by Tiana Laveen
“So silly. Seriously though, honey, I never told this to anyone but I don’t know, Hugh calling here made me think of it. I could never really talk to him. He was always too busy.”
“Well, I’m here and I’m listening.”
The woman’s lips curved at his words. “All right. See, I had a case that has haunted me since it happened. It was a little over two years ago. I have even had nightmares about it.”
“What happened?” He drew serious as he looked into her eyes.
“I had a client who was charged with embezzlement. Since that’s my specialty as a fraud lawyer, that wasn’t the issue within itself. I worked with him for quite some time and believed him when he said he hadn’t done what he was being accused of. He had no criminal record; he was upstanding and believed he’d been set up. Some clients I am iffy about, others I am sure are guilty as sin, but I’m hired to do a job and therefore, I do it. In this particular case, one of the witnesses, a woman, described in great detail how he’d attacked and threatened to kill her if she told anyone what had happened.
“She claimed to have witnessed some of the illegal transactions he’d orchestrated. No one believed her, including me.” She sighed. “She had a long record of being in and out of the system, and just didn’t come across as credible. She and my client had dated briefly, and supposedly he’d gotten really possessive and crazy when she ended the relationship. Long story short, he was found not guilty. Of course, I was happy for him and he went on to live his life… until that witness was discovered murdered in her home two years ago. He made good on his threat, Alex. Apparently, for whatever reason, they’d gotten back together and he killed her when she wanted out of the relationship again. She’d be still alive if it wasn’t for me.” She lowered her head.
“Snow, you can’t blame yourself for that. There was no way to know for certain what this nut had up his sleeve. People are going to do what they’re going to do. Even if he was found guilty, there is no guarantee that when he got out of prison the same exact thing would not have occurred. Folks nowadays are whacky. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Matter of fact, if he went to prison on account of her testimony, you can bet your bottom dollar he wouldn’t have let that go. He’d either have had someone on the outside take care of her or as soon as he got his walking papers, he’d have made a bee line straight to her damn address. Trust me, I’ve seen it. When someone has an axe to grind, they won’t stop swingin’ till all the trees in the forest are lumber.”
“You’re one hundred percent right, Alex, but I still could not help but feel the way I do because, once again, I thought I had good judgment but come to find out, he’d had us all fooled. Due to that case, I am a lot more careful about who I represent.”
“Well…” He ran his hand up and down her arm. “Then some good came out of it after all.” Suddenly, Snow’s phone vibrated once again. “Damn it to hell! I ’spose I’m just supposed to roll over and play dead?!” he barked.
The woman rolled her eyes at him and reached for her phone.
“I’m going to settle this once and for all, Alex. Just sit there, relax and be my witness.” He gritted his teeth as she answered the call. “Hello, Hugh. I can’t possibly imagine what you want…”
Snow clutched the phone tightly to her ear, hoping and praying Hugh didn’t say something stupid to get things going. She could feel the intensity radiating from Alex and tried her best to avert eye contact with the man as she sat up and rested against her headboard.
“I was calling because—” Before the man could finish the sentence, her cellphone was yanked out of her hand.
“Alex! Give me that back!” She lunged towards the big bastard but he pushed her aside.
Leaping up from the bed, he put the damn thing on speaker phone as if a show was about to commence.
“Why the hell do you keep callin’ her, huh? It’s over! I know word already got back to you that she’s moved on. What part of that don’t you understand?”
“Who… what?! Who in the world is this?!”
“Your worst nightmare, Mr. Infidelity, that’s who. What you’ve been doin’ is downright disrespectful and since Snow can’t seem to get rid of you, it’s time that I step in and shut this shit down and burn it to the ground. Since I’ve been seeing Snow, you’ve called almost each and every day!”
“You really are pushing—”
“I know it’s you ’cause you’ve got a special ringtone she uses. Every time Bobby Womack’s, “I Wish He Didn’t Trust Me So Much”—karaoke version of course—comes on, it’s Little Boy Blue Balls callin’ to waste a little more of her time.”
