by Jade Jones
Cameron laughed, and it really felt good considering all she’d been through. “Don’t be blaming my poor babies. You must be over there neglecting them,” she teased.
“Hurry up and get these kids before I donate ‘em to CPS myself.”
Both women laughed at her crude sense of humor. Her children were guiltlessly spoiled and it definitely showed in their behavior. But it wasn’t all her and Jude’s fault. Magyc and Roxie played a part in it too.
“Alright. I just gotta stop at the store and then I’ll be on my way to you.”
“Okay—is everything cool with Jude?” Roxie asked. “You haven’t mentioned him.”
Cameron sighed deeply and ran a hand through her hair. When her eyes scanned the rearview mirror, she noticed the driver lustfully watching her. He quickly looked away so that he didn’t seem like a creep, but unfortunately it was too late.
“They still have him, but I’m almost certain they’re gonna let him go. They’re only going on a tip—just trying to shake us up. They don’t have shit concrete to pin on us.”
“I hope they do let him go,” Roxie said, sadness heavy in her tone.
“You and me both,” Cameron agreed. “I’ll see you soon though.”
“Alright.”
Cam disconnected the call and said a silent prayer for her husband to be okay. She wouldn’t be able to stand life without him. He had to push through—for her and for the children. He had to come home where he belonged.
Ten minutes later, Cameron arrived at the Walmart on Howell Mill Rd. She had nothing but $50 on her at the time of her arrest, but it was enough to get what she needed.
The Uber driver tried to holler but she politely turned his ass down. Once inside, she grabbed a box of bandages for her shoulder, and a stuffed animal she knew Justin would like. After she purchased her items, Cam ordered another Uber. She was grateful that the driver who picked up her request wasn’t the same thirsty nigga who dropped her off.
Cameron was almost out the door when she felt something cold and hard press into the small of her back. She wasn’t sure but it felt like a gun. Before, she could turn around a husky voice whispered in her ear.
“Don’t turn around. Just keep walkin’.”
Cameron immediately got goose bumps after recognizing the familiar voice.
25
“You’re just gonna shoot me? Right here? Right now? In broad daylight?”
“Funny, I remember asking you something similar…”
His voice sounded a little different, but she was certain that it was him. Cameron wished like hell she was hallucinating again. She wanted to believe she was dreaming, but when she felt the cold steel of a loaded gun pressing into her, she knew she wasn’t.
“Jag, please—”
“Shut the fuck up, Cameron. I don’t wanna hear shit you gotta say. I’m done listenin’ to anything that comes out your fuckin’ mouth. Keep walkin’. Bitch, try any mothafuckin’ thing I’mma blow yo’ mothafuckin’ head off.” Jag mushed her in the back of her head with his gun. “You think this a mothafuckin’ game? I ain’t playin’ wit’cho stupid ass. Now keep walkin’ ‘fore I empty this fuckin’ clip. I don’t give a fuck about these people or broad daylight, I’ll blow yo’ head all over this fuckin’ parking lot—and you know I’m dead ass serious.”
Tears poured down Cameron’s cheeks. She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare. How was it possible that he was even alive? She could vividly recall putting a bullet in his head.
What she didn’t know was that he had survived the attempted murder. Right after she left, a couple hunters stumbled across him and his sister’s bodies in the cabin. They’d heard the screaming and gunshots and came to investigate. When they saw the bloodbath inside they immediately called for help. If it weren’t for them, Jag would’ve been rotting in hell. The hunters had saved his life.
Doctors had to remove half his skull to prevent further injuries from brain swelling. It took him two entire weeks just to be able to respond to simple commands by blinking his eyes.
Jag spent months in physical therapy learning how to walk again and talk properly, and his speech could’ve still used some improving. Cameron had fucked him up physically, emotionally, and mentally. If living the rest of his life with a permanent limp wasn’t bad enough, he now had to deal with the loss of his youngest sibling. Jag fell to pieces when he heard the news about his sister. As a matter of fact, he was lying in a hospital bed when he saw the footage.
