“This was round two,” Jersi laughed.
“It’s too good for me to even keep count,” Memphis replied.
“Who the hell was that calling your phone? We’re still newlyweds and I would hate to cut you,” Jersi threatened.
“Stop playing girl. Another woman don’t even stand a chance,” he assured her.
“I still want to know who it was,” Jersi insisted.
“Look and see. Raise up, I need to use the bathroom,” Memphis said as he tapped her thigh.
Jersi really didn’t care who was calling because she trusted her husband. She got up and followed him to the bathroom. She started the shower while Memphis relieved his bladder. Once he was done, he hopped in the shower with her. When they got out, Jersi changed the sheets so that they could go to bed. When his phone rang again, Memphis rushed to answer it. He was shocked to see that JJ was calling him. He sent Memphis a text a while ago letting him know that he had made it to the car wash in one piece.
“What’s good JJ?” Memphis asked when he answered for his brother.
“Man, you need to get to the shop now,” JJ sobbed into the phone.
“What happened bruh?” Memphis asked as he rushed around the room to get dressed.
Jersi didn’t even know what was going on but she started getting dressed too. The look on her husband’s face let her know that it had to be something serious. Memphis was trying to calm his brother down, so she grabbed her keys and offered to drive. She kept hearing him say something about the car wash, so she assumed that’s where he wanted to go. They rushed out of the house and Jersi locked up. As soon as they got into her car, Memphis ended his call.
“We’re going to the car wash, right?” Jersi asked.
“Yeah,” Memphis sighed as he ran his hand down in his face. Stress lines formed on his forehead and Jersi was concerned.
“What happened baby?” Jersi asked as she drove to their destination.
“JJ said that he killed somebody,” Memphis revealed. Hearing that bit of info was bad enough. Knowing who it was that his brother killed was the worst part.
“Oh my God! He killed somebody at the car wash?” Jersi inquired.
“Yeah, somebody tried to break in there on him,” Memphis replied in a low voice.
Jersi could tell that he really didn’t want to talk about it so she didn’t push the issue. She grabbed his hand in comfort as she drove to his place of business. When they pulled up, the entire area was pure chaos. Crime scene technicians, police officers and everybody else had the entire street blocked off. Memphis and Jersi got out of the car and hurried to see abut JJ. Vance pulled up right after them and rushed to catch up with them.
“He’s over there baby,” Jersi said when she spotted JJ sitting on the curb with his head hung low. Two police officers were talking to him but he was a mess.
“We’re here JJ,” Vance said as he sat down next to his brother and put his hand on his shoulder. Memphis explained to the officers who he was and they allowed them to stay.
“Man, I didn’t know who they were. I swear I didn’t,” JJ cried. His eyes were red and puffy and Jersi’s heart went out to him.
“I know you didn’t bruh,” Memphis said as he pulled him up into a comforting, brotherly hug.
“Are they still in there?” Vance asked.
“Yeah, the police just got here a little while before y’all did,” JJ replied.
“Who does that car belong to?” Memphis asked. JJ only shrugged because he didn’t know anything. The car had yellow tape around it like it was a part of the crime scene.
They all turned their heads towards the entrance of the building when they saw the paramedics rushing someone out on a stretcher. They all walked closer to get a better look at who it was. Memphis had a murderous look on his face when he saw his cousin Juan being wheeled out and loaded into an ambulance. Jonah was cuffed and sitting in the back of a police car. Unfortunately, Lila was the third perpetrator but she didn’t make it out alive. Memphis wasn’t even surprised that the three people who hated him the most had tried to rob him. They all had motive and they all needed the money. What pissed him off was that they were willing to kill his brother to get it. JJ was fucked up over killing Lila but at least he was alive. Their own father was trying to do them dirty. That was a new low even for him.
The sun rose and they were still processing the crime scene. Jonah had gone to jail, while Juan was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds to his side and chest. Sadly, Lila was taken to the morgue. JJ had to go to the police station to give his statement and Vance and Valerie went with him. He wasn’t being charged with anything because he was defending himself. Memphis had to hang around the car wash until they finished processing the crime scene. Jersi already had a cleaning company on standby to clean up the mess that had been made.
“You okay baby?” Jersi asked Memphis.
“Yeah, I just hate that JJ had to go through that shit. He gon’ be fucked up for a while. I might have to let somebody else manage this place and let him do something else,” Memphis replied.
“I can help out on the weekends when I’m off,” Jersi offered.
“You can’t help out ever. I took off every weekend for a reason. That’s our time together,” Memphis noted.
“I just can’t believe that your father was in on it. It’s not even that serious,” Jersi frowned.
“It is for him. Me and JJ are his least favorite people right now. Doing us dirty probably gave him pleasure. That’s the nigga that my mama tried to get back with though. She hate him now but she was pissed with me for wanting him out of her house. The nigga never gave a fuck about nobody but himself. I guarantee he’s gonna get in that interrogation room and sing like a canary with his bitch ass,” Memphis said.
