Becoming Carter (The Carter Series) (Volume 2) (15 page)

I rolled over in the bed and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was nine o’clock on the dot, and the sun was pushing its way through the slits in the blinds, shining brightly in my face. Kelvin was asleep next to me, and after the ridiculously tense night we’d had, I thought it might be a good idea to get up and make him breakfast in bed. With all he’d been through, he deserved it.

I moved as softly as I could, turning myself over in the bed and sliding out from underneath the covers. I slipped my feet into my sandals, stood up, and turned to walk out of the room. When I turned around, I was startled when I saw Senior standing in the doorway, glaring in at both of us. He wasn’t decked out in his usual fanciness, choosing to tone it down with a black sweat suit and red Timberland boots, but he still looked as intimidating as usual. When he saw me notice him, he put his hands up, as if to let me know he meant no harm.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, his voice seeming intentionally softened. “I also didn’t mean to come in unannounced. I just thought that you guys would be awake already. I apologize. I just need to talk to you both.”

I instinctively reached up and covered my chest, even though my nightgown wasn’t even close to see-through. I was ready to act as pissed as I was, but I thought about who I was going to be talking to, and decided to dial it back a bit—but only a little bit.

“Jesus fucking Christ. You scared the shit out of me,” I snipped, surprised at my own truculence. “Umm, you couldn’t have called first?”

I noticed Senior tighten his jaw. “Yeah, I guess I could’ve. Sorry about that. Spur of the moment, I guess.”

Kelvin must’ve heard us talking and started to climb out of his slumber. He turned over and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on the voice coming from the doorway. When he made eye contact with his father, he quickly sat up as if he was guarding himself from an attack. Again, Senior put his hands up.

“I’m not here to start any shit with you, Son. I’m sorry,” he said. I was shocked at his calm demeanor.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Kelvin said bitterly, then he picked his phone up off the nightstand and glanced at the screen. “You didn’t call before you came over?”

“Nah, I didn’t call. Like I was telling Lily, it was kind of spur of the moment. I just really needed to talk to you. I should’ve called. I’m sorry.”

Kelvin furrowed his brow in confusion, then looked up at me as if asking if this was real life. I shrugged, and then sat back down on the bed next to him as he turned his attention back to his father.

“Is something going on?” Kelvin asked, still skeptical.

“Not really,” Senior answered. “Well, besides all the crazy shit that’s going on, of course. After I got your call about Deshaun’s car being at Lily’s house, I really started thinking about some things. There’s just stuff I need to say. So, I’ll wait for you to get dressed, and we can talk out in the living room, if that’s okay.”

“Sure. Just give us a minute,” Kelvin replied.

Senior walked out and closed the door to the bedroom behind him as he left. I looked over at Kelvin who was still staring at the door like he was in shock.

“What the hell got into him?” he mumbled.

I shrugged again and got up to get dressed. I had no clue what was going on, but I was definitely interested. “I don’t know what that was about, but it seems serious. He seems different.”

“Yeah, but I can’t lose sight of what Deshaun was trying to tell me before he died. It was something about my dad.”

“Maybe so, but let’s just see what he wants. Maybe he wants to tell you whatever Deshaun was gonna tell you.”

It only took us about three minutes to get decent enough to leave the room. I decided to throw on a long white t-shirt and a pair of blue leggings, while Kelvin jumped into a pair of navy blue shorts and a Bears t-shirt.

After we brushed our teeth and I threw on some foundation, we walked into the living room to find James sitting on one of the stools to the bar/kitchen counter, while Senior sat on the single couch next to the fire place, which he apparently had decided to turn on while he waited for us.

We strolled into the room and sat on the vacant couch in front of Senior. Kelvin sat back, already defensive, while I leaned forward, completely curious about what was about to happen. With everything that was going on, plus the conversation Kelvin and I had last night, I was feeling more connected to Kelvin than ever, and I even felt a little defensive of him. Senior still made me feel intimidated, but that wasn’t all I felt now. I was starting to feel more confident. Kelvin was mine, and I was starting to feel like I belonged with him. We belonged together, which meant I belonged in this world. Maybe it was time for Senior to know I belonged as well.

“So,” Kelvin started. “What’s this about?”

