by Honey
She nodded her head in agreement, and he removed her keys from her hand. Then Jay walked around to the passenger’s side. As they pulled away, a little voice inside Jay’s head warned her that she was about to make a big mistake. The solution was as simple as asking Fudge to turn the car around, but her mind was made up.
“You sure you wanna do this?” Fudge asked her suddenly.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Jay wondered if Fudge had read her mind.
“You got the money?”
Jay reached inside the breast pocket of her suit coat and pulled out a white envelope stuffed with cash. “Here is half, like you asked for. You’ll get the other half when the job is done. And I want proof.”
Fudge merged cautiously into the left turning lane. “Where is the picture of the cat? And I told you I need his schedule. I’ll have to study his pattern for a few weeks.”
Jay pulled out a picture and a sheet of paper with information written all over it. As he drove, Fudge studied the picture for a few seconds and then handed it back to her.
“Who is this dude you want me to take out for you?” he asked.
“He used to be my brother. His name is Zachary King.”
* * *
“Is this where my brother lives, Daddy?” Wallace Junior asked.
Wallace sat in his car, admiring Zach’s beautiful two-story home. It was located in East Emerald Estates, which was a quiet subdivision in North Atlanta. All the residents shared a clubhouse, a pool, and other recreational facilities. Wallace was proud of his son’s success. “Yes, this is where Zachary lives. Are you ready to meet him?”
“Yes sir!”
Zach and Nahima greeted Wallace, his gorgeous wife, Patricia, and Wallace Junior at the front door. They’d been planning for their visit for two weeks. Zach wanted to make sure his father and family were comfortable and well entertained. Jill had outdone herself, practically cooking right up to the minute they arrived. She’d prepared lots of Jamaican dishes, both spicy and mild.
Zach hugged Wallace and slapped his back. “I’m glad y’all made it safely. Come on in.” He stepped aside and allowed the group to enter the house.
“We’re glad to be here.” Wallace reached down and scooped up Nahima. He kissed her cheek. “How is Papa’s pretty girl?”
“I’m fine. Is that your little boy?”
“Yes, he is. His name is Wallace Junior. He’s your uncle.” Wallace placed his free arm around Patricia. “And this good-looking woman is my wife, Patricia.”
“Hi,” Nahima said bashfully and buried her face in her grandfather’s shoulder blade.
Zach hugged his little brother. “I’m happy to finally meet you.” He and Patricia embraced before he led everyone into the spacious den, where Jill sat waiting for them.
“Wow! Aren’t you prettier than an angel? You look absolutely stunning, Jill. Give your father-in-law a hug.” Wallace placed Nahima on her feet.
Jill met Wallace in the middle of the room and hugged him. He introduced her to Patricia and Wallace Junior, and everyone sat down to talk. The children took control over the seventy-two-inch television. After a while, Jill excused herself so that she could go to the kitchen and check on the food.
“Now that your wife has left the room, Zach, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.” Wallace squeezed Patricia’s hand, which was resting on his knee.
Zach gave him his full attention. “Talk to me.”
“I wanna reach out to Jayla while I’m in town. I know you said she wants nothing to do with me, but I can’t let that deter me. She’s my only daughter, and I have to at least make an attempt to reconcile with her. It’s the Christian way.”
“It’s a bad idea. Jay hates you almost as much as she hates me. I’m totally against it, but it’s your decision.”
“Lunch is served,” Jill announced from the doorway.
* * *
Zach tapped on the driver’s-seat window of Wallace’s silver Chrysler 300C to get his attention. The older man looked up, with tears in his eyes. His thoughts had been a million miles away. He hadn’t seen Zach exit the house. He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car.
“You’ve been sitting out here long enough, old man. Let’s go inside. I don’t even wanna know what happened. I know Jay. I’m sure it was a terrible experience for you.”
Wallace climbed out of the car and threw his arm casually over Zach’s shoulders. They walked up the driveway together, neither uttering a word. They both had felt Jay’s wrath. It was nothing they cared to discuss.
