by M. Skye
He slammed his hand down hard on the entertainment center holding her TV. The TV toppled over, and Jake walked forward only to be stopped by Mia’s outstretched arm. When Tyree saw him advancing, he moved closer, and Mia wedged herself between the two angry guys, knowing neither would swing as long as she was there. Tyree looked down at her pleading eyes and took a step back; she knew he was trying to calm himself down. “Get him out of here now! I want him out of our room and out of our house.”
“I’m not leaving her here with you,” Jake said, facing Mia. Then, turning to Tyree, he said, “From what I hear, she’s not your business anymore.”
“Shut up!” Tyree moved up again, and Mia planted her hands on his chest. “She was never your business. Your check-to-check ass could never hold down my woman. She needs more than you could ever offer. Get out of my house and back to your little nine to five.”
Jake was unwavering and stood still until Mia turned with tear-filled eyes and nodded toward him. “Maybe you should go. I’ll call you later. We have things to talk about.”
“Mia,” Jake said quietly, “he’s not thinking clearly. He could hurt you.”
She shook her head and held her ground. “As crazy as it may sound, Tyree would never hit me. He’s not that type of guy.” Wrapping herself around Tyree tightly to restrain him, Mia watched as Jake left the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, she jumped back, feeling his stiffness. Trying to gauge his reaction, she took a seat on the bed still at a loss for words. She was brought back to reality when he dropped down in front of her on the floor.
“What was he doing here?”
“I . . . I don’t know. I—”
“Why was he in my bed?” he cut her off, having heard enough of her stuttering. “I thought it was clear that I never wanted another man in the bed I share with you. What in the hell were you thinking?” His voice was low, but the anger was apparent.
“I swear, I thought he was you. I never thought he would just crawl into bed with me.”
“You said I was the only one who made you feel like you were burning from the inside out when I touched you.” He got on his knees, running his hands up her thighs. “You said when I kissed you here, it made you cum before I was even inside you.” He ran his tongue down her neck before kissing the spot throbbing below his lips. “You said it was only me.” He pushed her back on the bed, grabbing a handful of her hair and latching his lips on to hers. “You promised me.”
“I did,” she panted between the kisses that were weakening her senses. “You are.”
As if flicking an invisible switch, he sat up, pulling away from her. “Then how in the hell could you think he was me?”
Flustered and caught off guard, Mia sat up, pushing her long locks from her face. “What is your problem? Are you just here to hurt me? If you don’t mean any of it, just leave me alone. I know I hurt you, but I can’t keep going through this pain because of you.”
“You didn’t hurt me; you broke me. I needed you, and you were here moving him into my house. I know what I did this morning but, damn, you let him creep in here already?”
“It wasn’t like that. Not that you deserve any kind of loyalty from me. I didn’t know it was him. Ty, I promise you, we never . . . Not here. After what happened, I just needed someone around who knew how I felt. We bonded over our past losses, that’s it. It never became more until after we moved.”
She saw his expression change, only to harden a few seconds later. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I was just here to find out why you sent my son on a trip without his mother or father present. Where is he?”
“How did you know he was gone? What is going on with you?”
“Don’t try to throw me off. Rick called me, but that’s beside the point. Where is my son?”
“He’s fine. He’s spending time with his family. That’s all you need to know.”
Tyree slid off the bed and jumped to his feet. “Fine. You know what? I don’t need this tonight. You do what you want. Fuck him if you want to, but it better not be in my house. If I catch him in here again, I’ll burn this shit down with both of you in it.”
Mia laughed sarcastically, and Tyree’s head snapped back. “What? What’s so funny to you?”
“You sound just like them.”
“Who?”
“Richmond and John. I see the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. I see keeping my son away from you needs to be a priority. I can’t have you rubbing off on him.”
“Do what you want. Honestly, I don’t care anymore. All I know is you won’t keep him from me. If I want, I will go and find him and bring him right back here.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me. You know I don’t play those games. You get your ass to him, or I’ll go and get him myself.”
“I won’t bring him back here.”
“I don’t want you to. I want you to follow his lead and get the hell out of here. I’m tired of looking at you.”
Mia felt the tears rushing to her eyes, but she refused to let him see her this way. Instead, she crossed her arms and stood tall. “Get out.”
“Oh, I’m leaving.” He pulled the door open. “There’s nothing left for me here.”
After he was gone, she dropped to the bed in a puddle of her own tears. She sobbed quietly for a few minutes before pulling herself up and throwing on a fresh T-shirt and jeans. She knew she couldn’t let herself get too emotional, not when she had other issues to deal with. Jake had to be handled. He had to know there was nothing left for them, even with Tyree out of the picture.
When she walked, sulking, down the stairs into the living room, she found Jake sitting up on the couch looking at the front door. He hadn’t noticed her in the room until she sat down next to him. He reached for her hand, but she slid farther away, knowing the distance would help her drive her point home. Hurting Jake was the last thing she wanted to do, again, but she had to be honest. Her heart wasn’t with him. It never was.
As if sensing her thoughts, he spoke. “I hid out in the kitchen until he was gone.”
