Chapter 15
I was lying here staring at the walls that adorned pictures of family, wishing I could be a part of something so rich in love. Grandma Jean had gone to water aerobics and promised to bring lunch back. I couldn’t think about lunch right now. I was still stuffed from breakfast. She’d made buttermilk pancakes that were thick as a mattress, scrambled eggs, grits, and bacon. I couldn’t even think about eating another thing. After eating three of those pancakes, it was a done deal.
I fiddled with my phone, wanting to reach out to Genesis. After she showed up here a week ago, I felt depressed, no matter how crazy Grandma had started acting, trying to get me out of the funk I was in. Nothing was helping my mood. I just wanted to be with Genesis. When I saw that she’d been appointed fire chief, my heart longed to be there with her, congratulating her right along with everyone else.
When Grandma told me she declined a celebratory dinner that night, I knew it was because she was longing for me. She wanted to celebrate with me. I could feel that from way across town. Finally, I typed her number in my text message app and started with my message.
Hi, Genesis. This is Kyrie. I just wanted to say congratulations. That position is well-deserved. I know you will do a great job and prove all the naysayers wrong. I’m extremely proud of you.
I sent the message and quickly wanted to unsend it. She could come back at me in the pettiest way imaginable, but at this point, I just wanted her to communicate. I didn’t care how she chose to do so. When my phone rang, I sat up in the bed, hoping it was her, only to see my mother’s name and picture. She was FaceTiming me. We typically did that since I couldn’t see her. This shit was getting old.
When the screen came up, I said, “Hey, Ma.”
“Hey, baby. How are you?”
“Tired of being cooped up. The detectives are supposed to be coming by to update me later.”
“Well, hopefully, they have good news for you.”
“Yeah, Ma. I’m tired… tired of being cooped up watching life pass me by. At least when I was going to work, I felt like I was making a difference.”
“I know, baby. I hate to see you this way. It’s like you’re only a shell of the person you used to be. I don’t like that. How’s everything else going though? Are you eating good?”
“If I’m not doing anything else, I’m definitely eating good. The host cooks well and always makes sure I’m stuffed to the gills.”
She chuckled. “Well, that’s good then. Just try to keep your spirits up, baby. I needed to see your face to make sure you weren’t starving. I love you so much. Do you need anything?”
“Thanks, Mama. I love you too. I don’t need anything. Are you taking care of yourself?”
“Yeah. I’ve been eating well and exercising. It’s not like I can cook for you. So I don’t cook much at all. I mainly do frozen dinners. I’ve lost five pounds.”
“You don’t need to lose weight, Mama. You’re not a big woman. Eat a lot of protein. Get the Atkins frozen dinners. They’re actually really good. When I tried one, I didn’t have to add seasoning to it at all.”
“Okay. I’ll check those out, baby. I just miss you.”
“I know you do. Just try not to worry.”
“Kyrie, people are trying to kill my only son. I’m going to naturally be worried.”
“But I’m safe, Ma. Okay? A cop patrols the area every thirty minutes, looking for anything suspicious. As long as I get to talk to you, I’ll be good. You help keep me sane. My host is very gracious and definitely tries to keep me entertained, whether we’re playing dominoes or watching movies.”
“Okay. I’ll try to calm down, but that won’t be an easy feat. I’ll try to call later.”
“Okay.”
We ended the call, and I noticed that the pictures on the wall were in the background. Shit. Hopefully she didn’t notice them. If she did, she would definitely call Ms. Farris to find out where her mother lived. I checked my text messages to see if Genesis had replied, and there was nothing. I let out the breath I seemed to be holding in anticipation, then went to my laptop. I had been piecing some things together on my own that Detective Johnson was sending me.
So far, there were discrepancies with what the DA said in his opening statements. He’d said that Darlene Doll had single-handedly destroyed Beaumont’s infrastructure. That she had come in and brought her theories and illegal activities to a distinguished office of law. He also said that she was padding receipts. While she did most of those things, there were quite a few receipts that weren’t signed off by her.
Upon closer inspection, I could see that her signature looked different on almost every receipt and invoice. Had her defense attorney done his job efficiently, he would have noticed that. Then again, he probably noticed, but Darlene wouldn’t allow it. She was supposed to take the fall had something like this happened. Who was the whistle blower? Someone had dropped the ball. Whether that was intentional or not would be what we had to figure out.
I checked my report about my security and staying with Grandma Jean and noticed there were some similarities with one of Darlene’s signatures and Lieutenant Gamble’s. I frowned slightly and pulled up both documents side by side. Fuck! They were the same. I probably wasn’t safe here at all. I’d have to keep this under wraps until I knew more though. I slid my hand down my face as I continued to search to see just how many documents had a signature that resembled his.
