by Sonja B
“Keirra, love, I just want you to know I will never let anything happen to you again. I love you, and I promise to protect you always.” Felix whispers.
I lean forward and place my hand on his cheek. “Felix, I love you too, but you can’t be with me every second of the day. I’m not saying you can’t protect me because I know you can. I’m just trying to be realistic.”
Felix covers my hand with his. “I know I can’t, but I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you from harm. I let that mother fucker live the last time because I thought my message was clear enough, but now, now he has to pay. Does he know where Monica’s house is at?”
“No, Monica and I didn’t want him to know because if I had to leave because of his bullshit, we didn’t want him to be able to find me.”
“Okay, good. I don’t want you to get upset, but I’m going to have to go and get your grandparents. I don’t trust that asshole, so until I handle this, I want them to either come here or stay at Monica’s.”
I swallow hard. Would Juan really go after my Granny and Papa to get to me? “Do you think he would hurt them?”
“I don’t know, but to be on the safe side, I would feel much better if they laid low for a while.”
I absently nod, thinking about my grandparents. If Juan did something to them, I don’t know what I’d do. They were more my parents than grandparents since they raised me. I couldn’t live with myself if that bitch would be cruel enough to go after two elderly people.
“Go get them, Felix. Bring them here, then we will figure out where they’ll stay.”
“Okay, let me finish getting dressed. Don’t call them because you know how your Papa is. He’ll fight me tooth and nail not to leave. Let me talk to them first.” Felix states, as he grabs another shirt from the dresser and put it on. Next, he puts on a pair of socks then his boots.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”
“Okay. Be careful, Felix.” I tell him, as he walks over to me.
“Always,” He says, before he leans down and places a soft kiss on my lips. “I love you, Keirra.”
I smile against his lips. “I love you too, Felix.”
He rises with a sexy grin. “I’ll send Monica in to keep you company until I get back.”
“Thank you,” I respond, before I watch the man who literally stole my heart walk out the bedroom door.
Chapter 10
Felix
Axl relayed to me on the ride over to the Davis’ his conversations with Romano and Nolan. Romano has heard of Los Diablos but has never had any run-ins with them. He was going to do some digging around to see what he could come up with. Nolan on the other hand told him that he and his crew have been having issues with them for the last few months. Los Diablos was trying to take over some of his spots. He said he and his men will be on standby if we needed them.
“I’m not leaving my house because some snot-nosed little bastard thinks he can scare me off! I got something for his boney ass if he comes this way!” Papa growls, as we stand in their living room.
I look over at Axl with an ‘I told you so’ look. I asked him and Adam to come with me as back up just for this reason. Adam decided to stay because Alex would be coming home soon, and Monica was in with Keirra.
“Edgar, calm down before you get your pressure up. Now I think we need to do what Felix is suggesting.” She states, as she waltz’s over to Axl and hooks her arm through his. I hold in my laugh at the expression on Axl’s face. “Wow, you’re bigger than Felix…and you say there’s another one of you brothers?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Axl answers with a stunned look.
“Now, Estelle…” Papa starts with his finger raised.
“Hush up, Edgar, and come help me pack some clothes. Keirra needs us, and if Felix and…Axl, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Right. Now if Felix and Axl have come all the way over here because we might be some kind of trouble, then we’re leaving. You know how this neighborhood is, there is only so much that old pistol of yours can do. I’m not going to argue with you about it, now come on.” Granny says with sass, I see where Keirra got hers from. Papa lowers his head, cursing under his breath. “You boys give us a few minutes, and we’ll be ready.”
“Thank you,” I tell them. Granny gives Axl’s arm one last squeeze, before they both leave the room.
Axl lets out a low whistle once we’re alone. “That was all Keirra there. You might as well get ready because you’ll be Mr. Davis in about twenty years.”
I laugh. “And your ass will be right there beside me because Monica will have your balls in her hands too.”
