The Bull (The Black Land Series Book 2)

by D. Camille

  She completed the meal and took it upstairs on a tray. When she entered the room, Lance was still in the bed and he was sleeping soundly. Khayla was happy to see him resting. The last few days at the hospital, he had been very restless…understandably so.

  Khayla turned and took the food back downstairs. She didn’t want to wake him because he definitely needed the rest. She covered the plates and put them away before heading back upstairs. In the bedroom she climbed into the bed beside him and studied his sleeping face before glancing at the bandage on his shoulder.

  It still burned her to no end knowing that someone had hurt him, tried to kill him. Both she and the Negus were determined to deal with any and everyone involved in this ambush. Khayla made herself comfortable on the bed close enough to watch him. His breathing was even and he didn’t seem to be in any discomfort at the moment. His smooth caramel skin beckoned her touch but her wants were the last thing on her mind. She could have lost him to a senseless act of violence, acts that occurred on a daily basis in a city like Detroit.

  Crime in the city stayed at records highs, especially murders. Chief Green was making a difference but what she’d walked into was a firestorm. Khayla never thought it would hit so close to home and that someone that Lance employed and tried to help would turn on him in such a way.

  Everyone in the hood knew Lance and Corvus. They were looked up to as the boys from the hood who’d made good. Lance had never left and loved his city with a passion. Although he was as bullheaded and stubborn as they came, he had a heart as wide as the ocean. He tried to help everyone he could whenever he could, but if you crossed him, it was a done deal. He was also known to handle business…expediently.

  When Lance awakened a few hours later, he looked over and saw Khayla next to him in the bed. She was lying on her stomach at the other end of the bed with paperwork spread out before her. Her ass in the skirt she wore held his attention until his gaze moved down her sexy bare legs.

  He reached over and touched the back of her leg, causing her to turn to him.

  “Hey…” Khayla whispered.

  “Hey Katydids.”

  She moved to his end of the bed. “How do you feel?”

  “I’m straight.”

  Khayla looked at him. “Are you in pain?”

  Lance frowned and stretched his neck a little. “I’m straight…” he repeated.

  “I swear boy, I don’t know what to do with you. If you’re hurting, tell me so that I can help you,” she told him.

  Lance watched her face. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

  “Do you need some help?” she asked.

  “No!” he protested climbing slowly from the bed.

  Khayla nodded. “Okay, when your ass fall out, I’m leaving you on the floor.”

  He laughed as he stood. “That’s cold.”

  “Your ass is going to learn, Lance.”

  He walked to the bathroom. “Can you get me some medicine because my shoulder hurts like hell!” He closed the door behind him and Khayla glared at the door.

  “That damn boy…” she griped while going to get his medication. Khayla returned to the room with Lance’s medication and two plates of food. He smiled at her as she entered the room

  “Don’t smile at me,” she admonished.

  He watched her approach. “Don’t be mean Khayla Imani. I’m going to tell your Momma and Daddy you were mean to me.”

  Khayla placed the tray over his lap where he sat on the bed. “You can’t threaten me with that anymore.”

  “It never worked anyway,” he said watching her sit on the side of the bed.

  She handed him two tablets. “Here…and I was never mean to you.”

  Lance took the medicine along with the glass she handed to him. “You tried to beat my ass every day.”

  Khayla gave him a look. “Lance, you went from pulling my puffs to trying to touch my ass and breasts then you told everybody that I was your girlfriend.”

  He swallowed the pills then laughed softly. “Khalil was going to kill my ass. Rion and Brandon saved my life.” He sat the glass down. “Corvus is still scared of Khalil.”

  “The girls at camp hated me because they all liked you.”

  “You were my girlfriend.” Lance looked down at the meal she’d prepared then back at her. “I claimed you the first time you rolled those pretty eyes at me.”

  She reminisced with him. “You smiled at me and I wanted to punch you. “Khayla touched his face. “You were so damn cute and bad.”

  “And you’re still both…” she told him.

  Lance leaned in and kissed her, tasting her lips. “Thank you for the medicine and the food.”

  “You’re welcome, just tell me what you need Lance.”

  “Uh, I told you earlier what I needed and you wanted to play games.”

  Khayla smiled. “Nobody’s playing games with you. I told you to rest.”

  “I’m so damn rested right now.”

  She laughed. “Eat your food and we’ll see exactly how rested you are.” Khayla moved to gather the papers she’d been working on from the bed.

  Lance watched her. “What’s all that stuff?”

  “I want to open a food co-op,” she explained.

  He began eating. “What’s that?”

  Putting the papers away, Khayla climbed onto the bed next to him taking her plate from the tray. “It’s a community owned grocery store.”

  “It’s where the residents come together and become owners of the store in their neighborhood. Sometimes they’re called cooperatives. Many businesses operate on this format, where the employers or patrons are also the owners.”

  Lance nodded. “So the people in the hood would own their own store?”

  “Yes, it brings ownership and revenue to the people who live and shop there.”

  “What they sell at this store?” he questioned.

