome, fit fellow guarding her?

“
I don’t mind. I’m on light duty until my doctor releases me. I hurt myself about eight months ago.”

“And
, you got stuck with F?” She acted if she smelled a bad odor.

Michaels smiled
. “He ain’t that bad.”

“If you say so.”
Pam rolled her eyes.

"Let me get that." F put his hand
out. Mrs. Kenslow reached in her purse, pulled out the envelope containing five grand, and handed it to him. "Good girl. I'll see you next month." She got out the car and shut the door.

Mrs. Kenslow stared at him.
If he wasn't a cop, I'll have him killed
, she thought. F had been blackmailing her for the last couple of years.

****

Forty eight hours after Dena killed her father. She get an unexpected visitor at her estate.

When Rosa announced who was at the door, she hurriedly made her way to the porch.

"What are you doing at my home?" she questioned as F walked up on the steps.

"Is that a way to greet the person who holds the key to your life?" He cracked a smile.

"What the fuck are saying? Are you threatening me?" Mrs. K was upset. She knew that F was still pissed with her. For one, they dated for a short period of time. Something like a month before she got rid of him. He was a turn off. "You're just not my type." She kept it real when he asked. He was salty about it. She knew it, but what put the icing on the cake was a month later when he went to court testifying against one of her clients. When she crossed examined him, she not only caught him up in several lies, but she made him look stupid in front of his peers. She heard that he was the laughing stalk of his prescient for a cool minute. She knew he was salty, but she didn't think he would go to such extreme.

"Threat?" F chuckled and put his hands in his pocket. “I 'm not threatening you. But, I am warning you, if you do not give me what I ask for, then I will be forced to take the evidence I have against you to my boss."

"What are you talking about?"  She became nervous.

"I'm talking about you killing Red. That was your father, right?"

"I did not. How dare you blame me? Get the fuck away from here." She played the role.

"Well, there was a man that we found dead and guess who he worked for.” He pointed at Miss Kenslow. “He worked for you. Richard was your driver, right?” She went to speak, but he cut her off. “There is also a bracelet that I picked up from the scene."
 She watched as he pulled it from his pocket. "Isn't this the bracelet that you said was given to you by your late husband?" Looking at the three carat, custom made bracelet, she could have shit on herself. She knew she lost the bracelet, but she hoped it was in the Lincoln somewhere. "Now, I can be a bitch like you and make it to where you will be the laughing stalk of your firm… And, be in prison for the rest of your life, or I can..."

"How much, I’ll pay you," she spoke just above a whisper.

"Ten grand a month. For now." He put the bracelet back in his pocket. “I’ll take my first payment tonight. Meet me at the spot where you killed your father." With that said, F walked off.

Pulling up to the secret location where he held Pam, Detective F still thought about how he was becoming one of those cops he always claimed he wouldn't be. Sneaky and dirty. There he was blackmailing his ex just because she made him feel like shit. It wasn't just about the money, although, he needed it. His ego was shot, and by a woman.  "As soon as I close this case, I'm going to leave her ass alone. I know this isn't right," he told himself. F turned the car off. "Now, Ms. Pam, it's time to pull this case off. I haven't figured out how, but it's time." The mayor was about to retire and F wanted to have the murder of his son solved before he left out of office. That way, the mayor could point him the position he deserved. That prejudiced Jimmy Hanks didn't deserve the job. F grabbed the batteries from his backseat, got out the car, and made his way to the house.

"Hey boss
," said Michaels. He sat in a chair on the porch.

"How's everything?"
he asked.

"Good
, good. I just came from the restroom and she's asleep." Michael's thought about the lie after he told it and wondered why he did.

"She's sleep
, huh?" He handed him the batteries. “She must’ve taking her sleeping pills. That’s good.”

"I’m not sure
." Michaels replaced the batteries in his radio

"Alright, I'll deal with her tomorrow." F
walked off.

Pam peeked out the window as she watched F get into his car. When he pulled off, Pam went to the front door and cracked it open. Peeping her head out, she asked, "Why did you lie?"

Michaels turned and looked at her. He didn't know that she heard and now
he was embarrassed that she had. But, he had to think fast. "Because I know you don't like him. If he came in there and got you upset, I knew that you would be in a foul mood." He walked up on her. "Can we watch another movie?" Through the crack of the door, he looked into her eyes and

Pam began to feel glittery
all over.  She cleared her throat. "If you let me pick a scary movie to watch, we have a date."

"A date?
" He smiled.

“You know what I mean.”
Pam moved away from the door and he walked in.

