Chapter 19
NINETEEN
Grand.
I hated this fucking place and I had to be here once a month for the next five years. My life wasn’t my own and wouldn’t fully be until I was done with this shit. Along with having to come here once a month, I also owed the state fifty thousand dollars in fees. This shit was a money grab. They didn’t give a damn about me or my situation. If I truly needed to be rehabilitated, the state’s only investment still wouldn’t exceed the money they were taking from me. I was simply another Black man with a record who was now lining the state’s pockets.
When I reached the desk, the guy didn’t even bother to acknowledge me beyond demanding my name.
“Grand Sinclair.”
His fingers danced across the keyboard then he mumbled something incoherent under his breath before pointing to the entrance at the end of the counter. “She ordered a drug test. Follow me.”
I kept quiet, waited for him to unlatch the door, and followed a few paces behind him to the single-stall bathrooms. At the door he handed me a cup and turned away, mumbling for me to keep the door open and leave my sample on the counter.
I pissed in the cup, twisted the plastic lid on, and washed my hands, leaving the sample behind. When I stepped out of the bathroom he entered, returning with the cup in hand, clutched between a handful of paper towels.
The sight of him carrying my piss with his face twisted in disgust had me highly fucking amused. He shot me an evil glare which didn’t help.
“Let’s go.”
Once again I fell in step a few paces behind him but couldn’t help but fuck with the guy. “They don’t give y’all gloves and shit for that?”
When we reached my PO’s office, he paused, stepped into view, and held up the sample, cutting me a death glare before he stormed off down the hall and bent the corner. I walked inside and sank into a chair in front of Lanette’s desk.
Her annoying ass only glared, not speaking, which I half expected. This had been the vibe since I recorded her trying to fuck me at my apartment. The following month, when I had an in-office visit, she was robotic as hell, ran through her questions, took my money, and told me to get the hell out of her office.
“If you aren’t going to say shit, then let me pay my fines so I can leave.”
She still didn’t say a word, only rolled her eyes like a petulant child. My son had more maturity than she did. “You can’t leave until he tells me whether or not your sample is clean.”
“It’s clean.”
She sucked her teeth and I reached into my pocket to remove cash. I counted out two grand and placed it on her desk. Her eyes lowered to the money then she scowled again but still didn’t say shit.
“Receipt please and make sure it shows what’s left on my balance.”
“If you don’t trust me, stop paying in cash.” She leaned forward and snatched the money. After counting to verify the amount, she jerked her drawer open, removed a money bag, and dropped the bills inside. After pecking on her keyboard like it was also the enemy, she removed a receipt book from the same money bag, scribbled something, and ripped the page free from the book and handed it over.
I checked the numbers, pissed that the balance was still high as fuck. Of the original fifty thousand I had to pay, I still owed forty-six thousand, three hundred thirty-four dollars.
She leaned back in her chair. “I guess you have a habit of pissing people off.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Your fees are high as hell. Shouldn’t be more than fifteen grand. Somebody doesn’t like you very much and wanted to hit your pockets. Had to be someone with pull too.” She smirked. “Imagine that, with your winning personality.”
I frowned, glancing at the receipt. I almost questioned but I didn’t have to. I knew exactly why my fees were so high. This was all Aleah’s father. I would bet my ass he called in every favor he could with the intent of keeping me locked away, and when he couldn’t, he made sure my life was a living hell when I was released.
“It’s not like you care, so why the fuck bring it up?”
“Because I can.” She smirked right before someone knocked on her door. I glanced over my shoulder to find the guy who escorted me to her office throwing up his hand, offering a thumbs up. “He’s clean.”
Another scowl was on her face when she nodded. I didn’t know why her dumb ass thought I would be stupid enough to use, knowing she was on my ass to either get some dick or make me suffer because I refused her. At this point I wouldn’t smoke so much as a gotdamn ham until I was off parole.
“Can I go?”
“No, sign this first.”
“Sign what?”
“This stating that I advised you the certificate of completion for your mandatory anger management classes was received and added to your file.”
