Not My Type 2 (Not My Type #2)

Chapter 22 Ready

Ready

“Lennox, yuh cyaa just mek the girl go? Please. Mi a beg yuh, mi nuh wah me party mash up,” Cas pleads, stepping in with trembling hands.

He chuckles. Cold. Dismissive. “Gwaan back go party and lef yasso.”

I sit still. Every muscle in my body locked. I want to call Nickoi. God, mi wah call him bad, but I can’t. One glance at the eyes glued to me, and mi know. These men watching everything. Mi phone might as well be a bomb.

“Mi affi call the police then,” Cas blurts.

My head swings to her. Why she go say that?! Lennox freezes then moves. He reaches for her. “Call who?” he growls, dragging his hand to his waistband. A flash of metal glints.

My heartbeat stutters. “Is like yuh wah the man duppy yuh enuh, gyal,” one of the others laughs.

Laughter. Him find that funny? What kind of crosses this?

I glance at my phone again. Still no chance. Still too many eyes. Lennox turns toward the selector. “Yow. Play back the music. Mek the people dem enjoy demself.”

Then he shoves Cas down into a seat like she’s a rag doll. “Focus pan yuh party, idiot gyal.” Mi hate him.

I scan the area. Wait, where’s Suzanne? Panic creeps in, climbing up my spine like cold fingers. Weh she deh? Lennox notices too. “Weh har friend deh?” he snaps.

His boys start glancing around. “The gyal mussy run gone,” one says, eyes sweeping the crowd. Dem love call woman gyal.

A some dutty bwoy dem, my subconscious says.

“Unuh gwaan go look fi the gyal right now,” he orders.

And like dogs, they scatter. But one lingers. He’s looking at me. Smiling. That slimy kinda smile. The one that mek yuh skin crawl.

“Lennox, guess wah?” he calls, tapping his phone like he just found gold.

Lennox lifts his head slowly, annoyed. “Wah?” he asks, in an unpleasant tone. All him friends him treat bad.

Serve him right.

“Bad man… a Prezi woman.” He stares at me now, grinning like a freak. “From she step inna the place, mi deh ya a pree and mi a try memba where mi know her from.”

My stomach twists. My skin go cold. My face blank.

But Lennox, Lennox looks at me like he just bit into poison. “Prezi?” he repeats, disgust curling in his voice. Pure venom.

And mi hear it clear. The pure, bitter hatred for Nickoi bubbling up.

Mi man nuh like yuh either wasteman.

SUZANNE

I’ve never been this scared in my life. Not even close.

And it’s not just fear, it’s precision. Every move, every glance, every breath has to be careful.

Controlled. Because it’s not about me anymore.

It’s about keeping Zara safe long enough to make it out of this place alive.

Everything else, what I did wrong, what I should’ve done, can come after.

Cassandra and I are friends. She sent me the invite to her business opening party, and I had asked her if the area was safe. She said yes. Said it’s calm. It didn’t sound dangerous. Didn’t feel like a trap. So I said why not? It felt like the perfect excuse to get Zara out the house. And now? this.

Lennox. Of all people. And the worst part? He’s focused on Zara, watching her, flirting with her, threatening her, completely unaware that she is Nickoi’s woman. Nickoi’s fiancée. And not just that. His biggest enemy’s woman!?

If Lennox ever finds out the truth… If he finds out who Zara really is to him?

It won’t just be some twisted flirting game anymore.

He’ll see her as a target. He’ll see her as a weapon.

Because he’ll know he’s holding Nickoi’s weakness in the palm of his hand.

And Lennox is the type of man who would love nothing more than to make him suffer.

I texted Junior the second I got out of there. He was furious. Going off in all caps.

‘WHY YOU NEVER TELL ME ‘BOUT THE PARTY? IF MID KNOW MI WOULDA SEND SOMEBODY FI PROTECT UNUH. NOW LOOK!’

Zara’s on a rooftop. In Lennox’s grip. And no one is there to stop it.

‘ Just mek sure him nuh tek yuh phone or cut contact. Mi soon reach,’ he typed back.

I tell him okay.

My fingers trembling.

I slip off the rooftop when Lennox was distracted by Cas. Slid into the stairwell, down to the bathroom. Locked myself in a stall. My heart racing so loud I could barely hear the dial tone. I pressed call. Nickoi.

He picks up on the first ring. His voice low. Dangerous. “Suzanne.” Jesus.

