Friend-Zoned (28 page)

Chapter Twenty-two
Fort Knox

Tina was on my mind all
damn night.
We haven’t spoken since she let me in on her blatant refusal to
have children.
I shuffle around papers on my desk while I think.
I’m thirty five years old. I’m definitely not getting any younger
and spent most of my adult life believing I’d someday have
children.
I wanted children.
Then hurricane Tina tore through my life and my heart. I built her
up so much. I was sure she was perfect.
Now, she’s not quite perfect anymore.
But does that mean she’s any less perfect for
you?
Let’s think about it.
There is no way I’m selling The White Rabbit which means all my
weekends would be demanding and hectic. I wouldn’t be able to spend
weekend nights with my family anyway.
I’d love for Tina to be with me at the club and she won’t be able
to do that if she’s pregnant or at home with our kids. Also, she
owns Safira. How would she be able to work with a child to look
after?
It would be unfair to have her watch our babies all day then be
exhausted all night when I have club business til late in the
evenings. She’d basically be raising a child alone.
What kind of father would that make me?
I love Tina.
And that’s worth everything, right?
Sometimes love isn’t enough.
I’ve come to conclusion that maybe children aren’t in the
cards for me. And I’m surprised with how I feel about it.
I’m okay with it.
I don’t
love
the
idea but I never stopped to think about how raising a child would
affect the lifestyle I lead. I love the club. It’s a big part of
me. I don’t want to give that up.
So maybe…?
I smile to myself, pick up my wallet and head out the door.
***

Rawr
Raaawr
“Damn baby, that’s an
unpleasant noise.”
I freeze.
My eyes widen as I turn slowly towards the door.
There stands a smiling Nik, dimple and
all.
Ah,
okay…
A little freaked out here. I
thought we were over.
I don’t know what’s happening right now but he’s smiling. I swallow
hard and shrug.
I explain quietly, “I keep forgetting about it. It just needs new
batteries and someone to replace them.”
He walks towards me and puts his hand on my hips. He lowers his
face til his lips meet mine and says against them, “I’ll get my guy
to fix it, baby.”
My heart skips a beat.
I’m briefly stunned.
After a moment of allowing my brain to stutter I ask quietly, “Does
this mean…?”
He pecks my lips lightly and answers, “Yeah, sweetheart. No kids.
Okay with me.”
By the beard of
Zeus!
Relief courses through my veins
and a familiar warmth spreads outwards from my belly.
I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him tight. I do this awful
laugh cry and don’t even care how stupid I look.
I kiss his lips hard and say whisper, “Oh my god!”
Cry-Laugh
“I thought I’d lost you.”
Kiss-Hiccough-
Laugh
“Last night was the worst night ever.”
Sniffle-Kiss
“Are you sure?”
Snort-Kiss
.
He chuckles and lifts me up. I have no choice but to wrap my legs
around his waist. He holds me with one forearm under my ass and the
other across my back.
He replies quietly ,“Got no life without you, baby. You’re it for
me.”
I burst into tears and he rocks me. I wrap him up tight as if he
might disappear.
I don’t care who’s watching.
Nat, Lola, and Mimi all cheer, whoop and laugh around the store. I
hear Nat yell out, “Get her out of here, you sly son of a
gun.”
I lift my face and he smilingly says, “You got boogers,
baby.”
I laugh and wipe my nose with my sleeve. That’s the least of my
worries right now.
I have Nik! Nik is
my man! Again…
I’m going to do
everything I can to keep him. I love him so much.
Leaning my forehead against his, I whisper, “Love you so much,
Niki.”
His face softens as he replies, “Love you more, teeny
Tina.”
Heavens to glory, thank you
God.
***

After I went over to
Safira and reunited with my girl, we went to lunch.
Tina sat in my lap. Well, she sat pressed so close to me she
practically was.
We had sushi, stole kisses and held one another. Just appreciating
each other after our almost break up.
When we left we stayed wrapped up in each other til we reached
Safira. I kissed Tina long and slow.
Never again.
I don’t know how I
got on without her. More importantly, I don’t ever want to be
without her again.
I check my wrist watch for the time. 2:11pm.
Time to get to a meet.
***

