I shake the memory from my head as I walk to my car so I can go home for the night. TJ is still at my house and refuses to leave. The last two nights I’ve ignored him and locked him out of the bedroom. He pounds on the door to be let in, but I don’t give in to him. TJ will never share my bed again. That ship has sailed because I willnotcatch some nasty disease from him. He won’t ever contaminate my personal area of the house again either. I’ve already thrown away all the sheets and blankets we’ve used over the years and replaced them with new sets he’s never even seen before. I’ve been preparing for this for a very long time. TJ never could keep his hands or dick to himself and I refuse to play the games he wants to force me into.
It doesn’t take me long to drive through town to my home. It’s a small two-bedroom I bought with part of my inheritance when I graduated from college. TJ wasn’t part of theplan when I bought the house and moved in. I decorated it for me and eventually had to remove all of the things I loved seeing on my walls. Bhodi’s game jerseys I still have in poster frames. A football from a championship game he got when he won the MVP of the year award. It sits in a glass case and never gets taken out. I came home one day to find TJ and his friends trying to open the case to use the football for some stupid game. He got pissed when I removed it from the room and told them to fuck off.
Pulling up, I can’t even park in my own driveway. Cars and trucks fill it along with the front yard I spent hours planting flowers in. With a deep sigh, I park on the side of the road a few houses down and leave my stuff in the car before heading for the house. I’ve moved my brother’s bike to a controlled environment storage unit I have so TJ can’t touch it. Today we were supposed to have rain so I didn’t risk riding the bike to work. I can already hear music blaring from the house and know my neighbors are probably pissed as hell. Laughter and chaos sound from the house the closer I get and I can’t help but slow my steps because I know this is going to be a damn fight against TJ.
With one more deep breath, I open the door to find people all over the house. There’s a hole in the wall by the TV, lights are broken on the floor, and no one gives a fuck about the damage being done tomyhome. TJ is sitting front and center on the couch with women hanging off of him. It’s a sight I’ve witnessed more than a handful of times over the years. Just never in my home before today.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I yell, walking to the stereo system and shutting it off.
Everyone in the house stops what they’re doing and turns toward me. No one says a word as TJ stands from his seat and stumbles over to me already drunk off his ass. I’m guessing he’sprobably high as fuck on something as well. TJ damaged his knee in a game his senior year of college and it ended his career. He’s had three surgeries so far and has been told no amount of rehab or surgery will ever allow him to play the game he thought was his escape again. Ever since then, he’s turned to alcohol and drugs. TJ believed I didn’t know what he was doing, but he doesn’t ever hide his tracks well enough for anyone to not trace his movements and know what kind of chaos he’s creating.
“You think you can come in here and put a stop to this party?” TJ slurs, his voice hard and cold as he tries to point a finger in my chest.
“I can. This is my fucking home and you’re no longer welcome in here,” I say, pulling out my phone from my pocket and dialing the cops. “Get the fuck out!”
No one moves an inch as TJ starts laughing his ass off and goes back to sit on the couch surrounded by even more women than before. He settles in as I talk to dispatch and am told officers are on their way and will be here soon. I don’t leave the living room as everyone continues doing what they were with the absence of music this time. One person tries to turn it back on, but I don’t let them get close. The stereo is one I’ve had for years and was programmed by my brother and Rex. TJ has already fucked with it once and I chewed him a new ass about it. The audacity these assholes have is astounding.
I stand my ground as I wait for the police to arrive. It doesn’t take as long as I thought it would before two cop cars pull up and amble toward the front door that I left open. I can already see my neighbors standing on their porches to watch the drama unfold. This isn’t the first time I’ve called the cops to the house because TJ is being an asshole. Usually he’s made to leave for the night and I can put my house back together. I don’t believe that will be the case today as he stands from the couch and stumblesover to the officers. They do that half man hug thing guys do and I know they’re all friends.
“What seems to be the problem here? Who called for the cops?” one of them asks, looking around and nodding at several people standing in my home.
“I called. TJ isn’t supposed to be here. I kicked him out three days ago. My name is the only one on the deed and he has no rights to my home,” I answer the officer as he turns his attention toward me for the first time.
“Do you have evidence of that?” he questions me, his voice lazy as he looks me up and down like I’m his next meal.
“Yes, I do,” I respond, pulling up the deed on my phone and showing him.
The officer takes my phone and looks it over. Before telling me this is a civil dispute and there’s nothing he can do to remove TJ from my home. It’s a load of bullshit.
“You know that’s a lie. He has no right to be here and I want him and everyone else removed immediately,” I state because this isn’t the first time I’ve been through this with TJ.
“Ma’am, please don’t be aggressive toward me. TJ lives here and has every right to remain in the house. If he’s having a party, maybe it’s better that you leave for the night,” he says, stepping closer to me and looking at me once again like I’m a meal and not a woman.
“This is bullshit! Remove him from my home right now before I report you to your supervisor,” I tell him, knowing I will take that step because TJ has no right to be in this house.
