Promise to Keep it Trill

by B. Love

  When the phone began to ring close to midnight, Jason automatically thought the worst. Excusing himself, though Makayla wasn’t paying him any attention anyway, Jason answered Kannon’s call.

  “What’s good?”

  “Gina is awake.”

  “For real?”

  “Yeah. Her doctor called me trying to get in touch with Makayla. I guess she gave my number just in case her service was off there.”

  Jason could only roll his eyes and chuckle. It didn’t surprise him that she gave Kannon’s number instead of his. She would say it was because they were both out of the country, but Jason knew it was because she didn’t want him to have anything to do with keeping up with her mother’s care.

  “She’s going to be happy as hell to hear that.”

  “Right. I figured I’d let you tell her, maybe that’ll help you get back in her good graces.”

  Jason chuckled. “I wish. She really ain’t fucking with a nigga and I can’t blame her. All of this is my fault.”

  “All of this is Smith’s fault. He released his minions and let them wreak havoc. You didn’t know any of this was going to happen.”

  Jason nodded, happy someone understood him. Of course that someone was Kannon. Had always been and would always be. Other than him, it was Makayla.

  “I ’preciate that.”

  “It’s all love. Y’all be safe, though.”

  “Y’all too. One.”

  “One.”

  Jason smiled, allowing a few seconds to pass before he headed back to Makayla. Sitting next to her, he leaned forward and pulled his beanie further down onto his forehead.

  “Makayla,” he called in a sing-songy voice, getting a smile out of her after what felt like forever.

  “What?” she replied, not even bothering to look over at him.

  “I have some good news.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s Gina. She’s awake.”

  With a gasp, Makayla turned towards him. She hugged him before she could catch herself as she squealed. Pulling away quickly, she jumped up from her seat.

  “Are you serious, Jason?”

  “Yeah. Kannon just called and told me.”

  “Oh my God, that’s so great.” Her eyes watered, but she was too busy smiling and laughing and dancing to let them fall. “Thank You, Jesus!”

  She grabbed her phone as Austin came into the living room area of their suite.

  “Austin, grandma’s awake!”

  “She is?” he asked excitedly, no longer wiping sleep from his eyes. “Yay!”

  “I have to look up some flights so I can go see her.”

  Jason’s smile fell. “You can’t do that, Mak. Not until after the trial.”

  Her shoulders caved as she looked down at him. “No. I’ve stayed here for an entire month. My mother is awake. I’m going to see her.”

  Jason stood and tried to take her in his arms but she pushed him away. “I’ll take you to her myself later in the week… when the trial is over.”

  Makayla stared at him coldly before storming off. This was one time Jason wasn’t bothered by her anger. She could be mad all she wanted… as long as she remained safe.

  61

  Kannon

  Kannon knew when Makayla found out about Gina that she would show up. He’d been at the hospital waiting for her to arrive ever since Jason called and told him that she’d left. The only reason Jason stayed behind was because he had Austin, otherwise, he would have come to get her and dragged her back… kicking and screaming.

  When he saw Makayla slip into Gina’s room with her head low, he shook his head and slowly walked down the hall. As he entered, he heard Makayla telling her mother, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “No thanks to you. You just take trouble everywhere you go don’t you, child?”

  “You’re blaming me for this?”

  “Who else would I blame?”

  “I didn’t send those men to your house!”

  “Yeah but your drug dealer ass boyfriend may as well!”

  “Jason is not my boyfriend, and he didn’t know…”

  “It doesn’t matter what he knew! None of this would have happened if it weren’t for you.”

  Makayla’s head shook. Kannon couldn’t hear her laugh, but he saw her body quake.

  “I risked my own life to come and see you, and this is what I get?” She scoffed. “I don’t have Ray here to defend me anymore, so you win. I’ll stay away, and I will make sure nothing bad ever happens to you again because of me.”

  Gina’s face dropped but she quickly frowned again. When Makayla turned and saw him, she jumped and clutched her chest.

