by Qiana London
He fixed her clothes back to the way they were, rolled up the dirty diaper, and then stood up and disposed of it inside of the trash can. Raijean walked into the living room and took the baby from Donte so we could finish talking.
“Shit, who are you telling?” He waited until she left the room. “You already know everything that I went through with her over my daughter. I’m just glad it worked out the way it did because Michael’s life depended on it.”
Donte had told me about Raijean stepping out on him with his best friend when I first came home and for a while, she didn’t know who the baby’s father was.
“You couldn’t deny that little girl if you wanted to. She looks just like you.”
“Yep, that’s my heart right there,” he added. He repositioned himself on the couch and gave me his undivided attention.
It was time to address the real reason for my visit. I had briefed him the night before, but I’d held off on discussing details until we met in person.
“Now tell me what you need me to do to get this bastard.”
“I’m gonna need you to call in some favors from a few of the guys you know. We need some trustworthy people to move him.”
“I know just the folks to do it. They’re legit, dependable, and I trust them with my own life. Getting them on board won’t be a problem at all.”
“Alright, cool. It sounds like you have everything under control.”
He nodded in agreement. “Now I know you want a hand in this, but you’ve got a daughter now, Tay, and—”
“Naw, Khalil, I want in. Shit, I put myself in harm’s way every day for my job. I’m definitely not about to stop now, especially when it comes to my sister.”
“I understand, and respect that. But—”
“Just let me know when I get to have some alone time with that motherfucker.”
I chuckled, and shook my head. “I’ll think about letting you tag team with me like we used to do back in the day.”
We shared a laugh. We used to be hot heads when we were younger. We didn’t start shit, but we finished it.
“Good times,” he replied and laughed. “And you’re involving Craig in this? Hell must’ve frozen over.”
“Aye, I gotta put the aces in their places. He was able to get me additional information about those dudes working for Diandre and he’s connected on the streets.” I recalled the conversation that Craig and I had the night before.
“I appreciate your help with this little brother.”
“It’s all good. Diandre is a ruthless motherfucker and I know how niggas like him operate.”
“We’ll be ready for him. My team will do whatever they have to so that the job gets done.”
“Yeah about that… I don’t know your people and I got shit at stake too. I’m going to need some of my niggas to roll with me.”
“My team will go hard for anybody that I involve-“
“Nah, Khalil. Those are your people. I need my own.”
“Alright, I’m cool with one additional person, but less is more. This operation is too risky. You feel me?”
“I gotchu, Khalil.”
“You trust him?”
“Yeah, I do. He’s come through for me before and he knows how important this is to me.”
“He knows about Dezzy?”
“Not exactly.”
“And have you told her about what you plan to do?”
“Not yet and I don’t know if I will. If I do, it’ll be after things are handled. I don’t want her to worry.”
He nodded. “Are you out of the doghouse yet?” he asked and chuckled.
“Man, I’m trying. She ain’t been fucking with me,” I replied and smiled. “Dezzy can definitely be stubborn.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
We shared a laugh.
“Speaking of her, I was hoping I could catch her before I head back to the city. You think I should stop by her shop?”
“I don’t know. You ain’t putting me in that shit,” Donte said and smiled.
“That’s fucked up, Tay. I thought you were supposed to be my boy.”
“I am, but that’s my sister, and I ain’t getting involved. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“I always do, but that ain’t the point,” I replied and chuckled.
I stood up and put my jacket on. “Alright, I’m out. But I’ll be in touch with the green light.”
Donte stood too, and we brought our hands together before embracing. He headed toward his bedroom to be with his daughter and Raijean, and I let myself out.
*****
Craig pulled behind me into the parking garage of my building, and I directed him to one of the guest parking spots. We had taken our mother to dinner for her birthday, and since he was already in San Francisco and needed to pass some time before he picked his wife up from the airport, I invited him over to watch Fox Sports and have a drink or two. We had more contact with one another now that I was home, but it wasn’t often that we got together to kick it without discussing business.
I waited for him to get out of his car, and we headed for the elevator. I entered my pass code and pressed the button for my floor.
“I see you, big brother. Your coins got to be on point to be up in a spot like this.”
“I do alright.”
“How much is this running you?”
“Why? Are you contributing to the mortgage payment?”
“Fuck no!”
“Then mind your business,” I replied and laughed.
We reached my floor. He stepped off the elevator behind me.
“Why are you always so damn secretive, Khalil?”
“It’s just the way I’m wired.”
We stopped in front of my door, and I put my key in the lock to open it. I turned the key to the left, but the latch didn’t release. I never left my door unlocked. I left the key in the door, and took a step back to look at the small space beneath the door. The lights were off, and I didn’t see any movement. I placed my ear to the door to see if I could hear anything.
“What’s up, Kha—”
I put my hand up to stop Craig mid-sentence. I reached behind my back and pulled out my Smith &Wesson. He immediately pulled his piece out too and was on the defense. I turned my attention to him and gestured for him to follow me inside.
