Beware

by Shanora Williams

  And it’s odd that I’m finding him even more desirable right now.

  Jonah didn’t tell me his sister was this damn sexy in person. In the pictures he showed me, she looks so child-like, so innocent. But in person, she’s un-fucking-believable. Pouty lips that I know are good for sucking. Full breasts. Straight, white smile. Bright, hazel eyes, surrounded by butterfly-like eyelashes.

  I want to fuck her.

  Just one good time.

  One good time is all I need.

  Jonah wouldn’t let that happen, though. Not by a long shot. I’m one of his closest friends and a co-worker of his. He doesn’t give a fuck about me sleeping and ditching other women, but when it comes down to his baby sister, he’d beat my ass for it. He told me before we got to the ceremony that she was strictly off limits.

  We’re at a pancake house downtown. Jonah excuses himself, leaving London and I alone at the table. Letting her nervousness get the best of her, she tucks a lock of silky chestnut hair behind her ear, not daring to meet my eyes.

  I pick up my coffee and take a sip. I can’t fight my smile. It’s funny. This is funny, how nervous she is.

  “What were you thinking up there?” I ask.

  “What?” she asks rapidly, eyes meeting mine.

  “On the stage. When you took that long pause. What were you thinking?”

  “Oh… um… I don’t know.”

  I know she’s lying. She was too busy staring at me. We were too busy staring at each other.

  “What did you major in?”

  “Psychology,” she says, nodding.

  “Why psychology?”

  Shrugging, she says, “I don’t know. I’ve always been told I’m good at listening and giving advice. I love to make people feel better.”

  “But not yourself.”

  Her face stiffens. “I’m fine.”

  I swallow hard. “That’s a lie, but okay.”

  Rolling her eyes, she picks up her coffee and takes a quick sip. As she adjusts in her seat, her breasts bounce, and I can’t help but look at them longer than intended. So full and perky.

  She clears her throat loudly, folding her arms. “You don’t have to stare,” she hisses.

  “Oh, I believe I do. Hard not to.”

  Her face turns blood shot red.

  I laugh silently.

  “So, Donovan, will you be staying at my apartment with Jonah?”

  I frown. It’s been a long time since anyone’s called me by my first name. “Ace,” I correct her. “Call me Ace.”

  Her eyebrows stitch. “What’s wrong with Donovan? I like it. Suits you.”

  “No. Ace is more… me. Ace,” I repeat. “Just Ace.”

  “Any meaning behind that name?”

  “Nope. Just grew up with it. Probably cause I’ve always been good at what I do.”

  She nods curtly, snatching her eyes away. “Well, anyway… an answer to my question would be nice.”

  “Do you want me to stay at your place?”

  She hesitates. “O-oh, it doesn’t matter. I’m just curious is all…”

  “Would you feel comfortable having me there?”

  She adjusts her mouth to try and form an answer. I can tell she wants to say no. I can tell she doesn’t even want me around. And I know for damn sure she’s nowhere near comfortable around me. The way she fidgets… The way she stares at me with questions in her eyes... I know.

  “I won’t mind you—”

  “It’s a yes or no question, London.”

  Her mouth closes slowly. She shrugs.

  That’s it? A shrug. I chuckle.

  I know I should stop messing around with her, so to make things lighter—bring her some relief—I tell her, “I won’t be staying at your place. I have a hotel reserved for the weekend. You don’t have to worry too much about me.”

  “Oh,” is all she says.

  The waitress stops by to refill my coffee. “Will you be needing anything else?” she asks London. “If not, I can get your check for you.”

  “The check would be great,” London says, smiling at the waitress. The waitress nods and dashes off.

  Jonah returns several seconds later, dropping into the seat next to London. “Ready to get outta here?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good, ‘cause I have a surprise for you when we get to your place,” Jonah says, eyebrows arched.

  London gasps. “What is it?”

  “Can’t spoil it.”

  I want to. I want to spoil her surprise. I want to spoil her night. Fuck her good. Make her cum a few times. Then leave.

  Shit.

  Just thinking about being inside her makes my cock spasm. She’s lucky I have to respect my friend and his wishes; otherwise, I’d make the restroom of this place of good fucking use.

  When we arrive in the parking lot of my apartment, Jonah tells me to close my eyes. “Is this really necessary?” I ask as I hear his car door open.

  “Yep. Keep ‘em closed.” His door shuts behind him, and I sigh, sealing my eyes tight. I rest the back of my head against the cool leather of the headrest, waiting on him to give me some kind of sound-like cue.

  I wait for almost two minutes before he pulls open my door and tells me to step out and keep my eyes closed. I do as I’m told. Stumbling on my heels, I step out. He grabs my hand and walks me away from the car to shut the door behind me.

  “Alright,” Jonah says. “Open ‘em.”

  Slowly opening my eyes, I adjust to my surroundings. Things are blurry at first, but in an instant, my eyes are wide and I’m… stunned.

  Before me is a 2013 Mazda 6. The red paint on the car sparkles beneath the hovering sun. It’s soundless as the motor runs. I’m speechless. I’m… in love.

  Jonah opens the door, and the car is fully equipped. Plush leather seats. Air conditioning on full blast. Touch screen navigation system. My goodness. It’s marvelous.

  I squeal so loud it makes my own ears ring. I hug Jonah hard, so hard I can feel his heart beating against mine. “Shit, Jonah,” I whisper.

  “Like it?”

  “I do.” I pull back, staring at the car. “Wow. I do. It’s beautiful.”

  “I know how bad you wanted a car. I couldn’t afford getting you one a few years back, but I had some extra money this year and saved up for it. Thought it’d make a good graduation gift.”

  “You were right! God, I love it, Jonah!” With all this excitement streaming through me, I know the real question should be how did he afford it? Jonah sells watches to make a living. He’s a businessman, yes, and knows how to save and invest his money in the right things, but I know he doesn’t make enough to pay off his own BMW, his loft in New York, his bills, and this brand-spanking-new Mazda.

  I want to ask so badly, but I don’t. I’m curious. With Ace in town with him, I’m even more curious. He doesn’t usually bring co-workers when he comes to visit. Normally, he comes alone. And Ace doesn’t seem like the kind of guy he’d hang with outside of work.

  Things are questionable, but today is the wrong day to ask, so I hug him again and hop into the car. He climbs into the passenger seat, clipping his seatbelt. “Give it a good run. See how you like it. If you don’t like how it drives, we can always trade it.”

  “No. No. I know I’ll like it,” I tell him, kicking off my right heel. Clutching the wheel, I press my bare foot on the gas and drive through the parking lot towards the gates. When I hit the road, I speed off, and Jonah laughs, telling me to slow down.

  “This thing’s fast!”

  “I know.”

  When we stop at a red light, I turn in his direction. “Jonah. I love it. Thank you.”

  He smiles, nodding. “Knew you would. You know I’d do anything to see you happy, sis.”

  I press my lips. “I know.”

  ***

  For the rest of the day, Jonah and I catch up at my apartment. I bake a few cookies for us and our time seems limitless, that is until his phone blares in his pocket.

 
; Fishing it out, he looks down at the screen then sighs, bringing it to his ear. “Yeah?” he answers.

  I pick up my coffee and pretend not to listen.

  “What’d he want?” Pause. “Tonight?” Another pause. “Tell him my sister graduated today. Tomorrow, man.” Silence. He sighs moments later, and then glances at me. “Fuck. All right. I’ll be there.” He hangs up.

  “Who was it?”

  “Ace.”

  “Oh. What’d he want?”

  “Some shit for work. We were supposed to meet up with someone tomorrow. Turns out they want to meet tonight.” Standing, Jonah places his mug down on the coffee table then walks toward me. “I’ll see you later, sis. I’ll call you when I’m on my way back.”

  “Okay,” I murmur. “Be safe.”

  He steps away and looks back with glistening eyes, but he doesn’t say anything.

  And as he walks out that door, I feel a draft of worry wash through me. I don’t know what I’m worried about, but he doesn’t seem very happy to be meeting whomever they’re meeting. His eyes—behind them I can tell he isn’t up for what his night has in store.

