Capri 3

7. Core

“Mama Jean, what do I owe this phone call to?” I answered, knowing she was about to chew my ass out because I hadn’t come over.

I tried to come out to the lake house often to chill with her and Des. It was a slow journey to us getting to know each other. It was weird because even though I was just getting to know them, at the same time I felt like I had known them my entire life. Like they had raised me along with my siblings. That was how welcomed they made me feel whenever I was around them.

“You don’t come over and have dinner with me and have the nerve to ask that question.” She chuckled into the phone.

“My bad… I been real busy with work so I haven’t been able to come out. Maybe we can do dinner in the city soon… me and you,” I offered.

She gasped. “Really?”

“Yes, of course… I enjoy spending time with you, Mama Jean,” I laughed.

It was hard being around Jean, even though I enjoyed being around her. Every time she looked up at me, I could see the guilt in her eyes. After all these years she was still punishing herself for the decision she made. I wasn’t angry with her nor resented her for the decision she made. It wasn’t easy to make that decision, but she gave me the best chance at life.

Even with the upbringing I had, I still managed to find myself on the wrong side of the law. Because of my mother, I had a successful business and was fucking rich off my own knowledge. How the fuck could I resent the woman who put the play into action before I was even able to make decisions on my own?

“That makes me happy, Corleon… I do want to tell you thank you.”

“Oh yeah, for what?”

“I don’t pretend to know everything that is going on with the twins. The less I know, the better for me… I can sleep better at night not knowing. I do appreciate you doing whatever you can to keep my twins out of prison. I can’t imagine getting one son back and then losing two… would be a wicked ting,” her accent slightly appeared.

“Family don’t count favors or issue thank yous. I do what I do because we’re family, right?” I smiled because I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Yes, we are family, Corleon…. We are.”

“Soon as I get some free time… I’ll send a car for you, and we can do whatever you like… you like Broadway? My moms loved Broadway.”

“I love Broadway and would love to go to honor your mother.” The one thing I respected and loved about Jean was how she didn’t try to push the mom narrative down my throat, and respected that Linda was my mother.

She was all I knew and had raised me, and I would never take that away from her. Jean never forced me to call her mom, I decided to call her Mama Jean because it felt fitting, and respectful.

“Then it’s a mother-son date…alright?”

“I love that… let me go on and get dinner ready. Please be safe, okay?”

“Always.”

I ended the call and paid attention to my computer that was sitting in the empty passenger seat. Since Jean had called, I wasn’t paying attention to what the hell was going on. I was watching Rich in his office holding a conversation with who I assumed was his woman. He was stressed and kept slamming his ass back in that extra ass chair of his as he tried to get his point across.

“I told you I have some shit to handle here before I head home… you know the case I’m working is big and requires time, why act surprised now?” He ran his hand down his face, stressed as shit.

I guess it didn’t matter who you were, your bitch was gonna get on your nerves one way or another. A knock at the door had him sit up and straighten his position in that chair. I only saw the back of the person’s head, but that curly mane was recognizable, even from the back.

Skyler.

It was late and Capri had already left, but Skyler was staying later to pull the cameras for me and replace them with new ones. We didn’t account for Rich to still have his ass in the office. It was funny because his ass was never in the damn office, and now he wanted to be staying late and shit.

I sparked a blunt and took a pull and watched as she and Rich had a conversation. He quickly ended that call with his girl to give Skyler his full attention. She sat files on his desk and slid them to him.

“Ms. Browne left these files for you to look over… I think they’re plea deals you need to sign off on.”

Rich didn’t give a fuck about those damn files because his attention was on Skyler. “You single, Ms. Rae?”

She pushed her hair behind her ear. “I am.”

He licked his lips as he took her in. It was late and other than Skyler, Rich, security on the main floor, and the janitor, there wasn’t anyone else around. When Grasshopper put me onto how Rich was with Skyler, I took it upon myself to pull up on her and watch for myself.

Skyler was no doubt younger than me and usually that would have turned me off because I preferred for my chick to have some experience under her belt. Skyler was different though. We were into the same shit, and her conversations weren’t one of someone who was her age. Shit, I dated women my age and they usually pissed me off.

