Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
KENDRIX
“Surprise!!!” The shouts from across the room got me. Phoenix stood there with her dimples on full display.
“Happy Birthday, baby.” She gave me a brief kiss and walked out into the crowd.
Phoenix told me to get dressed and ready but failed to tell me what she had planned.
“Damn man, how does it feel to be old?” Levi quipped.
“Lee, you’re older than me, so I know you already know what it feels like.” Brian and Seth joined us.
“Happy Birthday, Kendrix; how are you, man?” Seth and I hadn’t seen each other in over a month. We agreed to lay low for a while until we caught the person responsible for hurting those women .
“It’s good to see you, man. You remember my brothers. You all haven’t seen each other in a while, though!” Seth and the guys fell into easy conversation while I greeted the other guests.
Phoenix must have invited everyone. Some of our old friends from college were there, and a few people from the neighborhood had come. I didn’t realize I knew so many people who wanted to celebrate me.
“Happy Birthday, Kendrix!” Both Asha and Makayla screamed before tackling me in a hug. I purposely fell on the floor.
“Hey, you better get off my woman if you want to make it 31 years old.” Brian came over fussing.
He helped Makayla up, and Levi came over to scoop up Asha, who did not back away from him this time.
“Hey ladies, I’m Seth, a friend from college and his business partner.” I made the introductions, and we spent the rest of the day doing something new for me: celebrating my life.
PHOENIX
“I cleared out everything in the backyard. Do you need anything else before I head to my hotel?” Seth asked. He was a great help, and, like I thought, Kendrix liked having him here for his party.
Seth and I became friends in college but never talked much except for a few study sessions. Kendrix spent most of his time with me in my dorm room before my mother got involved.
“Nope, that is everything. Thank you so much for coming! Kendrix is in the living room if you want to go say goodbye to everyone else.” I gave him one last squeeze and checked on the rest of the clean-up crew. Gran Lucy does not play when it comes to her house. I could have hired a company to clean up, but it calmed my nerves to do it myself.
I still had to find a way to tell Kendrix about the note, but I didn’t want to ruin his high. We even managed to get his mom to record a video and leave a beautiful message for him. Everyone went around and told him the value he brought to their lives; it was perfect. The reminder of everything would only bring him back down.
“Jewel,” Kendrix called from the bathroom. We were in our room, ready for bed. It had been a very long day, but his smile made it all worthwhile.
He had a bubble bath drawn with rose petals, and the aroma of essential oils filled the air. In the middle of the tub was a bath tray with an iPad, two wine glasses, and a bowl filled with pineapples.
“Come on and join me in here. I’ m sure you could use it.” That’s all he said. I eased into the tub in a matter of minutes. He climbed in on the other side and rubbed my aching feet.
I had to ruin the moment, though, “I need to tell you something.” Kendrix didn’t stop massaging my foot, but he was now on alert.
“I need to tell you something, too.” That made me feel better about keeping the note from him.
“Alright, I will go first. Do you remember Michael? He was the guy I was dating, and he came to Gran’s birthday party. You should remember him, though, because you threatened to shoot him.” He smirked and nodded for me to continue.
“It might be him, that is, the one behind the notes; I saw him at the café the same day I saw my mother. He recently got married so I didn’t think he would be a suspect, but I also saw him last night at the club. It could have been a coincidence, but when we left the bathroom, a note was waiting for me attached to a flower similar to the ones I received in the past. The note is on the nightstand and is more aggressive than the others. I would have told you yesterday, but I didn’t want to mess up our date or your special day.” I waited for him to get upset, but it didn’t come.
“We monitored the cameras at the club to be on the safe side and saw someone leave the note, but it was hard to make out their face. That actually helps us; thank you for telling me. I never want to be like my father, who got upset and lashed out with his words. Do I wish you had told me yesterday? Yes, but you are safe, and that is the most important thing. Now, are you ready for my news?” I nodded.
“I received an email the night Madison was killed with a video of us in the car; I am not sure if the video was sent to anyone else. The video wasn’t clear enough to see our faces, but from the sounds, it was pretty clear what was happening. I am sorry, but I feel responsible for putting us in a vulnerable position. We leave the day after tomorrow, but you know what? I am going to talk to the guys, and we will come up with a plan to catch Michael.” I moved the tray from the middle of the tub and climbed into his lap.
“Thank you,” I mumbled into his chest.
“For what, mama?”
“For doing everything you can to keep me safe, before and now. I understand that it has always been a priority for you, and I love you for that.” He rubbed soothing circles into my back.
“Always, you will always rise from the ashes.”
“Come at me with your hardest hit, Phoenix.” I blew out a breath and gave him my best one.
“I know you can do better than that; there was no power behind it,” Levi taunted me. Kendrix wanted me to do one more day of training before we left, and since Levi is the strongest of the guys, he volunteered. We had been going for the past two hours, and my arms felt like they were about to fall off.
“Take a ten-minute break, and then I want you to hit me with everything you have, Phoenix; I need you to fight for your life. Trust me, I have seen plenty of horrible things in my life, especially as an FBI director; please, I need you to show me, show us that you can do your very best to come out of this thing alive.”
I briefly wrapped my arms around myself and closed my eyes to take it all in. This wasn’t a training session like the ones I used to have with Gran in case something went wrong. There is a literal target on my back; I will have to use every piece of training and advice I got this weekend to carry me through one of the most challenging times I will have to face in this lifetime.
Asha hugged me and whispered in my ear. “Kick his ass Phoenix.” She was more friendly with him this time around. It shocked all of us, but we didn’t dare mention it to her.
“Times-up, let’s go, Phoenix.” Levi grabbed my shoulder, and I turned my body right and used my elbow to break his hold on me.
Hit.
Kick.
Duck.
Block .
The mantra I repeated in my head as we did hand-and-hand combat. There were a few times I couldn’t get out of his hold, but then Asha explained ways for me to get loose. They made a great team; Kendrix took me into the room adjacent to the training room, where he put in a passcode, and the wall filled with artwork turned into a display case of firearms.
“Here, take this gun; since you’re very fast with your hands, knives would be good too.” Kendrix gave me two knives and holsters that could go around my ankle and connected to my belt.
Kendrix didn’t stop his lesson until I only perfected my kill shots. It was a very long day, but it was worth it.