  My curiosity gets the best of me. I know I shouldn’t, but with my brand new set of car keys sitting on the table, calling my name, how can I not make a move? With all the questions I have, how can I not do anything?

  I’m nosey, and my brother means a lot to me. It’s not really like me to be in his business, but I have to find out what’s going on with him and this job of his. Why would he be meeting up with a random man at nine o’ clock at night to talk about watches? And even so, why the hell would he need Ace with him? Just doesn’t seem rational.

  So while I’m in the heat of the moment, worried to death, I slip into my bedroom shoes, snatch up my keys, rush out of the apartment, lock it up behind me, and sneak to my car, following my only brother to an unknown place.

  It takes ten minutes for Jonah to pull into the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse.

  I stopped half a mile away when the road ended, and now, I’m walking. I know this is wrong. So very wrong. But I’m worried. And I’m even more worried now, knowing he’s meeting this mysterious person in the middle of nowhere.

  We’re in the slums, one of the worst parts of Atlanta. It’s the ghetto. There’s so much crime here that it’s not even safe for children to walk outside their homes anymore. It’s dangerous.

  And I’m frightened.

  My instincts tell me to get back into my car and drive away like the wind, but my heart is telling me to stick around, follow my brother, and make sure he’ll be okay.

  As I get closer and hear voices, my heart rattles in my chest. I stop walking immediately, rushing to the side of the building. Peeking over, I see Jonah standing in front of a silver Mercedes. His hands are in his pockets. His body seems lax, but his face reveals all his worry. I peek over a little more and spot Ace standing behind him, as casual as he was earlier. Not a trace of a smile is on his lips. His face is firm. Solid. One of his hands is in his front pockets. In the other is a joint. He brings it to his lips, takes a long pull, and then drops it, stepping on the butt with the tip of his black dress shoe.

  As he releases a puff of smoke, he steps to Jonah’s side and caps his shoulder. He tells him something and Jonah shrugs. I realize the Mercedes belongs to Ace.

  No one else is around.

  Several seconds later, three SUVs pull up to them. I gasp as the men jump out of the trucks immediately, guns in hand. I notice all of them have a tattoo on their wrists. A snake? An eel? I’m not sure. I leap back, hoping I don’t get caught. I don’t want to look anymore, so I just listen.

  “They were supposed to be here today, no?” I hear a man ask. His voice is raspy, thick. It doesn’t belong to Jonah or Ace.

  “Yes, today, but see, I told my men that my baby sister was graduating today. I had a long day. Just wanted to see her happy. I assure you they’ll be here tomorrow morning.” That’s Jonah’s voice. Firm. Not wavering.

  “Good. Because tomorrow afternoon is too late. I’ll be heading back to Brazil, and I need them before I go. You can understand that, eh?”

  This time, Ace speaks up. “Already made the calls. They’ll be shipping them from New York, along with the blow. Should be here in the morning. No need to worry.” He sounds even more confident.

  “Good. Because if they aren’t here by tomorrow morning, I may have to take action. And we don’t want that…”

  That sounded like a threat. My eyes expand with terror.

  Ace says, “No, man. Not at all,” with nothing but fluidity in his voice. It’s like he’s done this a million times before. He isn’t afraid of anything. Jonah, on the other hand, has been fairly silent.

  There’s silence between them, and from here, I can feel the tension building. It’s suffocating me. I have to breathe. I have to get away.

  I rush away from the side of the building, heading back to my car. I avoid the car lights, hoping I don’t get spotted. Once I make it inside, I lock my doors behind me, crank it up, and speed away.

  What in the fuck is going on? Jonah must be out of his damned mind. That had nothing to do with watches. Nothing. It seemed bad. Wrong. Something Jonah shouldn’t be in.

  When I get home, I take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and climb into bed. I don’t want to talk to him. My head is full of questions, full of confusion. I know if I stick around Jonah—if I see his face for too long—I’ll start asking. I don’t want to ask. What he’s doing is none of my business, but I’m worried about his safety.

  Whatever he’s selling those men must be how he’s making so much money. How he bought me that car and paid it off.

  “Damn it, Jonah,” I hiss into the night. This is terrible. He’s making dirty money.

