The band plays another song and Winnie and I continue to chill, drink, kiss, wink, flirt, laugh, rub each other’s unmentionables, then laugh again. That’s the thing about Winnie: moments with her are never stale. Always fresh.
Her phone buzzes.
“Oh shit!” she screams out as she looks at her cell.
“Danny’s in labor?”
“Yep!” Winnie’s excited because Danny asked her to be her coach. Ever since Mac’s stopwatch quit when Danielle was in labor with Roman, and she nearly missed out on an epidural because it, she hasn’t trusted him the same. She asked Winnie to come coach her this time so she’d make it to the hospital in time to get drugs. Apparently, if a woman waits too long to go to the hospital and she’s too dilated, the staff won’t administer the dope needed to make labor humanly bearable.
“We better go,” I say as I stand up to help her out of her seat.
“How exciting!” she says as she takes hold of my hand and stands up. “But no, you stay here and enjoy the band. I’ll see you at home.”
“Are you sure, baby?”
“Yeah.” She plants a huge kiss on my lips. “I’ll be at Danny’s place with her, you’d just be bored at home.
“I’ll stay for a couple more songs and then I’ll head home.”
“Cool.” She places another kiss on the lips. I drop some cash onto our table and walk her out of the bar. She buries her face in my neck as I hail a cab for her. She takes my free hand and slides it up her skirt, over her tan fishnets as she slides her hand down my pants. “We'll steal a moment in the truck when you come to the hospital.”
“Thank God.”
A cab pulls up in front of us and I give her one last kiss before passing the cabbie a twenty.
“Alright, baby,” I say as I close the back door. She gives me a wink. Since I’m alone now, I’ll just go and head to the bar. I walk back inside and try to find an empty spot at the bar and realize it’s next to impossible. The place is packed, the band is rocking and there’s a crowd trying to push their way in. Yeah, this will be impossible. I’ll just catch a cab home.
I push my hands in my coat pockets and look around for a cab. No dice. I lucked out on hailing Winnie’s so fast. Maybe I’ll just call for a town car. And then, as luck would have it, one slides up, stops at the curb and lets a couple out. The chauffeur is wearing a blue tag, which means he’s likely for hire, working as a cab.
“Are you for hire?” I ask. The chauffeur looks at me, smiles and waves me over to him.
“Attorney Blair,” he says. “Of course.” He adjusts his hat and buttons the top button of his uniform jacket. Damn, lucked out again. I walk to the town car and the chauffeur makes a show of holding the door open for me.
“Thank you,” I say as I slide inside and rub my hands together. Damn, it’s cold out today.
“Room in there for me?” I know the voice before I even look at the door. I turn and see Jasmine standing there, a scarf bundled at her neck, a grey pea coat on. She slides in the limo and slams the door without waiting for an answer. “Oh wait!” She opens the door again, slides out and runs to the hotdog stand. I watch her buy two hotdogs on a stick and then drop some cash to the Homeless Harbor Guy, or at least that’s what Winnie and I call him. She points to me. He looks at the town car and waves, I wave back.
“Let’s go,” I say to the chauffeur. “Hurry.” He looks at me before slamming the back door closed and rushing to the driver’s door. But he’s not fast enough for Jasmine who’s almost sprinting back. She makes it to the back door just as he’s opening his door. He pauses. She climbs back in, holding up two hotdogs on a stick.
“One for me, one for you,” she says as she hands me mine. “Oh and Danielle told me that you like to give that homeless guy money, so I went ahead and took care of it for you.” Something in me makes me want to peel out of this car and run.
It just isn’t the same with Jasmine. After that incident with her coming to my condo, I was completely turned off by her. She just reminded me of that girl from all those years ago…and that suicide letter I never got to read. For some reason, I feel like Jasmine is that girl reincarnated.
Jocelyn Bell.
