He glanced ahead and sighed heavily. “I’m not giving you five years, Amell, and I mean that shit. Get it done and come home.” Stepping out the car he slammed the door and walked over to where Mahogany stood next to Frank and a group of US Marshals.
Day after forever my Gazelle. I love you.
Those were the last words I texted Krishna before I turned my phone off and placed it in my bookbag that I left in Pacino’s truck. Mahogany tried her hardest not to look at me. I saw the war in her eyes. Saw the confusion on Frank’s face. Saw the distress on Pacino’s face. I caused a lot of people a lot of grief, but they needed to remember my promises to make sure that everything was going to be okay.
“Amell Kalmin, you are under arrest…”
Krishna
Krishna
2 Weeks Later.
Stop talking. Stop talking. Please stop talking.
“…murder.”
“…21 counts of…”
“…Florida…death penalty…”
“He turned himself in…”
There weren’t many people that I hated in this world. I hated the person responsible for my father’s death. I hated one-woman Mahogany Lancaster. The woman who spent many, many years tangled in the sheets before Amell and I ever existed. The woman who knew my face and still chose to reach out to a man who didn’t want her anymore.
I knew all about her just like she knew all about me.
So, for the life of me, why in the hell would Amell ask her to represent him? Out of all the lawyers each person in his close circle had connections to, why would he choose her?
Why her?
Amell was slowly becoming a contender for number one on that hate list after the stunt he pulled by sending JD and I on a two week-long vacation while he turned himself into the US Marshals. When I spoke to Noelani she never hinted anything was wrong. When I spoke to my mother, she never hinted that the man I loved had done the unthinkable. Everyone knew about Amell turning himself in but not once felt the need to reach out to me while I was shaking my ass on a beach in Virginia.
We didn’t want to upset you.
He wanted it to be this way.
You needed to get away.
It was for your safety.
Those were their excuses as to why I had been left in the dark. So, imagine my surprise pulling up to the compound after getting JD squared away at the condo to see a whole bunch of cars at Atlas’s house. Only to walk in to chatter but it all become silent when I made my appearance. Immediately I knew something was wrong when my eyes found Mahogany and the Indian Chief, but her mostly. This was family so why was she here?
She isn’t family.
Noelani had been the one to break the news and I passed out after hearing that he had been charged with death. Fuck first, second, and third-degree murder.
The US attorney’s office went straight for the jugular with Capital murder and the death sentence. Not even life in prison or twenty-five with the possibility of parole.
How?
Why?
When?
What the hell was going on?
I knew Amell had avenged my father’s death. I expected nothing less, but this. What did this mean and why did he do this? All for what? Killing JD’s uncle?
Did killing one man cause him to go to this extreme?
Amell fooled the fuck out of me when he had the pilot take us to Virginia. While there Amp and I had been tasked with finding the location of Miguel Martinez, the uncle that mysteriously vanished before anyone had a chance to get to him. Well, we found him in broad freaking daylight walking around like he didn’t have a target on his back.
When I asked Amp and David why they weren’t going to kill him they told me that they had been instructed by Amell to get the location, letting my eyes brand his face to memory, and come back.
What type of G-46 classified mission was that?
It’s like he tormented me more than making me feel like I was a part of the squad ready to defend my father’s honor.
“Would you like some water?” Keatyn sat next to me on the bed rubbing my head. A second later Noelani pranced in with a tray of what looked like soup, crackers, and tea. My mother wasn’t present which surprised me.
“How long have I been out?” I asked, clearing the sleep frog from my throat.
Keatyn gave me a soft smile before reaching for a bottle of water. “Four hours. You hit your head kinda hard on the tile when you passed out. Do you…do you remember anything?”
Of course, I did. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it seeing my mother poke her head in the room. “Chief Chatterjee is here. He’d like to talk to you, but I can tell him that you aren’t feeling well.”
Taking the broth from the tray I stood and waited a few seconds to make sure my balance was okay. “I’m good.”
I’m not sure why the Indian Chief wanted to have a pow-wow with me. I knew nothing but a location. That’s all I knew.
“Hello, Krishna.” Chief greeted me.
“Hey.”
He raised his phone so both of us could hear. “Go ahead.”
“Tomorrow I need you to go with the Chief.” Hearing that voice, that heavy burly voice. I wanted to cry and cuss him out something serious. My hands began to tremble, and Chief squeezed my shoulder for support.
“Find everything and anything you can on Miguel now that he’s shown his face. Everything, Krishna. I’m talking about likes and dislikes. You have two days and then you better be on that plane coming back with the Chief. You know where I keep my weapons. Choose wisely. Be safe and stay focused. Don’t focus on what happened today or yesterday. I need you to focus on this. Do you understand me, Gazelle?”
Hearing him call me that, I shut my eyes and gave in to my emotions. Unapologetically I allowed my tears to release as they pleased. “Yes, I understand.”
“Thank you.” We stayed quiet for a few seconds. “I love you, Krishna. Day after forever.” He hung up and I was left to handle my world crumbling down by myself.
“My driver and I will be here at five in the morning. Amp and David will be traveling with you. If your mother or his brothers ask where you are going, tell them back to California. Trust him, Krishna. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He squeezed my shoulder one last time before heading to his awaiting vehicle.
“What did he want? Was it about Amell?” My mother fired off question after question when I went back inside.
“I’m going back to Cali for a few days. Staying in this house, staying here, I need to get away. Before you try and fight with me, Mother, I’m taking David and Amp with me. Please don’t try to fight me on this. I need space and time alone.”
My mother was hurting, badly. She just lost her husband, and a man she considered her son was about to be another fading memory because of selfishness. I saw her pain in those beautiful eyes of hers. They mirrored my pain. We both lost my father and Amell. It affected us in different ways, but the pain was still the same.
“Will you come back?” God, she was set on breaking me down.
“Yes.” I reached out and hugged her. Feeling the weight of her sadness and grief, I wanted to tell the Chief to pick someone else but then I always said I wanted to play in my father’s world, right?
But why did it have to be at a time when I lost two of the people, I loved the most?