Snapped (Urban Renaissance)

by McKinney, Tina Brooks

I pushed away and moved over to the other side of the sofa. She was watching Jerry Springer on television. And, for a second, I got caught up in all the drama on the set.

  “Ronald finally agreed to move home. I’ve been meeting with builders to design a house for us, and we did the final walk-through last week. He said we were going to move in next week.”

  “I know I should be happy for you, but you know how I feel about him.”

  “I know. And as much as I hate to admit it, you were right.”

  “Say what?” She raised a brow.

  “Yeah, he was lying to me all along.”

  “What did he do?” Her voice was pinched, like she was about to go off on his ass.

  “I jumped the gun. I was so excited about the new house and the new furniture that he let me pick out that I went home right after the walk-through and started packing. I didn’t realize that I’d accumulated so much shit. I had so many boxes, I couldn’t even walk through my apartment. So I had the bright idea of taking some of the boxes to the house and dropping them off.”

  “Okay, that sounds reasonable.”

  “It sounded good to me too. I went to the house and the guard let me in because I hadn’t had the chance to get a key yet.”

  “Let me guess, the house is in his name only.

  “Yeah, but he said it was because my credit was less than perfect. Anyway, I get to the house and the door is unlocked because the furniture people were still delivering furniture. I go in and start dropping boxes and this heifer I’d never seen before comes out of the kitchen. I thought she was someone that Ronald hired to decorate.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “You can say that again. I asked who she was and she said Ronald’s wife.”

  “Damn, now that’s some foul shit.”

  “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. I hightailed it out of there. I didn’t even have the strength to get back my boxes. I told her to keep the shit.”

  “Damn.”

  “You said that.”

  “Shit, I don’t know what to say. I knew the motherfucker was lowdown, but even I didn’t think he was that low.

  “Well, go on and say it,” I said.

  “Say what?”

  “I told you so.”

  “Sweetie, I was kidding when I said that. There is no way I would taunt you like that after something this traumatic happened to you.”

  She surprised me. I just knew those would be the first words out of her mouth, that was why I hesitated to even tell her about it. She moved closer to me.

  I said, “Needless to say, I’ve been a raging bitch for the last two days.”

  “Have you spoken with the bastard?”

  “He had the nerve to show up today with my boxes and it wasn’t pretty.”

  “I’ll bet. I would have chopped off his dick,” she said, laughing.

  “I didn’t get his dick, but I damn sure got his arm.”

  “What did you say?” She leaned in closer so that our faces were practically touching.

  I could see tears welling up in her eyes. “You heard me. I asked him why, and he started telling me some lame-ass shit, and I grabbed the biggest knife I could find and I swung at him.”

  “Oh, God!” She fell back against the sofa as if I’d hit her too.

  “I got his ass good, too, but now I’m afraid that I will go to jail.”

  “Oh, no, boo. This can’t be happening. Why did you even let his sorry ass in?”

  “Because I had to know why he did that to me. If he didn’t want me to live with him, why would he keep filling my head up with that nonsense? Why take me shopping to furnish a house that I would never live in?”

  “That rat bastard. He can’t just play with your heart like that.” She shook her head.

  “He doesn’t care. You’ve told me that for years, but I was too much in love to listen to you. I always thought that I would be the one he married and I just snapped.”

  “Sweetie, you have to go home. If Ronald went to the cops and you’ve left the scene, it will only make you look more guilty. If you go home and the police come, plead temporary insanity. Once you tell them all the shit he has put you through, I’m sure no jury will convict you.”

  “I can’t go to jail! I am not about to fight off some butch-ass bitch and wind up spending the rest of my life behind bars.”

  “Relax, honey, they will just arrest you and then you get arraigned. Since you have no priors, they will give you bail. I will be waiting to post bail, then we get you the best lawyer we can afford to go to court with you.”

  “We?”

  “Girl, you are like a sister to me. Do you think I would let you go through this by yourself?”

  “Thanks, Tabatha. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m glad you are my friend.”

  “Go home and call me when you get your first phone call.” Tabatha made a lot of sense.

  As much as I didn’t want to, I drove home.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  COJO MILLS

  I hadn’t heard from Merlin since his arrest the week before, and it was taking its toll on me. I needed information, but the cops refused to speak with me about his case. I hired an attorney, but thus far, he hadn’t furnished any information.

  I called his attorney once again to get an update.

  “Mosby Law Group.”

  “Yes, I would like to speak with Attorney Ricardo Mosby.”

  “Ma’am, he is not in the office at the moment but I do expect him. Would you like to leave a message?”

  “Yes, would you please tell him that Cojo Mills called, and I would like an update on my husband’s case.”

  “I will give him the message.”

  I hung up the phone, frustrated. I felt a pain deep down in my soul, and I knew that the only way to fix it was to have my husband home with me.

  What happened to the phone call he was entitled to make? The phone had been ringing off the hook since the news started broadcasting his arrest, but none of the calls were from my husband.

  I knew this stress wasn’t good for our baby, but I didn’t know what else to do but worry and cry. This wasn’t like the first time that he was led out of the house in handcuffs; this was serious. They were charging him with attempted murder and arson.