Patricia saw them coming from the window in the formal living room. She hurried to the front door and opened it. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You tried,” she said to her husband when he reached the door. “There is nothing else you can do.” She threw her arms around him and squeezed him tight.
Wallace accepted her comfort. “She slapped me,” he mumbled through tears. “And she spit in my face. At first, she didn’t recognize me, but once she did, she attacked me like a wild animal. All the vile cursing and insults I could handle. I even understand why Jayla hates me. But the way she ordered hotel security to drag me out of her office, like I was there to do her harm, was unnecessary. It was hurtful. I felt so ashamed.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t want you to go.” Zach looked at his father with sympathy. Then he turned and walked into the den, with Wallace and Patricia following him. “Jay is evil and selfish. Her heart is closed to you, Jill, and me. We hurt her, but we tried to fix things. I don’t know about you, Daddy, but I’ve gotta keep it moving without Jay. I have a life with Jill now, and we have a baby on the way. We can’t entertain Jay and her foolishness. You should forget about her too.”
“I can’t do that just yet, Zach. I feel somewhat responsible for the bitter and cold person Jayla has become. She’s my only daughter. I want her to know how sorry I am for taking your mother away from both of you, and that I love her very much. I won’t give up on my child.”
Chapter Thirty-six
“Surprise!” the group of ladies shouted as they stood outside Aunt Jackie’s house.
Jill’s eyes widened from the shock. When she saw the faces of the few friends she’d made since moving to Atlanta, she covered her eyes with both hands and began to cry. Aunt Jackie slid her chubby arm around Jill’s waist and guided her into the house. Ramona, Felicia, Zariah, and Mrs. Scott were there, smiling and clapping. They all huddled around Jill and rubbed her protruding belly. Most of the silver foxes from her dance class had come out to celebrate the upcoming birth of her first child. Ida Bell and a few other ladies from Refuge Pentecostal Temple were in attendance as well.
Jill looked back at the front door, searching for Zach. The door was closed, and he was nowhere in sight. Her husband had tricked her by getting her out of the house on a Saturday afternoon with the promise of lunch and a movie so that the ladies could decorate for the baby shower. But as Jill took in all the lovely yellow decorations with a sunshine theme, she didn’t care.
“Let’s get this party started!” Ramona said. “It’s game time!”
Felicia led Jill to a chair covered in bright yellow bows and flowers. As soon as she was seated comfortably, the shower got under way. The mother to be watched her guests compete for prizes in all sorts of games. There was a race to see who had the fastest hands in changing the diaper on a baby doll. Ramona won that one with seconds to spare. Ida Bell proved to be the champion of taste after she was able to name every yucky baby food sample she and the other ladies put to their lips.
While Jill watched the other women competing and having a good time, Venus watched her. They had never met, but they had a lot in common. Both women had been romantically involved with Jay and had experienced her wrath and survived it. Now, they were the wives of men who loved them unconditionally. And from what Zach had told Venus, Jill was just as happy as she was. Both their paths had led them away from Jay’s controlling grip to joy and contentment. When the games had ended and lunch
was being served, Venus approached Jill.
“Hello, Jill. My name is Venus Morris. I’m Nahima’s mother. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Jill looked up from all the goodies piled high on her plate. She placed the plate on the TV tray to the side of her recliner. She attempted to stand. “I am so very happy to meet you, Nahima’s mommy!”
“Don’t get up, sweetie. That’s not necessary.” Venus placed her hand on Jill’s shoulder. “Relax. I just wanted to introduce myself. It seems unfair that I know so much about you, yet all you know about me is that I have a daughter and I was once involved with Jay.” She didn’t miss the chilling effect the mere mention of that name had on Jill. She actually shivered, like she’d felt a sudden rush of cold air. Venus touched her shoulder again. “It’s okay. I feel the same way too sometimes. After all these years, I still find myself looking over my shoulder, thinking Jay may be lurking around, watching my every move. I’m sure it’s scarier for you in your delicate condition.”