When Mrs. K left detective F
, she planned on going straight back home to climb in the bed with Calvin. Being up under him made her feel so much better. He still wasn't affectionate like she wanted him to be, but just his presence let her know that he cared. Dena’s mind was so cloudy. She was already stressed about that asshole, Ken, killing her son and now fucking F had furthered screwed up her night. That particular time, she wasn’t even tripping off having to Pam him. Her being upset with him was the fact that every time they meet, it brought back memories of her killing her rapist, her father.

It was the night that Mrs. Kenslow went to meet Paris. Paris request
ed twenty grand for the safe return of baby Amanda and for her to keep her mouth shut about Diesel practically raping her. The two women had a scuffle. Out of nowhere, shots were fired. That was how her driver was killed. Both Mrs. K and Paris broke to get away. Paris jumped in her car and burned rubber out of the alley, and Mrs. K took off on foot. When Mrs. K made it to the street, she looked to her left and then to her right, and decided to run right. Not paying attention to where she was running, she tripped over a body and fell flat on her tummy.

“Aw fuck," the man groaned. 

Mrs. Kenslow rolled over on her back. As she was getting up, she got panicky. Pow, pow, pow...boc, boc, boc. The shots were getting closer. "Bitch, move," the man said, and tried to move around on the ground so he could get up.

M
rs. Kenslow froze. She looked and couldn't believe who the man was next to her trying to get off the ground. "Dad?"  She said just above a whisper.

Red was use
d to women calling him Daddy. Shit, he was a pimp, but she wasn't one of his hoes, it was his baby girl that was calling him.  They stared at each other. Dena always wondered what she would do the next time she saw him, and now there she was in front of him with her gun in her hand. She thought about the good times. The father and daughter days they spent at the zoo, the movies, or the park. She thought about how Red used to tuck her in at night and tell her a bedtime story. Oh, how she loved those days, but those good days turned into bad days when her daddy started using drugs. There were plenty of nights he would get into bed with her and fondle her body. Once she asked him why he did it, and he told her that is what people do who love each other.  Memories off the horrific events flooded her mind as she was on the ground with her gun in hand. She cried thinking about how her father took her virginity…she became angry as she thought about her mother leaving her.  Even with all those emotions, her heart still missed and loved her dad.

“Daddy...” she cried.

It hurt Red heart to see his only daughter sit there and cry. It felt good to hear her call him Daddy again. Red always promised that if he ever saw his little girl again, he would apologize, and if she forgave him, then and only then would he stop pimping and sleeping with young girls. Well, he would get help, and that was a start. Over the years, after losing his family, he was angry that he could not make his wrong by them a right. He didn't see a reason to stop doing what he was doing to other young girls if he couldn’t make it right with his own daughter. He wanted other people’s families to hurt as he caused his to hurt. Savanna, aka White Girl, and her mother were one of the families he helped destroy. 

The car door to the Cadillac he drove flew open and broke them out of their trance. A girl who looked to be no more than
fifteen looked at Red. "Come on, Daddy, let’s get out of here." She then looked at Dena. "Leave that bitch," she said with much attitude.

Red went to say something
, but the bullet to the back of his head silenced him. His daughter had killed him. The girl that was in the car screamed. She jumped out and ran down the street screaming for help while Mrs. Kenslow sat there in a state of shock. If it wasn’t for Ken and Pastor G, she would have been caught at that moment. Ken snatched her up off the ground and drug her to safety. She appreciated that. She vowed to always have Ken’s back, but all that changed the night he messed with her own. The courts didn’t have enough evidence to charge Ken for Diesel’s murder, but she would use her power to make sure he didn’t walk away a free man, even if it meant she had to pull some strings or frame him. 

     When M
rs. K returned from memory lane, she had noticed that she pulled up to Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Her vision became a blur from the tears that she shed. She wiped her eyes as she drove into the gate. Being that it was night, she appreciated the lights that the park had on the grounds by each headstone. She followed the dimly lit path that led to where Diesel and her late husband rested. She turned the car off and wasted no time getting out. As she stepped her right foot on the pavement, she took a deep breath, let it out, and then stepped completely out of the car. “My baaabbyyyy,” she cried as she ran toward the gravesite. She threw her body against the headstone. “Where did I go wrong?” she asked through sobs.

*****

He followed her from her home to the spot where she briefly met up with a biracial dude who struck him as a cop. He followed her as she drove over thirty minutes to the city of Hollywood. When he saw her turn toward the cemetery, he already knew what was up, so he parked inside of the bank parking lot and waited twenty minutes before he drove into the cemetery behind her. It took him a few minutes to locate her car and when he did, he made sure he parked several feet away. He checked each of his mirrors before getting out. Everything seemed secure. Just as he got out the car, he spotted a security car driving his way. He played it cool by waving and then walking toward an unknown grave. He waited until the car was no longer in sight and made his way near the row where she was. There she was crying hysterically on her knees. Through her sobs, he heard that she was apologizing for being a bad mother and wife. He almost felt sorry for her, but he couldn’t. She was a bitch and so was her son. Just in case the high class ass cemetery had cameras, he decided not to approach her at that moment. He’d surprise her instead.