  “Jesus, Kannon,” she whispered walking over to him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I knew you would come, and Jason confirmed it when you dipped. If I knew you would stop by, you know Smith and his henchmen do too. You’re risking your life to be here, Makayla.”

  “I know,” she whined. “But she’s my mother. I had to see her.”

  “Well you need to leave. The longer you are here, the bigger of a target you are putting on your back.”

  Makayla nodded as she looked back at her mother. “I’m ready.”

  Taking Kannon’s hand into hers, she released a shaky breath.

  “Are you okay?”

  Her head shook but she smiled. “No, but I will be. I’ll just… have to find a way to see Sunshine without dealing with my mother. This was the last time I will allow her to speak to me that way. I understand where she’s coming from, though. Maybe I am toxic. Maybe I shouldn’t see Sunshine either.”

  Gripping her shoulders, Kannon stopped her from walking further down the hall. “I don’t want to hear you say that shit ever again. What happened both of those times was not your doing and they were beyond your control. Now if you want nothing more to do with your mother, I totally understand that, but don’t make your sister suffer for it.”

  Biting down on her bottom lip, Makayla nodded and embraced Kannon.

  “I missed you so much.”

  “I missed you too. But we really need to go, Makayla.”

  She released him and nodded. As they walked out, guards surrounding them, Kannon made sure to remain alert. Things had been pretty chill over the past month, but Kannon feared that was the calm before the storm.

  “How did you get here?” Kannon asked as they made their way outside.

  “Uber.”

  “Cool. You can ride with me.”

  As they headed to the car, Makayla asked, “Has your life been boring without us?”

  “Boring as hell. Y’all kept me on my toes.”

  Makayla chuckled. “Whatever. I’m sure you’ve been living it up now that you haven’t had us to worry about.”

  Kannon laughed. “Nah. I could never not worry about y’all. Besides, the life I wanted I had with y’all anyway. Could have done some things differently to make it better but…” He shrugged, allowing Makayla to fill in the rest of his sentence on her own.

  “What would you have done differently?”

  “First, I would have made you…”

  Before Kannon could finish his sentence, the sound of a groan caught his attention. He looked back just in time to see once of his guards drop.

  “Shit,” Slim cursed, looking around.

  “There’s a snip—argh!”

  A second body dropped. Kannon grabbed Makayla’s hand and rushed her through the parking lot. There was no point in him trying to find the sniper to fire back. At this point, the only thing they could do was duck and cover. The car was bulletproof, so they’d be safer inside.

  By the time they’d made it to the car, all of the guards but one was down. Slim appeared to be hit in the stomach, but since he had a bulletproof vest on, he yelled for them to go on. He jumped into the driver’s seat quickly while Kannon and Makayla got into the backseat. As he swerved out of the parking lot, Kannon pulled the guns from their holsters under the driver and passenger se
ats. After handing one to Makayla, he pulled his gun from his waist.

  “Why the fuck you come back here, Mak?” he asked, nostrils flaring. “Hmm? If they kill you…”

  “We’re going to make it out of this, Kannon, I swear,” was what she said, but Kannon could see the fear in her eyes.

  Looking back, he cursed under his breath at the sight of two black SUVs pulling out behind them.

  “How you wanna handle it, boss?”

  “It would be safer to get off the main streets, but that would make it worse for us.”

  “What if we get on the interstate and call the police? Do you think they could make it to us on time?”

  Kannon’s head shook. “They could, if they didn’t box us in. That’s the biggest threat right now. We need to get to an empty building and get ready for this shootout.”

  Makayla nodded. “Say less. Just… let me call my son first.”

  Kannon nodded, heart breaking more with each second that passed. He’d taken great pride in protecting them both. If anything happened to Makayla, how would he face Austin and explain that? He’d die himself before he did that.

  “Zeek,” Kannon called. “There’s an abandoned Walgreens that’s about five minutes away. I’m going to drop my location to the team just to be safe, but they probably won’t make it to us in time.”

