War (18 page)

“We better go,” I say as I stand up to help her out of her seat.

“How exciting!” she says as she takes hold of my hand and stands up. “But no, you stay here and enjoy the band. I’ll see you at home.”

“Are you sure, baby?”

“Yeah.” She plants a huge kiss on my lips. “I’ll be at Danny’s place with her, you’d just be bored at home.

“I’ll stay for a couple more songs and then I’ll head home.”

“Cool.” She places another kiss on the lips. I drop some cash onto our table and walk her out of the bar. She buries her face in my neck as I hail a cab for her. She takes my free hand and slides it up her skirt, over her tan fishnets as she slides her hand down my pants. “We'll steal a moment in the truck when you come to the hospital.”

“Thank God.”

A cab pulls up in front of us and I give her one last kiss before passing the cabbie a twenty.

“Alright, baby,” I say as I close the back door. She gives me a wink. Since I’m alone now, I’ll just go and head to the bar. I walk back inside and try to find an empty spot at the bar and realize it’s next to impossible. The place is packed, the band is rocking and there’s a crowd trying to push their way in. Yeah, this will be impossible. I’ll just catch a cab home.

I push my hands in my coat pockets and look around for a cab. No dice. I lucked out on hailing Winnie’s so fast. Maybe I’ll just call for a town car. And then, as luck would have it, one slides up, stops at the curb and lets a couple out. The chauffeur is wearing a blue tag, which means he’s likely for hire, working as a cab.

“Are you for hire?” I ask. The chauffeur looks at me, smiles and waves me over to him.

“Attorney Blair,” he says. “Of course.” He adjusts his hat and buttons the top button of his uniform jacket. Damn, lucked out again. I walk to the town car and the chauffeur makes a show of holding the door open for me.

“Thank you,” I say as I slide inside and rub my hands together. Damn, it’s cold out today.

“Room in there for me?” I know the voice before I even look at the door. I turn and see Jasmine standing there, a scarf bundled at her neck, a grey pea coat on. She slides in the limo and slams the door without waiting for an answer. “Oh wait!” She opens the door again, slides out and runs to the hotdog stand. I watch her buy two hotdogs on a stick and then drop some cash to the Homeless Harbor Guy, or at least that’s what Winnie and I call him. She points to me. He looks at the town car and waves, I wave back.

“Let’s go,” I say to the chauffeur. “Hurry.” He looks at me before slamming the back door closed and rushing to the driver’s door. But he’s not fast enough for Jasmine who’s almost sprinting back. She makes it to the back door just as he’s opening his door. He pauses. She climbs back in, holding up two hotdogs on a stick.

“One for me, one for you,” she says as she hands me mine. “Oh and Danielle told me that you like to give that homeless guy money, so I went ahead and took care of it for you.” Something in me makes me want to peel out of this car and run.

It just isn’t the same with Jasmine. After that incident with her coming to my condo, I was completely turned off by her. She just reminded me of that girl from all those years ago…and that suicide letter I never got to read. For some reason, I feel like Jasmine is that girl reincarnated.

Jocelyn Bell.

As crazy as it sounds, I see Jocelyn’s face now. Her skin almost translucent, her hair nearly pitch black. Jocelyn was black Irish, like Winnie. She wore this pink lipstick with matching nails. She loved scarves. Always wore them. Her eyes were brown. She liked to bat her lashes at me. She always smelled like fruit of some kind. Didn't matter which kind, just fruit. She’d be out with her friends at Pirahna's and she’d always slide onto my lap. She always whispered in my ear. She always tugged at my tie. She always ran her hand down my chest. She always walked backwards into her hotel room, pulling at my tie. She always wore something red and lacy. She always moaned in my ear. She always sat in bed and read my palm. She always traced her finger over my palm’s heart line. She always saw herself in my future. I always told her that I wasn’t leaving Winnie. I always told her that she shouldn’t have bought a place in Boston. I always told her that I could only see her once a week. I always told her never to come to my office again. I always told her that I just wanted to have fun.