I not only ran a tight ship, but I was picky when it came to the women who caught my attention. One time, I was on a date with shorty and her kids called her. It was the way she was screaming on them like they were bill collectors. If you could talk to your kids crazy, then you had no fucking limits.

As someone that hoped to be a father one day, I didn’t want the mother of my children fucking screaming on them because she was on a date. I told her I had to use the bathroom, paid the bill and slipped out before blocking her ass.

It wasn’t like she could look me up on social media. The internet was scrubbed of me, and I only had social media accounts that weren’t linked to me. Like how I was able to find out Ms. Skyler had her a fucking only fans account.

With her freaky sexy ass.

While she thought niggas was tossing money her way to see her clean her room in panties while dancing, I had blocked shit, and I was the only nigga watching her ass. Couldn’t have niggas looking at my future wife like that. I knew all the niggas she had subscribed were confused and pissed.

“Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I’m interested. I’m here to work and that is all,” Skyler stood her ground.

I had been so busy venting and pissed that those niggas were looking at what was mine that I didn’t even pay attention to this nigga leaving that ugly ass chair and sitting on the edge of his desk, trying to pull Skyler between his legs.

She kept one hand on his forearm and was trying to remove herself from him altogether. From the way Rich was staring at her, I could tell he wanted her ass bad. Hitting the button to switch the cameras from my computer onto my second phone, I hopped out the whip and went to the car that I was parked next to.

Breaking into cars was never a problem. I adjusted the seat, and then messed with the system within the car, using the master code that I had purchased from someone on the black market. There was no limit to where the fuck I would go.

As I sat in the car with my phone propped up watching Skyler stand her ground, I stopped when I heard a slap and saw Skyler holding her face. She held the side of her face and then hauled off and slapped the shit out of Rich back.

He was shocked that she would even put her hands on him. “Bitch, do you know I will have you coming up missing, and have you in Paris selling pussy?” Rich yoked her up so close she was in his face, as I damn near bit my tongue off. “Don’t underestimate my fucking pull, Skyler Rae… I can have you gone just like this,” he snapped his fingers and tossed her away.

Skyler scurried out of his office as I finished what I was doing. I headed back over toward my whip, pulled out the parking garage, and headed onto the street. It was later in the evening, so the traffic wasn’t as deadlocked as it usually was in this part of the city. Even with it not being as busy, I still couldn’t double park like I wanted.

As I spun the block for the fourth time, I finally spotted Skyler walking briskly to the subway. I pulled up on the side of her and her eyes became wide and she tried to bounce, but I rolled the window down.

“Get in,” I told her, and she had never looked so relieved to see me in her life. I put my whip in park, hopping out in the middle of traffic to open the door for her.

“Corleon, I can open the door you didn’t need to stop tra?—”

BEEEEPPP!

The horn startled her, and I looked at the cabbie in the green taxi. I think the shit was supposed to be green energy or some shit. I closed the door and made sure she was in the car before walking to the cab driver.

“I get being a gentleman but be one another fucking time! I have to pick up my kid from basketball practice uptown,” he barked out the window.

I smirked, as I reached my hand inside of his car, and grabbed the key fob he had sitting in the cup holder. Grabbing his face, I shoved the key fob all the way in his mouth while he struggled and tried to fight back, but I had one hand around his neck and the other forcing these keys down his fucking throat.

“Next time you beep this fucking horn at somebody remember what these fucking keys taste like. You lucky I’m strapped for time, or I would fucking tie yo’ fucking tongue around the wheel of this bitch.” I slapped his cheek and went back into my car, pulling back into traffic.

“What happened back there?”

“Homie’s mouth was full… fucking rude ass,” I muttered and made a right and whipped around the block back to the parking garage. This time, I parked all the way at the top, where it was uncovered.

“Um, I was heading home.”

“This only works if you allow me to protect you… I get it, you independent and all that fly shit, but I need you to tell me shit when it happens to you, Skyler.”

She hung her head. “You saw.”

