Becoming Carter (The Carter Series) (Volume 2) (17 page)

“Yeah, I mean there’s only two more days in the week before the break anyway. I’m sure Kelly can handle it on her own until the week is over.”

“Wayne said you had a family emergency. He told us all to pray for you and your family.”

“Well, that’s sweet of him. It was more like Kelvin’s family emergency. I kind of claimed it as my own.”

“Aww. You two are turning into a goddamn power couple. I’m proud of you. And, I really have to say thank you to you, Kelvin,” Lexy said, pointing the tip of her wine glass across the table at Kelvin.

“Thank me for what?”

“I have to thank you for saving my dear Lily. She was having a rough time in the dating scene. Always dating losers, and premature ejaculators, and then of course the psychopath, Tim. You swooped right in here and became her knight in fancy ass suits. She’s finally found what she was looking for. I know that it means a lot to her, but it also means a lot to me too. It’s really good to see her happy. So, I have to thank you for that. Thank you for saving my girl, and please keep it up. Don’t you fucking break her heart.”

Kelvin smiled an appreciative smile at Lexy. “Wow, that’s so sweet, Lex. I really appreciate that, and if there’s one thing I can promise you, it’s that I’ll continue to take care of her. She means everything to me, and I’d never let anything happen to her. Her heart is safe with me, and so is the rest of her. You don’t have to worry. I got this.”

“I believe you. I trust you,” Lexy replied with a bright smile. I could see she was genuinely happy about the place I was in with Kelvin. She really did want to see me happy, and I was proud to call her my friend. Now, if I could just quit lying to her about my secret ties to the mob, I’d be all set.

The next two hours of the night went on without a hitch. After dinner, the four of us sat in front of the fireplace and drank down three bottles of Kelvin’s expensive Cristal—most of which was drank by Lexy and Mike—while talking about absolutely anything we could think of.

Lexy complained about having to be at work without me, while Mike and Kelvin jokingly argued about which political party was ruining the country. I, on the other hand, decided to relax and quietly soak in the moment. It was so good to have our best friends over and enjoy each other’s company, without having to worry about who was in danger, or if Senior was going to come in and say something offensive to piss off Kelvin. It was good to relax, and I realized just how much I wanted the rest of my life to be this way. I wanted nothing more than to have the perfect man, coupled with the perfect friends, and to have nights where we all could just hang out and drink wine and laugh together. The night had somehow morphed my dream life into a reality, and I was upset when it had to come to an end.

Lexy looked over at Mike, and then down at her watch, and I knew what she was about to say.

“It’s nine-fifteen, Mike. We should really get home and check on Amy. You know I don’t trust that damn babysitter. Not to mention, it’s a school night,” she said as she lifted herself up off the floor.

“Yeah, you’re right, Babe. We should get going,” Mike replied with a sigh. “Well, thanks so much for having us over, you guys. It was great to hang out with you, as always.”

Kelvin and I both got up from our positions on the couch at the same time and started walking the Farrington’s over to the elevator.

“We appreciate you guys coming,” I said. “We had a blast. We have to do this again sometime, but we can do it at your house. That way, you don’t have to leave Amy at home with the untrustworthy babysitter.”

“That’d be great,” Lexy replied. “I’d love to not have to call that babysitter ever again. I
so
don’t trust her. You know, I’m pretty sure she’s stealing the backs to my earrings.”

We all paused for a second, and then burst into laughter. “Why the hell would she take the backs? Why not take the whole earring?” Kelvin asked, still laughing.

“I don’t know. But, the backs of my earrings keep going missing, so it must be her. It definitely isn’t Mike, and we haven’t gotten Amy’s ears pierced yet. So, it must be her.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe you’re just losing the backs to your earrings?” Kelvin inquired again.

“Hey! Whose side are you on here, Fancy Pants, mine or the babysitter’s?” Lexy snapped, stumbling just a little from the effects of the Cristal.