By the time Grandma had gotten back, I’d found nearly ten documents that looked like his handwriting, where he’d forged Darlene Doll’s signature. I couldn’t believe this woman took the ultimate one for the team. This was insane. She was definitely getting a hell of a kickback. I went up front to see what she’d brought back for lunch to see sub sandwiches on the table, along with bags of chips and sodas.
I really didn’t drink soda, but whatever. I’d probably gained fifteen pounds here. I had just started working out a bit, doing sit-ups, pushups, and jumping jacks. I didn’t have weights to lift, so I would just have to work on cardio. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be here too much longer. I almost didn’t understand the point of me being here. I knew they didn’t know who to trust, but it seemed as if one of the people we were trusting was working for the opposing team. Something was off, and I wouldn’t stop researching until I found the missing pieces.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I pulled it out to see a text from Genesis. It was a generic and simple response. Thank you.
I stared at it for a while. I wanted to say more, but if all she had to say was ‘thank you’ to what I’d already said, then she probably wouldn’t respond to anything else. The crazy part about all of this was that I knew we wouldn’t be together while all of this was going on. I slowly shook my head, then suddenly slammed my phone to the floor.
Grandma Jean came running from the back and saw my phone on the floor. Although my gaze was trained on the table, I could see her in my peripheral. “Baby, is everything okay?”
I took a deep breath and looked up at her. “My life is all screwed up, and there ain’t shit I did to deserve it. So how do I get over it? How do I move on from it?”
“The problem is that you keep running from it, baby. Genesis already knows you’re here. Stop being stubborn and talk to her. Let her know your boundaries, and I’m more than sure she will respect them… if they aren’t outrageous or something that will make her feel like she’s living in the seventies.”
She chuckled, and I smiled slightly. Maybe she was right. Maybe she wasn’t. There was only one way to find out. I glanced at her as I opened the sub sandwich. “Thank you for lunch. I have a question though.”
“Okay.”
“What did you think had happened in here?”
“Well, I just heard the loud crash, so I thought someone had broken in.”
“And just what were you going to do without a weapon, Grandma? Wrestle them?”
She fell out laughing then pushed me in the head. “Hush up! Don’t be underestimating hammer number one and hammer number two,” she said, holding up her fists.
I laughed so hard I choked from my own saliva.
“That’s what you get for messing with me!”
We laughed more as she sat across from me to eat her sandwich. “So what are you going to do about your track meet?”
I frowned for a moment until I figured out what she was talking about. I rolled my eyes as she laughed more. “Ha, ha. Funny, funny. I’m going to use that car they left me for emergencies, and I’m going to that firehouse to see her.”
“You will do no such thing.”
“So getting Genesis back isn’t an emergency?”
“No, it’s not. That girl ain’t going nowhere. You willing to risk your life for her?”
“I don’t have a life without her.”
“Well, shit! You better say that then! My granddaughter hit the jackpot!”
I slowly shook my head as I took a bite of my sandwich. This woman, along with my mother, had been my sanity. She spoke life into me and kept me laughing as well. I couldn’t let another moment pass without getting to Genesis. Once I finished my sandwich, I was about to contact Detective Johnson to let her know I was leaving when my phone was vibrating with a call from her.
I was surprised that shit still worked as hard as I slammed it to the floor. I frowned slightly then answered. “Hello?”
“Judge Patrick,” she whispered.
I frowned harder. Why in the hell was she whispering? “What’s going on?”
“I have reason to believe the lieutenant is in on this… proof.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“So my guess is you still aren’t safe at the safe house. I hate this shit. I have to go. I’ll call you when I leave the office.”
She ended the call, and I slid my hand down my face. All this was becoming a lot, but it only made me more determined to get my life in order before I didn’t have a life to worry about. Before going to Genesis, I needed to get to my mama and let her know what was going on. I looked over at Grandma Jean and said, “Listen to me. I need you to get out of here. Go to Miss Gabriella’s house. It’s not safe here.”
“What? Why wouldn’t it be safe here?”
“Grandma Jean, I don’t have time to answer questions. Please just go. Okay?”
“O-okay, baby.”
She grabbed her sandwich and wrapped it back in the wrapper it came in then got her purse and keys. I went to the room I was sleeping in and went to get my keys as well. We quickly made our way outside. “What are you going to do, Kyrie?”
“I don’t know yet, but I have to get to my mama.”
“Okay. Please be careful,” she said as she surveyed her surroundings.