Jag forced Cameron to walk to the covered parking garage where his car awaited them. Sadly, she wouldn’t be riding in the front or back seat. He planned on putting her ass in the trunk for all the damage she’d caused.
“Was it you?” Cameron asked. “The one who narced to the police about the ring?”
Jag’s silence said it all. He did tip the police off, but only because he wanted Jude out the way. He knew they would have no choice but to release her under recognizance. Truthfully, he wanted to kill Cam’s husband, but he was certain that she would never forgive him.
“Jealousy done turned yo’ ass to a snitch, huh? Is that what you do now? You’re a real fucking coward, Jag. You could’ve gotten my babies taken from me! Did that cross your mothafucking mind?”
Jag slammed Cam against his car and pressed the gun to her crown. That instantly shut her up. He was tired of hearing her talk.
This was the first time Cameron saw his face since the day she escaped his clutches. He didn’t look the same at all. He was a lot skinnier due to lying in a hospital for months. His once vibrant eyes were now dull and listless. Although he’d changed physically he was still crazier than a mothafucka.
“I should kill you!” he said through clenched teeth. “You tried to kill me…after every fucking thing I did for you. You put a fuckin’ gun to my head and pulled the trigger. I LOVED YOU! I loved you with everything in me, Cam! No one’s loved you more than me! I killed for you!” Tears filled his deranged eyes.
Cameron expected the gun to go off at any minute. She could only imagine the hatred he felt in his heart for her.
“I should blow your gotdamn head off… But I’m not,” he said. “I’m not gonna kill you… You wanna know why?”
Cameron tearfully shook her head. She didn’t want to hear shit he had to say. She wanted nothing to do with his psychotic ass.
“Because I love you,” he finally said.
Cameron spat in his face after the confession. That was the last thing she wanted to hear.
Jag could’ve pulverized her, but instead he wiped it off. Her actions only demonstrated that she was truly in need of correction.
“I still fuckin’ love you regardless of what you did to me—what you did to Alessia—”
“I didn’t do shit to that girl! She did it to her damn self—”
Cam’s sentence was cut short after he wrapped a hand around her throat. Jag squeezed so tightly that his nails dug deep into her skin.
“Bitch, if I were you I’d tread very fuckin’ carefully,” he warned her. “’Cuz if you say the wrong shit, love won’t be strong enough to keep me from fuckin’ you up!”
Cameron’s eyes shot open in fear. She couldn’t breathe, she barely could think straight. Her heart was hammering so fast she thought it would beat out of her chest.
“Now this what we gon’ do… You gon’ get’cho ass in this mothafuckin’ car, and we gon’ get our daughter—I’m sorry—our children,” he corrected himself. “And maybe—just maybe—I won’t beat your mothafuckin’ ass unconscious when we get home.”
Cameron tried to speak, but her esophagus was crushed.
Loosening his grip, Jag allowed her to speak. “What was that?” he asked.
Cam struggled to talk in between ragged breaths. “She’s…not your daughter…”
Jag’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t react immediately. “…I had a feeling…” he said in a low, disappointed tone.
Damn. He’s taking it better than I thought he would, Cam tol
d herself.
All of a sudden, Jag punched her dead in the face with a closed fist. He hit her so hard that she fell and smacked her head against the car window, causing it to crack.
A passing young woman witnessed him clock Cameron and stared in amazement. She couldn’t believe a man would actually hit a female like that in public.
Jag glared right back at her, his grip on the gun tightening. “Keep fuckin’ walkin’, bitch, ‘fore you be on the ground next to her!”
Terrified by his violent threat, she quickly fled, leaving Cameron to fend for herself. She didn’t need those problems.
While Jag wasn’t paying attention, Cam quickly grabbed a glass bottle that had missed the trashcan.
Jag looked down at her and she quickly hid it from view. She was still a bit dazed after the vicious blow to her jaw. He had hit her like she was a man who was his height and weight. Jag was unforgiving in his assault, but she didn’t get anything she didn’t deserve in his opinion.
