Taeja

11. Chapter 11

11

Her heart dropped to her feet. She should’ve known that Damon wouldn’t listen. Her guys were nothing if not stubborn. “Damon, he didn’t say anything,” she insisted. “Please go bac—”

Jerry scoffed. “No, doh hide who yu be from him! You should know all about your girlfriend and if she is worth being with. Go on and tell him how much of a whore y—”

Jerry’s words got knocked out of his mouth.

Taeja gasped. She froze as Damon landed another powerful blow toward Jerry. Jerry narrowly dodged it before his fist went flying toward Damon’s face.

“Unu stop it!” Taeja exclaimed. She didn’t move from her position, she knew better. Both men were stronger than her, and she had to admit that she was worried for Damon despite his buff build. Her Damon was always so sweet, and as old as her father was, Jerry always bragged about how good of a fighter he was back in his day. And as she stood there, watching the two grown men tussle, it proved to be true.

Grunts, fists, and expletives exchanged between the two, making tears swell in Taeja’s eyes. Pulling her phone out, she called the only person she thought could de-escalate this situation.

Zain.

He answered on the first ring.

“Zain,” she cried, not taking her eyes off the men tussling on the floor .

“Are you okay?” he asked, his tone dark.

“Can you come to my dad’s house, please? Damon and Jerry are fighting, and I-I don’t know what to do.”

Zain hung up.

Taeja wasn’t sure how far away he was, but she didn’t want the situation to escalate before he arrived. She ran to the garage and searched for a bucket. She grabbed a hose and filled it with cold water. Taeja moved as fast as she could with the heavy bucket, groaning as water spilled over the sides and splashed onto the floors. By the time she reached the foyer, the bucket was half empty, and her father and Damon were bleeding.

Quickly, she ran over and tossed the water on them, but the men didn’t break up their fight. “Damon, stop!” she pleaded again, her cries falling on deaf ears. Desperate for them not to kill each other, she ran back to the garage and filled up another bucket with cold water. Tears blinded her vision as she stumbled over her feet back to the foyer, sounds of fists meeting skin and groans of pain leading her way.

Arriving in the foyer, she prepared to douse them with the water again when the front door opened. Taeja’s head whipped in the direction. Seeing Zain, she released a quiet breath and dropped the bucket onto the wet floor.

Zain did a quick assessment of the room before his attention locked on her. He did a slow scan of her, tension leaving his body, before he looked at Jerry and Damon.

“Stop stand up and do sum!” she yelled at Zain.

Zain narrowed his eyes on Damon, who straddled Jerry and landed ferocious blows to his face. “Why?”

Taeja’s mouth slackened. “Wa yu mean why?! Dem gon kill each other!”

Zain crossed his arms, leaning on the wall behind him. His eyes shone and a small smirk crawled on his face. “Damon, take your thumb out your fist.”

Taeja went into more shock. She called Zain for help, and he came to coach Damon? These three men were bound to be the death of her.

Realizing she needed to do this herself, Taeja gritted her teeth and stepped toward the brawling men .

“Taeja,” came Zain’s icy voice, freezing her in her tracks.

“Mi nago mek Damon kill mi father!” she yelled, pointing a finger toward them. “Stop them right now, or mi gon call the police!”

Zain’s eyes narrowed on her, daring her to.

Usually, when Zain looked at her like this, it would set her entire body aflame. That didn’t happen this time. The situation was too dire for her to think of anything that didn’t involve breaking up the fight.

Taeja returned Zain’s harsh glare, not backing down. Their stare-down lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity until Zain gave in. Sighing, Zain strolled over and pulled Damon off Jerry. As Damon straightened his shoulders, Zain brushed down the front of his shirt.

Taeja didn’t hesitate to run over, falling to her knees by her father’s side. Jerry looked a mess. His nose was broken and bleeding. His lip was busted, and one of his eyes was already showing signs of swelling.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she shook his shoulder. “Jerry, wake up!”

Jerry remained unresponsive.

Angry, Taeja faced her men. Damon was huffing and in a less battered state than Jerry. As thankful as she was, Damon’s well-being didn’t take away from her anger.

“Why yu do this to mi father?!” she screamed.

Damon wiped a finger across his top lip, pulling it back to look at it. Seeing blood, he glared at Jerry before his eyes moved to hers. “He called you a whore.”

Zain sneered. “He tried it this morning, too.”

“So, he got what he deserved.”

Sighing, she stood. Carefully maneuvering around the water, she walked toward Damon and took his hand by the wrist. “Let me take care of that for you,” she said before looking at Zain. “Can you bring my dad to the living room?”

“No,” Zain said.

She pouted. “Please?”

Zain heaved a loud breath before looking at the man on the floor.

Taeja watched with a smile as Zain grabbed Jerry by the ankle and hauled him away. “Thank you,” she said before leading Damon upstairs to her room .

