“There are reporters outside of my building, Charisma. Lucky for him, he’s missed all the excitement,” she states, pointing at the little boy on the floor with his back to us.
“I know. Can you please not let anyone know that I’ve been by here if they ask? I’m sneaking back out again, but I need to keep a low profile for a while.”
“Yeah, girl. I got you. Lucky for you that you’ve got a work-from-home job. I hope these people aren’t tripping when I go back in tomorrow,” she states, sighing.
“I’ll pay you for the missed day of work,” I state, stepping up from behind Charisma who gasps, and Angelique leans sideways and smiles at me.
I had been standing on the opposite wall, hiding in the shadows, next to someone’s door across the hall from Angelique. I’ve caught them both off guard.
“Who is this?” Angelique asks, batting her eyelashes and smiling flirtatiously at me.
She is a bad chick, who on another day, I would have hollered at, should holler at since Charisma doesn’t have the time of day for me. I’m just not interested in a woman at the moment. The only thing that really captures my attention is the little jit playing with a toy motorcycle in the background.
He’s lying on his belly, facing away from us. I’m curious because most kids would immediately jump up and rush to their parents when they arrive, but he continues playing like we aren’t even here.
“This is Chaos, Geli. Chaos, this is Geli, or Angelique, my friend and babysitter.”
Angelique bites her bottom lip and extends her hand to me. With the way her tits jiggle in the low-cut, high cropped tee, I can see why she is called Geli, or more like jelly. I shake her hand but keep my gaze on Charisma as she moves into the room.
I watch as she kneels beside the little boy and taps his shoulder. He looks up, and his mouth opens wide. An odd sound comes out as he shrieks and jumps into her arms. It leaves me confused, especially when Charisma taps her lips and starts using her fingers to speak.
Fuck! She’s using American Sign Language.
“She’s using ASL. He’s deaf,” Angelique explains.
“Deaf or hard of hearing?”
“Sexy, hard of hearing is what you seem to be. I said deaf. I meant that in its totality. He has no functionality when it comes to hearing.”
“Good to know,” I mutter.
“Don’t go feeling sorry for either of them. They are both as happy as they can be. His little heart is full of so much love, and she’s grown a lot because of him.”
Despite Angelique’s words, my heart breaks for him and for Charisma. I can’t help but wonder how difficult it has been for her. I’m pissed as hell that I have missed out on his little life. Yeah, I wasn’t here for her, but I didn’t know she was pregnant either. She had known and never uttered a word. She could have told Priest and allowed me the option to be here when she was pregnant, at his birth, and in his life. I have missed out on so much, and it was all her fault.
A little voice inside of my head keeps saying that she wasn’t the sole one responsible for me missing out, but I’m not ready to accept that. I want to punish her in the worst way possible. There is nothing that I can think of that can come close to being a sufficient punishment for her denying me the right to be present in his life, nothing short of death.
I watch as she grabs CJ by the hand, grabs his bag, and thanks Angelique again. When they turn to face me full on, I’m shocked by the likeness. Looking at this kid is like looking in the mirror. Not a single part of him resembles Charisma; he’s all me. I know that my mom must have pulled out my school pictures over the years and compared them to his little face a dozen times or more.
I regret not keeping in touch with my family, but I had to do it for their safety. Although the MC has had prospects looking out for them from time to time, my mom and sister never knew. If I had just said one word, it would have made all the difference. This is fucked up.
CJ watches me with a quizzical expression before he turns his gaze back to Charisma, and his hands fly in a flurry of movement.
Angelique presses her hand to her mouth and giggles.
“What are they saying?”
“Oh, he just asked his mother if you’re about to kidnap them. He says that you look like the dudes fromSons of Anarchythat JT watches, except you’re black.”
“Who’s JT?”
“Her boyfriend’s brother,” Angelique states with a smirk.
“Charisma, let’s go,” I demand as frustration grows inside of me.
“I’m coming,” she replies, rushing after me.
When we reach the bottom of the stairwell, I press my hand into her shoulder. “Stand right here, and I’ll go grab the truck.It won’t take me long. I’m not playing either, Charisma. Don’t fucking try to play me.”
