by Xyla Turner
“What!?” she gasped. “PI’s. Why are you looking into PI’s? Xena, have you jumped over the deep edge again? Don’t jump! Don’t do it.” She said sarcastically.
“Ha-ha. You’re being funny, but this is serious shit.” I shook my head. “In short, some of the dealings that Xavier is into or might be into could have an impact on me. I just want to verify if one, these things are true, because it’s a little sketchy that this information if being provided to me. And two, I need to know what I’m dealing with.”
“Why don’t you just ask Xavier?” confusion all in her voice. “He would know better than anyone.”
“Girl, Xavier’s crazy ass. I don’t want to say over the phone, but I have no idea what I can believe from him.”
“Girl, that don’t sound good. If you should be able to believe anyone, it should be him.”
“That’s my point exactly. Shit, he may be telling the truth or not, but I just need facts for myself. That’s my armor when dealing with him, because if I’m not, then it’s my heart leading me and that won’t get me out of jail, if I have to hurt that man.”
She laughed, but I was not playing. If something happened to my school, it would take the entire host of heaven for me not to kill him.
“Well, this might be your lucky day. Papi just showed me an article about a guy named Tyrell also known as Tee. He’s from Georgia, but he’s now in Far Rockaway near the college. He just busted some big case there, so let me see if I can get the information right here.”
There was some clicking of the keyboards, then a gasp. “Ha, here it is. I got the number.”
Whew.
“Great, girl. Text it to me now and we’ll have to get together soon. Like this weekend of something.”
“Sounds good, because this all sounds like pretty juicy stuff. Well, crazy stuff anyway.”
“Who are you telling? I swear girl, this man.”
“Well, he is the owner of XAND and his hands are in everything. He’d have to be, but illegal, that doesn’t sound like him. However, you’ll find out soon enough. And seriously, if you need me. I’m there.”
“Thanks girl.” I exhaled, “will talk with you soon enough.”
The text came through and I immediately called Tee.
“This is Tee.”
“Hi, uh, Tee. My name is Xena Fuller and I wanted to inquire about your services.”
“What can I do you for?” He had a southern accent that drawled at certain words like ‘can’ and ‘for’.
“Well, I just received some disturbing news and it has to do with my, uh, boyfriend of sorts. He’s a business owner and I was informed from an anonymous source about some of his dealings and how they could impact me. I just wanted to verify some of these things, before I took action. I, uh, don’t seem to have the sense enough to do it without proof.”
“Makes sense, but I usually deal with cases that involve criminal activities. Things like the police are usually involved in and consult with me, not really domestic items such as yours. If you think your man is cheating on you, then he probably is. Hate to break it to ya, like that darling, but you have that feeling for a reason.”
“No, no.” I felt like my hope was gone. “I know he’s not cheating on me. He don’t have the time, as he’s always trying to be under me.” I laughed at the irony of the situation. “Look, I started a school and that is my passion. I want the kids that are growing up with the same resources I had to have a chance. If he is involved in something that will hinder that, I must know. It may not be true, but I have to know. I think I’m being stalked and I don’t know where to turn. I can’t trust what he’s saying to me and this may be nothing or much bigger than me.” My voice started to break, so I stopped talking.
There was silence on the phone.
“Where are you located?” He asked.
“I’m in Brooklyn, NY.”
“Okay, look, Ms. Fuller.” He breathed. “I’m in Far Rockaway, right now. If you can meet me within the next two hours, I’ll look over the evidence and will contact my person in the Brooklyn area. He’s well connected and can help me while I stay here. If that works with him, then we’ll have a deal.”
“Oh my. Thank you so much, Tyrell.”
“Call me, Tee.”
“Yes, yes. Tee.” I exhaled. “I’m leaving now.”
We hung up, then I hit the button to page Janice.
“Hey, can you come in here?”
“Sure, be right there.”
Once she sat down with pen and paper in hand, I said, “This is sensitive. Like, you can’t tell a soul sensitive.”
She put down the paper and pencil, then said, “You got it.”
“Can I borrow your car? I need to go to Far Rockaway and meet someone about a business opportunity. My car can be easily identifiable, so I’m just wondering if I can use yours and you use mine. You’ve moved it before, right?”
“What? And I get to drive the BMW. Most definitely.” He beamed.
“Scratch my car any more than it already is, that will be your ass.”
She waved at me, then said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be super careful.”
Janice put her fingers together and tap the tips with the other hand. I shook my head and gave her my keys. When she returned, I said, “No one can know about this.”
“My lips are sealed. Don’t you worry.”
“Thanks.” I’m leaving now and if anyone asked, I’m doing rounds for a couple of hours and they can call my cell phone if I’m needed.
If I would have mentioned the possibility of being stalked or followed, Janice, like anyone else would have lost their minds. So, I left that out and went out the back door.
******
As I was driving, Milan sent me a text with a lawyer’s name and phone number, so see what my legal rights were as well. I knew she got it from her husband, the man knew everybody. What concerned me was that if I started asking around about Xavier, because he knew everybody if he would find out. I wasn’t scared of him, but I did want the element of surprise on my side when we discussed the issue, because he would have time to counter my arguments.