“And I wouldn’t give a shit either, as long as she was still by my side.”
“Amen, brother.” I agree.
Twenty minutes later, Granny and Papa were packed and ready to go. Papa was still complaining, and I understood. No man wants to be ran from their home. A man is the king of his castle, he’s there to take care of the others inside it as well as protect them, but in this case, Papa couldn’t protect his castle against Juan.
When we returned to the house, Keirra, Monica, and Alex were in the den going over Alex’s homework. Keirra took one look at her grandparents and rushed to them.
“I’m so glad you guys came. I’m sorry you have to to be dragged into this.” She says, as she hugs them with watery eyes.
“I wish you would have told us what that heathen was doing to you, Kierra. You only mentioned his cheating and the breakup. Had I known everything else, I would have had some words with his punk ass.” Papa declared with conviction.
Granny grasps her chin between her aged fingers. “Your papa is right, baby, you should have told us what was going on. I never liked that little boy. It was something about him, but you always seemed happy, so I didn’t say anything. Now I wish I had.”
A lone tear cascade’s down Keirra’s cheek. “Back then, Granny, I probably wouldn’t have listened. I was blinded by false love.”
“It’s okay, baby, we’ve all been there, but now you have a good man who loves you and cares about the wellbeing of your family.”
Granny’s words made my heart swell because there was nothing I wouldn’t do for Keirra or her grandparents. They were now my family too.
“Hey everyone,” Adam greets, entering the room with a plate of meat.
Granny claps her hands together. “Oh, this is the other one, Adam.” Adam stops in mid-chew glancing at all of us.
I step in her view of Adam, before saying, “Yes, this is me and Axl’s little brother Adam. Adam, this is Keirra’s grandparents Edgar and Estelle Davis.”
“Nice to me, you,” Adam greets, before picking his fork back up, shoving a lean piece of beef in his mouth.
“Nice to meet you too, young man,” Granny gushes. When papa didn’t say anything because he was staring at the amount of meat on Adam's plate, she elbows him in his side.
“Y…yes nice to meet you, son,” Papa tries to say nonchalantly.
“Anyway…” I say, stepping all the way in looking at Alex with a pleading smile. “Ladybug, do you mind…”
She raises her hand. “I know, I know. I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me.”
“Ladybug,” Axl tries to reprimand. None of us could ever be hard on her, she was a good kid. We just didn’t want her to be exposed to the bad elements’ life held, but I can say this though, if anyone tried to fuck with my niece, they’re in for a world of regret. Between what she was learning at her new karate academy and what Axl was teaching her, she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.
“It’s cool, daddy. I know one day I’ll be able to sit in on these family discussions.” She says, before throwing her backpack over her shoulder and going to her room.
“That little girl right there has always had some spunk in her.” Papa snickers.
Axl laughs, clearing his throat, before speaking. “Well, excuse me, Papa…Mr. Davis, it’s not so much as spunk, as it is her sparkl
ing personality.”
Ladybug did have spunk and a sparkling personality. If you asked me, she got it from Axl. I remember when Axl and I sat in on one of her karate classes at her old academy. Axl grunted and shook his head throughout the whole class. It was obvious he was not pleased with what she was learning. A few times, Sensei Morind would look over at us with a twisted face, and Axl would stare him down until he looked the other way. Me personally, I never did like the guy. He was too cocky and thought he was Jackie Chan. Axl was so annoyed from what he saw that after class, instead of going home, he drove straight to the warehouse.
Alex stood on the mats looking just as confused as I did, as we waited on Axl to return from the dressing room. When he did, he was cladded in his sparring gear.
“I want to see what this high-priced karate instructor is teaching you.” He says, as he steps onto the mat. Alex looked at me then back at her dad.
“Daddy I can’t spar with you, you’re too big,” Alex responds with her hands on her hips, as she giggles.