  Khayla paused. “Well this co-op will sell healthy foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, natural supplements and herbs.

  Lance looked confused. “Don’t we have the Eastern Market for that?” Lance asked mentioning the historic farmer’s market and grocer located near downtown Detroit.

  She nodded. “Yes, but everyone can’t make it down there and we need to have better access to natural foods within our own neighborhoods. Detroit is a designated food desert, due to the fact that we have practically no major chain grocery stores within the city, which makes no sense at all. How can a major city not have large scale grocers providing quality foods?”

  “That’s a damn shame!” Lance agreed.

  “It contributes to a lot of the health conditions in our community.” She turned to him. “That’s why I admire you so much Lance. You don’t sell liquor or cigarettes out of your gas stations.”

  He shrugged. “With a liquor store on every other damn corner, why keep perpetuating that?”

  “Alcohol and cigarettes, along with the drugs in the city, ruin so many lives unnecessarily,” Khayla said sadly. “Our people are targeted for death and disease.”

  Lance sat his fork down. “That’s why I admire you Katydids. You care so much about this city and our people. You could be practicing somewhere with rich ass patients, but you chose to come home.”

  Khayla smiled at him softly. “I came home because this is where my heart is.”

  “So what do you need to open this co-op?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not asking you for anything. You’ve done enough to help me.”

  “You know that I’ll do anything for you Ma,” he vowed.

  She touched his arm. “I know Lance and that’s why I love you.”

  “Let’s make it happen then.”

  “If I told you I wanted to open a place on the moon, what would you do?” she asked smiling.

  Lance shrugged. “I’d hit up NASA, make some moves here and there, get Corvus to locate some prime space on one of the craters...”

  He held her gaze. “Then watch you smile when I
make it happen.”

  Chapter 9

  Chief Mackenzie Green sat in her office on Beaubien Street. Growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, becoming the Police Chief had never been her dream, until one night that changed her entire life.

  She’d known, Lance, Rion, Brandon, Khalil and Corvus since high school and knew that they loved their city and would protect it until death. Lance getting shot however, put an entire different spin on their devotion. As much as they loved the city, they loved each other even more. They would not let anyone get away with hurting one of them. Mac knew her clock was ticking. As soon as Lance recalled the events, the Negus would light this city up taking revenge on the culprits.

  In the last seven days since the shooting, she had no suspects in custody and practically no leads. Her search for the young missing boy was coming up empty and all the stories didn’t fit together. She knew that people were lying to her, but she needed proof to arrest them. Mac didn’t run a sloppy ship and there would be no mistakes in closing this case.

  She needed more time and Mac knew that there was only one way to get it. Although she hated being at his mercy, she needed him right now, and she wasn’t too proud to beg to keep her city from being rampaged.

  At the knock on her door, Mac looked up to see the Head Prosecutor, Brandon Williams being escorted into her office. She stood to her feet and greeted him.

  “Hello Brandon.”

  The ever conservative counselor responded. “Hello Chief Green. You wanted to see me?”

  She nodded. “Yes, please have a seat.”

  Mac watched as he took the chair across from her desk. She took her seat again and began what she hoped would be a productive meeting with him.

  “I’m asking for your help Brandon.”

  He leaned forward. “If this is about Lance, I’ve already told you where I stand.”

  “I need more time. I will handle this case,” she affirmed.

  Brandon shook his head. “It’s not for you to handle, Mackenzie.”

  Mac hated when he called her by her full name. He was the only one who ever did and always in that authoritative voice that grated on her nerves.

  “I will arrest all of you for obstructing justice,” she told him.

  He smiled slowly. “You would have a hell of a lawsuit on your hands, Chief.”

  Mac sighed in frustration then tried another tactic. “Brandon, you know how much the reputation of this city and this department means to me. You also know that I care about Lance just as much as the Negus does. I want to catch his shooter more than anyone. I need more time to find this boy and get evidence on the perpetrators.”

  Brandon sat back. “We’ll find the boy and we’ll handle the perpetrators. I promise you there will be no fallback on your office.”

  “I can’t have vigilante justice on display,” she protested.

  “It won’t be on display Chief Green, you know that we are discrete when we take care of things.”

  Mac shook her head. “This is a high profile case Brandon. If suspects come up dead, then justice will be questioned in my office and yours.”

  Brandon stood to his feet. “We have enough problems in our departments trying to clean up this city. Don’t make this another one.”

  Mac looked up at him. “Will you at least keep me informed?” she asked.

  He smiled at her. “Of course, you’re the Police Chief.” Brandon walked to the door. “Have a good day Mackenzie.”

  Mac watched the door close behind him and balled her fists in anger. Of all the Negus, Brandon could make her blood boil with his ridiculously calm exterior and cut throat demeanor underneath. That’s what made him the best Head Prosecutor in the state. Brandon could walk into a burning building and extinguish the fire with one look from those cool hazel green eyes.