Damon paused at the door. He did a long scan of the room before his eyes settled on hers, burning with disapproval.

Taeja cleared her throat. “Just pretend you don’t see them.” She tugged him toward the desk chair beside the window, then helped him to sit. She moved to the closet for a clean towel.

“I should pretend that there aren’t pictures of a half-naked man all over your room?”

Taeja spun around, her hands akimbo as she declared, “It’s not just any man. It’s Kirone Tyke!”

He’d been her favorite Jamaican singer for as long as she could remember. His music was slow, sensual, and sexually explicit. His stage shows were beyond the definition of raunchy, but Taeja loved it all. Maybe it was because she could relate to him. Not many people approved of how freely and openly he spoke about sex, and she admired his bravery.

“I don’t know who that is, and I don’t want to know.”

“Are you jealous?” she teased as she walked toward him, and he glared. Smirking, Taeja placed her hands on his thighs then leaned down to whisper in his ear, “You are jealous.”

When she pulled back with a bright smile, Damon’s glare deepened before he looked around the room in distaste. “You need to get rid of all this shit.”

She giggled. “I don’t live here anymore, remember? I have houses now.”

Damon looked back at her. “So?”

Amused, Taeja smiled before leaning in to kiss him. Damon pulled back, the action so subtle it looked like he didn’t even move.

Taeja’s brows furrowed. “What?”

“I’m bleeding.”

“I just swallowed your kids. Do you think I care about a little blood?”

Damon smirked before leaning in, and she happily met him halfway. The kiss tasted metallic, but Taeja still loved it. Damon’s kisses were always so gentle.

Those sweet seconds were cut short when she sensed someone at the door. She looked over at Zain.

Zain’s brow raised. “Why’d you stop? ”

Taeja chuckled. “I need to fix him. Not get him horny.” She walked toward her bathroom while saying over her shoulder, “Did my dad wake up?”

“No.”

She sighed as she grabbed the first aid kit from below the counter, then returned to the room. Zain was lying on her bed, throwing a stress ball at the ceiling, then catching it. Damon had wiped away most of the dried blood. She rested the kit atop the desk, then grabbed the necessary supplies before tending to his minor wounds.

“You didn’t need to do this,” she said to him.

“I did,” Damon hissed. “You’re our girl. No one’s going to call you a whore and get away with it.”

Hearing Zain’s hum, Taeja glanced at him. “I’m surprised you haven’t said anything about my posters.”

Zain scoffed, not breaking his focus on the ball. “This man doesn’t come close to us, Taeja. I don’t care.”

Smiling, Taeja looked back at Damon. “All done.”

“Thank you,” Damon said, and she grinned.

“No more fights.”

“I will always fight for you, Taeja.”

She frowned. “Yu know mi nuh like when yu call me Taeja.” Hearing Zain’s snicker, she rolled her eyes. “Mi nuh know how me gon manage the two a unu.”

They glanced at each other before looking at her.

Marking their behavior as odd, Taeja crossed her arms. “What was that about?”

“You don’t need to worry about that yet.” Damon leaned forward, kissing her nose before standing. “Let’s get you home.”

“But my dad—”

“Fuck him,” Zain said as he got out of the bed.

Her heart sank, and she looked away from them.

Damon laced a finger beneath her chin, making her look up at him. “I know you don’t want to hear that, but it’s true. A good parent doesn’t mistreat their kid.”

Sighing, she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. Damon rested his chin on her head as he held her closely, making her feel safe.

“I know, but he’s still my dad,” she said, looking at Zain, who was watching them. Taeja’s heart ached for him, too.

“I’ll be outside,” Zain said before leaving the room.

Taeja sighed and looked at Damon, who still looked handsome with a busted lip. “Did I trigger him?”

Damon shook his head. “If anything, Zain’s angry that he wasn’t the one that got to fight Jerry.”

“My dad is a lawyer, you know?”

“I have money.”

“He does, too.”

“Jerry can’t sue me because I can find all his secrets and blackmail him.” He broke away from the hug to throw an arm over her shoulder. “Do you need anything before we leave?”

Taeja glanced around her room, recommitting everything to memory. Looking toward the door, she shook her head. She wanted to start anew. With them.

“Okay,” Damon said, then led them downstairs.

She wanted to go check on her father, but Damon didn’t allow her to.

“He’s grown. He can take care of himself.”

Taeja rolled her eyes as he led them through the door. Her eyes widened when she saw a throttling bike parked in her driveway. Zain stood beside it. She didn’t know much about bikes, but this sleek, black bike suited Zain well.

She walked out of Damon’s hold toward Zain. Her eyes glistened as she admired the bike. “Can I ride with you?”

Zain didn’t hesitate to reply, “No.”

Taeja’s shoulders slumped as she looked from the bike at him. “Why not?”