“It is at times,” Jill confessed. She looked Venus directly in her eyes. “When will it end? When will I stop being afraid of her?”
Venus grabbed an empty folding chair from a nearby table and moved it next to the Jill’s recliner. She sat down and exhaled. “I thought it was all over when Jay left the country. She swore before she left that she would never move back to Atlanta. I was relieved, and I began to enjoy the new experience of motherhood. Soon after that, I met Charles, and my life couldn’t have been better. My dream turned into a nightmare the moment Zach told me Jay was moving home. If it wasn’t for Charles, she would probably still be bullying and harassing me today. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Jill. Zach loves you, and he will do whatever it takes to protect you and your baby from Jay and anyone else.”
* * *
Jay was pissed off with Fudge, and he knew it. He’d had her five thousand dollars for over a month now, yet Zach was still walking around, living a happy and content life with Jill. Fudge had given Jay his word that he’d been on the job. He had said it took time to set up the perfect hit. Last week, when they’d met at Grove Park in Bankhead late at night, Fudge had promised Jay he would have good news the next time they hooked up. Now she was back in the park, waiting for an update. Her cell phone rang.
She answered on the first ring. “Where are you?” she asked.
“I’m right behind you, boo.” Fudge flashed the headlights on his midnight-blue Escalade. “You need to chill. Come back here and hop in. I’ve got something I think you’ll be glad to see.”
The only thing I want to see is a picture of Zach’s corpse,” she thought. That was what Jay wanted to say, but she held her tongue. She got out of her car and made the quick walk to Fudge’s vehicle, parked a few feet behind hers. After opening the door, she climbed in.
“I’m tired of this bullshit waiting game,” Jay said, settling in the passenger’s seat. “I gave you the up-front money on the hit more than a month ago, but Zach ain’t dead. What’s up?”
Fudge handed Jay a big brown envelope. When she opened it, she was pleasantly surprised to find a stack of black-and-white pictures of Zach in various locations. There were shots of him leaving his house, dressed in scrubs, and heading for work on different mornings, and there were others of him returning in the evenings. He’d been secretly photographed going to the gym alone and to church with Jill and Nahima. Fudge had even captured Zach at a pricey maternity store at Lennox Square, a mall in Buckhead, no doubt shopping for the wifey. The one of him and Jill kissing across a candlelit table at Kyma, an upscale restaurant in Buckhead, made Jay’s stomach churn.
“So you’ve been watching him. When are you gonna smoke his ass?”
“You’re a cold-ass bitch, Jay,” Fudge said, blowing out a stream of cigarette smoke. “Has anyone ever told you that?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I’ve been hearing that shit most of my adult life. It doesn’t even faze me. When and how, Fudge? That’s all I wanna know.” She put the pictures back inside the envelope and placed it on his lap.
“Next Thursday evening, when your brother is leaving the gym, he’s gonna catch a bullet to the back of the head from a nine-millimeter Glock nineteen at midrange. Pow! If that don’t take him out, then his ass ain’t human.”
“It better take him out! You want the other five grand, don’t you?”
“Hell yeah, I want my damn money!”
“Then take my brother out!”
* * *
“Zach, can I talk to you for a minute?” Ayla called. She walked fast, trying to catch up with him. Her heels clicked hard against the freshly mopped floor outside the NICU nursery.
“Um . . . not right now, Doc. My supervisor just paged me to her office.” He kept trekking, with Ayla chasing him.
“It will only take a minute.”
Zach looked back at Ayla’s flustered face. Lately, she’d been very cordial to him, and he no longer felt the need to avoid her. “Walk and talk, Doc. I gotta see what Nancy wants.”
“It’s about Jay.”
“I’m not about to get caught up in a lovers’ quarrel with you two.”
Ayla reach out and tugged at Zach’s arm to slow his pace. “It’s not that. I loaned her a large amount of money over a month ago, and she promised to pay me back in thirty days. Now she won’t take my phone calls. She hasn’t responded to my emails or text messages. I’ve been to her suite several times, but she’s never there. If you see Jay or even hear from her, would you please tell her to get in contact with me? I need my money.”