  For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why they would accuse my mild-mannered husband of such a heinous crime. Over the last few days, Merlin’s mother had called, but I couldn’t speak to her because I didn’t know what the circumstances were of his alleged crimes. Even with my wild imagination, I could not imagine Merlin setting a person on fire.

  I was pacing the living room floor crying when the doorbell rang. I rushed to it and yanked open the door. I was so distraught I didn’t even bother to check who was on the other side of the door. I gasped when I saw who was standing there. “Merlin?”

  “Try again, sweetheart.” Gavin wore a sickening grin on his face.

  He was the last person I wanted to see, especially since I was in such a vulnerable state of mind.

  “What are you doing here? Didn’t Merlin tell you to stay the fuck away from us?” I was mad, but I could not deny the sexual attraction that I felt just looking at his wonderful body.

  “I know, and under normal circumstances, I would have stayed away, but I was concerned about how you were holding up.”

  I stepped back from the door. I didn’t expect Gavin to even care about his brother after all the things that Merlin had told me.

  Gavin stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. I looked at him suspiciously. Today, he was different. He didn’t have the arrogant swagger. He actually acted as if he cared about me and Merlin. Ever since he had come into our lives, it had been nothing but turmoil. I needed my life to get back on an even keel.

  “I saw it on the news and I just had to come.”

  “Oh, God.” Fresh tears rolled down my face. I didn’t like the fact that our dirty laundry was being viewed on television.

 
; Gavin rushed toward me and took me in his arms. Instinctively, I tensed up, but I couldn’t hold on to that because it felt good in his arms. As much as I wanted to deny it, I was sexually attracted to Gavin. He continued to hold me in his arms and, for a minute, I relaxed and allowed him to comfort me. His hot breath against my neck excited me. It took me several minutes to remember that he wasn’t my husband and his arms should not be around me.

  I pulled away. “Gavin, you need to leave. When Merlin comes home, he won’t be happy to see you here.”

  “Cojo, he may not be coming home.”

  A low moan escaped my lips. “Merlin is innocent.” I tried saying it with conviction, but my delivery was weak.

  “Are you sure? The police wouldn’t have arrested him if they didn’t feel like they had a good case against him.”

  I pushed away from him and started pacing the floor. Gavin was taking me to a place that I didn’t want to go. What would I do if they actually kept my husband in jail?

  “Why are you here?” I demanded.

  “I came for you. Regardless of whether or not you are ready to accept this, we connected. I don’t want my brother to spoil another relationship for me.”

  I looked at him as if he had lost his happy mind. “What are you talking about?”

  “This is not the first relationship that I’ve had that my brother ruined. He killed my first girlfriend and fingered me in the scheme and I wound up doing time.”

  “Huh?” I was so confused.

  “My first girlfriend. He killed her and fingered me. I did seven years in prison behind that shit, but I still have mad love for my brother.”

  “Wait, I don’t understand. He said that you blamed him and he got arrested.” I was feeling dizzy so I sat down on the sofa.

  “Of course he would tell you that. It wasn’t me; it was really him. He has a violent temper. Remember when he tried to choke you?”

  “He had every right to be mad, I slept with his brother.”

  “So why did he take it out on you and not me?” He sat back on the sofa with a smug smirk on his face.

  I was so confused I didn’t know what to think. Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure of my convictions that Merlin was innocent. I remembered the night when he left the house in the middle of the night and came home with blood on his clothes and refused to speak about it. That was the same night of the house fire.

  Gavin came over to the couch and sat next to me. “Things aren’t always the way they seem. You need to hear both sides of the story.” He planted a seed, and I had enough water at my feet to make it grow.

  “Cojo, I think we belong together and this is God’s way of making sure it happens.”

  I jumped up off the sofa again. Gavin was talking some bullshit. How in the world was I going to abandon my relationship with Merlin and take up with his brother?

  “Merlin has lied to you, Cojo. I know my brother. He probably tried to blame me for all the shit he’s done over the years, but it isn’t true.”

  “I need to lie down.” I left the living room and went into the master bedroom. My mind was on overload, and I didn’t know what to believe. I didn’t even consider the fact that I shouldn’t have allowed Gavin to stay. I just needed to be by myself so I could think.

  “I don’t think that you should be alone. Can I stay here until we know more about Merlin’s case?”

  “I don’t care.” I wasn’t thinking straight. Gavin had me thinking that I didn’t know my husband at all.

  “I’m going to go and get some clothes. I will be back.” He followed me into the bedroom and kissed me on the forehead. There was nothing sexual in the kiss.

  “Let me hold your key so I won’t have to disturb you when I come back.” I reached into my bag and pulled out my key. I wasn’t thinking straight. My mind was on overload. I passed the key to Gavin and climbed into the bed with my clothes still on.

  “Okay.” My mind had shut down. I needed to think about my relationship with my husband. Who was this man I married? At this point, I was having second thoughts about having a child at all.

  I’m not sure when Gavin came back. I’d been sleeping off and on since he left, but I felt him when he climbed into the bed with me. At first, I thought he was Merlin, but I recognized Gavin’s distinctive smell. My body tensed as Gavin eased up to me.

