Flawless 3: The Finale

by Jade Jones

  Romeo had spared her once, and she still ended up plotting, despite being given her life. All negotiations were off. Ava had made her bed, now it was time to lay in it.

  “I’m not gonna speak with my back to you, Romeo. We’re better than that,” she said. “I’m turning around—”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” he warned.

  “Shoot me if you want to, but I’m gonna look you in the eyes when you do it.” Despite his threat, Ava slowly turned on her heel. She wasn’t too surprised that he hadn’t pulled the trigger. She knew Romeo didn’t have it in him to kill her.

  For several seconds, they simply stared at each other in silence.

  “I know what I’m doing may looked fucked up…but it’ll come a time when that nigga crosses you too.”

  “Like you crossed us?” Romeo retorted.

  “You don’t know what he did to me!” Ava cried.

  “Man, I don’t wanna hear that shit. You were like family. That nigga has every reason to wanna see you dead! I have every reason to want’cho ass dead!”

  “Then why haven’t you pulled the trigger?” Ava asked.

  Romeo paused. She had a point…but he wouldn’t tell her that he couldn’t.

  “You know…it should’ve been us,” Ava said suddenly. “It should’ve always just been us.”

  Romeo looked confused. He didn’t expect her to flip the script.

  Ava boldly approached him, and lowered his gun. “I fell in love with the wrong one and I’ve paid my price. But it’s not too late,” she added. “We can still band together. We could be partners. Just you and me. Fuck Desmond. You never needed him. If anything, that mothafucka has always needed us! We can do this, Romeo. We can take over the world together. That’s the way it should’ve always been. You…and me...”

  Ava leaned in and kissed the man she’d always considered to be a brother. As her tongue slipped inside his mouth, she slyly reached for the pistol behind her.

  POP!

  Ava slowly looked down and realized she was the one who’d been shot. Panic washed over her, and she collapsed right there on the kitchen tile. Ava desperately clutched her stomach as blood seeped through her fingers. Her mouth hung open in shock; her eyes were filled with fear. Based on her expression, she never saw it coming.

  Ava looked up at Romeo in horror. She couldn’t believe she’d underestimated him. Her poor sense of judgment had cost Ava her life. Inching away, she tried to crawl to safety, but there was nowhere to run—nowhere to hide.

  Romeo slowly knelt down beside her. Ava looked pathetic with a hole in her stomach. All she had to do was stay away and all this could’ve easily been avoided.

  “I didn’t wanna do this shit,” he told her. “You made me do it.”

  Ava opened her mouth to speak, but blood spilled out. It was pointless to try and persuade him. His loyalty was to his empire.

  Without remorse, Romeo put his gun to Ava’s head, and pulled the trigger.

  38

  One Week Later

  Liberty looked amazing that day in a black jumpsuit and wedges. Her bob was layered to perfection and her makeup was subtle yet flawless. Apollo sat across from her on the rooftop patio as they dined. He’d only been out the hospital a few days, and he was finally starting to look and feel like his old self again.

  “Are you ever gonna tell me what it is you do?” Liberty asked.

  Apollo scoffed. She just couldn’t let it go. “You know what the fuck I do,” he told her.

  Liberty stared at him in silence. He was right. In the back of her mind, she did always know.

  Their waitress walked up, alleviating the tension. “Can I get you two started with anything to drink?” She was a pudgy, bubbly white girl with shoulder length hair.

  “I’ll just have some water.”

  “A Budweiser,” he told her.

  After hastily scribbling down their orders, she sauntered off to collect their beverages.

  “No wine?” Apollo asked, with an impish grin.

  “I’ve been trying to watch my figure these last few days.”

  “Why? You know I love yo’ ass the way you are.”

  “Oh, so you love me now?” she smiled.

  Apollo’s cheeks flushed. She was putting him on the spot. “You know what I mean. I fuck wit’chu. You perfect the way you are to me.”

  Liberty laughed. “So you just fuck with me then? Which one is it ‘cuz I’m confused.”

  Apollo licked his lips and looked at her sideways. “What’chu want me to say, bay?”

  “I don’t wanna tell you what to say. I want you to say what you mean on your own.”

  Just then their waitress returned with their drinks. “Can I get ya’ll some appetizers?”

  “I’ll have a Greek salad,” Liberty said.

  Apollo cut his eyes at her. She never ate salads. Liberty was hardheaded, but he admired that about her. “Fuck it. I’ll have one too.”

  Their waitress left them alone once more and their conversation resumed. “What’s up?” Liberty asked with a wide smile. “I’m waiting…”

  “I ain’t ever been into that mushy, sentimental shit,” he said. “If you don’t already know how I feel about you based on my actions then I don’t know what the fuck to tell yo’ ass.”

  Liberty chuckled and shook her head. She knew that was as good as it was going to get. Who was she to try and change him? It is what it is, she thought.

  Apollo reached over and placed his hand on hers. He stared at her with tender, gray eyes. He may not’ve been able to bring himself to say it, but she knew how he felt. The eyes never lied.

  “I guess I’ll be the first to admit it,” she said. “I love you…”

  Apollo’s heart skipped a beat. It’d been a long time since he heard a woman tell him that. Years of being imprisoned and killing people had turned him cold. But somewhere along the way, Liberty came and breathed life to his bleak existence.

  “Go ahead. You know you wanna say it,” she smiled.

  Apollo smirked and looked down at their hands. He was just about to return the favor when suddenly the police swarmed the premises. Before Liberty could figure out what was going on, they slapped the cuffs on him and read his rights.

