Jakobe tossed the files he had been trying to read on the couch at the sound of Nakida coming in the house. He answered her call, telling her he was in the one of the many sitting rooms. He cautioned himself to keep his rage from his face while he waited for her to reach him. Every passing minute after she had responded to his text of not being able to stop by her office in hopes of getting her to tell him where she was had caused his heart to turn cold. She had replied to his text with a lie that she had been called in to help with a fellow co-worker’s deal, so it would be fine. He knew there was no deal, just like he knew that she wasn’t at work.
By the time she entered the room, he had his winning smile in place. His eyes examined her body as he sought for clues as to what she had been up to or who she had been with.
“Were you victorious?”
Her brief hesitation let him know that she had forgotten her excuse for a second. Her recovery time was good, though. If he hadn’t been looking so hard, he might have actually missed it. He narrowed his blue eyes while he listened to her fall into what he guessed was a well thought of story of all the drama she had gone through.
“Well, it just means that you’ll have to cook two days in a row,” he shrugged, getting to his feet.
“Yeah, I know,” she mumbled.
“Is everything alright?” he asked, giving her a chance to unload whatever was obviously on her mind.
“Nope,” she smiled.
“I’ll take a quick bath and then…” her words trailed off as her cell phone chimed.
She let out a few choice curse words under her breath while she walked out of the room. Jakobe clinched his fist in anger.
“I’m going to take my bath, but I have to pop out really quick,” she shouted into the sitting room as she marched down the hallway.
Jakobe pulled up the surveillance app on his phone. He walked slowly up the stairs. He paused by her door, until he saw her walk into the bathroom. Swiftly, he strolled into the room, picked up her phone and hacked it. With the extent of his special set of skills, he could have done so a long time ago, but he had wanted to trust her. However, he was to the point that he didn’t give a damn. His fingers moved quickly. He could read her text messages later. Right now, he was more interested in knowing where and who she was ‘popping out’ to go hook up with. He waited until the low jack virus he put in her phone had fully installed before he replaced the cell back on the bed.
Five minutes later, he smiled and waved at Nakida before she bounded for the door. He whistled while his purposeful movements took him into the kitchen. He opened the large walk in pantry, stopping at the ceiling to floor shelf in the middle right side of the room. He pushed the food aside on one of the lower shelves, reached in, slid a panel on the wall aside, to push the hidden button there. Jakobe stepped back to wait for the loud click sound to signal that the door had opened. Pulling the door open, he smiled wickedly. He grabbed a new pair of leather gloves, and put them on before he picked out the other items with care. Picking up his pace, he undressed, then he put on a pair of black pants, a matching shirt, and a pair of black tennis shoes that were two sizes too big, everything coming out of the see-through plastic packs was all new.
Strolling back through the house with a leather bag in tow, he walked outside, and headed towards an additional detached garage. His finger paused to type in the key code that unlocked the door to answer his cell.
“I need the boys to mount up. I’ll shoot you the address in a few,” he stated.
Jakobe began to whistle, while he slid into a black Chevy Silverado pickup truck that was parked among the six cars in the garage. He eyed the red blip on his cell as he drove at a neck breaking pace down the night streets. After he had closed the space between him and Nakida, he slowed down to keep no more than a mile distance. He leaned over and turned up the Dre and Eminem mix. He turned off the main street and entered the neighborhood that the map indicated. His eyes narrowed. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. He watched as she slowed next to a young boy that was walking down the street. He could tell by the excited way that the boy was tossing his hand around that he was upset. He watched on as Nakida jumped out her parked car to grab the boy to stop him from walking away. After a few minutes, the two of them got back into the car and drove on. He pushed the gear into park just a few homes down from the driveway of the house she pulled into.
