by Tracy Brown
Zion looked down at the table, toyed with this hands. He had gotten too comfortable in a life that wasn’t meant to be long term.
Olivia felt her heart break a little more, seeing him sitting there beaten, bruised, and sad. She knew that she would never love another man the way that she had loved Zion for so long. Even though he had hurt her deeply, she wanted him to be happy. She wanted to see him anywhere but here in this cage.
Zion looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry to hear about Sunny,” he said.
Olivia nodded. She was, too. She hung her head at the thought of her friend. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
Zion shook his head. “Old habits die hard,” he said. “Sunny’s old habits killed her. Mine may cost me my freedom.”
“Where’s Gillian?” Olivia asked.
Zion raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, why is she the only one not named in the indictment?”
Zion had wondered the same thing. “She’s not the only one.”
“True. But, she’s the only major player who’s not in the same position as you,” Olivia reminded him.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t talk to her from in here.”
Olivia shook her head. “So, suddenly you’re the kingpin of the whole operation and she just walks away? You’re okay with that?”
Everyone within the family knew that Gillian called the shots. Sure, Zion had her ear these days. But he was not the head of the crew as the indictment suggested. Tongues had started wagging about who had been swept up by the feds, and who had not. And, like Olivia, there were many people questioning Gillian’s good fortune.
Zion didn’t answer right away. He trusted Gillian. In the years since she had taken the helm, she had always shown herself to be worthy of her crew’s loyalty. There were others within the family who Zion wasn’t so confident about. But his instinct told him that Gillian was not the reason he was sitting behind bars.
“When Maury gets me out of here, I’ll handle everything,” he said simply.
Olivia felt angry then. Had Ava not been in the picture, Olivia would have gone to visit Gillian. She would have asked all of the questions that Zion couldn’t ask himself, given his present circumstances. She would have harassed Maury relentlessly until he argued effectively enough on Zion’s behalf that bail was granted for him. She would have ensured that his commissary was maxed out, and that a lawsuit was filed against the officers who had beaten him this way. But she pictured the terror in Adiva’s eyes when she had picked her up from the precinct after Zion’s arrest. She remembered the pain of seeing Ava stand before the courtroom, fresh out of Zion’s bed and wearing his clothes. And she reminded herself that his problems were no longer her own.
“I wish you well,” she said. “I really do. I have to focus on taking care of Adiva. ’Cause whether you come home tomorrow or ten years from now, I have to make sure that she’s alright. I have my company to grow, and my life to live. So…” She felt like she was giving a speech, and that wasn’t her intention. “I just wish you well, Zion. I hope it all works out and that you can be free.”
He felt himself getting emotional. “I love you, Olivia. I want you to be happy, too.”
She let a tear fall, but quickly erased any trace of it. She picked up her visitor’s pass, pushed back her chair, and stood up. Zion stood also. Olivia walked around the table and embraced him. Their hug was strong and meaningful. They were aware of the COs yelling for them to separate, aware that everyone in the visiting room was looking at them. But they didn’t care. Olivia kissed Zion on his cheek, as one officer neared them. She touched his face. “I love you, too,” she said. “Take care of yourself.”
The guards belligerently carried on about how their visit was being terminated and ordered Zion to walk over to the inmate exit. But it didn’t matter. Olivia was already on her way out the door, their visit terminated the moment that tear had fallen from her eye. He had never meant to break her heart. But they both knew that this breakup was for the best. Still, as she exited the visiting room, the prison, and their relationship, Zion knew that Olivia would always be special to him for as long as he lived.
16
CROSSROADS
Camille squirmed. Eli was staring at her, his eyes probing her for the truth. She felt like a bug, trapped in a jar and being stared at by her captor. Only she wasn’t trapped. She and Eli were sitting together in Central Park, discussing Frankie’s case.
“I’m the only one who can help him, Eli.”
He toyed with his key ring. “You’re telling me this man has no family, no friends, nobody else that can step up and help him out? I don’t think that’s true.”
