More Pain, Pleasure and Lies

by Qiana London

  “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  She didn’t respond. I could hear her trying to control her breathing.

  “Dezzy, are you alright?”

  There was no answer. I had an uneasy feeling. Instead of waiting for her to come out of the bathroom, I opened the door and went inside.

  What I saw would forever be etched in my memory. I watched her pull up blood-stained pants as she held her stomach. She stood trembling as she faced the toilet. Her crying continued. When I walked closer to console her, I peered down in the toilet and realized what had happened. I pulled her into my arms, and that’s when she completely fell apart.

  “My baby!” she cried. She buried her face in my chest, and I held her tighter. It tore me up inside to see her hurting.

  She continued to cry and then I heard her gasp. She looked up at me. “Oh my God, Khalil, I’m so sor—”

  “Nuh uh, stop. That’s the least of my concerns right now.”

  I looked into her tear-filled, swollen eyes. She studied my face briefly before she rested her head on my chest again and wrapped her arms around my waist. We stood together in silence. She had gained control of her breathing and the sobbing stopped, but my soaked wife-beater let me know that her tears continued to flow. I felt so helpless, but I knew this was one situation I had no control over. But I was determined to be there for her in whatever way I could. I rested my chin on top of her head, closed my eyes, and asked God to forgive me for feeling a sense of relief in such an unfortunate situation.

  Chapter Two

  “Hey, hun, can I get a refill?” Snow pushed his empty coffee mug closer to the waitress. “And, I’ll take your number too, Donna,” he said as he read her name tag.

  “Some things never change,” I laughed as I shook my head.

  He winked at her as she filled his cup. She smiled and turned her attention to me, completely ignoring him. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything, handsome?”

  “I’m good. Thanks,” I replied and smiled.

  “You let me know if you change your mind,” she teased.

  “I sure will.”

  “I mean, really? Are you two just going to act like I’m not sitting right here? I know you ladies are into the tall, muscular, and good-looking chocolate dudes, but don’t sleep on the vanilla ones. White is right. This white boy will change your life.”

  “Ooh boy, stop!” she said and giggled. “I’ll be right over there if y’all need anything.” Donna walked away to attend to her other tables.

  “Aye, you better be nice to me. I’m the one leaving the tip!” he called behind her.

  “Snow, leave that girl alone!” I said, laughing. “We’ve got business to handle.”

  “This is coming from the man who’s getting pussy on a regular basis.”

  “Watch that shit.” I was no longer smiling. “And stay out of my fucking business.”

  “Oh wait, I stand corrected,” he started. “That’s definitely blue balls talking.”

  “Fuck you, Snow.”

  What else could I say? He was right. I hadn’t had sex since I’d been back and I had to admit that it had me on edge. I’d had plenty of opportunities to make it happen, but the only person I wanted to get into was Dezzy, and that still hadn’t happened. But even if it had, it wasn’t up for discussion.

  Snow looked at me unfazed. He was one of my closest friends. We had met in the Marine Corps during boot camp and initially butted heads. I couldn’t stand his ass and I was convinced that he didn’t like black people. But we put our differences aside and became tight after we were both assigned to the Recon Division. Our superiors recommended us for Special Ops because of our unique skills. We had been through plenty together.

  “Now, tell me why I had to meet you at this hole in the wall.”

  “Alright, let me show you something.” Snow reached inside of his coat and pulled out a manila envelope. He slid it across the table over to me. I looked at him, and then around the room. We were sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant.

  “What’s this?” I picked up the envelope and opened it. There were pictures of a teenage girl I wasn’t familiar with. The first few photos were of her leading a normal, everyday life. The next ones showed her blindfolded and beaten up pretty badly.

  “That’s our next assignment.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “She went missing three days ago. We’ve got to find her and we’re already on borrowed time.”

  “Snow, I ain’t trying to babysit. This isn’t what I signed on for.”

  “You better get over it. You don’t really have a choice. Besides, I think you’ll change your mind when you find out who she is.”

  I looked at him blankly. I would hear him out, but I wasn’t the least bit excited about what he had to say. “That’s Rebecca Greene.”

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

  “She’s Reginald Greene’s daughter, as in Judge Reginald Greene.”

  “You’re bull shittin’.”

  He was the judge presiding over Diandre’s case. I leaned in closer. Now he had my undivided attention.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he shot back, smugly. “Anyway, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that this isn’t a coincidence. Diandre wasn’t worried about the jurors. His ass went after the judge.”

  Snow removed the pictures from my hand and sifted through them. I watched him as he pulled one from the stack. “This is who we’re after. If Diandre doesn’t walk, this guy is going to kill her.” He sat the photo down on the table in front of me.

  I looked at it and swallowed hard. “Shit.”

  “What? Do you know him?”

  “Yeah, you can say that.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “That’s my brother…my half-brother.”

