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  “Make him mad how? You’re crazy,” Skai laughed.

  “Mad because you know I look better than he does. You can deny it, but I already know it would be a lie.”

  “I swear to God, I don’t know a more conceited-ass person in this damn world than you.”

  “It’s confidence, baby.”

  “It’s too much.”

  “You wanna see too—”

  “Treeevor!”

  “Okay, I’ll stop.”

  “Thank you. Sheesh.”

  “You know I have to mess with you, right?”

  “Clearly.” She let out a loud sigh. “But I’m glad you’re still around to do that. I was really scared that—”

  “I appreciate it, Skai. For real I do. You’re the realest friend I have and I appreciate you. All bullshit aside. Thanks for being that person in my life.”

  “You know I got you. You’re still good, right? Like the cops didn’t find anything incriminating, did they?”

  “There’s nothing incriminating in my phone. The most they saw in that phone were consenting adults—on both sides. Nothing they can do with that. And besides, I don’t complete transactions on my phone. I’m smarter than that.”

  “I know. Just wanted to make sure.”

  “Yeah, it’s all good over here. And even if they had found something, I wasn’t worried. I know too many people, in too many circles to be affected.”

  “Trevor, honey… you ready?”

  Trevor looked up in time to see everyone filing into his hospital room.

  “Alright, Skai. My mom just walked in with the nurse and the wheelchair. I’ll hit you later if that’s okay.”

  “It sure is. I’ll be around. Glad you’re good.”

  “Thanks a lot.”

  Trevor couldn’t wait to get home so that he could set his plan in motion. He trusted that the police were on their shit. However, he planned to be on the job as well. He wanted to make his own statement. Coming for his life, and almost his freedom, was going to cost them big. Real big.

  Even before dealing with that, he couldn’t wait to see if his dick could work. Driving in and out of some pussy was just what he needed to test that out, as well as get his mind right.

  “Yeah, I’m ready,” Trevor said, smiling at his mother as she rubbed his shoulder. “Can’t wait to get in my own bed.”

  22 | Zane

  “It’s so beautiful outside this window, Zane. Look at that view.”

  “Spectacular, isn’t it?” I asked, standing behind her, with her pressed against my chest.

  The sun had already started to set and the breeze wasn’t that great, but the view more than made up for what it lacked. Giselle was right about the beauty. If I thought it was beautiful when I came to see the house on the first day, that paled in comparison to the way it resonated at sunset.

  “I’ll say. The district sure knows how to sweeten a deal.”

  “They do. But I’d say who really sweetened the deal, was Skai.”

  Giselle leaned her head back into my shoulder. “That’s a fact.”

  “How was it going to your house today? Did it feel weird?”

  “Yeah. How did you know?”

  “I just figured. You haven’t been there for a long period, in a while.”

  “I think I’ll always be a little bit affected by what happened. Even knowing that Trevor is okay. To know that it was so close to my home. That danger was literally right across the street. That I could have very well laid eyes on an actual murderer, if I’d stayed in the window. You know?”

  “I know.”

  “I’m glad I have here to come to. It’s the best alternative, ever. Luxury and comfort all wrapped in the same package.”

  “I’m happy you feel that way. It certainly feels like a home with you in it.”

  “That’s good to know. I mean, I literally came and invaded your privacy right when you got the house. Didn’t even let you enjoy it by yourself first!” she laughed. “Just crashed the whole party.”

  “Nah, it’s not really even a party if you’re not here.”

  “Ohhh,” she gushed. “Why do you say such beautiful things?”

  “It’s true.”

  “Well, I kinda like it here. So, you’re going to have to let me know when I wear out my welcome. Las thing I ever want to do is crowd you.”

  “You’ll be waiting forever on that one. You don’t crowd me in the least. And this place is so big, if either of us ever wanted to get lost, we could. Not to mention, you have an entire in-law unit to yourself to hide in.”