Cameron struggled to stand. She tasted blood in her mouth, and it felt like he had broken something. She’d never been struck so hard in life. It was as if Jag put all his pent up hatred into that one punch. He wanted her to literally feel his pain and misery.
Pthu!
Cameron spat a glob of dark red blood on the ground. She had no time to recuperate before he snatched her and slammed her against the car. He then wrapped his massive hands around her neck and squeezed the life out of her.
“You tell me she’s not mine?!” Jag screamed. “After all this fuckin’ time! After all the months I spent with her! After all the love I gave her! Bitch, I should gouge your fuckin’ eyes out! You stupid bitch! You knew all this time, didn’t you?! DIDN’T YOU?!”
Saliva flew onto her face as he yelled at the top of his lungs. Cameron was so afraid that she was shaking. There was blood smeared on her face and fear in her round eyes. No one in life scared her more than Jag. Not Wallace. Not Silk. Not Marcus. Hell, not even the Grim Reaper himself. Jag was the bête noire of her very existence.
He finally calmed down a little and then laughed dementedly. “It’s fine. It’s cool. A little fucked up,” he added. “But it’s cool.” He leaned in closer, his lips only centimeters from hers. At first she thought he was going to kiss her. “We’ll have plenty of time together to make babies.”
KSSSHH!
Cameron smashed the bottle over his head and took off running and screaming. “Help! Somebody help me!”
As luck would have it, an off-duty police officer walked out of the store. He still had his uniform on, but even if he didn’t, he still would’ve ran to her rescue. He was strongly devoted to serving and protecting.
“Is everything alright, ma’am? What’s going on? What happened to your face?” He quickly reached for his walkie-talkie to call in the disturbance.
“Please! You have to help me!” Cameron screamed. “He’s trying to kill me!”
Jag should’ve fled when he had the chance, but instead his crazy ass walked right up to them. Blood poured down the side of his face. He looked possessed.
“Officer, everything is under control. Me and my wife were just having a small disagreement.” He said that shit like he really believed it. “It’s nothing serious.”
“It looks pretty serious to me,” the cop said.
“Officer, I don’t know this man!” Cameron lied. “He assaulted me! Tried to kidnap me!” She was desperate to see him arrested and thrown behind bars where he belonged.
The officer looked from Cameron to Jag. He wasn’t sure if it was a domestic issue. However, something about Jag seemed sketchy to him. “Sir, I’m gonna need you to put your hands behind your back.”
“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?”
“Sir, I’m not gonna ask you again,” he said, reaching for his pistol.
Jag unwillingly did as he was told.
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be held against you.”
While Jag was arrested and read his Miranda rights, Cameron discreetly slipped away. She was needed for a statement, but all she cared about was getting far, far away from Jag. She couldn’t believe he was actually breathing, living, and walking the earth. She had to figure out her next move, because it just might be the one to save her life. If the law couldn’t detain him long, then it’d only be a matter of time before he came after her again—and she wanted to be prepared.
26
Roxie sat with a smug expression as she waited for her unwarranted lunch date to arrive. She couldn’t believe she had traded a pedicure for a meeting with her least favorite person—and to make matters worse, the bitch was ten minutes late.
On cue, Tara sauntered inside the restaurant with a devious grin on her pretty, brown face. It was the same diner Magyc had taken Roxie to during their first date.
Roxie was certain that Tara chose that location for a reason. She was obviously trying to get a rise by stirring up feelings. And she chose to take the petty route just to do it.
Tara was luminous that day in a bright yellow blazer, white loose-fitting blouse, and striped pencil skirt. Roxie noticed that she gained a little weight since the last time she saw her.
“Thanks for meeting me,” Tara said, plopping into her seat.
“Miss me with the formalities, bitch. What did you call me for? And how did you get my number?”
“The same way I get all Magyc’s hoes’ numbers. By going through his phone whenever he’s sleeping next to me. Oh—I’m sorry. My mistake. You’re his girlfriend, not his groupie.” Tara wasn’t even there a whole five minutes before she started throwing shade.
