Deceitful Hearts

by A'zayler

  Ollie lay back with his eyes closed. He was trying to wait his headache out until he left to go to work, but it didn’t seem like that was happening. He got up from the sofa and got ready to leave. By the time he was ready to leave, his headache was even worse. He left his house and drove to work. Along the way he chose to stop by the park to see if Phoenix might have been out there again.

  It was starting to get dark and he had a few minutes to spare. He changed the direction of his car and went in the direction of the park. When he got out there it was empty. He wanted to be sure he didn’t miss her, so he got out and walked down near the swings where she had been before. She was nowhere to be found. He was still looking when he heard someone behind him.

  He spun around and was staring down the barrel of a gun. “The hell your ass doing out here?” Jamar asked him.

  Ollie stood speechless for a second, wondering if Jamar would really shoot him.

  “Looking for somebody?”

  Ollie shook his head. “Nah.”

  “I don’t know why I expected the truth from an undercover rat. All you know how to do is lie.”

  Ollie didn’t say anything because Jamar was still holding the gun to his face.

  “You know I don’t really like your ass right?”

  Ollie puffed his chest out his chest a little bit. “So?”

  Jamar cocked his gun. “So, I’m thinking about ridding the world of a snitch.”

  He smiled as Ollie began to fidget nervously. Jamar held the gun on him for a little bit longer before he laughed and put it back into the holster on his back.

  “Punk ass.” He smirked before turning to walk away. “Oh, and I would advise you to stop looking for Phoenix. She’s off limits, my nigga,” he hollered over his shoulder.

  Ollie watched Jamar walk back to his car. Apparently he’d had the same idea as him. Checking the park for Phoenix. Ollie stood outside trying to gather his nerves before going back to his car. When he got in, he had the mind to go to work, but changed his mind after looking at the clock. He still had a few minutes to make one last stop.

  He cranked up and followed the cars in front of him down the street. Ollie bit the inside of his jaw nervously as he drove. When he finally pulled his car along the side of the street, he ducked down and moved as fast as he could to the front door of the small house. With his silencer on his gun, he ran up and shot two bullets into the side of the man.

  It was now dark outside, so he wasn’t worried about anyone seeing him. He looked around quickly just to be sure, before shooting Jamar once more in the forehead. He watched the dark blood drip from his mouth and from beneath his body before running back to his car and pulling away.

  He removed his silencer and went to work. He didn’t want to have to constantly watch his back, nor did he want Jamar to have Phoenix, so he did what he had to do. Jamar could thank himself for that. He should have stayed away from him. He was so cocky he hadn’t even thought to watch his back after pulling a gun on him. His fault.

  Ollie pulled his car into his parking space at the precinct and got out. With his things in his work bag he proceeded inside. He had work to do. Ollie smiled to himself as he thought about the look on Jamar’s face when he pulled the trigger. That’s one he would remember forever.

  He wore the same sinister smile as he listened to Aaliyah cry about it when she called to inform him that someone had killed her brother. He expressed his condolences as he held that same smile on his face. The only reason he hadn’t worn it when Francisco walked into the office that night was because he didn’t want to give himself away. With no leads and plenty of enemies, they didn’t even know where to start, so they didn’t.

  Ollie stood idly by watching everything take place. He begged Francisco to let him take the case as a favor to him and Aaliyah. When he agreed and excused himself to the bathroom, the same smile Ollie had been wearing since the murder returned to his face. He wouldn’t waste one second investigating Jamar’s murder. In his eyes, he’d gotten what he deserved. If only Ollie had given thought to what goes around, comes right back around, he wouldn’t have been smiling.

  *****

  Phoenix stood in the mirror of her room making sure she looked presentable. It was finally the day of the hearing and she felt like she was going to vomit. She had sat up telling Jamison about it all night and he’d tried everything he could to reassure her that things were going to be okay. She had felt comfortable with it last night, but when she’d woken it again it was a different story.

  Her stomach was back to doing flips and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. The dark gray pencil skirt and pink lace top looked nice on her as she prepared to go to the courthouse. She probably would have felt better had Jamison been going with her, but he had to work again. He promised to stop by on his lunch break since the buildings were right next to each other.

  “You’ll be fine, Fe,” Jamison told her as she stood at the door of her room.

  “I’m just so scared. I don’t know if I can handle hearing them being sentenced.”

  “They need you. You have to be there.” Jamison stepped forward and kissed her. “I promise you, everything will be okay. You believe me?”

  Phoenix looked up and nodded her head. “I believe you.”

  He kissed her nose. “Well, toughen up and go be the murder mob’s first lady.” He pinched her cheek and she smiled.