  “Sooo true!” she exclaimed, excitement all in her voice. “That was the most unselfish move, ever. Every time I’m in there, I’m reminded of how beautiful the gesture was.”

  “Whatever makes you happy,” I told her in earnest.

  She grabbed onto my hands and pulled them around her tighter. “I’m happy right here. Ohhh!” she squealed, suddenly. “I forgot to tell you. Kameelah came by while I was at the house.”

  “And how was that?”

  Giselle wriggled free, then turned around so that she was facing me. “Let’s go sit down.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “No.” She grabbed onto my hand and led us to the sofas near the fire pit. “I just want to sit down for a little bit.” She sat in the corner, draped her legs over mine, then blurted out, “I gave her a thousand dollars.”

  My eyes bucked wide. “What?!” I said, in shock. “For what?”

  “She’s trying to get rid of that guy, Reggie. You remember him, right? The one that called you the oppressor,” she laughed.

  My jaw tightened, thinking back on that bigoted character. “Don’t mention him to me unless you know where to find him,” I shot.

  “Okay, babe. Received. And I don’t know where to find that fool. I’m just glad Kameelah’s getting away from him.” I shook my head. I couldn’t be the one to tell Giselle what to do with her money, but I didn’t feel good about her giving that kind of money to that woman. I decided to remain silent. I had too much to say, and she probably wouldn’t want to hear it. But she obviously sensed something. Or it was on my face, because she asked, “What’s that look, Zane?”

  “I don’t think you want to hear it.”

  “Of course, I do.” She stroked my shoulder. “Spill…”

  “I just think that’s a lot of money, babe. Not me trying to tell you what to do with your money or with your friends. But do you even know that she’s telling the truth? I honestly don’t get a good vibe from her. I’m sorry, I just don’t. The person you told me that you knew, and the person she was that night, don’t match up. And if she’s afraid of him, how is she all of a sudden leaving? And who set that amount? Did she ask for that amount? Or did you offer that amount based on what she told you she needed?”

  Giselle’s lips tightened, then her shoulders did a slow hunch. “She said she was going home, and that… it would be about that much.” She brought her hands to her face and covered it up. “You think she played me, don’t you?” She lowered her hands. “You do, huh?”

  “It’s very possible. If you’d bought her a plane ticket, I wouldn’t be so alarmed. She just seems more wrapped up, than to all of a sudden be ready to leave.”

  “You know, she told me that she met him online. On Tinder, at that.”

  “You really have to vet carefully when doing that. Have you heard from her since you gave her the money?”

  “I told her to text or call when she made it home to Bakersfield.” Giselle’s eyes widened. “I hope you’re wrong about her.”

  “I hope I’m wrong too.”

  “My phone is inside. You have your cell on you?” she asked me. “I want to see something.” I dug my phone out of my pocket and handed it over. “I’m going to block the number, don’t worry.”

  Giselle proceeded to take steps for the block, before dialing her friend’s number. Once it began ringing, she placed the call on speaker. She looked at me as the phone headed into
its second ring. “She might not answer if there’s no number to recognize. She might think it’s him calling her, Zane.” On the third ring, Giselle smiled in relief. “She’s probably travelling.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “She was telling the tru—”

  “Hello?”

  When a male voice came over the speaker, the look on Giselle’s face said it all. Hearing his voice again, made me want to go straight to where he was and do what should’ve been done that night.

  “Hello?!” he yelled out angrily, when there was no response. “Come get yo’ goddamn phone.”

  I was geared to say something, until Giselle, with the speed of light, reached over and covered my mouth. Her head shook left to right, in fast motion. Having gotten the confirmation that she needed, Giselle prepared to disconnect the line. But she paused when she heard a woman’s voice come over the line. “Who is this?” she asked.

  “Kameelah… so you fuckin’ lied.”

  Seconds after trying to stutter out a lie that refused to translate into anything that sounded plausible, an exposed Kameelah was the one to abruptly end the call.

