by W. S. Greer
One woman let out an agonizing scream as she walked closer and looked down at the body. Senior didn’t do anything to stop her as she stared at Deshaun’s face, screaming loudly. As she screamed, everyone behind me started to panic and cry as well. I didn’t know who they were, but they obviously knew who Deshaun was.
“Oh my god! Somebody killed Deshaun. They shot Deshaun! They shot him in the face! Oh my god!” one woman cried. The moment she said it, a wave of emotion swept over everyone around us. No one could control themselves as they cried, some pacing back and forth, mumbling to themselves. One woman fell to her knees and started praying, but she wasn’t speaking English.
Tears rolled down my face as I watched the pain splash across Tommy’s. I didn’t know exactly how long he’d known Deshaun, but I knew that it had been a while. Deshaun was only thirty-five years old, and Tommy was sixty, so the chances of Tommy knowing him for his entire life were pretty good.
“Let me go, Tommy. I need to be with Kelvin,” I said, my voice shaking.
He let me go, and I ran over to Kelvin. Mikey saw me and reached out for me, silently asking for me to take his place to console Kelvin. As I kneeled down, Mikey backed away and Kelvin transitioned over to my shoulder, continuing to sob. I rubbed his back as he squeezed me close to him. I could feel the pain flowing through him. It was terrible, and had to have been one of the most difficult moments in my life.
I couldn’t harness all the different emotions that were running through me. I was terrified, but I also felt like one of my own family members had just died. The emotions ran and the questions swirled around in my head. Who did this? Why would they do this? What were Kelvin and I supposed to do now?
As I struggled to contain my own frustration and confusion, Mikey got up and walked over to Senior, who was wiping away his own tears, although, his tears didn’t seem as heavy as everyone else’s.
“Was this the Russians?” Mikey said. His emotions seemed to switch from sadness to anger. “Is this revenge for Abram?”
Senior looked like he didn’t want to answer the question, especially in front of me and all the people who were still standing outside.
“I don’t know,” he replied, “but, I don’t see who else would’ve done this. I don’t even know how he got here. His car’s missing.”
Suddenly, Kelvin lifted his head off my shoulder and stood up quickly, leaving me on the ground. I looked up at him and could immediately see the combination of pain and rage in his face.
“Of course it was the fucking Russians! Nobody else would’ve done this. It’s been them the whole time, and you still haven’t done anything. They’ve killed your son, and now your brother, and you’re still not gonna do shit? What the fuck is the matter with you?” Kelvin barked loudly, grabbing everyone’s attention.
The alley went completely silent, with the exception of a few sniffs here and there. Everyone was aware of the topic of the conversation now, and waiting for Senior’s response.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Senior replied, obviously trying to keep his voice down. “I’ve never known it was them for sure.”
“Bullshit!” Kelvin blared aggressively. His soft, beautiful face had morphed into a twisted image of fury and panic. “You knew! You just didn’t do anything. Just like after they shot Fab. You knew it was them, and you still didn’t do anything. So, I made the call without you. I told Deshaun to make the hit, and now he’s dead.”
Kelvin immediately stopped talking. His face seemed stunned as the depth of his words seemed to hit him violently.
“It’s my fault,” he said as tears started to stream down his face once again. “They killed him because I told him to avenge my brother for me. This is my fault.”
I quickly lifted myself to my feet and wrapped my arms around him, and I felt him lose control of his emotions. He sobbed into my neck loudly, and his grief transferred over to everyone who was watching the tragic scene unfold, as they all started to cry right along with him.
Mikey walked over and wrapped his big arms around both of us as we embraced. “This is not your fault, Junior,” he whispered in Kelvin’s ear. “You hear me? The only person responsible for this is Ivan Baskov. We should’ve done something a long time ago. We should’ve ended it.”
Kelvin pushed his uncle away and pulled himself out of my grasp. He stood there fuming, and glaring at his father, who stared right back at him.
“Why haven’t you done anything about Fab? Why haven’t you done anything about them killing Tony, while also trying to kill me and Lilliana? Why haven’t you done anything?” Kelvin was bristling, and I could see his body starting to shake uncontrollably.
“You have no idea what it takes to run a family. You don’t act without knowing all the details and all the facts. You don’t put hits on people based on probability. You have to know for sure,” Senior replied.
“And how long are you gonna wait? Until me and Lilliana are dead, too? How about when Uncle Mikey gets killed? Will he be important enough that you finally stop being a coward and do something to protect your family?”
“What the fuck did you just say?” Senior snapped, taking a step closer. “Did you just call me a coward?”
I could hear women in the background starting to cry harder as the emotion of it all started to spin out of control.
“That’s exactly what the fuck you are! A goddamn coward who’s afraid of Ivan Baskov. Willing to let your family members die around you, while you sit on your ass trying to figure out how to maximize profits. You’re not doing anything to protect us. You think sending a car or two over to Lilliana’s house is good enough? They’re gonna kill us because you’re too scared to do something to stop them.”
Suddenly, Senior took off in a full sprint towards Kelvin, but Mikey turned around and grabbed him before he could get to him.
