Show Me You Care (12 page)

              “I’m good. My father told me not to worry about a nigga and that’s what I’m doing; not worrying about a nigga.” I nodded my head. Shit, her father would probably beat Jayden’s ass for the bullshit he pulled.

              “Speaking of your father, how is he?” I asked as our waiter walked up on us. We placed our orders and started back our conversation. “Like I said, how is your father doing?”

              “He’s good. Him and Mom are in Paris vacationing, according to him,” she said with a smile on her face. I knew she was happy her parents got back together. I heard a familiar voice and knew shit was about to get real. In walked Jayden and Treasure with Trey and TaKiera. I looked at Shy and we busted out laughing.

              “Damn, you can’t go nowhere in the A without running into this Lord of the Ring ass bitch,” Shy said, causing me to laugh harder. Our food came out and we started to eat. I looked down at my sleeping princess Kenya, while India was wide-awake looking for food. Pulling out one of the bottles I made, I fed it to her while I attempted to eat. Looking up, I saw Trey and Jayden trying to make their way over to us. I kicked Shy under the table and all we could do was ignore the stares from across the restaurant. I placed India on my shoulder and burped her, then started rocking her back to sleep. By then Trey and Jayden were standing at the table. I continued to rock India as Trey attempted to touch Kenya.

              “Do not touch her with your dirty hand!” I said, making sure he heard me loud and clear.

              “I can’t hold my kids now?!” he asked, raising his voice at me like I was some little ass kid.

              “You definitely can, when you wash your hands and not while you see her peacefully sleeping. Last time I checked you’re not the one waking up in the middle of the night, so no you can’t hold my child while she’s in the middle of napping. Another thing, raise your voice at me again you’re going to be missing a tongue,” I said, rolling my eyes while placing a now sleeping India back in the stroller. They were still standing there staring in our faces. I let out a deep sigh and attempted not to slap the shit out of them. I looked over and could see TaKiera and Treasure heading over. I gave Shy a knowing look. Nothing but drama was about to go down. I let out a deep sigh and waited for the bullshit to happen, while I asked for the check.

              “Aww, look at my stepdaughters,” TaKiera said as she tried to hold India. I got up from my seat and looked at this bitch like she was stupid.

              “You trying to lose a hand or something?” I asked while rolling my eyes.

              “Those are my MAN’S kids so I can hold them if I want to!” I laughed as I tried my hardest not to slap the shit out of her.

              “They might be your man’s kids but touch them and I promise you they will find you in a ocean floating with no hands. You want to hold someone, how ‘bout you hold your son while trying to find his—” Shy put her hand over my mouth, knowing I was about to say some shit that would hurt both their feelings. I bumped past her as I pushed the stroller outside while Shy paid the check.

Trey:

              I sat in the house getting cursed out by TaKiera for nothing. Ever since the Waffle House scene she’d been on me hard lately. I was tired of going through this shit. It was nothing but arguing over nothing.

              “Trey, I got a question, why you didn’t stand up for me? I’m supposed to be your girl but you couldn’t even stand up for me.” I sighed out loud.

              “Why would I stand up for you when you were in the wrong? You came over there trying to get her mad. No one told you to say anything or to act like you did. Those are my children, yes, but you know not to even look at them too long,” I said as I got out of the bed and started putting on my clothes. “A lot of the bullshit you go through is because you act like a fucking child. But you want me to stand up for that? You want me to respect that? You’re angry because you’re not on her level. Nothing about you turns me on anymore.”  I got my keys off the dresser as TaKiera ran behind me.

“Trey, you don’t mean that? What about your son? What about us?”

“Did you just say what about my son? You mean your son! You allowed me to fall in love and raise that little boy and he’s not even mine. So ain’t no us and never been an us. We ain’t a family, TaKiera. We ain’t shit but exes and I barely want you to have that title!”  I walked out of the apartment and headed to the car. I saw a black Toyota Camry ride past me with tinted windows. I watched one come down and spray the apartment with bullets. Before speeding off, I hopped out of the car and ran to open the door. I found TaKiera shot in her stomach. She looked me in my eyes. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“I’m sorry, Trey!” was the last thing she said before she blacked out and I felt a lone tear fall from my eyes.

TaKiera:

“Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today, our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one…”
I recited the Lord’s Prayer over and over in my head. I couldn’t open my eyes or feel my body. All I could do was lay still and it was weird. All I could remember was Trey leaving and the bullets flying. I thanked God that my son was at Star’s house spending the weekend getting to know his real grandmother. I could only see darkness and hear the ambulance sirens. At least I was safe from whoever shot up the house. My gut was telling me it was Jordyn and if it was, I was going to take from her something that meant the most to her. I let my mind ease and drifted off towards happiness. What started off as a bright light slowly became dark and extremely hot.
I am going to hell
, I thought, and prayed that Lord forgave me for my sins although it seemed to be to late.

“We’re losing her!”

“She is losing too much blood!”

“Clear…Clear…Clear!”

Chapter 21:

I was in my hotel room trying to figure out what my next move would be. Star was smart and probably would have built an army by now, leaving me with only Shy and Nine on my side. I had no other reinforcements but I knew how to get some. Sneaking in my brother’s room, I dug through his stuff until I found his black book filled with the best hit men. I heard footsteps and saw Nine creep up behind me.

“What are you doing?” he asked, pissed

“I was looking for people that could help us. It’s only three of us against the army of people that Star has. We need help, Nine. That book has all the help we need!” I said, making sure I got my point across.

“I already handled back up, Jordyn. You just have to trust me. I got us.”