“Oh, excuse me, Mrs. Stumbles. I’m on your side. Sorry for trusting the babysitter. My mistake.”

“That’s right, your mistake, Smooth Criminal. Just don’t let it happen again,” Lexy said, pointing her finger at Kelvin. “Ugh. I just fucking love you guys. Don’t ever break up, okay?”

Kelvin and I looked at each other and smiled. Then I looked at Lexy and said “Well, we certainly don’t plan on it.”

“Good, because you two are made for each other. You’re just so cute together. Take care of her, Kelvin, and keep those other boys away from her. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

When the words came out of Lexy’s mouth, I noticed Kelvin tense up. His demeanor seemed to change, but he tried to put on a fake smile and leaned in to give Lexy a hug.

“I won’t,” he said softly in her ear. Then he turned and shook hands with Mike. “Don’t worry about waiting for a cab. I’ll call down to the lobby and have one of the limos take you home.”

“Wow. Thanks, bro. It’s fucking awesome that you can do that,” Mike replied. I could tell the champagne was making him a little extra emotional. “Thanks so much, man. You’re the fucking best, bro. I mean it. The best. And, I fucking cherish your friendship.”

Kelvin smiled at Mike and patted him on the back as the elevator doors slid open and our two tipsy friends stepped inside. “We’ll talk to you soon, okay. Be safe. We love you guys.”

“We love you too!” Lexy responded far too enthusiastically, just as the doors closed.

“They’re a mess,” I said with a giggle.

Kelvin called down to the lobby to set up the Farrington’s ride, then walked into the living room and sat back down on the couch. He covered his mouth with his hands and was obviously in deep thought about something. The night had just ended and he seemed to be jumping right back into being worried.

“What’s the matter, Babe?” I asked as I sat next to him and rubbed his back.

“
Don’t let her out of your sight
. That’s exactly what Deshaun said to me. He wanted to tell me something about my dad, and he didn’t want me to let you out of my sight. He was trying to look out for more than just me. He was looking out for you, too.”

“I know he was. But, unfortunately, we really don’t know what that means. He never got the chance to tell us.”

Kelvin quickly stood up and looked down at me. “Maybe he did. Maybe he told us everything we needed to know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out. Let’s go.”

Kelvin speed walked into the bed room and opened the closet door. I got up from the couch and followed him, just in time to see him pulling out a black jacket for himself, and a black sweater for me.

“What’s going on? Where are we going?” I asked, dumbfounded by the sudden shift. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to go for a drive. I was kind of hoping to have sex and go to sleep, but Kelvin obviously had other plans.

“Let’s just take a little ride really quick. I promise it won’t take long.”

I took the jacket from Kelvin and slipped it on while he went to press the button to bring up the elevator.

“Aren’t we gonna call James? We told your dad that we’d stick to his rules,” I said curiously.

The doors opened and Kelvin and I stepped inside. “Nah. We have to do this without James.” Kelvin had a look of resentment on his face, but he was choosing not to elaborate.

“You’re making me confused, Babe. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know yet. I just need to check something.”

The elevator reached the basement and Kelvin led me to the passenger door of his Camaro. He closed the door once I was seated, and then ran over to his side and hopped in, starting up the engine and slowly pulling out of the parking space.

We drove up I-94 at a much calmer speed than I was used to. Kelvin had been driving so sporadically lately, I was wondering if breaking the speed limit was going to become a normal thing for him. However, this time he seemed calmer, like he was trying to drive quietly.

Kelvin merged onto the ramp that was exit three, and I finally figured out where we were going. After a few turns here and there, we made a left onto the street that ran adjacent to the street my house was on, but Kelvin chose not to turn onto my street. Instead, he followed the adjacent road which led us onto the street behind my house. We stopped at a stop sign, and as we stopped, Kelvin reached up and turned off the headlights. The street lights were very dim, so we were sitting in almost complete darkness.

