Chapter 9
“Three risottos, two scallops, and carbonara,” Chef Courtney called out.
“Heard, Chef!” We all called back.
The kitchen buzzed with chatter as we all worked diligently to have the perfect service. I’d been on fish tonight. I seared the scallops to perfection. My salmon had crispy skin and an even honey glaze on top. I’d been in my zone all night, so when the head chef pulled me off the station, confusion greeted me.
“Yes, Chef?” I asked as I wiped my hands on my apron and followed her to the back.
“Have a seat,” she instructed.
I obliged. “Did I do something wrong?” I replayed the current dinner service back in my mind. I had cooked all my orders to perfection. I’d been on time, as I always was. I couldn’t figure out why I was in her office, even after my mind thought it over.
“Quite the contrary. I know they’ve offered you a permanent job here, but I have another opportunity for you.”
Her statement piqued my interest.
“At the end of the month, I’m headed to Los Angeles to open my own American-style bistro. There will be steak, chicken, and beef dishes on the menu. I think you would be the perfect head chef for my establishment.”
My jaw dropped. “Me?”
Was she serious? I hadn’t even gotten my culinary degree yet. This was a huge opportunity.
“Yes, you. I know you have a few more hours left before you complete your culinary program, but the position is yours if you want it.”
“This is a huge opportunity. I have a lot of family here and would need to get their blessing before I uproot myself to another time zone.”
“I understand completely. I’ll hold the position for three months. That should be more than enough time to decide, get your affairs in order, and get back to me.”
“Yes. Thank you so much. I am grateful you considered me for the job.”
“Absolutely. We all see how well you work in the kitchen. I’d be a fool to pick anyone other than you.”
Before I could respond, her phone rang. She answered it and spoke in a hushed tone. A few moments later, she placed the call on hold.
“They are patching me through to a woman. She is requesting to speak to you. It sounds urgent.”
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. Was it granny’s health? Had something happened to my parents? Was Marquise in trouble?
She held the phone out to me and stood up. “I’ll give you some privacy. Find me in the kitchen when you’re done.”
I nodded as she exited the office.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Honey.”
Dayari’s voice on the other end told me everything I needed to know. It wasn’t my grandmother or my parents. Something had happened to my gang banging boyfriend. My hands shook as I cleared my throat.
“What happened, Day?”
“Don’t panic, but Marquise got into an altercation and is in surgery.”
“What? What happened?”
“He got shot.”
My heart sank. He’d been in a few shootings over the years, never as the victim, always as the assailant. Now, as I listened to her give me a summary of the events that took place, my heart ached. My fear of the worst almost made me sick to my stomach.
“It wasn’t too major, but they are removing the bullet and stitching him up. He should be out of surgery in the next hour. I’ve already called my mom and dad, and they are about fifteen out.”
I rubbed my hands down my face. Fuck. Why does he have to do stupid shit like this?
“Thank you for calling me. Text my phone with the hospital information. I’m going to finish up here and head that way.”
“Don’t be mad at him, Honey.”
“Save it, Day. Knowing him, this was probably one hundred percent avoidable. Does he need anything? A change of clothes or something?”
“Probably a warm meal and something comfortable to wear. You know he’s not gon’ be happy in that thin hospital gown.”
“Oh well. He needs to be uncomfortable to learn to keep his temper in check. I’ll be on my way soon.”
“See you.”
“Mmm.”
I hung up and blew out a frustrated breath. Leave it to Marquise to get shot on a random Saturday afternoon. He’d better have a damn good explanation for what happened.
I walked out of the head chef’s office and found her in the kitchen. She could tell from my facial expression my phone call was upsetting.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
I shook my head. “My boyfriend is in surgery right now. I can finish my next couple of orders, but I’ll have to go be there with him. Do you know who will take over my station?”
“Don’t worry about it, Hix. You can clock out now and be there for your family. We got this. I’ll take over your current orders, and Hernandez will take over once those have gone out.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Chef. I’ll keep you updated.”
“Of course.”
I offered a smile of gratitude before I left the kitchen and went into the locker room. I removed my apron, cooking shoes, the dark pants, and white shirt before I tugged on a sundress and sandals. I placed all the things in my bag and grabbed my keys.
Usually, Marquise would pick me up, but he’d planned to be on the block a while today. I should have known then he would find trouble. Every time he did his rounds, he got into some shit. It was so exhausting to keep up with him.
* * *
By the time I’d arrived, his aunt, uncle, and cousin were all in the room fussing at him. He looked annoyed but couldn’t move like he wanted to because of the wrapping they hand on his shoulder.
When his eyes landed on me, he smiled brightly. “Hey, bae.”
“Hey, y’all.” I greeted the room.
I placed his duffel bag with his clothes and necessities in it on the dresser by his bed. Then I gave Dedra and Chance hugs before I waved at Dayari and claimed the seat beside Marquise. He reached out to grab my hand, and reluctantly, I laced our fingers together. I hated to see him down. I hated to see him recovering from the consequences of life in the streets.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Like fifty. Niggas tried to empty the clip on me, and I never went down. Ended up beating him unconscious through the pain. Ari picked me up and brought me here, though.”