She never told me she'd kill herself

I see Jocelyn looking at me now. Smiling.

Jasmine slides in the backseat and closes the door.

“Listen Jasmine, this isn’t a good idea,” I say to her as I struggle to see her face through Jocelyn’s. The chauffeur gets out of the car to give us privacy. The eagerness that Jasmine was carrying drops instantly.

“You’re a dickhead. Do you know that?”

“Jasmine-”

“How dare you make that scene last Christmas and walk me up the steps of my church and buy me that necklace and fuck me and then treat me like I’m some goddamn whore!”

“Jasmine, you coming to my home was off limits! I have a wife! I have four kids! You can’t come to my damn home and-”

FLASH!

What the fuck was that? What the hell was that flash? Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Matt mentioned something about being watched. Shit. I think somebody just took a picture of us through the driver’s open door. FUCK!

“Get in! Get in!” I yell for the driver. Alarmed now more than before, he jumps in, slams the door and screeches away from the curb.

“It was a random person taking a picture, Jacob!” Jasmine says as she falls against the back of the seat. “Jeez…why are you so nervous?”

Because you’re driving me fucking crazy! No, I can’t do this shit. I can’t do Jasmine. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Jasmine. Jocelyn. Jasmine. Jocelyn.

Jasmine’s quiet now, the hotdog on a stick now limp in her hand. I roll down the window and throw mine out of it. The chauffeur is sneaking peeks at us through the rearview mirror. Great. A fucking witness. I exhale deeply and run my hand over my face. Jasmine then whips her head around to look at me, angry as hell. We barely make it to the first stoplight before she unlocks the door.

“I’ll get out here,” she says as she jumps out in the middle of the street.

“Miss!” the chauffeur yells as honking horns and screeching tires squeal around us.

But she’s gone.

“No one took a picture of you,” my father whispers but he doesn’t look convinced. "It's nothing."

              “I’m praying it's not.” I look at Winnie again.

              “Dammit, Jake.” He runs his hand over his face. “We don’t need another Jocelyn.”

              “I know.” I sit back in my chair and close my eyes. This shit is a
nightmare
. “And we've got undercovers here.”

             “What?” He shoots his head around and looks over the room. “What the hell's going on, Jakie?”

NAT

              Mac is the greatest bullshitter alive. You’ll
never
find another like him.

              “I saw Mrs. Kyles and her husband in the elevator,” Demetrius says to Malcolm. “She told me that you had a little girl.” He stretches his hand out for Malcolm to shake it. Malcolm smiles.

              “Thank you,” he says, looking Demetrius in the eye and shaking his hand. Demetrius smiles back. He doesn’t have a fucking clue.

              “Is she a redhead?”

              “She is,” Mac says proudly, the same smile on his face.

              “Good job.” They both laugh. I look at Jacob and he’s looking at Adam, the husband of Jacob’s oldest sister, Sarah. He’s making sure Adam’s in position. Without even looking at Jacob, Adam takes his jacket off and places it on a chair nearby. Jon’s standing along the wall with Marla, watching the scene. His eyes narrowed in on Malcolm. Marlon’s standing off to the side with Jasmine, who’s recovering from the recent reveal.

              Mr. and Mrs. Fulton had spotted her and Jacob at the waterfront last night. I could murder Jake right now. Mac and I told him to stay away from Jasmine, especially considering the letter that Matt wrote. But that’s Jake for you. Just can’t resist a good lay. He just slid his son, Jaden, into the arms of his father. He’s getting ready. I look at Dena and nod for her to gather the kids. That was the job designated to her. Loyal. Reliable. Dena. She wordlessly, soundlessly, gathers Nicky out of the room first, then Roman.

              Mac’s strict orders.

              “I’ve been meaning to drop you a line, thanking you for supporting that bill I helped write last month,” Cadence says. Cadence knows what’s about to happen, which is why he moves closer to Demetrius. He shakes Demetrius’ hand.