  “Apollo Freeman, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney—”

  “Wait! What’s going on? What did he do?!” Liberty cried.

  Silverware and glasses fell off their table and crashed to the floor as they arrested him. A perfect date had ended as a nightmare.

  “Mr. Freeman, you’re being charged with the murder of Alexandria Duvall.”

  Liberty’s mouth fell open in surprise.

  Apollo didn’t even argue with the charges as he was led downstairs in handcuffs. Liberty followed after them crying and demanding answers.

  “Apollo, what are they talking about? You didn’t do that!” she sobbed. “I know you didn’t!”

  Apollo remained silent. He already knew what it was, but he wouldn’t speak on it.

  A collection of squad cars filled the parking lot of the popular midtown restaurant.

  “Apollo, please tell me you didn’t do it!” Liberty cried.

  One of the officers opened the back door to a police cruiser.

  “Answer me!” Liberty demanded. She was on pins and needles waiting to find out if he really killed her ex. She didn’t even know Trip was dead. Surely, Apollo wasn’t capable of being behind it. “Say something!”

  “I love you, Liberty...”

  Apollo finally worked up the courage to say it just before he was shoved in the backseat. Liberty stood there in tears as she watched the love of her life get hauled off to jail.

  39

  Sweat dripped off Luke’s forehead as he dug a ditch in the nearby woods to bury his bloodstained clothes. It was Apollo’s gun he used to kill Trip. He’d left it at the scene of the crime as he fled in a panicked state. Luke had s
tolen one of his pistols the last night he stayed over at their loft.

  It was a shady thing to do—especially considering all Apollo had done for him and his sister. Luke felt bad about him possibly taking the fall, but the bitch had to be stopped one way or another.

  Apollo knew who the culprit was the minute his rights were read, but he’d die before he snitched.

  I warned the bitch to leave my sister alone, Luke thought to himself. I warned her over and over again. After many threats and physical altercations, he finally had to take matters into his own hands. Enough was enough. Unfortunately, Apollo had to go down with her. Without sacrifice, there could be no gain.

  ***

  In the days following Dana’s death, Desmond permanently took a step back from the drug game. Losing his baby mama had taken a lot out of him. He was done risking the lives of his loved ones, so he decided to invest his money into legal businesses.

  Desmond, Kimberlyn, and the kids were walking through Centennial Park when he got the call that Apollo had been arrested. Kim must’ve noticed something was up because she saw his disposition change.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  Desmond pulled her close and kissed her. They were set to be married the following spring. “Yeah,” he lied. “Just gotta make a call real quick.”

  “Don’t be long,” she said.

  Desmond slapped her booty as she walked off. When Kimberlyn was no longer in earshot, he dialed up Romeo.

  “Aye, wus good?”

  He and Shayla were currently in the process of moving her things back into the condo. They’d been separated for long enough and it was time she finally came on back home. Romeo knew he couldn’t live his life without her. No amount of pussy in the world could make up for what they shared. When he asked if she’d stay by his side if he chose to remain in the game she surprised him by saying yes. She explained that they were a unit. Shayla had proven her loyalty to him over and over again, and it was time he did the same.

  “I just got word that Apollo got knocked,” Desmond told him.

  “Damn. For real?”

  “Yeah. Apparently, he got charged for murkin’ some bitch. That’s my boy. You know I can’t let him sit in there,” Dez said. He was still indebted to him after saving Kimberlyn’s life. He would never leave his nigga hanging.

  “I’m finna jump on that now. Call up a few people. We’ll get it handled, bruh. Don’t worry ‘bout that shit.”

  “I know you will.”

  Desmond disconnected the call and looked over at his family playing with the water fountain. Kimberlyn smiled and waved at him once they made eye contact. She was absolutely beautiful, and the best part about it, she was all his.

  Desmond smiled back. He started to join them but there was one more call he had to make. The line rang several times before a deep voice filled the speaker. “Yo.”

  “Aye, what that nigga lookin’ like now?” Dez asked.

  A text message came through two seconds later. Desmond pulled his phone away from his face and stared at the picture of Kaniel. His face was so busted up and bruised that he hardly looked recognizable. Desmond figured a quick death was too easy for someone like him. Instead of putting a bullet in his brain and being done with the shit, Desmond had him beaten senselessly on the regular. His niggas knew better than to kill him though. Each time, they whupped his ass just enough to prove a point; then they allowed him time to heal before beating him all over again. Kaniel would suffer a slow, torturous, and painful demise.

  “I think he good to go another round,” his boy said.

  Desmond nodded his head appreciatively. “Cool. Let his ass have it…and don’t go easy on that pussy nigga this time.”

  Sliding a set of spiked knuckles on his hand, the man smiled evilly. Kaniel took one look at the deadly weapon and started crying like a bitch. Dez had him holed up in an abandoned building out in the middle of nowhere. Everyday Kaniel prayed for death, but it never came.

  “Fa’sho. You got it, Dez.”

  Desmond disconnected the call and slowly made his way over towards his family. Kim didn’t need to know about the ordeal with Kaniel. She would’ve been pissed if she knew what he was doing, but that was a secret he planned on keeping in order to save their relationship. By the time Desmond finished with Kaniel, he’d know just how heartless a real mothafucking felon could be.

  Quay was still out there somewhere, and eventually he would get his issue as well. After all, karma was a bitch.

  CONTINUE READING ABOUT QUAY, LIBERTY, AND APOLLO IN

  “LOVING A HEARTLESS FELON” BY JADE JONES & CHASE MOORE

  NOW AVAILABLE! CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY!