6. All in the Family #3
Ian and Caleb blinked at her. “But… they asked…” Caleb said.
“We couldn’t just say no, Deja. That’s rude,” Ian added.
“Yes, you could! N.O. No! See?” Deja said. “Pops, why are you always dragging them into some mess?”
“Deja, if you don’t get gone. They are grown-ass men. They can do whatever they want,” Jared said, smoking a cigar.
Deja sucked her teeth as she glared at Ian and Caleb. “I… think we’re in trouble…” Caleb whispered.
“Seems like it. Though that look in her eyes is more arousing than intimidating,” Ian grinned. “Is toil leam e…”
“Tha mi ag aontachadh,” Caleb grinned.
Deja looked at them, annoyed. “Excuse me, don’t talk about me in your little secret language,” she said, sucking her teeth when suddenly she heard loud cheering in tune with Caribbean music.
Turning around, she saw Keith dancing with her friends and several of the children, throwing his arms in the air as he shuffled to the music. “Oh… my god…” Deja slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh.
“Ayyyy! Git it!” Diamond cheered, moving her hips to the beat. Keith bounced his shoulders as he followed the movements of the young girls dancing in front of him. The contrast between his massive, tattooed form and a sea of women and children was quite a spectacle.
“Didn’t even know he could move his hips like that. Oh god, he’s… he’s so embarrassing,” Jax said from behind Deja. She glanced back at Jax, staring at Keith, horrified, and completely lost it, as she burst into laughter.
Sandwiched between Diamond and Ari, Keith playfully and dramatically moved his body. Though Deja had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, she couldn’t deny she enjoyed watching Keith dance with her friends. “Come dance with us, DeyDey,” one of her young cousins insisted, pulling her hand.
“What- Shantell, no,” Deja protested.
“Baby, go have fun,” Jax encouraged, nudging her forward. Deja smiled back at Jax before Shantell pulled her towards her friends.
“Bout time!” Shawna laughed, moving her body against Deja’s. Gently rocking Chloe, Jax kept his eyes on Deja. A small smile painted his face. He hadn’t seen her this happy in a long time. His lips caressed Chloe’s forehead as his eyes lingered on his woman.
Feeling eyes on him, Jax glanced to the side and saw Kristin glaring at him. He looked at her strangely, but she rolled her eyes and walked away.
Trying to catch her breath, Deja grabbed a water from the cooler. “You’re so good!” Ari said, playfully pushing Keith as he guzzled down some water. “Where did you learn to dance like that?”
Keith grinned. “I didn’t. I just know how to fuck.”
Deja choked on her water as Diamond cackled. “Heard you loud and clear!” Diamond laughed. “Please tell me your fine ass is single.”
Keith paused and looked at Deja. “...’fraid not. I’m dangerously addicted to the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. And she just so happens to own my ass.” Deja’s cheeks got hot as she averted her gaze.
Ari frowned. “Does she share?”
Deja rolled her eyes as Keith laughed. “I don’t know. Deja, do you think she shares?” Keith smirked.
Ari looked at Deja, confused. “You know her?”
“Oh, she knows my baby girl very well,” Keith teased Deja.
Deja squinted at Keith, annoyed before smiling at Ari. “Um, yeah. She’s… nice.”
Keith snorted. “She’s a cocktease who likes to torture me because it brings her pleasure to see me in pain.”
“She probably thinks you’re dramatic,” Deja said sarcastically.
“Eh. But does she feel that way when my head is between her thighs?” Keith smiled innocently. Ari’s eyes widened as Diamond coughed.
Deja anxiously backed up. “Wouldn’t know, Keith. That’s between you and… your girl.”
Flirtatiously biting his lip, Keith’s eyes raked over her body, enjoying their little game. “Yeah… Between me and my baby girl…”
Deja scoffed. “Well, you ladies have fun with this weirdo. If he gets crazy, just spray him with water,” she said sarcastically. Keith snickered as he watched her walk off, his eyes glued to her ass.
“Uh… is Deja the girl?” Diamond asked suddenly.
Keith smiled at Diamond. “...what makes you think that?”
“Ew. No. That’d be so weird,” Ari snorted.
“So weird…” Keith smirked at Diamond. With a tilt of her head, Diamond looked at Keith strangely.
Walking around the backyard, Deja searched the crowd when someone grabbed her arm. She stumbled into Caleb’s embrace. “Caleb!” she said, startled.
“I’ve been looking all over for you,” he smiled, grabbing her waist.
But Deja stepped back. “We can’t,” she whispered.
Caleb furrowed his brows. “I can’t touch you?”