“Honestly, all he has is his mom. But she’s old and basically a recluse. She can barely keep herself going.” Camille hadn’t seen Frankie’s mom since Bria was born two years ago. Sometimes it felt like she hadn’t seen Frankie since then either. “I just feel bad, Eli. It has nothing to do with me and him. That’s been over.”
It was true. After Gillian rebuffed Frankie’s attempts at reconciliation, he tried to come crawling back to Camille. But in the end it proved too complicated for them to dust themselves off and try again. Far too much had happened between them, not the least of which was the fact that Camille’s sister had murdered Frankie’s brother for molesting her child. Camille found herself falling in love with Eli, and she told Frankie so. That seemed to be the deal breaker. Soon after that conversation, Frankie’s visits to see his daughter became less frequent. Since then, Eli had been more involved in Camille’s and Bria’s lives than Frankie.
Eli didn’t say anything for a while as he mulled it over. “Why can’t his cohorts help him out?” Eli stared into Camille’s eyes. They both knew what Frankie’s real line of business was. Sure, he owned a barbershop, a pool hall, and had his name on a couple of other legitimate companies. But those closest to him knew the truth. Ei had been with Camille long enough to be in on the not-so-well-kept secret that Frankie was a drug dealer.
Camille didn’t answer. How could she? She had no idea what was going on in Frankie’s life, let alone in his business. “Fine,” she said. “I won’t bail him out, or visit him, or nothing.”
Eli looked visibly relieved. “I know you think I’m being harsh.”
Camille didn’t respond.
“Do you still love him?” It was a question he hadn’t asked Camille since the early days of their relationship.
Camille looked down at her hands and shook her head. “Not in the way you might think. I know the old Frankie. The guy who was ambitious, and fun. But since his brother died…” Camille couldn’t bring herself to utter Steven’s name. It disgusted her to think of what he had done to her nephew. Shane was progressing normally, but the scars remained on their family forever. “Since he died, Frankie’s been going downhill. He needs help.” She found Eli’s eyes again. “The Frankie I love is gone for good, I think. But I just feel kinda sorry for the shell that’s left behind.”
Eli looked away, watching a horse-drawn carriage go by.
“I don’t know why his so-called friends left him high and dry. But I do know that he’s Bria’s father. I just wanted to extend an olive branch.” A thought occurred to her. “What if I write him a letter?” Camille took Eli’s hand in hers.
“He’s barely been around,” Eli reminded her, sympathetically. “You can’t make him have a relationship with her if he doesn’t want it.” He shrugged. “Write him the letter.”
Camille’s eyes brightened. “You can read it before I mail it,” she offered.
“I trust you.” Eli loved Camille. He loved her enough to understand her need to reach out to Frankie. Camille had a kind heart and an innocence about her. Perhaps, at times, she was a bit naïve. But family was important to her. And love was, too. “I don’t need to read it. Just write it and see what happens. Hope for the best.”
Camille smiled and kissed him on his cheek.
The next morning, as Eli left to beg
in his shift, he noticed a note on the coffee table. He stopped and picked it up, thinking it might be some mail. And it was. A letter from Camille to Frankie. She had left it there for him to read.
Frankie,
I know that things are crazy for you right now. I wish there was something I could do to help you out. I haven’t heard from you in a while. And that’s the reason that I’m writing to you.
I don’t know much about what you’re going through right now. But whatever happens, whether you come home or go away for a long time, Bria is growing every day. When she smiles, the corners of her eyes crease exactly like yours. She is a beautiful little girl. She’s your daughter. We didn’t succeed at marriage, but we did succeed in bringing forth a wonderful addition to this world. I want you to see her, Frankie. I can bring her to see you along with your mom, if you want.
Write me back and let me know if it’s okay. I’m praying for you.
Love,
Camille
Eli folded the letter and placed it back on the table. He placed his watch on top of it, so that Camille would know that he’d seen it. Then he walked out the door, hoping that Frankie wouldn’t let her down again.