  “I’ll get us there, and I’m ready to go.”

  Kannon nodded as he sent the text. Bullets began to spray the car, bouncing against the doors and windows. When they realized the car was bulletproof, they started aiming for the tires… which were not. Zeek swerved in and out of lanes, trying to keep them from hitting all four tires. But before they could make it to the Walgreens parking lot, Zeek was losing control of the wheel, causing them to veer off the road. As the car flipped, Kannon pulled Makayla behind his back to protect her neck and head… but he realized that wouldn’t do much good when they began to fly into the air before landing in a ditch.

  Kannon woke up to the feel of the barrel of a gun sliding up and down his throbbing temple. His blurry eye forced its way open, settling on Makayla, tied up in a chair right in front of him. Her body was still and eyes were calm, reminding him of why Jason had chosen her. Makayla was about this life, even when she wanted to get out of this life. He was sure her heart was aching to be with her son… but she would show no weakness in front of their enemies.

  “Look at me,” Smith ordered.

  “Are you okay?” Kannon asked Makayla, ignoring the demand.

  Her head nodded and chin trembled but she licked her lips and tilted her head up. “I’m good. You?”

  “I’m good.”

  Finally, Kannon looked to his left at Smith.

  “This is what’s going to happen, Makayla is going to give us the exact location of Jason Weaver, or she’s going to watch me riddle you with bullets before I kill you. Are we clear?”

  “Don’t tell him shit, Makayla. I’m ready to die.”

  Her head shook as she tried to lean forward in her seat. “But I’m not ready for you to die. But I—I can’t…”

  Kannon gritted his teeth and flung his head back as a bullet shot through his foot.

  “Fuck! No! Okay! I can’t tell you but please don’t kill him!” Makayla yelled.

  “That’s not what I want to hear.”

  Smith sent another bullet into his ankle, and Kannon was unable to keep, “Fuck!” from coming out. “You better kill me before I get loose,” he warned, trying to rip the tape and ropes from his hands.

  “Please!” Makayla cried, eyes widening. “I can’t tell you where he is, my son is there. I can’t let you and your men go guns blazing and something happens to my son. You understand that, don’t you?”

  Smith thought it over for a few seconds with his arms crossed. “I do understand your plight. My dilemma with that is, I don’t trust you to get Jason here to me.”

  “He will come,” Makayla assured him. “If he knows I’m here… I promise you… he will come.”

  His eyes scanned Kannon’s body before he sent a bullet through his calf.

  “For your sake, Kannon, you better hope that he does.”

  It took two days for Jason to make it to the States, but as soon as he found out Makayla and Kannon were being held, he and Austin were on their way. Smith had Kannon’s wounds treated, but that was as far as his care and hospitality went. They’d been tied up for two days straight. No food, no water, they weren’t even allowed to release their bowels. They both had peed on themselves, and at this point, neither of them even fucking cared.

  There was a part of Kannon that wanted Jason not to come, but if he did, he prayed his brother had a plan up his sleeve. But if he knew Jason as well as he thought he did…he wouldn’t. He’d come and sacrifice himself, because that was the kind of man he was for those he loved. As soon as he heard Makayla’s cries he offered himself in exchange, and Kannon was sick over the thought of what would happen to him when he arrived.

  Kannon didn’t know where they were being held, but he could tell a lot of blood had been shed there. They were held in the dark for what seemed like all day, having only a few minutes at a time with the light on to be able to look into each other’s eyes.

  As the lights cut on this time, Kannon couldn’t pull himself to look at Makayla. His spirit had been broken. Smith told them the next time they came on, that meant Jason was there. At the sound of the door opening and closing, his head shook.

  “You should’ve just let me die,” he told Makayla.

  She sniffled before it turned into a full sob.

  “Let ’em go,” Jason ordered. “I’m here now.”