  “Gavin, stop,” I didn’t have the energy to fight him and I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt for him.

  “I just want to comfort you.”

  “This is wrong. The first time was a mistake but if we do it again, it’s intentional,” I said.

  “Well, I’m going to keep it one hundred with you. Getting with you again is definitely intentional with me. I know we are destined to be together so I’m not even going to lie.” His words shocked me and I turned around in his embrace.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Have you heard Jaheim’s new song, ‘Ain’t Leaving Without You’?” He summed it up in a nutshell: I ain’t leaving without you. Part of me was flattered, but the rest of me was scared as hell. His lips dipped dangerously close to mine, and for a second or two, I allowed myself to dwell in the fantasy.

  I was tired and didn’t try to fight him. Truth be told, I wanted to get another opportunity to be with Gavin, but I didn’t know how to admit it. Merlin’s arrest offered the perfect opportunity.

  I allowed Gavin to peel off my clothes. I tried to pretend like I was asleep, but I was aware of everything that was going on around me. I stifled a gasp when he took my extended nipple into his mouth.

  “I want you so bad,” Gavin whispered as he positioned himself to enter me. I kept my eyes closed, as if this would protect me from committing adultery a second time with my husband’s brother. I knew that I was dead wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself. Gavin was right: we did connect in a way that Merlin and I never did.

  He spread my legs and positioned himself between mine. Without any fanfare, he inserted his dick into my vagina and I could not believe the intensity of the feeling that I felt when he gently rocked his dick into me. The feeling was intense. There was no need for foreplay; I was already into the moment the second he had taken off my clothes. I never felt so close to a man in my entire life. We rocked this way for twenty minutes before he busted a nut inside of me. The entire time, I kept my eyes closed.

  “Damn, that was amazing.” The words spilled out of my mouth without my permission, but Gavin heard them.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  COJO MILLS

  My phone rang. “Cojo, I really need to speak with you. Are you alone?” Braxton, my husband’s closest friend, said from the other end of the line.

  “Hey, Braxton.” I was trying to wake up. Gavin and I had had sex so many times, I was still feeling woozy.

  “I drove by your house a while ago. What is Gavin doing over there?” Immediately, I began to feel nervous. This was not how I had expected our conversation to go.

  “Ah... he came over to see if he could do anything while Merlin was locked up.” I knew this was a piss poor example.

  “Cojo, be careful, there is a lot about Gavin that you probably don’t even know.

  “Well, according to Gavin, there is a lot of things that I don’t know about Merlin.”

  “Don’t get caught up in his hype, he is a born con man. He is good at deceiving folks.” I was tired of the lies and since I could not speak to Merlin directly, I needed to have some answers.

  “Braxton, if you know so much, could you please tell me what is going on?” I tiptoed out of the bedroom to see where Gavin was, but it appeared as if he’d left.

  “Cojo, normally I would mind my fucking business but this shit is scaring me. A couple of months ago, I saw Merlin’s car and followed it. He went to the same woman’s house who got killed. When I spoke to Merlin, he informed me that Gavin was driving the car during that time. Gavin is dangerous.”

  I was nervous as hell. I would have gone straight to the cops if I knew for sure where Gav
in was. I had a doctor’s appointment and he always appeared at them. I can’t believe I let him trick me twice. The waiting room was crowded. If I didn’t want to know the results as badly as I did, I might have left, but I took a seat and pulled a novel from my purse and started to read. I was really trying not to think about what Braxton told me. I wasn’t here for a checkup, so I hoped they would call me soon to give me the results. As I waited, I got lost in my newest read, The Cartel, by Ashley & JaQuavis. This was the first novel that I’d read by them. So far it was holding my attention, which said a lot with everything going on.

  My intent was to finish the book, but my body had other ideas. I quickly drifted off to sleep. The vitamins I had been given weren’t doing anything to give me more energy.

  “Cojo Mills?”

  I woke up and realized that they were talking to me. “I’m sorry, here I am.” I looked around the waiting room and it was deserted except for me. I glanced at my watch and realized that I had been there for over an hour.

  “Come this way,” a nurse instructed.

  “Can I go to the bathroom first?” I had to go the second I stood up.

  “Of course.” She smiled at me as she directed me to the bathroom. “The doctor will see you in his office.”

  My nerves started to get the best of me again. Part of me wanted to walk right out of the office and let the chips fall where they may. Regardless of the outcome, I wasn’t going to abort the baby, so what difference did it make?

  “’Cause you owe it to Merlin,” I said softly.

  He deserved to know and so did our unborn child. As much as I hated to think about Gavin as the father, I would tell him if the results indicated that he was. I would even allow him to have a small portion of my child’s life, but I would fight him like a banshee if he attempted to get any form of custody.

  I finished up in the bathroom and went into the doctor’s office to wait again. “I wish doctors cared enough about our time as we have to care about their time.” I started to read my book again and before I knew it, I was sleep again.

  “Mrs. Mills?” This time it was a male voice that was interrupting my nap.