“Took everything in me not to come in there and toss homie up… we all have a role to play and I understand that, but I need you to understand that we don’t want anybody getting fucking hurt. My brothers would rather sit up in prison than allow somebody to get hurt trying to protect them.”

“Yeah… I get it.” She turned to look at me. “Did Aimee tell you about Rich being a pervert?”

“She blew you up… payback for telling her damn business.”

Skyler laughed. “I swear I thought he knew… I guess she gets a pass.”

“Grasshopper cares about you, and she’s on this new journey of telling us what the fuck is going on.”

My phone beeped, letting me know that Rich had left his office. “I couldn’t even switch the cameras because of his freaky ass.”

“You can do it tomorrow. He’ll be out the office getting ready for that gala… switch ‘em and done deal.”

I got out the car, walked around to her side and opened the door. She looked at me weird and slightly confused. “Core, what are we doing?”

I held my hand out and she reluctantly took it, allowing me to pull her out the car. Closing the door, we walked over toward one side of the upper-level parking garage where you could see all the other floors below.

Like clockwork, we spotted Rich on the phone tossing his briefcase into the passenger seat while on his phone barking orders at somebody. I leaned on the railing while Skyler stared at him. Turning my phone horizontal, I heard Skyler gasp as she held onto the railing.

“His car is malfunctioning.” She turned slowly and watched me smirk as I controlled his whip like one of those gas toy cars.

“Nah, Geeky, that’s all me.”

She placed her hand on her hip, and she laughed. “I am not a geek.”

I licked my lips. “It’s all good… you my geek.”

“Corleon, I am not your geek.” I continued to control his car while he was behind the wheel hollering.

We watched as he hit his wheel and was cursing Tesla for making such a car. Technology was a gift and a curse. It happened to be a gift to me because I was able to hack his self-driving mode in his car. It was a curse for Rich because that nigga was shitting his pants.

I pressed the up button and sent his car crashing into the iron railings and continued to crash the shit into it, watching him hit his face on the fucking wheel while hollering.

“Any nigga fuck with you… this how I’m coming behind you.” I reversed his car once and sent it full force into the iron railing, and then exited the app, and walked back to the car. “Come on, OnlyFans.”

Skyler stood there shocked and then ran behind me and put her arm into mine, as I held the door open for her. “How do you know I have an OnlyFans?” she wasn’t ashamed that I knew about her little secret.

“You really asking me how I know… come on now.”

She got into the car and looked up at me. “My father left my mother for the organ player in the church. She was pregnant and he claim that God called him to marry this new woman and raise their baby. They were married for years, and he left her high and dry.”

“That shit fucked up.” I quickly closed the door and got back in the car to get the fuck away from Rich, who was probably unconscious a few floors below us. “How did your mother handle it?”

“Not well. She held it together until she dropped dead at work.”

I looked over at her as she shrugged. “Well shit, Skyler… way to fucking give a warning.”

“Aneurysm. I had to fly home to plan her funeral because my father acted like he couldn’t do it. My mother was my rock and the reason I am here in New York. I got pregnant and had my daughter at sixteen, and she raised my daughter so I could attend my dream school. I would fly back and forth and send money back home to help my mother out. So, when I flew home to bury my mother, I took my daughter because I would be damned if my father raised her… not like he has been much of a father or grandfather.”

“How old is she?”

“Four… I make videos to make sure she is taken care of. So, I appreciate the block you put on my account and the money from you.” She winked.

I should have known she would have known. “You knew all this time?”

She smirked. “Yes. I started to read a book on there one time just to show you that I knew.”

I laughed as I looked over at her. “Long as it was in that thong, we would have been good… I read.”

She pinched me. “Seriously, not too many people know about Estella, and I like to keep it like that. Her father lives here… got pregnant with her when I came here on a college tour. He helps out whenever I’m fucking with him, but he’s so inconsistent that I don’t bother with him most times.”

“Oh yeah?”

“What is that look?”

“You be fucking that nigga still, Geeky?”