  Just like he had been doing since the day she’d met him, he made her feel better. Phoenix grabbed her things and headed for the door. He walked her to his car and they got in. She was going to drop him off at work so that she would have a way to get back home. He held her hand and kissed it as she drove.

  “You trust me to protect you?”

  Phoenix looked at him and nodded.

  “Good. I love you. See you in a few. You can do this.”

  Phoenix nodded as he got out of the car and headed to into his job. She pulled away once he went inside and headed to be there for her brothers. After parking the car, she grabbed her purse and went inside. The elevator seemed to be moving extra slow as she rode it to the top floor. The air in the building was stale and cold as her heels clicked against the tile. Her heart felt like it was going to beat her to the door.

  When she entered the courtroom, she saw Bear and Zino seated at one table while two lawyers sat at the opposite table next to them. She made her way to her seat quickly and sat down. Her body jerked from her nerves as she stood along with everyone else when the judge entered. After taking their seats again, things began to move faster.

  There was a lot of talking she didn’t understand before the district attorney called Bear to the stand. Phoenix grabbed her chest as if she could stop her heart from beating so fast.

  “Mr. Brown, we’ve been told that you’ve agreed to testify to your involvements of the zoo crew, as well as a few other things we aren’t privy to, is that correct?”

  “Testify?” Phoenix said to herself. “No.” She shook her head.

  She looked over at Zino, who was wearing the same confused expression and shaking his head.

  “That’s correct.” He spoke into the mic.

  “In exchange for this testimony, we’ve agreed to grant Miss Phoenix Gram time served, and Mr. Zino Brantley Five years with two to serve, is that correct?”

  Bear looked at Phoenix before looking over at Zino and winking at them both. “That is correct.”

  “Bear, no!” Phoenix yelled drawing everybody’s attention to her.

  “Ma’am, if you do that again I will hold you in contempt of court.” The judge threatened Phoenix as her eyes welled up with tears.

  The security guard standing next to her helped her back into her seat. Phoenix rocked back and forth as she looked up. Bear and Zino were both looking at her. Zino held a look of compassion while Bear held his normally passive face.

  “Mr. Brown, you may begin when you’re ready.”

  Phoenix sat through the next twenty minutes listening to Bear admit to doing e
verything they’d done with only the help of Tone and Tek. Phoenix found it so convenient that the only help he had was from the dead members of the group. She rocked back and forth, wiping her tears as they slid down her face.

  “Mr. Brown, thank you for that. Now can you tell me the other information?”

  Bear looked over at Phoenix and Zino again before nodding. “Though the other members of the Zoo Crew and I have been involved in a lot of things, we weren’t doing it for ourselves.”

  “And by this what do you mean, Mr. Brown?” The tall lanky lawyer stood next to the stand where Bear was sitting.

  “Majority of the crimes committed were ordered by a higher power. He instructed many of our jobs.”

  “Does the gentleman have a name?”

  “Yes,”

  “Can you please state the name of this gentleman for the courtroom please.”

  Bear looked around the room before looking back at the lawyer. “Francisco Austin.”

  A number of gasps could be heard around the room.

  “You mean the detective that offered you this deal?”

  “Yes,”

  “Is he here today?” The lawyer asked again.

  “Yes.” Bear pointed behind the lawyer’s head to where Francisco was sitting. “That’s him right there.”

  Francisco’s face was one for the books. He looked like he was about to fall over and die at any minute. Phoenix looked from him to Bear and back to him again.

  “He even paid us to kill his daughter and the father of her child. He was the lead in charge over pretty much everything that was done by the Zoo Crew.”

  Phoenix was so shocked that she hadn’t even paid any attention to the face that Aaliyah was sitting next to the man crying.

  “Is that all, Mr. Brown?”

  “Yes.”

  The courtroom fell quiet as Bear finished speaking. Phoenix could hardly catch her breath, and from the looks of things, Zino was right along with her. The both of them were still so shocked at the deal Bear had made on their behalf they could hardly focus on anything else. Phoenix leaned over with her head in her lap for a few minutes trying to maintain control.

  When she sat back up, Ollie was standing next to Francisco, who was now in handcuffs. He looked like he was just as surprised as everyone else, and a tiny bit hurt. Over the course of her stay in jail, she’d figured out that Ollie and Francisco were partners, which was probably why he looked so sad. All that time he’d thought he had a friend, he had been getting lied to and use. Just the same way he had done them.

  Things went on for another few minutes before Bear and Zino were given their sentences and taken to the back. After hearing them give Bear life with the possibility of parole she fainted. When she woke up, she was sitting on the backseat of a limo in Jamison’s arms. She looked around wildly, trying to figure out what was going on.

  “Where are we going?”

