by Jade Jones
Cameron looked from Magyc to Roxie. “Are you okay with that?”
“I guess,” Roxie answered dryly. Even though he was cute, Roxie didn’t know him from a can of paint. She did recognize that Cam and Jude needed privacy to hash out their differences, so she begrudgingly agreed.
“A'ight. I’ll get up with you later, bruh,” Jude said before giving Magyc dap. Together, he and Roxie dispersed, leaving the troubled couple alone with their problems.
Neither spoke to the other on their way out of the hospital. When they reached his Lamborghini Roadster, Roxie stopped and frowned.
“I’ll be sure to drive careful, Ms. Lady,” Magyc said, reading her thoughts. He then walked around her and opened the passenger door.
Roxie hesitated for a second. It didn’t look safe for an infant, but she trusted Magyc would get her home safely. Reluctantly, she climbed inside before making sure Rain was comfortable.
Magyc closed the butterfly door, walked around to his side and climbed in. The heavenly scent of his Tom Ford cologne was intoxicating. Roxie could only imagine the groupies he attracted.
“What’s your name?” she asked. “I just realized I climbed in the car with a total stranger.”
“I’m not a stranger. You know I work for Jude.”
Roxie just wanted to fuck with him now for the hell of it. Not only that, but she also wanted to test his patience. “I don’t care. You’re still a stranger. I don’t know your name.”
“Magyc,” he answered calmly. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his thick lips. They looked incredibly soft to the touch.
“Magyc?” she repeated skeptically. “Is that your birth name? Or did you just hit me with some fancy, street pseudonym?”
Magyc chuckled, clearly amused by her feistiness. Roxie was definitely proving to be his type. “It’s my government, ma. The name my mama blessed me with.”
Roxie twisted her mouth up and looked away. “Oh, okay.”
“Any other questions, Ms. Lady?”
She loved the way the words ‘Ms. Lady’ rolled off his tongue. Magyc was charming, sexy, and intriguing. Still, Roxie knew to keep a safe distance if she didn’t want to wind up hurt again. “No,” she said. “That’s all… for now.”
After punching in her address on the navigational system, Roxie and Magyc rode in silence while enjoying the lyrics to J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” album.
***
Subsequently following Roxie and Magyc’s departure, Cameron climbed in bed with Justin. Jude wanted to believe it was because she yearned to be close to their son, but he knew it was because she didn’t want to sit next to his ass.
Jude would’ve been blind to not see the disconnection between him and Cameron. She was losing faith in him, and he couldn’t say he blamed her. Lately, it felt like all he had to offer was his net worth. Because running the business took up so much of his time and energy, he couldn’t give Cam all of him. Instead, he gave her attitude and half-assed efforts. It was a true miracle she’d stayed around for as long as she did with everything he’d put her through.
The sudden sound of his phone vibrating interrupted Jude’s thoughts. He quickly sent Essence to voicemail before she woke up Cam or Justin. He was supposed to “handle” her months ago, but he bitched up on the task. Although he wanted to, Jude just couldn’t bring himself to go through with it. He may’ve been heartless and cynical, but he still had a conscience.
Instead of burying his deep, dark secret, Jude fled her apartment and cut all ties he had with Essence. There was only one other problem. The bitch was four months pregnant and relentless.
Thankfully, she kept her distance from Cam since Jude had put fear in her heart that fateful night. But she refused to let up on her baby’s daddy. Essence was determined to make Jude pay for all the grief he had caused. She made it her mission to harass him constantly, even popping up at the Warehouse once to talk. She wanted to know why he wouldn’t accompany her on doctor’s visits, and why she wasn’t good enough to have his child.
It wasn’t fair for Jude to place Cameron on a pedestal when she had shown him more devotion than his own wife. Essence was good enough to lie down with, but not good enough to bear his seed. None of it made sense to her.
I should’ve gotten rid of that headache when I had the chance, Jude thought, slipping his phone back in his pocket. He could only hope over time the issue somehow resolved itself. Little did Jude know, Essence was only the least of his problems...