A week later Memphis found out just how right he was. He and JJ had a meeting with the detectives and they laid everything out for them. Apparently, Jonah was the mastermind behind it all. Vance was too damn nice and he made it too easy for him. JJ never let their father inside the building but Vance was too trusting. Jonah ended up getting the spare key and the code to the alarm right from his youngest son’s desk drawer. Vance was always buying him food and letting him sit in his office alone to eat it. Memphis wasn’t blaming his brother because he didn’t make their father do it. Jonah thought of it all on his own. Once he told Juan of his plans, he was on board and he recruited Lila to help. Jonah’s stupid ass was still sitting in the getaway car out front when the police rolled up. He never even thought to leave when Juan and Lila took too long to come out. Being a dumb criminal got him and Juan some jail time while Lila was six feet deep. It was sad that she didn’t even have insurance to be buried. Valerie was her next of kin and she wanted no parts of her. They tried to kill her child and that was unforgivable, even in death.
Juanita was so heartbroken by what her son and brother had done. She washed her hands with both of them and refused to even take their calls. She went to see Juan when he was in the hospital just to let him know how disappointed she was. Memphis kept the car wash closed for a week but JJ wanted to keep managing it. Nothing like that had ever happened before but he wasn’t afraid to go back. He knew that it wasn’t a random act and that gave him a little comfort. He swore that he was never staying the night in there again and Memphis make sure of that. He helped his brother to get an apartment and even paid the rent up for three months. JJ got himself a bedroom set and that was all that he needed. He was sorry about what happened to Lila but it was either her or him.
A fter spending a week in jail, Marvin was finally able to bail Mariah out. He wasn’t rich and it took him a while to get the money together. Not only was she charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, but she was also charged with credit card theft. Marvin tried reaching out to Blake to get the charges dropped but he refused. He packed up everything that Mariah had at his house and dropped it off to Marvin. He and Tabby only lived in a small two bedroom apartment and Mariah’s things took up most of their free spa
ce. Tabby wasn’t too happy about her coming there but she didn’t have a choice. Marvin paid the bills and there was no way that he was letting his only daughter live on the streets.
“Stop crying Mariah. We’ll get through this,” Marvin said as he grabbed her hands in comfort.
“Who is we? At least you have a roof over your head. I have no money, no job and thanks to Blake, I no longer have a car. He cheated on me and I end up getting the short end of the stick. He took everything from me including my kids,” Mariah sobbed.
“I know it’s hard baby but I’ll do whatever I can to help you,” Marvin assured her.
“How, by inviting me to live in a house with Tabby? I hate that bitch even more than I hate her hoe ass daughter,” Mariah snapped.
“Listen, I’m trying to be understanding but your ungrateful attitude is starting to piss me off,” Marvin said, taking Mariah by surprise.
For as long as she could remember, her father had never so much as raised his voice to her. Mariah was a spoiled brat and he was the one who started it. She was his only child and he’d always put her on a pedestal. Even when she was wrong, Marvin always had her back.
“Wow, even you’re turning your back on me. I guess I’m officially in this world alone,” Mariah replied as she wiped a few tears from her eyes.
“You’ll never be alone as long as you got me. This is hard on me too Mariah. You think I want to see you going through so much? I’m a father and I hurt when you hurt,” Marvin said.
Mariah only rolled her eyes at his comment. He was just like everybody else and didn’t give a fuck about her. Her mother was the only person who genuinely loved her. She thought Blake did at one time but he proved her wrong. She could see him not bailing her out of jail but if he would have dropped the charges, everything would have gone away. A small part of Mariah hoped that he still loved her just a little. When he left her to rot in jail, she knew that he didn’t.
When they pulled up to Tabby’s house, Mariah wanted to cry all over again. The one place that she dreaded and even hated to visit would now be her home. It was sad that she literally had nowhere else to go. She was too embarrassed to call her friends and let them know what was going on. They already knew that Blake was cheating on her and that’s all that she wanted them to know.
“Are you hungry sweetheart? I can fix you something to eat,” Marvin offered.
“No,” Mariah said with a disgusted frown. She didn’t eat from their house when she used to visit and nothing had changed.
“I tried to put your things as neat as I could but you have a lot of stuff. We can probably get some storage bins to put everything in,” Marvin said when they walked into the house.
The entire place smelled like fried chicken and Mariah knew that the smell was probably going to be in all her clothes. Her shoe boxes and clothes almost covered every inch of the living room. Tabby was standing at the stove cooking with a frown covering her face.
“Trust me, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me to be,” Mariah snapped angrily. She didn’t give a damn that she didn’t have anywhere else to go. Tabby and her nasty ass attitude had her fucked up.
“You know where the door is. Your broke ass ain’t doing me no favors by staying,” Tabby replied.