Pressing her hand to her temple, Mia looked to Jake and sighed. “Why did you come here? Why were you in my bed?”
“You needed me. He hurt you again.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“I came to see you this morning. You never saw me, but when the whole scene erupted in the foyer, I was outside watching. I saw him leave with her.”
Mia smiled at his sincerity but shook her head gently. “You shouldn’t have come. I know you thought it was a good idea, but you need to leave.”
“Mia, I can’t. Not until I know you will be okay. It’s what we do; we save each other.”
After holding her breath, she exhaled loudly, trying to steady her body, which was beginning to tremble. “Jake, you didn’t save me. You enabled me to mask my feelings, falling into false happiness. The truth is, I was never happy. There wasn’t one day when I didn’t think about being here with my family. With or without Tyree, I’m not leaving them again. I can’t go back to Paris with you.”
“We can stay here; we can be happy.”
Her frustrations took over, and she stood from the couch, moving farther away from him. “Jake, we will never be happy because I don’t love you. I tried. I really tried to make myself love you, but I just can’t. I can’t replace her for you.”
Jake’s worried expression fell and was replaced with anger. Mia knew right after it left her mouth that she had crossed a line, bringing up Jake’s dead wife. When she met him, he told her all about how his wife committed suicide after suffering a major loss. He never told her what the loss was, but she always assumed it had to be big for her to kill herself.
“You don’t get to discuss her, ever! Not when . . .” He stopped his statement and jumped off the couch, walking toward the door. “You knew what she meant to me! You were never to bring her up in the same conversation as him.”
“Jake, I’m sorry.” She reached out
to touch him, but he snatched himself away.
“No. I’m leaving. You don’t have to worry about me any longer. I’ll leave and never see you again, but you remember one thing.”
“What?”
He walked over and whispered in her ear, “I know what you did. I’m sure your golden boy would never look at you again if he knew.” Placing a rough kiss on her cheek, he pushed her back and walked out, slamming the door.
Mia’s eyes were wide with shock, and she slid down the wall to the floor, breaking out in a horrifyingly loud sob.
Chapter Thirty
“Renee,” Tyree called out searching around the house. He wanted to check on Renee, knowing that Mia’s decision to stay must have reached her. He just wanted to pacify her. She needed to feel like she had nothing to worry about, especially now. After the conversation with Kyan and the one with Asha, he started looking into what she had been up to and figured out she was lying about so many things. He needed to get to the bottom of it all, and to do so she had to trust him.
Tyree continued to call Renee’s name and didn’t hear anything from the upstairs. Heading down, he heard a small commotion in the kitchen and headed toward the noise. When he opened the door, he found Renee looking flustered, and he walked inside. When he reached her, he felt her shiver at his touch, and he turned her to face him. When he saw her tear-streaked cheeks, he smoothed the tears away and pulled her to him. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“I was alone. I thought you were going to be gone all day. I just needed to vent about this. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
“This is about Mia still being here?”
“I know we’re happy, but I just feel unsure. I mean, she was the great love of your life. You’ve loved her since you were children. How does anyone compete with that?”
“It’s not a competition. I’m with you, and you’re here. I might have loved her since we were children, but it’s a love you outgrow when you realize there’s something more in store for you. The fact is, Mia left when I needed her the most. You were there for me. You loved me. You saved me.”
“I know, but is that enough?”
“It’s everything.” He framed her face and leaned in to kiss her softly. “Don’t worry about any of this.”
“Are you sure? Because if there is a chance that you still love her, I’ll give you the space you need to figure it out. No one wants to be second best.”
“You’re not second best. Right now, you’re the only choice. My choice.” Tyree kissed her and left the kitchen with a huge smile on his face, knowing he had fixed the problem temporarily.
* * *
Once Renee heard the outside door open, signaling that Tyree was gone, the pantry door flew open, revealing the true reason she was in the kitchen. When a large hand planted itself on her shoulder, she jumped and then relaxed, realizing who it was. “Nice speech.”
“Yeah, he almost convinced me too.” Renee sighed. “So, now that she’s still here, we have a serious problem.”
“I don’t see a problem, just an opportunity,” John said.
“He may not want to let her go, but she will give him no choice. No matter what he does, she won’t forgive him. The pain runs too deep.”
“And what if she does, then what? All of this will be for nothing.”
“Actually, it won’t.” He leaned in, kissing her until she molded to him. “I don’t know if you got the news, but I finally did it.”
“Did what?”
“She kicked me out. Now, I have no reason not to file the papers and take everything. All I need now is the proof I require to get my fortune and hers.”
“And where is this proof?” She wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head back to hers.
“Being delivered soon,” he smirked, backing away toward the door.
Renee smiled deviously, and John disappeared out the back door, closing it behind him. She was pleased with herself, feeling like everything was falling into place, until she heard hands clapping. When she turned to find Rock standing behind her, she froze until she saw a smile appear on his face. He had always been an easy person to read, but now everything about him was a mystery. She couldn’t tell if he was actually happy or about to blow her out of the water.