  If Brandon wouldn’t help her, she had to go to the source. She’d questioned Lance at the hospital and he’d been very closed mouthed. She knew him and knew that he had probably already planned his retaliation. Lance was smart and street. He knew things and people that Mac couldn’t even imagine. He would definitely find the boy before her officers could. People would answer to Lance, unlike they would to the police. Detroit residents were notorious for the “no snitch” policy, meaning that no one talked…ever.

  When Lance was ready to make his move, there would be no stopping him and the Negus would support him one hundred percent. She had to make sure that no mistakes were made and that her department didn’t come off looking slack and incompetent. Whoever had done this to Lance, deserved whatever he was going to dish out. Mac just didn’t want the dish to spill over…

  *********

  Lance sat across the table from Khayla slowly eating the breakfast she’d prepared for him. For the last week, she’d prepared every meal for him; made sure he’d taken his medication and slept in the bed beside him.

  “I need you to go back to work today,” he told her and she looked up at him

  Khayla’s heart began to beat. “What are you going to do?”

  “I need to take care of things.”

  Khayla sat her fork down. “Things as in…”

  Lance gave her a knowing look.

  “You know who did this.” It was not a question.

  He nodded slowly and she watched him.

  “I don’t want you hurt again. Clearly this person is dangerous,” she whispered. “Have you told the Negus?”

  He shook his head. “Not yet. I need to confirm a few things.”

  Khayla was worried and it showed on her face. “Come here Ma,” Lance said holding out his hand.

  She stood and walked around the table to where he sat before he pulled her down on his lap and kissed her softly.

  “Don’t worry,” he told her softly.

  “How can you say that? Somebody shot you and tried to kill you,” she protested.

  Lance ran a hand down her back. “That won’t happen a second time.”

  “You’re taking Corvus at least, right?” she questioned.

  He nodded. “Yeah, he’s riding with me.”

  Khayla stared into his face. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you Lance.”

  “I knew you liked it when I used to chase you around the playground,” he teased her smiling.

  She touched his jaw. “No, we’re not playing now. This shit is real.”

  Lance sobered. “I know.” He took her hand. “After getting shot I said to myself that all the time I was playing around, I could’ve been with the woman that I’ve always loved.”

  He looked into her face, “I promise you Katydids, I’m going to make up to you all the time we lost together.”

  “Promise me that you won’t do anything stupid and leave me for good,” she told him.

  Lance nodded. “I’m going to take care of my business and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

  “Okay, I know that you handle yours and I won’t ask questions, but if you need me…” she began.

  “If I need you, I’ll holla. Okay?” he offered.

  She smiled. “You holla and I’m there.”

  Lance slid a hand under her wrap skirt and up her thigh. “So do I get this or are you going to keep playing?”

  Khayla looped her arms around his neck being careful of the sling holding his arm. “I told you…you needed your rest.”

  “I’ve had enough rest.”

  She moved closer as his hand moved higher. “In my professional opinion, I agree.”

  He began tasting her lips. “You wanna play doctor?”

  Khayla kissed him back. “It’s your playground, we can play whatever you like.”

  “Stand up,” he instructed.

  When she stood he ran a hand from her calf to her thigh. “I like that you wear skirts most of the time.”

  “I see that.” She smiled down at him.

  “You always look like a sexy lady and your legs are the business.” He gave her a wicked grin. “I like to watch you walk.�
�

  “To look at my legs?”

  He laughed slowly. “And your ass walking away…and your breasts coming towards me.”

  She laughed with him. “You’re still obsessed with my ass and breasts?”

  “You do know what they look like?” he asked. “To a little boy, you were a goddess…and you still are.”

  His hand moved to her panties. “It takes a real man to handle all this woman” he told her softly.

  “Let me show you how I do it…” He responded while sliding her underwear down her legs. Lance stood to face her and took her chin in his hands. “Take my pants off and this time, no games.” He lowered his head and kissed her fully.

  When he lifted his head, her eyes opened slowly and she smiled. “Yes, Daddy…” she whispered.

  He watched her through darkened eyes as she slid his sweats and underwear down his strong legs. Khayla bent to assist him in stepping out of the pants. From her position, she was level with the instrument that provided the utmost pleasure.

  She took him into her hands then glanced up at him before lowering her gaze back to the magic she held. With the first touch of her tongue he groaned and when she captured him completely, he tensed momentarily before placing a hand in her hair. “Oh shit! That’s it right there…” he growled as Khayla showed him that she was definitely not playing games.

  When he could take no more, Lance dropped back into the chair and Khayla slowly straddled his lap. Lance claimed her mouth voraciously, tasting his essence on her lips. Khayla returned his kiss as she settled over his waiting manhood. They both groaned as the physical connection was made.

  “Awww, Ma…” Lance grunted out against her mouth as she began the ride.

  “Show me how you handle it…” she challenged as he grabbed her ass with his free hand to spread her cheeks.

  With her skirt bunched around her waist and her naked butt cheeks exposed, Khayla held onto the chair as she spread her legs wider. Lance hurriedly tried to remove her blouse and she helped him pulling it over her head and tossing it to the side. He then had no trouble releasing her bra and helping himself to the beautiful treats awaiting him.