It surprised the shit out of me that she sent it. I was waiting for someone to tell me I had to start over after the way I’d left things.
I leaned forward and grabbed the pen, scribbling my name on the paper. “Let me get a copy of that.”
“For what?”
I gave her a deadpan expression and she rolled her eyes. I didn’t fucking trust her. Anything that challenged my freedom, I wanted copies for safe keeping. She jerked out of her chair and stormed to the door. When she returned, she dropped a paper in my lap.
“You can go now.”
I grinned, shaking my head. “You really that mad that I won’t fuck you?”
Her eyes darted past me to the door and I smiled wider. “So you’re worried about somebody hearing that you’re thirsty for dick but you’re not worried about pulling up at my place demanding that I let you sit on mine. You’re wild.”
Her eyes narrowed but she didn’t say a word. I chuckled and headed to the door. “You be easy.”
“You stay drug-free and make curfew because you never know who’s watching.”
I walked out of her office once again pissed that I had to survive this shit for five fucking years.
When I entered Tali’s room at the shop, he was at his desk, head bent over his sketchpad but he lifted his eyes and glanced past me expecting to see Saniya and her sister.
“They’re not with me. She just texted and said they’ll be pulling up in a minute.”
I crossed the room and stopped behind him to see what he was working on. The piece was a lock and key. Tali was talented as hell so the shading and detail made the image look three dimensional. He had initials on the lock that mirrored the ones on the key. It was definitely something a couple would get. I immediately thought about Saniya. She had a few pieces but each one was simple. A rose on her ankle, a sunflower inside her wrist, and the words never settle in script on the outside of her thumb.
“Who’s that for?”
“Nobody, I’m just playing around with something.”
“I fuck with it.”
He leaned back, tapping the end of his pencil on the sketchpad. “You want it?”
“That’s a couple’s tattoo.”
“You’re all in love and shit now. You might be next in my chair. Got me canceling appointments to fit your girl's sister in.”
I smirked. “I didn’t ask you to cancel a damn thing.”
“But you knew I was gonna move some shit around to get it done because it was you asking.”
I did.
When I made the call it was as good as done but I also understood inking was how he paid his bills. So if he couldn’t fit her in today, I would have been cool with him working her in whenever he could.
“Hang on to that for me.”
“You get her to agree, I’ll do both. Free of charge.”
“Are you seriously putting a challenge on the table that you know I’ll win?”
His smile expanded. “Nah, I’m just trying to provide a little motivation.”
“Your motivation is misguided as fuck. You’re way too invested in my personal shit, and seriously, if you had to cancel with someone to get this done, I’ll get it back to you.”
“Nah it’s all good; I was just fucking with you. You off today?”
“Yeah.” I frowned in irritation. “Walt kept the day open for some personal shit he needed to get done.”
“Where you coming from then?”
“PO.”
Tali smirked. “She still trying to fuck you.”
“Your PO is trying to fuck you?”
We both turned toward the door just in time to catch a younger version of Saniya crossing the threshold. She was in sweats and a cropped hoodie exposing her midsection with braids piled on top of her head. Saniya was behind her, dressed in similar fashion but her hoodie wasn’t cropped. She had two French braids and a hat pulled down low on her head. They both wore Doc Martens, no makeup or jewelry.
“Who the fuck did y’all just stomp into the ground?” I smirked when Tali spoke my thoughts aloud.
“Why would you think that’s what we’ve been doing?” Her sister arched a brow over her shoulder after she moved across the room and began checking out Tali’s work. One entire wall was dedicated to showcasing his finished designs with sketches and pictures of people he inked.
Saniya made her way to me, slipping her arms around my waist. The light scent of pineapples and citrus clung to her skin, feeling familiar. I cuffed her cheeks and lowered my mouth to hers for a kiss.
“I had enough women pull up on me ready to throw blows either at me or the woman they caught me with. I know what a fight fit looks like.”
Saniya rolled her eyes and turned against me. I hooked my arm loosely around her neck, pulling her closer to my body. “Of course you would,” she stated smugly in response to Tali.
“I’m not surprised. You check all the boxes,” Sameena followed.