5
Magyc brought his flashy sports car to a slow stop in front of Roxie’s high-rise apartment building. He wanted to try his hand with her before she climbed out the car, but feared the outcome. Fuck it. YOLO, he convinced himself.
“Look, I don’t wanna beat around the bush,” Magyc told her. “I think you beautiful and I wanna get to know more about you. Is that possible?”
Roxie unfastened her seatbelt and turned to face Magyc. There was once a time when she adored street niggas and their nefarious appeal. She’d dated bad boy rapper, O’ Zone for a year and a half before he was gunned down in an Atlanta nightclub. He wasn’t shit, and he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants to save his life, but Roxie loved him unconditionally. She’d gone through something similar with Joaquin. After losing two men who’d once possessed her heart, Roxie couldn’t bare the thought of losing another.
“You cute or whatever… but I don’t fuck the help,” she said bluntly.
Magyc felt like she had kicked him in the nuts. His pride was wounded after hearing Roxie say that shit. “Damn, for real?” he said, somewhat shocked. Magyc thought about bragging on how he was next to run the ring, but decided against it. After all, he had nothing to prove. He’d never been the type to boast or let his echelon speak for him. If Roxie did ever give him the time of day it’d be because he was a real nigga. Not because she was impressed by his money or position — like most of the birds he came in contact with. She was different, and he knew it. “I can dig that,” he laughed.
Suddenly, Roxie felt bad for throwing shade. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that,” she said. “It’s just that I’ve already been there and done that. I didn’t know how to separate business from pleasure with my baby’s father, and now I’m a single mom. I don’t ever wanna mix the two up again.”
“So you can be involved in da business, but you can’t be involved with a nigga in it. Am I hearin’ you right?”
“I’m sure you can understand.”
Magyc didn’t… but instead of telling her that, he simply said, “Fasho. I get it.”
Roxie slowly opened the door and climbed out. Even though she had said one thing, he was determined to make her feel another. Magyc had planted a seed in her ear. When it was all said and done she wouldn’t be kicking that business and pleasure bullshit. Instead, she’d be happy she took a chance on the kid.
Magyc watched her disappear inside of the building. After making sure Roxie made it in safely, he pulled off with thoughts of her being his girl on his mind.
***
Justin was released the following afternoon after his swelling finally subsided. The drive back to their Buckhead home was silent and tension-filled. Cameron still felt some type of way about how Jude reacted last night. And to add insult to injury, he hadn’t even apologized.
“So you still ain’t talkin’ to me?” Jude asked. It was the first thing he’d said to Cameron all day. She had been giving him the cold shoulder for their entire stay at the hospital, and he was tired of it. “You ain’t fuckin’ with me now?”
Cameron rolled her eyes in response and looked out the window. She had no words for her husband.
Jude reached over and touched her hand, but she quickly moved it away. Lately, there had been so much strain on their relationship that they hadn’t been intimate in months.
Jude quickly withdrew his hand after noticing her standoffishness. Cam didn’t want to be bothered and he could respect it. Out of nowhere, his iPhone beg
an ringing in the cup holder.
Cameron’s nosiness prompted her to look over so she did. A twinge of jealousy washed over her after seeing Essence’s name displayed boldly on his screen.
“Your hoe is calling,” she said, sarcasm oozing from her tone.
Jude didn’t respond as he continued driving. He didn’t feel like entertaining her charades, but Cam just wouldn’t let up.
“Did you hear me? I said your hoe is calling—”
Fed up with the bullshit, Jude snatched his phone, rolled down his window, and tossed it out. “There. You fuckin’ happy now?”
Cameron laughed and shook her head in disbelief. “You act like that’s supposed to change something.”
“I wish it could,” Jude mumbled.
