Chapter 5 #2
Jonay remained silent, her eyes wide as she blinked slowly, taking in the moment. With a shaky hand, she reached for her drink, clutching it tightly as if it were a lifeline, hoping it would quell the tremors coursing through her.
“Damn,” she whispered, then blinked as if trying not to feel too much too fast. “You’re really good with words.”
“I’m good with the truth, mama.”
Just as the air began to warm between us, like something soft was stirring underneath the ashes, he walked in.
Kam, the man who had shattered this beautiful woman’s heart, who had left her to grapple with feelings of self-doubt right in front of me. It was painful as hell to witness her struggle with her worth after such a deep betrayal.
He walked in as if he was the main character of a story.
He looked exactly as I had imagined, caught between regret and rage, rocking a too-tight, fake Versace shirt and exuding an energy that screamed desperation.
The moment he saw us, he halted mid-step, sneering as if he still believed he had access to her heart.
Jonay stiffened, her body going rigid like a coiled spring, while a deep frown creased my forehead. My jaw tightened, and I began to tap my fingers against the table in an impatient rhythm. It infuriated me to see him making her feel so uneasy.
I spotted him before he even made it past the host stand.
“Don’t turn around,” I said quietly. “He’s walking in.”
Her nostrils flared. “How does he know I’m here?”
“I’ve been asking God how clowns always know where the real ones are. No answer yet.”
Kam made his way over, his gait unsteady like that of a toddler with fragile ankles, as he eagerly clutched his phone in one hand.
Kam approached with that dumbass smirk he probably practiced in the mirror. “Wow. So we moving on already?” he asked loud enough to catch attention. “That’s crazy. It’s only been what,… a week since you caught me in your bed, and now you sitting across from the opps?”
The opps? Like he wasn’t trying to be me and have my exact same job at one point.
Fucking clown.
Before Jonay could utter a word, I rose to my feet, moving slowly and deliberately. The light glinted off my badge, catching his eye, while the outline of my Sig subtly revealed itself beneath my shirt, a silent reminder that I wasn’t merely a collection of good vibes and inspirational quotes.
“Step back,” I said, keeping my tone calm and flat. There was no anger in my voice, just a sense of consequence.
Kam blinked. “Or what? You gon’ arrest me for speaking, Edmonds?”
I took a careful step forward, drawing close enough for him to catch the earthy scent of woodsmoke mingling with the warm, aromatic notes of frankincense that lingered in my beard oil.
“Nah,” I replied, taking one step forward. “But your presence is making this queen feel uneasy, and I don’t like that shit, so I will escort your ass outta here so fast your weak ass cologne will still be sitting here looking confused.”
Jonay rose from her seat as well, exhibiting calmness and grace, but she didn’t raise her voice. Instead, she leaned in slightly, her eyes cold.
“You’re worried about who I’m drinking with instead of focusing on your own freedom? Because the way I caught you on camera with my cousin’s county-issued gun… You’re lucky I haven’t filed charges. Yet.”
Kam opened his mouth to speak, but then quickly closed it again.
I locked eyes with him until he flinched, then signaled to the bartender.
“Get him out of here,” I said. “I don’t want to turn poetry night into paperwork.”
Kam turned on his heel and stormed off, muttering under his breath.
I turned back to Jonay, picked up my drink, and raised it in a slow toast.
“To peace,” I declared.
She clinked her glass against mine and said, “To blocking dumb decisions.”
We laughed, and just like that, the tension broke.
After Kam was kicked out like the clown he was, the mood inside Brick & Ember softened. Jonay exhaled slowly, as if she had been holding her breath for months and finally remembered how to let go.
“You good?” I asked, standing beside her as she pulled her phone out of her clutch.
“I’m straight,” she replied, her thumb flying across the screen. “But I’m not waiting ten minutes for this damn rideshare. I should’ve let my sister drop me off and stay.”
“You aren’t driving?”
“Nah, I didn’t want to bring my car in case the vibe was off. Plus, I was trying to protect my peace, and parking in Self Ridge on a Friday night is a whole spiritual battle.”
I nodded in agreement, acknowledging her point. “Let me take you home.”
Jonay looked at me sideways, her eyebrow raised as if she were trying to gauge my motives. “Are you trying to be funny?”
“Not even. I’m trying to make sure you are safe. This isn’t about me trying to push up on you, Deputy Gorgeous. It’s just me being a man, a protector, who don’t trust these streets with your pretty ass this late at night, mama.”
She paused.
“You gon’ play Eric Benét to my Tamia and drive me home singing ‘Spend My Life With You’?”
I chuckled. “Only if you sing the ad-libs.”
She rolled her eyes, but a smile spread across her pretty face. “Alright then, Detective Gentleman.”
The ride back was pleasantly quiet. I kept the music low, just enough to help her relax, and drove as if I had somewhere to be, but without any hurry to get there.
She leaned back in the passenger seat, scrolling through her phone without really reading anything, her eyes drifting out the window every few blocks.
I observed her out of the corner of my eye, not in a creepy way, just taking mental notes.
I noticed the slope of her cheek as she leaned into the door, how her gold hoops caught the light, and the slight furrow between her brows, like she was still trying to talk herself out of trusting me too quickly.
