Now, it seemed to be Lewis, that was talking more.
Trevor had zoned out. The person that he was on the way to the location and the person that he was now, on the way home, were two very different people. He wasn’t ignoring Lewis. He heard every word. The problem was that he wasn’t really there, psychologically. He was back at that building in front of Reggie, pumping three shots into his chest, with a fourth kill-shot into his head. He didn’t know whether he would actually be able to do it. It was why he had someone that he knew snatch the man in the first place. Chris owed Trevor a few favors, and was ready to do the deed had Trevor not been able to go through with it.
But Trevor surprised himself when he had instructed Lewis to return the gun to him, then stood over a non-reactionary Reggie and shot the first shot.
I killed a man.
I literally took a person’s life.
I’m not a killer.
But now I’ve killed.
I got human blood on my hands…
He silently wondered whether he would become like a dog, who once they get a taste of human blood, they have to be put down. Would he turn into the person that killed easily? Was desensitized to taking a life? That wasn’t what he wanted. That wasn’t what he wanted at all. He only took such drastic measures in the first place, because for the nightmares to stop, he had to remove the person that made the unwelcomed dreams happen in the first place. It was like getting rid of the boogey man, in Trevor’s eyes.
And now he had done that.
But now what?
Would life remain the same?
Or would it forever change him to a person that he didn’t recognize?
“Trevor…” Lewis called out; his voice filled with concern. “You good over there?”
“Yeah, yeah… yeah. I’m good over here. Thanks, Lewis.”
“You sure?” he reiterated.
“Nah, not really. I’m questioning my morality right now. Got feelings in me that I’m trying to understand.”
Trevor was surprised that he confided in Lewis. He didn’t really know if he meant to, or if it was just his brain’s way of releasing some pressure.
“It’s natural, man. I been there. In my line of work, it comes to that sometimes. But I still remember my first time too. For me, it becomes necessity in some cases. My client’s lives are at stake, you know? With you, looking in the face, in the eyes of the person that tried to kill you… shit. Man.” Lewis shook his head. “Don’t come down too hard on yourself. Who’s to say he wouldn’t have tried you again? That’s why I’m here. Think about it like that. You did what you had to do.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Honestly, though, Lewis… I’ve been itching for that moment since I looked that man in the eyes that day in my house. Staring down the barrel of that gun, but not having a way out. Man, Lewis, that shit was… I woke up from that medically-induced coma that they had me in, thinking about that. It came crashing into my brain like a head-on collision. Couldn’t believe that shit was even happening.”
“Is it why you told the police that dude was white? To throw them off?”
“I had to. It was the first thing that came to mind. Jail wasn’t gonna work for me. He wanted my life…”
“Why did he even have an issue with you at that level?”
“With men, it’s only ever one of two things: Money or women. With him it was a woman. He had a problem with the fact that his woman, who happens to work for me… on occasion… had also been fucked by me.”
“He knew she worked for you?”
“He knew.”
“I don’t get that, then. If he knew, what was his issue? And why try to kill you for it?”
“The issue he had was that I was white. She’s not.”
“Damn. Where is his girl now?”
Trevor once again fell silent. He didn’t have an answer for Lewis. He actually had no idea where Kameelah was. He hadn’t heard from her. Not while he was in the hospital, and not since he had been home. He just hoped she was okay. Because aside from the guy she ultimately ended up with, Kameelah was a good person.
“I don’t know,” Trevor answered. “But wherever she is, she’ll be better off now.”
And that was all he said for the rest of the ride home.
25 | Zane
“So, you opted out of drinks with us Saturday after golf. Dare I ask?”
I looked up from my barrage of emails to find Julian, my colleague, standing in the doorway of my office, wearing one of his Armani suits. Now, I had some nice-ass suits, but Julian… every one that he wore, I swear was shipped right from the designer. I couldn’t do the suit thing every day, I was more likely to wear tailored slacks and a sports coat that I quickly removed once I got to the office.
“Julian, hey! What’s up?” I asked, walking away from my architectural workstation and over to greet him. “What brings you by?”
He accompanied me into my office, where we took seats near the window at my conference table.
“Just wanted to check on your weekend. Well, the rest of it.”
“Oh, it was good.”
“I guess so,” he smiled. “Who’s the lucky lady?”
“What makes you ask that?”
“Well, for one, you turned us down for hanging out after golf. And for two… I heard from Marina Crawford that—”
“Aww man!” I laughed out loud. “What is up with that?”
Julian hunched his shoulders and chuckled. He ran his hand down his goatee, then leaned forward. “She’s always a part of the deal, if you know what I mean.”
“A part of the deal? That would explain her persistence. I hope I wasn’t a part of her commission. Because if that’s the case, she missed out.”
Julian laughed, looking toward the door. Probably regretting that it wasn’t closed so that he could say more than he was saying.
“No, she got her commission. A hefty one. She makes good money with us. She handles all of our relo’s.”