“You little shit! Don’t you ever call me a coward. You’re lucky I’m doing anything to protect that girl. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be dead already. My fucking brother just died and you wanna sit here and talk this shit to me? Fuck you!”
I felt Tommy brush my shoulder as he ran past me to help Mikey contain the oversized mob boss. They both struggled, so Clarence moved over to help them as Ant walked up behind us and grabbed Kelvin by the arm. “Just go, Junior. This isn’t gonna help anyone right now. Plus, I hear the cops coming.”
Sure enough, I could hear the faint sound of police sirens coming up the street. One of the women had gone inside and called the cops after they’d got confirmation that Deshaun had been shot. Although I thought it would be a better idea to talk to the cops, inform them of what was going on, and ask them for better protection, I knew the Carters wouldn’t have any of that. So, I grabbed Kelvin by the arm and started pulling him back towards the way we came in. At first he relented, but eventually, he turned away from his father’s glare, and walked away with tears still in his eyes.
He sat on the dark red couch, leaning back with his hands over his face. It’d been thirty minutes since we’d gotten back to the penthouse, but Kelvin’s tears seemed to have a never ending flow up until this point. I heard him take a loud, deep breath, finally trying to settle himself down enough to be able to talk to me.
I’d tried to talk to him on the ride back to the Red Chip, but he was just too emotional, and I could see his eyes getting ready to spill over as soon as I would start talking, so I kept relenting.
When we got back to the penthouse, I’d asked Kelvin if he was okay, and he seemed to lose it as memories of his uncle came rushing back to him.
I knew he felt guilty. He was blaming himself for Deshaun’s death, and it was killing him inside. Add that to the fact that we’d already had our seemingly perfect lives turned upside down over the last five days, and it was starting to become too much to handle.
I’d done my fair share of crying as well, but I forced myself to pull it together when I noticed just how weak all of this was making Kelvin. He loved his uncle—he
loved his family, and he wanted to help as much as he could, and he wanted to protect me. He wanted us to be happy and safe, and I knew that it was devastating for him to know that none of that was happening. So, I decided that, instead of crying, I would be his rock. I’d be the shoulder for him to cry on, and once he pulled it together, then I’d allow myself time to be upset, knowing that he’d return the favor. He was the love of my life, and I’d gladly be there for him.
As he exhaled, Kelvin finally brought his hand down from his face. His beautifully dark brown eyes were now blood shot red from all of his sobbing, but he was starting to look more like himself again. He wiped the tears away from his eyes and looked up at me with a very subtle grin.
“Ugh. Did I just totally ruin my bad boy image with all this crying?” he joked, wiping away a lingering tear.
“Nah,” I replied with a smile of my own. “You’re still a bad ass to me. You’re just a bad ass with emotions. That’s the best kind.”
Kelvin flashed his perfect smile at me, and I felt the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It was good to finally see him show me a complete smile.
But, just as fast as the smile had come, it disappeared again. Kelvin’s face was suddenly serious, and he seemed deep in thought as he looked down at the floor, then back up at me. He sat up on the edge of the couch and leaned forward, looking directly into my eyes.
“Listen, Lilliana, there’s something I think we need to talk about,” he said. I could hear the seriousness in his voice.
“Okay,” I replied, sitting up in my seat.
“I’m not really sure how to even say this,” he began, jolting my heart into high speed. “It’s just that there’s a lot going on with me right now, and the last thing I want to do is put you in danger. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if something ever happened to you. I wouldn’t be able to take it.
The truth is, I’m scared right now. And, that’s new for me. I’ve dealt with my fair share of bullshit and drama, but before, I always knew where it was coming from. I could see it. I was sure of it. But, with this, I can’t see it and I don’t know where it’s coming from. They blew up a fucking car in the middle of a fucking Red Lobster parking lot. If we didn’t have Tony go start the car ahead of us, we’d both be dead. Do you realize that?”
I nodded my head as he continued talking. “And now this shit with Deshaun. I couldn’t even count the number of bullet wounds. It was like they shot him with a fucking machine gun or something, and they shot him in the face…” his words trailed off as he thought about it. I could see his eyes starting to water before he took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. “I just couldn’t take it if anything ever happened to you. I love you too much. I can’t have this threat lingering over your head too, because if they threaten to hurt you, it changes everything. I’m trying to let my dad do what he does. I’m trying to let him protect us. I just feel so unsure of it all, and I don’t know if I can trust him. I don’t know if I can trust him to keep you safe. So, I need you to make a decision. Maybe you should just get out while you still can. Before it’s too late.”
“What the hell are you talking about? What are you trying to tell me?”
“I’m saying that I love you enough to do what I have to do in order to keep you out of harm’s way. And, if letting you go will keep you safe… I’ll do whatever it takes.”
I felt the anger starting to creep up, and I furrowed my brow. Was he trying to break up with me?
I thought about what I was going to say before I opened my mouth. He was trying to tell me that he loved me so much that he’d be willing to let me go, as long as it meant that I’d be safe. When I realized what he was doing, it changed everything, and I started to calm down, and my love for him grew even stronger.