This was absolutely crazy to have to deal with this. I loved this man, but I would most definitely cut him loose because my passion would not be hindered by this.
Far Rockaway was a little less than an hour drive, so in order to kill two birds with one stone, I called the lawyer.
“Reese Jeffries.” He answered.
“Hi, Mr. Jeffries, my name is Xena Fuller and I was referred to you by Milan Gio.”
“Ah, yes. Mrs. Gio. Her husband is a good friend of mine.” His voice carried a jovial tone, “What can I do for you?”
“Nice. Well, I wanted to get some information about my legal rights. Currently, I don’t have a lawyer and I know you pay by consultation, so I’m willing to go that route. Plus, you came highly recommended.”
“Okay, well tell me the situation and I can let you know how big this is, how small it is and how soon I can start working on your case.”
I shared with him what the donor said, the documentation he provided me and the context of Xavier’s and I relationship. He listened and I could hear him writing on a pad or something as I spoke.
“Well, this doesn’t sound like a huge case, which is good, because I can get started right away. If you send me the full names and spellings to my email address. I can start. I can hear that you’re driving, so whenever you get a free moment. It doesn’t sound like you are liable, unless you knew this beforehand and then you’re an accessory. It also sounds really fishy that a donor has looked this much into you and who you are affiliated with. However, I can take this case. Once you email me the information, I can forward you my pricing list. Then you tell me what you want me to do.”
“Okay, that sounds fair. Thank you so much Mr. Jeffries.”
“No problem, I will talk with you soon.”
Once we hung up, I realized that I was closer to my destination than I originally thought.
My phone chimed and it was a text from Xavier.
- Miss you baby.
God.
I drove faster to get to Tee, because I knew that the longer I prolonged this, the more shit I would be in messing around with this man.
******
Well, to my surprise, Tee had an office right near Far Rockaway Community College. It was just taken over by a new president, who really was shaking things up. New classes, new professors, and he fired all of the adjunct instructors. There was several news articles about him, but they were all favorable. This was big news because Far Rockaway Community was not horrible. The state was even thinking of shutting it down, but this guy comes and turns everything around. It was definitely big news heard around New York.
I entered the office and saw a pregnant lady sitting in the front office. She looked ready to pop at any second.
“Hello, my name is Xena Fuller and I have an appointment with Tee.”
“Ah, yes. Come on in, he’s on the phone right now, but he’ll be out soon.”
“Thank you.”
Looking around the room, it was an old building and didn’t necessarily look like a private investigator’s office, but more like a doctor’s. It had wood paneling, so it definitely wasn’t updated, but the pregnant lady did have a touch screen monitor and there was a tablet type machine to pay for services. That was about as up to date that a business could get.
I hadn’t texted Xavier back, because I didn’t want to start a dialogue. He figured I was at school, so I wanted it to stay that way.
Chapter 6: Xena
“You must be Ms. Fuller.” A tall man with deep russet coloring and a short faded hair cut walked towards me outside the office.
He was the definition of tall, dark and sexy and in this little town, I was sure he was taken by now. Although there was no ring on his finger, he had to be seeing someone. Anyway, I wasn’t on the market, so it really didn’t matter.
“Yes. You must be Tee.”
“That’d be me.” He smiled and my goodness, a mouth full of white teeth.
He was taken.
“Follow me and we’ll get started.”
We sat and I explained everything, but first had to get his word about the confidentiality and how he planned to extract the information I needed. Specifically about the things that I knew about, but also things that I didn’t. He was so shocked that I wasn’t looking to see if he was cheating. I explained to him what type of man Xavier was, so cheating was not my issue. He nodded, then said, “Sounds like my kind of man.” My head reared back and he said, “No, I mean I know men like that. I am a man like that. Cheating is not an issue, but when I have to take care of business, then I have to do what I have to do. Especially when it comes to my family or my lady.”
“Gotcha.” I sat back in my chair, then asked. “Okay, since you’re that type of man. Do you think I’m overeating or what? Give me an honest answer. I’m a big girl and I can take it.”
“Listen, lady. I don’t know you. You come off to me as very accomplished and like to have control. Your man seems to be the same. I’ve heard of him, as a matter of fact, but not for anything nefarious. He’s just a business man that is pretty strategic and he gets results. There’s nothing wrong with that. In regards to these accounts and the FBI looking into him. This could be something the stalker cooked up or it could be something that is real and he met with the wrong people at the wrong time, so he’s being investigated too. Or he could be guilty as sin. I don’t know. What I do know is that, any woman worth her salt, should definitely find out about a man who you’re clearly in love with and make a calculated decision about her future.” He down at the buzzing on his screen, then looked back at me. “One thing I’ve learned about women is they want to know what’s going on and if they hear it from somebody else, they get very upset. You’re hearing shit from somebody else, so you’re very upset. I get it. What I can do is give you facts, figures and proof of what you are looking for. IN regards to your man. I got nothing, because I got my own relationship problems to deal with.”
I smiled at him.
“Thanks. I figured you must be in a relationship. You’re pretty good looking for this small town to not have the women throwing themselves at you.”
