Marcelin motions to Pierre and he walks out of the room. When he returns a few minutes later, he hands Marcelin his cell phone and a large envelope. After a few swipes and taps, Marcelin looks up at Akeem, holding the envelope.
“It’s sent. This should be all you need. If it’s not, let me know,” Marcelin says, then stands. After pinching his nose and wiping it, Marcelin extends the same hand he used to tend to his nose. Akeem merely grabs the envelope. “How long will it take?” Marcelin asks.
“How long has she been gone?” Akeem inquires.
“Two months,” Marcelin utters, hating to admit she’s been out of his hands for that long.
“Looks like she got a head start,” Akeem says, offering the only words he thinks Marcelin deserves before walking out of the room.
Marcelin nods and Pierre catches up to Akeem. He walks him through the house back to the main doors. The entire trek to his rental, Akeem thinks about Tanjaya and those eyes. Something in them was off. Contrary to her smile, she didn’t look happy.Insecure men, especially those high off cocaine, tended to be a little paranoid.
Maybe Marcelin’s paranoia transferred to her. Maybe it caused him to stifle her. And that’s the reason she left.
Akeem’s mind swims in maybes and he doesn’t like the unknown. The one and only time he found himself living in the unknown, he ended up being disappointed as hell and he’s not looking to repeat that.
As soon as he’s in his rental, he opens the envelope. He scans the eight pages and three other photographs with his cell camera and sends the documents to his brother. His phone rings almost immediately.
“The girl?” is all Axton asks because he knows his brother’s hard rule.
“To find only. He wants me to locate her and hold her until he gets her. She’s been gone for two months.”
“Got it. I’ll start seeing what I can find as?—”
“Tomorrow,” Akeem interrupts. “I’m already walking into this shit blind and something about it feels off anyway. The security on that house is overkill. That alone said a lot. Niggas like that work too hard to prove who they are. In his position, that shit should be understood. He’s not giving me the full story.”
“He paid though?”
“Yeah and I hit his pockets too. I’ll transfer your cut as soon as I find a room. I’m going to stay the night and check on Quise in the a.m.,” Akeem reveals.
“Charis knows you’re in town?”
“She will tomorrow,” Akeem says and Axton shakes his head.
“This is one of many moments I wish I had my sight. I would love to see the look on her damn face,” Axton teases and both brothers laugh.
Losing his sight at the age of eleven had been devastating to Axton, to his entire family actually. But like with all things, they loved each other through the pain and new family normal. The lightness and joy in their laughter is a testament of their bond and love through it all.
“I’ll give you a play by play tomorrow. Rest up, bruh. Don’t start this shit. It can legit wait until tomorrow.”
“Will see,” Axton says, then ends the call to get back to his computer and start searching for Tanjaya.
After sending Axton his twenty percent of the deposit, Akeem starts his engine and drives out of the estate. When he crosses the private bridge leading him away from Biscayne Bay, he ventures onto the highway and drives to Fort Lauderdale. His ex-wife, Charis moved here with their son Marquise four years ago after the divorce.
Co-parenting is the only relationship that exists between Charis and Akeem. The night she decided to leave happy hour with her girls and go home with a man other than her husband ended their five-year marriage. Cold and calculating Akeem who completes jobs without a second thought never appeared in their relationship or marriage. He never brought that side of himself home. Separation of work and home was a must and Charis only experienced the man who’d witnessed true Black love and loyalty from his parents and duplicated that with her. His forever was solid while hers wasn’t and they divorced months after her indiscretion. Her accomplice was found dead in his condo a week later with the suicide note Akeem made him write before sending a bullet through his chin.
Quise and Akeem don’t share an ounce of DNA but even blood couldn’t make them stronger. Quise is his son and Akeem will move mountains for the teenager who stole his heart at the age of ten. Tomorrow is just a scrimmage for Quise’s high school football team but he wanted his dad there so Akeem willbe showing up. No matter where his contracts take him, if Quise needs or wants him there, he shows the fuck up.
An hour later, Akeem has his drive-thru meal and checks into the Conrad Hotel off Sunrise Boulevard. It’s only ten minutes from the game and twenty minutes from Charis’s home. After chilling for a minute, he eats his food then takes a much-needed, long ass shower. Even though Axton will dissect and add to the limited information about Tanjaya provided by Marcelin, Akeem can’t get her off his mind. So, as he lays in bed, he reviews the information and the three pictures until he drifts to sleep.
Chapter
Two
Certain momentsin a lifetime require change, major change. Tiny, minor changes just aren’t good enough. In those times, drastic times call for drastic fucking measures.
You can do this.
You’ve done it before, too many times.
