Chapter 7 #3
Morgan’s eyes misted because in a world where he had stayed or even if he had made the choice to take her with him, they could have survived.
She would have never tried to commit suicide.
They would have three healthy babies. Bash would have never touched her.
He would have never slept with Bleu. She would have never fallen in love with Ahmeek, and The Crew would still be together.
Messiah read her thoughts, and his eyes burned as he stared at her with conviction. “It’s the biggest mistake of my life, shorty. I started us down this road, so whatever happens, I’ma take the blame. You hear me?”
“I thought you hated new Mo,” she whispered.
“New Mo, old Mo…both you mu’fuckas got a nigga heart in a chokehold,” Messiah said.
He pressed his forehead to Morgan’s, and Morgan just wanted to freeze time.
It reminded her of the passion she felt years ago when he had stood with her just like this at Berston Field House.
He had knocked a nigga’s teeth across the gym floor out of pure jealousy, then stood toe to toe, forehead to forehead, heart to heart with her, just like this.
He had taken her breath away then and now. If only time could move backward.
Morgan pulled away first and walked out of the room.
“Let’s get this over with,” Ethic said as soon as he saw her.
Morgan sauntered over to him, and Ethic cleared her tears with his thumb.
It reminded her of how he had wiped so many tears away when she was a little girl.
He would listen to her cry and then clear her eyes, making her feel better instantly.
She felt the same calming effect wash over her now.
She was a grown-ass woman with children of her own, but she was still under the care of Ethic Okafor. “Have I ever let you down?”
She shook her head. “Never.”
“Then trust me, Mo. Everything is under control.”
“Indeed, it is,” Einstein added. “This is just an interview. Morgan, you’re a loving mother of two children who is dealing with a very sick child.
You’re the most unlikely of suspects, but you’re the closest to the royal family, so you must be questioned.
There’s no avoiding your participation, but we can choose how much to divulge.
Let me do my job. It’s what you pay me for,” Einstein added.
“Let’s have a seat and go over the questions I anticipate them asking. ”
He led the way into a conference room and motioned for her to sit. Einstein sat on one side, Ethic and Morgan sat on the other.
“First thing I want you to remember is that you’re dealing with law enforcement. They’re trained to gather a confession and identify guilty behavior. You will also be recorded. Your every move is under scrutiny until they scratch you off their list of suspects.”
“Suspect for what?” Morgan asked. “What’s happened?”
Einstein looked at Ethic and nodded in approval, then focused on Morgan. “That’s the exact type of game you’re playing. One of two things will happen during this interview. You will con them, or they will con you.”
“I understand,” Morgan answered.
“When was the last time you spoke to Sebastian Frederick?” Einstein asked.
“I really can’t recall. We broke up, and I haven’t heard from him since,” Morgan answered.
“Was it an amicable split?”
“I cheated on him. He wasn’t very pleased with me when he left. The split was rough,” Morgan stated.
“You two fought?” Einstein asked.
“I was dishonest. I hurt him. Of course, we fought about it. We argued,” Morgan confirmed.
“And did things get physical?” Einstein asked.
Morgan paused. Her body reacted before she could control her response. She froze as her mind took her back in time. “He raped me.” She meant to say it in her head, but the words fell off her lips. It was her truth, and she was tired of withholding it. Her moments of violation.
“And that’s the detail that will get her arrested.” Einstein leaned in, speaking in a hushed tone as he jabbed a stern finger on the table. “That gives her motive. That can’t happen in a real interview.”
“I’m sorry, I know,” Morgan stammered. She had been running from her reality since before she could remember.
Trauma had raised her. From the day she lost her father, it had become her babysitter.
“I just never really thought I could say that to you,” Morgan said, turning to Ethic.
“I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to admit that it happened…
again. Ethic, how did I let this happen to me again? ”
Ethic turned sideways in his chair and leaned on his elbows as he reached for both of Mo’s hands.
“You were young. You’re still so young, Mo.
You ignored the warning signs. I can imagine there were moments when your gut was telling you something was wrong, and you ignored it.
I wish you had come to me about Bash. But hear this and burn it into your brain.
Nothing you did, or did not do, made any man take your body.