“You okay?” I asked, glancing over as she gazed out the window.
She nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m just not used to anyone stepping in for me like that.”
“You don’t have to get used to it, Deputy Gorgeous. Just expect it.”
She gave a weak laugh. “Don’t go making promises you can’t keep.”
“I don’t just make promises. I take action.”
When we arrived at her place, I didn’t turn off the engine right away.
“Safe and sound,” I said, shifting in my seat. “Told you I wasn’t on no funny shit.”
Jonay turned toward me, slowly unbuckling her seat belt. “You proved that tonight. I appreciate it.”
I got out and walked around to open her door, not because I was trying to impress her, but because I was raised right.
She stepped out, heels clicking against the concrete, and for a moment, we just stood there in the soft hush of the night.
Crickets were singing, the porch light flickered, and the air was thick with a pause that felt like it could lead to anything.
I walked her to the door, not rushing, just enjoying the moment with her.
She looked up at me, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to say something but held back. I reached out, pushing her locs back that fell in her face and leaned in just enough to kiss her cheek, slow and gentle as if I wanted her to remember the warmth of the moment.
“Sleep well, Deputy Gorgeous,” I murmured.
When I pulled back, she smiled a tired smile that suggested healing might be on the way.
Her lips parted in a tiny laugh. “You’re really gon’ keep calling me that?”
“Only if you keep acting like it’s not accurate.”
“Good night, Elias.”
She opened the door, paused, and looked over her shoulder. “This wasn’t a date, right?”
“Nah,” I replied, walking backward toward the truck. “But the next one might be,” I added with a wink.
She closed the door behind her, and I stood there for a moment, letting the silence settle before heading back to my truck.
Yeah, whatever this was, it wasn’t over.
I stayed parked outside Jonay’s building a little longer than necessary, the engine humming quietly while my eyes scanned every alley, porch, and parked car like I was still on duty.
I wasn’t being paranoid. I was being preventative.
That weird nigga Kam had already shown his face tonight, and the way he moved made me uneasy as fuck.
I didn’t trust the shadows around her just yet.
I stayed there until the porch light flickered off, and a silhouette passed by her front window.
Finally, I shifted the truck into drive and started heading home. I had just kicked off my shoes and tossed my keys onto the kitchen counter when my phone rang.
Deputy Gorgeous lit up the screen.
I answered on the first ring.
“You good, gorgeous?” I asked, my voice low as my thumb absently rubbed the bridge of my nose.
“I was just checking to make sure you made it in safely,” she said softly. “I know you stayed out there for a minute. I saw your truck.”
“You peeped that, huh?”
“Yeah,” she said, chuckling. “You didn’t even try to be slick with it.”
“I wasn’t trying to be. Just making sure he didn’t circle back being bold. I didn’t feel right driving off till I knew you were good.”
There was a pause, and then she exhaled as if she were setting down a heavy thought.
“Well,… thank you. I really appreciate it. You didn’t have to stay, but you did, and that meant something to me. I don’t feel safe with many people, but tonight,… I did.”
Her voice dropped when she said that last part, as if she hadn’t meant for it to come out.
I sat on the edge of my bed, rubbing my jaw, trying to quiet the thump in my chest. “Jonay…”
“Yeah?”
“There’s something you should know.”
The air thickened. I could feel her leaning into the phone the same way I was leaning into the silence.
“My wife, Tempest, was killed.”
She gasped in shock but didn’t interrupt.
“It was two years ago on a Sunday afternoon. She had just left the church and gone to the store a few blocks from our house. I’ll never forget what she went into that store for.
She said she forgot to buy some butter, oregano, juice for EJ’s lunch the next day, hot chips, ginger ale, and allergy meds for me,” I got out while shaking my head in disbelief.
I swallowed hard, my voice now rough and gravelly. “I was on a call across town, a domestic gone sideways. I left my phone in the patrol unit like a damn fool. She called me twice and left voicemails saying some guys in masks were robbing the store.”
I paused and squeezed my eyes shut.
“By the time I returned to the car and checked my phone, it was too late. They had shot her, and the bullet had severed an artery. The paramedics tried, but…”
“You didn’t even get to say goodbye,” Jonay said softly.
“No,” I said, my voice trembling with emotion. “I have never been able to forgive myself for that. For not answering when she needed me. For not being there to protect her.”
The line went quiet, but her presence came through like a warm blanket on cold skin.
“You didn’t fail her,” she said gently. “You were doing your job. You couldn’t be in two places at once, Elias.”
“She was scared, Jonay. And alone. That’s what eats at me.”
“No, she wasn’t alone. She was loved. Deep down, I believe she knew you would have come if you could. That love is what she left this world feeling.”
I didn’t respond at first, because I couldn’t bring myself to do so. For the first time in two years, I truly believed that what she had just said might be true.
“Thank you for saying that,” I finally whispered.
“Thank you for trusting me with it,” she replied.
There was a brief pause. Then she added with a soft smile in her voice, “Get some rest, Detective Fine Shyt.”
I let out a slight sigh of relief and snickered at her calling me a nickname she’d designated for me, similar to the one I’d been calling her.
“You too, Miss Jacobson.”
And we hung up. But sleep didn’t come easily that night. Grief had company now, and her voice sounded a lot like hope.