by Samara King
He shook his head, liking the other woman. “I wouldn’t like this setup no matter what. Ray is dangerous and a loose cannon waiting to go off.”
“Yeah, but the bottom line is, he’s from the street and money talks.”
Jordan couldn’t argue with that. He turned his attention back to the house as Rhames’ voice came through the mic.
“We’re here.”
“Here we go.” Jordan said, feeling as if his whole world was on hold until he saw Belinda safe and sound.
“ARE YOU READY TO DO this?” Rhames looked over at Belinda as they walked up to the house.
“What other option do we have? We’re not dealing with a logical person here.”
“With a little more time we could have come up with an option B.”
“I can’t afford any more time. The next time he could do something that would kill someone.” Her thoughts went to Jordan. She couldn’t lose him. He’d vehemently opposed her being the front person but what other choice did they have? If Ray and Jordan confronted each other someone would die here tonight.
“Let’s do this,” Belinda said rounding back her shoulders and smoothing her hand down the black dress that outlined every curve in just the right places.
She was just about to step up to the patio and gunshots roared around her. The sound was so deafening Belinda lost her hearing as she crouched downward.
“Get down!” Rhames grabbed hold of her from around the waist as they both tumbled backwards to the concrete.
The scream that erupted from her mouth was muffled as Rhames’ tall body covered hers. She could hear Jordan’s voice in her earphone but was too afraid to answer as what sounded like two guns were going off inside the house.
“Belinda? Rhames? Someone say something! What’s going on?”
Belinda tried to open her eyes. The striking ache at the back of her head made her see double. She’d hit the ground hard. As if remembering, she turned her head to Rhames. He was out cold. “Rhames? Wake up!” She shook him and then checked for a pulse, and found a faint beat, her body started to shake as her eyes collided with the blood on the back of her hand. A cold chill pierced her heart. He couldn’t be dead! Her mind thought of Hav. Who had shot at them? God was she about to die?
“Rhames has been shot.” Belinda whispered as calmly as she could. She groaned as she tried to move, her leg was bent at an awkward position, prohibiting her from leaning her weight forward. “Belinda don’t move. I’m coming to you.” Jordan shouted into the receiver.
“No! You don’t know who’s out here.” She tried to raise up but a jagged streak of pain raced up her leg to her spine. “Ahhh!”
“Belle? Baby, I’m here?”
She heard Jordan’s voice coming behind her but couldn’t tear her eyes from looking up. The sound of the front door opened after the four shots rang out moments before. Her body froze. Belinda had never known fear until that moment. She tried to move, her heart thudded in her ears as she saw Ray above her.
The scream that formed in her throat wouldn’t release as her eyes widened. The glassy look in his eyes as he staggered back and then forward with blood pouring from his chest. Belinda rolled to her side out of his path, but not before filling the air rush against her as Ray fell face forward on the ground dead.
A woman’s crying brought her head back up. Her eyes widened in amazement at the woman dressed in a blue wrap dress and heels. A woman she’d talk to hundreds of times in the past. The gun in her hand fell to the sidewalk as she walked over to where Belinda laid.
“Vernetta?”
The name rolled off Jordan’s tongue before Belinda could formulate words.
For the first time, the woman who’d shoot Ray looked up as if actually seeing Belinda and Jordan. “I killed him.” Her face broke with sobs. “I killed the bastard who murdered my son.”
THE LAST TIME BELINDA had seen Vernetta Edwards was at Nate’s funeral. She was still in shock from seeing the woman who’d almost been her mother-in-law taken away in a squad car, not to mention having laid next to Ray’s dead body.
She couldn’t say that she was sorry about the latter. He’d gotten what he deserved. The fact that it’d been his own Aunt who’d shot him caused so many emotions to rise within Belinda. The night’s events didn’t bring any happiness or peace.
From what Vernetta had explained was that Ray had been running his mouth that he had taken out Nate to several people during a drunken rage that had only intensified due to his dependency on drugs.
Jordan had always said Ray had been able to talk Nate into anything and when it came to the end of his life, his own vices and words had been his ultimate demise.