“She probably hates my goddamn guts. I gave her nothing in the way of reciprocity.”
“She told me. She’s not used to being rejected. She was a little off kilter.”
“First time for everything, I guess.”
“I guess so. But enough about her. Who’s the mystery lady?” he prodded.
I smiled, contemplating whether or not to let Julian into my business at that level. Although we worked alongside one another, letting him know my personal business… wasn’t really sure about that.”
“We’re taking things as they come.”
“Oh, so she’s a secret,” he pressed.
“Not really.”
“Oh wait. Is she married? That’s why you don’t want to tell me?”
I couldn’t believe that he was pressing so hard. “She’s not married.”
“Now, we’re getting somewhere,” he said.
“Honestly, man, I thought you were just wanting to know if there was a somebody. Didn’t really think you’d want to know details about her identity. Is Vegas really that small to where if I tell you who she is, you might know her?”
“Yeah, the professional circles are pretty connected in a lot of ways.”
I thought about Giselle, and how beautiful she looked this morning when we left for work. How proud I was to have her, and how close she and I had gotten. I was protective as hell of what she and I had, and were continuing to build. I was very proud to call her mine.
“Giselle McCall.”
“What about her?” Julian asked, not yet catching on. “She’s amazing. And beautiful. One of our top… Hold on,” he stalled, cocking his head slightly to the side, eyeing me inquisitively. “Is Giselle the woman you’re dating?”
“Umm-hmm,” I replied, proudly.
“Really?”
“Yep.”
Julian stood, then walked to close my office door. In turn, I stood as well.
“Congratulations,” he said on his way back over to me. “That is a beautiful woman. Smart as hell t
oo. Her name’s come up quite a bit over the years.”
“Come up, how?”
Julian laughed. “Look at you getting all territorial. Can’t say I blame you. But not to worry. Not in that way. She’s actually being looked at for the Principal opening we have at Orion Academy. Her name has been thrown around quite a bit, and the out-going principal put in a recommendation before summer break.”
“Serious?”
“Very. I think the invitation to apply was going to be sent to her by HR this week.”
“That’s amazing, Julian. She would be a great fit. She’s passionate about what she does. And most importantly, she’s passionate about the kids.”
“Yeah, that seems to be the consensus.” Julian extended his hand to me. I eyed him suspiciously, before doing the same. “I just want to congratulate you. When you accepted our offer, I already knew that you made wise decisions. Seeing you in action, picking up the pieces of the clusterfuck left in your predecessor’s wake, further let me know. But now, knowing how immaculate your taste is in women, you have my full respect.”
The two of us broke out in a fit of laughter, that by the end of, I saw that Julian and I were going to become really good friends.
26 | Giselle
I pulled into the faculty parking lot at a little after 7AM. Ready for the day, but then ready for it to be over at the same time. For the most part, I loved my job. Well, I loved the kids. But then at the same time, I was a little tired of it as well. Although summer break had come and gone, I could really take another break right now. Thinking about it, though, it might not be that I’m tired of work; it might just be the fact that I had something so wonderful to go home to every night.
Yeah, that was it. It was Zane that had me feeling like I wanted to be somewhere else.
I do love my job.
I do love my job.
Yes… I love my job.
Repeating it in my mind enough times helped to get me out of my semi-slump. I eyed our building up ahead with its glass exterior, looking like a fish tank, and more like a middle school than an elementary campus. To their credit, they had really gone to great lengths to make the campus aesthetically pleasing. And it wasn’t just that way on the outside, the inside was just as nice. So, there was that.
I’ll be done in a few hours. Then home, here I go…
Just a few hours.
The Las Vegas sun was already bright and showing out. Fall couldn’t come fast enough for me. True fall, when the leaves fell and the weather got some respect about it. Every summer I played around with cutting my hair short again so that I could feel my scalp and just get up and go. But then that in-between stage of whether to braid it or cut it again, slapped me dead in the face with the memories of what that debate was like. So, for now, it would be pulled up and out of my face, until I could get in the house and let it go crazy. Didn’t want hair touching me. Didn’t want it covering my forehead. Wanted it to act like it was not there, but still be there.
Ever the professional, I slid my buttonless blazer over my sleeveless blouse and exited my car.
I padded over to the passenger side and grabbed all that I needed from the seat, then closed the door and proceeded on my way. Hearing my heels clack against the concrete with each of my foot falls, always took me back to the first time I wore heels and how grown I felt. The memory always caused me to smile.
“Good morning, Ms. McCall…” a male voice said, startling me. I turned around, and recognized him immediately. The short hair with the loose curl pattern. The confident stature, and friendly demeanor. “Would it be okay to take a few moments of your time?”
“Hello, Detective Matheson. Or is it, Officer?”
“It’s Detective. Can’t believe you remembered,” he said with a smile.
“Yep. I deal with kids all day. Memory has to be on point. And you look like—”
“I already know what you’re going to say,” he chuckled.