“You can, and you will. Your enemy can come at you in different sizes, Ladybug. They won’t always be the same size as you. You need to be able to defend yourself against whomever it may be, whether their big or small. Understand?” Alex nods. “Good, now show me what you’ve learned.”
Axl nor I were happy when Ladybug proceeded to demonstrate what her ‘sensei’ had been teaching her. If she had to defend herself, her opponent would definitely hurt her. Axl wanted to go back to the dojo and personally teach the sensei real moves, but I talked him out of it.
“I know you want to beat the shit of him, but you can’t, Axl. How about you do this…continue to send her to class, and when she’s done, bring her back here and train her the right way because if Monica finds out you’re teaching her how to really hurt somebody, shit will hit the fan. This will be our little secret. We’ll let Adam in on it too because you know he’ll want to help train her.”
Ever since that day, Axl would take Ladybug to karate class and sit in watching what the instructor was teaching. He said it was like watching the karate instructor from that show Martin. I wondered how his lame-ass got his belt because he was no sensei.
After every class, Axl brought her to the warehouse and taught her proper techniques. Ladybug was a fast learner and absorbed everything he was teaching her. Adam and I would come when our schedules permitted and would sit back in awe. I could not have been any prouder of our niece because that little girl was a beast just like her daddy.
Monica and Keirra were impressed with Ladybug’s progress that they decided to take some self-defense classes. Even though we already taught them moves to defend themselves, they thought it wouldn’t hurt to learn more from a professional. Since Ladybug’s instructor taught an adult class the hour before her class started, they signed up for it. We started to talk them out of it because Morind sucked, but we decided against it. Axl said if we objected to them going because of Morind’s lack of skills, they would question why Ladybug was still attending. So, we let it go. They were so excited about it they would come home wanting to demonstrate on us what they learned.
Then came the day Axl and I brought Ladybug to class early. We had Adam cracking up, retelling him what happened.
The class was in full swing, with about ten adult men and women doing formations when we entered. We sat off to the side and watched on, as Axl would occasionally whisper to Ladybug what would have been a better counter move for some of the techniques Morind demonstrated.
A little while later, Morind signaled for the class to stop and sit on the mats. He then called one of the students, a young woman, up front. He whispers something to her, before turning to the class, telling them that he and the student will be sparring. He faced the student and they both bowed to the other, before his assistant called for the sparring to begin.
Axl realized early on why Morind picked the woman who was much smaller than him. This gave him the advantage because his every strike connected, even landing her on the mat a few times. Then she got in a lucky chop that surprised him. Axl laughed and cheered from the side, garnering the instructor’s attention. Morind raises his hand to stop the sparring.
“Do you find something funny, Mr. Salvant?” He hisses with his fists balled tight.
Axl smirks at him. “Why yes, I do, sensei.”
With his face red with anger, Morind says, “You know what Mr. Salvant, I have been quiet regarding your behavior in your daughter’s class, but now you are disrupting this class, and I will not tolerate it! If you think you can do better, then why don’t you come up here and teach the class!”
Axl glances at me, I shrug my shoulders. Hell, if he was calling him out, then fuck it. I was getting tired of his Hollywood style of karate anyway. Monica leans forward, looking in our direction, shaking her head from side to side.
“Well, what’s it going to be, Mr. Salvant. You have so much to say from the sidelines, let’s see what you can do on the mats.” Morind pauses, glaring at Axl before turning back to the class. “See, it’s always the ones that sit and watch from the side who think they can do better but don’t know what it takes to become a great fighter. I’ve seen it for years, almost in every one of my classes there’s someone who thinks they are better than the sensei, even better than the students and most times I have to show them they are not. I have to help them realize their place is on sidelines…” His eyes bore into Axl. “With their mouths shut. Now, what will it be, Mr. Salvant, do you need help knowing your place, or are you going to sit quietly like a nice little spectator?” When Axl doesn’t respond, the instructor smiles with triumph then turns back to the class. “Now, that that’s taken care of, let’s begin again. Tricia, I want…”
“I didn’t give my answer, sensei.” Axl declares, as he stands, taking off his jacket. The instructor’s eyes grow big, as gasps can be heard around the room when they get a look at his big arms and wide, muscular chest covered by his t-shirt. Axl hands Ladybug his jacket. “Hold this for me, Ladybug. This won’t take long.” He bows to her, then steps out of his boots and proceeds to the front of the class where the instructor and his students are standing looking dumbfounded.