“Stay close,” I whispered.
He nodded in understanding. I quietly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. I left the lights off and moved further into my place. My alarm didn’t chirp like it normally would, which let me know it had already been disabled. I heard slight movement coming from the living room, so I headed that way. Craig stayed close as I had instructed. Once I made it to the living room, I turned on the light. Dezzy screamed as I stumbled backward in surprise. I lowered my gun.
“Oh shit!” I yelled.
Craig moved forward to see what had my attention, and Dezzy screamed again. It took me a second to react, but when I did, I turned to face Craig and pushed him backwards. Dezzy was lying on the couch wearing one of my favorite snapback hats, and nothing else. Clearly, we had caught each other by surprise.
“That’s what the fuck I’m talking about,” Craig said as he tried to see over my shoulder.
“Shut up, Craig!” I said, pushing him further back. “I’m gonna have to cut this night a little short.”
“Do you know what I’d do if I came home to that?”
“I can only imagine,” I said and chuckled.
“Who is that, Khalil?”
“Stay out of my business, Craig.”
By now, we were back at my front door.
“I bet you don’t even know what to do with that.”
“Shiiit,” I replied, pushing him out the door.
“Normally, I’d say you’re being rude as fuck, but I completely understand,” he said, trying to look back into my place.
“Quit, nigga. I’ll fuck you up!”
“Alright, alright,” he said, laughing
. “How do I get up out of this motherfucker? You got me up in Fort Knox and shit.”
“Press 1-2-5-4 when you get in the elevator and go back down to the garage. You’ll be able to find your way from there.”
Craig pressed the button to bring the elevator back to my floor. “All I know, Khalil, is you better wear that shit out and make your little brother proud!”
“Take your perverted ass on, Craig,” I said and laughed before I closed and locked the door.
I sat my gun down on the console table, and headed back into the living room. Dezzy was still wearing my hat, but now she was covered by the throw I kept on the couch. I could see on her face that she was embarrassed as I took a seat next to her.
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t know you were going to be here. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I just feel a little stupid. I came over to surprise you and apologize, but my plan hella backfired.”
“No, it didn’t. You definitely surprised me.”
I used my feet to remove my shoes then bent down to bring them together before I moved them to the side. I leaned back and rested my arm on the couch behind her.
“Do you usually come into your house with your gun drawn like that?”
“Not usually, but I wasn’t sure what I was walking into. Things weren’t as I had left them. I can never be too careful.”
“It’s almost like you thought you might be in danger.”
“I just like to be prepared.”
“Who was that with you?”
“That was my brother.”
“Wait. That was Craig? I heard you and Tay talk about him back in the day, but he never came around.”
“Yeah, well, he’s always been the type to do his own thing.”
“I see,” she adjusted the hat on her head, but she didn’t remove it. “So are you going to tell me what you’re up to?”
“What do you mean?”
“KJ, I’m not stupid. Clearly, something is going on. It’s one thing for you to be prepared, but you and Craig were anticipating the worst. Is it something I need to be concerned about? Am I safe here?”
I pulled her close and looked deeply into her eyes, making sure that I never broke her gaze. “Dezzy, you’re always safe with me. I would never put you in harm’s way. Do you understand?”
She nodded and diverted her attention to the floor.
“Look at me,” I said, taking her chin in my hand. I gently turned her head. I could see tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but I’m not him. I’m not going to hurt you.” Now that I had her attention again, I shifted and leaned back on the couch once again.
“I know, KJ. I’m sorry I overreacted at the party. But I had never seen that side of you before and it scared me.”
“I understand, but it wasn’t going to get out of hand. I had everything under control. Trust me. Your boy was doing too much and he needed to step off. I didn’t like him touching my girl, and he definitely fucked up when he put his hands on me.”
“What did you say?”
“He’s lucky I didn’t whoop his ass, Dezzy,” I continued. “I care a lot about you, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“I don’t doubt that, KJ,” she replied. “So we’re official now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, seeing as how I’m your girl and all.”
“Did I say that? I don’t know what the hell I was thinking,” I said and chuckled.
“You better quit playing with me.” She held the blanket against her body with one arm and playfully hit me with the other one.
“We’ve been official as far as I’m concerned, Dezzy. You think I’d allow just any woman to have this type of access to me?”
“You better not. I’d have to fuck a bitch up!”
“Be easy, gangsta,” I replied and laughed. “You’re the only one who has my heart.”
“And I’m ready to trust you with mine,” she confirmed as she released the blanket. “Now come here.”
A smirk formed on my face as she climbed onto her knees and slowly moved closer to me. She wanted to take charge, and I was going to let her for now. After she unfastened my belt buckle, I helped her out by lifting my lower body off the couch so she could pull my pants down. I stepped out of my jeans, one leg at a time and left them on the floor. I was still wearing my briefs, but she didn’t let that stop her from straddling me. I could feel the heat radiating from her against my dick and it stood at full attention. She looked into my eyes and didn’t break her gaze as she grinded on me. She strategically massaged my dick with her pussy for a moment longer before stopping and resting on my lap. I could feel her moisture through my underwear.
