Chapter 13 - Kennedy #3
“Sounds smart to me, but back to her posting Relic. I thought you said he wasn’t dating anyone, Kenn,” Tammy reminded her while fluffing her client’s curls. Her teasing tone didn’t go unnoticed.
“He’s not with anyone. Just because she’s posting him doesn’t mean shit.”
“Well, I thought maybe you two were dating after he came in here that one time and broke the mirror with your phone ‘cause you were ignoring him. Guess I was wrong, huh?”
“Wait, his name is Relic? Didn’t she just say that y’all work for Relic?” Foil girl stared between them like it’d just clicked.
“Yes, that’s what she said. You must live under a rock or something. He owns this, the record label, and the spot next door. A restaurant, too.”
“Oh, Aura struck gold with that nigga! If he ain’t her man, she better throw as much pussy on him as she can to lock him down. What’s his social handles? I want to get a better look at him.”
Porsha laughed. “He might be on the label’s page, but he doesn’t have a personal one. I already checked. You can tell he’s lowkey, with his fine, mysterious, shades wearing ass.”
“Well, he ain’t ‘bout to be lowkey much longer if he’s fucking with an industry bitch.
You see, she already posts him any chance she gets.
A CEO and his rapper hoe? They gon’ make waves real soon, trust. If she’s smart, she’ll trap his ass with a baby before the next pretty girl with a fat ass slides in and steals her spot. ”
Kennedy scoffed and picked at her fish as the words punched her in the gut like they were meant for her.
Relic was willing to pay her millions to give him a baby, but she had denied his request as if cheaper, faker options weren’t right at his fingertips.
More so, an industry bitch who was willing to do anything to keep up a facade that had almost gotten her killed, unbeknownst to her.
It’d been a while since Kennedy had felt replaceable, but the conversation, she wished she could slip away from without being noticed, slowly injected that emotion in her veins like an IV drip.
It perplexed her, their obsession with him and Aura over some pictures she doubted he’d smiled in, and phony giggles Relic would choke out of Aura if she annoyed him enough.
Her eyes rose from her plate at that nerve grating sound as Porsha showed the girls the video she’d been talking about.
Kennedy realized right then; she liked it better when Relic was a ghost, and his name didn’t roll off the tongues of every thirsty, desperate whore who was looking for her next come up.
Those kinds of women were worse than his opps because they carried weapons niggas never spotted until it was too late.
The salon door chiming snatched Kennedy out of her head and sent her attention to the entrance.
She sprang up, almost dropping her fish platter as the detectives who had interrogated her about Lomar sauntered into the building with curious eyes and unreadable expressions that put her on edge in an instant.
After placing her food on her booth countertop, she waved a hand, so they’d see her.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. Can I help you two with something?”
The tub of lard detective, who she had learned during their last encounter was named Edwards, stepped forward first—slipping a hand inside his slacks pocket with a snarl Kennedy was dying to match. It was clear that he wasn’t a fan of hers, and the feeling was fucking mutual.
“Is there someplace where we can chat privately, Ms. Sutton? My partner and I have a few things we would like to update you on. It won’t take long.”
Kennedy could tell that his approach was a crock of bullshit, but replied, “We can speak in my office. Follow me.”
Without waiting to see if they were on her heels, she grabbed her purse and strutted toward her office, taking a sharp inhale to settle her stomach that somersaulted with each step.
She figured there was a possibility they’d reach out to her again at some point, but she’d hoped like hell it wouldn’t happen.
Kennedy debated whether or not to call Morrone as she dug in her purse for her keys to unlock her office door.
She pushed it open and stepped aside to allow the men access, deciding to hold off on reaching out to her lawyer since it’d seem like she was guilty of something.
“This is a real nice salon,” Edwards complimented as he strolled inside, gazing around with an approving nod. “It just opened a few months ago, right?”
“It did.”
Kennedy left the detectives where they stood to head to her desk, rounding it to sit down before she crossed her legs and propped both hands on her knees. They shot one another fleeting glances and then migrated to the center of the room while continuing to check it out.
“What did we need to discuss?” she pressed, ready to get the shit over with.
“There was a big break in your case, and we figured you’d love to hear about it.”
“So, you caught the other robber?”
“Something like that.” The second detective stepped in, giving his signature good guy smile that Kennedy saw right though. “I’m sure you’ve heard of a local female rap artist by the name of Aura. She was abducted and robbed recently. The story is everywhere.”
Kennedy batted her lashes. “I’m familiar with it.”
“I would assume so, especially since we realized your nephew, Tekken, is signed to the same label as her. It’s run and owned by a Relic Blaise, correct? So is this salon.”