  ***

  It takes Jonah thirty minutes to get home. I tried forcing myself to sleep, but it just didn’t happen. The whole time I stared at my alarm clock, waiting for him to arrive safely.

  I start to climb out of bed, but once he’s inside, I hear a deep voice. A familiar one.

  “Should’ve done what I told you to do,” Ace hisses to Jonah.

  “That shipment should’ve been here by now. Me coming here has nothing to do with that fucking boat.”

  “Staying in New York like we normally do would’ve been a lot more reasonable. We wouldn’t have had to make another shipment here. It would’ve already been with us there. He’d have his shit, and his ass would be back in Brazil. There’d be no worries,” Ace snaps.

  “You realize our lives are in danger?” Jonah hisses.

  “Nothing is gonna happen! Stop saying that shit!” Ace barks.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Jonah whisper-hisses. “My sister is sleeping. Shut the fuck up.”

  Silence rings, and I swallow the brick that’s been lodged in my throat. From the door, I see a shadow getting nearer. I lie back down as gently as possible, pulling the blanket over my face. The door creaks open, and I steady my breathing, eyes wide and wet.

  The door closes moments later.

  I hear Jonah sigh, and Ace clear his throat. “Look,” Ace mutters, “I’ll call Gerrick or Krane. See what’s going on.”

  “Yeah,” Jonah mutters. “Do that. And let me know.”

  The floor creaks beneath one of them. “You know the smarter thing to do would’ve been to stay there until the transaction was handled. You should’ve had this handled. And you should’ve listened to me. You better hope I can work this shit out. I don’t have time for this petty bullshit with Pablo,” Ace grumbles. The door creaks open and slams shut.

  I hear Jonah hiss, “Shit!” and then it’s quiet again.

  I don’t know what he’s gotten himself into, and I don’t know how he’s going to get out of it, but I know I’ll be in full shock if I touch the conversation.

  As bad as I want to make him spit me some answers, I’m too afraid to know the truth. Honesty isn’t always good, not with family anyway. Not with the only person left that I
share blood with.

  Eventually, as time passes and Jonah’s footsteps pace back and forth in the living room, I fall asleep. I don’t dream at first. It’s just black. And dark. But as I get deeper into my sleep, I see Jonah. He’s smothered with blood. His eyes are closed. His face is pale. I hear myself cry out to him, but I can’t get too close. Someone’s holding me back.

  No.

  I can’t believe it.

  I need him.

  But it’s obviously too late to save him.

  He’s dead.

  ***

  I find Jonah asleep on the stool at the bar counter the next morning. I stop in my tracks, observing his half unbuttoned dress shirt, his sloppy ash-brown hair, and the bottle of scotch locked in his right hand.

  Sighing, I walk to his side and take the bottle from him. His hand falls to his side, causing his body to shift to the left. He springs up, eyes wide, face pale and confused.

  I lift my hands in the air slowly, forcing a smile. “Just me.”

  He looks me over with his bright hazel eyes and then wipes his face with his hands, leaving red marks along his forehead. “What time is it?”

  I glance at the clock on the wall. “Seven… in the morning.”

  He nods, pressing his fingers to his temples.

  “So,” I start, grabbing a frying pan. “Any plans today?” I keep my gaze down. I’m fishing for something, hoping he’ll come clean.

  “Not until about ten. Why? Got any plans?”

  I shrug, taking down the box of pancake batter. “I think I’ll hang with Ver and Garrett for a while. Catch up.”

  “Oh.” He nods.

  “Sleep good?” I ask, cocking my head at the bottle of scotch.

  “Not so much.”

  “How’d the meeting go last night?”

  He winces slightly, but I notice. He sucks at hiding things. “Oh, it was cool. Might have a sell today.”

  “Meeting them again?”

  Uncertainly, he says, “Yeah. I think.”

  Alright. I know he isn’t going to spill anything. It’s pointless to even bother. I heard what I heard. “Well, I’m gonna make us some pancakes. While I do, you go shower up. You look disgusting.” I try and keep my voice light. I’m just as bad at this as he is. I suck at hiding shit.