“You good, baby?” I asked.
“I’m great,” she replied, grabbing the bottom of my shirt.
She raised my shirt, and I lifted my arms so she could pull it off. As she dropped my shirt on the floor, I grabbed the back of my wife-beater and pulled it over my head. I dropped it on the floor behind her.
“Damn.” Dezzy ran her hands against my chest and moved them up to my shoulders. She held the back of my neck with both of her hands and leaned forward to kiss me. We kissed gently at first before I felt her open her mouth. I took my cue and dipped my tongue inside. She moaned softly as she kissed me back. I placed my hands on her thighs, traced my way back to her ass, and let them rest on the small of her back. We continued to kiss slowly and softly. She ran her tongue along my bottom lip, gave it a slight bite, pulled it into her mouth, and sucked it. My dick jumped. This shit is turning me on.
Dezzy pulled away, looked at me, and smiled. She knew what she was doing to me, and she was cocky about it. I liked it. I pulled her closer to me, and quickly rolled her over on the couch so that I could be on top. She squealed in surprise and laughed. She rested her back against the pillows, and I used my body to spread her legs apart. I kissed and sucked her neck, and slowly peppered her with kisses as I made my way down her chest to her nipple. I flicked it with my tongue and then took it into my mouth where I sucked and massaged it at the same time.
She placed her hand on the back of my head and moaned. “This one is getting jealous,” she said through heavy breathing.
“We can’t have that, now can we?”
She giggled and closed her eyes as I moved over to her other breast. As I licked it, I used my hand to pinch the other nipple. She gasped, arched her back, and began to squirm. I used my tongue to trace down her stomach to her navel. She held her breath in anticipation as I moved further down. But I stopped and pulled back before going any further. Her eyes popped open, and she looked at me as though she wanted to do serious harm, which made me chuckle.
“Quit playing with me, KJ.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I ran my fingers across the moist lips between her thighs. I massaged her clit and it began to swell.
“Yes, you do,” she moaned and opened her legs wider.
Her clit peered out at me and glistened in the light. I rubbed it with my thumb and dipped my middle and ring fingers into the moisture. I slowly penetrated her with my fingers as she whimpered in delight. I pulled my hand away and looked at her.
“You have got to be kid—”
Before she could finish her sentence, I dived between her legs and covered her lips with mine. She moaned loudly as I worked magic on her clit with my tongue. I used my hand to finger her at the same time, and she squirted as she had an orgasm that made her whole body shudder. Her body went limp, and she tried to catch her breath.
“Now, that that’s out of the way,” I said and stood to my feet. “Let’s take this upstairs where I can really show you a thing or two.”
“Wait. What?”
I smiled at the perplexed look on her face and then I extended my hand to her. Once her hand was in mine, I pulled her to her feet. I bent down and lifted Dezzy into a fireman’s carry. I smacked her ass and she shrieked and then giggled.
“Brace yourself, baby, because I’m just getting started.”
Chapter Six
It was two hours until show time, and I’d called a meeting with all the key players for one last prep session before we executed the plan to intercept Diandre’s move to prison. I waited in an abandoned lot in an unmarked black SUV for the rest of the team. After fifteen minutes, another SUV identical to the one I was in pulled up along with a prisoner transport van and a black sedan. Occupying the other SUV was Snow and Melanie. Donte and two security guards he’d called in favors from were in the van. Craig was in the black sedan along with his right-hand man. Wayne definitely would not have been my first choice, but I had agreed to let Craig bring along someone he trusted. I didn’t like Wayne from day one when he came at me crazy at the trap house and I damn sure didn’t trust him, but clearly my brother did. As if he were reading my mind, Craig spoke to me as they approached.
“It’s good, Khalil. I told you it wasn’t personal.”
I didn’t bother responding. Wayne’s presence didn’t sit well with me at all, but there wasn’t anything that could be done about it now. Besides, he was aware of what was going to take place, and I’d rather he be nearby so that he couldn’t interfere with anything. As everyone gathered around, I looked at Wayne briefly, but he avoided eye contact with me. This would be his first and last time working with me or my people.
Donte introduced his contacts, Vargas and Romano, to the group.
“Nice to finally meet you in person,” I said, shaking each of their hands. Before now, I’d only spoken to them over the phone and occasionally through video chat.
Once everyone had been properly introduced, it was time to get down to business.
“Alright folks, I need everyone to focus. Things should run smoothly if we all stick to the plan. Does anyone have any last questions about the transport?”
Everyone shook their heads. I nodded my approval and turned to open the back of my SUV. Inside the truck were duffle bags containing two-way radios, guns, and bulletproof vests. Melanie stepped closer to me to assist with passing out the items.
“I’ve secured the radios so that we’re the only ones who can be heard over the frequency,” she announced. “Everyone needs to be tuned in to channel 17.”