by B. M. Hardin
Wow.
I wasn’t surprised by anything that he said.
I was sure that it was all truth.
“What about Naomi?”
“She was my first love. She was older too but my Madre, my mother, didn’t approve of her. Not only because she was older, but because she wasn’t Latina. She wanted me to be with someone of my kind. She’s not particularly racist or anything but at the time that’s what she said.”
Hmm, I guess.
“But Mario, trying to regain my love, and respect after what he’d done to our father, told our mother that he was taking me with him on a business trip. But really he took Naomi and I to get married. He said that no matter what our Mama said, I should marry the woman that I loved. So, we did it.”
So he was married to Naomi first.
“At that time, she was just starting her company and automatically Mario saw opportunity and so she somewhat became a part of making illegal money legal. She was my bad-good girl. I always loved her.”
Wow.
So why divorce her if she was all that?
It just didn’t make sense.
“I divorced her to marry Jinx. I told her why I did it. I told her the reasoning behind it. She knew what I wanted. She’d been there from the very beginning. She was down for me no matter what. She had my back. She was the one that I loved. Not to say that I didn’t love Jinx too. I did. But Naomi always had my heart. She understood where I wanted to be and where I was trying to get to once Mario died and I took over and she was willing to ride with me until I got there. No matter what I had to do. You know what it’s like to be like down for love like that don’t you? She knew I would have never left her hanging. But going to prison, both Jinx and I, threw everything off, and pushed back my plans.”
“So you didn’t marry Jinx because she was pregnant? Where is he?”
Maybe I was asking too many questions but it was as though he wanted to tell me.
As though he wanted me to know.
“He’s with her parent’s since prison. It’s safer for him there. And no. I married Jinx for money, drugs and power. And by marrying her, I got just that. I became like a brother to her brother and he trusted me with any and everything. He gave me more drugs. More money. He took my little operation to a whole new level. That’s why I married Jinx.”
He walked closer to me and I stepped back.
He looked as though he was relieved to be telling someone some portion of his truth for once.
We’d always had good conversation.
Before he turned into some kind of devil.
“Wait a minute. So you know that Naomi and Jinx are both dead?”
“Yes. Naomi and I were planning to get away. I was going to use my fake memory loss to get out of the game and out of everything and just run away with the love of my life. But she died after giving birth to our son.”
He got choked up.
I could see that he really loved Naomi.
And now I knew that that was the reason that her house was all packed up.
They were planning to get away.
Poor Jinx just had the short end of the stick.
“Jinx taunted me about her and her death and I laid there like I didn’t know who she was talking about but it tore me up in the inside. I should have been there for that moment. I should have been there for her. And that’s something I’ll have to live with forever.”
Okay, maybe we have talked enough.
I prepared to leave.
“Just listen. I haven’t really talked to anyway in a long time. Just listen.”
He was lying.
He had talked to my sister but I didn’t say anything. I just stood there.
“All Jinx had to do was just go on with her life. I don’t even know what she and Vicki could have possibly gotten into it about in the first place. Vicki knew the truth about Naomi and I, so I’m not sure what that conversation was even about.”
Oh, I knew.
I had a hand in that but it was what it was.
He really did have a lot going on.
His side chick wasn’t really his side chick.
Well, technically she was, but on every other level she wasn’t.
Oh, good thing Jinx was dead because if she had ever found out the truth, Kane would have been a dead man.
“Have you been coming to my house? Breaking in?”
“No.”
I was sure that he was lying but I asked anyway.
“Did you come to Naomi’s?”
“No. Well, only that time I tried to bring the gift.”
“You’re lying Kane.”
“No. I’m not.”
Hmm…maybe he wasn’t.
Then who in the hell was it then?
“Why are you pursuing my sister?”
“Because I can’t have you.”
His response caught me off guard.
“What?”
“You heard me. I’m only talking to her because I can’t have you.”
And he said it with a straight face too.
“Drake and I go way back. I’m sure you know most of our somewhat business relationship by now. I knew about you. I remembered you. I even knew that you were somewhat off limits. But you are so beautiful to me. It was just something about you that makes a man want to get next to you.”
I got that from my Mama.
But I was off limits.
Especially to a scumbag like Kane.
