Promise to Keep it Trill

by B. Love

  Marco’s arm wrapped around Kannon’s neck, pulling him backwards out of the room. Their eyes remained locked, and when Kannon smiled, Rico knew he’d fucked up. He placed too much stock into Kannon’s cool demeanor, not taking into consideration how the cannon would rip after years of holding his dislike of Rico in.

  Rico would have to come up with a plan quickly, or his life would be over. And he knew there was only one thing that he could do…

  23

  Makayla

  “Fuck what they saying, this what I’m saying,” Makayla stressed, growing irritated by the fact that she had to repeat herself. “I’m responsible for counting the money and making sure your numbers are correct. If something is off, Jason and Kannon come to me. Now I done told you several times not to come in here at the last minute, rushing me to count this shit. You know you have to stand there and wait until I’m done. If I miscount trying to appease you, that’s your head. So do you want me to rush and get this wrong, or do you want me to take my time?”

  With a huff, Andrew clenched his jaw before running his tongue across his cheek. This was the third time he’d rushed into the warehouse, trying to demand a quick count. Makayla was up on his game, and she knew it was because he felt like a rushed count wouldn’t show he was short. The first time he did it, Kannon let it slide. The second time, he had to be stripped down to make sure he wasn’t hiding anything like the bitches who cooked the crack were to be. If it happened a third time, it would be off with his head.

  Admittedly, Makayla didn’t care either way, but she at least wanted to give him a solid chance of making it out of here alive.

  Andrew nodded softly. “Take ya time.”

  She smiled, as if she would do anything else. Just like last time, he’d come up short. The money wasn’t on him, so Makayla called to have his car searched. When he stepped in her direction, she pulled her Glock from her lap and set it on the table as her head tilted. With his hands lifted in surrender, Andrew took a step back.

  “Don’t play with me. That’ll be the last thing you ever do,” she warned.

  Kannon came busting through the door, brows wrinkling at the sight of her clutching her gun.

  “We got a problem?” he asked, looking back at Andrew as he covered his dick with his hands.

  “We good,” Andrew almost whispered, swallowing hard before his head hung.

  “He short again, Mak?”

  “Yeah. Ten stacks this time.”

  “Ten?” Kannon repeated before running his pointer finger and thumb down the corners of his mouth. “Where the fuck my money at, Drew?”

  Andrew’s movements back were halted by the big, burly body of Slim, who was the opposite of his name. At six-six and close to six hundred pounds, he was Makayla’s favorite guard. Just the sight of him was enough to have people trembling in their shoes.

  He looked back, eyes widening at the frown on Slim’s face.

  “Uh—it’s—uh—I wasn’t able to sell all my load. That’s why I’m short.”

  “Then where is my product?”

  Andrew’s eyes ballooned as he turned back to Kannon. “Your product?”

  “Yeah. You wanted the responsibility of being in charge of your own shit when we became suppliers instead of dealers. That means even if you don’t sell all of your product, you still owe me my pay. I let you have an advance on product because you were loyal to us before Jason got locked up, but my patience has run out.”

  “I can sell the rest. I just need a few more days.”

  “We collect every Thursday, Andrew,” Kannon reminded calmly.

  “I know, but if you give me until next Thursday, I swear I’ll have all the money I owe.”

  Makayla’s head lowered as she shook, knowing exactly what would come next. Standing, she rested the palms of her hands on top of the desk.

  “Excuse me,” she called sweetly, smiling when Kannon looked at her.

  As soon as he did, his expression softened. And that was exactly why he moved the way he moved. Kannon was a lover. If ever the streets knew he was in love, they’d know his weakness. Makayla hated the choice he made to never get married or have more children, but she also admired him for it and found it noble. At least he kept himself from leading a woman on and making her think he was capable of giving more than he actually was.

  “You good?” Kannon checked.

  “Yes. William leaves the office at five, so we have to leave in less than five minutes if we want to catch him to make this drop.”

  “Who else you gotta count?”

  “He was the last one.”

  “Cool. Let’s go. I’ll get Nathan to pack everything up and follow us out.” Turning, he added, “Slim, take care of this shit.”

  Ignoring Andrew’s pleads for more time, Kannon walked over to the desk with his hand extended for Makayla to take. She did after placing her gun back in her purse.

  “I got some shit I need to rap with you about,” Kannon informed her as they walked out of the door.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, for the most part. I’m not sure how you’re gonna feel about this, but I will respect your decision either way.”

  Curiosity filled Makayla as they walked out of the warehouse. As always, Kannon opened the door to his Hellcat to let her in. It was one of his everyday cars, but to her, it was her favorite. She didn’t care for the flashy shit he had in his collection, which was another reason why he always drove it when he was with her.

  As soon as they were alone in the car, Makayla asked, “What is this about?”

  Kannon smiled as he watched the door, waiting for Nathan to come out with the money they needed to drop off. It didn’t matter how long they’d been doing this and how comfortable they felt, Kannon would never allow either of them to transport product or money.

  “You don’t want to wait until we get home?”

  “Not at all.”

