That muthafucker is gonna see me, he thought but elected to keep the words from affirming what she was already thinking.
“I want this to go away, not get worse. Whatever you’re thinking will make it worse.”
He didn’t disagree but his mind wouldn’t change.
“I’m gonna fix it. You have to trust me. If I can’t make it go away, I can make it right.”
She didn’t have the energy to argue. There was also another thing to be addressed. As long as she wasn’t out there, the whispers would stop. But the minute she showed her face, there would be someone reminding her of a past she’d desperately tried to forget.
“I can’t pay you back right away but if you give me some time…”
“Pay me back for what?’
“The songs, the…”
“You don’t owe me shit. Mari. How many times do I have to say that?”
“It’s not just about you. If I’m not out there, I can’t make money.”
“Why the fuck you think you’re not gonna be out there? I don’t give a damn about any of this shit. It’s handled. Niles and Dom aren’t pressed about it either. We’ll figure it out.”
When his eyes narrowed on her face. he had his answer. She was bailing and that pissed him off.
“You gonna let him win? Because if you do, that’s gonna fuck me up.”
His hand met the side of her face before he lowered his forehead to hers and his thumb brushed over her smooth skin. “No one can tell you who you are, Mari. Not that video or anyone’s thoughts about it. They can’t have power over you unless you allow them to. Don’t give it to them.”
When his deep browns locked in, demanding that she accept his words, Samari nodded. Asao’s thumb moved over her cheek again. “I need you to trust me to fix this. Can you give me that?”
She nodded and he dropped his mouth to hers. “Go call your girl and let her know you’re good. I’m sure she’s worried.”
After one last kiss, he tapped her thigh and Samari lifted from his lap, pushing the negative thoughts away for the moment. They would be there when she felt like dealing with them, because regardless of what Asao believed, he couldn’t fix this. Nobody could.
They saidpatience was a virtue but at the moment Asao didn’t have the ability to possess behaviors that would qualify as a high moral standard, so his patience was lacking. Regardless, he sat in the black SUV tagged with fake plates, waiting.
Niles accepted the role of driver, Dom rode shotgun while Asao filled the seat behind him. They’d touched down in Chicago that morning after doing research to locate the reason they were there. Access made things too easy. Pictures on social media linked Mase Davidson to a social media model he spent money and time with. Recognition and a transfer to her account through CashMe granted Asao insight on when he could pull upto handle Samari’s situation his way. The goal was simple. She was hurt and the source of her pain would feel pain.
“You sure this shit is legit, Sao?” Dom asked, shifting in his seat. He was just as prepared as his boy to get things done, but time was money. He would ride that shit out as long as necessary but he was ready to get his hands dirty. Niles and Dom’s connection to Samari was very different than Asao’s but they fucked with her all the same. She was family now, so checking muthafuckers behind her was a given.
“It’s legit,” Niles said, motioning to the body that stepped out of the back VIP entrance to Elevate, an exclusive gym for athletes in the city. The money Asao transferred was well spent. Kizzie K handed over details of where they could find Mase. Because he was nursing an injury he was keeping from his team trainers for fear of being traded, Mase was seeing a physical therapist who worked at Elevate. The late night appointment granted Asao and his boys access.
“Let’s go,” Asao mumbled before he jumped out of the SUV and rushed Mase. Asao was on him so quick Mase didn’t have time to react. Asao lifted a Timb covered foot and made contact with Mase’s left knee—the same knee he was at Elevate to rehabilitate—so he buckled and dropped to the ground. Asao didn’t let up but the next move was a punch to the face delivered with all of his strength. With a fistful of the hoodie Mase was in, Asao delivered blow after blow until he felt satisfied that the point was made. Swollen eyes, bloody mouth, bruised skin.
He then stood above Mase, removed the gun from the small of his back, and angled the barrel so it was aimed at Mase’s head.
The battered ballplayer quickly lifted both hands, palms facing out. Any thoughts of retaliating quickly left his body.
“What do you need? Just tell me what you need,” Mase rushed out, assuming the assault was connected to a come up.He thought they were jack boys. “I don’t have cash on me, but you can get my watch, my car, shit, whatever you need.”
Asao laughed arrogantly. “I don’t want a damn thing you have. I’m here to discuss how you like drugging and assaulting women.”
Mase’s battered face tensed and his eyes expressed confusion before it clicked. He recognized the person who assaulted him. The video exposing one of the worst decisions of his life had been on repeat over the last week. His teammates had been giving him props for what they assumed was a rookie player living wild, engaged in a threesome. His new management team was on his ass, interrogating him with questions about what repercussions they would need to deal with. They asked for details of that night. Details he had yet to be honest about because he was embarrassed.
“I didn’t drug her,” he stated flatly, and although the confession was true, it granted him another painful blow to his knee which caused him to yell out and hiss through gritted teeth. “I didn’t fucking drug her and I didn’t assault her either. We never had sex that night.”
Anger pushed through Asao’s veins and he leaned over Mase, shoving the barrel of the gun in his mouth. “You calling my girl a liar, ’cause she said she was drugged and that video shows you with her that night.”
Mase’s eyes went wide and he jerked his head from left to right before he exerted his best efforts to speak with a gun in his mouth. “That’s not what happened. Chill and I’ll tell you.”