“Well, you don’t have to listen to me, but you might want to get one of those DNA ancestry things done. Y’all might be long-lost brothers or something.”
We joined in a quick laugh together, before he asked if we could speak again. I had almost forty-five minutes before the sound of kids would fill the grounds, and another hour before I needed to have them in their seats, so I had him follow me to my classroom, where we took seats at my desk.
“I apologize for coming to your place of business, but I’ve been to your residence a few times, to no avail.”
“Yeah, I’ve been staying with… my boyfriend.”
There! I said it. Couldn’t believe the words had rolled off my tongue. Hadn’t had to say it aloud before now. It felt pretty good.
“Oh, okay. Understood.”
“Sorry for all the running around you’ve had to do. But what can I do for you?”
“Kameelah Greene…”
I gasped; a lump instantly caught in my throat. “What about her?” I asked anxiously, fearing the worst.
“One of her family members filed a missing person’s report.”
“Oh my God.” My heart began to pound. I thought back to the last conversation that I had with her. The lie she told about the money I gave her to go home. “Missing?”
“Yes. When was the last time you spoke with Ms. Greene?” he asked.
“Oh my God.” I got up from my seat because my chest was pounding so hard that I became afraid. I paced in front of my desk; my arms folded across my chest.
“Are you okay, Ms. McCall?”
“I’m fine. I… uhhh… the last time I spoke with her didn’t go so well. She had… uhhh… she…” I paused. “Please forgive me, Detective. I’m just trying to process.”
“Take your time,” he insisted.
But I didn’t have a lot of time. According to the clock on the wall, I was working with about twenty minutes to spare, but I couldn’t even get the words out that I needed to get out.
“We argued. Kind of argued. I had given her money to… well, she told me that she was going home. So, I gave her money. But then I tried to call her because Zane thought she might have been lying. Ummm… so, I called her and that man. That guy… Reggie. He answered her phone. But she had told me that she wasn’t messing around with him anymore.” The more I talked to the detective, the more my stomach began to hurt. I thought of everything that could have, and might have happened to Kameelah. I felt pangs of guilt for dismissing her so quickly.
“Ms. McCall…”
“Sorry. She said that he was beating her. That she needed to get away from him. Do you think she’s dead?” I asked, before I knew it.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“Oh my God.” I reclaimed my seat when I started to feel weak. “That was the last conversation that I had with her. I was angry. I was angry that she lied. I gave her money to get away from him. To get back to a better life. He ruined her life. She lost her job. I don’t know if her home was in jeopardy. I think she owns it. I’m sorry, Detective. I’m so sorry. I’m rambling.”
“No, it’s okay. The more information you have the better.”
“Well, I would start with him. I don’t know his last name. I just know that his name is Reggie. That’s all I know. Oh, and she said she met him online. Dark-skinned… I can’t remember a whole lot about him. Just that—”
“It’s Clark.”
“Excuse me?”
“His last name is Clark. Reginald Clark. His street name is Solo.”
“Wait. Solo? Street name?”
“Yes. And unfortunately, we can’t question him. He’s deceased…”
27 | Giselle
He’s deceased.
It was like a bomb dropping over the roof of my classroom and destroying everything in its wake. It was boom, after boom, after boom.
The family member that reported her missing mentioned Trevor Rossi. Do you know of an existing relationship?
Boom!
His street name is Solo.
&
nbsp; Boom!
He’s a known drug dealer with a violent past.
Boom!
Kameelah! Baby, what did you get yourself into?! Did you kill him and are you somewhere in fear of your life? Nobody would blame you. I’m sure he has a track record of doing the things he did to you!
I had so many questions, and so many worries about this person, who regardless of what she had done, I still considered her someone I cared about. I couldn’t just turn off caring about her well-being.
When I asked the detective if there was a connection between Trevor’s shooting and Kameelah’s disappearance, he tightened up. He didn’t answer the question at all. Wouldn’t divulge anything.
Did I do the right thing by not mentioning what Skai told me about a sexual relationship between the two?
Did I do enough?
I called Kameelah. The call went straight to voicemail. I texted her with no response. I wonder if they had pinged her phone to see what tower she was near the last time it was in use.
Of course, they did, Giselle. That’s what they do.
But dammit!
The ramblings of my mind were the same all day long—all over the place doing major damage on my psyche. It was constant, never really letting up.
I don’t know how I got through my day, but I managed. At least I think I did. Up until I was packing to leave for the day, and in walked Madeline Shafer, my boss.
Fifteen minutes after she walked into my classroom, we were sitting across from each other in her office. I admired Madeline. She was a really good person, and an understanding manager. Rumor was that she would be retiring soon. But looking at her, and having been around her, that didn’t seem true. The woman still had so much life left in her. She was fit, always dressed to the nines, wore her platinum-blonde hair short and sassy with spikes on the top and tapered on the sides. She only stood about 5’5” with heels, so she was a small thing, but she was gutsy and about business.
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