Renee sat quietly, looking ahead until he walked up, pulling her into a firm embrace. “I’m sorry to stop by unannounced, but I hadn’t gotten the chance to get my congrats out.”
Renee was thrown off, but she went with it. “Thank you.” She stepped back, running her hand down to her stomach. “We’re so excited.”
“You should be.” He grinned, running his hand down to Renee’s stomach as well. “The only question I have is, whose excitement are you sharing? Tyree’s or John’s?”
“What?” she hissed.
“I know you’ve been helping John,” Rock spat out. “You helped him make sure Tyree and Mia would stay apart. He placed you in Tyree’s path and made sure that if you couldn’t turn his head, you would take the fall for everything he had done.”
“What?” Her eyes teared up as she questioned his accusations. “What do you mean take the fall?”
“Your name is all over his business papers. Every bad and crooked deal he made has you listed as the one at fault.”
“But I didn’t—”
“I know you didn’t, but it looks like you did. For all the shit you helped him pull, you deserve to fry along with him, but we need your help.”
“We?”
“Yes, we.” Karen seethed as she spoke, walking into the back door. “You owe my family, and you’re going to pay up.” Karen reached out and slapped Renee so hard it sounded through the kitchen. “I know you helped him kidnap my grandson, bitch.”
“I . . . I didn’t.”
“How would my son feel if he knew you were fucking him and his father? I would never do anything to hurt him, but you’re going to stay here and play your role. You committed to this with John and, as far as he knows, you’re going to see it through. You give him one inkling that we know what he’s done and I’ll kill you myself. You belong to me now.”
“What am I supposed to do? He will kill me.”
“Better him than me,” Karen growled. “You give Tyree or John any clue what you’re doing and you might as well off yourself.”
Renee’s face went blank at her statements, and she stepped back feeling faint. She felt as if the walls were closing in on her and she slid to the floor. When she heard Rock’s light laughter, she began to shiver. She was on the floor, trying to think of a way out of this, but her brain was scrambled. Nothing was coming to her.
“You can’t do this.” Renee was in tears as she spoke. “How could you just leave me here knowing what you know?”
“Wait for our instructions,” Karen ordered. “Tyree must not know until the time is right. He will go after John and ruin everything if he knew what we had planned.”
Rock was leaning down beside Renee when she heard Tyree’s voice calling for her. Panic rose in her chest when she realized Rock and Karen were probably about to blow her entire cover. She was blinking rapidly and drawing in deep breaths until Rock leaned to her ear and whispered, “I’m just here to make sure we’re all on the same page. You need to make sure you remember why you’re in this house.” With that he stood, slipping out the back door with Karen following, moments before Tyree walked in to find her on the floor.
When he saw her, he rushed over. “What happened to you? Are you okay? Is it the baby?”
Looking around to make sure they were fully alone, she nodded, leaning into his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m fine, just a little dizziness.”
Tyree pulled her up, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Which is why you should be in bed letting me feed you. Come on.”
As he turned, heading to their room, Renee looked back, noticing that Rock was standing outside the door looking at them. When he saw he had her attention, he winked, causing a chill to run through her.
“What’s wrong?” Tyree questioned when she stiffened in his arms.
“Nothing, just tired,” she lied.
“Rest is what you need.” He kissed her on the forehead.
“Yeah, rest. It’s exactly what I need.”
He carried her to the bed and laid her down in it and disappeared into the bathroom. While he was gone, her cell blinked, and she reached for it hesitantly. When she saw the message, she felt tears developing in her eyes.
I mean what I said, and you better not squeak one word of this to Tyree, or there will be consequences. We mean business.
Damn. When she was brought here, it was never supposed to get this complicated, and she was never supposed to get this involved. The truth was, after it was all played out, she wouldn’t get either of the men she loved. As crazy as it sounded, she loved them both. John and Tyree each held a special place in her heart and, now, she wasn’t going to end up with either. Just as she had done to Tyree, John had betrayed her.
Chapter Thirty-one
Three weeks had passed since the scene at Mia’s, and Tyree still couldn’t get the look on her face out of his mind. He knew he had done what he needed to, but seeing her expression almost made him pull her to him and tell her everything. It was the last thing that needed to be done; and, from what he had heard about the time he was away, he knew she was more fragile than he originally believed. He still had no clear answers on what happened, but he knew it had to be bad because everyone was so tight-lipped about it.
As much as he missed Mia, he knew he had to push it out of his mind. She had to be secondary to what he was doing right now. Although Rock had asked them all to step back, Miguel had continued to receive anonymous tips on Richmond every day after the attack. They had so much proof linking him to Janelle’s and Helen’s deaths, it wasn’t funny. Miguel seemed to be the person deemed worthy of having the proof even the professionals couldn’t find. It was confusing as hell. They turned everything they had over to Rock as it came in, and he assured them that they were getting closer to apprehending him. He had been doing a good job of keeping them in the loop, and he informed them that his team thought they had a location and would be making a move soon. Rock also informed them that he had a new ally John wouldn’t see coming. Tyree already knew it was his mother. He had overheard them discussing ways to deal with John.
