Chapter 18
Kennedy woke up with the ominous feeling of being watched.
She tried cracking open her eyes, but her lids were too heavy from the half bottle of liquor she’d guzzled down catching up to her. The warmth that was beside her when she’d fallen asleep on Relic’s boat was gone, but his folder she’d studied for hours was still clenched in her hand. Her stomach roiled, and she couldn’t decide whether it stemmed from the alcohol or the reminder that Relic was going to prison soon. At that agonizing thought, she opened her eyes in search of him before her heart stopped and stomach tanked like while on a ride at an amusement park.
Relic was just that—a roller coaster that tossed and spun her around until she lost focus and bordered on throwing up. He proved as much as he stood above her, sipping from his trusty liquor glass with a gun nestled in his other hand, dangling at his side. His eyes trained on her, cold and empty, as if he were staring straight through her soul. Kennedy tried to speak but couldn’t through her sudden case of cotton mouth.
“I need a favor, Larenn.” Relic set down his glass on the bedside table, tucked his gun on his hip, and then bent down to lift a black duffel bag from the floor. He tossed it on the bed, and Kennedy noted the stacks of banded blue faces inside since it was open. “Take this for me. I have an emergency run to make, and I don’t want to drive around with this in my car. Since you’re in your old piece of shit instead of what I bought you, you won’t stand out as much.”
She swallowed to lubricate her mouth before croaking out, “We’re back at the marina?”
“Yes.”
“What time is it, and what’s the emergency?”
“Go straight to your house and pack an overnight bag while you’re there.” He continued giving instructions while ignoring her questions as he zipped up the bag. “I’ll either come there to pick you up or send you an address on where to meet me. Are you retaining what I’m saying? Because you’re looking at me like you’re slow.”
“Because you were standing over me like a damn psycho with a gun in your hand while I was asleep!” she shouted, winding down from her initial shock. Relic chuckled.
“If I was going to off you, Kennedy, you would’ve never woken up. Screaming, crying, and begging gets on my nerves, so I would’ve put a pillow over your head while you were knocked out, and shot you through it.”
She tossed off her covers. “Get me the fuck off this boat.”
Relic smirked and sat on the edge of his bed while she maneuvered around the room, taking off his jersey she’d slept in—like she didn’t have her own—and slipping into her jeans and white shirt with no panties or bra. He rotated his head as immediate tension sprouted through his neck and shoulders as he watched her.
“Why didn’t you wash your underclothes in the shower, so you could put them back on?” he asked, making her upper lip curl in disdain.
“Nigga, because I’m not handwashing shit if I don’t have to. No one can tell that I don’t have on underclothes but you because you’re looking too damn hard. You have spare toothbrushes?”
“Underneath the sink.”
“I’m using one, and you better not throw it in the trash after I leave.”
“Tossing it straight in the fucking ocean the minute you walk off this boat.”
Kennedy gawked before flicking him off, making him chuckle as she trekked out of the room to the bathroom, which wasn’t far. As soon as she was alone with the door closed, her eyes shut as she gripped the sink while taking controlled breaths. Her heart hadn’t stopped racing since she’d woken up with Relic standing overtop her.
She cursed Judith beneath her breath before she retrieved a toothbrush from the cabinet and applied paste on the bristles, stuffing it in her mouth while examining her flustered reflection in the mirror. Had Judith not told her Relic’s personal business; she wouldn’t be as shaken up by his actions. Kennedy already believed he was erratic and compulsive at times, so hearing about his disorder elevated her skepticism tenfold. She tried not to think about it as she rinsed her mouth, plucked a washcloth from the rack to clean her face, and then straightened up before exiting the bathroom. A scream shot from her mouth while she slapped a hand on her chest after bumping straight into Relic.
“What the fuck?! Why are you standing outside the damn door?”
“I thought, I heard you talking.”
“No, you heard those damn voices in your head is what you heard,” she snapped and pushed past him. He followed her as she grabbed her phone, keys, and laptop bag from the galley before turning to him. “Can I take the folder home with me?”
“No.”
“I need to go over it more, Relic.”
“You’ll go over it when you’re with me. This isn’t something that can be floating around, Kennedy.”
“I know that, and fine. I’ll look over it more when you pick me up.”
Relic didn’t respond but tossed his head instead, directing her up the short flight of stairs toward the cockpit. Kennedy frowned at his subtle dismissal but didn’t point it out as they climbed off his boat and headed for the parking lot. The pitch black sky with gleaming stars made her pull out her phone to check the time, and she groaned after noting it was only three in the morning. The last time she’d checked while docked at the cabin, it was a little after twelve. Relic must’ve boated them back as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Silence lingered between them that wasn’t their usual comfortable vibe, causing Kennedy to glance at Relic as they neared the gate to exit the marina. His gleaming eyes were vacant, which she was learning meant that he was lost in his thoughts. He seemed like he was on autopilot as he tapped his fob, waiting for the gate to open before he laid a hand on her back to guide her through and toward the section where they’d parked. He blinked in rapid successions before dipping his eyes toward her when she wrapped an arm around his waist. The fact, he didn’t talk shit let her know that he was zoned out.
“Pop your trunk.” Relic made that command as they reached her car. She did so, and he tossed the bag inside while reiterating, “Go straight home, Kennedy.”
“I heard you the first time. Where the hell else am I going this time of night?”
Relic sighed and rubbed his temple before opening the driver’s door to help her inside. When she tried to shut it, he leaned in and slapped a quick peck on her lips, making her eyes buck as her belly fluttered like she was back in high school with her first crush. He shut the door and tapped her hood before she could even process his actions.