She rolled her eyes and pushed her glasses up on her face. “It depends on how I’m feeling… if I need help with her tuition, I may be nice and give him some pussy. Look, this is my process, and I don’t need you to judge me. I shared all of this to let you know I am a mother, so, even though I look young and carefree… real life happens for Skyler Rae, okay?” she smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

I laughed so she would feel better about telling me her business. Skyler may have thought she ran me away with revealing what she did, but in reality, I was even more intrigued than I was before.

“Let me tell you something… real life may happen for Skyler Rae, but if a nigga ever come at you like Rich did, you fucking tell Corleon D. Bruster… feel me?”

Jeffie: No. bye.

I looked at the text from Jeffie and shook my head, ‘cause her ass was on some bullshit, too.

Me: Tell me that when I’m inside you.

Jeffie: Bye Core… and stay off my damn home security.

I snickered and headed toward the Bronx where Skyler lived. She didn’t question how I knew where she lived. The daughter thing slipped by me, only because I wasn’t outside her damn spot watching her. Had I been, I probably would have noticed her with a little girl. Now that I knew it was just her and her daughter, I felt like I had to keep a better eye on her. Especially since Rich said that bullshit about her going missing.

The Inferno Gods wouldn’t have to worry about him, because I would fucking kill his ass, and it would be like that nigga never existed.

“You clean up very nice, Mr. Bruster,” Jeffie said, as she tied my tie and stared up at me. She wore her locs crinkly like I loved them.

She usually had them braided, and then when she took the braids out, they were nice and crinkled. Tonight, she had them pulled into a bun with a few pieces framing her face. Even with heels on, Jeffie was still shorter than me.

I looked down at her. “Oh, we being nice today?”

She rolled her eyes and continued to fix my tie. “Corleon, I am always nice to you… I just don’t have time to play games with you.”

“What games? You don’t wanna tell Menace about us like he yo’ fucking Daddy… you the one that stands in the way of this.”

“As if you haven’t been talking to other women… I don’t share. Don’t know if I can share, Core. You don’t want just one partner, and you’ve been honest about that… guess I’m stingy.”

I held her chin and looked into her eyes. We heard the door to the suite open, and she quickly moved away from me. Menace strolled around the corner and looked at us both.

“Jeffie, I already know you both been fucking,” he accused, acting like he knew everything, when his ass ain’t know shit.

Jeffie’s cheeks turned red as she grabbed that damn iPad off the edge of the couch. “I have not had sex with him, Menace… so shut up.”

“We can prove him right though.” I smirked, and she rolled her eyes and headed out the suite while me and Menace laughed.

He went to the bar and grabbed a drink. “Why the fuck you both playing this cat and mouse game… it’s clear that you want her, and she want yo’ ass… make the shit happen.”

“She not comfortable with the whole poly shit… I want what I want, and I got enough shit to satisfy both… why choose?”

Menace shrugged. “You been open about the shit. I hear you… wanting two wives and shit. Cappadonna trying to get you to convert.”

I laughed because since being around my brother, I watched how committed he was to his religion and the shit was admirable. How he and Alaia were committed to their religion, however, they lived life, too. She respected her husband, and that was the part that stuck out to me the most. Cappadonna provided, and Alaia took care of the family.

I witnessed my mother bust her ass at work and take care of us on her own. She had a few boyfriends here and there, but none of those niggas could ever lead. Niggas always spoke about wanting two women and couldn’t even fucking lead one.

When I spoke about wanting two women, I wanted two wives. I wanted to lead my household, have a bunch of kids running around, and protect and take care of them within the same home.

Jeffie knew what I wanted, and she was scared to commit to that. I respected that and would continue to chase her until she told me otherwise. I wasn’t in the business of forcing her into something she wasn’t sure on. That didn’t mean I was going to sit back and wait on her, either. Jeffie knew where Daddy was.

“Nah… I’m not big on pork, but even I enjoy some pork bacon every now and again… I’m a man that knows I want more than one woman. Got nothing to do with them not being enough on their own, ‘cause they are.”

“Skyler’s ass down with that shit?” Menace leaned on the bar, sparked a blunt, and took a few pulls while blowing into the air, knowing the suite was a nonsmoking suite.