  “That’s Craig? The one you told me about during our last tour?”

  I nodded. This definitely complicated things.

  “Do you need to pull out?”

  “Nah, this comes with the territory,” I replied as I picked up the picture. “Shit just got real.”

  “It’s your brother, though. Are you sure, Khalil?”

  I gave him a look that dared him to ask me the question again. He caught my drift and left it alone.

  “Melanie is doing intel as we speak. We will have to act soon.”

  I nodded. I was listening, but my mind was racing. I was trying to figure out the best way to fix this. I didn’t want things to get too ugly, but I was prepared to do what I had to do. I had always been the one to do what was right.

  “So when are you going to tell her?”

  “When am I going to tell who what?”

  “Come on, Khalil. You know Melanie still has feelings for you. She knows you have a grudge against Diandre, but she doesn’t know why.”

  “Melanie and I ended while we were in Japan. We made a mutual decision that it was best.”

  “Oh, is that how you remember the story?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Did you forget that I was there too? You’re lucky she didn’t shoot you in your ass when she caught you with that civilian.”

  Donna sauntered over to the table to check on us. Her timing was perfect. That night in Okinawa was definitely a memorable one, but it wasn’t something that I wanted to rehash right now.

  “How are y’all doing over here? Do you need anything?” she asked.

  “We’ll take the check,” Snow replied.

  She nodded, and walked away.

  “Yeah, I remember, but I ain’t going to dwell on old shit.”

  Snow downed the last of his coffee and wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin. He checked his watch and reached for his wallet.

  “I gotta get out of here. Are you ready for tomorrow?”

  “Did you really just ask me that?”

  Donna brought the check and was about to walk away.

  “Hold up, hun. Don’t leave.” Snow pulled
a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to her. “Here you go. You can keep the change.”

  “Um, are you sure? All you had was a cup of coffee and a piece of pie.”

  “Yeah, I know. I told you this white boy could change your life,” he replied and winked.

  We both stood up from the booth.

  “510-632—” she started.

  “Sorry, baby girl, that ship has sailed,” he interrupted.

  Donna looked surprised and confused. I chuckled and shook my head. Snow could be such an asshole. He headed for the door, and I was right behind him.

  *****

  The next morning, I sat at my breakfast bar and studied all the materials once more that Melanie had provided so that I’d be fully prepared for my assignment today. I was going undercover at one of the universities here in the city and I would be participating in the accreditation process. She had integrated me into an agency that developed criteria and performed evaluations to determine if a specific college met required standards or not to be considered accredited in the United States. I placed the last bite of toast into my mouth, stood from my seat, and carried my empty plate over to the sink. I returned to my chair and gathered all the papers that were on the counter, placed them inside the file folder, and stuck it into my laptop bag.

  I walked into the main office along with three other folks who made up the accreditation team. None of us had met before today, but we would be spending the next week together while we conducted the site visit. While we were there to determine whether the college had maintained the requirements necessary for accreditation renewal, I was there to meet Fatima Towers. We were greeted by the director of enrollment management who informed us that we would be meeting with students first followed by members of different faculty groups. I was bored already, but I reminded myself that this was a small sacrifice in order to get the information I needed. The other members of the team introduced themselves, and it was finally my turn.

  “How are you? I’m Harper Hamilton, matriculation coordinator.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Stephen Chase,” he shook my hand firmly. “Right this way.”

  He led us down a hallway and into a large conference room.

  “Please feel free to make yourselves comfortable. This is where you’ll be stationed for the week. The Wi-Fi password is right there on the whiteboard, and in the bottom corner is the door code to the faculty and staff lounge. The bathrooms are through that door, down the hall, and to the left.”

  He continued to talk as I took a seat facing the door. I reached into my bag and pulled out my laptop. I set up my workspace while pretending to be engaged in what he was saying. He ran down the history of the school, recent changes, and their vision over the next four years.

  “We hope you’ll find that we’ve put forth every effort to ensure our students continue to receive the best possible education. We stand behind our mission.”

  This guy sounded hella rehearsed. I was glad when he finally left the room.

  “So how do we want to do this?” a team member asked.

  “I’m all for whatever is going to get things done in the quickest and most efficient way possible,” another replied.

  They all nodded their approval and looked at me for input.

  “I couldn’t agree more. The quicker, the better,” I chimed in.

  I looked at my watch and stood up. “I didn’t get a chance to eat before I headed out this morning. Does anyone else want something from the lounge before we get started? I’m going to check out what they have.”

  They shook their heads, but thanked me for the offer.

  I wasn’t hungry, but I wanted to make the most of my time while I was here. This way, I would have the chance to walk around a bit without the distraction of others. The hallways were vacant since most of the classes were either already in session or hadn’t started yet. I knew Fatima worked today and had a morning class, but I hadn’t spotted her. I had the whole week to meet her, but I hoped we would cross paths sooner rather than later. I needed to have all of my ducks in a row with the trial ending soon.