He smiled again, “Well, they might be, but the one I want to throw herself at me, fights me tooth and nail.”
“Now that sounds like my type of woman.”
“Oh shit.” He shook his head, “you’re one of those.”
I burst out laughing at the anguish in his eyes. The woman must be putting him through the ringer.
“Well, it takes a special kind of man to tame women like us. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart.” I smiled at him.
“Clearly.” He rubbed his temple with bended fingers. “So, since we are on the subject. Tell me your thoughts.”
“Shoot,” I waved my hand towards him. “I can’t help myself, but I will surely try to help you.”
“She’s hot for me, one minute and cold for me the next. It’s almost like it goes in cycles. Her friend tried to warn me about it, but my heart don’t listen. It wants what it wants. Anyway, what do you make of that?”
Hmm, this was interesting.
“Well, I’ll tell you this Tee. When I am hot and cold towards a guy, it was usually because I didn’t think I deserved him or I was trying to push him away, because there was something about me, that I wasn’t settled with. Sometimes I would fail at moving him. That’s when I’m hot for him. The other times, when he started to get close to me. Really finding out about me. I would get cold on him. It probably means, she wants you, but doesn’t want to want you. Like there is something that is hindering her from committing, but when you find out what that something is and you can deal with it, no matter what it is. Then you’re it for her. As crazy as Xavier might sound to you. He did that for me. If what you find out is as bad as I think, I will let him go. We will be done, but there probably won’t ever be another guy for me. That’s not just hormones that is just because that man proved to me that he loved me no matter what. In all my craziness and though I would cut him loose. He stole my heart and I doubt he’ll ever give it back.”
He leaned back in his chair, contemplating on my words with his crooked finger to his chin and his upper lip tipped up in thought. A few seconds later, he nodded and said, “Ms. Fuller, I’m so glad that I met you. I think you just cracked my own unsolvable case.”
I gathered my bag on the chair next to me and said, “Tee, glad I could be of service and please call me Xena.”
He stood up. “Xena, wow. I hope that this is all a big misunderstanding, because this guy Xavier would be a fool to lose someone like you.”
I laughed at his words. “Well, I do appreciate you taking this on. When should I expect to hear back from you?”
“In the next two days. I will definitely have something. I don’t trust the phones, so do you mind coming back down here.”
“No, no. I prefer coming to you. I don’t want anyone to know who I’m meeting with and I’ve been all over Brooklyn’s papers, so I’d rather keep this discreet.”
“Well, that sounds good to me.” He led me towards the door. “So, I’ll see you Friday afternoon?”
“Yes, see you then.”
Walking back to my car, I looked around the college and the town. It was a nice quaint place. A great area to raise kids and settle down.
Maybe one day.
On my drive back, I called Milan to let her know that there would be no way I could face Xavier alone over the next two days, so if she could stage a sleepover at my house. It wasn’t done, but they’d need to speed it up. I called the manager of the project and told him, I’d be home around nine, so he and his guys had to get the place at least looking presentable. The good news was that, he said, they had finished the house yesterday morning and called Xavier to let him know. Of course, he didn’t let me know that.
That man.
I texted Xavier:
<
br /> - Hey X, Milan is having issues with her husband and stress from her job, so she’s going to stay with me for a couple of days at my house, since it’s finished.
The phone rang almost immediately.
It was him, of course.
Damn.
“What, now?”
“Hello to you too.”
“Xena.”
I sighed, “Milan is staying with me for a couple of days, so I won’t see during that time.”
“She doesn’t have any other friends?” He was not happy.
“Xavier, I’m her closest friend. She’s the one I went to Italy with.”
“Oh, I know exactly who she is. I just don’t.” He sighed. “Two days?”
“It will fly by, Xavier. Calm down.”
“Wait, how about I buy them a couple’s retreat package in the Bahamas or something?”
“Are you crazy? Just for two days?” I shook my head. “It’s just two days. It’s not even a week, which it might be, but two damn days. She needs a breather, okay.”
“Fuck.” He breathed.
“Stop pouting.”
“Fuck.” He repeated. “I’ll send you guys some spa options. It’s on me.”
“Xavier.” I called.
He hung up.
Now, I felt bad for lying to him, because he wanted to be with me. How the hell do you comprehend this complication man?
Crazy about me - plus two.
******
Milan came over with an overnight bag and she brought in a bouquet of flowers with her.
“Oh flowers, you shouldn’t have,” I clapped my hands once and went to grab them from her.
“Oh, girl, please. I didn’t. They were outside your door.”
“Oh, okay.” Taking them from her, I looked for the card.
The vase was immaculate, like it was hand made with stencil and embroidered raised lines throughout the entire outside. The colors were all earth tone, as the flowers were all ivory. (WHAT KIND) There was a large card, instead of the usual miniature one. It had my name on it in familiar chicken scratch and it read,
Xena, I’m missing you already. You and Milan have a good time. Here are tickets to the REDD spa in downtown after work tomorrow. They are expecting you both at 6:30 PM and the chef at _______ is expecting you on Friday at 6:30 for his signature dish. Enjoy.