by B. Love
Kannon thought it over for a moment. “Shit would have been different if you’d made different choices, but I can’t say we would be together now. If we would have moved in together, I would have taken all of your kids as my own. I would have done all I could to protect them, but eventually, I feel like something would have happened to remind me of the vow I made to never have children. When we first met, things weren’t supposed to get deep between us. But you were saying and doing all the right shit to make a nigga wanna chase you. Had I not been sprung, I never would’ve gotten as close to you as I did. So I don’t know. I probably would have given us a chance, but I know me, and I’m sure eventually I would have pushed you away to keep y’all safe if I didn’t get out the game.”
“You would have considered getting out for me and my kids?”
Kannon shrugged. “I don’t know. I felt like I could have loved you but you wasn’t really trying to let me in. You wanted shit to be yo’ way or no way, so I let it ride. It doesn’t matter now, though, because that shit is in the past.” He stood and released a disappointed sigh as he looked down at her. “You get to live because of your kids, but if you ever try to cross either one of us again, I’m going to kill you my fucking self.”
He looked over at Makayla and told her, “Don’t take this shit too far. I’m coming to get you in sixty seconds.”
“Sixty seconds?” Makayla repeated as Kannon headed for the door. It didn’t matter how much Carmen deserved to get her ass beat, he didn’t want to see it. After Kendall’s death, Carmen held a softer spot in his heart. Maybe it was because of what they’d gone through together or his guilt. Whatever it was, he’d only wanted the best for her and the rest of her children – even if his was gone.
“Yeah. Sixty seconds.”
After shutting the door behind him, Kannon sat on the porch and pulled the blunt down that was behind his ear. As he lit it, he tuned out the sound of Carmen’s screams and grunts. He’d never understand how her heart was so impenetrable, but it was. For a full year he tried everything within his power to get her to submit to him and receive everything he had to offer, but she declined, settling for the bare minimum of his dick and his money.
He didn’t have proof, but Kannon was sure she’d put holes in the box of condoms that contributed to Kendall’s conception because she felt his energy shifting as he prepared to leave her. It seemed as if the less he wanted her, the more she began to want him. But Kannon had never been one for games. Once he cut his heart off to her, that was it.
When the door opened and closed, Makayla came and sat next to him. She was breathing calmly, as if she hadn’t just done what Kannon was sure was major damage. Handing her the blunt, he looked over at her, shaking his head at the drops of blood on her face, neck, and shirt.
“Is she still breathing?”
Makayla nodded as she released smoke through her nostrils. “Yeah.”
“You feel better now?”
Her head shook as she shrugged. “Not really. No.” She took his hand into hers. “I know that had to hurt you.”
“I’m cool,” was all he offered, even though that wasn’t the truth.
Makayla rested her chin on his shoulder and looked over at him with a small smile.
“You know you can’t lie to me.”
Kannon chuckled. “I wanna be cool. And I will be cool. With time.”
“You’re a great guy. She didn’t deserve you.”
“I know. I think that’s why I wanted her so much.”
Makayla’s brows wrinkled as she smiled and lifted her head. “Why? Because she wasn’t swayed by your charm?”
He chuckled quietly. “Something like that. I think I tried to make it work with her so long because I didn’t want to be alone around you and Jason. Y’all were so in love and shit. I needed a distraction to keep my mind off you.”
When he pinched her chin she dropped it and blushed. “Well… you don’t have to try and keep me off it now. Because I for damn sure can’t keep you off mine.”
Licking his lips, Kannon resisted the urge to kiss her and fuck her right there. Instead, he stood and led her back to the car, content with the progress they’d been making… even if it didn’t last forever.
41
Carmen
Everyone told Carmen that putting her plans on social media would eventually bite her in the ass. Trevor seeing her live about Jaden and deciding to sue for full custody as well didn’t teach her a lesson, mainly because she felt like she would at least keep partial custody of their son. Trevor made good money and had a stable career, but that career was the cause of him being gone often twenty days out of the month. But Jaden? Jaden, unfortunately, had a very good chance of gaining full custody, and Carmen couldn’t handle that.
When she went live and told all of her friends about her weekend plans since her kids weren’t home, that opened the door for Kannon and Makayla to slide through on her. Carmen could fight and was usually able to handle herself well, but Makayla was a beast. There was no way in hell she’d ever get one up on her unless she used weapons, but Carmen had something in store for Makayla. And she made sure to have it planned for after she left town.
Or, at least, that had been her plan. She’d gone live earlier this morning to talk about how she was leaving town with her kids and would be damned if she let any of their fathers have them. By the time she’d gotten their bags packed and was in the car, police cars were surrounding her in the driveway. Carmen couldn’t believe all of the cars were for her and because of her live, but when she saw Jaden pulling up she knew what was up. Cutting off her car, she told her children to stay inside and not get out for anyone except her.
“What is this about?” she asked, looking from one police to the other as Jaden hurried over to her.