Rules never applied when it came to Menace Caselli. Half the time, the people setting the rules would always bend. “We ain’t there right now… just found out she got a seed.”

“Hmm. Changes shit.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” I shrugged.

Menace looked down at his phone. “Switch of gears ‘cause I know you gotta bounce… that fucking video between David and fucking Morgan made me sick.”

“Word? That fucking bad?”

“I burned the fucking tape that’s how bad it was. Set that bitch on fire in the middle of my fucking bedroom.” When Menace got upset, he went from zero to seven million in under five seconds. “Morgan knew the rules before he did some foul shit like that… he knows how I am with my girls. I know the Delgatos want him, I need in on that shit, too, ‘cause the shit in the video… I wouldn’t even treat a rabid fucking dog like that. Nigga got a sick fetish with Black women… some sick ass humiliation kink, too.”

“More hands on deck… at the end of the day, I need to protect my sister in all of this. Her getting on a jet alone with that nigga don’t sit right with us.”

Menace nodded his head. “Don’t even worry about it… I’ll throw a monkey wrench in his plan… some important client perks, he gets flown out on my jet type shit.”

“Word?”

Menace held his hand out. “You’re family, Corleon… the fuck you thought? Your new family is family… feel me?”

I smirked and hugged my best friend. “Yeah… feel you. Let me head over to his fucking condo now… Aimee been in the closet for a few hours.”

Menace laughed. “Nigga, the fuck?”

“Morgan moving smarter, and she had access into that shit.” I laughed and headed toward the door. “I’ll see you at the gala when I’m done.”

“Bet… be safe.”

“Always.”

Menace didn’t appear unless it was an event that he needed to attend, and this gala was one of them. Mostly all the old skeezers were his clients, and the silent auction at the gala was sponsored by Case House.

While everyone else thought the packages were innocent things to bid on, the real freaks knew that they were bidding for the best accommodations on the private island off the coast of Monaco.

Menace knew he had to shake hands, scare old White men, and kiss a few babies. As much as he couldn’t stand half of them, he understood that Case House survived off these men. With the client appreciation party happening in Monaco, he needed to be present even more.

It didn’t take me long to make it to Morgan’s building and get into the building without being question. I was a Black man in a suit and looked like money, they automatically assumed I belonged here. I made sure to keep my face ducked away from the cameras, as I made my way upstairs. Instead of getting off on Morgan’s floor, I got off three floors down from him and entered the staircase while texting Aimee.

Me: I’m in the building.

Grasshopper: That quick? About time… I have to pee.

Me: Anybody there?

Grasshopper: He left to pick up Capri a little while ago, and his assistant was last here… not sure if she’s still here. Knock and see.

I groaned as I jogged up three flights of stairs and sped down the hallway to his condo. Knocking on the door, I stood toward the side in case someone was home. After a few knocks the door opened, and Aimee was standing there.

“Sorry, I had to pee. Bladder ain’t the same since having a baby.” She nervously laughed. “Alright, what are we doing?”

“Laptop.”

She took me down the hall to a small room with pocket doors. “This is not his office, but he spends a lot of time in here. No one is allowed in here.”

“Fuck him,” I replied and slid on a pair of gloves and carefully pulled the doors back with Aimee behind me. “We need to get those cameras because they don’t have live feed… didn’t know the next time we would be able to get in, so didn’t want to chance it by doing live feed.” I scanned the room filled with books and four chairs.

If nobody was allowed in here, why the fuck did he have chairs in here like he had company? Holding my phone in my hand, I listened to the beep to locate the cameras and found one of them near Wizard of Oz first edition books.

Quickly, I grabbed the camera, and the sleeve of my suit jacket got caught on the book, causing three of the books to fall onto the floor. “Shit, Core… quiet.”

I paused and looked at her. “No shit, Aimee. ‘Cause I wanted this to dro?—”

As I picked up the books, I knocked on the front of the book and it was hallow. “That shit ain’t even a real book.” Aimee took the words out of my mouth.

I pulled open the fake ass book and there was a cushioned holder inside with a flash drive sitting in the middle. “The fuck.”