He ran his gloved his hands through his hair, frustrated at the scene that unfolded before him. He witnessed the argument that happened in the yard between Nakida and the nasty female that was her sister before Nakida pushed her way into the house with the boy taking up the rear. With a sigh, he tugged off his gloves, reached into the leather bag in the seat next to him, pulled out the black hoodie and gun that was within it. As he walked closer to the house he could hear the raised voices from within. Jakobe’s eyebrow went up while he listened. If Nakida was quiet before when she squared off with her sister, she wasn’t meek today. She was cursing the woman out over the boy that he gathered was her sister’s son. He took his cell from out of his pocket and answered the text message with the address. He almost dropped the phone at the sound of things crashing within the house. Without a word, he kicked the door open. His blue eyes quickly scanned the room. Like quicksilver, he took in the black man in the corner, the young boy that was doing his best to break up the fight, and Nakida on top of her sister, pounding the woman’s face with her fists.
“I’ll show you crazy, bitch,” yelled Nakida.
All the anger she had been holding back from all the shit that her sister had been doing to her nephew erupted to a boiling point. She shook free of the hands that were trying in vain to get her to loosen her fist that kept her sister in place. Her free fist repeatedly smashed into her older sister’s face. The fact that her fist was covered with blood from the woman’s busted lip and nose did nothing to slow her attack. Like a dream, she felt herself being lifted by her waist. Pissed, she kicked her foot, catching her sister in the face.
“That’s enough,” shouted Jakobe, shaking her back to reality. He didn’t let go of her shoulders until he was sure that her brain had registered that he was there. He glanced at her battered and dazed sister still on the ground.
“Who the fuck this cracker is?” asked the man, deciding to flex his muscle.
Jakobe examined the man openly with a smirk. He reached behind him to pull out his gun before he walked over to the couch to sit down.
“I’m here to protect my interests, but don’t mind me,” he smiled. He crossed his legs, placing the gun on his lap. He waved his hand toward Nakida to signal for her to continue. She gave him a strange look before she turned her attention back to her nephew.
“Go and get your stuff,” she told the nervous boy.
“He better not go get anything,” spat her sister, staggering to her feet.
“Let the little nigga leave, shit,” interjected the man.
“You shut up,” screamed her sister.
“His punk ass belongs to me!” she said, and pointed her finger at herself to stress her point.
“Why… so you can collect the check from his daddy while you sit on your ass, and let that asshole over there mistreat him? You don’t even let the man see his son because you’re a trifling, petty ass bitch,” replied Nakida, taking a step closer to her sister.
“Nakida.”
She looked over at Jakobe sitting stiffly on the couch. His warning was very clear for her to remain calm. Her brown eyes darted to the gun in his lap. She didn’t want to be the cause of anyone getting shot.
“I hate being here. I want to go live with my daddy, please,” begged the boy.
Jakobe half listened to the back and forth, until he got the message that his backup had arrived. He responded, quickly returning his cell to his back pocket. This shit was getting on his last nerve. He looked at the crying boy of no more than 11 years of age. He acknowledged the rip in the boy’s shirt from what he could only guess was from whatever had happened that had caused all of this to jump off. His gaze went to the fat fucker that was leaning against the wall. Every few seconds, the man showed his irritation by rolling his eyes or cursing under his breath. It was very obvious that the man wanted the boy gone. Jakobe was sure that the man disliked the boy because he was a constant reminder that another man had been up in his bitch.
At last, Jakobe let out a big dramatic sigh.
“I’m tired of this. You,” he said, pointing the barrel of the gun across the room at Nakida’s sister. The woman’s eyes grew wide with alarm.
“I’m going to fix your problem like Dr. Phil. I’m not going to waste a bullet on you, so put your damn hands down. You can keep the check, but the boy is leaving, now,” he stressed, getting to his feet. He waved his hand toward the door for the boy to walk out.
“You don’t need anything from this place,” he added when the boy’s gaze went down the hallway.
“Who the hell do you think you are… coming up in my house and telling me what to do? You and my crazy ass sis—”
Jakobe moved so fast that it brought a scream out of Nakida. His hands reached out to seize her sister by the neck. He raised his gun, leveling it on his arm to point it in the direction of the man that had taken a step forward. The man pressed his self on the wall as if he had been shot with his hands up. Jakobe’s hand closed tighter, causing her to gasp for air as he backed her against the wall.
“All you had to do was shut your damn mouth. Don’t try to speak. I can’t take hearing your voice. Now, let me make this very clear, if you call Nakida crazy ever again or come at her like you did the first day I met you, you’ll be wearing a mouth plate for the rest of your life.”