“Okay now you listen to me, motherfucker. Don’t call me no boy, I mean that on everythang. I’m not playin’ with you.”
“I’m not playin’ with you either and I didn’t call you a boy, but nice try. You took that out of context to try to change the topic, but it won’t work. I’ll tell you this much though, I ain’t no angel but only a boy would cheat on someone like Snow with her own damn friend, so if the little slipper fits, then wear it.”
“You need to mind your business! You don’t have anything to do with this.”
“I got everything to do with it because if it weren’t for you and what you’d done, I wouldn’t have been tried and tested like a car dummy. She ignores you, and then you send cryptic text messages to try ’nd get ’er to call, knowin’ damn well she doesn’t want to hear from you and that she’s seeing someone. I’ve dragged guys around an empty parking lot and used their face to clean the sidewalks for lesser offenses.”
“I don’t know who you are, Billy Bob, but put Snow back on the fucking phone! This doesn’t even concern you and don’t make me tell you again!”
“It concerns me all right, and I—”
“Alex, give me that damn phone!” Snow yelled, hearing enough.
But the man ignored her and carried on.
“I’m going to give my lady back ’er phone, but after tonight, this better be the end of you like the last page of a children’s book. I don’t know about where you come from, but where I come from, men settle these sorts of differences hands on. And let me tell you something, you’ll find out exactly who I am and what Billy Bob is made of and it ain’t gold ’nd glitter and empty threats, either. I’ll have your silly ass singin’ a whole different tune.” Tossing the phone onto the bed, he stormed out of the room.
Snow reached for it, sighed, and ran her hand across her forehead. “Hello…”
“WHAT. IN. THE. HELL?! Snow, it didn’t take you long to get over this great betrayal you’ve been telling everyone about, now did it? I call you to tell you somethin’ and Plantation Pete over there gets on the phone and threatens me! This is some bullshit!”
“Your audacity is almost comical and if this is what you called about you’re about to hear silence, because I’m hanging up. I can’t take one more second of this pissing contest between you two.”
“And he sounds White.” She sighed again at his words, rolled her eyes, and fell back against the bed, praying to God the drama would soon end. “He’s a grain of salt, isn’t he?” She remained silent. “Snow? So now Snow is playin’ in the snow, literally! Is this supposed to be an upgrade?”
“Yes it is, and not because he’s White, but because he’s a good man and he treats me right! Goodbye, Hugh…”
“Wait a minute. Don’t hang up!” She heard the man take a deep breath. “Look, I didn’t call to argue with you or fuss about your personal life. I have been callin’ you, baby, not to try and start something but because something important is going down.” Just then, Alex returned to the room holding a big glass of water. He was still naked as the day he was born, looking delicious and ferocious all at once sporting a nasty scowl across his face.
“What is it?”
“Amber is thinking about filing assault charges against you, Snow. I tried to talk her out of it but I don’t think I got through.”
“What?! She’s the one who started the fi
ght in the first place! She wouldn’t move out of my way so I could leave.”
“Yeah, but she said you threw the first blow. Look, baby, I can’t believe it either, but I figured you’d want to know.”
Snow was quiet for a long while on the line… her heart beating a mile a minute.
“Yes… uh, okay. Thank you for calling and letting me know, Hugh.”
“You’re welcome… Oh, and if Billy Bob Joe Bubba the third is still listenin’, fuck you!”
“You’ll have to wait a few minutes, Pewey… I’m tryna recuperate from the ride of a lifetime on your ex-fiancée.”
“Would you both stop it!” Snow quickly disconnected the phone. Tucking her legs beneath her, she swallowed hard as worry filled up within her.
Alex took a long gulp of his water, set it on the nightstand, and sat next to her. Pulling her close, he kissed the top of her head.
“What are you worried about, sweetness? You know she can’t get anywhere with this. Just like you said, she started this whole nonsense. I’d call ’er bluff.”
She turned to face the man, her eyes glossing over with pure rage.