  “Jason!” Makayla yelled. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to call you, but he kept shooting Kannon. Please tell me you have a way out of this.”

  “Shhh,” Jason cooed. “You made the right choice. If either of you died because of my choice, I’d kill myself. I’m glad you called.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she cried, and the sound of it had a tear rolling down Kannon’s cheek.

  “Listen to me,” Jason ordered. “Austin is safe. He’s with Ma and Pops, and you know Kingston ain’t gon’ let shit happen to him. I love you, Makayla. You always had my heart.”

  “Cut them loose,” Smith ordered. “I have who I want now.”

  “No. Wait… please!”

  Kannon opened his eyes and lifted his head finally to find Jason already staring at him. The look of peace and small smile that lifted the corners of his mouth only made Kannon hurt more.

  “I love you, brotha. Take care of my family,” Jason requested as Kannon felt the tape and rope around his wrists be cut off.

  “You gon’ do it yourself when you get out of this.”

  Jason’s head shook. “Promise me. Promise me that you will take care of them.”

  “Jason,” Makayla cried, hugging him tightly. “I’m so sorry, for everything. I shouldn’t have spent all this time ignoring you. I love you too, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. Please come back to the island with me. We have to raise our son together.”

  Kannon’s eyes squeezed shut as his bound ankles were freed.

  “Kannon has you now. I’m at peace.”

  “Get them outta here,” Smith ordered, lifting Kannon out of his chair by his arm.

  Two burly men held him up as he limped, and the other two pulled Makayla’s body off Jason’s as she cried and screamed. Kannon wished he could drown the sound… be blind to the scene… but he’d remember her piercing screams and guttural groans for the rest of his days.

  Smith didn’t even wait for them to exit the door before his bullets released into Jason’s chest.

  “Noooooo!” Makayla yelled, fighting to be free. “Jason!” she cried, yanking and jerking until their hold on her loosened.

  Rushing over to Jason’s body, she repeatedly called his name as Smith and his men calmly left out of the back exit. At the sound of gunshots, Nathan ran inside, trying to help Kannon as he wobble
d… but he didn’t give a fuck about himself.

  “Call 911,” he ordered, hopping over to Makayla and Jason as quickly as he could.

  “Please, God, no,” she sobbed, rocking back and forth with Jason’s head in her lap. “I’m so sorry. Sorry. Sorry,” she muttered, putting her forehead on his. “I’m so sorry, Jason.”

  Falling to his knees, Kannon laid his body next to Jason as tears slid from his eyes. Eventually, God granted him grace. The shrill ringing in his ears muted her cries. He closed his eyes, and prayed that when he opened them again… this would all be a bad dream.

  62

  Makayla

  Makayla wiped her face of the last of her tears. As Smith suspected, without Jason, all charges against them were dropped. She’d kept her promise to her mother and hadn’t reached out to her in three months, but she did talk to Sunshine every day. It was the first time she and Austin had been back home, and as soon as she stepped foot inside of it, she broke down.

  Austin had his good days and bad days. Sometimes he was okay with not having his father, and others, he missed him so much he’d get angry or cry. Those days were the hardest for Makayla. The days where the lack of Jason’s presence in their son’s life burdened Austin’s heart.

  Even though she and Jason weren’t the closest when he was murdered, she still took his death really hard. It wasn’t until she knew his life was about to be over that she realized just how much she truly loved him – not romantically. Makayla could honestly say she didn’t love Jason with her heart… she loved him with her soul. He was her sole mate when she needed a partner to walk through life with most.

  In his thuggish ways, Jason gave Makayla a place to belong. To be seen, heard, wanted. Loved. He even introduced her to Kannon… the man she’d grown to love with her heart unconditionally. Friendship was too shallow of a pool for what they shared, but they allowed their loyalty to Jason to strip them of the love they knew was theirs to share all along. Now that Jason was gone, a peace had settled over the city and between Makayla and Kannon. They had agreed to one day give love a chance, but not right now. It was too soon.