Once JJ was packed up and ready to go, we left the house and headed home. The best thing for me to do was to just stop letting Eva get my son for a while. It was just too much shit going on.
My lawyer called me a few hours later and told me that he was working on getting Jack out and asked if he should be working on getting Amir out as well. I asked him what the charges were, and he advised that they hadn’t been charged yet and that he was working on getting more information. Shit was getting weirder by the second. My operation had always been solid, and I never had run ins with the law until now. I had soldiers who were now in jail and work missing off the streets. Somebody was about to give me some kind of answers.
I called Keith and let him know what was going on with Amir. The amount of money I lost by getting those bricks confiscated was insane. I was really sick to my stomach right now. I sat on pins and needles, trying to get more information from my lawyer. When my lawyer called me back, he told me that he had an inside source. He advised me that a case was being builtagainst me and my operation and that they had two different sources. When I heard that, it felt as if my walls were caving in on me. My lawyer set up an appointment for me to come by the next day and talk to him.
I didn’t know what I had done to be going through all of this, but somebody really had it out for me. I had made so many enemies in so little time that I really didn’t know who the sources could be. As JJ slept in his bed, I sat up all night stressing and anticipating my meeting tomorrow. Unable to sleep, I called Journei and asked her to come over. When she arrived, against my better judgment, I told her everything that was going on. I was so damn scared of losing everything, especially my son. I just needed to get the shit off my chest.
“You have to calm down. When you meet with your lawyer tomorrow, you will know exactly where you stand. I will go with you and look out for JJ while you talk with him. They can’t have any real evidence on you. Just make sure you move your stash spots, just in case them niggas switch on you,” Journei said, making a lot of sense.
During the night, I didn’t sleep at all. I was so worried about what might happen that I was really stressed out. I decided not to tell Keith anything yet until I knew what evidence they had on us if any. Lately, neither of us had really been getting our hands dirty. I would just have to see tomorrow.
The next morning, Journei woke up and got JJ dressed while I got myself together. She cooked us breakfast, and after we ate, we were out the door. When I arrived at my lawyer’s office, I had JJ and Journei wait in the waiting area while I went inside his office and spoke with him.
“Jakari, I’m going to shoot it straight. This is not looking good at all. I’ve gotten wind that someone has turned on you and your operation, and you all are looking at serious time. I’m not sure what evidence they have exactly, but what I do knowis that they are looking to bring you up on distribution charges, trafficking charges, an attempted murder charge, and a list of other things. I’ve been trying since last night to get those other two guys a bond, but they can’t be touched right now. They could be trying to get them to flip on you as we speak. It’s been over twenty-four hours since they’ve been holding Amir, so I’m going to have the DA grant me permission to get in to see him. He hasn’t even had a phone call, from what I hear. I’m going to do everything on my end to make sure they don’t tell them shit! By the time I’m done, we will have a lawsuit against the state. Just keep your nose and hands clean until I sort this out,” Davidson said.
It took everything in me not to be full blown crying at that moment. My son needed me, and I needed him, so I had to keep my freedom. I had no clue who could have been snitching on me. My soldiers were all solid and trustworthy; they had no reason to turn on me. All my people ate good—I made sure of that. My brother had always told me that if you starved a dog, it would turn on you, but if you kept him fed, he would always be loyal. I lived by that shit.
Once we were back in my car, I called Keith and asked him to meet me at the trap. I didn’t have time to drop my son and Journei off. I told her I had some stuff to move around and that we would go back to my crib as soon as I was done. I had no safe spots where I could move my work to. As I sat and thought about where to put it, Jashawn came to mind. I needed to stash my work and money at his crib until this all blew over. He had an oversized shed in his backyard that they never used. Unable to talk over the phone, I decided to clear all the work out of the trap now, then head over to Jashawn’s and ask for his help.
Keith and I pulled up at the same time. I told him what the lawyer had just said, and we quickly went into our spot and started packing up everything. Twenty minutes, several boxesand duffle bags later, we were headed to Jashawn’s spot. Keith trailed me on the highway as I made sure to do the exact speed limit. I called my brother and asked him to come outside in the next five minutes because I would be pulling up, and it was urgent. Since Diamond died, I hadn’t been fucking with him, so I could only hope he wouldn’t turn his back on me.
When I pulled up, Keith and I both jumped out and quickly explained the situation to my brother. As I looked into my car, I noticed Journei frantically looking around, and I wondered what part of all this had her on edge. Normally, I wouldn’t have rode dirty like that with anyone else in the car, but my freedom was at stake.
“I told yo’ emotional ass that you were gonna need me again. I would never hold no shit over your head, though, so like a big brother supposed to, I got you! Let’s start unloading this shit into the shed and hurry up,” Jashawn said.