He didn’t yell. He didn’t spit. His voice was deep and low, with no emotion what so ever. The sound of it sent a chill up everyone’s spine. There was a coldness about him that Nakida had never seen. The way his eyes bore into her sister’s wide brown eyes spoke a dangerous promise that no one wanted to push to see if he would make due on. Then just as fast as the darkness descended, it was gone. A wicked smile spread across his lips that made him look deranged in a way.
“I trust there will be no problems,” he inquired from the stunned man in the corner. At the man’s nod, Jakobe backed away from her sister. She began to cough as she forced oxygen into her lungs. With nothing left to be said, he placed the gun in the front of his pants, pulled down the hoodie to conceal it, and ushered Nakida and her nephew out the house. He held up his hand quickly to stop the wave of questions he knew she was going to ask.
“Can you please… just wait one second,” he smiled.
She was left with no other option but to obey, since he walked over across the street to a parked SUV. She watched intently while he spoke to the unseen men in the vehicle. Her pulse sped up when the back door opened for a menacing, yet handsome man to step out. Jakobe continued to speak and the man bobbed his head. She began to dance on her feet when Jakobe, walking with the man, started towards her and her nephew.
“Your keys.”
She was taken back by the harsh tone in Jakobe’s voice. He was back to the dangerous person she had glimpsed inside her sister’s house. Not wanting to test him, she quickly dug into her pocket and handed over the keys. However, her willingness to keep quiet went out the door when Jakobe turned and gave the keys to the other man.
“Wait, wait… he’s not—”
“Do you really think I would give your ride to a stranger? He’s taking it to the house,” said Jakobe, cutting her off. She glanced up and down the street. “So, I guess you’re going to carry us on your back.”
He cut his eyes at the man that was taking in the exchange between the two of them with great interest. He had to watch himself. He had learned a long time ago that women weren’t the only ones that talk. Men did it too… just without the finger snapping and the neck rolls. He gestured with his hand to the parked truck with the black tinted windows. Nakida began to walk with a questioning expression on her face.
“Where did that come from?” she inquired, pointing at the vehicle.
Jakobe walked passed her, opened her door, and reached in to scoop up the leather bag on the seat. He could feel the heat of her eyes on him. He knew if he looked at her, he was going to have a hell of a time answering her questions. Not to mention, he was still being watched. He tossed the closed bag into the bed of the truck before he walked to the driver’s side, got in, and headed down the road. He quickly turned off the rap music that had kept his adrenalin high, due to the anger and lyrics.
Nakida surveyed the truck that she was seeing for the first time. She knew damn well that she had never seen it at his house. There was something going on here. She was sure that he had followed her to her sister’s, but that was the only thing she could explain. Where did the gun from? Where in the hell had that weird dangerous men come from? Where did the Jakobe that was on display come from? That wasn’t a show of him flossing and selling wolf tickets that he couldn’t back up. No, he had become a stone-cold G. She had seen that before in her past. She finally turned away from staring at him. It was plain to see that he was going to use the conversation with her nephew to ignore her questioning gaze. She doubted that he was really that interested in what Greg had to say.
Greg was talking a mile a minute. She couldn’t stop the smirk that was pulling at the corners of her lips. His excitement was contagious. He had been through so much in his 11 years dealing with his greedy ass mother. She was sure that he had come to figure out a long time ago that he was born just to be the meal ticket he had become for her. She did nothing to hide that fact. Every time his father got a raise or a bonus, she was at the office demanding her cut. It was a blessing that Greg’s father had learned from the mistake he had made in knocking up her sister. Greg’s dad had taken great pains to ensure he didn’t leave a long list of kids, unlike many of his other coworkers in his industry. Then again, her sister’s motives had to go deeper than just the money. She was just a nasty ass bitch. Greg’s father had offered to continue to pay the damn money, in exchange for his son living with him fulltime. She still refused. It was just the fact that her sister couldn’t stand for anyone to be happy.
“You need to take a left and head back toward your place,” Nakida informed him after he made his way through the neighborhood.