  I entered the code on the lounge door and went inside. The room was basically empty with the exception of two women sitting in the corner conversing over coffee, and a man watching TV on the couch as he ate a doughnut. I walked further into the room and headed over to the counter where doughnuts, fruit, and bagels were spread out. I grabbed a banana and made my way over to the Keurig to make myself a cup of coffee.

  “If you want the good stuff, look under the sink.”

  I turned around to acknowledge the voice speaking to me. Fatima stood behind me with an empty mug in her hands. She drummed the mug with her fingers, waiting for me to finish.

  “Thanks for the heads up. You can go ahead and get in here because I still don’t know what I want.”

  I opened the cabinet under the sink, and looked at the assortment of coffee.

  “Oh no, it’s okay. I’m not in a rush. My class isn’t for another thirty minutes.” She walked toward the counter and set her mug down. She lifted the lid on the doughnut box and looked at them, but she didn’t pull one out. “I’m Fatima. Are you a new adjunct?”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Fatima.”

  I pulled out a medium roast K-cup, placed it inside the holster, and started the brew. “I’m Harper. I’m here with the accreditation team.”

  “Oh okay,” she started. “Man, time flies. I can’t believe we’re up for recertification already.”

  “So, you’ve been through one of these before?”

  “Yes. It’s a very tedious process and it’s nerve wracking for administration, but we’ve never had any problems with passing.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing.”

  We stood in silence while I waited for my coffee. Once the brew finished, I removed my cup from the Keurig and stepped back so she could prepare her own. I moved further down the counter and contemplated adding cream and sugar. She was deciding which flavor she would choose as my cell phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw that it was Snow calling. I glanced at Fatima who had made her selection and began the brew. I answered on the third ring.

  “What’s good?” I lowered the volume in my ear to make sure my call couldn’t be overheard.

  “We need to move in on Craig.”

  “Give me forty-eight hours.” I spoke quietly into the phone. “Let me talk to him first and see what I can do.”

  “We ain’t got time for you to be negotiating.”

  “Just trust me.”

  “I’ll stall for twenty-four, and then it’s a done deal.”

  “I’ll make it happen.”

  We ended the call.

  “Is everything alright?” Fatima asked.

  “Yeah, it’s good,” I replied. “It’s just some drama with my brother.” Normally, I’d be put off by someone trying to get into my business, but I was baiting her.

  “Hmm,” she started. “I know all too well about that.”

  That was easy, I thought to myself.

  She removed her mug from the coffee maker and brought it to her lips without adding anything to it.

  “You’re not going to put anything in it?”

  She shook her head and grabbed an apple. “No, I prefer black,” she replied.

  She looked into my eyes and held my gaze long enough for me to realize she was flirting. My phone began to ring in my hand. This time it was Dezzy.

  Fatima looked at me and smiled. “It was nice meeting you, Harper. I’m sure I’ll catch you later. I’ve got to get ready for my class.”

  I watched Fatima leave as I prepared to take the call. Now that I’d met her, I was contemplating which angle I would come from to get more information about Diandre.

  “Hey, how was it?” I asked.

  I had treated Dezzy and a few of her closest girlfriends to a weekend getaway in Calistoga, a city tucked away in Napa County. I knew I couldn’t change what had happened, but I h
ad been trying to do everything in my power to help her cope with her loss over the last week. I figured time away with her girlfriends would do her some good and be a welcomed distraction.

  “I really needed this, KJ. Thank you so much. I still have my moments, but it helped me clear my head a bit. My girls always know how to cheer me up.”

  “That’s what I like to hear,” I replied. I picked up my banana and my cup of coffee, and then made my way back toward the conference room.

  “Are you at work?” she inquired.

  “Yes. I’m actually heading into a meeting now.”

  Dezzy knew I had formed a private security company along with a couple of friends and that we took contract jobs for different clientele, including the government. But she didn’t know the extent of what I did, and I intended to keep it that way. People reached out to us when they needed peace of mind beyond what the government would allow, and they were more than willing to pay top dollar for us to go the extra mile in protecting their loved ones or sensitive materials. I had explained to her that sometimes my work would require me to be gone for extended periods of time and that there would be times when she couldn’t reach me. But I assured her that I would always make sure she had the contact information for someone who could. I downplayed my line of work to Dezzy and led her to think the majority of my work took place behind a desk because I didn’t want her to worry.

  “Oh okay. I’m not going to hold you long. I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight.”

  I was silent as I tried to recall what she was talking about.

  “KJ, did you forget you said you would go with me to my client’s party?”

  “I remember,” I lied. “What time does it start again?” I stood outside of the conference room door so I could finish my call.

  “It starts at eight o’clock and goes all night. She’s known for having parties that last well into the next day.”