“I gather you’re implying that ya’ll are still fucking.” Roxie folded her arms and mean-mugged Tara. She didn’t feel like playing guessing games. She wanted the truth without all the rhetoric, empty talk.
Tara smiled wickedly. “I gather that you’re right. But, oh, the plot thickens.” She said it like a side chick with pride. She had no shame dealing with a man she knew was in a relationship.
“How so?” Roxie asked, forcing a generic smile.
Tara got straight to the point. Reaching in her Celine bag, she pulled out her pregnancy folder, which contained all the paperwork from her antenatal appointments. With a sly grin, she handed them across the table to Roxie.
“What the fuck is this shit?” she asked with a nasty attitude. Tara didn’t answer. As soon as Roxie flipped through the documents her heart lurched. “You called me here to tell me you’re pregnant?”
“Magyc wasn’t going to so I thought I would do you a favor. If it were me, I damn sure wouldn’t wanna be left in the dark.”
“And what’s you M.O.?” Roxie asked. “You know what? On second thought, don’t even tell me. It honestly don’t even fucking matter.” She stood to her feet, preparing to leave. “You want that cheating, lying ass nigga so bad, you can have him, bitch. Ya’ll simple-minded asses deserve each other.”
Tara laughed childishly. “Oh, I made you copies, boo. Feel free to take one.” She flung a paper at her as she walked past, and Roxie lost it.
WHAP!
“Bitch, don’t be throwing shit at me! Have you lost yo’ fuckin’ mind?!” Roxie swung and hit Tara right in the temple.
The attack caught her off guard, and Tara’s first reaction was to kick Roxie. At that point, Roxie was ready to beat the baby out her belly. Before she could drag that ass, management came and quickly broke up their tussle.
“Leave! Right now before we call the cops!” the Supervisor threatened.
“Fuck you! Fuck the cops! And fuck this garbage ass food!” Roxie said on her way out. She was so pissed off that anyone could get it just for looking at her the wrong way.
Roxie hopped in her car and peeled off in anger. As soon as she stopped at the first red light, her phone started ringing. She frowned immediately at the name displayed on her screen. It was Magyc’s trifling ass.
Roxie mulled over the decision on whether or not she shou
ld send him to voicemail. She would’ve been more inclined to answer for Jag.
“What, Magyc?” she snapped.
He didn’t expect her gruff disposition when she picked up. “Aye, I’m finna text you an address. Meet me there in half an hour, aight.”
Roxie wanted to tell him ‘go fuck yourself’, but instead replied, “Okie dokie,” and hung up. She couldn’t wait to turn up on his ass when she saw him. All the promises he’d made, all of the lies he had told—Roxie had finally had enough of it all.
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. If she saw him walking down the street at that very moment she would’ve ran his ass over without a second thought. Tears blurred her vision as she drove.
Why did I ever trust him, she asked herself repeatedly. Why did I ever believe anything that came out his mouth?
Suddenly, Roxie’s phone buzzed in her lap. It was the address to where he wanted her to meet him. Magyc was in for a rude awakening once she arrived. His problems were only just beginning.
***
“What’s your name, son?”
“…Gambino… Campioni.”
The officer turned around and narrowed his eyes at the Sicilian smart ass in his backseat. He highly doubted that was Jag’s real name. Since he’d been placed in the back of his police cruiser, Jag had yet to cooperate.
The first time he was asked for his name, he sarcastically replied, “Ivan the Terrible.” Jag didn’t fare well when it came to law enforcement, and he’d do anything he could to make their jobs harder.
Avoiding the officer’s pensive stare, Jag looked out the window at the passing customers. A few nosey people stared in curiosity, eager to see who’d gotten arrested at a Walmart of all places. They assumed he was a thief that had more than likely been caught in the act. Just like that, a contract killer with over 50 bodies under his belt had commonly been mistaken as a petty shoplifter.
Turning around in his seat, the officer typed Gambino Campioni into the computer for a database query. He had no idea that Jag had given him the name of his adopted brother. Ironically, Gambino also dated Cam’s best friend, Poca until his tragic murder in 2012. They still never found his killers.