* * *
Ava was in her office packing up boxes of her personal belongings. This was a sad day in her career. She had been called into the office of the managing partner, and summarily fired. The publicity from her recent arrest was hurting the firm. Plus, it didn’t help that she had been associated with the raving lunatic Sunny Cruz, who had disrupted business at the firm weeks ago. The firm of Bradwell, Foster, and Knight decided that it was best that they sever ties with Ava. Sadly, she had returned to her office and began packing. She felt like such a failure.
A knock on her office door caused her to look up. Malcolm stood there, looking like hell. His face was unshaven, his eyes had bags beneath them, and he wore no tie. In fact, Ava noticed that he was rather casually dressed in a pair of Dockers, a T-shirt, and sneakers.
“Hey,” Ava said.
“Hey.” Malcolm’s voice was barely above a whisper.
After her release on bail, Ava had called Malcolm personally to deliver the news of Sunny’s overdose. Malcolm had broken down, sobbing terribly. Ava had talked to him on the phone for an hour afterward, hoping to get Malcolm to stop blaming himself. He had sounded so hopeless then. Now, two days later, he still looked unsettled and stressed. But at least he had stopped crying.
She didn’t bother asking how he was. “You’re dressed down today.”
He leaned against the doorframe. “Yeah. I’m doing the same thing you’re doing.” He nodded toward the boxes on her desk.
Ava looked surprised. “They fired you, too?”
Malcolm shook his head. “No. I quit. I figured I might as well beat them to the punch.” He stepped into the office and shut the door behind him. He slumped down into one of the chairs facing her desk. “Oh my God,” he sighed. “Ava, how did this happen?”
Ava shook her head, coming up empty.
“This is all my fault.”
Ava shook her head. “We discussed this,” she reminded him. “We all thought Sunny was okay. She had agreed to go into rehab, and then … bam! She just…” Ava tossed a file into one of her boxes and sat in her high-back leather chair one last time. “This is déjà vu,” she said. “The last time we were in an office together, Sunny blew through here like a tsunami.”
Malcolm managed a slight laugh through the tears that welled in his eyes. “That’s putting it mildly.” He wiped his eyes.
Ava shook her head. “That Sunny was one of a kind.” She got choked up thinking about the beautiful woman with a penchant for playing with fire.
“I miss her,” Malcolm said. “I miss the time I spent with her. I just wish I could do it all over again.” He seemed to shake himself out of it. “Have you heard anything about her funeral arrangements?” he asked. “Do you think it’s okay if I go?”
Ava did know, of course. Sunny’s funeral was the next day. But she wasn’t sure that it would be safe for Malcolm to attend with Sunny’s brothers present. They were aware that he had abandoned Sunny in Mexico, and that perhaps the shame of facing everyone all at once had driven her to the extreme. “You should call her parents and ask them,” she suggested. “I don’t think it’s my place to tell you whether you should go or not.”
Malcolm nodded. He understood, of course. But the situation was made all the more painful by the fact that he would never be able to say a proper good-bye to Sunny. And he had no one to blame but himself.
“You want to know the truth?” he asked.
Ava nodded, though she wondered if she really wanted to hear this.
“I thought Sunny was the total package. She was gorgeous. Had her own money, one child just like me. A daughter, just like me. Single and successful, just like me. And I convinced myself that she could fit into my world.” He laughed, a bit maniacally. “And she did! She fit right in. She danced to jazz music with me, and sipped wine with me, and dressed the part when we went out. She was perfect. I told myself that she was perfect. But, the whole time…”
Malcolm stared at his hands in silence for several long and silent moments. Ava gave him the space to let it out, aware that she was probably the only person who Malcolm could talk to about this.
“She had a secret.” He looked at Ava, questioningly. “You know what it was?”
Ava stared back at Malcolm, unsure how to answer. In her mind she was screaming, Yeah, I know what it was. She was snorting coke behind your back the whole time!