I got in the black Explorer they provided me with and used the control Grandma Jean had given me the first week I was here to open the garage door. When I pulled out, I could see her sitting at the end of the driveway. I supposed she was waiting to make sure I would be able to get out, because she took off afterward. I made my way to MLK Parkway to get to my mama’s house. This was getting so deep, and I could already see it would be a tangled web Johnson and I would have to figure out. We’d discovered a crucial part though. I didn’t know what type of evidence she’d found, but it had to be more damning.
I turned left on MLK, and as I approached the intersection with Calder, I saw a large SUV speeding in my direction. I was hoping with my life that they’d adhere to the traffic signal. Since I had the green light, I kept going, but that red light didn’t deter them. They slammed into the back of my vehicle, causing me to spin out of control and flip a few times.
My heart was racing as the Explorer continued to flip. I thought this would be it. My entire life had flashed before my eyes. I now knew what that statement meant. Visions of my father leaving for the airport to me banging my gavel at Darlene Doll’s trial had crossed my mental rolodex. When the vehicle stopped flipping, my middle ached with a pain that was nearly unbearable. It hurt to breathe. It didn’t help that the vehicle decided to stop flipping upside down. I unbuckled the seat belt and fell from the seat, causing me to groan in pain.
“Sir, are you okay?” someone yelled out.
“Call… an ambulance.”
They stooped next to the window where I was and continued to talk to me. “We did. We dialed nine-one-one. The police and paramedics are on their way. The other SUV kept going. Someone took off behind them to try to get their plate number.”
“Thank you.”
I was doing my best to breathe normally, but that hurt like hell. I had to take short, shallow breaths. When I heard the fire truck siren, I was somewhat relieved. Just like Detective Johnson had said, Grandma Jean’s wasn’t safe. They were watching me. For me to leave the house, they had to know that I knew something. How though?
This was getting more and more dangerous. I would have to get my mama out of here. She didn’t need to remain out here and get caught up in the crossfire.
“Get away from the SUV!” someone yelled, causing the good Samaritan to flee.
Right after, I started to feel a little heat. Dear Jesus. The vehicle was on fire. Someone else appeared in the window, and when I saw Genesis, I started shaking my head. “Get away… from here, Genesis!”
“Now isn’t the time to be a self-absorbed, insecure jackass. Let me help you, Judge Patrick.”
Judge Patrick. Less than three months ago, she was screaming my name for the entire neighborhood to hear. By the time we were done, everyone on the block knew my first name was Kyrie.
I grabbed her hand as I coughed. Just that action hurt like hell. Whoever this was didn’t play fair. The element of surprise couldn’t keep working on me this way. I knew they were after me, but they still managed to catch me off guard, striking at the most inopportune times. I knew they were coming for me, but I didn’t expect it to happen this soon.
“God, you’re heavy. How many carbs have you been eating for the past few weeks?”
I huffed as she pulled me from the burning car. She picked a great time to joke around. “Genesis, please…”
I couldn’t get the full sentence from my lips because she turned me on my back, hooked her arms underneath mine, and started dragging me at a much faster pace. She was backpedaling just as fast as I could power walk. That was impressive, especially with her full uniform on and pulling my 240-pound frame. Just as we got to what I thought was a safe distance, the SUV exploded, knocking Genesis off her feet. She immediately laid her body on top of mine, shielding me from debris that could possibly threaten my safety.
I found myself staring into her eyes, reminiscing about the last time I was with her. When all seemed to settle down, she slid off my body. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Thank you for saving me once again. I could have been killed.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you won’t admit you need me. Stop being so insecure about a woman rescuing you. Would you have preferred a man slide his body on top of yours?”
I gave her a slight smile and pulled her to me, not worrying about who was watching, and hugged her tightly, despite the pain. When she tried to pull away, I kissed her lips, allowing her to see that I would try to put my reservations about us to the side and just go with what I knew I felt for her.
“Now isn’t the time for public displays of affection, Judge Patrick. However, you can call me later to invite me to a thank you dinner. Remember, I like seafood,” she said as the paramedics approached.
I wanted to laugh, but my chest was killing me. When I coughed, it felt like something popped loose. I groaned as she grabbed my hand. The worried expression on her face didn’t do a thing for my nerves.
“I was only joking. Despite how you ghosted me because of your pitiful feelings, I still care about you. I don’t want to see you die from this, Kyrie. Until they find out who is after you, let me be here. It doesn’t make you any less masculine. I’m a firefighter first when it comes to trauma of this nature. Let me exercise the training they put me through to save you.”
I closed my eyes and nodded. “You’re right, Firefighter Farris.”
She released my hand with a smirk on her gorgeous lips and moved out of the way so the paramedics could do their jobs. I couldn’t keep fighting against her and my innermost feelings. Deep down, I wanted her in my life, and I was blessed that after what I put her through that she still wanted to be in it too.