Senior leaned back in his seat and crossed one leg over the other. “Alright, first of all, I have to apologize to both of you. I haven’t been very easy to get along with lately, and I’m sure I’ve only added to the stress that you already have. I’ve been insensitive, and I’m sure that didn’t help matters. So, I’m sorry about that, and I’ll try to be better from here on out.”

I glanced over at Kelvin and almost laughed when I saw how his mouth was gaping as he stared at his father, in awe. He was obviously just as surprised as I was that Senior was doing a one-eighty right here in front of the fireplace. Neither one of us spoke. Kelvin just nodded with his mouth open while I concentrated on not laughing.

“Also, I know the shit last night with Deshaun was a lot to take, and we both were upset. We both said shit that we didn’t mean—kind of like we always do, and we got lost in the heat of the moment. Again, I apologize.

And then there was the shit that happened at your house, Lily, with Deshaun’s car. Although I don’t have any sort of concrete confirmation that it’s the Russians who’s doing this, the thing with the car was an obvious message that only they would send. They got Deshaun, and they wanted us to know that they’re coming after you next. And, they don’t seem to mind of you get hurt or not, which we already knew. So, after I had Deshaun’s car taken back to Keisha, I really got to thinking about all of this. And, I came to the conclusion that you were absolutely right, Junior.”

“I was right about what?” Kelvin inquired, still leaning back. He finally managed to close his mouth.

“You were right about me. I haven’t done anything about all the shit that went down with me and Ivan a few months back when I lost that bet on the Blackhawks game. I should’ve stepped up and took care of business before Fab ever got involved, and I definitely should’ve handle it once they shot him. Here they are now, trying to threaten you. Well, I won’t sit back and let them take my only son away from me. So, I’m working on something. Something big, that’ll take care of this little Ivan Baskov problem. Now, we know they have a lot of connect in a lot of high places, so whatever happens has to be discreet and low key. And, I just wanted to come by and have a face to face with you to let you know that I’m gonna take care of this. Soon.”

“Umm, I hate to interrupt,” I said, raising my hand in the air like one of my students. “I’m just curious what you mean when you say you’re gonna take care of it. You mean kill him?”

“The less the two of you know about it, the better. So, don’t worry about the details. Just know that I’m gonna eliminate this problem, and everything can go back to normal when it’s over. Which leads me to my next topic. Until this thing with Ivan is complete, I need you two to lay low.
For real
. This isn’t a game. They shot Deshaun seventeen times. I don’t want to see anything like that happen to anyone else in this family ever again. So, don’t give them the opportunity. Stay inside. I got James a room on the floor underneath this one, so he can be up here in a matter of seconds if you need him. But, no more going off on your own, leaving James behind and shit. You got it?”

Kelvin looked over at me, then up at James, then back down to me again. It looked as if he was seeking my approval, which seemed weird, but I nodded at him anyway. As if my nod was his cue, he looked over at his father and said “Okay.”

“Good. I need you to trust me on this. Trust that I’ll take care of everything, and by the time this thing is over, we’ll all have come up a little bit.”

“What do you mean, we’ll have come up a little bit?” Kelvin asked, leaning forward and furrowing his brow.

“Like I said, don’t worry about the details,” Senior replied, grinning. “Just chill until I give you the all clear. We have a deal?”

Kelvin took a deep breath and released it loudly. “Alright, Dad. I’m trusting you. This really means a lot. Please don’t let me down.”

Senior’s eyes shifted down to the floor momentarily, then back up, locking onto Kelvin. “I got it.”

“I appreciate you coming over and saying the things you said,” I chimed in, trying to make my presence felt. “I know you haven’t been too happy with the idea of Kelvin and me being together, and I just think this is the best time for me to tell you that I love your son very much—more than I ever thought I could love anyone or anything. And, I’m gonna be by his side no matter what, which means I’m gonna be by your side as well. I’m willing to help anyway I can. I just hope that you and I can get along and have a good relationship for Kelvin’s sake.”

Senior stared at me for a second before revealing an obviously forced smile. “I hope so, Lily. I hope so,” he replied. Then he paused, and stared at me just long enough to make me uncomfortable, before speaking up again. “Alright, I think I’ve worn out my welcome. Please remember what I said, okay Junior? Stay chill until this is finished.”