“Kelvin, what the hell are we doing here? Why’d you turn off the lights?” I said nervously. I suddenly felt my heart speeding up and the hairs on my arms rising to a stand. It was like I was watching a scary movie, knowing something scary was about to happen, and anxiously anticipating the scare.

“Ssshhhh,” was all Kelvin said, as he slowly pressed on the gas and made a left. We came to another stop sign, and Kelvin made another left, onto my street. He slowed the car down to a crawl, and then pulled over and parked in front of a house that was three houses down from my own, and turned the engine off.

Kelvin leaned forward in his seat and scanned the street. I didn’t know what he was looking for, but I followed his gaze, and I immediately recognized the black BMW parked directly across the street from my house.

I gasped loudly, drawing Kelvin’s gaze. “There’s the car I’ve seen watching my house a few times. The one your dad said he sent.”

Kelvin furrowed his brow and turned his attention back to the street, staring at the back of the BMW like it’d pissed him off somehow.

We sat in the car for about twenty minutes with nothing happening. The BMW just sat in front of my house with absolutely no movement at all, and I found myself confused and bored.

“I don’t understand, Kelvin,” I finally spoke up. “If your dad says he sent this car to check on me, why are we sitting out here staring at the back of it?”

“Because Deshaun told me not to let you out of my sight.”

Suddenly, just as Kelvin finished his vague statement, the driver side door of the BMW popped open. I sat up in my seat and leaned forward so I could see who was about to step out. I was expecting a young black man—someone who worked for Senior—but the reality was much different.

A young
white
man wearing black jeans, and a black leather jacket stepped out of the car. The road was dark, so I couldn’t see too much of him, but I saw enough to know that this guy probably didn’t work for Senior.

“Who the fuck is that?” I asked Kelvin, who was staring at the man like he was ready to kill him.

“I don’t know who he is,” Kelvin replied with an intense anger in his voice. “All I know is that he’s
not
one of ours.”

I stared out the windshield in absolute horror as the unknown man walked across the street towards my house. As he walked, I noticed him looking around, seemingly making sure that no one was watching him. If he’d done a better job of that, he would’ve noticed that someone
was
watching him.

The man walked into my yard and up to one of my windows. I gasped as he leaned forward and placed his hands above his eyes and peered in, trying to see inside my house.

“Oh my god. What the fuck is he doing?” I exclaimed in a total panic.

“He’s looking for you,” Kelvin replied aggressively, his tone low and intense.

We both stared at the man as he continued to look through my window. After a minute or two, he gave up his search and started making his way back towards the car. Just as he reached for the handle on the door, I could vaguely make out the tattoos on his hand. It was the same man from my dream. The cop from Marianna’s.

“Oh my god,” I mumbled to myself, just as the man closed the door, started the BMW and drove away.

“I knew it,” Kelvin said, shaking his head back and forth. “That’s what Deshaun wanted to tell me. That’s why he said for me to not let you out of my sight—because he knew my dad was lying to me about protecting you.”

“What the fuck! What does that mean?”

“It means it wasn’t us who was watching you. It was the Russians. It’s been them the whole time. They’ve been right outside your door, and my dad wasn’t going to do anything to stop them.”

Calm.

There was something different about Kelvin the moment he realized the man in the BMW wasn’t a Carter, but a member of the Baskov crime family. I was expecting him to blow up in a fit of pure anger, and to drive at light speed over to his father’s casino to confront him, but that’s not how it happened. Instead, Kelvin let out a loud sigh, and his face turned into a blank stare as he drove down the street in silence. He was calm.

I sat next to him and thought about what must be running through his head right now. Just this morning, Senior was in the penthouse telling us all about how he was going to protect us and how we needed to trust him, and let him handle the situation. Kelvin told him not to let him down, and in the end, that’s exactly what Senior did—he let Kelvin down, and from the look on his face, it was going to be for the last time.