Nothing you wore. Nothing you said or didn’t say.
It doesn’t work like that. Good men don’t rob women for their own pleasure.
They don’t coerce. They don’t convince. They don’t force.
You were attacked by rapists. They were cowards.
They were demonic predators, and what they did wasn’t a result of something you did to them.
It was criminal, and that’s why they’re no longer breathing.
You have nothing to be ashamed about. Never let me hear you say that again. ”
Ethic turned to Einstein. “If she can’t handle the interview, can she opt to say nothing?”
“It will only make them smell blood, and once they do that, they won’t stop until they find something,” Einstein stated. “It’s best that we continue the prep.”
“I can do it,” Morgan asserted. “Let’s just continue.”
“You should step out, Mr. Okafor,” Einstein suggested. “She won’t have you as a crutch when dealing with the police, so she should get accustomed to doing this on her own.”
Ethic didn’t like it, but he knew Einstein was right.
He retreated to the hallway, giving Morgan one last glance before shutting the door behind him.
He pulled out his burner phone and paced the hall as he dialed out.
As soon as the call connected, Ethic spoke.
It was a shoulder he never thought he would tap, but in this game of life, he learned that all pieces needed to be moved around the board strategically. Ahmeek Harris.
“Is everything smooth on your end?” Ethic asked.
“Every duck is in a row. I’m ready for motion whenever you say go. Have they come for her yet?”
Ethic wasn’t fond of the man on the other end of the phone, but they shared a commonality. They shared a love for Morgan that reassured him that Ahmeek would play his part to keep her safe.
“Not yet, but the wolves are closing in. It won’t be long. She’ll be ready, just make sure you are. I need her alive, and most important, cooperative,” Ethic stated.
“Understood,” Ahmeek answered. “Is she good?”
Ethic hesitated. He knew the “she” Ahmeek spoke of. It wasn’t his place to inform Ahmeek of Morgan’s family circumstances. He simply asked, “What are your intentions with Mo?”
The question was ill-timed, and Ahmeek was unprepared to answer it.
His silence revealed a lot to Ethic, and he continued.
“Because she came home from Miami with more burden. She’s emotional.
She’s high, then she’s low. She’s trying to hold it together, but her feelings are bleeding all over the place.
She’s been here before, and I’m still nursing wounds from that situation. I won’t allow it again.”
“If Morgan would just trust a nigga, you wouldn’t have to nurse shit.
I’d make sure that girl never had to worry about anything, and I mean fucking anything, another day of her life.
She ain’t the only one who left Miami in her head.
My intentions are always good when it comes to her.
We won’t have an issue about that. About other shit, I’m sure, but about me mistreating her?
Nah, that’s never going to be a conversation we have,” Ahmeek stated.
“I got some commitments that she ain’t equipped to handle. That’s why she’s upset.”
“What kind of commitments?” Ethic asked, defensively.
Ahmeek scoffed. “We really having this conversation, OG? I would think you would be pleased that we ain’t rocking right now.”
“I’m pleased when she’s pleased and she ain’t pleased. What commitments?” Ethic asked.
“A possible baby on the way,” Ahmeek answered truthfully.
Ethic couldn’t judge that. He knew how this had happened. The money, the power, the women flowed in abundance for men like Ahmeek, and until a man learned discipline, it was easy to get caught up. It complicated an already complicated situation. He had been there.
“A commitment indeed,” Ethic shot back. The line went cold, and Ethic thought of Morgan. “A man who handles his business can walk and chew gum. The father you are to your child shouldn’t detract from the man you are to your woman.”
“Hmm,” Ahmeek responded, pondering the notion. “Tell Mo that.”
Ethic was a man who read people well, and there was no misconstruing Ahmeek’s affinity for Morgan. He hated it, but he acknowledged it. It was a strange position to be in for Ethic.
Messiah was more than his shooter. He had become family.
They shared a bond that toed the line of brotherhood/fatherhood, and despite Messiah’s shortcomings, Messiah was the one Ethic trusted.
Even executing this plan to save Morgan felt odd without Messiah, but Messiah was also in need of protection.
He was no longer the soldier that Ethic could risk because he was the father of his grandchildren.