by D. Camille
Khalil shook his head. “I’ve got this. Don’t worry about Melody.”
“Whatever you need from us, just let us know,” Khayla told him vehemently.
Khalil smiled. “I know, and I know that you are chomping at the bit to get to Melody.”
“Oh yes!” Khayla agreed. “I only need one reason to protect my Kings.”
“I will keep you updated,” Khalil told her. “Now go work on your own little soldiers.”
Khayla looked at her husband sitting on the bed. “Yeah, okay but I’m here if you need me.”
After disconnecting the call, Khalil filled his glass with water and drank it down slowly. Sitting the glass on the sink, he picked up his phone and turned off the lights before heading to bed. He was going to need his rest, because he knew Melody well and if anything, she didn’t give up easily.
******
A week later, Khalil was sitting at his desk at the Pride Center where he was the founder and Director.
“Khalil Lewis,” he said answering the phone beside him.
“Are you ready to be reasonable now?” the voice asked.
Khalil closed his eyes. “Not going to happen Melody.”
“I’m coming to be a part of my son’s life and you can’t stop me Khalil.”
Opening his eyes, he frowned. “I can and I will, because you won’t come into his life this way.”
“What way?” she demanded.
“With an agenda that includes another man,” he explained.
She huffed. “From my understanding, you let our son spend time with other men all the time.”
Khalil stood from his chair. “If you’re referring to the Negus, those are my brothers and I trust them with my life.”
“Well I trust Spencer.”
“How long have you known him?” Khalil questioned.
Melody quieted. “It isn’t the amount of time that you-”
“Oh hell nah! YOU don’t even know this dude!” he snapped.
“He comes from a prominent family,” she explained.
“Which doesn’t mean a damn thing to me.”
She sighed. “He wants to meet my son, Khalil, before we get married.”
“And again, the answer is still, hell no! He doesn’t dictate a damn thing concerning Kyros.”
Melody softened her voice. “Khalil…baby listen…”
He stopped her. “I’m so over that Melody. I know exactly who you are now.”
“You used to love who I was,” she whispered.
“I loved who I thought you were,” he corrected. “And that was my only mistake.”
She snorted. “That was your only mistake?”
“No doubt.”
“Fine Khalil, let’s do this the hard way because I’m marrying Spencer and if I have to take Kyros away from you…I will do it.”
Khalil shook his head. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Watch!”
The phone disconnected and Khalil stared at the screen. He decided to head over to Kyros’ school to be sure he was safe. The new afro-centered academy was a great addition to the community and Khalil was very instrumental in the opening of the school. He’d worried about his son’s education and exposing him to the pipeline to prison system that existed in the public education system, which targeted primarily young black youth.
It had been a priority to Khalil that not only his son, but other boys in the neighborhood had access to quality education from teachers and administrators who looked like them and understood their plight in this dilemma.
Walking to his door, he grabbed his coat and was met by a courier.
“Mr. Khalil Lewis?”
Khalil stopped. “Yes?”
The man handed him an envelope and Khalil took it slowly. “You’ve been served, sir.”
Khalil nodded before he walked away. Without even opening it, he already knew what was inside. He continued to his car to get to his son. Driving to the school, he pressed a button on his dashboard.
“Hey Khalil,”
“Brandon, I’m going to need some guidance.”
Mayor Brandon Williams was one of the Negus and the former Head Prosecutor for the City of Detroit.
“What’s going on?”
“I just got served some papers and I believe Melody is going to come for Kyros,” Khalil explained.
“What?” Brandon asked. “How in the hell is she going to try to do that?”
Navigating the streets, Khalil answered. “She’s marrying some rich dude and he wants to meet Kyros. I said, ‘hell no’…and now I believe, she’s going to take it to the courts.”
“She doesn’t have a leg to stand on, Khalil.” Brandon told him. “You’ve taken care of Kyros since he was a baby.”
“I don’t want to take any chances Brandon. If there’s even a fraction of a chance that she could take my son, I want it eliminated.”
“I understand,” Brandon agreed. “Let me look over the paperwork then get in touch with a custody lawyer for you. Come by the house.”
“Thanks,” Khalil said relieved. “I’m picking up Kyros and then I’ll be there.”
Khalil hung up and reached the school. Quickly exiting his car, he braved the late February cold and rushed inside the building. Khalil waited in the office until Kyros was escorted inside with his hat, coat and backpack. The boy smiled when he saw his father.
“Hey Daddy,”
Khalil touched his head. “Hey son, how are you?”
“You’re picking me up early?” he asked.
Khalil nodded. “Yeah, we’re going to see Uncle Brandon.”
“Okay, will Aunt Mac be there?” Kyros asked smiling.
“I don’t know, why?” Khalil asked.
Kyros smiled. “She always has chicken.”
Khalil laughed. “Well, let’s stop and get chicken for everybody.”
As Khalil walked his son back to the car, he kept an eye out for anything unusual. He didn’t trust Melody as far as he could throw her, and although she believed that she knew Khalil…she had no idea who he really was or what he was capable of, and she didn’t want to find out.