  Giselle shot from the sofa and began to pace across the length of the patio, ending up back in the spot looking out over the view of the strip. I came up on the side of her, and placed my hands on the ledge. “Baby, you can talk to me. Just don’t give it too much energy. You have your answer and now you can let it go…” When I couldn’t get her to respond, I nudged. “You hear me, right?”

  She nodded, still staring off into the distance. I thought that would be all that she spoke on the topic, until she said: “Zane, you’re right. And I am going to let it go.”

  “That’s good, baby.”

  She turned to look me in the eyes. “But if I see her, I’m going to put my hands on her. And not in a good way.”

  “Well, I think it’s pretty safe to say that she’ll avoid you at all costs, baby. So seeing her won’t be an issue. Let’s just shift the focus.” I grabbed her hands. “How about a drive? You feel like getting out of the house for a little bit?”

  She smiled. “Sure, let’s do it.”

  23 | Trevor

  “You always this quiet?” Trevor asked the large man driving behind the seat of his Range Rover. “Lewis, right?”

  The guy was huge. Well over six feet, damn near seven it looked like. He was all bulk and gave off, ‘I don’t take no shit’, vibes. At least that’s what Trevor got from him. He was outfitted in jeans, a short-sleeved, burgundy button-down, Timbs, dark shades, and a snapback. Not what your typical private security guy dressed like. He was more like a bodyguard, if anything.

  “Yeah, it’s Lewis,” he laughed, without taking his eyes off the road. “And nah, I’m not really all that quiet. I open up more when I get to know people.”

  “I’m good people. You can open up to me. I sure as fuck don’t like talking to myself. So, if we’re gonna be cool, and you’re gonna be living in my house, something’s gotta give.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Lewis said, “I don’t have a problem getting to know you, or even engaging in conversation with you. Your family just seems a little on the reserved, prim and proper side.” He turned momentarily to look over at Trevor in the passenger seat. “But then taking a 3AM trip, that’s not for fast food or something like that… something tells me that you’re cut from a different cloth than your parents.”

  Trevor guffawed loudly, holding onto his chest area to tame the pain that shot through the area. “Definitely cut from different cloths,” he confirmed. “That’s why I live in Nevada, and they’re in California. I had to put some distance between us. Didn’t need the judgment for how I like to live. You know?”

  Lewis nodded. “Yep.”

  “Anybody ever tell you that you look like—”

  “Terrance Howard? All the time.” He shook his head. “Get it way more than I’d like to.”

  “I was gonna say, Lucious Lyon—the bulked-up version. But yeah, him. Shit is crazy. The detective on my case looks like Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and now my security guy is looking like an actor too. Shit is wild.”

  “Yeah, I hear it a lot.”

  “Bet it gets you a lot of girls, huh?”

  “I do alright. Being on the road as much as I am kinda slows that down sometimes, though.”

  “Well, you’ve come to the right place. You never have to worry about that messing with me. I just need to know your type, and I got you. On the house. On the flip side of that, there’s also money to be made… if you’re ever interested.”

  Lewis looked over at Trevor, and a smile spread across his face. “Always interested in making money. Can’t ever have too much of that.”

  “Nice. We’ll chat later.”

  “That’s what’s up. I think I’m gonna like this gig.”

  “Cool. I like happy customers.” Trevor looked down at his phone then instructed Lewis, “Slow down. I think we’re coming up on it right now.”

  Lewis did as he was instructed, and slowed the vehicle. They soon parked in the lot of a 2-story brick building. Trevor exited the vehicle slowly, and was soon met on the passenger side by Lewis. A door to the building suddenly opened, and an average-height, dark-skinned guy dressed in black stepped into view.

  “Aye, what’s up, Trev?” he greeted, dapping him and Lewis up. “Good to see you up and about, man. Sorry to hear what happened. Shit was fucked up.”

  “Thanks, man. This here is Lewis. Lewis, this is Chris.”

  “Lewis?” Chris queried. “Lookin’ more like Lucious!”

  Trevor looked at Lewis who was already laughing. “We literally just had this conversation,” Trevor stated.