“And I wish you had strapped up with that bitch. Hell, I wish you would’ve never laid down with that hoe, but you did—”
“Cam, watch ya mouth around our son, a'ight. He’s in the backseat—”
“Don’t act like you give a damn about Justin now!” Cameron lashed out. “Out of all the fucking money you make you couldn’t pay to have that shit dealt with! Now I gotta deal with this bitch every—”
“What the fuck do you want from me, Cam!” Jude yelled. “To abort the lil’ mothafucka myself?! I did everything I could! I fucked up! Damn. I don’t ‘een deal with that bitch no more and it still ain’t enough for yo’ ass. I’m tryin’—”
“Nigga, you ain’t trying,” Cameron waved him off. “You don’t even know the definition of the word ‘trying’.”
“Why do I have to go through this shit with you every fucking day, yo’? You gon’ let your insecurities tear us apart, Cam—”
“You’ve already beat me to it,” she retorted. “And whose fault is it that I am? For three months — three months — you paraded this second-rate bitch all over the city! Buying her cars, jewelry, and shit — I saw the receipts, Jude. And then you have the nerve to continue lying to me by saying she was just some fling. That bitch is carrying your baby! I have to live with that shit every time I wake up and go to sleep at night! Do you ever really stop to think about how the consequences of your actions affects those around you?”
“What the fuck do you want me to do, Cameron?” Jude asked calmly. “Why you stay givin’ me the third degree over dat bullshit? What’s yo’ fuckin’ problem?”
“I HATE YO’ TRIFLING ASS!” Cameron screamed. “You wanna know what my problem is? I hate yo’ mothafucking ass, Jude!” She clapped her hands together with every word to emphasize her extreme dislike. Tears steamed down Cam’s cheeks as she finally let her true feelings surface. “And it ain’t just the pregnancy and whatever other hoes you probably smash on the side. It’s everything! You changed and I despise what the hell you’ve become. I can’t even stand to look at your ass. You make me fucking sick,” she cried. “I hate your ass, Jude. I really do…”
Jude sat silent in his seat as he navigated the vehicle. He was at a complete loss for words. Although he held his ground, he was breaking down inside. Cameron had never spoken to him with such animosity and discontentment. He hardly even recognized her. It felt like a stranger was cursing him out. He almost didn’t want to believe the shit spewing from her lips.
“You don’t mean that,” Jude said in a low tone. “I know you don’t mean that shit.”
“As sure as that mothafucking baby is yours, I mean that shit with every fiber of my being.”
Damn.
There it was.
Jude had no idea that Cameron felt such a strong disdain for him. He’d really fucked up, and this time the damage was irreparable. Jude slowly pulled through the tall wrought iron gates that led to his seven-bedroom home.
Things quickly went from bad to worse when he saw a familiar face awaiting his arrival outside a parked limousine.
What the fuck is he doing here? Jude asked himself.
6
“Who’s that?” Cameron asked before climbing out of the car. She used her right hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she strained to look at their uninvited guest.
“Go take Justin in the house,” Jude ordered. “I’ll be in there shortly.” He never broke his gaze from the cold, dark stare fixated upon him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just do what I say.”
Cam, sensing something was up, quickly did as she was told. She’d heard the urgency in Jude’s tone and knew he meant business. After securing her son, she retrieved the loaded 9mm from her bedroom closet’s top shelf. Cameron had gone through her fair share of turmoil, so she knew better than to underestimate anyone.
Jude’s cousin, Aso, had raped Cameron the last time she’d done that. Cam would never make that mistake again. This was what her life had become, looking over her shoulder 24/7.
From the massive bay window, Cameron watched as Jude approached the older Hispanic gentleman. He was both clean cut and professional in an Armani suit, salmon dress shirt, and Ferragamo loafers. The Hermes belt buckle shined proudly on his waist.
Cameron instantly wondered what connection he had with Jude. He didn’t look like the type of cat her man would associate himself with. Besides, there were only a handful of close people who knew where they resided.
Stuffing his hands in the back pockets of his True Religion jeans, Jude cautiously approached his former prison mate, Stone Sanchez.
