10. Keyoni
Keyoni
“We figured out where the rat poison came from.”
I sat up in my seat. “Where?”
Captain Rory leaned back in his chair. “Cameras caught somebody throwing something through the fence last night. I went out there this morning to inspect…and sure enough…” He shook his head.
“Rat poison. There were blue-green colored speckles all along the gate.” He sat up.
“As a precaution, I made a call to Poison Control. They confirmed it.” I nodded.
“None of the canines are allowed outside until further notice.”
“Do you know who it was?”
“No, but I’m gonna find out. Best believe I will. And when I do…he’s gonna wish he kept his ass home!”
There was a patio we used for recreation when the weather was right, which was temporarily being set up for the dogs to use. Captain Rory laughed when he told me about his original plan, puppy pads, but the dogs just looked at them instead of actually using them.
Tanner stuck his head into the open office door, looking between us before retreating.
“Tanner!” Captain Rory called out after his departure. “Come here. You’re just the person I wanted to see.”
“Yes, Captain,” his flunky replied.
Captain Rory rounded his desk. “I got an express delivery just for you.”
“For me?” Tanner asked, walking further into the office. “What is it?”
The anticipation in his eyes disappeared when Captain handed him a brand-new pooper scooper. He snatched it with a sigh.
“I shouldn’t have to keep cleaning up after these dogs.”
“You wouldn’t have to,” Captain Rory said, “If you would stop getting complaints of misconduct.”
“People lying on me, Captain.”
“Yeah, well…each lie requires a thorough investigation. And while the investigation is going on, you’ll be cleaning up after the canines.”
“I should call in sick,” he mumbled toward the door.
“Don’t do that,” Captain Rory said back. “You out of sick time.” Scoffing, Tanner walked away, dragging the pooper scooper behind him. Once he was gone, Captain Rory’s sigh filled the room. “If he wasn’t the commissioner’s nephew…”
I picked up on what he was trying to lay out as his words lingered.
Looking around the room, I pushed up from the chair. Captain Rory stayed seated as I started for the door.
Behind me, I heard, “Have you thought any more about what we talked about?”
I knew this was coming. Slowly, I turned around as my chest rose and fell. “I have.”
“And?”
“I’m still thinking about it.”
“Keyoni—”
“I know.” I sighed loudly. “I know. You expected to have an answer by now, but…I’m still thinking about it. I got my daughter to consider.”
Twelve-hour shifts were fine for some, but for me, it took away from the time I spent with Keturah, even if it did come with a title and pay upgrade.
In theory, I would have loved to move up the corporate police ladder to Sergeant, but for me, I didn’t know if it was feasible.
I talked to Keturah about it. She told me to go for it, which I knew she would because at thirteen she felt she didn’t need me around as much.
I begged to differ since once I blinked she would be grown and out of the house.
I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.
The new position would allow me four days off per week, but as a realist, I knew the twelve-hour days would average much longer.
It was a lot to think about.
“I understand that…but don’t take too long deciding. The position won’t be open forever.”
“I know.” I started walking again, stopping in the doorframe. “You’ll have my answer soon.”
His phone rang, stealing his attention. I slipped out, down the hall, going by Kaiser’s kennel to check on him.
I took him out when he started clawing at the glass door, checking my phone while walking him to the newly assigned space for him to relieve himself.
When we got there, I read Sage’s response to my “wyd” text and started a response of my own.
She said she was thinking about me. I was doing the same about her.
Me: Ditch work & come see me.
Sage: I can’t. I have 2 surgeries.
Me: Lunch then?
Sage: When? Right now?
Me: You answered a question with a question.
Me: Yeah now.
Sage: Come get me.
Me: OMW.
I had lunch in the car when I picked her up. I drove us to the park and we sat in the car while enjoying burgers and fries. Sage complained because I didn’t choose a healthier option, but ate more than half before wrapping the rest up for later.
“Are you ready to go back already?”
I wanted to spend some time with her, but she kept looking at her phone.
“Not really…but I need to. I got a lot to do.”
“What about after work? What are you doing?”
“Looking at an apartment.”
“Oh yeah?” She’d never brought it up before. “You don’t like living with Lanique?”
“It’s not that.” She shifted in her seat. “The plan was always for me to get my own place. I was supposed to stay with my cousin for about six months, then by that time, I would know the area well enough to figure out where I want to live.”