As crazy as it sounds, I see Jocelyn’s face now. Her skin almost translucent, her hair nearly pitch black. Jocelyn was black Irish, like Winnie. She wore this pink lipstick with matching nails. She loved scarves. Always wore them. Her eyes were brown. She liked to bat her lashes at me. She always smelled like fruit of some kind. Didn't matter which kind, just fruit. She’d be out with her friends at Pirahna's and she’d always slide onto my lap. She always whispered in my ear. She always tugged at my tie. She always ran her hand down my chest. She always walked backwards into her hotel room, pulling at my tie. She always wore something red and lacy. She always moaned in my ear. She always sat in bed and read my palm. She always traced her finger over my palm’s heart line. She always saw herself in my future. I always told her that I wasn’t leaving Winnie. I always told her that she shouldn’t have bought a place in Boston. I always told her that I could only see her once a week. I always told her never to come to my office again. I always told her that I just wanted to have fun.
She never told me she'd kill herself
I see Jocelyn looking at me now. Smiling.
Jasmine slides in the backseat and closes the door.
“Listen Jasmine, this isn’t a good idea,” I say to her as I struggle to see her face through Jocelyn’s. The chauffeur gets out of the car to give us privacy. The eagerness that Jasmine was carrying drops instantly.
“You’re a dickhead. Do you know that?”
“Jasmine-”
“How dare you make that scene last Christmas and walk me up the steps of my church and buy me that necklace and fuck me and then treat me like I’m some goddamn whore!”
“Jasmine, you coming to my home was off limits! I have a wife! I have four kids! You can’t come to my damn home and-”
FLASH!
What the fuck was that? What the hell was that flash? Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Matt mentioned something about being watched. Shit. I think somebody just took a picture of us through the driver’s open door. FUCK!
“Get in! Get in!” I yell for the driver. Alarmed now more than before, he jumps in, slams the door and screeches away from the curb.
“It was a random person taking a picture, Jacob!” Jasmine says as she falls against the back of the seat. “Jeez…why are you so nervous?”
Because you’re driving me fucking crazy! No, I can’t do this shit. I can’t do Jasmine. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Jasmine. Jocelyn. Jasmine. Jocelyn.
Jasmine’s quiet now, the hotdog on a stick now limp in her hand. I roll down the window and throw mine out of it. The chauffeur is sneaking peeks at us through the rearview mirror. Great. A fucking witness. I exhale deeply and run my hand over my face. Jasmine then whips her head around to look at me, angry as hell. We barely make it to the first stoplight before she unlocks the door.
“I’ll get out here,” she says as she jumps out in the middle of the street.
“Miss!” the chauffeur yells as honking horns and screeching tires squeal around us.
But she’s gone.
“No one took a picture of you,” my father whispers but he doesn’t look convinced. "It's nothing."
“I’m praying it's not.” I look at Winnie again.
“Dammit, Jake.” He runs his hand over his face. “We don’t need another Jocelyn.”
“I know.” I sit back in my chair and close my eyes. This shit is a nightmare. “And we've got undercovers here.”
“What?” He shoots his head around and looks over the room. “What the hell's going on, Jakie?”
NAT
Mac is the greatest bullshitter alive. You’ll never find another like him.
“I saw Mrs. Kyles and her husband in the elevator,” Demetrius says to Malcolm. “She told me that you had a little girl.” He stretches his hand out for Malcolm to
shake it. Malcolm smiles.
“Thank you,” he says, looking Demetrius in the eye and shaking his hand. Demetrius smiles back. He doesn’t have a fucking clue.
“Is she a redhead?”
“She is,” Mac says proudly, the same smile on his face.
“Good job.” They both laugh. I look at Jacob and he’s looking at Adam, the husband of Jacob’s oldest sister, Sarah. He’s making sure Adam’s in position. Without even looking at Jacob, Adam takes his jacket off and places it on a chair nearby. Jon’s standing along the wall with Marla, watching the scene. His eyes narrowed in on Malcolm. Marlon’s standing off to the side with Jasmine, who’s recovering from the recent reveal.
Mr. and Mrs. Fulton had spotted her and Jacob at the waterfront last night. I could murder Jake right now. Mac and I told him to stay away from Jasmine, especially considering the letter that Matt wrote. But that’s Jake for you. Just can’t resist a good lay. He just slid his son, Jaden, into the arms of his father. He’s getting ready. I look at Dena and nod for her to gather the kids. That was the job designated to her. Loyal. Reliable. Dena. She wordlessly, soundlessly, gathers Nicky out of the room first, then Roman.
Mac’s strict orders.