“Everyone thinks I’m engaged to Jax, so no,” she said. “Not in public.” Caleb raised a brow before he grabbed her hand and led her inside. “Caleb!” she laughed as he pulled her into a closet. “This is not what I meant-”
His lips smothered hers before she could finish speaking. His hands instinctively gravitated towards her ass as he squeezed firmly, pulling her pelvis against his. Deja stumbled back against the broom and mop when there was a knock on the door. They both immediately froze.
“Um… yes?” Deja asked.
“Deja?” came Shawna’s voice. “Why are you in the closet?”
“I… had t-to… um… take a call… for work,” Deja said through the door.
“...in the closet?”
“Did you need something?” Deja asked.
“The mop. Your uncle knocked over a whole bottle of liquor.”
Caleb stepped back into the shadow while Deja grabbed the mop and cracked the door open. “Here you go,” she said.
Shawna looked at her, confused. “You okay?”
“Yes. I’ll be out in a minute,” Deja reassured her.
“Mmkay…” Shawna said, grabbing the mop and walking away.
Exhaling anxiously, she looked at Caleb. “You can leave first…” Caleb said sheepishly. Deja rolled her eyes before exiting the closet.
Fixing her clothes, Deja walked outside, searching for her parents. Her eyes widened when she saw her father greeting Jose at the gate.
“...no, no, no!”
“Mommy, there’s no more popsicles.”
“I’m talking, Shantell,” her mother said before continuing her conversation.
Shantell groaned impatiently. Walking into the house, she looked around to see that everyone was still outside before she opened the basement door and flicked on the light.
She hesitated before grabbing the railing and slowly descending the stairs.
Shantell cautiously walked down the steps, stopping at the bottom to look around.
Even with the light on, the basement still felt dark. There was a cool draft from the garage. In her childlike mind, she swore the shadows were moving. But she quickly shook her head and beelined for the fridge.
She heard a door creak and quickly looked around. “...h-hello?” her small voice called out. Shantell swallowed hard and opened the fridge. Her face brightened when she spotted the popsicles.
But then she heard the door again. Quickly pulling back, she looked around. “Mommy? DeyDey?”
She tried not to panic until her eyes landed on a strange shadow moving against the wall. “...M-Mommy?”
“Have you slighted that woman?”
Jax followed Ian’s gaze until he spotted Kristin glaring at him… again. “I don’t think she likes me very much,” Jax mused.
Ian snorted. “If looks could kill, dear brother, you would surely be dead.”
Jax grinned. “Perhaps I should speak to her. Try to make nice?”
“Key word: try,” Ian smirked.
Jax finished his drink. “Couldn’t hurt.”
“Good luck,” Ian said, watching his brother approach Kristin when his watch beeped. His brows furrowed as he clicked the button.
Kristin panicked the moment she saw Jax approaching. “Hello, Kristin. It’s good to see you again,” Jax said, holding out his hand. Kristin looked at his hand, then at him, until he retracted it. “My apologies… Have I done something to offend you?” he asked.
Kristin scoffed. “Are you kidding? You have some nerve.”
Jax tilted his head. “Sorry?”
“You really think you deserve Deja? After everything you’ve put her through?” Kristin whispered angrily.
Jax’s jaw tensed. “I understand your… disdain. As her close friend, you have every right to be upset. But I assure you, I would never hurt Deja. I love her-”
“Bullshit,” Kristin said. “If you really loved her, you would have left her the hell alone. I know all about men like you, Jax Donovan. Pretending to be the ‘perfect man’ when really you’re a narcissistic abuser.”
Jax stared at her thoughtfully, trying to consider his words. “I-” He stopped short when he spotted Deja by the gate… speaking to Jose. Kristin furrowed her brow as Jax made a sharp left, leaving as if they weren’t in the middle of an argument.
Ian tapped his watch as his pupils dilated. “Fuck…”
Shantell breathed heavily as she stared at the shadow on the wall. She quickly grabbed 3 popsicles and slammed the fridge shut before running for the stairs. And the shadow followed her.
She scrambled up the steps until she felt something grab her ankle and pull her back down. She tried to scream, but a hand abruptly slapped over her mouth. Shantell fell to the ground and looked up, terrified, at the hooded shadow hovering above her. She could barely make out the mask.
“Mommy!” she screamed frantically when blood abruptly splattered her face. Her eyes widened at the large kitchen knife sticking out through the shadow’s neck before it was ripped out. The body dropped in front of her, and Shantell’s face was frozen in shock.
As his eyes darted from the dead body to Shantell, Keith’s face dramatically fell. “...Fuck.”