“I’m just nervous, that’s all, Nine,” I said as I went back to my room to see both of the twins sleep peacefully on my bed. Looking at my phone, I had about ten missed calls from Trey. I honestly missed him but I couldn’t deal with having to be in a love triangle. At times I cried myself to sleep or my heart hurt knowing that the twins would never have both their parents together. It was supposed to be different from how my mother and father’s relationship was. I heard a knock on my door and was surprised to see Trey on the other side.

“They’re asleep if you came to see them,” I said, referring to the twins.

“I miss you, Jordyn! I’m sorry that I put you through all this shit. I’m sorry that I let you down by continuing to go back to TaKiera. I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you when you said she was trying to bring me down. Jordyn, I apologize. Baby, I love you with all my heart.”

I could feel a tear fall down my face. I was conflicted. I didn’t know what to do with him at this moment. My head was telling me,
Jordyn, don’t forgive him
but my heart was telling me to give him another chance.

“JORDYN, say something to me, please.” I looked over my shoulder out the window and saw a bunch of guns drawn. I grabbed my daughters off the bed and looked at Trey.

“Trey, get down, now!” I screamed as bullets started to ring out. I made sure I shielded the twins as the shots continued to keep going. It felt like they were shooting forever. The cries of India and Kenya overpowered the sounds of gunshots. After about ten minutes of bullets flying, the shooting had finally subsided. I stood up with the twins still crying. Trey looked at me in horror.

“Jordyn, you’re bleeding!” As soon as he said that I passed out.

Trey:

I was scared out my ass. Jordyn was in surgery and her brother couldn’t figure out who organized the shooting. All things led to Star; if it was her she was going to have to die a slow painful death. I just prayed it didn’t ruin my relationship with Kayden and Jayden. I sat in the waiting room with a shaken up Shyla and a pissed off Nine. He paced back and forth while pushing the stroller that the twins had fallen asleep in. I looked at the time. It was three in the morning. The shooting happened at midnight. I was getting even more worried with the fact she’d been in surgery for three hours. I had called everybody including her parents. They were going to take Big Jay’s jet out here to be by her side when she got out of surgery. I couldn’t even sit still as we waited for the doctor. I looked at the door and Jayden was walking in with a stressed look on his face. He gave me a head nod and we all sat for about three more hours before the doctor came out.

“Family of Jordyn Brown?” the doctor said. We all walked up to him.

“We have some great news and some bad news. The good news is we were able to remove all of the bullets. The bad news is one of the bullets went right through her uterus, making it extremely hard for Jordyn to ever have children again.” We all looked at each other and were sad to hear the news. I knew it would devastate her to not be able to reproduce again.

“Can we go see her?” The doctor said yes and we all headed to the floor Jordyn was on.

Kayden:

Keeping an eye on my mother was hard as hell The bitch was always on the move. I overheard her on the phone with some dude trying to score some drugs. I was beyond pissed. For years she held that over my father’s head and now here she was doing the same thing. The same shit she claimed would ruin our family. She was becoming a whole new person. Shit, if we didn’t have a maid that came once a week the house would look like shit. I heard the front door open and hoped it was my brother coming to check on his mother. But it wasn’t. I heard a male’s voice that didn’t belong to anyone in the family.

“Star, we did the hit on both of them!”

“What are their conditions?” I walked closer to my doorway so I could hear who they were talking about.

“TaKiera is doing better now and should be leaving the hospital sometime this week. Jordyn was hit six times but that’s all I was able to get. Her files are being kept under lock and key with security supervising her visits.”

“Who has her babies?”

“No one knows where the kids are!”

“Shit, if she’s anything like Big Jay she’s going to come for me as soon as she gets out. We can’t have that. Book me a flight to Houston. I have a cousin out there that she didn’t kill that I could stay with.” That was the last thing said as I walked over to my closet and packed some clothes in my overnight bag. Walking out of my room, I saw my mother leaning on the counter snorting a line of coke. I took a picture on my phone and sent it to Jayden, since he was in denial when I told him the first time I tried to tell him.

“Where the hell you think you’re going, Kayden?” she asked, looking at me with glossy eyes.

“I’m going to the mall. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Yeah, okay, Kayden. That’s all your ass do is shop and spend money. If you haven’t noticed your father ain’t been home in weeks therefore ain’t no money being made. So we don’t need you going to the mall spending money just ‘cause you think you can.” My bank account is still very full while hers is empty because she’s using it to support her newfound habit. I rolled my eyes and walked out of the house, heading towards the hotel where Jordyn and them were staying. 

Chapter 22:

After two long weeks of me being in the hospital I was finally able to leave. While I was here Nine rented a condo for us to stay in until the trip was over. I was plotting my revenge the entire time; I realized it couldn’t have been TaKiera because she was in the hospital when it happened. So that only left Star and I already knew how I was going to handle her. She thought I left her cousin in Houston alive by a mistake, but it was all a part of the plan since her cousin in Houston, Erinn, was actually Nine’s main chick. It was weird since she lived in Houston and he lived in Miami; at least I thought he did. After making sure I had all my stuff I headed for the exit. Shy was outside in the car waiting for me with Jayden leaning against the car. I still wasn’t talking to him after the bullshit he pulled. Getting in the car, we headed to the new apartment. I walked in to see India and Kenya playing with their father and remembered what he said to me the night of the shooting. I had a lot of decisions to make, starting with whether or not I wanted to give us another try. I headed straight to my room and took a nice long shower. I came out wrapped in my towel to find Trey laid out across the bed, I gave him a look that told him to get out but he didn’t move.