“I will not fuss at you while you’re here with your family, but just know when they leave, you’re going to hear my mouth.”
“I’m already knowing.” He closed his eyes and shifted on the bed.
My heart tugged with pain at the sight of my man not at one hundred percent. However, I couldn’t be too sad because he was here for his own terrible choices. How was I supposed to tell him about my opportunity when he was so deep in gang life? His uncle was a dangerous man with a cartel that held a lot of weight in the crime world. What Marquise and his block boys did in the streets didn’t even hold much weight to the real spread of Merlot’s cartel involvement.
“How’s your job going, Honey?” Dedra asked. She wanted to switch the conversation away from Marquise, which was smart.
“It’s going great. I’m almost done with my culinary program. There are a lot of opportunities opening up for me, but I’m struggling to decide.”
“That’s amazing. What I will recommend is you follow your heart. Do what will make you the most content in the long run. Do it for you and only you. My nephew will have to understand and support whatever you decide.”
“I’m right here… Don’t mention me like I’m not in the room.” Marquise addressed his aunt. He had a cute scowl on his face. I reached over and pressed my thumb against the wrinkles between his eyebrows.
“The man in the bed with battle wounds doesn’t get to gripe about anything if he can’t control his emotions.” I darted my eyes at Marquise. He opened his mouth to protest but decided against it.
“Are you ready to talk about your next moves?” Dayari asked.
“Not yet, boo. You know I’ll set up a call with you and Jenifer once I’m ready.”
“Period.”
We all talked for a while about trivial things. It was nice to catch up with the Kents since I rarely saw them these days. They hadn’t come by the big house for Sunday dinner in a while. Once they were gone, it was just me and Marquise.
“Can you help me get this blood off my body?” he asked in a soft tone.
I nodded. “Yeah. Let me get a couple of wash bins and some gloves. Hold on.”
I moved around the room like I was his actual nurse. I put on a pair of medium size medical grade gloves and filled up two gray bins with water. One had anti-bacterial soap in it while the other was just plain hot water. I set them on the table and pulled back his bedding.
I helped him wash up and pull on a white muscle shirt, boxers, and basketball shorts. All the dried blood had washed away. His handsome freckles were visible and cute. I loved his face.
“Thanks, bae.”
“You’re welcome.” I pecked his lips and caressed his cheek with my thumb. Marquise still looked handsome as hell, even while hurt.
I attempted to sit back in my seat, but he pulled me into the hospital bed with him. I lay beside him and rubbed my fingers against his chest.
“Tell me what happened,” I demanded in a gentle tone.
He smacked his lips in protest.
“Oh, you don’t want to give me the full story?”
“I just want to rest, Honey. It ain’t much else to tell you from what I said when my folks were here.”
“There is, but I will not beg you to tell me. All I know is this shit better be the last time I get a call like this,” I explained.
“It will be. I’ll stop having them call you about it. I will leave you in the dark about what I do in the streets.” The frustration in his voice almost pissed me off.
“Good. Keep your crimes to yourself. I don’t want that shit in my life. Never have, but you also never listen.”
He chuckled. “My crimes keep you spoiled. My crimes keep your bills paid. You like to pick when you don’t like my lifestyle.”
“You know what?—”
“Marquise.”
I jumped with fright at the unexpected interruption from the door of the hospital room. I paused and looked to see Merlot walk fully into the room and shut the door.
“Look, Unc, I can explain.”
“No. You will shut your ass up and listen.” Merlot stood at the foot of the bed with an unreadable expression on his face.
Merlot looked a lot like Marquise. I figured it was because of how much Marquise resembled his mother—Merlot’s sister. They had the same bright skin and freckles on their faces. I summed it up to mean freckles were a genetic marker in their family lineage.
“Can you give us some privacy, young lady?” Merlot asked me.
“She good. She can stay.” Marquise spoke for me.
Merlot chuckled. “A’ight then. I specifically told you not to go over there. Two boys are dead, and one critically injured. Gee is also in an intensive care unit. If he survives, there will be a war. We have so much going on in the cartel to deal with some petty ass war, Marquise. Shit was avoidable.”
My heart ached. I wasn’t a dummy to the lifestyle he lived. He’d told me he’d done a lot of damage in the streets. Naivety led me to believe he only beat up people. However, deep down, I knew that was only half of what he did. To hear about his actions tonight was something else. It changed something within me. Could I love a man who killed people? Could I love a man who went against orders and sought after trouble? From what I gathered, he had gone on a rogue mission to begin with.
“H-how old were the boys?” I asked Merlot.
“That doesn’t matter,” Marquise interjected.
“Shut up. How old were the boys, sir?”
Merlot licked his lips. “The oldest was seventeen. He died en route to the hospital. The other one was fifteen. He was dead on the scene. The one in critical condition is sixteen. They don’t know if he will make it through the surgeries.”
“Excuse me,” I mumbled. I climbed out of the bed and exited the hospital room. I went down an empty hallway and pressed my back against the wall. My chest burned as I sobbed into my hands.
These boys were so young. Practically babies. How could Marquise hurt them? How could they have been any threat to a grown man?
How could I be okay with a killer as a boyfriend? How could I start a family with him when he lived such a dangerous life? Our future children deserved better.
I deserve better.