“I’ve been meaning to drop you a line, thanking you for supporting that bill I helped write last month,” Cadence says. Cadence knows what’s about to happen, which is why he moves closer to Demetrius. He shakes Demetrius’ hand.
Dena tiptoes over to Harper, takes hold of her hand, smiles at her and gestures with her head for her to follow. She does the same to Ralphie. Then Beckett. Next Tiffany and Pearl, Marlon and Jasmine’s girls. She taps Jacob’s father on the shoulder and nods for him to leave the room with Jaden. Next Georgie, Rena and Matt’s son. She slides their son, Thomas, out of Matt’s hands. He looks at her in confusion at first. That’s when Dena locks eyes with him. He immediately looks at Jacob as he allows Dena to take his son.
“Yes, Demetrius,” Lola says. “Thank you so much. It won’t be forgotten.” Dammit. She’s walking over to them. I steal a look at Jacob. Cadence looks over to me quickly. We need to get Lola out of here; she’s pregnant. I look at Aunt Angie, Malcolm’s mother. We warned her and Mac’s father ahead of time that they would need to take the kids to their home, that there may be problems at the hospital. We told them last night what was happening. Aunt Angie catches my eye. I flash my eyes from her to Lola and then back to her again.
“Malcolm,” Aunt Angie says, “make yourself useful for once in your life and put those amazing flowers in a vase. Just throw away the flowers you brought in and replace them with Senator Westlake’s. His look so strong and sturdy.” She bats her lashes at Demetrius. Oh you will pay for fucking up the arrival of my first granddaughter. He smiles at her and winks. She snaps her fingers. Lola looks at her. She nods for Lola to take the flowers out of Demetrius’ hand. Lola gives a small roll of her eyes, and then does it. When Lola walks to the vase, Aunt Angie grabs hold of her arm and nods for her to leave the room. Lola is carrying the long-awaited child of her first born son. Finally. Lola looks at her confused but follows orders. She walks out with Demetrius’ flowers.
Dena grabs our kids and walks them out. Soon she’s come back for Cameron, Red’s brother. The other children in the room are next. She wears a smile on her face as though all is well. The kids are just going out to play. They shouldn’t be around a newborn anyway, I see Dena mouth to one of Mac’s cousins, germs.
And Mac’s still smiling at Demetrius.
“So Sunday, huh? Beautiful name,” Demetrius says as he looks around the room for Sunday Simone, or what we already call her, Sunny. Mac’s long-awaited daughter. Suddenly Demetrius flashes a wide smile. He’s found her. He’s found Winnie off to the side, holding Sunny. “Ah…there she is.”
“I advise you,” Jacob says, “to get the fuck out.”
Silence fills the room as everyone’s smile drops and eyes begin to stare at Jacob…each other…Demetrius. What’s going on? Weren’t we just having a lovely conversation? I see Winnie face go from rage to alarm. From thoughts of Jasmine and Jacob to thoughts of Jacob and Demetrius. I see Rena’s eyes close before she lets out a deep breath. I see Jasmine clutching her chest. I see Red gingerly sipping her orange juice. Mac warned her to expect trouble at any moment. He even warned her that trouble may be bold enough to come here, the day she gave birth to his long-awaited daughter. He didn’t give names. Didn’t give details. Just gave her a warning.
“Funny,” Jon says, “they’ll take another man’s wife but we can’t even look at theirs.” I watch Malcolm smile at him. Show time.
“Jon,” Danielle’s father, Jackson, says as he stands up from the couch. “Come on, let’s go.”
Adam, Jacob’s brother-in-law, walks over to Matt.
“Jon,” Jackson says as he walks over to Jon. “Let’s go get some fresh air.”
I walk towards Marlon.
“Come on,” Jackson says again as he places a hand on Jon’s shoulder.
Jacob walks towards Jon. I told him that Jon was the one who called the cops on him and Winnie.
“Jax,” Elise, Danielle’s mother says, as she stands. “Get out of the way.”
Cadence stands in front of Demetrius. Demetrius looks up at him confused.
“Jon-” Jackson says.
“Jax,” Elise says as she rushes over to her husband. “Let’s go.”
“I’m not going a damn place without my daughter.”