His tone alone mek mi heart slam. “Um… mi know you a go vex with me but—”

“Suzanne,” he cuts me off. Silence.

My throat dries out. “Zara good?” His voice is low and cold now. Not even asking. More like demanding confirmation for something he already knows isn’t true.

He knows she’s not good. Because I never call him. Not like this. Not unless something bad happen.

“A t-that mi did a get to,” I stammer, voice cracking.

He says nothing. Just… breathes. Heavy. Sharp.

Never again. Never again mi put Zara inna situation like this. “Mi invite her fi come wid mi to the party and a-and… ” My voice trails off.

I can’t say it. I can’t bring myself to say the words. That Lennox, Lennox has her. “Suzanne,” he growls again. “Zara good?”

I swallow. “She deh pan the rooftop—” I stop.

In the background, I hear a man, his uncle maybe, saying something. Then slam. A door. Nickoi walking off. “You a go round corner wid me, and mi nuh rate dem style deh. Mek mi know wah gwan.”

I close my eyes. “Lennox have her,” I whisper. Silence.

No breathing now. Just a dead, heavy pause. Then a breath. Then a chuckle. But not the funny kind. “Yow… wah yuh just say?” he asks.

He’s nervous. Unsteady. I’ve never heard Nickoi nervous. Ever. “I call Junior, he’s coming,” I say quickly, trying to fix it. Trying to fix something that can’t be fixed.

He hangs up. Just like that… And it burns.

NICKOI

I stare at the screen for a second after the call drops. Then I hang up and just… sit. Still. Empty. Lennox has her? Of all people. Lennox. Not Adonis. Not Carlos. Not one of the petty street fools I used to bust heads over. This is the Golf gang.

And him? He’s not reckless, he’s strategic. Sadistic. Cold. And he has her. My woman. My weakness.

I can’t breathe right. My chest is tight like someone dropped weights on it.

And the worst part? I’m not even scared of him.

Not Lennox. I’m scared because I’m not there.

I’m too far away. I’m all the way in America, sitting in a condo with cool AC and marble floors…

And she’s out there. On a rooftop in Jamaica. Cornered. And I can’t reach her.

I knock my fist on the table. Not too hard. Not soft either. Jah know. I should’ve brought her with me. I should’ve insisted. I knew something was off. I felt it in my bones before I left. I just didn’t know it would happen this fast. This suddenly. This far from me.

Gutta’s name flashes across my phone. I swipe to answer, press it to my ear, and say nothing. “Bro,” his voice cuts through, steady, focused. “Mi nah even a ask if yuh good. Mi know yuh head hot right now. But mi a do every thing mi can do fi mek sure say yuh woman safe.”

He’s driving. I can hear the wind tearing through the receiver. Rick’s voice comes next, deep, anchored. “Nuh stress too hard, badman. We deh pan it. We a protect Zara Gov and yuh youth, seen?”

I nod. Even though they can’t see me. Then I finally speak. “Respect.”

“Yeah, mi G,” Rick replies.

Before the call ends, I ask what my heart has been screaming since the second I hung up on Suzanne. “Zara neva tell yuh she did aguh a the party?”

“None at all, fam,” Gutta answers, quick and clipped. “Yuh know say if mi did know, mi woulda deh deh. When mi check her earlier she did deh home wid har granny. Next thing mi know is this.”

I hiss through my teeth. Sharp. Tight. She didn’t listen. “Mi feel it enuh. Mi swear mi feel say suh’m aguh off. But just mek mi know wah gwaan still,” I say, voice low. I end the call.

The door creaks open. Uncle walks in, eyes scanning me like he already knows.

“What’s your mind telling you to do?” he asks. I rub my palm down my face, jaw clenched. My mind’s hotter than fresh tar on midday asphalt. I can’t think straight.

“Mi wah go a Jamaica,” I say without looking.

He gets closer, nodding. He’s not shocked.

“And you want to kill him too.” It’s not a question.

“I don’t wrong yuh, Nickoi. But go tomorrow.

When the dust settles. Remember… Mario is still out there.

A whole government detective watching your moves.

And Mario? Smart. Smarter than most.” I close my eyes.

Breathe in. Breathe out. “Real meds,” I finally say.

But deep down, I know. If anything happens to Zara? Mi a bun dung the whole bl’claat Jamaica.

