What Da Lick Read? The Triple Cross (16 page)

"You have a beautiful home sir." K.J. said to Honesty's father.

Khalil snapped out of his reverie when he heard him speak. His voice even sounded like his father's. Chills went up and down his spine as tears felt as if they were about to fall from his eyes. He felt like he was getting visited by a ghost. He never forgot his old friend. He thought of him often, but he just never spoke of him because it bought up a time in his life when he was living bad and doing even worse. He didn’t care what he did and whom he did it to. All he was focusing on was trying to survive day by day with four small kids that had no mother.

He remembered coming in and seeing
Khadafi
sitting at the table slumped over with a bullet wound to the heart. He walked over to him and he didn’t see him breathing. He was in shock. When Khalil left earlier, he had been counting the money that they had taken when they robbed Black
Sillk's
gambling house. Khalil had to go and pick up his kids from school and he told him that he would be back as soon as he got them settled at the babysitter's house. He trusted
Khadafi
so he wasn’t worried about him having first count of the money.

Khalil knew that robbing Black
Sillk
would be easy to do; all they had to do was make sure that he never found out about it because he didn’t spare lives when it came to thieves and double crossers. The worst had happened and now Black
Sillk's
people had found out and killed
Khadafi
. Khalil knew that he was next but he had no money and nowhere to go with four small kids. He left his friend’s body right where it was and he lived with that for the rest of his life. His first mind had told him not to listen to Solitaire when she told him about how easy it was and where the money was hidden, but he knew that rent was due next week and all the children needed new shoes because they were growing like wild flowers, especially Honesty, she was on her way to being taller than him.

He was feeling mighty low because all he was doing was putting food on the table and keeping the utilities on. Rent was two months behind and he was at his wits end, something had to shake. He had been robbing Peter to pay Paul. His landlord was being lenient but he had already told him that he needed at least one month’s rent by the weekend or he had to put him out. His desperation had made him weak enough to listen to Solitaire and now, his road
dawg
was dead, he had a price on his head and he still didn’t have the money to pay the rent.

He had always lived by the saying ‘Pride can’t save your face and your ass at the same time’ Khalil knew that he couldn’t hide from Black
Sillk
, but he also knew that he was doing what he had to do so that him and his four small kids could survive. He put his pride aside and after hiding out for two days, went to Black
Sillk
and apologized and told him that he would work off whatever debt that he owed him. Black
Sillk
didn’t take a loss because he had gotten the money back and gained a worker who ended up being like a son to him. That was over a decade and a half ago and now out of all the niggas to bring home, his daughter; the one that he knew without a doubt was his had come home with his only real best friend’s son.

“Thank you very much young man, please come on in.” Khalil hoped that his emotions were not showing on his face.

Loyalty wrapped her arm around her father and he squeezed her and leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. They went into the den and sat on the chocolate sectional. Loyalty was so nervous; she hadn’t bought a guy home to meet her dad since her twelfth grade year in high school. She hoped that her dad would like K.J. He had said that he was good with parents. She needed him to turn on the charm. Loyalty grabbed K.J.’s hand, not to give him support but more so to draw from his strength. His palm wasn’t sweating or anything. He was cool as a cucumber. The silence was thick so she started the introductions. Pop-Pop, this is K.J. and K.J. this is my father Khalil
Rasheed
.

“It is a pleasure sir. Thank you for welcoming me into your home. It is good to finally meet you. Loyalty talks about you endlessly.” K.J. said.

“I wish I could say the same, this girl is a trip so all I can say is that around this household all you are known by is ‘The Football Player’. If I would have known that it was you I would have been insisted on meeting you. I’m a very big fan of yours. You have done an awesome job during your football career; I have been following you since you were in high school. You are an outstanding role model for these young men in the inner city. You graduated at the top of your class in high school and college. By putting your academics first, you were able to become valedictorian of your graduating class. That shows them a lot, so many just focus on the ball and barely make the grades.” Khalil stood up; he was a ball of nerves. He didn’t know how long he was gonna be able to sit there and look in his face, a face that was identical to his fathers. He walked out of the den and went to the liquor cabinet. A drink would calm him down.

Loyalty followed behind him. “Pop-Pop you are really a know-it-all aren’t you? I bet the inside your head is like a computer, that’s where Reality gets it from. It’s a wonder that you didn’t start quoting game stats.”

K.J. was standing in the den, looking at the pictures on the table of the kids during various stages of their life. He looked over at Loyalty “You are right, you and your sisters all look totally different, but you and your brother look just alike. Mr.
Rasheed
you are a role model yourself. Loyalty told me how you raised the four of them by yourself without a woman. Most men wouldn’t have done it. Strong black men are so few and far between, that is why so many of our young men are dead or in jail. My father was murdered when I was young, but he struggled to take care of me and save money for my future. It is because of the trust fund he set up for me that I was able to focus on just school and didn’t have to worry about going out into the street to survive.”

Khalil felt his heart drop to his feet. He poured himself another drink and took it straight to the head.

“Pop-Pop, the reason why we came over here so late is because K.J. has to report to the training camp in the morning. He wants to know if I can go with him to Florida to visit for a week or two. I promise that I will not get in trouble.” Loyalty pleaded with her father.

“I promise that I will take care of her and let no harm come to her.” K.J. said as he laid his right hand over his heart.