Kennedy’s gut lurched as she started her car and backed out, glancing at Relic from her peripheral as he stood aside to watch her leave. He was off, but she couldn’t put her finger on what had changed from the time they’d gotten to the cabin until that moment. All she knew was that her instinct had never steered her wrong.
“Big dog, I’m tired as hell. Are you there yet?”
Kennedy smiled as Tekken yawned through her car speakers, shuffling in bed while muttering about her bothering him in the middle of the night. She was surprised when she’d heard his groggy voice since she figured he was at the studio like most times. Either way, he picked up for her, and that was all that mattered.
“I’m pulling into my complex now. I appreciate you, for real, Tek.”
“Man, stop acting like I’m doing you a favor or something. Where the hell are you coming from this late anyway, and since when are you paranoid about driving?”
“I had a sweet tooth, so I ran to the store.” She fabricated a simple lie off the top of her head. “When I was leaving, I just got this bad vibe, so I called you just in case.”
“Yea, you know my dad didn’t play about them bad vibes.”
Kennedy pulled into her parking spot while agreeing, “Right! So, if I get an odd vibe, I’m thrown the hell off. But I’m here now, and thank you again. Tell Toot I said hey when she wakes up.”
“How you know, she here?”
“Because you’re in the damn house! That’s how I know. I love that y’all are getting along again, but don’t get that girl pregnant, please.”
“Shit, that might be my only way of keeping her around. She keeps trying to fuck with other niggas and shit. I gotta sit her ass down somehow.”
“Tekken!”
“Man, I’m just playing!” he said, cracking up as she climbed out the car. Her damn heart stopped when he added, “Kinda. I gotta see where we’re going and decide from there.”
“Get the hell off my phone because I’m not for your shit tonight.”
“Aight, man. Love you, big dog.”
“Love you, too. I’ll call you in the morning.”
Her head shook as she ended the call, pocketing her phone before grabbing her laptop bag out the passenger seat. She shut her door and then rounded her car to the trunk, grabbing the duffel bag as well before hitting her locks and then heading up her building stairs to her apartment. Kennedy glanced at the ring camera, smiling as she flicked it off before letting herself into her apartment. She’d bet any amount of money that Tekken was watching it to ensure she got inside safe.
Her eyes swept her living room out of habit, verifying things were the same as she’d left them before trotting to her bedroom. Kennedy didn’t waste time stripping out of her clothes after tossing both bags on her bed. She slipped into a fresh panty and bra set before entering her walk-in closet, scanning her clothes before tugging a simple gray leggings and shirt set off the hanger since Relic was supposed to pick her up. She got dressed while debating if she should decline since her paranoia had yet to subside.
Just as she tugged her shirt over her head, her phone chimed with a motion alert from her ring camera. She squinted and swiped her phone off the bed, pulling up her app since she didn’t expect Relic so soon. The two masked faces that popped onto her screen instead siphoned the air from her lungs as her body stiffened, rooting her in place. One of the faces leaned in as if they were inspecting the camera before stepping back. She gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth when they lifted a boot clad foot and slammed it into the camera, sending the screen black. A loud boom sounded seconds later as her front door crashed against the wall.
“Fuck!” she hissed, snapping out of her stupor.
Her mind shifted into gear, and she flipped off her light, snatched the bags off her bed, and then dashed into her closet. She held her breath and shut the door as softly as possible before powering down her phone while tuning into the hushed voices and footsteps throughout her house. Her mind went straight to Relic’s story about Jessica—how he’d sent men to scare her, although secretly hoping they took her life. It dawned on her that she’d walked right into his trap.
Relic had set her up and turned her into the biggest lick of all time, and she’d fallen for it.
Her eyes blurred with tears as the footsteps entered her room and then came to a sudden halt. Kennedy wondered which one he’d sent to do his dirty work. Most likely Pierre since he’d been waiting for his chance since she pulled a gun on him for hitting Tekken. It could’ve easily been Shabu because she’d given Relic the idea to put the gun back in his hand. He’d always been the nicest to her, but she chose him for a reason—if it came down to it, he’d choose his big brother before anyone else. The fact she knew about them killing Slim made her a huge liability to their team. Relic had used her for his benefit, but now he was ready to toss out the trash.
Her hands trembled as she grabbed her laptop bag, digging inside for her gun that she never left the house without. Her girls would have to forgive her or get an eye for an eye because she wasn’t going down without a fight. The best advice Relic had taught her was that it boiled down to either them or her... and she’d always choose herself.
“She’s in here somewhere. The tracker showed her being here for a few minutes. She ain’t gone that fast.”
Kennedy squinted, trying to see if she recalled the unexpected feminine voice as one of Relic’s bitches from his stable. Her eyes lowered to the duffel, wondering if he’d placed the tracker the girl spoke of in there. Relic knew where she was going and where she lived, so that didn’t make a lick of sense.
The second person spoke, but it was so low that she couldn’t make out a single word. Her eyes lowered to the floor, and her stomach knotted when a shadow formed beneath the door while footsteps drew closer. As soon as Kennedy heard the knob turn, she scooted back, clicked off her safety, and aimed with her heart beating out of her chest. Her finger squeezed the trigger at the same instance as the door went flying open.
Her ears deafened as she watched a body stagger backward onto her bed while the female accomplice dashed out of her room. She scrambled to her feet when the one she’d shot tried racing toward her room door with an obvious limp. Kennedy let off a shot that ricocheted on the doorframe, making the robber throw up both hands before spinning around.
“Kennedy, wait! Shit, you shot me in my fucking leg, man.”
The unmistakably familiar male voice sent chills down her spine, making her emotions numb while her finger itched to pull the trigger again. She opened her mouth to speak, but sadistic laughter spilled out first.
“Y’all niggas really got me fucked up. Take off the goddamn mask!”