***

Sitting around waiting on people is never my style because to me waiting on people gets you nowhere. Since flying out is a no and mi in another country, mi a go find a way. I gulp down a bottle of water before I start thinking straight again. I decided to play his own games on him.

Yuh been a do that from other day.

I made a few calls and got some information from Genius.

He gave me an address for Lennox’s sister and I send that address to Gutta after telling him my plan.

While Junior and the others are heading towards the event, Gutta and Rick are heading for Lennox’s sister.

They call me once they are there and I tell them to put on their mask just in case Mario gets a chance to see this.

As soon as everything is ready my uncle chuckles. “Wah dem know bout?” before he asks for more liquor.

I start calling Zara’s phone and just as I expected, he answers. “Prezi?”

My anger starts boiling just by hearing his voice. “Give mi woman the phone,” I say in deadpan.

“Mi never know you co—”

“Give mi woman the phone,” I repeat.

He chuckles before he gives her the phone. She looks at me but she stays silent and my face softens. I scan her face and I realize she looks good physically but I’m not sure mentally.

“You good?” I ask.

She nods.”Mi alright.”

“Him put him hand pan yuh?” I ask and she nods. My anger is boiling.

“Wah? Give him back the phone,” I say and he takes it.

“Mi nuh fraid a yuh enuh Prezzi, never been one fi fear yuh and mi still nuh frighten fi yuh name,” he says and I chuckle. Dat him a say now.

“Big talk… you a nuh woman so mi nuh wah yuh frighten fi mi name,” I say glaring at him and he glares back.

“Still gwaan like you a Don,” he says and I ignore him, getting to what I’m really concerned about.

“Yuh really put yuh hand pan har?” I ask.

“Weh yuh nuh ask yuh woman,” he says, putting his arms around her and I glare at him.

“Mi nuh put mi hand pan har enuh fool so you nuh fi put yuh hand pan har,” I say in a deadly tone. “Yuh wah lose yuh hand?” I ask and he knows what I’m talking about.

He knows that I’m serious and he’s still chuckling. The man a irritate me. I glare at him because that’s the worst thing he could ever do. Everybody know seh dem nuh fi mess with me enuh, except, Lennox.

“Yuh dead enuh,” I tell him like a promise and he thinks I’m joking. He starts laughing.

“Hear the man,” he continues to laugh.

Him nuh see say yuh nah joke? Eh nuh look so.

“Mi deeven a wild you enuh Lennox… just move yuh hand from around har and mek she leave with har friend right now and start count yuh days,” I warn.

“Count me days,” he laughs before he looks at Zara. “You nah leff yasso enuh,” he says to her.

“Yuh wah tell me that?” I ask, venom laced through my voice.

“She nah lef yasso,” he repeats, looking at me. Bwoy feel bad. Wait til’ mi ketch it..

I quickly merge the call with Gutta and their face are covered with their gun on his sister. I watch as the life left his face almost immediately. This is just a teaser… wait til mi ready fi yuh.

Mek sure yuh tek off him hand too… the bwoy touches.

“Manda?” he gasp. I start imagining him begging as I torture him.

“You have my woman and my friend dem have yuh sister.” I give him a sinister smile.

He looks confused. “Doh put unuh hand pan har enuh,” he says and Gutta laughs.

“Hey bwoy shet up,” he chuckles and Rick joins.

“Dat him betta do,” Rick laughs.

I glare at Lennox, thinking of so many ways to kill him. I’m definitely gonna torture him, I don’t care about our history. “Let go mi woman and mek she leff right now,” I say again and he glares at me before he loosens his arm.

“Oh,” I tease. “And if you and yuh idiot friend dem try nothing unuh dead.”

“Gwaan like yah badman too much,” he says.

“Mi know unuh nuh know this but more than a dozen rifle a point pan unuh right now so do the right.” I warn in a calm tone.

He looks around before he looks back at me.

He laughs even though he realizes that his plan is going south.

Zara grabs the phone from him before she gets off the roof with Suzanne.

I could have ordered the Outlaws to shoot them but I have to be smart because Mario isn’t far away and this would help him with his case and I don’t want that.

I know Lennox and he’s going to try to start a war because of this especially when I let him go.

But I can’t start a war right now for several reasons.

He’s gonna get ready to start a war with me so I have to be prepared for him to strike when I least expect it.

I’m not worried though because I will be in Jamaica and I will have Zara and mi youth protected so I will be ready.