“They are just here to make sure you don’t give me any problems.” Jaden handed her a piece of paper before trying to open the back door of her car. “Open the door, Carmen.”
As she scanned the contents of the paper, her head shook.
“Wh—no. They can’t do this.”
“They can and they did. You can’t be trusted with my child. I have temporary custody until our hearing.”
“No. Please, Jaden. Don’t take Bella away from me.”
“Open the door,” he repeated, shoving her hand from his arm when she grabbed him.
Two police officers stepped forward, instructing her to unlock the door so he could get Bella out. When she resisted, she was warned that she could be arrested, but Carmen didn’t give a fuck about that.
Things took a left turn when one of the officers tried to grab her keys. A small struggle ensued, which led to her being tossed onto the ground and handcuffed. Carmen yelled and screamed, begged and pleaded, as she watched Jaden carry Bella to his car. The more she fought the more officers piled onto her. Eventually, one of their forearms was on the back of her neck, keeping her still as she was handcuffed.
As they yanked her up, she coughed and inhaled deep breaths as her neighbor recorded them and yelled about excessive force. While she was all but dragged to the police car, she yelled for her neighbor to take her kids until she could get her mother to pick them up. The last thing she needed was for child protective services to be called to take the rest of them away. Now was a time Carmen needed Kannon most, but there was no doubt in her mind that if she called, he would not answer.
42
Makayla
Makayla sat frozen in the center of the parking lot. Everyone else had left, but she couldn’t pull herself to do so. Hours had passed since the fire, and at this point, Makayla was all cried out. Honestly, she’d cried so many tears, she could have used them to put the fire out.
When she received the call that said the head start had gone up in flames, she rushed to the school as quickly as she could. Thankfully, none of the teachers or students had been hurt. All she could think about was something happening to her son. She would have died – right there with him.
She
was surprised she hadn’t been pulled over as quickly and recklessly as she had been driving, but the police would have just had to follow her to the school because she wasn’t stopping for anything! Her mother had met her there when she heard about the fire on the news. Gina had taken Austin home with her when she realized Makayla wasn’t going to leave any time soon. Though she wanted to spend the evening cuddled up with her son thanking God that he was okay, before she could even do that, she had to come to grips with the fact that Better Learning Head Start was nothing more than bricks, cement, and ash now.
Whoever had done it, was smart. There was no evidence left behind to point anyone out, but Makayla knew this wasn’t an accident, and she was sure it was Carmen who was behind it. Last she heard, Carmen was fresh out of jail for failure to obey a court order and resisting arrest. With her being out on bond, Makayla would think she would want to lay low, but she also knew the kind of get back bitch Carmen was. For whatever reason, Kannon always seemed to attract that type. She should have known Carmen wouldn’t take her ass whooping like a woman and leave well enough alone, but she promised Kannon that she wouldn’t make any moves until they were sure.
All of the security footage inside the school had been destroyed by the fire, and the school was in the heart of the hood, so there weren’t any stores or buildings with cameras around. If a bystander didn’t see anything or feel the need to come forth about what or who they saw, Makayla would never get the proof she needed that Carmen was behind this.
Out of all the days for Kannon to be out of town, he was out of town today. And that was yet another reason Makayla was sure it was Carmen. She knew Kannon often left town the third week of the month to meet with his suppliers in Peru. Though becoming distributors had lessoned the amount of problems the business had, their personal lives were still giving them hell.
Her phone vibrating pulled her out of her trance. She didn’t bother to look at who was calling as she accepted and put the phone to her ear.
“What?” she greeted, continuing to stare at the rubble.
Her nose was stopped up from her crying, and she hated the sound of her voice. The pain within her voice. Rubbing her nose, her hand stopped when she heard the operator letting her know she had a collect call from Jason. Since she hadn’t heard from Jason since she took Austin to visit him, she feared the worst. Usually, when he wanted to talk to Austin, he called Kannon’s phone out of respect for her desire for continued space. Even though he made it clear that he wanted something to pop off between them, he’d agreed to play by her rules for the time being.
“Hello?” he spoke once the call had connected.
“Hey.”
“Where you at?”
Sniffling, Makayla lowered her gaze to the ground. “At the school,” she cried, willing herself not to crumble further.
“Come visit me.”
She chuckled. “I can’t. Today’s not even one of the designated days.”
“I’m Jason Weaver. That shit don’t apply to me.”
“Even if I could, why should I?”
“…Sound like you need a hug.”
She did. Bad. And Kannon was nowhere around. And hugging herself wasn’t doing any good.
“Maybe,” she whispered, wiping her face. “What is it going to cost me?”
Jason chuckled. “Just the time and gas it takes you to get here. I saw your school on the news and I know Kannon isn’t there, so I wanna be here for you if you need someone to be.”
“I…I appreciate that, Jason. Thank you.”
“So you coming through or what?”
Makayla thought it over for a few seconds before agreeing with, “Yeah. I’ll be there.”