Khalil and Kyros stopped for Captain Jay’s chicken and drove to Brandon and Mac’s home. The newly married couple, who was also expecting their first child, still had two homes but for some reason they stayed at Brandon’s original residence more than Mac’s place. Khalil frowned at all the cars in front of the house as he pulled up.
Brandon greeted them at the door with a smile.
“Hey Khalil,”
Khalil frowned. “Hey Brandon, what’s with all the cars?”
Brandon stepped back from the door as Khalil and Kyros entered. Inside were all the Negus and Nigist. The Nigist were the Queens of the city and the wives of the other Negus.
Kyros beamed. “Auntie Kayla! Auntie Tauri! Auntie Mac!”
The women all hugged him as Khalil looked at Brandon. He handed him the envelope along with the bag of food.
“We should have brought more food,” Khalil told Brandon.
Brandon smiled. “The Nigist have the kitchen full.”
“What is everybody doing here?” Khalil asked.
“When you say somebody is messing with you and Kyros, everybody drops what they’re doing,” Brandon told him as he showed him inside.
Corvus, Lance and Rion all greeted him before the women hugged and reassured him. The ladies ushered Kyros into the kitchen as the men went to Brandon’s office.
Khalil looked around the room at his brothers. “I didn’t know all of you would be here.”
Lance frowned. “Trying to come for my little homie? Hell nah…”
Rion looked at Khalil. “You know that we love Kyros like he’s ours and you’re our brother. This is OUR problem.”
Khalil nodded. “I appreciate this.”
Brandon opened the envelope and read over the paperwork slowly before looking at the group.
“We need to find out everything we can about Melody and this n
ew fiancé, then we need to get ready for court.”
“What do the papers say?” Khalil asked.
“She’s suing for unsupervised visitation now, but she’s probably not going to stop there.”
Khalil frowned. “She’s not taking my son anywhere out of my sight!”
Brandon put up a hand. “I know Khalil, let’s get you some representation.”
“She says this new dude has money,” Khalil told them.
Corvus frowned. “He can’t have funds like Rion.” Corvus looked at his brother.
“I’m not trying to use Rion’s damn money,” Khalil glared at Corvus.
Rion stepped in before Khalil killed his little brother. “Look Khalil, we’re all here for whatever you need.”
Khalil continued to grim Corvus before turning to Rion. “Thanks Rion, hopefully I won’t need anyone’s offer.”
“Money is our last concern right now,” Brandon told them. “We have to put a solid case together.”
They all nodded.
“And keep those goddesses from murder charges on your ex…” Rion looked at Khalil. “Because there’s no telling what they’re plotting right now.”
Brandon and Lance shook their heads…
Chapter 2
Khalil stood outside of the courtroom of Family Court Judge, D. Baxter. Dressed in a dark suit and tie, looking across at his attorney. Christian Adams was a well-known family attorney, whom Brandon knew very well. Khalil had also come to like the man as he seemed very competent at his job.
“Are you ready?” Christian asked.
Khalil nodded. “I just want this to be over.”
“Remember what I said,” Christian reminded him. “I need you to stay calm.”
He watched Khalil closely knowing that he was asking for a lot. Khalil was a passionate man and nothing was more important to him than his only son. However, Christian knew that the other side would definitely try to use that against him.
“I’m straight.”
Christian shook his head. “Okay, Khalil. Just let me do my job.”
Khalil’s face hardened when he saw Melody enter the courthouse accompanied by the man he presumed was her attorney. The tall man with blue eyes and dark hair was dressed immaculately and walked beside her towards where he stood.
She smiled faintly when she reached him and Khalil felt her perusal as she looked him over. Her familiar face only brought back memories of betrayal and pain. He stiffened his spine and held her gaze.
“Hello Khalil,”
“Melody,”
She glanced around the space. “Where is Kyros?”
Christian spoke up. “Kyros’ appearance in court today wasn’t a necessity.”
Melody frowned and looked at the man next to her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know this.”
He nodded and both Khalil and Christian watched the pair closely.
“Soon enough,” the man responded.
Khalil turned to Christian in question. “I’m Attorney Christian Adams,” he introduced himself to the man. “Are you representing Ms. Brown?”
Khalil watched as Melody caressed the man’s arm. “This is my fiancé, Spencer Tynesdale. My attorney will be here shortly.”
Both Christian and Khalil managed to keep the surprise from their faces as Lance and Corvus arrived. They came to stand next to Khalil and greeted him with a couple of manshakes.
“You ready man?” Lance asked and Khalil nodded before introducing the couple. “This is Melody and her fiancé.”
Lance and Corvus turned to the pair. “Damn…” Corvus said under his breath.
Melody frowned at the men before looking up at her companion. “Let’s wait inside.”
Spencer agreed and looked at Khalil. “I’m looking forward to meeting our son.”
Knowing Khalil, Lance and Corvus immediately stepped in front of him before he could get to the man.
“Not here and not now Khalil,” Christian said quietly as the two walked into the courtroom
Looking at Christian, Khalil shook his head. “Make sure you know what the hell you’re doing, because if I have to take this into my own hands...I will not hesitate.”
The three men watched as Khalil walked away to cool off then turned to one another.
