"I thought he was kicked off."
"He was, and I think he was grateful for that."
"I guess you're wondering if I'll will give him a second chance."
"Oh, I know you will, Asia. I can see in your eyes that you want to. You just don't know if it's the right decision."
"You're right about that. I don't know how much more lying I can take from anyone."
"Believe me when I say that Bryon isn't keeping anymore secrets. He's been straightforward with you, and he'll continue to be. I think he's learned his lesson and he'll never lie to you again."
"What about Maxine? Did she really forgive Jason?"
"She did. She figured since she's pregnant, she doesn't need the added stress, so she just it go."
"They're married, too; that's probably another reason she did."
"I heard your husband is also in law enforcement. Did you forgive him for lying?"
"To a certain extent, I did. I hate that he lied to me the entirety of our marriage, but I guess he had to."
"Just like Bryon."
I nodded, taking in her point. She got up then pulled me up for a brief hug.
"I really hope you and Bryon work through this. Now that I know you and your husband are over, I know you'll be perfect for Bryon. You are sure you're ending your marriage, right?"
"Yes, I am. We both agreed to it."
She nodded. "If you need to talk, please feel free to call me. My card is in the basket."
"Thanks, Sabrina."
After saying good-bye, she went to the door. I was sitting at my desk, wondering if I should call Bryon when the door opened again. I thought it was Sabrina again, but it was Warren. I wondered why he was here.
"Hi, Warren. What brings you by?" I asked nervously. Since I knew what he was up to, it was kind of hard to not show any fear.
"Nothing much. Just wanted to see my favorite cousin-in-law at work."
"I'm your only cousin-in-law, but that will be changing soon."
"Yeah, you're with your boss now, right? Dwight told me."
"I'm sure he did."
"But just because you and Dwight have decided to part ways doesn't mean we still can't talk, right?"
"I guess not. Listen, I really need to get these layouts done by the end of the day, so I'll talk to you later. But thanks for stopping by."
"No problem, Asia, but I'm not leaving."
I raised an eyebrow, and he smiled.
"I just said I had a lot to do."
"I heard you loud and clear, but I'm not leaving until you come with me."
"Why? What for?"
"Because of your involvement with your boss and his brother."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Stop it, Asia. Tyrone and I know about the Gibson guys. Tyrone asked me to come by so I personally deliver you to him."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"I think you will once you see this," he insisted. He pulled out his phone and went to his photos section. When he pressed on a video, I gasped. In the video, Maxine was bound and gagged in an unfamiliar place. I looked at Warren in disbelief as he put his phone back into his pocket.
"What are you doing?! She's pregnant!"
"Just get up!"
"I'm not leaving!" I yelled. I got up, getting ready to run to the back room when Warren grabbed me by the waist. I was dragging my feet when he picked me up and carried me to the door. I kicked him, causing both of us to fall down. I got up, but he pulled me back down. He held onto me as I tried to twist from his embrace.
"Let me go!"
That was the last thing I said before I was knocked out cold.
Bryon
I walked into the agency to see if Asia had made it to work, but she was nowhere to be found. I spoke to my mom who said she'd stopped by to see her. Maybe she left to grab lunch or something.
I went to my desk and saw some of Asia's things knocked onto the floor. I was picking everything up when I saw a bit of blood on the floor. I became concerned. I went to the back room and looked at the security camera. I turned it off and rewound the video to earlier that morning. I saw that Asia had been here, talking to my mom. I fast forwarded it and saw her talking to Warren. I played the footage, and my anger rose. They were arguing; Asia got up, and Warren grabbed her. I continued watching the video until the point of Warren hitting her. That's when my anger got the best of me.
I started throwing everything off of the desk and threw a chair across the room. That fucking bastard! He came into my workplace and took Asia! Wait until I found that son of a bitch and killed him!
I walked out of the room and saw Jason at the door. He wore an expression of sadness and anger on his face as he scrolled through his phone. .
"Warren has Asia."
"I know, just like he has Maxine."
He handed me his phone and sighed in frustration. It was a video of Maxine being kidnapped.
"What the fuck! How the fuck did they know anything?!"
"You sure Dwight isn't working for Tyrone? Because that's the only way they would know anything."
"There's only one way to find out."
I went to the door and outside. It was time to pay Dwight a visit at his job.
***
I rushed to the video game store determined to confront Dwight. Jason didn't even try to stop me from driving like a lunatic. He was just as upset as I was since they had Maxine, too. I knew Dwight couldn't be trusted. He could be seeking revenge over the fact that Asia chose me over him. Even though we weren't together, I knew where her heart was. That was proven a week ago when we made love at Jason's flat.
I reached the store and jumped out of the car, not even waiting on Jason. I marched in and saw him stocking games on the back wall; I rushed over and shoved him against the wall. Half of the games fell to the floor as I shoved him again.
"What the hell are you doing, man?!"
"Where is Asia?!"
"What?! What are you talking about?"
"You need to leave before I call the police!" Tonya yelled from the counter.