“Boxes for what?” Tali crossed the room, standing next to her.
“Of being a fuck boy.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Damn. That’s the type of vibe you get from me?”
She looked him up and down and shrugged. “Pretty much. Cute face, dimples, goatee. Slick ass mouth.”
“You might want to wait until I do your coverup before you talk shit about me. What do you need?”
I watched the way my cousin was taking her in. He wanted to fuck and that was the last thing I needed. Tali kept his dick in rotation. I would be having a conversation with him about keeping the fuck away from Saniya’s sister.
She lifted her hand and he took it in his, brushing his fingers over hers. “What’s your name?”
“Sameena.”
Tali smiled. “You have your man’s initial tattooed on your finger and you want me to fix it because he pissed you off but you’re calling me a fuck boy?”
She snatched her hand from his. “How do you know it’s a man?”
“Y’all are sisters and her last name is Montgomery.”
“It’s her ex,” Saniya stated and Sameena shot her a “fuck you” glare.
“He’s lame as fuck too. There’s no way his name starts with a C and he’s got game.” Tali flashed her a smile that had her glaring at him in irritation.
“His name is Clue .”
“Nah, that ain’t his name.”
“Nope, it’s not. His name is Derek .”
I grinned and lowered my mouth to Saniya’s ear. “You better chill before your sister knocks all this shit over in here.”
She shrugged and smiled wide as hell. “I owe her. This is payback.”
“Damn, pretty. That man really isn’t shit.”
Sameena frowned hard. “You don’t know him.”
“Not him personally, but I know the type.”
“Because you are the type,” Sameena shot back and he laughed lightly.
“Maybe but I’m not that damn disrespectful. Any man that lets you put something permanent on your body that isn’t even his legal name ain’t shit. Come on. I’ll get you right. I have something in mind.”
“Care to share?”
“Nah, you’re gonna have to trust me.”
“I’m not trusting you. I don’t know you.”
“You don’t have to know me to trust my skills. You see my work.” He pointed to the wall.
“Fine but I better like it.”
“You will and if you want to know me, we can take care of that too.”
I chuckled and Sameena shook her head. “You’re cute and all but I’m pressing pause on fuck boys indefinitely.”
“Damn, your mean ass isn’t playing fair. Don’t let one lame ass muthafucker ruin it for the rest of us. You better be glad my roster is already full or I would damn sure invest the time in changing your mind.”
“The only thing I’m here for is a tattoo.”
Tali smiled big as hell. “For now.”
“Meen, you need me to stay?”
Her sister swung her head in our direction, arched a brow, then looked me up and down. “Grand, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Be good to my sister.”
“I plan to.” I kissed her neck and smiled.
Sameena rolled her eyes. “Y’all are definitely related with your sexy ass fuck me grins.”
I chuckled and Saniya tilted her head back and looked up at me.
She eased out of my hold, walked over to her sister, and kissed her cheek. “Behave, please. I’ll call you later and send me pics when he’s done.”
“I will; love you.”
As soon as we were outside, I escorted Saniya to my car. She settled into the passenger seat and when I was behind the steering wheel, she glared at me but didn’t say anything.
“What?”
“Did you have sex with your PO?”
I burst out laughing. “Damn, you held that shit tight, didn’t you?”
“Grand.”
“Man, no. She tried, several times, but I refused.”
“Why? Is she ugly?”
I grinned and shook my head. “Nah, she’s straight.”
Saniya narrowed her eyes and I laughed again. “You asked. Did you want me to lie?”
“Maybe.”
I leaned over the console, hooked her chin, and turned her face to mine. “She’s straight but she’s not you. No fucking comparison.”
I kissed her and pulled away. “Then why did you say no?”
“Because if I agreed, it wouldn’t have been a one-time thing and I didn’t want that hanging over my head.”
“So, you would have but…”
“Saniya, I didn’t want to have sex with her and not because it would complicate my parole. I just wasn’t feeling the woman like that.”
She stared for a long moment then sank back into her seat, getting comfortable. “Where are we going?”