We both paused when we heard the front door jiggle, as if someone was coming in. I quickly snatched the flash drive and put the books back while Aimee quietly closed the pocket doors and panicked on where to go. I hid in the corner near the door in case I had to choke a nigga out.

“Over there,” I nodded my head toward the armchair.

Her dramatic ass jumped over the armchair and I shook my head while we heard footsteps. Reaching behind me, I pulled my gun out, ready for whatever that would happen in this fake ass library.

I don’t know what pissed me off more. The fact that this nigga had a fake library… shit was an insult for real readers like me. The sound of a phone ringing got closer along with the footsteps, and caused me to hold my gun, because if whoever came in here, I was gonna knock they ass silly.

The sound of the front door sounded again and this time we heard heels across the floors. “Martin, what are we here for? You’re always running behind Morgan… being his little lap puppy.”

“Brandi, shut the hell up… Jesus,” I heard a male’s voice. “Yeah… I’m here and looking for it now. Is it in the library… your room… right. See you soon.” He finished his call with who I assumed was Morgan.

“Go ahead and grab whatever he needs… always about Vincent these days… why even stay fucking married?”

I could tell this man was stressed without even seeing his ass. “Brandi, you know why the fuck we are married… you forgot that your father made this marriage happen to save his ass because of the evidence I have of corruption and all the other crooked shit he’s been doing as police commissioner.”

Big mouth didn’t have much to say. “I will never forgive either of you for choosing my life. I didn’t ask for any of this shit. All because you’re too scared to admit to your clients that you would rather dick than pussy… fucking queer. I’m not even in love with you,” she sneered.

Shorty’s words would have had me fighting her ass in that hallway. Martin chuckled, a sure sign that a nigga was going to crash out.

“You’ve never been in love with me… never needed you to be, Brandi. The big house, cars, and not having to work was for me, not you. It looks good when a man keeps up his wife…this marriage has nothing to do with love and everything to do with how your father looks in prison greens… come on you spoiled bitch.” I heard his stomps head in the opposite direction.

Aimee slowly lifted her head from behind the armchair with her hand over her mouth and eyes wide. She whispered while pointing with her other hand. “He’s gay? I knew it… I knew it…she was too pretty to be married to him.”

I put my finger to my lips because she was too damn excited about some tea that had nothing to do with us. We stayed in our spots for a minute longer after the door slammed and they had left. Once I was sure they were gone, we went through all the rest of the books and took different flash drives before looking for his computer.

“Bingo.” Aimee pointed to the wooden side table. The drawer flipped down and a black Think Pad laptop was slid into the drawer. I pulled it out and opened it. Of course he had a password and being that I knew more than I cared to know about the creep, I put in his daughter’s name and her birthdate, and it didn’t grant me access.

I put in his daughter’s name and ex-wife’s birthday, and it granted me access onto the computer. Sitting down on the edge of the chair, I plugged up my flash drive and copied all the files on his computer onto the drive.

While the files transferred onto the drive, I went looking around for that video. Menace had destroyed that one on David’s computer, but I was smart enough to know creeps always came in two’s.

He had a file labeled his daughter’s name and I clicked into it. There were a few pictures and videos from different vacations he had taken with her. I watched a few videos like I had all the time in the world.

As I was clicking my way through, I paused and went back onto a video hidden right before his daughter’s birthday party and her eighth grade graduation video. I played the video and looked away because Menace wasn’t lying.

“What the fuck?” Aimee whispered, covering her mouth. “She’s a woman… a human,” she couldn’t even get the words out as she leaned on my shoulder.

Morgan had Kennedy gagged and tied while he and David took turns beating her like a slave. I use the word slave because he kept referencing slave fucking terms as he beat her with the long black whip.

I looked away when he grabbed her by the hair and shoved himself into her mouth while David entered her on the other side. She screamed, cried and screamed the safe word and they fucking ignored her.

I destroyed the file, checked that the drive was good, and then put the laptop back. Me nor Aimee said anything as we left the condo and went our separate ways. I made sure she got into a cab before catching one to the gala feeling fucking numb.

.