"I am the police!" I yelled. I didn't have my badge anymore, but no one knew that.
"Your no good ass cousin came into my place of business and took Asia. He and Tyrone wouldn't have known about our involvement unless someone told them. So are you really working with us or working for them?"
Dwight pushed me off of him and got in my face.
"I told you I was working on the damn case. Evidently, they've been finding information about anyone who's going after them.
"Fuck! Now they probably know I'm involved, too."
"What are you going to do about it, Alexander?" I asked.
He pulled something from his back pocket and walked to the counter. He held it up for Tonya and another person to see.
"I'm clocking out."
"What? What is going on, Dwight?" the guy beside Tonya asked.
"This is why?" he held up his badge. "I have something to take care of."
"What?! You're a cop?!"
"I guess I should have put that on my application," he quipped and walked to the door.
I looked at them briefly then followed Dwight out of the store. He walked to my car and saw Jason in the passenger seat. Jason was about to jump out, but I stopped him.
"He doesn't have anything to do with this, Jase. Now, the three of us have to work together to bring these bastards down. Are you with us or not?"
"B, you're not on this case anymore."
"I don't care. They have the woman I love, and I'm going to do what I can to get her back."
I looked at Dwight who wore a not-too-pleased look. At this point, I didn't give a shit about his opinion.
"Fine, what do we have to do?" he said.
"We have to get the Commish on this," Jason suggested.
"No. For all we know, he's the one who blew our cover. There's something strange going on with him, and I prefer to not have him in on this."
"Damn,
you're being paranoid, Bryon."
"I think you're on to something," Dwight told me. "From the times I've talked to your boss, he always seemed sort of jumpy and even reluctant to do anything. Tyrone has mentioned that he knew people in high places; that's why he always got off on his charges."
"It's fucked up if he is involved in this," Jason said.
"It could be just a hunch, but who else would have said anything? Fuck! That's the reason he wanted me off of this case," I reasoned.
"So, what are we going to do then?" Dwight asked.
I glanced at them. "We're going to bring them all down."
"Let's do it," Jason agreed.
I nodded and went to the driver's side. Hopefully, we could all work together to bring Asia and Maxine home.
Asia
I looked around the room where I was tied up, wondering where was I. I glanced at Maxine, who was still bound and gagged. I tried my best to convince these clowns to loosen her since she was pregnant, but of course, they didn't care.
After Warren knocked me out cold, I ended up in an unfamiliar place. I assumed this was Tyrone's place, judging from the men all over the place. I looked down at my feet, rubbing them together, trying to get the ropes off of me. Deep down, I knew it wouldn't work unless I had something sharp, but I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. I had to get out.
I looked at Maxine again; she looked terrified. I gave her an encouraging expression, letting her know we would get out of here. We had to.
The door opened, and Warren walked in with another man I realized was Tyrone. He came over and ripped the tape off of my mouth. I wanted to scream, but I kept my composure.
"How are you enjoying your accommodations? I know it's not the 5-star establishment Mr. Gibson provides you, but I'm sure it'll do."
I just glared at him as he got in my face. I leaned back, trying to get some space.
"I asked you a question, so you better answer."
"And if I don't?"
"I don't think you want to find out."
I turned my head, and Tyrone began caressing my shoulder. If I wasn't tied up, I would have pushed him away.
"Now I see why both Gibson and Dwight wanted you. You're sexy," he said. He leaned down to my neck and tried to kiss me, but I moved away from him.
"You're not in a position to reject me. If I wanted you, I could have been had you."
"Leave me alone," I demanded through gritted teeth.
He laughed and looked in my eyes. "I think you should listen to me, especially if you want to see your husband and boyfriend alive."
I looked away as he rubbed my hair, making me cringe.
"Did you know Dwight was working for me, even though he's been against me the entire time?"
"I didn't know anything until I was kidnapped by his cousin."
"I think you're lying. Yeah, you were clueless about everything at first, but you knew him and Gibson were coming for me. That's why I took his brother's wife. If those three want you two, they know where to find me."
"I hope they do so they can lock both you and Warren up! And I can't believe you, Warren! How could you do this? What if someone did this to Chrissy?"
"Unlike you, Chrissy knew what was going on. She could handle it."
"Listen, why don't you just let us go? We won't tell anyone what you're up to."
"That's not possible. We have to keep you in case someone tries to come after us. "
"Please, at least let Maxine go. She's pregnant!"
"Not going to happen," Tyrone insisted. He walked over to a chair and sat down. He leaned forward, clasping his hands together.
"Now, you're going to tell me what Gibson and Dwight knows about us."
"How can I when I didn't even know what they were doing."
"I'm sure you can come up with something."
"I don't know anything."
"You better tell me now!" he yelled, pulling out a gun. Maxine shrieked, and I continued to look at him. Although I was trying to be strong, I was scared as shit. I couldn't let him see my weakness. I had to keep it together.
"I don't have anything. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you anything."
"Oh, you're trying to be a badass? I bet you won't be once I pull this trigger."