Two thirty comes and I
arrive at the warehouse the Sixes own better known as the
factory.
The factory is well known amongst gangs in New York. It’s heavily
guarded during the day and at night; however, all that keeps it
safe is an alarm system.
I know this because Marcus was killed trying to get papers with
this information out of my father’s office. My dad never did give
this information to Chaos and I’m not sure why. It would’ve been
easy to arrange a raid and steal the drugs they have stored there.
However, if Chaos did end up doing that it would’ve started a war
between Chaos and the Sixes.
I guess that’s why my dad never gave this information away. Dad
never was one for a fight.
I’m not stupid enough to come alone to see Uncle Jerm. I bring
Ghost with me; people are generally scared of him with good reason.
Ghost wouldn’t hesitate to shoot you in the face if he thought his
life was in danger. Long gone is the boy who took his licks without
a word.
We walk into the warehouse office and are frisked. This is not
unusual.
It would be disrespectful to conceal a weapon at a meet.
We remove our guns but I know Ghost would never go completely
unarmed.
We are escorted by a street thug, better known as a soldier, to
Uncle Jerm’s office. I’ve only been here once before, when I was a
teenager, but I remember it well. I was petrified the last time I
was here. I thought I would take my last breath in this
warehouse.
The door opens and Uncle Jerm is standing in front of his desk,
smiling with open arms.
The thing about Uncle Jerm is you gotta love him. He is
lovable.
Never without a smile or kind word.
I would tell you he wasn’t cut out for this work but I know some of
the things he’s done.
The stuff of nightmares.
He will do anything to protect his boys.
I walk over to the short, sixty year old African American who
always wears a suit and tie, hug him and pat his back. Ghost
doesn’t hug. He just stands in the corner on watch.
Uncle Jerm pulls back from me and says, “Well, well, well. Looks
like the little boy grew into a big man.”
I chuckle. I wasn’t very tall the last time we met. I was just a
freakin’ kid. I’m surprised he remembers.
Smiling, I say, “Uncle Jerm. You look good.”
He pats his belly and replies, “Old lady’s on my back. Cholesterol
this and cholesterol that. Won’t let me eat anythin’ anymore.
Thinks I’ll have a heart attack or some such shit.”
He motions for me to sit which I do. Then he takes his place behind
his desk. It’s very similar to mine.
He claps his hands together and says, “So, I believe we have a
small problem.”
I nod and respond, “Yes, sir. I think we do. Your boy Omarr broke
into my girl’s apartment and did a job on her cat. Ripped its head
off and hung it like a Christmas ornament on the back porch.
Luckily, the neighbor found it before Tina did.”
Uncle Jerm’s face droops into a frown. He mutters, “I don’t like
this. Omarr… Well, he hasn’t been the same since Marcus died.” He
straightens and reveals, “Always hated on me for not retaliating.
Doesn’t tell me things like he used to. But I heard of your Tina.
Chaos seem real pleased you found yourself a girl. Says she real
pretty. I’m happy for you, son. You get something good, you hold
onto it with both hands, ya hear?”
See what I mean?
Lovable.
I nod and he continues, “Omarr has been extremely disrespectful as
of late. He don’t turn up for his shifts. He don’t answer to me
anymore.” He leans back and with a sigh says, “He gone rogue,
boy.”
Oh,
Fuck.
This is what I was dreading.
Omarr isn’t taking orders from Uncle Jerm anymore, which means he’s
only answering to himself. This is basically Omarr making his own
rules. If Uncle Jerm gets evidence Omarr’s recruiting behind his
back, Uncle Jerm will have no choice but to kill him
which would be good for me.
I utter a hesitant, “I see.”
Uncle Jerm nods and says, “Yeah. I know you get me, son. Not much I
can do about him right now but I’ll have my boys keep an eye out.
Haven’t seen him in days. If I could control this, I would.
Terrorizing an innocent girl is
not
the way the Sixes roll. I hear he wants her. You
better up security from your end. If he wants her, he’ll take her.
You take care now, ya hear?”
And just like that, we’re dismissed.
We didn’t get anything sorted but at least I got some
information.
Looks like the next step is security.
***