  He smiled at her and grabbed her hand. “I have something to show you.”

  Still weak from Bear’s sentencing, Phoenix sat back and looked out the window. When the limo pulled up to a graveyard she looked at him. He smiled and stepped out of the car. With her hand in his, they walked to the large mausoleum and around the side of it.

  “What are we doing here?”

  He pointed in front of her. “That’s where your brother and Tek are.”

  Phoenix ran to the tomb and read the writing on it. She began to cry again when she read both of their names.

  “How did you know?”

  Jamison smiled and grabbed her hand. He pulled her to another tomb, but this one had ZOO CREW written in scripted writing.

  He handed her a key. “Open this.”

  Phoenix looked from him to the key then back to him. “You open it,”

  Jamison laughed before using the key and unlocking the lock. It didn’t open right away but with a hard tug he snatched it open and inside there was large stacks of money, guns, and a small box. Jamison used the same key to open the box. Inside were pictures of all of them along with a few other pieces of paper with numbers on them.

  Phoenix dropped to her knees. “What is all of this?”

  “It’s yours. Tone had it put away in case this day ever came. The sheets of papers with numbers are his safe deposit boxes. There’s more money in them. The set of keys goes to the beach house he bought in Virginia for you, and the pictures, well, they’re pictures.” He chuckled.

  Phoenix could hardly see through the water in her eyes. “How did you know all of this? Who gave it to you?”

  Jamison squatted next to here. “Tone did.”

  Phoenix’s head whipped around as she looked at him for clarification. “Huh?”

  “Tone and I have been good friends for a while. I used to work for the police department but I quit when I realized what was going on. I helped Tone set up everything so it would lead back to Francisco and that nigga, Ollie. You passed out, but they’ve both been indicted on federal charges, along with Francisco’s daughter. Tone was a smart dude, he knew there was some shit with Ollie from the get go, so he put me on game. I researched that nigga and kept Tone and Bear two steps ahead of his ass at all times. When the bust went down, Tone was ready, and could have beaten it had that bitch gave him the chance.”

  Phoenix sat wide eyed as she listened to Jamison.

  “The last time I talked to him he made me promise to look out for you. When I got word about the bust, I had one of my old connects hook me up with the job at your jail so I could watch you. The moment you were released I made it my business to look after you.”

  “Oh my God, this can’t be real.” Phoenix grabbed her head.

  Jamison sat down next to her and pulled her to him. “It’s real, and what we have is real. I’ve been asking you from day one do you trust me to protect you, you said yes, remember?”

  Phoenix nodded.

  “I got you, Fe. Forever. I promised Tone, and now I’m promising you.”

  Phoenix had cried so much she was out of tears, all she had enough energy to do now was lay back on Jamison and rest. She closed her eyes as he held her close. She had so much going on in her life, someone could write a book about it.

  Epilogue

  Phoenix held Jamison’s hand as her toes sank into the wet sand. They had just eaten dinner, and she’d wanted to take a walk. Virginia’s weather was always so much more comfortable than Miami’s. Not too hot or too cold, just comfortable. The days that it did get a little too hot, the breeze from the water behind their house kept her cool.

  “What you over there thinking about?” Jamison pulled her to him, getting her attention.

  “Zino coming here. He’s set to get out next month, and I can’t wait.”

  Jamison smiled. “Well, I don’t know about him living with us, but he can spend the night occasionally. I like to be able to give you this loving whenever I’m ready.”

  Phoenix giggled and pulled away from him playfully. “Stop it.”

  “You know I’m just playing. Zino’s good. Time went by fast, huh?”

  “Yeah, it did.”

  When they stopped in front of the water, Jamison pulled her into his embrace. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, just one of those days. Missing my brother. He’s done all he can for me ever since I’ve been born. Including giving me you. I just don’t know how I could ever repay him.”

  “Just make him proud. You’ve already killed his killer, set yourself up nicely with the things he left you, and now you’re about to name our son after him. I think he would be pretty happy.”

  Phoenix gazed lovingly up at the man who had turned her life completely around. He had done everything in his power to make her happy and she finally was. His loyalty to her brother had sealed the deal for her. Giving her all the push that she needed to follow his lead into her next step of life. He hadn’t steered her wrong yet, and for that she was grateful.

  All she wished was that she could go back to the days when she had all of her
brothers. Then she would really be happy, but since she couldn’t, she welcomed her current and future happiness wholeheartedly.

  “Be with me forever.”

  Phoenix nodded. “I do.”

  They both laughed and began their walk back to the thirteen room beach house that was all hers. She didn’t have a group of brothers to fill the rooms any longer, but with Jamison’s help, she was sure she’d have a bunch of babies eventually.

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