“Yeah, now you won’t have to pick me up anymore and sneak me back home,” smiled Greg from the backseat.
“Correction, I won’t be doing that, because you won’t be skipping school anymore,” she stated firmly.
“Right, Auntie.”
“So you’ve been skipping school to see your dad,” remarked Jakobe in disgust. It was a shame that the kid had to go to such great lengths.
“How did you get away with that? Don’t the schools call?” he asked as an afterthought.
“Auntie Niki signed the slips for me, so I didn’t get in trouble,” replied Greg, slapping Nakida on her arm.
“Ugh, I’m so happy. Now, I can go to the games with Dad.”
Greg began to leap in the backseat, making the truck bounce. Nakida shook her head as she texted a message to his father, so he could be expecting him.
“Wow, so your dad has season tickets?” inquired Jakobe.
The Lakers basketball season was only four games in. Greg shook his head. If the boy grinned anymore, his caramel colored skin would crack from glee.
“My dad plays for the Lakers,” he chuckled.
Jakobe’s blue eyes darted from the road to stare wide eyed at the boy through the rear-view mirror. His mind had already kicked into overdrive to make the connection. His grip on the stirring wheel loosened, causing the truck to glide into the next lane. The angry sound of the car next to him shocked him back to reality. He shifted in his seat as he mumbled a curse under his breath. How the hell didn’t he see the resemblance. The boy was just a shorter version of his dad. Even still, he asked while he prayed for favor, that he was wrong in his assumption.
“Umm, is your dad... Gregory Storms, the point guard?”
“Well, my nephew wouldn’t be called junior, if that wasn’t his dad,” mumbled Nakida.
“At the second light, turn right,” she added.
“I know where I’m going,” replied Jakobe, taking the right.
“Really?”
He worked his jaw at the high-pitched tone in Nakida’s really.
“He lives two communities down from my house,” answered Jakobe.
“Wow, that’s awesome… small world, huh,” laughed Greg.
“No shit,” grunted Jakobe, still refusing to meet her gaze.
Less than 25 minutes later, he pulled up to the large gated estate. He passed the monitored key pad, until he could punch in the code to open it. The vehicle had barely come to a stop before Greg had jumped out to bound up the stairs to the door.
“Aren’t you getting out?” questioned Nakida.
Jakobe rested his head on the tinted window before he unwillingly got out to follow far behind the other two. He studied his shoes as he listened to the cheerful reunion, until the topic turned to him.
“J-dog, what the hell are you doing here?”
Nakida took note of the protective arm Gregory put around his son as he moved him out of the way to give Jakobe some dap like two hood boys.
“I’m just—”
“Man, you should have seen him, Dad,” Greg danced on his feet while he tugged on his father’s shirt.
“He knocked down the door—”
“I didn’t knock down the door—” lied Jakobe.
“He came in the house, and pulled Aunt Niki off Mom, and—”
“Wait,” interrupted his Dad.
“Niki was throwing hands?” Gregory laughed in awe, with his fist up to his lips.
“Oh yeah! She had Mom on the ground, just pounding away,” answered his son while he acted out the scene.
“Shit, Nik… you bringing the hood chick back. You still know how to do it,” chuckled Gregory, shoving her in the arm. This time, it was Jakobe that had a questioning expression as Nakida shot Gregory a warning stare. He quickly composed himself, but his wicked grin remained. He cleared his throat.
“So, umm… what’s this?” he inquired, moving his finger between Nakida and Jakobe. “You two a—”
“Friends,” she stressed.
“Ahh… okay,” replied Gregory.
He saw the narrow eyed look on Jakobe’s face, at the way she put so much stress on that one word.
“Have you eaten?” Gregory asked his boy, changing the subject. A dummy could see that his two friends were more than just friends. He was going to have make a few calls about this tonight, for sure. At his son’s shake of his head, he sighed.
“Why the hell haven’t you eaten at seven at night? That damn woman…” he grumbled. He pushed his boy into the large doorway.
“I’ll get with you later,” he tossed back over his shoulder to Jakobe.
“Just don’t be telling any stories about me.”
Once again, Jakobe stared at Nakida oddly, due to her comment. It was obvious to him that he wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.