“Ma’am, we don’t need to escalate the situation. Just leave for the night and the two of you can talk things through tomorrow when you’ve both had time to cool down and think the situation through. You two have been together for a long timeand this isn’t a good enough reason to kick TJ out,” the second officer says, his voice leaving no room for me to argue.
“This isn’t over. TJ will be removed from the house one way or another and I will ensure you both get punished for not doing your job because you’re all friends. Fucking dirty cops,” I say, heading for my bedroom and locking the door behind me while I pack a bag for the night.
It doesn’t take me long to pack a few changes of clothing, make sure all of my important papers are in the bag, and lock the safe so TJ can’t get in it. I grab my jewelry box and stuff it in the top of the bag before closing it. With my keys in hand, I make sure to lock the bedroom door before heading to my office and locking that so no one can get inside. There’s nothing major in there, but I’m not about to let anyone else get inside a room that has nothing to do with them. Walking back through the living room, I find the cops still there waiting for me and the music turned up louder than before. I shake my head while leaving the house behind. The cops follow me to my car and one of them takes my information before they leave me alone on the side of the street.
Getting in my car, I toss my bag in the passenger seat and start the engine. Pulling away, I take one last look at my house before leaving it behind. TJ is going to destroy it all because I’ve embarrassed him in front of his friends and called the cops on him again. He always manages to destroy something I love when this shit happens between the two of us. And I’m always the one to blame for it happening. That never changes between the two of us.
I pull behind Fantasy Realm and park my car in the same spot I had it in before leaving for the day. Grabbing my things from the passenger seat, I get out and lock the doors before heading inside. Once the door is locked again, I turn the alarmback on so no one can get in to surprise me. TJ has already tried to break in here once that I know of. It won’t happen again. I make my way to the reading nook I made at the back of the store and set everything down. Dropping down on the oversized couch I can sleep on, I drop my head in my hands and let the tears fall. I’m the one being punished because I chose to allow a complete piece of shit in my life. Things between TJ and I ended in college and I don’t honestly know why I allowed him back in my life. Maybe I was bored. Or maybe I was lonely. Elara has her own life now and while we still spend a ton of time together, it’s not the same as before. Nothing is the same and it won’t ever be again.
Chapter Three
Master
A WEEK HAS passed since I saw Taleah and that bastard arguing on the sidewalk. Every day, I’ve been locked in my office digging up every piece of information on them as I can find. I don’t leave unless the security company needs something from me and I haven’t slept more than an hour or two a day since seeing the girl I’ve missed for seven years. Taleah is clean. She went to college, got her degree in business like she always talked about when we were younger, and then opened her bookstore. She has made countless donations over the years to various charities and has helped families and individuals in need. Taleah has never once taken credit for the donations or help. She does everything anonymously. The only reason I know is because I pulled up her banking transactions. She put a huge chunk of her inheritance into a separate account and that’s what she uses for the donations and other help she gives. The girl is a damn angel and no one knows of her good deeds. It’s not really surprising though. Taleah has never liked the spotlight and always preferred the shadows. Despite her being on the dance and cheerleading teams, she is an introvert and only went out because of Bhodi. He loved having his sister with him and didn’t give a shit who knew that.
TJ is a fucking menace. He’s an alcoholic who lives off of Taleah’s money. Nothing he has is his—he used her money for everything he owns. Including the car he once owned and bragged about as if he was the one to buy it. Taleah sold it when he lost his license after paying it off. She lost money on thevehicle, but didn’t care because she has her car and a motorcycle. Part of me can’t help but wonder if it’s Bhodi’s bike, but I don’t know why she would have kept it all this time.
I learned TJ blew out his knee in college and had to stop playing football. His career ended in the blink of an eye and that’s when he went back to Taleah. She took him back in a heartbeat and he’s been fucking her over every day since then. I’ve found numerous transactions from Taleah’s bank from him. The money goes to the casino and the women he’s fucking behind her back. Women she clearly knows about based on what I heard that day. He’s spending her fucking money on them and she does nothing to stop it. At least from what I can tell she hasn’t. He’s taken thousands of dollars from her over the years so far.
On top of all of that, Taleah has called the cops on him more than once for various shit. He is always removed from her house. One she bought with her inheritance and he has nothing to do with. It’s a cute home and one that fits her perfectly. At least for a starter home. I’ve seen pictures of the destruction his parties have done to the house she has to fix without any assistance from him. It’s ridiculous and something Taleah shouldn’t ever have to deal with. If Bhodi were still alive, she wouldn’t be dealing with a piece of shit like TJ. Hell, if I were still in her life, no one would have a chance to get close to her. TJ never would have even gotten a first look from Taleah because she’d be mine still. One more thing to place on the pile of shit I created because I’m a selfish fuck.
“How long are you gonna be locked away in here?” Count asks, walking in my room as if it’s his and not mine.