It’s around four when I
hear the god-awful bell go off.
I’m a little stunned when in strolls Ghost with three other men.
Ghost doesn’t even look at us girls as he walks in and out of rooms
giving instruction to the men. One man has a note pad and pen and
is writing furiously all the while nodding. One man is taking
measurements. And the other man almost pushes me out the way to get
under the counter.
Well, excuuuuse
me, Rudie McRudeAss.
Ghost finally
notices that I’m alive and approaches. He says firmly, “Upping your
security, T, considering you have…” He looks around Safira then
back at me, “none. Getting that goddamn bell fixed, too.”
Yippee to the bell. I’m not sure about the rest.
I cautiously ask, “Is there a reason I need security in a store
I’ve been at for two years without problem?”
He scowls at me and replies, “You got a problem, take it up with
Nik. Just followin’ orders, T.”
Well
damn!
I look around and see men are
already drilling holes into my walls and getting dust on some of
the clothes.
Eeek!
I run over to the clothes and rip them off the
displays. I dust them off as best I can but I’m sure they’ll need a
steam clean.
My face turns into a scowl matching Ghost’s and stalk over to the
computer. I log onto the Instant Messenger and type.
TheTomicBomb: Nik the Dik, u got some ‘splainin 2 do!
I immediately get a reply.
Nik123: Okay, baby. Later.
Oh no, he didn’t!
TheTomicBomb: Can u pls explain y I
have 3 men and Ghost ruining my damn clothes!?
Nik123: Be there in two.
That’s more like it!
Two minutes later, Nik strides into the studio and starts barking
out orders. “Don’t put that there”, “These clothes are very
expensive, watch it”, “Fix the damn bell before you do anything
else, it’s an emergency.”
My
savior.
My face has since gone soft. I walk up behind Nik, hug him and
press my lips to the middle of his back. I utter a muffled, “Thank
you, honey.”
His hands rub mine that are gripped tight around his waist. He
replies, “Anytime, sweetheart.”
Nik barks another order, “Don’t put the camera there. It needs to
focus on the outside, as well.”
Camera?
I quietly ask, “Nik,
why do I need cameras?”
He barks another order, “Get the panic button in before the
camera.”
Panic Button?
What in the Dickens?
I’m freaking out!
I whisper, “Nik, you’re freaking me out.”
He turns in my arms so I’m hugging his front now. He kisses my brow
and responds quietly, “All just precautions, Tina. I don’t think
you’re in danger but it’s worth doing all this as a safety measure.
You want your girls safe, right?”
Low blow right there, what am I meant to say to that? No?!
I reply sulkily, “Yes.”
He smiles and says, “Good. CCTV goes straight to our security room
which Ghost or Trick will monitor. Panic button makes our security
room go bananas. As soon as it goes, we’ll be half a minute away.
Tighter than Fort Knox, baby.”
I must admit that sounds good. It makes me feel safer. But what am
I meant to be afraid of?
I ask cautiously, “How much is all this going to cost, Nik? It
looks awfully expensive.”
Nik’s face turns serious as he replies, “You ain’t payin’ a dime,
baby. Don’t even try to argue with me about it. You wouldn’t need
any of this shit if it weren’t for me. I take care of what’s
mine.”
My heart squeezes.
That’s a bit sweet. But it must cost in the thousands of dollars. I
don’t like that.
I try to argue, “But…”
Nik cuts me off with a deep kiss and immediately my traitorous body
responds.
No fair you big
meanie.
He pulls away slightly and
says firmly, “No.”
Well, I guess that’s the end of that argument.
It takes an hour to install the cameras, panic button, and new door
sensor.
Hurrah!
Our doorbell actually
goes
Ding Dong
again. I need to bake a cake to mark this wondrous
occasion!
I kiss Nik, pat Ghost’s cheek, and thank the other men.
They all leave and I slump. I didn’t even do anything and I’m
exhausted.
Hmmm.
I wonder what would
happen if I press the panic button right now?
I look around. When I’m certain no one can see me I peek under the
counter. My fingers twitch.
You know the saying curiosity killed the cat? I’m sure it was
written about me.
I slide my fingertips from the top of the counter down and just as
I come into contact with the button…
I jump two feet into the air when the phone rings. My hand slaps my
chest, I breathe heavily and my legs shake.
Seems I’m as skittish as a cat too.
I answer and before I say hello I hear, “Don’t even think about
it.”
That’s Ghost!
I stand tall, frown, and put a hand on my hip. I lie, “I wasn’t
going to press it!”
Ghost sounds amused as he says, “Uh huh,” then hangs up.
I make an exasperated sound and stare at the phone. Damn fool of a
man hung up on me!
Looking up, I scowl right into the camera.
The camera moves left then right. It looks like it’s shaking its
head no!
The nerve!
Admit it, you got
busted.
Yeah. Totally busted.
***