              Dena tiptoes over to Harper, takes hold of her hand, smiles at her and gestures with her head for her to follow. She does the same to Ralphie. Then Beckett. Next Tiffany and Pearl, Marlon and Jasmine’s girls. She taps Jacob’s father on the shoulder and nods for him to leave the room with Jaden. Next Georgie, Rena and Matt’s son. She slides their son, Thomas, out of Matt’s hands. He looks at her in confusion at first. That’s when Dena locks eyes with him. He immediately looks at Jacob as he allows Dena to take his son.

              “Yes, Demetrius,” Lola says. “Thank you so much. It won’t be forgotten.” Dammit. She’s walking over to them. I steal a look at Jacob. Cadence looks over to me quickly. We need to get Lola out of here; she’s pregnant. I look at Aunt Angie, Malcolm’s mother. We warned her and Mac’s father ahead of time that they would need to take the kids to their home, that there may be problems at the hospital. We told them last night what was happening. Aunt Angie catches my eye. I flash my eyes from her to Lola and then back to her again.

              “Malcolm,” Aunt Angie says, “make yourself useful for once in your life and put those amazing flowers in a vase. Just throw away the flowers you brought in and replace them with Senator Westlake’s. His look so strong and sturdy.” She bats her lashes at Demetrius.
Oh you will pay for fucking up the arrival of my first granddaughter.
He smiles at her and winks. She snaps her fingers. Lola looks at her. She nods for Lola to take the flowers out of Demetrius’ hand. Lola gives a small roll of her eyes, and then does it. When Lola walks to the vase, Aunt Angie grabs hold of her arm and nods for her to leave the room. Lola is carrying the long-awaited child of her first born son.
Finally
. Lola looks at her confused but follows orders. She walks out with Demetrius’ flowers.

              Dena grabs our kids and walks them out. Soon she’s come back for Cameron, Red’s brother. The other children in the room are next. She wears a smile on her face as though all is well. The kids are just going out to play.
They shouldn’t be around a newborn anyway
, I see Dena mouth to one of Mac’s cousins,
germs
.

              And Mac’s still smiling at Demetrius.

“So Sunday, huh? Beautiful name,” Demetrius says as he looks around the room for Sunday Simone, or what we already call her, Sunny. Mac’s long-awaited daughter. Suddenly Demetrius flashes a wide smile. He’s found her. He’s found Winnie off to the side, holding Sunny. “Ah…there she is.”

“I advise you,” Jacob says, “to get the fuck out.”

Silence fills the room as everyone’s smile drops and eyes begin to stare at Jacob…each other…Demetrius.
What’s going on? Weren’t we just having a lovely conversation? 
I see Winnie face go from rage to alarm. From thoughts of Jasmine and Jacob to thoughts of Jacob and Demetrius. I see Rena’s eyes close before she lets out a deep breath. I see Jasmine clutching her chest. I see Red gingerly sipping her orange juice. Mac warned her to expect trouble at any moment. He even warned her that trouble may be bold enough to come here, the day she gave birth to his long-awaited daughter. He didn’t give names. Didn’t give details. Just gave her a warning.

“Funny,” Jon says, “they’ll take another man’s wife but we can’t even
look
at theirs.” I watch Malcolm smile at him. Show time.

“Jon,” Danielle’s father, Jackson, says as he stands up from the couch. “Come on, let’s go.”

              Adam, Jacob’s brother-in-law, walks over to Matt.

              “Jon,” Jackson says as he walks over to Jon. “Let’s go get some fresh air.”

              I walk towards Marlon.

              “Come on,” Jackson says again as he places a hand on Jon’s shoulder.

              Jacob walks towards Jon. I told him that Jon was the one who called the cops on him and Winnie.

              “Jax,” Elise, Danielle’s mother says, as she stands. “Get out of the way.”

              Cadence stands in front of Demetrius. Demetrius looks up at him confused.