Khalil had so many thoughts going through his head already. Now he had this. He was thinking about it. Maybe he should let Loyalty go to Florida; he wouldn’t be so worried about her if she was out of the city. He didn’t know K.J. personally, but he knew that he was raised right and that he had too much to lose if he did something wrong to his daughter. He looked at the both of them and exhaled loudly. “You can go. I appreciate the fact that you came and asked me like you got some sense instead of taking off into the sunset with Romeo. K.J. please do not make me regret this. My children are my world. The only reason Allah gives me breath is for them so if you can’t take care of her as well as I can or better, leave her here.” Khalil said looking K.J. in the eye.

“Sir, I promise she is in good hands” K.J. said as he shook Khalil’s hand.

Loyalty was ecstatic that she had her father’s blessing. She had a strong feeling that if he didn’t have all the other stuff going on that he would have said no.

“What part of Florida is the training camp in? Is it in the same city that you reside in?

“Well our training facility is right across the street from where we play our games. I live in
Belleair
Shore which is a suburban area in Clearwater. I will write down the addresses for you. I will make sure she calls and let you know when we arrive and that she talks to you every day.” K.J. was excited and nervous at the same time.

“One thing about it, as long as my baby is okay, I will talk to her each and every day. It’s when I don’t talk to her that I know that something is wrong.” Khalil walked them to the door. His stomach was in knots. He didn’t know if it was because his intuition was telling him that this situation was not good or if it was because of who K.J. was.

Reality walked down the stairs with her purse, “Pop-Pop you can’t hold us hostage forever. Can I please go get my laptops from
Jaimes
? Yours are too ancient for what I have to do. I promise I will be right back. I’m going in your truck; it has On Star on it so you will know where I’m at. Come on now,
pleeeeeeeeeeeeease
.” She whined.

“Girl whatever, with your rude behind; you see we have company. Act like I taught you something, or at least act like you picked up something hanging around me all these years. Go ahead but you better bring your butt back here tonight. I’m not playing with you Reality Skye.”

Reality looked at Honesty and then she looked at K.J. “Well don’t you guys look cute together? Hello, I’m Reality Skye. It is very nice to make your acquaintance.” She offered K.J. her hand and he pulled her to him and embraced her. “It’s that good, Daddy?” She chuckled looking at Khalil as she hugged K.J.

They were just standing at the door in an awkward silence. “Well I need to go home and pack me a bag for our trip. Daddy, I’m staying at his place tonight. He has a condo in the Twelve. We will be leaving first thing in the morning. I will call you before I board my flight and then I will call you again when I land.” Loyalty said.

“You don’t need to go to that building at all until after the repairs have been finished. Just buy new stuff when you get there. I will put some money in your account, although I know that you have your own money.” Khalil said firmly waiting for K.J. to say something.

“Mr.
Rasheed
, please keep your money. I will take her shopping as soon as I get out of practice, better yet I will hire a driver and just give her my Black card so she can shop while I’m at practice.”

Loyalty lit up when K.J. said something about his Black card and mentioned shopping. She looked at her father and could see the uneasiness in her father’s eyes. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

Khalil had people all over Florida; he would have someone down there keep an eye on Loyalty. She couldn’t take her gun with her because she was going on an airplane. He would have a gun delivered to her tomorrow as soon as she landed. It would just help him rest better knowing that she was armed. He already had Reality working on getting information on
Jazmeir
. He will just tell her that he needed everything on K.J. including all properties he owned and the architectural layout of his primary residence. There was no such thing as knowing too much about a person or having too much information. He watched them leave; it was too quiet now. Thoughts of everything was gonna keep him up tonight. He made himself another drink and headed upstairs to the study. He lifted his drink up to the sky and tears poured down his face as memories of his friend
Khadafi
flooded his mind. He finished it in one gulp. “This is for my
homie
.”

Reality couldn’t get out the door fast enough. She rushed past her sister and father, ran down the driveway and jumped into her dad’s Escalade. She wanted some syrup but she wasn’t even going to bring it up. She had been off if for almost a week now. She just really wanted to be with him. They had been texting on and off all day long. He thought that she was still mad at him. So it seemed like every hour or so he would text her and ask her what she was doing or if she needed something.

You would have thought that the truck had wings as it got down Georgia four hundred to two eighty-five in less than fifteen minutes. Thank God that Georgia state patrol wasn’t out in full force as they usually are. Pop-Pop would go through the roof if she got a ticket in his truck. She didn’t call D.J. and she didn’t respond the last time he texted her. Reality planned on jumping into his arms and kissing him like something out of the soap operas as soon as he opened the door.

D.J. didn’t like Reality being upset with him. She was like a little bomb, so easily set off. He had gone to the mall today because he wanted to buy her something to try and smooth things over. He knew that she had his head gone because he usually wouldn’t venture out to the mall like this. He really didn’t like being in public places if he didn’t have to. He ordered the majority of all his clothing and things he needed online. He left out of Lenox Square empty handed. He didn’t know what to get her. She had everything or at least access to everything that her heart desired. After all this is Coach K’s daughter.

He had to do something spectacular. He headed toward Best Buy. He could buy her another computer, since that was her favorite thing. But a computer wasn’t romantic and she already had two of them, so that was meaningless. He headed over to Phipps Plaza. He went into the Gucci store and bought himself some shoes and a belt. He didn’t get her
anyhing
from there because he remembered her saying that Gucci had become like Coach, it wasn’t exclusive anymore. D.J. was stuck, but he wanted to get her something.