“It hasn’t been six months though.”
It hadn’t even been one.
“I know, but…so much is happening in the building?—”
“Don’t let the shit I told you run you off. It’s not dangerous, Sage.”
“I’m not worried about DP. They don’t bother me and I don’t bother them.” She lifted her drink cup and took a sip. “But that damn property manager…she’s a different story. And I’m not trying to risk Lanique losing her place because of me.”
They were doing some serious crackdowns at the building.
Jami told me about the letter she received about her dogs.
She was given a grace period to get rid of at least two because they weren’t eight weeks yet.
After that, she’d be required to adhere to the same rule as everyone else—two pets or less and fifty dollars a month pet rent for each one.
Those fees were in addition to the two hundred fifty dollar fine added to her next rent payment due to having an unauthorized pet in the first place.
“Where’s the apartment you’re looking at?”
“Hillman Heights.”
“Damn! That’s out the way.”
“It’s a bit of a drive,” she agreed. “They have some nice floor plans though and decent pricing for the area.”
The area was expensive as hell, one step down from high ass Diamond Estates.
But I couldn’t tell her what to do with her money.
“You couldn’t find anything closer?”
“I’m still looking. I sent a couple inquiries to a few places. They haven’t gotten back with me though?—”
“You can move in with me,” I blurted out, stunning us both.
“What?” Sage asked uneasily.
I regretted saying it after seeing the shock on her face but repeated myself anyway. “You can move in with me. I got two extra rooms, plenty of space, and?—”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“What about Keturah?”
“What about her? She knows what we got going on.” Keturah caught Sage sneaking out of my room wearing my T-shirt. After she was called out, Sage said fuck it and came right back into my room. “She likes you.”
Sage smiled. “That’s my girl.”
“She said the same thing about you.”
Sage sat quiet for a moment, looking out at the small lake with swimming ducks. A couple walking by stopped and threw bread in the water, watching the ducks scurry over to devour the food. I wondered where her head was at and if I’d stepped out of pocket by asking her to move in.
“I don’t want to live off anyone, Keyoni,” she began. “I want to pay my own way. I don’t want to feel like I owe anyone anything.”
“I wasn’t trying to imply?—“
“Let me finish,” she said, cutting me off. “If you’re just asking me to move in, the answer is no.” I nodded, resuming my stare out the window. “But…” she hinted, regaining my attention, “If you’ve got a room to rent, I’m willing to consider it.”
“We might be able to work something out.”
I leaned over the center console, connecting my lips to hers. They were soft as usual and parted to accept my tongue.
“I’ve wanted to do that since you got in my car,” I told her, continuing with small kisses on her lips. “I always want to kiss you.”
“You can’t be kissing on me all the time if I move in,” she countered. “That’s kinda creepy…a landlord and a tenant.”
“Call me a creep then because we gonna be doing more than just kissing.”
She placed a noisy kiss on my lips. “Let’s talk about this arrangement… If I decide to take you up on the offer, how much is rent?”
“How much can you afford?”
“Nothing,” she said with a straight face.
“I guess it’s zero then.”
“I’m serious, Keyoni.”
“I am too.”
I didn’t need the money. A charity stepped in after my father was killed in the line of duty, presenting his family with a check for a quarter of a million dollars.
It went to me since I was his only child and he never married, while my mother lived off the social security benefits awarded for his demise.
I was a minor at the time, and when I became of age to receive the payout, interest had increased the amount significantly.
I was able to avoid a mortgage on the new build I’d been living in since I was nineteen.
“How about this…I pay you the same thing I pay Lanique, plus half the utilities?”
“Or…just pay me half of what you were paying Lanique and take care of the groceries. Save the other half for yourself.” She sat back in her seat, contemplating my words. “And cook.” Her eyes cut over to me. “At least three days a week. The three days I work.”
“ Three days ?”
“I’ve been offered a promotion. One I haven’t officially accepted, and honestly…
I don’t know if I should take it.” She listened intently.
“It’s more money and gets me one step closer to my ultimate career goal, but super long hours three days a week.
It’ll mess up the schedule I got with Keturah.
The weeks I have her, I do everything. Take her to school. Pick her up?—”
“You’re making excuses. If it’s something you really want, you’ll find a way to make it work. That’s what my dad used to say.”