Mac strolls over to Danielle as she places her orange juice glass on a food tray off to the side. He lifts her out of her bed, grabbing her robe from off a chair nearby and drapes it over her as he walks her to her father. Jackson takes Danielle as Elise rushes them out the room. Everyone else in the room looks confused.
And Mac drops his smile.
“Get out,” he says to everyone and no one in particular. Dena rushes over and eases Sunday out of Winnie’s hands before rushing out of the room. Everyone else hurries after her, out the door. Everyone but Adam. He’s still standing by Matt.
Now Jon, Marlon, Matt and Demetrius are confused. They all look at each other.
Whop!
Cadence.
Cadence Blair.
Cadence Elliott Blair delivers the first blow. Demetrius, completely taken off guard, falls back into a table, knocking over about a dozen flower vases. They all come crashing to the ground. Cadence starts to deliver a round of lethal blows to Demetrius who’s struggling to get on his feet. Too much water. Too much glass. Jacob grabs Marla out of the way and tosses her off to the side with Winnie. Jon’s ready. He throws the first blow at Jake. Jacob trips up and nearly falls back. Jon’s on him now. Bop! Bop! Bop! One after the other. Marla starts screaming for Jon to stop. Jacob gains his balance and starts delivering blows. Jon and Jacob exchange blow for blow, no clear winner in sight yet. Both giving as good as they’re getting. Jasmine runs into the bedroom of Danielle’s hospital suite. Rena grabs Marla and Winnie and they run to the bedroom too, sliding, slipping on glass and water, stopping each other’s falls before they hit the ground. Mac coolly grabs hold of them, helping them all to the bedroom, lest they hurt themselves.
“Careful, baby,” he says to Marla who nearly takes a nasty fall. He grabs hold of her arm and walks her to the room. Matt runs to break up Jon and Jacob’s fight. Adam grabs him. He’s not there to fight Matt, he’s there to keep Matt out the fight. Matt and Adam struggle. Marlon sees this, takes it as Matt fighting Adam and heads over to them. I rush up behind Marlon, pull him onto the ground by his neck and start to deliver the blows. I hate to fight the man, considering our wives are best friends, but in times of war… He throws blows back, struggling to get up from the ground.
Malcolm’s in the center of it all. Watching it happen. He gets a pass today. Today’s the birth of his only daughter. Wouldn’t want to taint the day by getting banged up. Danielle’s family is coming to town soon from Baton Rouge, he must look his best.
And the brawl contin
ues for a full minute. Marlon’s on his feet now and we’re going blow for blow. Demetrius is bleeding, most likely bits of glass stuck in his legs, arms, face. Cadence is ripping him to pieces. Cadence is a lover, not a fighter. But nobody fucks with his little brother. Jon and Jacob are still going blow for blow. Adam is now trying to drag Matt to the door. He’s trying to get him out of here before the-
BOOM! The undercovers bust through the door. Before they can say a word…WHOP! Matt’s instincts kick in. He turns and floors one of them. I’ll be damned.
Malcolm drops his head back and closes his eyes.
MALCOLM
“You have the right to remain silent.”
“Malcolm, do something!” Rena screams at me inside of the hospital’s suite.
There were eight undercover cops in total. These are the cops in Boston that I turn to when I’m faced with a dilemma: sealing the record of a wayward child, sealing the record of a domestic dispute, sealing the record of Winnie Blair. All of them are a part of the Special Force Team of Boston undercovers who hope and pray to make it into the Secret Service one day. Only eight cops are allotted to the Special Force Team at a time and the faces change each year as some get in my good graces and are recommended for their dream job: Secret Service Agent. The real undercover cops in America. Each Special Force undercover cop is just waiting for their turn. They’re waiting for me to say ‘job well done, the President will see you now.’ Each is handpicked by the Chief of Police and placed on the Special Force Team to assist in the ‘delicate matters of Boston’s leading citizens who need private care in order to receive fair treatment that may otherwise be violated due to their elevated social status.’
No one outside of the Special Force Team knows what in the hell special force even means. But the undercovers who belong to it do. It means a higher salary partially funded by the leading citizens they help. It means entry into an ideal job, somewhere in Washington DC, somewhere diving on top of Presidents to block a bullet, somewhere that offers a nice government pension, somewhere where they can feel important, somewhere where they can feel like a part of history.
War. Page 13