Jashawn, Keith, and I started grabbing duffle bags and boxes out of my car. I looked at JJ sleeping in his car seat and promised myself that I was done with this shit. As I made my way to the shed, my phone rang, and it was Wesley calling, so I answered it on speaker while I continued to move shit. I didn’t want to hear anything about his weird ass auntie or his strung out ass cousin. Since Diamond had been gone, that whole family had been on some other shit, and I was definitely about to start keeping JJ away.
“What’s up, Wesley? I’m a lil busy,” I answered.
“Jakari, you been my best friend since knee-high, so I can’t let it go down like this. You need to be real careful because the feds are on their way to get you. Diamond is not dead. She was in witness protection, building an attempted murder and drug case against y’all. She escaped the program, and we don’t know where she is. She has also had our cousin Journei on you to getinformation and help the case. Stay the fuck away from her and get out of dodge now if you can!” Wesley blurted.
Just as he said that, the box I was carrying fell to the ground, and my knees almost gave out on me. Jashawn and Keith also stopped in their tracks. Jashawn pulled his strap out and headed toward my car, but before he could make it to Journei, police cars swarmed the whole house. Detectives Lee and Myers rushed up to us with their guns drawn, forcing us to get on our knees and place our hands behind our heads. They read us our rights, then cuffed us before they placed us in the back of the police cars, where we were forced to watch them take all our drugs and money.
When Journei looked in my direction, I nodded at her, letting her know I was going to get her ass. There was no way these dirty bitches were gon’ get away with this shit.
We were loading everything in the car from my baby shower, and I was so thankful for all the love that baby Cadence had received. His grandfather had really gone all out when it came to the gifts. I was so happy that my man was rebuilding a relationship with his father because I could see the change in his whole demeanor since his dad was back in his life. My baby boy would have a chance to know his grandfather, and we couldn’t be happier with how things were turning out. I was due any day now, and I was officially evicting this little boy. I could barely walk nowadays.
I had been praying Jakari out of my life and wishing that he would leave me alone for good, then one day, I turned on the news, and there he was. One of the biggest drug busts in ages, and he was the culprit. Instantly, my mind fell on his son, andI wondered what would happen to him. An innocent baby being caught up in all this bullshit was very heartbreaking. I wished his parents had done better by him and for him. No matter how he was conceived, he didn’t deserve any of this.
I had a sense of relief that no matter who my son belonged to, I wouldn’t have to look over my shoulder, waiting for Jakari to pop back up. He was gone for the long haul. Seeing his situation really made me push the issue of Rowdy getting out of the game. His business was booming, and money from his shop was flowing in more than my salon. I encouraged him daily and always told him how proud I was of him.
“You not gonna have to buy the baby nothing for a long time, bestie! I’m so excited for you, and I can’t wait to see his little face!” Ciara exclaimed.
Just as she got her sentence out, she grabbed her stomach, leaned over, and started throwing up in the grass beside Rowdy’s car.
“Looks like you’re gonna have a little face of your own to look forward to. This is the second time you’ve thrown up today and the fifth time this week. You need to make an appointment,” I stated.
“Hell no! I’m not pregnant, and if I am, I can’t keep it. I don’t fuck with Trell, and I don’t want shit to do with him,” she said as she watched me load the car.
“You talking crazy now! With or without him, you gon’ be straight, and I can promise you that.”
I stopped talking when I saw the guys come outside. Trell saw that Ciara had just thrown up, and he rushed over to check on her. She cursed him out and stormed off. She now acted as if she was disgusted by him, but she had better figure it out because clearly, he was her baby daddy now.
Rowdy walked up and kissed me all over my face while he rubbed my belly. I was so smitten with him; I couldn’t stopmyself from blushing. Rowdy was the man who all women wanted but could never find. He was a real man but knew to be gentle with me. He left the street shit in the streets and showed me nothing but love, and showered me with attention.
I got in the car and waited for Rowdy to say his goodbyes to his family so we could head home. I was beyond tired and just wanted to get some rest. The bigger the baby got, the less sleep I was starting to get. I couldn’t even laugh hard without accidentally pissing on myself. Rowdy talked about having a daughter and naming her Symphony, and I would pretend to listen, but I knew damn well I wouldn’t be doing this again any time soon.
Once we made it home, we cuddled up on the couch and watched movies together. Rowdy thought he was my second doctor and no longer allowed me to work. While he was gone working, I would sit at home all day and be bored out of my mind. I couldn’t wait to get back to my normal self. There was nothing left around the house that I could clean; I had done it all. Even the baby’s closet was color-coordinated and neat. Thankfully, it was Saturday, and Rowdy would be home with me for the next two days because the shop would be closed.