“We need Rion here now,” Corvus said then looked up to see Khalil’s parents and Khayla entering the building. “Or better yet, the Lewises.”
Lance frowned knowing his wife and in-laws very well. “No, they’re not any better. Trust.”
Rion and Brandon arrived together to the relief of both Lance and Corvus.
“Damn, I’m glad y’all here,” Corvus told them.
“What happened?” Brandon asked.
Christian filled them in and Rion took off in the direction where Khalil had headed. He found him in the men’s room with his hands on the counter and his head down. Walking over, Rion placed a hand on his back.
“Hey, we got this,” Rion assured him.
Khalil took a deep breath. “You know how I feel about my son, Rion.”
“Let’s get through this preliminary,” Rion suggested. “She can take her best shot.”
Lifting his head, Khalil nodded. “I met the dude. I don’t like him.”
Rion raised a brow. “Corvus said she went all the way in the other direction.”
“I thought he was the damn lawyer,” Khalil said hotly. “It’s the fiancé.”
He shook his head. “I don’t even know why I was surprised. Melody only committed to the cause to get close to me. She didn’t care about the issues that I was fighting against. She was only attracted to me because I was in charge. I figured out that Melody loves power and nothing else, if you don’t have it then you’re of no use to her.”
Rion checked his watch. “Your family is here and it’s getting close to the start time.” He looked at Khalil. “Are you going to be cool?”
Khalil nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to try.”
Rion watched as he walked out the door and followed shaking his head. Coming after Kyros was a big mistake and one that he hoped Melody wouldn’t have to find out the hard way.
Khalil was met by the group and they all offered words of encouragement. He pulled Brandon to the side.
“Mac has the officer watching Kyros today?” Khalil asked.
“Yes, he’s at the school and will be there until you pick him up,” Brandon informed him. “He’s assigned for as long as you need him.”
Khalil sighed. “Thanks.”
“Well that’s the perks of having the Police Chief as your wife.”
Khalil smiled slightly. “I guess it does pay to have our people working in the system.”
Brandon agreed. “We’re not all bad.”
“I never thought you all were,” Khalil told him. “I just know that some of you are.”
“We’ve just witnessed that a few months ago,” Brandon conceded, speaking of the corruption uncovered both in the Detroit Police Department and the City Council.
“We just have to make sure that the good outweigh the bad,” Khalil told him.
“My wife and I are constantly working on that.”
They both looked up as Christian waved for Khalil to join him, then the group entered the courtroom and took their appropriate seats. Glancing over, Khalil saw Melody’s fiancé speaking with the man who was actually their attorney.
He glanced back at the Negus and they all looked at him before he took his seat next to Christian. A few minutes later the door opened and the judge was announced. Khalil watched as the woman seemingly glided to her seat.
He frowned as he stared into her beautiful…young face. What the hell was this? This woman was presiding over a case that could determine if he would possibly lose his son and she looked almost like a damn teenager herself?
To say she was beautiful, would be a disservice to her smooth, mocha colored skin, full plush lips and sexy dark eyes. However, as stunning as she was, Khalil was here about business. He looked back and C
orvus caught his eye. He smiled and nodded as he watched the judge take her seat.
Turning back, Khalil now watched the woman as she opened the paperwork before her. She placed large, black rimmed glasses on her face and began to read quickly. Looking up, she removed her glasses and their eyes caught. Just as quickly, she perused the rest of the room.
“Are we ready to get started?” she asked and both attorneys nodded.
She agreed and began. “It is my understanding that the father has had sole custody of the child in this matter since birth?”
Christian stood. “Yes, your honor. Mr. Lewis has been the only caregiver for Kyros.”
The judge nodded. “And the reason that Mr. Lewis will not allow the mother to visit the child?”
“Mr. Lewis has no issue with supervised visits with the mother. However, Ms. Brown has requested unsupervised visits along with her fiancé, Mr. Tynesdale. My client has issue with this as he is concerned about the welfare of his child in their care.”
The judge studied some paperwork before her.
“It says here, that Mr. Lewis allows unsupervised visits for the minor with friends?” She looked up at Khalil. “The mother takes issue with this.”
Khalil frowned as Christian spoke. “These ‘friends’ to whom Ms. Brown objects to are actually upstanding citizens in our community that include the Mayor, the Police Chief and the first black owner of a Major League Baseball Team.”
Melody’s attorney spoke. “These men are also rumored to have ties to corruption and crime.”
“That’s a damn lie!” Khalil shouted.
“Khalil!” Everyone yelled in response.
The attorney continued. “In addition, we have just witnessed Mr. Lewis’ temper. Ms. Brown is also concerned about her son’s safety in his care.”
This brought Khalil to his feet. “What the hell? I’d never hurt my son!”
Christian stepped in front of Khalil. “Sit down.”
The judge banged her gavel. “Order!”
When Khalil was seated, she turned her attention to him. “Mr. Lewis, I understand this is an emotional time for you, but I will not allow you disrupt this proceeding.”
“If I have to have you removed to continue…I will do so.” She pinned him with a dark look.
Khayla leaned over the barrier and touched her brother’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”