Belinda leaned her head against the hospital pillow and gazed down at the cast on her foot. She looked at the clock on the wall. She was about to go crazy if Jordan didn’t come back and offer some news about Rhames. He’d been accidently shot in the ribcage and the doctors had rushed him into surgery hours ago. She would never forget the hallowed look on Hav’s face.
Tears swelled in her eyes. She couldn’t believe the level of destruction that one man’s craziness had caused. She would give anything for Rhames to be ok, the club burning to the ground meant nothing if her best friend lost her husband.
The door to her room opened, Jordan dipped his head in and smiled. “Hey baby.”
Belinda sighed, a tearful smile appeared on her face. “Baby, please tell me Rhames is ok? I’ve been laying here waiting. Please.”
Jordan walked to her side, kissed her hand. “Rhames is going to be fine. It was touch and go as he’d lost a lot of blood. They were able to remove the bullet without doing damage to his organs.”
“Thank God!” Belinda said a silent prayer and reached out to Jordan. “Hold me and don’t let go.”
He sat down on the bed, taking her in his arms. “I never intend to let you go, ever again, babe.”
Epilogue
A YEAR LATER...
Belinda slipped off the mask off her face, looked around the candle lit veranda and smiled. It was hard to believe that they’d made it to this day. Another New Year’s Eve and a newly rebuilt club Reign.
She inhaled the night air and marveled at how things had changed over the course of the last year. Ray was dead and couldn’t hurt anyone. She felt his death had brought closure and hopefully some peace to Nate’s untimely demise.
Her gaze caught the sparkle of the two carat princess cut diamond on her hand. She giggled. She and Jordan hadn’t set a date but one day, she would walk down that aisle and gladly take the oath of being his wife.
She smiled as she thought of a pregnant Haven downstairs putting Rhames through hoops as he catered to her latest food cravings. The two had renewed their vows after Rhames had recovered fully from his gunshot wombs.
Chris and her husband had been cutting a rug on the dance floor. The whole staff had been given the night off and was enjoying the third annual Grown & Sexy Masquerade Ball. She’d hired a catering team to take the lead tonight for the crowd.
The only thing missing was...
As if right on cue, Belinda felt a pair of arms snake around her waist, pulling her closer.
“Hi baby.” His words illuminated her word as brightly as the stars shining in the night sky.
“Hi yourself stranger.”
“I feel like we’ve been here before.”
Belinda chuckled, ribbing him. “Maybe once or twice, but who’s counting?”
“I’d do it all over again just for this moment.” Jordan murmured in her ear, kissing the side of her neck.
“This moment or -” She pulled away from him, stepping back enough to shimmy out of her dress. Within seconds she stood before him naked, except for the diamond studs in her ear and high heels. “-or the memory we’re about to create?”
Jordan liked his lips, untying the knot at his throat and quickly unbuttoning his shirt. “Baby, I liked option A.” His eyes swept over her with hunger. “But right now, I’m really lovin
g option B.” Once he was undressed, their bodies joined together again.
Belinda sighed, leaning her head back as Jordan entered her body. She savored him and smiled as heat rushed through her body from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes, before raising her hips to meet his rhythmic thrusts deep inside of her.
Belinda arched her back, deciding, surely, she’d never been touched before this man...
The End
About Samara King
SAMARA KING is the author of sexy contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Writing romance has been woven into Samara's world since her days of sneaking to the back of the library in grade school...of course, at some point there was studying (usually after the end of a chapter.) When not dreaming up her latest hero who may or may not resemble the likes of Morris Chestnut, Channing Tatum or the latest MUST-HAVE-HIM archetype, Samara can be found jamming out to music, sipping on her favorite drink: cinnamon coffee or if the mood calls for it—because let's get real—often life requires moscato while watching This Is Us, shopping for plants she cannot kill, and dancing.
Currently, she writes for multiple publishers, including her own imprint Crave. Previously, Samara cohosted SoundNOff, a poetic format for poets and spoken word artists and hosted InCharacterN10, a former showcase for authors on Blogtalkradio.com/samaraking. Her well-received poetry collection, The Ebony Kryptonite preceded her poetic EP, Stripped Barefoot, a sultry mix of poetry and spoken word, which went on to reach #20 in Chicago’s Top 40 on Reverbnation in September 2013.
Samara resides in the Midwest, mixing city life with her family...and characters who never sleep.