"If you're going to, go ahead."
Tyrone put the gun into the back of his jeans and stepped to me.
"I won't, not yet anyway. I want both of your men to see you suffer just like they've made me and my business suffer. They already busted a couple of my good employees, so they're taking away my money. Hopefully, they will find out where I am. And when they do, I'll have something waiting for them."
I looked out of the window, hoping someone would come soon. Then I saw Bryon's car near the curb. My heart started pounding; I was relieved he was here but also scared for him. I really didn't want anything to happen to him or Dwight. I loved Bryon too much to see his life end because of me. I turned around so Tyrone wouldn't know what I was looking at. I had to find some way to distract him.
"I just remembered something," I lied.
Tyrone smiled and sauntered to me. "I knew you knew something."
Before I could say anything, the door busted open, and Bryon and Dwight stormed in with guns pointed at Tyrone. I thought my heart would leap out of my chest.
Tyrone turned around with a smirk. "Look who finally showed up to the party."
"Let these two go now!" Bryon yelled.
"Not until I get what I need from you. You two have been investigating me for years, yet you could never arrest me."
"There was a reason for that. You've got Commissioner Franklin in your damn pocket, don't you?" Bryon asked.
Tyrone laughed and tried to touch me. Bryon stood behind him with his gun pointed at his back.
"Touch her, and I'll blow your damn brains out."
I looked from Bryon to Tyrone and began shaking. I had never seen this side of Bryon, but it was all for a good reason. I looked over at Dwight who was too busy with Warren to even notice what was happening. The two were arguing, then Warren tried to hit Dwight. Tyrone picked up my chair. Bryon looked at me, while Dwight pulled Warren to him, holding the gun to his head. I tried not to cry as I looked between the two men who had graced my life.
"Let her go, now!" Dwight yelled.
"Why should I listen to you punk?! I thought we were partners, man. The fact that you're running with them is fucked up, especially after everything I've done for you!" Tyrone replied.
"I was doing my job, trying to clean the city's streets, including throwing you behind bars."
"I went to prison for you when all along you were a fucking cop?!"
"Yeah, you did, but you should've been locked up longer with all the charges you had stacked up. If it wasn't for the damn city protecting you, we wouldn't be doing this right now."
"Tyrone, let Asia and Maxine go. They don't need to be a part of this," Bryon interjected.
"They're as involved in this as you are. In fact, Asia, who do you love more? Tell the truth."
"What are you doing?"
"Tell everyone who you love. Do you love your husband or your boss?"
"Cut the bullshit, Tyrone. Either you let Asia go, or I will shoot Warren!" Dwight yelled.
"Damn, you would shoot your cousin, your family?! That's messed up you would do that for a woman who doesn't want you!" Warren yelled back.
"Don't think I won't do it, Tyrone; you know he's your right-hand man."
"I couldn't care less if you did. I'm looking out for myself right now. Now, let's go back to you, Asia. Admit who you really want to be with."
I looked at Bryon, who was shaking his head, telling me not to speak. I glanced at Dwight, who was doing the same thing. I never thought it would come to this. I loved them both, but for different reasons. Even though I would always have feelings for Dwight, my heart was now with Bryon. It never stopped, even when we'd been apart.
"Who will it be? Him," Tyrone asked, pointing his
gun at Dwight. "Or him," he continued, pointing it at Bryon.
"Or, I could just solve the entire problem by getting rid of you," he said and pointed it at me.
Before he could pull the trigger, a shot rang out. Tyrone fell, and I hit the floor, chair and all.
I looked over and saw Jason walking in with his gun aimed at Tyrone. Tyrone looked down at his leg, realizing he was shot.
Dwight pulled Warren's arms behind his back and handcuffed him.
"Warren Alexander, you are under arrest for kidnapping, fraud, money laundering, and drug possession with intent to distribute to minors."
While he was doing that, Jason threw cuffs on Tyrone as well. He nodded to Bryon who was untying Maxine.
"Was there anyone else in the house?" he asked Jason.
"Task force already came in; that's why I was able to come up here."
Two officers came in, and Jason pushed Tyrone to them. "Take this asshole out of here."
"Believe me, I'll be out soon," Tyrone taunted.
"I doubt it, considering all the charges you have against you. And this time, you won't have anyone to help you out."
The officers shoved Tyrone out of the door, and another one came in and took Warren out.
Jason rushed to Maxine and held her in his arms. "I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't want you to become involved in this."
She sighed. "I didn't know what was going on when Warren grabbed me from my job. I'm just glad you're here and this is over."
"It definitely is. We finally got what we needed to get those two off the streets."
"Will the charges stick now?" Dwight asked.
"They should, especially since the Feds arrested Commissioner Franklin. Let's just say he's out of a job and in prison now."
"Where he belongs," Bryon added.
"He admitted everything even that he kept Tyrone out of prison for personal reasons. Not only was he supplying drugs to him but also to his damn son so of course he wouldn't rat his supplier out. He was only prolonging the case to get the mayor off of his back," Jason told us.
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