“Alex, this is the real deal. She knows exactly what she’s doing. Being hit with an assault charge is serious. I can lose my license to practice law!”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Margaritas and Salty Tears…
A few days later…
Alex’s plate was clean as a whistle. The double stuffed chicken burrito and beef chimichanga went down the hatch in no time. His appetite was revved up after working for four days straight with little sleep. It was good to finally get some fresh air and be out with friends. He took a gander at that sad, empty plate of his while he sat next to Snow and across from Brittany and Kyle at Maria’s Mexican Grill, one of his favorite spots for grub. Side-eyeing Snow’s plate, he wondered if she’d be finishing her chicken fajita anytime soon. It sat there mainly untouched and it would be a shame for the thing to go to waste. Working the toothpick into his wisdom tooth, he fished out a piece of beef. He contemplated spitting it out but knew he’d get an earful from Snow, so he just swallowed it.
“So, that’s pretty much the worst-case scenario.” Brittany explained after Snow laid out the details to the best of her knowledge. “I am not sure what she’ll do, none of us are, but those are the possibilities.”
“This is so messed up.” Kyle shook his head before running his fingers through his hair, as if he were in distress, too.
Alex looked at the guy with a suspicious eye. He cared for Kyle to his core, he was a good man, but he knew when a guy was showboating to get laid. The man had agreed to double date with them tonight at late notice. Alex didn’t want Brittany to sit alone while he and Snow snuggled up and nuzzled, and based on Kyle’s comments during their trip, he’d taken a liking to Brittany, stating he found her mighty pretty. There was a slight age difference, but nothing to be alarmed about. Besides, in Alex’s book, there was nothing wrong with knockin’ boots with an older woman; in fact, he could think of several perks. He picked up his glass of beer and took a gulp, remaining quiet as Snow sat there expressionless. But he knew better.
We need another round on these margaritas, soon…
She was in deep thought and probably hurting something awful on the inside. She looked down at her plate as if reading his mind, then shoved her food in his direction without even looking at him.
“Here… I’ve lost my appetite.”
Without saying a word, Alex picked up his fork and began to dig in. The green peppers were sautéed to perfection, the sliced onions sweet and savory, and the chicken tender and seasoned just right.
“Really, man?” Kyle tossed up his hands. “You’re just gonna sit there and keep eating while your ol’ lady is doin’ everything short of cryin’? Alex, sometimes I wonder if you’d be aware if the world is fallin’ apart. I swear this could be the Apocalypse and you’d order another round of beers and onion rings, then complain about the dipping sauce.”
Oh, I see good ol’ Kyle here wants pussy points at my expense… tryna impress the ladies.
“What?” Alex said around a mouthful. After a few hearty chews and a hard swallow, he continued, “How is me finishing her food rude or not caring? And no, I ain’t worried about this.” He picked up the rest of the fajita and jammed it in his mouth. “I know Snow is concerned but I’m not.” He chewed it up real good, hoping they could understand what he’d said with his mouth all stuffed like that.
“I’m sitting right here. No need to talk about me as if I’m not.” The woman grimaced and rolled her eyes at him. She crossed her arms and leaned them on the table.
“I know you are, and you can sit there looking like Droopy all you want, but this woman ain’t got no power. Stop giving her any attention.” He smacked his lips. “She doesn’t even deserve being mentioned right now.”
“You don’t know that, Alex, because you have no idea who this woman is.”
“I don’t have to. I see people like her all the time. Threats with no backup. Cowards.”
“I don’t know about that. She seems out for blood. She is sneaky, and she has witnesses who heard us arguing then saw the blood on her face after I left her home. She was on the floor and I was leaving unscathed. Of course, I look like the aggressor.” Snow angrily tossed her napkin on the table. “She wants to destroy me. If I am charged with assault in the first degree and convicted, that’s it for me. I’d be lucky if I only got community service and probation, but I still wouldn’t be allowed to practice law. I could be looking at twenty-five years. Twenty-five damn years.” The poor woman’s voice shook.