A small smile lifted the corners of Makayla’s mouth as soon as she stepped into the visitation room and saw Jason. His long legs were stretched out underneath the table. As usual, there was a black beanie on his head. Standing, he pushed his seat back as she walked over to him with small steps. Jason sat on the corner of the table, and Makayla appreciated the thought behind the gesture. He was so much taller than her that it would have been uncomfortable for him to hug her for more than a few seconds standing up, but with him being seated, she was able to walk into his arms and rest her head on his shoulder with no problem.
As soon as Jason’s arms wrapped around her, her body weakened against him. He placed a soft kiss to the back of her neck before he rubbed his hands up and down her back.
“Was it an accident?” he asked, to which she shook her head.
“No.”
“You know who did it?”
“I have an idea, but I don’t have proof.”
“Who do you think it was?”
“Carmen.”
Jason’s movements on her back stopped. “Kannon’s ex?”
Makayla nodded. “Yes.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Are there cameras in here?”
“Yeah, but they are cut off for my visits.”
“I beat her ass a little while ago, but it was only because she put her cousin on me. She wanted him to kidnap me so Kannon would pay ransom, then she was going to use that to leave with her kids.”
Jason chuckled. “I told that mane that bitch was crazy as hell. She feeds off reactions and toxicity. The better he treated her the more bullshit she was on, but when he stopped fucking with her ass that’s when she was acting all lovesick.”
“Right. A part of me felt like she was using Kendall just to make his life hell. When he was trying to build a private bond with her, she gave him hell over that until he stopped trying and just sent money. Then she complained about that. Seemed like her ass was never going to be satisfied.”
“I don’t know, Mak. Carmen is cunning but I don’t know if she has it in her to do something like this. Is there anyone else you could think of that would want to do you harm?”
“Nope. We haven’t been having any issues within the business. She’s the only person I can think of. She’s been ghost ever since she got out. All of her kids are with their fathers, and you know she wouldn’t have willingly done that unless her ass was up to some shit.”
“That’s true. Well, you know I’on give a fuck. Kannon ain’t gon’ wanna handle her because of their history unless he has proof, but if you’re sure, I’ll take care of that.”
Makayla considered his offer. Even though it was what she wanted, a part of her knew it would cause static between her and Kannon when he found out. For his sake, she’d at least try and wait for someone to come forth with proof or at least a sighting. If she could have someone confirm that they’d seen Carmen there or someone connected to her, that would be all she’d need to take care of it. Until then, Makayla would unwillingly let it ride and trust that karma was going to serve Carmen a dish that would keep her full for the rest of her life.
43
Kannon
Kannon wanted to take Makayla and Austin out to get her mind off things. With the head start being burned down, she’d been in a funk, which was understandable. Austin had been kind of sad too since he hadn’t been able to go to school and see his friends. Instead of their normal trip to Incredible Pizza, Kannon drove them a few hours out to Nashville so they could go to the waterpark, Nashville Shores.
The impromptu trip was just what they needed. They spent hours in the water and sun having fun before heading to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner. By the time they were headed back to Memphis, Austin was knocked out in the backseat.
All day, Kannon hadn’t brought up the topic of the head start or Carmen for that matter. It wasn’t until they were about fifteen minutes away from home that Kannon asked, “Do you resent me?”
She looked over at him in the darkness. “For what?”
“Not immediately handling Carmen.”
Her head shook. “I could never resent you, especially for something like that. I understand that you’re logical and you move off facts, especially with something delicate like this. If I’m wrong and
we handle Carmen, that would be yet another thing that eats away at you for the rest of your life.”
“Is that your mind talking, or your heart?”
Makayla smiled. “Both.” She took his hand into hers and kissed it. “When I went to see Jason, he reminded me that…”
“When did you go see Jason?”
“The day it happened.” Kannon nodded, not sure why that bothered him. He convinced himself that it was because he hated not being here for her, not that he hated the thought of her being around his best friend. “But he reminded me that your heart is the purest of all of us. If you get riled up prematurely, that’s rare. When you pop off suddenly, it’s because things have been building. So I know if this is handled, it will be after we’ve both had time to think it through and seek proof.”
“But will you be okay with that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t really have a choice do I? Of course I want the person responsible to suffer. In the back of my mind, I’ll always wonder if it was her, but I know eventually that feeling will pass if it wasn’t her.”
“When she pops back up, I’ll talk to her about. If she did it, I’ll know.”
“Okay.”
The rest of the ride was done with no conversation as Makayla hummed along to every other song that played. When they arrived, Kannon carried Austin to bed. He was grumpy just like Kannon was when he was woken up, and that always made him smile.
“Did you have fun today?” Kannon asked as Austin wiped his eyes and lifted his foot so Makayla could take his shoe off.
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, lil man.”
By the time Makayla had him in his pajamas and was tucking him in, Austin was staring at Kannon as if something heavy was on his mind.