“The secret was that she had fit into my world, but she had never really let me into her world. She never exposed me to it, not once, until we got to Mexico. And then she showed me.” Malcolm thought about that. The things he could never tell Ava or anybody. “She showed me and I ran. Like a bitch.”
Hearing him quote Sunny, Ava felt sorry for him. He looked so sad. “You made a mistake, Malcolm, but Sunny’s death was not your fault. She chose to get high after all of the trouble she found herself in. Nobody made her do it. So stop blaming yourself.” She watched him mulling over what she had just said. He nodded, but Ava wasn’t sure that his guilt had subsided at all. “What will you do now?” she asked. “Got another offer lined up?”
Malcolm nodded. “Yeah. I’m moving back to L.A.”
Ava’s mouth widened in surprise. “What? Really? I thought you hated it out there.”
He shrugged. “One of my former partners opened up a firm. He invited me to come and partner with him. I figured it’s time for a change of pace. Maybe I didn’t give it a chance the first time. Going back now, I think I’ll be more prepared.”
Ava was suddenly sad. She had always liked Malcolm a lot. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, honestly. “You’ll be missed.” Ava thought about how different things would have been had Malcolm expressed an interest in her when she was pining for him. Back then, Sunny had swooped in and swept Malcolm off his feet. All the while, Ava had stood on the sidelines feeling like that was the position she had always been destined to play. She was always on the bench watching the players in the starting lineup getting all of the action. But not any more. Ava had a whole new outlook these days.
Malcolm inquired, carefully. “How about your situation?” he asked. “Are they still charging you or did you get that worked out?”
“Thankfully, they dropped the charges against me,” Ava said. “But a lot of good that did me.” She tossed a pack of Post-it notes in one of her boxes. “They still gave me the boot.”
Malcolm shrugged. “So what!” he said. “It’s their loss. You go somewhere else and start over.”
Ava nodded. “I’m actually thinking of switching gears,” she said. “My little predicament showed me how terrible the criminal justice system is. It’s really disgusting. So I’m thinking about going into criminal law. I’ve been thinking about changing gears for a while now. This may be just the push that I needed.”
Malcolm’s eyes wi
dened in surprise. “Really? Wow, Ava,” he said. “Good for you.”
Ava looked at Malcolm. He was dressed like the preppy lawyer that he was. He spoke properly, held degrees from top schools, boasted an enviable stock portfolio. If someone had told her a year ago that she would end up with an incarcerated drug lord instead of a guy like Malcolm, she would have laughed in their face.
“You know,” she said, “I had the biggest crush on you at first.”
Malcolm smiled weakly. He was surprised by Ava’s revelation. “Yeah? You never said anything.” He looked at Ava through new eyes. She was beautiful. He had never taken the time to really notice that, too preoccupied with the work they did, the hours they billed.
“I know.” Ava laughed. “I was shy. I kept waiting for you to make the first move, but that never happened. And then you took one look at Sunny and fell head over heels.”
Malcolm nodded. It was true. Sunny had stolen his heart from the moment he laid eyes on her.
“I was just sitting here thinking about how different our lives would be if you and I had gotten together instead of … the way that things turned out. You wouldn’t be heading back to L.A. with all these regrets, and I wouldn’t be ruining my career and my reputation at the same time.”
Malcolm nodded, seeming lost in thought.
Ava laughed at the absurdity of it. “It makes no sense,” she said. “I spent so many years judging my sister and judging Sunny for the men they chose, and the lifestyles they lived. And now here I am in this mess.” She shook her head, threw up her hands. “But I’m not gonna let it get me down. Life goes on.”
Malcolm stared at her. “I’m sorry, Ava.” He tried to find the right words to express what he was feeling. “I’m sorry we both wound up like this. I guess we bit off more than we could chew in our relationships and it cost us our careers.” He laughed. “I’m leaving town, you’re stepping into a new career. So I guess it’s a new start for both of us.”