Senior rose from his seat and started walking towards the elevator. As he passed James, he patted him on the shoulder, and James nodded in response. The elevator doors slid open immediately after he pressed the button, and just like that, Senior was gone.

The three of us stood in the living room looking at each other. Did that just happen
for real
? I’d never seen Senior so sincere before, and from the look on his face, neither had Kelvin.

“You know anything about this?” Kelvin said to James, who was as nonchalant as ever.

“Not really. He told me pretty much the same thing about working on something to take care of the situation. Nothing too detailed. Then he told me to make sure I watch out for you. That’s it.”

“He didn’t say anything about watching out for Lilliana?”

“Nope,” James replied flatly. “I mean, I guess he just figured you two would be together anyway, so by protecting you, it’d be protecting her.”

Kelvin shook his head like he was still skeptical about everything. He was struggling with the idea of whether or not to trust his father. I, on the other hand, was trying my best not to be too skeptical of Senior. I could see that he was really trying to turn over a new leaf, and maybe he was finally realizing just how important having his son in his life really was, especially since Kelvin was the last son he had left. So, as the elevator glided its way down to the lobby, I smiled on the inside, convinced that things were about to change for the better. Even though I knew that in order for things to get better, Senior was probably going to do something that I didn’t agree with. But, I knew he was doing it for Kelvin. He was doing it for us—to keep us safe.

“Look,” James continued. “My advice is for you to just relax. Let your dad do what he has to do, and everything’ll work out fine. Trust me. Whatever it is that he has planned, he’s doing it for you—for all of us. To make
our
lives better… and safer.”

Kelvin’s face didn’t move. He still looked dubious, except now he was looking at James with that incredulous expression.

“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, James?” he said. His face was dead serious, and the room suddenly felt very tense. “If my dad was on some sneaky shit that I should know about, you’d tell me, right?”

James smiled a soft smile as he looked down at the floor, then back up at Kelvin. “Of course I’d, Junior. Which is why you should trust me when I say to just chill, and trust your dad. In the end, you won’t have anything to worry about. Okay?”

“Alright. I just hope you’re right,” Kelvin replied.

“Good. Okay, so we’re sticking to the plan, yes? Staying inside? I don’t have to worry about you sneaking off and doing anything crazy, do I? Because, if you don’t mind, I’d love to get out of this fancy shit and just chill today. I don’t get to do that often.”

“Yeah, we’re sticking to the plan. Go relax, bro. I’ll give you a call if something comes up.”

“Cool. Alright, I’m out,” James replied, pressing the button on the elevator. The doors slid open and he stepped inside. “Alright, kids, ya’ll have fun. Try not to get pregnant,” he quipped with a sneaky smile, just as the doors slid closed, leaving Kelvin and me in the hallway.

The look on Kelvin’s face still hadn’t changed. As he walked into the bedroom, I could see him shaking his head like he was being faced with something that he just couldn’t believe. He walked in and sat on the front edge of the bed, so I sat next to him and put my arm around his waist as I leaned in and kissed his muscular shoulder.

“What is it, Baby?” I asked.

“I wish I knew,” he replied solemnly. “I don’t know exactly what it is, but something just doesn’t feel right. Maybe because it’s my dad and I’ve never felt like I could trust him. Even though he’s saying to just lay low and he’ll take care of things, I can’t shake this feeling that I still need to be watching out for the both of us. Like things aren’t as easy and as uncomplicated as he’s trying to make them sound. Just feels weird.”

“I understand what you’re saying. I mean, you know your father much better than I do, so obviously you have the luxury of history and experience when it comes to him. But, can I tell you what I think about this?”

“Of course, Babe.”

“I think he’s being sincere—at least I hope he is, and I believe he is. There’s a lot going on with your family right now, and sometimes it takes a lot of drama and bad things to happen in order for progress to be made. It’s unfortunate that it would take something as serious as death, but with some families that’s just the way it is. Your family isn’t an ordinary family, and sometimes it takes unfortunate and extraordinary things to make a difference. I think Deshaun’s death made him see how important you are, and I think he’s gonna do everything he can to make sure you’re safe. He doesn’t want to lose another family member. It just took him a while to see that.”