The stocky fifty-four year old was an intimidating looking man standing at six feet four inches. He was virtually tattooed on damn near every inch of his body, but the most prominent were the devil horns on his forehead. He was once a member of the infamous Mexican mafia, and still carried himself with the same pride and cockiness.
The last time Jude saw him, he was under the assumption that Stone had life. He almost couldn’t believe he was actually staring at him in the flesh. Stone was leaned casually against the shiny, black limousine with his arms folded as if he had a personal invite.
“What’chu doin’ here?” Jude asked. There was a humorless expression on his face as he waited on a response. He and Stone had history, but the motherfucker was still trespassing. Jude really didn’t appreciate that shit.
Stone smiled and ran a hand over his salt and pepper goatee. “Is that any way to greet an old friend?”
If the circumstances were different, perhaps Jude’s greeting would’ve been too. But this wasn’t prison. It was the real world. And in the real world, Jude didn’t rock with Stone like that to be popping up unannounced.
When Jude didn’t respond fast enough, Stone continued. “It’s funny how friends forget us when they don’t need any more favors.”
Jude quickly reflected on his prison days when Stone had looked out during his time of need. When no one else was in his corner, he blessed the young and eager inmate with a position in his profitable drug business. Back then Jude was slinging behind bars just to help his girl stay on her feet. He would’ve done anything to keep Cameron content. It was crazy how times had changed. He still didn’t know where the hell they went wrong.
“I never forget a favor,” Jude replied.
“Is that right?” Stone asked. He then turned around to look at Jude’s luxury estate before nodding his head in approval. The young boss was definitely living lavish, a total step up from where he was two years ago in life.
Jude wasn’t the least bit impressed by Stone’s boldness. As a matter of fact, he was rather insulted. “I’ma ask you again… what are you doin’ here?”
Stone cackled and finally unfolded his arms. “Qué pasa, viejo amigo? You don’t like seeing me?” he asked. “Mierda dura. You better get used to it, my friend. You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me, considering us being business partners and all—”
“Whoa, what the fuck is you talkin’ ‘bout?” Jude asked, clearly confused. He was flossy, but he tried his best to move under the radar. Most people didn’t know what he did for a living, other than those involved. And there, Stone was, a motherfucker from his prison days, demanding
a piece of the pie. Although Jude appreciated everything Stone did for him, he wasn’t with him shooting in the gym. Jude had scraped and crawled for his position, and he owed that to no one but himself. “What’chu mean business partners?”
At that moment, Stone’s 6”8 enforcer climbed out of the limousine. He was a burly, Mexican guy dressed in all black from the Raybans on his face to the dress shoes on his feet. Tucked discreetly on his waist was a polished Beretta with a suppressor screwed on the end.
Suddenly, Jude understood exactly what the hell was going on. Stone wasn’t asking for a seat at his table; he was demanding one. It was obvious that he wasn’t taking no for an answer either.
“You know the funny thing about favors,” Stone began. “Most people return small ones, acknowledge medium ones, and repay greater ones, with ingratitude. Benjamin Franklin said that shit.” He chuckled. “You know in prison there ain’t nothin’ else to do but read.”
“And plot,” Jude added with a pointed look. The receipt of a favor could be oppressive.
Stone found that amusing. “That too, my friend,” he agreed.
Jude was confused, and tired of him stalling. “I really don’t see what’chu gettin’ at, bruh.”
Stone slowly made his way over towards him. The playful banter had come to a cease, and he was once again more serious than a heart attack. “Maybe… I feel like you owe me, hermano. Maybe I feel like I should get a fair cut of all profits.”
Jude’s temple throbbed as he listened to Stone stake his claim. He was trying to intimidate him, but he was doing a piss poor job at it. Little did Stone know, Jude wasn’t that same wide-eyed, guileless mothafucka from prison. He was a stone cold killer who had put his own cousin down. There was no limit to the shit he would do to Stone in order to protect himself, his household, and his operation.
“And what if I don’t wanna jump on board?” Jude asked curiously.