“I’m confused. I thought this conversation was about the guy who robbed me.”
“Woman.”
“Excuse me?” Kennedy cocked her head with her face pinched like she’d heard him wrong. “Are you telling me, a woman was with Lomar that night?”
Edwards chuckled. “You’re good at that, you know? Playing dumb.”
“Well, I’m glad you know that I’m far from stupid, so cut the games. Why are you here? Because it sounds to me like it has nothing to do with my situation.”
“I’m getting there. James and I were coming up short with finding the other robber before the Aura incident, but once prints from that crime scene went into our databases, guess what we found? A match. I’m sure you know of one Ronniesha Jenkins.”
“Ronnie? I do, and we used to work together. I didn’t like the bitch,” she admitted with a straight face. “I didn’t know her and Aura were cool, though.”
“So, you’re telling me that the woman who helped to rob you, being with Aura the night she was abducted, and you both working for Mr. Blaise, is one big coincidence?”
“Not at all,” Kennedy retorted, standing up.
Her arms crossed as she conjectured, “I think they were connected. I believe that Ronnie worked with Lomar, and she probably worked with the men who snatched up Aura, too. Her ass is the common denominator in the equation, not Aura nor myself. Mr. Blaise has thriving businesses, and they saw it. So, Lomar pretended to date me, so he could get close, and then Ronnie befriended Aura to do the same. Both of their plans just happened to backfire, it seems.”
“And you just put that together in the minute or so of me giving you that information?” he quizzed, making her smile.
“I did. See how simple your job is when you focus on facts instead of trying to puzzle together pieces that don’t fit? Be sure to tell your superior who really solved the case for you while you pussyfooted around. Anything else?”
James spit out a boisterous laugh that Kennedy could tell was genuine as his head tipped back a bit, and Adam’s apple jumped.
She noted, from the entertained glint in his eyes; he was both impressed and intrigued by her.
He was worse than officer Tolliver, but she found it endearing that black men with badges had hard-ons for her in the wrong sense.
Kennedy was the last women they should’ve found attractive.
“I have one more question,” he stated, but she raised a hand to stop him.
“That question was rhetorical. I’m not answering shit else, but you have my attorney’s number, right? Run it by him. Let me walk you gentlemen out.”
“We’ll see ourselves out,” Edwards grumbled, giving his partner a reprimanding glower before walking off.
James followed suit, and Kennedy was right on their asses, watching to ensure they left her salon without doing some shady shit.
As soon as they were gone, and she saw them climbing into their vehicle through the window, she hauled ass back into her office—locking her door behind her before beelining straight for the mirrors tacked on the wall behind her desk.
Relic was dead set on accepting his karma, but she refused to take any chances with her own.
Her thoughts flooded with her next moves as she gripped the mirror in the center on both sides like she’d watched him do.
Before she could remove it, her purse blared and juddered on her desk, causing her heart to ram against her chest.
“Fuck!”
She released the mirror and tousled her braids with a strained laugh, shaking off her nerves before she snatched up her purse to fish her phone out of it. As if he knew that she was up to no good, Relic’s name covered the screen.
“How can I help you?” she answered before spinning in a circle, inspecting the walls and corners. It didn’t cross her mind until that moment; Relic could’ve put cameras in her office like his home.
“What are you doing, Larenn?”
“Nothing. Just finished eating and was about to run a few errands.”
“We can run them together then. I’m about to scoop you up in thirty minutes. I want to show you something.”
She cursed under her breath before reminding him, “I drove. What about my car?”
“I can swing you back there to get it, Kennedy. Don’t you have to lock up the salon, anyway? Fuck are all these excuses for? Yo other nigga there or something?”
“Nope. Just a salon full of women talking about you and your other bitch.”
The line went so silent; Kennedy removed the phone from her ear to check if Relic was still there. The most ain’t shit funny laugh shot from her before he sighed.
“Look, would you rather fuss about the same shit on a new day, or see what I want to show you?”
“I feel like this is a trick question. Is it multiple choice or...?”
“Just bring your ass outside when you see me pull up, and leave that stank ass attitude in there.”
He hung up in her ear, and her eyes rolled before she dropped her phone back into her purse and then turned to face the mirror hiding the answers to her problems behind it.
Relic had interrupted her mission, but she’d figure out a solution before the day was out.
Another situation crossed her mind, and she spun to shove her hand to the bottom of her bag, shuffling items around to locate the card Morrone had given her.
One thing Kennedy had learned from Relic was that if she wanted shit done right, she had to do it herself. It was time she took certain matters into her own hands.