Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
UNKNOWN
“Excuse me,” I said, stepping into her space. “I couldn’t help but notice you. You gotta be one of the most beautiful women I’ve laid eyes on in a long time.”
She smiled, trying to be sexy. She knew the effect she had on most men and thought I was one of the simps that let her play them. That shy little look was cute, but I saw through it instantly. Innocent wasn’t her lane. Women like her learned early how to survive off attention and how to use it.
“Thank you,” she said, twisting a finger through her long pink hair, her eyes flashing the moment she took me in. Already thinking she might have hit the jackpot tonight.
“Let me buy you a drink,” I spoke.
She laughed under her breath and leaned back slightly. “A drink?” Her eyes slid toward her friends. Three girls pretending to dance but listening to every word. “You don’t see my friends standing here with me?”
I smirked. She was testing me. I caught the waitress before she could pass. “Two bottles of whatever they want and put it on my tab.”
That really got all their attention. A group full of gold diggers not knowing the monster their friend had dug up. The music didn’t stop, but the energy shifted. Her friends’ eyes widened. Imani’s gaze snapped back to me, slower this time, like she was reassessing the whole situation.
“Now,” I said calmly, “that I got your homegirls covered can I get you that drink?”
She bit her lip, pretending to think about it. Then she placed her hand in mine.
I led her toward the back away from the lights, her friends and the noise. I felt her hips sway a little extra with every step, like she was trying too hard to keep me locked in.
She didn’t know the truth. I wasn’t here for fun I was here for her. We slid into the bar stools. I leaned back, studying her.
“Jackson,” I said, extending my hand.
“Imani,” she replied with a giggle, slipping her fingers into mine.
I brought her hand to my lips, kissed the back of it slow. Feeling her overly oily skin, and at that exact moment I felt her pulse jump. Got her.
“Imani,” I said, eyes never leaving hers. “That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
I didn’t let go. Truth was, I could break her fucking knuckles right there if I wanted to. End everything before it even started. But this job didn’t require noise. I was supposed to be in and out, making sure not to leave a trail.
“You look so familiar,” she said, eyes narrowing like she was digging through memories. “You from around here?”
“Nah,” I replied smoothly. “But I got family on this side of town.”
She hummed, studying me harder. “Anybody I might know?”
“I doubt it.” I shrugged. “They real quiet. Keep to themselves.”
A half-truth. She knew exactly who my people were. But tonight wasn’t about family names or old reputations. Tonight was about redemption.
“What you drinking on?” I asked, already lifting a finger to catch the bartender’s attention.
She leaned closer, voice dropping low as if she was telling me a secret. “Sex on the Beach.” She smiled, biting her lip like she was daring me to misread her.
Thirty seconds. That’s all it took. I could already see how this played out how she played men.
Females like her thought flashing a smile and hips was power.
Thought the clothes, the jewelry, the bottles meant they’d won something.
Disgust curled in my gut because she thought I was a mark.
Thought a few bottles for her friends meant I was soft and like always she thought wrong.
“Anything for you?” the bartender asked.
I shook my head, slipping her a bill as our eyes met. No words needed. Barbie knew the drill. She tucked the money away with a nod, already moving like nothing happened. That’s how we worked; quick, clean, and quiet. No big scenes. No questions asked because there could never be any loose ends.
Imani smiled at me again, clueless, tracing the rim of the glass like she was already feeling the effects of the pill Barbie slipped in her drink.
And I watched her the way a hunter watches prey.
I sat there nodding, pretending to listen, while Imani ran her mouth about all the places she wanted to see.
Paris, Dubai, somewhere warm where people laid out on boats all day soaking up the sun.
She talked about designer bags, exclusive boutiques, private flights nothing that couldn’t be bought, nothing that mattered.
Materialistic and selfish. Exactly the kind of grimy female I pictured her to be.
Women like her didn’t change. They just learned how to hide the dirt better.
And even if she could change, it didn’t matter.
She’d already crossed the line the moment I found out she had her hands in Stormi’s shooting.
Stormi was blood and with that I knew, this was mine to handle. Seth couldn’t touch her. She was the mother of his child. Stormi couldn’t do it either. Her heart was too soft. So, this one fell on me.
“You’re so quiet,” Imani said, cutting her eyes at me. “You always this mysterious?”
I leaned back, forcing a smile. “I could listen to you talk all night.”
The bartender slid another drink in front of her. Imani didn’t hesitate. She downed it in one gulp, wiped her mouth, and grinned like she was proud of herself.
I caught Barbie shaking her head behind the bar, just slightly. I smiled back because I knew exactly what she was thinking and I knew exactly how this would end.
“So,” Imani said, leaning closer now, voice slick. “What kind of work you do?”
“I invest in stocks.”
She raised a brow. “You look so young though,” she said, her words beginning to slur.
“Age don’t mean you can’t make real money,” I replied calmly. “Just means people underestimate you.”
She laughed, touching my arm. “I like that.”
I stood up slowly, extending my hand, knowing by the change in her body it was time to head out. “Let’s get out of here.”
She didn’t hesitate. Not for a second. Her fingers slid into mine, as she stood and smoothed down her short pink leather dress.