“You’re unbelievable, Kelvin,” I said. “It takes true love to be willing to give someone up just to protect them, and I’m stunned that you love me that deeply. But, I think it’s important that you understand how much I love you. I’m glad that you’re willing to let me go to protect me, but I love you enough to stand by your side. I don’t give a fuck how dangerous it is, Babe. I love you. We’re in this together, no matter what. Plus, ending our relationship doesn’t guarantee that I’ll be safe anyway. We don’t know what these people might do.
Either way, I’m not going anywhere. You love me, and I love you, and we’re gonna get through this together. Because the love that we have isn’t something that you throw away. The love we have is what you fight for. The love we have is forever. So, get used to me being around, because I’m not going anywhere. Our love is stronger than them.”
Kelvin looked at me momentarily without saying anything, his eyes staring into mine. After a brief pause, he finally smiled at me. This time, his smile was full and as big as the first time I saw it at the gas station six months ago. It was the smile that made me fall in love with him. The perfect smile.
“God I love you,” he said, beaming.
“I love you, Baby,” I replied as I leaned over and kissed him. “Now, with all this shit going on, there’s no way in hell I’m staying at my house alone, but I’m starting to get a little low on clothes around here. So, let’s go over to my place and pick up some more stuff for me to wear for a few days so that I don’t have to keep going back and forth, except to check on Meghan.”
“Okay. Sounds good. Let’s go.”
We made our way down the elevator, through the basement, and into the shiny black Camaro. Kelvin was still feeling a little paranoid and was driving like a madman on the highway, but I was growing used to his aggressive style of driving. Something about it made me feel alive… and a little scared, but I was sure I liked it.
We arrived back at my place to find the street dark and empty. We pulled into the driveway, got out, and made our way inside, hand in hand. Meghan was sitting on the back of the couch when we walked in, but then ran over to Kelvin and immediately began rubbing herself up against his leg.
“Look at this little bitch flirting with you,” I joked. “He’s mine, Meghan. Have I not made that clear?”
Kelvin giggled as we walked through the living room, into the hallway towards the bedroom. “This place has some crazy memories, Babe. I can’t believe the shit that went down right here in this bedroom. I can still see that psycho ex-boyfriend of yours standing over there holding that knife, with you tied up in the chair next to him.”
I shuddered at the memory of Tim hitting me over the head, and waking up tied to one of my dining room chairs. It wasn’t something I liked to think about. The incident made me hate my own house, especially my bedroom. The good thing that came out of it was the fact that Kelvin had rushed in and saved me from what looked like an impending death. I was pretty sure our bond was sealed that night. Never to be broken again.
I packed a bag full of my essentials, and another bag full of clothes. It was December, so my bag was stuffed full of thick shirts, pants, sweaters, scarfs, and beanies to keep me warm. Chicago was a beautiful place, but the winters were brutal, and this one was no exception.
We walked back into the kitchen, and while Kelvin turned off lights to the rooms behind us, I took a moment to change out Meghan’s litter box and food. I made sure I gave her at least two days’ worth so that she wouldn’t be starving by the time I made it back here to swap clothes again.
Kelvin caught up to me as I was putting the cat food back in the pantry.
“All set,” he said.
“Great. Thanks. I’m ready to go.”
As we stepped over the threshold of the front door, I closed the door behind me, then turned around to lock it with my key. I double checked the knob to make sure it wouldn’t budge, and then turned to face Kelvin. When I turned around, he had his back to me, facing the street. I looked around his wide shoulders and saw that there was a car parked in front my house that hadn’t been there when we arrived. It was a blue Ford Mustang. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it wasn’t the BMW that always made me f
eel so nervous, for whatever reason.
I grabbed Kelvin by the hand and tried to start walking towards his car, but he wouldn’t move.
“What’s wrong, Babe?” I inquired. “You ready?” I looked up at Kelvin’s face and recognized the fear and confusion that was consuming him. “What is it, Kelvin?”
“That car,” was all he managed to say.
I looked over at the navy blue, 2013 Mustang that was resting directly in front of the walkway leading up to my front door. It wasn’t one that I recognized. “It’s fine, Babe. One of my neighbors is probably having people over or something, so their guest parked here. It’s no biggie. We’re leaving anyway.”
“That’s not what it is,” he snapped.
“How do you know?”
“Because that’s Deshaun’s car.”
I rolled over in the bed and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was nine o’clock on the dot, and the sun was pushing its way through the slits in the blinds, shining brightly in my face. Kelvin was asleep next to me, and after the ridiculously tense night we’d had, I thought it might be a good idea to get up and make him breakfast in bed. With all he’d been through, he deserved it.
I moved as softly as I could, turning myself over in the bed and sliding out from underneath the covers. I slipped my feet into my sandals, stood up, and turned to walk out of the room. When I turned around, I was startled when I saw Senior standing in the doorway, glaring in at both of us. He wasn’t decked out in his usual fanciness, choosing to tone it down with a black sweat suit and red Timberland boots, but he still looked as intimidating as usual. When he saw me notice him, he put his hands up, as if to let me know he meant no harm.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, his voice seeming intentionally softened. “I also didn’t mean to come in unannounced. I just thought that you guys would be awake already. I apologize. I just need to talk to you both.”