  His smile turned into a laugh. “Aight.” When Nathan headed out, Kannon started his car. “You know I went to see Jason yesterday.” Makayla nodded. “He’s being moved to a max sec pen in Cali, so he would like to see you before he’s moved.”

  Not answering right away, Makayla took a few minutes to dissect what Kannon had said. Even if they weren’t talking, Makayla felt a small amount of peace knowing he was nearby and okay. Hearing that he was leaving town didn’t sit well with her. She didn’t like the idea of him being alone. And even with that, years had gone by since the last time they’d spoken. Why was he beckoning her presence now?

  “What does he want to see me for?”

  “I don’t know, Mak. You’ll need to go to find out. He wants to say goodbye, I know that.”

  Grabbing the back of her neck, Makayla looked out of the window as they drove down the interstate.

  “He said goodbye when he cut me off.”

  “It’s not my place to get in the middle of that. Whatever you decide, I’ll support.”

  Makayla smiled as her head shook. That was one thing she would always respect about Kannon. He may give Jason hell about her, but he never talked negatively or went against him with her.

  “Maybe I should go,” she considered. “Tell him about Austin. If he’s not going to be here, it won’t be as dangerous, right?”

  Kannon nodded. “Yeah. If he leaves and shuts the business down, I won’t do it by myself.”

  “What would you even do? You’ve been in the streets for as long as I’ve known you.”

  He shrugged and smiled as he massaged his chin. She couldn’t help but admire the side profile of him. How fucking sexy he looked with his small cross chain, gold bracelet and pinky ring.

  “I like to do other shit.”

  “Like what,” she yelled through her smile.

  “I like cars. Maybe I could open a custom car lot. You know every hood nigga got that or a detail shop.”

  Makayla chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Or a restaurant and strip club.”

  “Or laundry mat.”<
br />
  They laughed.

  “Alright, so maybe you have some things you can do to make some legit money, but I mean… what do you really like to do? I know you love music and dancing and having a good time, but what do you do when you’re not in the streets or with me and Austin?”

  His smile wavered. He looked at her for a brief second before looking straight ahead. “You want the truth?”

  “Always.”

  “If I ain’t with a bitch or shooting pool or some shit, I be at home wishing I was with you and lil man. Y’all are my most prized treasure. It ain’t shit I be wanting to do more than spend time with you. Even if it’s to go to that bullshit ass Incredible Pizza.”

  Makayla didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry. Her eyes watered as she laughed and took his hand into hers.

  “I feel the same way. I don’t need anything else when I’m with you and my son. And having my baby sister with us is like the icing on the cake.”

  When he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it, Makayla’s nipples instantly pebbled. Licking her lips, she squeezed her thighs together and told her pussy not to act a fool over a man they’d never have.

  24

  Jason

  Jason stared at the envelope for so long, his eyes dried. It was the first letter Makayla had tried to send him since he’d cut all contact with her, and he knew it had to be because Kannon had told her he was being moved. Had she decided not to come visit him before the time came?

  The sound of the door unlocking was the only thing strong enough to pull Jason’s eyes up from the letter.

  “You got a visitor, boss,” Carl, one of the COs on Jason’s payroll, informed him.

  Instead of getting irritated by the unannounced visitor, Jason welcomed the distraction. After putting on his black beanie, he looked his face over in the small, distorted mirror before following the correctional officer out. Carl waited until they were at the exit to cuff Jason, then he led him to the private visitation room.

  When he saw Rico, Jason immediately thought the worst. Sitting across from him, Jason took in his swollen and purple eye, the knot underneath it, and his swollen nose and lips.

  “What the fuck happened to you?” he asked, wondering how in the hell Rico allowed someone to catch him slipping.

  “Yo boy is what happened to me.”

  “Who?”

  “Kannon.”

  “Kannon?”

  Rico nodded. “It’s cool, though. I actually came to tell you some shit you should have known years ago.”

  Jason didn’t reply right away. He was too busy trying to figure out what the hell had transpired between the two to make Kannon smash on Rico like that. Even with the damage done, Jason could tell Kannon didn’t have the time to really go at him like he was capable of doing. If he was, Rico’s face and body would’ve been a lot worse.

  “What’s more important than whatever beef you and Kannon have going on?”

  Rico released a heavy breath as he sat back in his seat. Jason could feel the nervousness radiating from his core. He wasn’t as confident as he was when he first came in.

  “I didn’t feel like it was my place to be the one to tell you this, but since you leaving, I felt like it was best if you know.” Jason bobbed his head, remaining silent so Rico could continue. “Makayla got a son and he’s yours.”

  For a while, Jason just stared at Rico. It must have made him uncomfortable because he nervously looked away. Twiddling his thumbs on top of the table, Rico added, “Like I said, it ain’t my place to tell you, but I thought you should know.”

  Jason’s leg began to shake under the table as he bit down on his bottom lip so hard, he was sure he’d draw blood. Before he could stop himself, Jason was flipping the metal table over as he roared. Jumping up from his seat, Rico walked backwards until his back hit the wall. With wide eyes, he pressed his hands against it as Jason stalked over to him.