She loved having the upper hand on Mariah. When she married Blake, she felt like she was too good to come around. She barely let her kids come over to see their grandfather. Mariah turned up her nose at them when she moved up in the world. She didn’t count on being knocked off of her high horse so soon. Mariah always said that she didn’t believe in karma but Tabby did. Her stepdaughter was getting a good taste of it now.
“Let’s not do this ladies. This is a temporary situation and we need to make the best of it,” Marvin said.
“Fuck her,” Mariah snapped as she walked away.
“Oh hell no! That bitch gotta go! Ain’t no way in hell is she staying in my house disrespecting me,” Tabby fussed.
Mariah went into the small spare bedroom and slammed the door. Tabby was still going off but she didn’t give a damn about what she was saying. Tears burned Mariah’s eyes as she saw even more of her clothes and shoes scattered around the room. She felt like she was back in a prison cell with how tiny the room was. Mariah’s bathroom at the home she shared with Blake was bigger than that. Just thinking of her husband had Mariah in her feelings. All the years she was with him meant nothing.
She gave him his first and only two kids and that seemed to mean even less. She had nothing to show from her marriage but a bunch of designer clothes, shoes and jewelry. She looked in her jewelry bag, trying to find something that she could possibly sell to get some quick cash. She had a nice Rolex and a few bracelets that she knew would get her a decent amount. Mariah grabbed the envelope that they’d given her when she was released from jail. Her license was in there and she needed them if she wanted to pawn something. When she dumped the contents out onto the bed, the key that she’d taken from Blake’s wallet was in there. The piece of paper that she’d written some information on was in there as well. The wheels in Mariah’s head were turning as she thought about her next plan of action. The first thing she needed was a ride to the pawn shop. As soon as her father stopped kissing his wife’s ass, she would get him to bring her.
“Don’t make me be petty and track your phone. You get with Dray and don’t know how to come back home,” Memphis fussed while talking on the phone with Jersi.
“I’m not with Dray anymore. I’m at the store getting something to cook for your dramatic ass,” Jersi laughed.
“What store?” Memphis questioned.
“I’m at Whole Foods getting a few things. I’m about to get in the line in a minute,” Jersi answered.
“Okay, let me know when you’re on your way so I can be looking out for you,” Memphis said.
“Okay baby, I’ll be there soon,” Jersi replied before hanging up.
She went to the meat section and picked up a few things to cook during the week. Memphis didn’t mind eating out but he preferred a home cooked meal. Dena taught Jersi a few things in the kitchen and he liked everything that she prepared. When Jersi’s phone vibrated again, she answered for her cousin, Ariel.
“Hey cousin. Me and Mike are at the daiquiri shop and Damien is in here. He asked me for your number but you know I don’t play that. He said he got a new phone and he lost all of his contacts,” Ariel said.
“I don’t want him with my number. Are you near him? Give him your phone,” Jersi replied.
“Okay, let me go back over there,” Ariel said.
It sounded like she was walking and Jersi waited patiently. She had everything she needed, so she walked to the front of the store to checkout. A few minutes later, Damien’s deep voice came on the line.
“What’s good Jersi?” Damien asked.
“Nothing much. Just getting some stuff to cook for my husband,” Jersi replied.
“Yeah, I heard you got married. Congrats on that,” Damien said.
“Thanks Damien. What’s up?” Jersi asked, wanting him to cut the small talk.
“I lost my phone and I lost all my contact info. I was trying to get at your brother,” Damien said just above a whisper. Jersi already knew what was up so there was no need for him to be discreet. Maybe he didn’t want Ariel and Mike to hear him.
“Um, hold on for a second,” Jersi said as she clicked over and called her brother. She needed to make sure that Dray was okay with Damien having his number. Her brother had some crazy ways and he probably didn’t want to be bothered any more.
“Hey sis, you made it home?” Dray asked when he answered.
“No, not yet. I have Damien on the other line. He said he lost all his contacts and he’s asking for your number. I just want to make sure it’s cool,” Jersi replied.
“Bitch, hell yeah it’s cool. That nigga is about to take me shopping. Tell him to call me right now,” Dray said before he hung up.
“Hey Damien. You got somethin
g to write with?” Jersi asked when she got back to him.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” he replied. Jersi called out the number to him and hung up the phone right after.
She checked out her items and headed to the parking lot. She and Dray had been out shopping all day and she had a trunk full of bags for her and Memphis. It was dark but it was only a little after six. She wanted to cook her husband a good meal and relax for the rest of the night. Jersi put her bags in the car and was preparing to get in. When she went to the driver’s side, she jumped when she saw Blake standing there. Jersi was preoccupied, so she didn’t even see when he walked up.
“You scared the hell out of me,” Jersi said as she held her chest.
“We need to talk,” Blake said as he looked at her.
“I can’t Blake. I have to get home,” Jersi replied.
“I wasn’t asking,” Blake said as he showed her the gun that he was holding.
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