“Feel like knuckling up?” I heard shuffling around and knew he was getting dressed.
“Shit. You ain’t say nothing but a word. I’ll be ready when you get here.” He hung up at the same time JD started stirring in his sleep.
“You leaving, Uncle Amell?” He asked with tired eyes.
“Not yet. Go back to sleep.” Positioning him more comfortable on my chest I rubbed his back and began humming Purple Rain by Prince.
Prince wrote that song I’m assuming about a woman he loved, I connected to it because of the similarities of my mom. After all these years I carried the same guilt from when I was just a boy when she left to now as a man.
I never meant to cause her any sorrow or pain. I went above and beyond to see her laugh. If I could, if our relationship was different, I’d drape her in purple diamonds.
A romantic melodic song that I turned into the hymn of my pain.
“You’re so good with him. I can’t wait to see when you have your own.”
Silence surrounded us. I refused to let her bait me with her guilt emotions tonight.
Laying JD on the bed, I left two stacks of money on the dresser. “I’ll be back in the morning. Rest, O’Nesha. Order room service and whatever else you want. I got you.” Her eyes began to flutter to the ground and the rhythm of her breathing changed to skittish skips. “Don’t ever cower in front of anyone because of embarrassment. Hold your head up. You may not be strong enough to physically beat him back but you’re strong enough not let him break your spirit.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
Kissing the corner of her mouth, I smiled watching her become unsteady before me. Our unspoken chemistry would stay that way…unspoken. I cared too much to drag her in my world and she was too prideful to admit that she liked me in the same way.
“You never have to thank me for being here for you. I’ll always take care of you.” I glanced one last time at a snoring JD and left.
By the time I reached the other side of town to pick up Cassian and Atlas, who surprised me when he said he wanted to go too, one phone call made, and I had Big JD’s location. We spotted them as soon as we turned on 21st street headed towards Oswald Park. The candy red Chevy stood out making it hard to miss.
“Pop the trunk.” Cassian waited until I parked in front of JD’s car to take off his shirt. Atlas sat in the back putting on brass knuckles that I didn’t know he had. Both of them had soft spots for Nesha. We all did so there wasn’t much persuading to get them involved.
My brothers weren’t fighting my battles. They were keeping Nesha’s baby daddy alive because if I touched him this time, he’d be a dead man by morning.
Big JD hadn’t paid his surroundings no attention. Him and his brothers were sitting on the bench smoking and talking all loud with a few other dudes I knew from around the way. One spotted me and started to back up. When the others caught on to us approaching it became silent as the night.
“Don’t tell me Nesha called you again?” Big JD chuckled, trying to remain hard but the fear had already flashed in his eyes. I looked at his brothers and they immediately held their hands up and took several steps back.
“One day you’re going to learn your lesson.” Leaning against the tree near the table. I crossed my hands in front of me holding my gun. One nod to Cassian and he gave me this eerie smile in return.
“Aight little nigga. Don’t make me fuck yo ass up.” Big JD dropped his beer can and got into his fighting stance. Atlas moved first and swung, hitting him square the jaw.
“Damn.” Echoed throughout the park as everyone watched.
“Little nigga these nuts.” Like he was up to bat, Cassian swung the crowbar, hitting him right in the dome. My brothers weren’t no dummies. Yeah, they had hands and squared up with me plenty of times, but they never won. Never made me break a sweat. Mitch and I always told them that if they went up against a nigga that was older than them or bigger, hit that mothafucker with the hardest thing you got, and once he’s weak enough, finish his ass off with your fist.
And that’s exactly what they did for the next five minutes. Once the crowd grew too much, I ended the fight before the cops came. Cassian was already on a five-day suspension and he didn’t need any more heated drama coming his way.
“For somebody who claims to be single and deals with women every blue moon, your phone hasn’t stopped ringing and I know it’s not your brothers.” Pacino reached for my phone that had been sitting in the cup holder only to have his hand smacked. Wide amused eyes glanced at me. “Nigga, did yo large sasquatch ass just pop me?” That made him laugh even harder, even got a smirk out of me.
We’ve been parked for the last two hours and my phone ranged eight times during that time frame. Half of the calls belonged to Chief Chatterjee of the Indian Reservation, Eta’s father. I’ve been ducking and dodging this man for the last two years and didn’t plan on catching up to him anytime soon. Him reaching out meant that he wanted something. Too many people already had me on their payroll for hit jobs. Adding another wasn’t in my plans, especially him.
“Are you sure that’s her?” Pacino nodded to the cinnamon brown beauty sitting near the glass window inside of the small café.
“That’s her. She comes here every morning and stays for about three to four hours working, I suppose.” Reaching in my back seat I grabbed the envelope with the other evidence to verify my claim. “I saw her talking to that FEDS dude Frank. One of my workers said he remembers her from when he was in prison a few years back. She was the psychologist there.”
“Cool. Can we go in now? I’m getting hungry.” When wasn’t this fool ever not hungry?
Stepping out the car I kept my eyes on her movements. Her head was buried deep in the keyboard of her laptop as she typed away, glasses sitting perched on her nose. She had this nerdy look to her, and I already knew Pacino was going to have his face all in hers.
While we stood in line to place his order, I kept an eye on her out of my peripheral. Those fingers were moving, and that head hadn’t popped up. If it wasn’t for the large afro of wild rusty orange and brown curls, I might think that was someone else, but it was her. Studying her for all these months, learning her habits.
It was her.
“Can we sit?” I asked not waiting for her to answer.
Slowly, that head of curls raised. First came the dark brown eyes with an arched brow. Then the crooked nose that straightened once her smiling lips appeared. Shaking her head with amusement, she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Well well well. He finally speaks instead of stalking.” She giggled taking a sip of her drink. Pacino nudged me with question in his eyes. “So, what can I do for you Pacino Luciano and Amell Kalmin?”
Pacino sat with…hell, it looked like he was crushing on her. Fool had stars in his eyes and a wide smile that I never seen him have before. Ever. Me, on the other hand, I expected it. If Noelani was who her reputation said she was, there was no doubt in my mind that she was aware of who had been trailing her for the last few months.
“What’s your price?” Time was of the essence and I had no time to make googly eyes unlike one of us.