“Well, she hasn’t filed charges yet… the threat just looms. In fact, she didn’t even file a police report,” Brittany clarified. “That says a lot right there, though to her it may be slow torture she enjoys. Let’s be optimistic but prepared.”
“Nah, we’re not doing this.” Alex sucked his teeth as he leaned forward. “She wants Snow to walk around here bitin’ her nails and in constant fear. No, that’s not how to react and I agree with Brittany about being optimistic but prepared. However, I also say that sometimes the energy we feed into things gives them power. My suggestion? Tear out the feeding tube and let this bitch starve. Now, who wants another round of margaritas? My treat.”
The three people before him looked sheepishly at one another, then all of them raised their hands.
“That’s more like it!”
Kyle placed the last log against the back stoop of the house, swiped the sweat from his brow, and made his way up Joshua’s back steps. The cool air hit his wet face, sending a chill straight through to his bones. Each step he took felt more labored than the last. The week had been long and boring, the days and nights far too cold to enjoy many of his favorite haunts. Kyle hadn’t seen his brother in a few days. His schedule had called for double shifts lately but he agreed to move some wood in the back of the house for him since his back had been bothering him.
“Thanks, ’preciate it,” Joshua said. He sat at his kitchen table holding a bottle of Rolaids and nursing a small glass of milk. Besides the television being on, the house was particularly quiet.
“You’re going to have to go see the doctor, Josh. Back messed up and now your stomach is botherin’ you again, I see.”
His big brother grunted in response, but he knew the man wouldn’t do anything about it until the pain was unbearable, damn near crippling. Kyle knew what was going on but his brother refused to buckle under the pressure. Joshua’s job at times caused him a shitload of stress. Not to mention, chasing fools all over town wasn’t exactly an ideal workout.
“Alex dropped off those fishing rods for us earlier today. I almost forgot to tell you. He left some leftover bait, too.”
“Oh, all right.” Kyle grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, pulled out a chair from the table, and sat down. Sliding his worn, light brown working gloves off, he tossed the things on the table. “I ’spose we can go this weekend.
Hopefully the weather breaks.” Josh nodded in agreement. “Did I tell you how our double date went? You know, with Alex and his girl and her friend?”
“Oh.” Josh yawned. “I forgot to ask you about that. How’d it all turn out?”
“Pretty good.” Kyle couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not sure how much she was into me or not, but she’s real nice. She said we’d get together again soon, just me and her. I haven’t heard anything else back yet though.” His smile slowly faded.
“Well, just give it time and if she blows you off, fuck ’er.” Josh chuckled. “There’s more fish in the sea.”
Kyle laughed, but he sure hoped he wouldn’t get blown off. Brittany had a great sense of humor. She seemed comfortable in her own skin and she lived in a nice part of town. She was down to earth, a natural beauty, and wore comfortable clothes. That made her all the more beautiful in his eyes.
“You sound like Alex now.” He smirked. “Not caring about much. I admire that about him most times. Nothin’ bothers him at all, not even how his girlfriend might be goin’ to the pen.” Joshua looked at him in the strangest way, his forehead creased with what appeared to be concern. After taking a hard chug of his milk and popping another Rolaid, he swallowed and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Kyle, let me let you in on something. Sometimes Alex isn’t what he presents.”
“What do you mean? He’s always been real honest.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. See, Alex is sincere in most things but I’ve known him practically my whole life and so have you. Thing is though, he and I are real close, like brothers… like me and you.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“I know things about that man no one else does, and vice versa. Just ’cause it seems like he doesn’t seem concerned or have a care in the world don’t mean it’s true. In fact, he’s worried sick about what’ll happen to Snow. He told me just the other day that he was going crazy inside, but he knew he needed to be strong for her and that’s his plan of action. He also had to be stopped from paying Snow’s ex a visit. He wants revenge.” Joshua sighed and shook his head. “I don’t think he’ll be happy until he gets his pound of flesh.”