  Quickly, three guards walked in, keeping Jason from getting too close.

  “You’re lying,” Jason spoke calmly, a lot calmer than he felt on the inside.

  “I swear I’m not,” Rico almost yelled, holding his hands up in defense.

  “Why the fuck she didn’t tell me?”

  Rico shrugged. “All I know is, she came back to town with a baby that looked just like you.”

  “So you don’t know for sure that she had my baby?”

  “I mean… no… but it don’t take a rocket scientist to know it’s your kid. He looks just like you. Her and Kannon are always hiding him, and I know it’s because they didn’t want you to know.”

  “So Kannon knew about it, too?”

  Rico chuckled. “Of course. He be with the little nigga damn near every day. They got a whole little family thang going on outside the city. They lowkey with the shit, but I peep every-fuckin’-thang.”

  Jason’s body was shaking, and he knew it was best for everyone in the room if he returned to his cell.

  “Good lookin’ out,” he muttered, pulling away from the guards that held him.

  Jason didn’t even give them time to cuff him before he was walking down the hall towards the exit.

  Back in his cell, Jason called Kannon. When he didn’t answer, Jason punched the concrete wall so hard he was sure he’d broken his hand. But that physical pain was nothing compared to the thought of having a son by the only woman he’d ever loved and not know about it. Hell, getting Makayla pregnant had been his plan from the jump. He wanted her to always have someone to remember him by. Someone to love her in his stead. When months had passed and she hadn’t mentioned being pregnant, that’s when Jason cut off all contact. He figured that was a sign that they needed to part ways.

  Plopping down on the three-inch pad that was supposed to be a bed, Jason rocked back and forth as he stared at the letter Makayla wrote him. He had half the mind to tear the shit up and not bother to read it. Instead, he opened it and braced himself for what she had to say.

  Jason,

  It’s been a while, right? I swore I would never reach out to you again after the last time you rejected me, but I felt it was necessary that you know the truth. Our last night together resulted in me getting pregnant and giving birth to a handsome, intelligent, healthy, rowdy, silly baby boy. I named him Austin Jason Harris. He’s yours.

  I didn’t tell you about our son for several reasons. At first, I didn’t say anything because I was hurt. I was angry. You cut me off, so I didn’t want you to know we had a son. I didn’t want Austin to be the reason we remained in contact when you’d made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me anymore.

  Once that died down, the fear of your enemies using our son to punish you kept me from telling you about him. We’d just watched grief and guilt tear Kannon apart. To this day, losing Kendall affects him. I don’t think losing a child is something you ever get over. He’s numb some days, not feeling anything at all. And others, he feels every-fucking-thing.

  With those two things in mind, I made the decision to keep Austin a secret from you, and I made Kannon promise not to tell you. The only reason he agreed was because he didn’t want either of us to feel the pain he felt when he lost Kendall. I stayed in the Maldives for my entire pregnancy, even months after, because I didn’t want anyone to put two and two together and realize Austin was your son. That didn’t do me any good though because he looks just like your ass. I guess I craved you so much during my pregnancy that God gave me you through our son.

  If you want to be upset with me over keeping Austin from you, I understand. All I ask is that you don’t allow this to come between you and Kannon. He didn’t want to, I made him. With you leaving the state now, I feel it will be safe for you to know about our son. If you still want to see me so we can talk about this face to face, I am willing to visit you. And if you’d like, I will bring Austin, too.

  I can say a million times… my body, my baby, my choice, but I also understand that Austin is half of you. I didn’t have the right to choose whether you were i
n your son’s life for the first four years, but I made the decision that I feel was best for him. Though lowkey and somewhat hidden, Austin has lived an amazing life. He’s excelling in his head start program, he’s loved and nurtured, but he’s also being taught how to be a little man by my stepfather and Kannon.

  I don’t know how to end this so…

  Mak

  Ironically, Kannon called Jason back as he ended the letter, but he let it go to voicemail. He was angry with them both, and he needed his anger to subside before he talked to or saw either of them. They may have had their reasons for keeping his son away from him, but nothing they ever said would have made that shit okay. At least with Kendall, Kannon made the choice to stay out of her life – it wasn’t made for him.

  Running his hands down his face, Jason laughed until he cried. It was going to take a hell of a lot of time to process this.

  25

  Kannon

  “I just don’t understand why you even came back to me,” Ariel argued, hovering over Kannon with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “You know I don’t like when you stand over me,” Kannon reminded. “Move the fuck back.”

  With a huff, Ariel took a step back and lowered her hands to her hips. “What was the point of you making it seem like we were good, Kannon?”

  Kannon’s head tilted as he watched Nathan sink another solid ball. His conversation with Ariel wouldn’t fuck up his game, but he couldn’t deny how annoyed he was by her presence. She’d been blowing him up all day, so he finally told her to pull up before he headed home. Had he known she was going to talk to him about that bullshit with Rico, he would have just blocked her ass.

  “I was going to use you to trap him but he did it to his own self.”