“Your silence was your answer, Mr. Salvant. So, if you will excuse me, I need to finish my class.” Morind says, throwing on a mask of bravado.
“No, I would like for you to show me my place.” Axl counters coming to a stop a few feet away from them. He rolls his shoulders, making them pop. Oh, this shit was going to be good.
Morind gives Axl a haunting stare. “Tricia, please take your seat. Class, it seems you are in for a treat. Mr. Salvant here wishes to be put in his place, and I don’t mind showing him the way.”
Monica jumps up coming to the front of the class. “Wait, sensei, there’s no need for this. Axl, please sit back down.”
“No, mommy, let them spar,” Alex yells from the side with a cheesy grin.
“Oh, no, it’s fine, Mrs. Salvant. I don’t mind teaching your husband a lesson or two.” The cocky mother fucker had the nerve to say. Monica looked at him, as if he has lost his fucking mind, before returned to her spot next to Keirra shaking her head.
“Alright, Mr. Salvant, you asked for this,” Morind says, before bowing. Axl continues to stand, not bowing to him. Anger washes over Morinds face for the blatant disrespect, as he charges Axl. Axl waits until he gets closer, then dips low and catches him with an open palm chop to the chest. Morind yelps, grabbing his chest, as he stumbles back. He’s lucky, Axl went easy on him, I’ve been hit with that chop before, and it hurts like a mother fucker when he puts his all into it.
Axl stands erect, facing the class. “See class, never lead by your emotions. It will cloud your judgment and get the best of you, causing your opponent to get the upper hand because you lost focus.”
Morind gains his composure and goes into his fighting stance. He doesn’t bother bowing to Axl this time. Axl positions himself in his own stance. Morind takes in a deep breath befor
e going in for his attack. He throws a series of punches, with Axl blocking each one. He attempts a roundhouse kick, but Axl catches his leg, then kicks Morind’s other leg behind the knee, causing the man to fall. Axl shoves the leg he was holding away from him. He looks down at Morind, who glares at him with pure hate. Axl shakes his head, as he turns his attention back to the class. Just as he was about to speak, Morind jumps up with a growl, rushing towards Axl throwing a closed fist punch. As if anticipating his move, Axl grabs his arm, then falls back, bringing Morind down with him. To everyone’s surprise before Axl lands on his back, he brings his legs up, wrapping them around Morinds arm, as he twists his wrist into a submission hold. Morind howls out in pain, as Axl applies pressure to his arm.
“Never think once your opponent is down, the fight is over. Always expect the unexpected.” Axl grunts out, never easing up on his hold. With his left hand, he pulls Morinds wrist back while tightening his legs like a snake around his arm. Morind screams, as he tries to fight back, frantically trying to break the hold. Twisting his body, he kicks his leg out, hitting Axl in the face. Axl’s head snaps back, but he never releases Morind’s arm. When he brings his head back, he has a cut on his cheek with blood starting to run. Axl tilts his head to the side, his eyes darkening, as they lock with Morinds. Shit. Not now, not now. As I dash towards them, Morind hollers from the silent pain Axl is putting on him. Axl’s face is void of emotion, the switch has flipped, and I needed to bring him back before he seriously injured this man or worse in front of his class.
“That’s enough, Axl. Let him go.” I try to casually say without causing any alarm with the others.
Axl is in another zone because he ignores my pleas, as he continues to make the man suffer. Turning my back to the class, I try to pry his hands from Morinds wrist with no avail. It’s like he’s holding him in a death grip.