Zach stopped and faced Ayla. He felt sorry for her. She had fallen prey to Jay like so many other women before her. She wouldn’t be the last. Ayla was just another link in Jay’s pathetic chain of fools.
“Doc, I’m sorry, but I doubt if I’ll run into my sister anytime soon. Let’s just keep it real. Jay and I aren’t speaking, and you know why. The best advice I can give you is to get an attorney and sue her ass. You did make her sign a lender’s agreement before you handed over the money, didn’t you?”
“That’s about the only smart move I made when dealing with your sister. She’s psychotic, Zach. You and your aunt need to have her ass committed.”
“Jay does have issues. Anyway, I gotta run. Call your lawyer, Doc!” Zach said, jogging backward down the hallway.
Chapter Thirty-seven
“Come on in, Zach, and close the door behind you,” Nancy said. When he entered her office, she gave him an uneven smile.
Zach walked farther into his supervisor’s office and noticed two men in dark suits standing near her desk. He pulled the knob to shut the door and wondered what the hell was going on. “What’s up, Nancy?” He took a seat across from her and eyed the two men suspiciously.
“Zach, these two gentlemen are detectives from the Atlanta Police Department. There is an important matter they need to discuss with you and—”
“Has something happened to my wife?” Zach interrupted and jumped up. “Please don’t tell me something is wrong with Jill!”
“Nothing has happened to your wife or your aunt, sir,” the black gentleman assured him. “I’m Detective Joel Franklin, and this is my partner, Detective Ed Ortega.”
Zach watched Nancy rise from her chair and scurry around her office, gathering some of her belongings, including her purse. She was nervous. He picked it up easily because he knew her well. For the past eight years, he had reported directly to the middle-aged African American mother of four. He and his coworkers had attended social functions at the home she shared with her husband, Donald, on many occasions. Nancy Jackson was a kind woman and an extraordinary nurse. Her demeanor was usually calm. Zach had never seen her fumble or sweat before.
“Hey, man, you said my wife and my aunt are fine,” Zach said to the detectives. “What about my sister? Is Jay all right?”
Neither man answered Zach right away. It wasn’t until Nancy had left the office that Detective Franklin turned his attention direct
ly to Zach.
“Your sister is fine too, Mr. King, for now.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? What’s going on with Jay?”
“Ms. King is in a world of trouble,” Detective Ortega said. “She contracted a hit on someone. Your sister paid five thousand dollars to a man who she believes is a professional killer. She wants him to murder someone she no longer wants around.”
Zach rubbed both hands over his face, trying to wrap his mind around what he’d just heard. Then his thoughts drifted to the conversation he’d had with Ayla on his way to Nancy’s office. Jay owed her a large sum of money, and she hadn’t paid it back. Zach was having difficulty grasping the reality of the matter, even with the two detectives staring in his face. It all seemed so surreal.
“I don’t know what to say. My sister is a little crazy, but hiring a hit man to take somebody out is over the top, even for Jay. It may be against department regulations for you to answer this question, but I’m curious as hell. Who did Jay put out a hit on?”
The detectives looked at each other. Then they faced Zach and answered simultaneously, “You.”
Stunned, Zach didn’t utter a word.
* * *
“Your sister, Jayla King, wants you dead. I’m sorry, but she does, Mr. King. She paid one of our undercover officers, known to her as Fudge, five Gs in cash on May thirty-first, at approximately twelve twenty-six in the afternoon. She met him in front of an abandoned house on West Grand Avenue, as he had instructed her to. Our photographer was there.” Detective Ortega handed Zach a stack of pictures of Jay inside and outside her car when it was parked in front of the abandoned house.
“I’ve never seen this cat before,” Zach said, holding up a picture. Jay was standing with Fudge outside her BMW. “I wonder where the hell she met him.” He flipped through shots of his sister and the undercover cop talking inside her car. “I don’t see money changing hands in these shots. How do y’all know she paid him and what she paid him for?”