~ Back at Pam’s ~

Pam and Officer Michaels sat on the love seat enjoying a classic. They decided that
Love & Basketball
would be much better than watching another thriller flick. Michaels didn't want Pam having any nightmares when he left.

"Thank you for being so kind
," Pam said when they got to the end of the movie. She put her head down so he couldn't see her face.

"Thank you for allowing me to keep you company. It was a pleasure."
 He lifted her chin with his finger. "Are you crying? I mean, I don't have to go, well, not now at least." He chuckled, knowing that the movie was what had Pam emotional.

Throughout the movie
, anytime Monica seemed as though Q had hurt her feelings or when they broke up, all she did was coo or cry. It was cute to him to see Pam act like that, but to Pam it meant more than just a fictional love story. Watching Q and Monica battle with their hearts for a love that was surely there made her think of Pastor G. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she still loved him. She was hurt because she felt like he should have waited for her. She didn't have the full story, but she knew that he and Stacy hooked up right after her death. That was all the info F said he had on the two. She felt in her heart that she was being selfish because they thought she was dead, but she couldn’t help feeling salty behind it. Especially after the way Stacy talked about her that day at the hospital.

“I’m alright." She smiled weakly.

"Are you sure?" He was concerned.

"Well
, I am living another life and not able to be with my daughter or knowing where she is driving me crazy." She wiped her tears from her eyes. "I'm just ready for this to be over it."  

Michaels didn't know what to say. He didn't know what was going on with her or her case. All he was told
was the former family he was watching, he was off the case and assigned to a new one.  He didn't ask F any questions. "I'm sure it'll be over soon." He touched her leg.

"No, it won't. I've been here over two years. I just want this
over with. I miss her, she needs me.” She sobbed thinking of Jazz. Michaels put his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. Pam laid there and continued to cry. She let it all out. She cried for what she allowed Calvin to put her through. For being so wrapped up in a man, she allowed him to control her life. And, now it was affecting her daughter’s life.  She should have walked away after the shit with Mr. Biggs and her contracting AIDS, but no, she was still in love. Stupidly in love. Now, there she was with AIDS, in protective custody, being blackmailed to bring down a man she once loved, and their daughter was laid up in the hospital pregnant and shot. Pam’s shoulders shook she was crying so hard.

“It’ll be alright
,” Michaels whispered. "You'll be alright. You're a strong woman. I see it in you. You're going to get through this. I’m sure you’ve been through worse, and came out fighting and won." As if she was in a dark room trying to figure out what she was going to do, those words hit her like a light and she was back into protect Jazz mode. She was going to protect her daughter by any means necessary. She removed her head from his chest and looked up into his bedroom eyes. Without saying a word or wiping the tears from her face, she kissed him and he kissed her back.

Dena spent a half hour crying
, and talking to Diesel and her late husband, who was next to him. Her head hurt something terrible. Before getting up, kissed each of their headstones and told them how much she loved them. As she slowly walked away, she looked back. “Diesel, baby, I promise you will rest in peace." She then turned and walked to her car.

I need a fucking drink
, she thought as she opened her car door. A slight chill ran over her body, which caused her to shiver just a bit. She hurried and got in the car. She looked over toward the gravesite and shook her head. Her baby was dead.
I gotta make it right with Laurie
, she thought as she started the car.
But, she needs to understand that momma wants to be happy, too
. She thought of her relationship with Calvin and smiled. They didn’t do much together, but when he was there he did keep her mind and body occupied. Dena put the car in drive and just as she was about to pull off, a large hand covered with a leather glove covered her mouth. Before she could think to react, a gun was pressed against her temple.

"Cut the car off
," he demanded. She didn’t bother to put the car in park, she turned it off. "I'll talk and you'll listen." She shook her head to agree. "Ken didn't kill your boy."

Mrs. K
’s eyes got big.
He’s behind this
, she thought. She didn't say a word.  

“He wished he did kill him
, but he didn't. I guess the shit he did to Jazz finally caught up with him. I don't know and I don't give a fuck. But, I want you to know that if you don't call off your dogs and have Ken able to get bail, or, better, all charges dropped, the Kenslows is going down.” He got closer to her ear. She could smell the Juicy Fruit on his breath.