“Drake and Naomi married at my request. A few Mexican connections liked the look of husband and wife drug teams, if that makes sense. And they already had word that “Kane” was married to a top connection on the east coast, so that had to remain a factor. I had been sending messages of doing business and making money and since I was going to prison, and there was still money out there and connections that I needed to be in place when I got home, I needed a solid business partner. I trusted Naomi with my life. And Drake and I had done a good bit of business together after we collaborated with getting rid of my brother. So, with our “ties” you should say, I asked the two to wed and hold down business until I returned. Since the new connections had never seen me, I paid him to be me. I guess they could have pretended to be married, but I needed them to be tied as close as possible. Linked on every single level. I paid him handsomely too and made sure that Naomi did whatever she had to do to make sure he had a successful business. He stepped in, and did what he was paid to do with no problem. To this day, some of the connects only know Drake as “Kane” and are unaware that I even exist.”
So, that’s the business deal between the two and how it involved the marriage.
That was one hell of an arrangement.
How could Drake have been so stupid?
Had he told me, I would have never agreed to him doing no bullshit like that.
I didn’t care how much money was involved.
It was just stupid.
It was dangerous too.
And he had been all the way in the drug game while I was gone and even after I was out I assume, since I was out before Jinx and Kane.
What was he thinking?
And since some people still thought that he was Kane, did that mean he was still in the game?
What if the break-ins were related to who they thought he was?
Was it all connected?
My mind was on information overload.
He’d said a mouth full.
It was just a lot to take in and the fact that he was telling me was even more surprising.
There had to be a reason.
“So you pursued me just because?”
“Because I wanted to. It’s that simple. Jinx was my wife. Naomi was the love of my life. But it was something about your mind. The way you think. The way you talk. You had me intrigued. And the sex, well, good would be an understatement.”
I gave him the evil eye.
“By dealing with you, I knew Drake and I would have a few problems behind it, if he ever found out.
But I knew that it wouldn’t stop our business.”
What is he talking about?
“What business? Drake isn’t in that life anymore.”
“Oh, is that what he told you?”
“Are you telling me that he is?”
“I’m telling you that I want you.”
Really?
Was he really going there?
He couldn’t have me if he was the last man on earth!
“I’ll leave your sister alone if I can have you.”
“No, how about you leave her alone and you still can’t have me.”
“Sorry. No can do. And she is falling for me too. The “new” me has her wrapped around my finger. Just the way I want her.”
I became angry and attempted to shove him but he moved from my reach.
“Oh you mad?”
“Just leave her alone.”
“Or what?”
“She’s been through a lot, with you and Vicki trying to have her killed and all.”
“He was never going to kill her. I hadn’t paid him to do that much. How do you think Naomi was about to get him for Vicki? Through me of course. But I told him not to kill her. Just tell her to disappear. You’re welcome.”
He was twisted.
“Leave her alone Kane.”
“Make me. You can make me. But I need an incentive.”
He was laughing.
I was still pondering the comment that he’d made about my husband.
Drake was still dirty?
Or was he lying about that too?
“How do you know?”
“How do I know what?”
“How do you know that Drake is still in the game?”
“Because he still works for me.”
I shook my head.
I didn’t believe him.
“You’re lying!”
“Maybe. Or maybe not.”
I started to get a headache so I turned to leave.
“So my guess is you don’t want this spot?”
He was still grinning as though he thought everything was funny.
I really wished that he had died in that accident.
I really wished that we had continued to try to kill him.
But there was no point in the what ifs, I was worried about my life now.
What if Drake was still a drug dealer?
What if he had been lying about everything?
I didn’t know what I would do.
“When are you going to learn, you can never really truly know a person Moet. Didn’t you learn that from me?”
He was right about that one.
“I still don’t believe you. I know my husband. I know Drake.”
“You know what Drake wants you to know.”
I stuck my middle finger up at him and I turned back around to leave again but I stopped dead in my tracks.
I had to know this.
I walked closer to him, almost as though I was trying to seduce him, but I wanted him to feel nothing but obligation to answer my next question.
“One more question. How did you know?”
He looked at me and waited for me to continue.
“That day you texted me and told me not to open the front door. How did you know? It was Jinx wasn’t it? She was behind the attack? She wanted me to lose the baby because she thought it could be yours because you lied, right?”
He smiled.
“Wrong. Jinx didn’t set up the attack. It wasn’t my family who was responsible for that one. It was somebody in yours.”
I looked at him.
What?
Somebody in mine?
“So one of my loved ones set me up to be attacked? They are the reason why I was beat near death and lost the baby?”
He nodded.
“Who? Which one?
As soon as I said the words, I heard the door close behind me.
I was surprised at who I saw standing there when I turned around.
“Well now that the cat is out of the bag…”
****************************
To be continued….
Author B.M. Hardin’s contact info:
Facebook: http://www.facbook.com/authorbm
Twitter: @BMHardin1
Instagram: @bm_hardin
Email:[email protected]