“I didn’t bring my helmet, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Next time?” she asked, and he nodded. “Pinky promise?”

Zain looked at her finger before meeting her eyes. The faintest of smirks crawled onto his face when he linked their fingers. “I promise, Taeja.”

Her smile brightened as she squealed, making Zain’s smirk stretch.

Freeing their fingers, Zain mounted his bike. He nodded toward Damon. “Go with Damon.”

Zain’s veins were pronounced as his fingers tightened around the handlebar, making her wish that was her neck instead. She almost scolded herself for thinking inappropriately at a time like this. It wasn’t her fault Zain’s sex appeal just went up by a thousand.

“Be careful, please,” she said, guilt seeping into her because Zain left home in a hurry for her and forgot one of his most important pieces of protection.

“I’m always careful.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped backward. “See you at home, Zain.”

Zain nodded and was about to ride off when Damon approached them.

“Can I have a minute with Zain, baby?” he asked.

Her brows furrowed. “In private?” she asked, and he nodded. Her eyes flickered between them, unsure why they suddenly needed privacy. Not wanting to cause an issue, she nodded and went to Damon’s car.

Now sitting in the front, she watched as they talked. She couldn’t hear what they were saying nor make out their facial expressions from here, but by their body language, it looked like they were arguing.

“Mi hope dem nuh start fight, cause me cya bother,” Taeja mumbled as she grabbed her phone and texted Liyah.

You would never believe what just happened.

But I know you’re probably still busy with Mason, so let me know when you can talk.

I can talk now. Mi run such man from mi yaad long time ago.

Me done wid him! For real this time.

Me nuh believe yu, but why yu “done” wid him this time?

Taeja looked up from her phone when she heard the roar of Zain’s bike before he blazed off. Damon opened the door and took his seat. He was visibly irritated .

“Everything okay?” Taeja asked.

Damon nodded as they drove off.

She nibbled on her lip, debating what to do. She didn’t want to pressure him to speak, so she took his hand in hers and trailed her thumb along the bruised skin of his knuckles. “Thanks… for what you did back there.”

“You don’t need to thank me for that.”

“I do,” she insisted. “No one has ever come to my defense like that before when it comes to my dad.”

“Really?”

Taeja nodded. “I don’t have a lot of family, so not everyone knows how Jerry treats me. I only have my mom and grandma, but I haven’t seen or heard from Cassedi since she left me.”

“Left?”

Taeja sighed. “Yes… when I was eleven. Whenever I was on summer break, they’d usually alternate who dropped me at Teddy to spend the day. One day it was Cassedi’s turn to drop me off and pick me up, but Jerry came for me instead. I waited up the night for her to give me a goodnight kiss and hug, but Jerry told me to go to sleep. He said Cassedi needed a break to clear her head, but she never came back.”

“What about your grandmother?”

Taeja sneered. “She’s worse than my dad. Teddy doesn’t like me because she never liked Cassedi. I don’t like speaking about her.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m so sorry, Taeja.”

Just this once, she allowed his use of her name to slide. “It’s fine… I’m sorry for dumping all my problems on you.”

“Don’t say that,” he said while glancing from the road to give her a comforting smile. “You’re ours. Your problems are our problems.”

She smiled. “I really appreciate you, Damon. Mi hope mi nuh ruin yu.”

He chuckled. “Ruin me?”

Taeja nodded. “I don’t know how to say this except to just come out and say it, so… You don’t seem to have any problems. You’re not fucked up like me and Zain. It makes me scared that our relationship won’t work. ”

“It’ll work because we want it to work,” he assured as they drove onto his driveway. Parking beside Zain’s bike, he faced her. “And I don’t know how to say this except to just come out and say it,” he said with a smirk that made Taeja chuckle. “I agree that I’m not like you and my brother, but I do have problems like any other person. I just try my best not to let it define me, and I hope one day you guys can be the same. There is still good to the both of you, and it helps me to be a better person.”

Her brows furrowed. “How does that help you?”

“I like taking care of people. Who better to take care of other than my brother and our girlfriend?”

She smiled. “You have a point.”

“I know,” he said with a grin. “I’ll get the door for you.”

Taeja watched as Damon exited, jogged around the car, then opened the door for her. She thanked him and they grabbed the shopping bags, then made small talk up to the door. She waited by his side while he opened the door before allowing her to enter first. While Damon closed the door, Taeja heard an unfamiliar voice drifting from the direction of the kitchen.

Damon sucked in a big breath. “Taeja, there’s something I need to tell you—”

Her brows furrowed as Damon trailed off, his eyes locking on something behind her. Turning around, Taeja saw someone. This was an unfamiliar face. Jealousy raged inside Taeja as she scrutinized the woman from head to toe, wondering who she was and why she was so comfortable in Damon’s house.

In their house.

Before Taeja could demand answers to the questions swirling in her head, the blonde spoke: “This is her?”