Head high and hips swaying. Already counting money that wasn’t hers.
She walked straight toward the exit like she’d just hit the jackpot, thinking she found a simp.
She had no idea she was walking out with the worst mistake of her life.
And I followed right behind her, calm as ever, ready to collect what was owed.
The valet pulled my car around, and the moment Imani saw the McLaren Speed tail, her whole face changed. Eyes wide and smile greedy as always.
“This is your car?” she asked, stepping closer like it might disappear if she blinked.
“One of them,” I said casually, sliding a tip into the valet’s hand before opening her door.
She slipped inside like she belonged there. I walked around to the driver’s side, pausing just long enough to catch Barbie in my peripheral as she headed toward the parking lot. Our eyes met for half a second.
The engine roared to the night breeze, and the second I pulled out, Imani leaned back in the seat, already comfortable.
“So how about we go back to your place?” she asked.
I smirked. “You read my mind.”
I turned the music up, bass rattling the windows, and hit the gas. The city blurred as I pushed the car down the highway, lights streaking past us. She laughed, gripping the seat, loving every second of it.
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into one of my rental properties quiet street, lights low exactly how I liked it. I parked and stepped out first, walking around to open her door. She hopped out, smoothing her dress, still smiling like the night was about to end in her favor.
I glanced down the road. Barbie’s car sat exactly where it was supposed to be. She was on point like always. I shut the door behind us, the sound echoing just a little too loud in the silence.
“Your house just as nice as my baby daddy’s,” she said the moment she stepped inside, heels clicking against the floor as she looked around like she was already rearranging furniture in her head.
“Oh yeah?” I asked casually. “Who’s your baby daddy?”
She laughed. “Playboy Seth. Don’t let that scare you off, though.”
I turned to her slowly. “No man will ever put fear in my heart.”
She liked that answer. I could see it all over her face.
“Good,” she said, stepping closer, pressing her body against mine. “’Cause I need a man like you in my life. He moving on with his bitch ass wife, so I’m about to do the same.”
Her hand slid up my chest. And that’s when everything inside me snapped tight.
Bitch ass wife hearing that spill so easily from Imani’s mouth made heat flood my vision.
My smile stayed in place though, but my hands curled into fists at my sides.
If she only knew how close she was to dying right, there on my living room floor.
I forced myself to breathe and stay in control.
This wasn’t the moment. I caught her wrist gently, just enough to stop her hand and looked down at her with a calm she didn’t deserve.
“Careful,” I warned. “You talk reckless.”
She laughed it off, thinking it was flirtation, thinking she had the upper hand. She had no idea she was standing inches away from a man who already knew her sins and had planned her ending.
“I feel a little dizzy,” she said, stumbling into the living room like her legs forgot how they worked.
I watched her sway and try and reach for balance. I let her fall. Didn’t even flinch or try and make a move to help her. Just stood there as her body hit the floor with a dull thud.
“Wait… I don’t feel so good,” she murmured, words slipping off her tongue.
She tried to roll, but her limbs wouldn’t follow. Now she was flat on her back, staring at the ceiling like it might save her.
“Can you help me up?” she asked, arm stretching toward me.
I slapped her hand away. “Fuck no, you dumb ass bitch,” I snapped. “This the same way you and Dre left Stormi pregnant and bleeding out.”
Her brow creased. “Stormi?” she slurred. “What she got to do with this?”
“She’s, my sister.”
The words hit harder than my hand ever could. I watched her eyes widen, watched the panic try to rise but her body was already betraying her. Whatever Barbie slipped her had her locked in place, mind screaming, muscles dead.
“Damn,” Barbie said, stepping into the house. “This bitch still alive?”
“Not for long,” I replied, kneeling so I was eye level with Imani.
Her breath was shallow now. Fear finally caught up.
“Guess the cat’s out the bag,” I said calmly. “All that grimy shit you pulled. It helped me find my family. So, thanks for that. You gonna watch Stormi raise your son from hell.”
Her lips trembled. I stood and reached for the piece. Barbie already had the silencer screwed on tight. Quiet neighborhood and it needed to stay that way. I didn’t hesitate. I stood over Imani and emptied the clip into her body.
Barbie sucked her teeth. “Damn. Talk about overkill.”
“She played with my sister,” I said, handing the gun back like it was nothing.
Barbie took it, watching me closely. “Same sister you still ain’t told who you are?”
I grabbed the plastic. “Waiting on the right time.”
“You think she know about you already?” Barbie asked, holding one end while I wrapped the body.
“No,” I said, my jaw tightening. “My father told me Jo hid the pregnancy from her family. When I was born, she dropped me on his doorstep and said I’d be better off with him.”
“Damn,” Barbie said. “I wish some exciting shit like that happened in my family.”
“This shit ain’t exciting,” I muttered, nodding for her to help lift the body.
Barbie laughed softly. “I’m just saying it sound like a Tubi movie. You know I love them shits.”
I shook my head as we dragged Imani’s body into the garage and loaded her into the white van. I wasn’t ready to introduce myself to the family I’d just discovered, but I was more than ready to come behind anyone who ever thought they could play with them.