I drove us out of the strip where Tali’s shop was located and hit a left. “Shopping.”
“Shopping?” She arched a brow and I nodded.
“I got the call yesterday that they have a two-bedroom ready. The tenants moved out last week. I paid the deposit this morning. They have to clean it, which will take a few days, but after that I can move in whenever I want.”
The way her beautiful face lit up you would think I was telling this woman I was about to buy out the mall on her behalf. Shit was crazy because she was fucking elated about me gaining the access I needed to have my son come live with me.
“Does he know?”
“Not yet. I want to get everything set up. I haven’t told my mom either. My schedule is still crazy but it’s consistent enough to where I can get him to school every morning and pick him up from his after school program when I’m done for the day. My mom will help too, whenever I need it. I can make this work.”
“I’ll help. My schedule is pretty flexible most days,” she offered enthusiastically, then caught herself. “I mean… if you get stuck and need someone. I don’t want to overstep.”
I brushed a finger down the side of her face. “I appreciate you offering. You’re not overstepping. If I’m a part of your life, so is Raiden. That’s the only way this works. I can’t fuck it up. Not with you or him.”
“You won’t.”
My phone vibrated with a call and when I glanced down to see it was Rix, I lifted the device. He called two more times before sending a text so I grabbed my phone and scanned the message.
I told you not to have anyone coming around here looking for you. If you don’t want to go back to prison, stop ignoring my gotdamned calls.
Heat pushed through my veins and I dialed him back. As soon as he answered, I didn’t give him a chance to say shit before I could. “Who the fuck is looking for me?”
“I don’t have a gotdamn clue. He refused to give me his name. Suit, late fifties, very fucking persistent with throwing out threats.”
“What did he say?”
I felt Saniya’s eyes on me but kept mine on the road. “He asked if you had been fighting for me. Said if you were and I refused to tell him, he would cause problems I didn’t want, but if I handed over any proof that you were, he would go away.”
I ground my teeth, fuming. I knew exactly who the fuck was asking about me. Aleah’s father knew my history with underground fighting. He probably sought out every venue in town trying to find something he could use to send me back to prison for parole violation. Fighting illegally would be a fast track right back into a gotdamn cell.
“And you told him what?”
“That I didn’t fucking know you.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. I wasn’t protecting you. I’m not a gotdamn fool. If he’s trying to make trouble for you, by default that trouble lands in my lap. Fix this shit and make sure he stops showing up here. Also, you’re done. I will let everyone know you’re bad for business.”
I hadn’t planned on stepping foot in his place or anyone else’s so that didn’t fucking matter to me. He could tell whatever to whoever he wanted.
Rix ended the call and I dropped the phone in my lap.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“We don’t work if you lie to me.” She glared and I dragged my teeth across my lip, considering whether or not I wanted to tell her. The last thing she needed was a reason to rethink being in my life but fuck it. This was who I was. This was what she was dealing with.
“Aleah’s father went to Rix asking if I was fighting there.”
“But you're not, right? Not anymore.”
“No.”
“Did he tell him you were?”
“No, but only because he feels like it will come back to him.”
“Then it’s fine right?”
“He’s gonna keep fucking with me….”
“And you’ll keep doing what you’re doing, which is being a good father and minding your business. There won’t be anything he can do to touch you.”
“In a perfect world that would be easy enough but he’s not trying to give me any fucking grace. He’s going to keep pushing.”
“We’ll push back. I know people too. If I have to call in every favor I own to make his life miserable, I will.”
She was amped as fuck and it brought a smile to my face. When I only stared at her pretty ass, she frowned. “What?”
“You’re so fucking beautiful right now.”
She rolled her eyes, fighting hard not to smile. “Thank you.”
“You trying to go to war for me?”
“Yes. Fuck him.”
I laughed lightly. “He’s not your problem, Saniya. I’ll figure it out.”
“ We’ll figure it out. All in, right.”
“Yeah baby, all in.” I grabbed her hand, linked our fingers, and kissed the inside of her wrist. I probably didn’t deserve her but I was damn sure holding on as tightly as I could to keep her.