  “Dead-ass, bro,” Chris commented. “Anyway, come on in, y’all.”

  Chris double locked the door behind them, then led them down eight wide steps.

  “Man, Chris. If I had known I would’ve had to go down some stairs…”

  “Aww shit, man. My bad. I wasn’t thinking. Needed to be here, though. Take ya time. We got nothing but time.”

  Trevor held onto the rail as he took the steps slowly, Lewis right behind him. When they finally made it down to the basement the door opened and loud rap music poured out of the large space.

  “Damn, didn’t hear shit before you opened the door!” Trevor shouted.

  “Yeah, had it built with soundproof for a reason,” Chris replied.

  Moments later, Trevor took a seat on a green leather ottoman. The ottoman wasn’t the only piece of nice furniture in the room. The place looked like a recording studio that doubled as a man-cave type of situation. There were two sofas, a love seat, and a kitchen area in the far end of the room. Then the area where the music was being played had an entire sound booth with glass paneling. Trevor looked over at Lewis, who stood against a wall not too far from where he sat, and nodded.

  Chris took a few steps in front of where Trevor sat and yanked a thick cloth material off a man’s face. He yanked with so much force, he man’s head jerked to the side. The man yelled out, but his sounds were muffled due to him being gagged. His eyes narrowed when he saw Trevor and he started trying frantically, to free himself.

  “You know damn well, that shit ain’t gon’ get you loose!” Chris shouted at his prisoner.

  And Chris and a few of his boys had made sure that the man was going nowhere. His legs were tied together, as were his wrists that were joined at the back of the chair.

  “Wow,” Trevor said, addressing the man sitting directly in front of him. “It’s good to see you. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this. About a month and some change.” Trevor unzipped the large jacket that he was wrapped up in, then brandished the pistol that had been tucked in an inside pocket. His green eyes lit up with excitement when he saw the fear in the man’s eyes. “Chris, can you do me a favor and take this shit off of his mouth?”

  While Chris fulfilled Trevor’s request, Trevor extended his arm, handing his weapon to Lewis. The signs of relief that showed in
the man’s eyes made Trevor chuckle out loud. He literally saw the man’s chest heave with relief. He thought he was about to be freed. His entire posture relaxed from the state it was in before, and he sat more erect. Proud, even.

  “You look a little excited,” Trevor said. “You relieved?”

  “Bet you won’t untie me, bitch,” the man spat. “Bet you won’t.”

  “You’re right. You ambushed me. Had me a real disadvantage. So, yeah, you speak nothing but facts. I’m not untying you. Because just like you, I’m not about to play fair. I’m about to play real dirty. About to return the favor. S’posed to pay it forward, right? You do me one, I do you one. Create that balance. Eye for an eye, so to speak.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “That’s not my thing. But you already know that because I fucked your girl so good. That’s why you’re in the predicament you’re in now. Tried to kill the competition. Mad that you’re second choice. That you can’t give it to her like I can. I’d be mad too.”

  At those words, with all his might, the guy pushed his body forward, trying to get to Trevor. In a swift move, Lewis was on him, firmly latching firmly onto the back of the chair and dragging him back several yards.

  “Ohhh!” Trevor laughed, as he shouted, “He’s big-mad!”

  “I shoulda put that bullet in yo’ fuckin’ head.”

  “But you didn’t. Wasn’t my time. But enough of that. Did you have anything you wanted to say? Man to man?”

  The two men stared each other down for what seemed like minutes on top of minutes. “I’m good. Ain’t got a muthafuckin’ thang to say to you… cracka.”

  “Alright then, Reggie.” Trevor slowly stood from his seat. “I guess the conversation is over then.”

  24 | Trevor

  “Even though you told me before we left, I can honestly say that I didn’t see that coming,” Lewis said, breaking through the silence that loomed in the car. “Shit, when I said that you and your parents were cut from different cloths, I didn’t know the full extent. Not at all.”