“Soon,” I said through my clenched jaw, finally responding to Jax as I continued to watch the screen. “This is all my fault. Had I been on my job?—”
“Nah, bro, don’t piss me off with that. It was never your job to watch that girl every second of every day.” He walked in front of the screen, blocking my view of her. “You were where you were supposed to be when you were supposed to be there. You had no idea another nigga was plotting on her ass too.”
Dragging my eyes up to his face, I didn’t appreciate what he was implying, even though he was technically right. “What thefuck are you saying, Jax? Because right now, I don’t like your tone.”
“I don’t give a fuck!” He mugged me right back, with his arms crossed. “I’ve committed arson and homicide, so you’re definitely going to hear my mouth. If you want that girl, tell her. Stop hiding in the shadows like a lil’ bitch. Be her nigga and protect her like you’re supposed to. You got all these cameras and shit on her like a psychopath. How does watching her like that last nigga was make you any better than him? Tell Blossom what the fuck is up.”
Hearing a loud gasp behind him, we both snapped our heads to the entrance of the living room and locked eyes with a sleepy and saddened Blossom. My heart thudded like a drum in my chest from fear at what she’d heard. Placing my glass of liquor on the table beside me, I stood slowly from my recliner and took steps her way.
“I-It was you,” she said just above a whisper, visibly shaken. “Y-You killed Damien, but it wasn’t your first time killing someone, was it?” She looked between Jax and me, scared out of her mind. She glanced around the living room in a panic before her eyes landed on an end table. She covered her mouth in horror as she pointed shakily. “That knife—. T-That night, leaving John’s house…”
“That’s not a knife.” No one ever appreciated the difference between blades. “It’s Kimbo, like Kimbo Slice…” I smirked as I walked over and picked him up. “And he’s a bad muthafucka.”
Picking up my machete, I couldn’t help but admire the way it gleamed under my living room recessed lights. Blood from tonight’s activities still stained the sharp edge and handle. Just thinking about everything that took place still had my body humming.
“Where the fuck is she?” I roared through my car’s receiver as I zoomed through traffic. The headlights damn near blinded me as horns blared while I cut them off. “Talk fast, Jamir!”
“Give me a second, JJ, damn!” Jamir groaned, causing me to smirk. He hardly ever cussed, so when he did, I found it comical. “I’m hacking into the city cameras in the area now. I can send them to you if you’d like?—”
“Jamir—”
“Ok… Ok.” He cut me off. He knew damn well I didn’t want to see any fucking footage. I wanted a location. “The dark SUV she was placed in went west…” He got quiet for a moment, and all I heard was typing in the background. “Got it. I’m sending you the location now.”
Disconnecting the call, I instantly received a text message from him, pinning the address. Tapping on my car display screen, I put in the address and gripped my steering wheel so hard that my knuckles popped. Twenty minutes was too damn long.
“Bro, if you don’t slow the fuck down, you’re going to get us pulled the fuck over.” I could hear the frown in Jax’s voice from the passenger seat. “Mama is going to be pissed if her famous son is posted online in a negative light.”
“Trust me, you won’t be the one making headlines if that nigga has touched a hair on my girl’s head.” Grabbing his phone from the cupholder, I dropped it in his lap. “Gone and call Wild. Tell that nigga to let Uno know it’s about to be some smoke in the muthafuckin’ city.”
“Your girl, huh?” He chuckled as he began to type away on his phone to do as I asked. I could feel his glare on me under the streetlights as we headed toward the outskirts of town. “You’ve been holding back on me.”
Deciding not to say anything, I focused on the dark road ahead. I could spew a bunch of bullshit and deny everythinghe said, but why would I? No matter what anybody said, even Blossom, she was mine.
Lost in thoughts of murder, it didn’t take us long to get to the hole-in-the-wall gambling house. Throwing my truck in park at the front door, I didn’t even bother cutting the engine as I hopped out.
“Now, bro… We have to be sensible about this,” Jax started his shit as we approached two security guards at the door. I could hear the noise from the people and the music inside. “There’s a crowd in there and?—”
Swish! Slash!
Brandishing Kimbo from my back, I cut the two guards’ throats and watched as both men dropped to the ground. Blood squirted from their necks as I kicked the door in. Stale smoke slapped me in the face instantly as I peered around the large room. People nearby looked from me to my bloody blade as they fell over themselves, getting out of my way.
“Hey—Ahhh!” a nearby waitress screamed as I grabbed her by the hair. “What the hell is going on?”
“If you want to make it out of this bitch alive, you’ll tell me where that bitch-ass nigga Damien is. If not…” I grinned as I jerked her head back and placed the blade at her throat. “Your head will be a car emblem by sunrise.”
“JJ!” Blossom’s boisterous voice snapped me from my thoughts. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the police! TJ is?—”
“A bitch-ass nigga on borrowed time and will be dead the moment I get my hands on him.” I sneered, squinting at her as I stepped her way. “You think mentioning that nigga puts fear in me, baby?” She kept her eyes on me and took a step back with each step I took forward. “My dear cousin has a death wish, and it’s only a matter of time before I grant it.”
“C-Cousin?” she stammered, still with scared eyes on me. “You guys are related?”
“For lack of better words.” I twirled the handle of my machete, head angled as I stood in front of her. She couldn’t help but crane her head back to keep eye contact. “Your ex-girlfriend, yes girlfriend, has made it his life mission to try and ruin mine because his father was a bitch too. He’s gone a little too far to get my attention, and now he has it. Not only him, but your brother.”
“R-Rowan?” She swallowed hard, tears forming again in her eyes. “W-What did he do?”
Lifting my finger to her face, I traced the tear that slid down to her nose and was surprised when she didn’t flinch from my touch. “Your brother is a little boy that wants to play a grown man’s game that he lost a while ago. Now, he’s going to get spanked because of it.”
“Was this all a lie?” she asked in a whisper, searching my face for something. “Us meeting the way we did? Me giving myself to you? Was this all a plan of yours to get back at TJ and Rowan?”
