Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
JAZZLYN
Miami was a trip for the books. It had been a while since I was able to let loose and just enjoy myself with my homegirls.
It was a hassle getting us all together, but whenever we did link up, it was a time!
Not only did I enjoy hanging with my girls, but I also enjoyed every second of being booed up with my man.
He split his time well, managing to handle business and still have time for us to enjoy each other.
The yacht getaway was exactly what we needed.
Being back in the city with my tan lines had me missing the beach already.
I loved New York, but the Sunshine State wasn’t looking too bad after all.
Taylor would’ve done anything to have me out in Miami with her, but I had to be realistic.
There was no way we could leave the city with us having joint custody of Saphir and Ahk’s business being based in New York. A girl could dream, though.
After the night at Club Reign in Miami, shit had just been a little off. No matter how many times I asked Ahk what was up, he assured me he was good. That was just code for “Stay in a wife’s place, and you’ll find out what’s going when you have to find out, not when you want to.”
That was the hardest thing about being Ahkeem’s wife.
There was nothing I wanted more than to back my husband and see him through any and everything, but he kept me out of shit as much as he could.
I know Priest probably filled his head up with bullshit about how sneaky I was, and it wasn’t lies, but I wouldn’t have had to be sneaky if motherfuckas told me what was up.
To prevent Ahkeem from lecturing me all the damn time, I learned to leave shit where it was, and when he wanted to give me more insight, I would be all ears.
“Cyro, you missed me?” I giggled as I wrapped my arms around him once I was off the jet.
Cyro was family. He had been around me since I was eighteen when Priest hired him as my security.
The first couple of years, the nigga barely spoke and kept shit so formal.
It was Britain who finally got him to lighten up, and for that, I was so grateful to my sister-in-law.
“Something like that. You fucked Miami up?”
“You know I did!” I flipped my hair over my shoulder arrogantly. “How is shit looking at the club?”
He let out a heavy sigh before shaking his head. “Shit not looking too good, Jazzy. They’re boarding up the windows. I rolled up on one of the detectives and played like I was one of the bouncers at the club. She said they been trying to get at you but can’t get in touch.”
This shit devastated me. A little part me of still had a slither of hope that eventually, Club Reign would open back up, but I might as well kill that shit.
The Feds had nothing to go off, so they couldn’t just rule the club out of their investigation.
It was just too close to look over, so Reign got the short end of the stick.
What Cyro said was facts. All while in Miami, I had been ducking these unknown numbers calling my phone.
I didn’t want to worry about shit while I was away.
Now that I was back home, it was time to face the fucking music.
“Thank you, Cy. I’ll get with Abraham to see if he can walk me through this shit. I guess it’s really the end of an era with Club Reign.”
Cyro scoffed. “Or the beginning of a new one. Don’t ever count yourself out. This shit can’t break you.”
“Facts.”
He placed my bags in the car before helping me into the back seat.
Ahkeem was still chopping it up with Jersey, Javi, Moe, and Diamond.
They were huddled up by the stairs of the jet in deep conversation.
He looked to be hurling orders at them just by the way he was slamming his fist into his hand and his jaw was clenched.
Eventually, they wrapped their conversation up, and Ahk strolled to the black truck and dapped up Cyro. He took Ahk’s bags and placed them in the trunk as Ahk slid into the back seat next to me.
“My bad, Lovey. I ain’t have you waiting for too long, did I?” He kissed my cheek.
“No, baby. Everything alright?”
“Yeah. I’m figuring this shit out.” He dismissed the conversation with a shrug of his shoulder. “I ain’t on no messy shit, but I think Angie getting in the car with Moe.”
He pointed out my window, prompting me to snap my head in their direction.
Sure enough, Moe was holding the door open for Angie to get into his Range Rover.
Moe had finally dropped his nuts and made a move on her.
At least I was hoping that he did. I didn’t waste any time letting my window down and sticking my head out.
“Ahk in here being messy! Y’all better not be acting grown! Angelique, keep them legs closed. I don’t give a fuck how smooth this dreadhead nigga with country grammar is!”
Angie busted out laughing from the front seat of Moe’s car as he made his way around the car while shaking his head.
“Nigga steady being messy!” He pointed at Ahkeem while laughing.
Ahkeem was dying laughing. He always played like he wasn’t on no messy shit but was the first one to peep something or call something out. My nosy ass lived for it, though. Whatever I missed, my husband was sure to catch.
“Aye, I see you, my nigga! Y’all kids be safe.”
“She good. You know I got her,” Moe assured us before getting into his car.
I rolled my window back up while making a mental note to text Angie and ask her if the dick was bomb. I knew my friend, and if she was leaving with Moe, she was for sure gonna end up on his dick later.
Once we arrived at the penthouse, Ahkeem grabbed all of the bags, and we made our way up.
“They boarded up the windows of the club,” I informed him as we stepped off the elevator.
He looked up from his phone, and his eyes widened a little bit. “You bullshitting?”
“Nope. Cy told me. I think it’s wraps for it.”
“You ready to let it go?”
“No, but I have to.”
“I chopped it up with Kross, and he like how you run things at the club in Miami. Maybe you can run his lounge he’s thinking about opening out here.”
I kicked off my Hermes sandals while letting out a deep sigh. “To go from owning my own club in New York to just running a lounge… I don’t know, Ahk.”
“I know the shit is an adjustment, but maybe it’s for the better. You still gone have your face out there in the club industry. You’re just scaling back a little... until you have my baby girl.”
I smacked my lips before letting out a light chortle. “Everything goes back to this baby, huh?”
“Hell yeah. Maybe the lounge is a good move. You won’t feel like you aren’t doing nothing while we try to get pregnant.”
I raked my fingers through my hair while giving what he said some thought. He set the bags aside before walking over to me and pulling me to the couch. “Talk to me, Lovey.”
“I know we have Saphir, and we’re trying for a baby, but the club was our first baby together. You helped me open it up while I was busting my ass making custom pieces on the floor of my empty condo.”
He laughed. “Yo ass couldn’t even afford furniture. I had to get you right.”
“All the money I was making was going into remodeling the club.” After doing a weekend at his apartment, when I came back to my condo, he had it fully furnished for me. I never really had to tell Ahkeem what I needed. He just showed up and provided.
“I know, and I wasn’t tripping off it. I know how much the club means to you, but you can’t let this bump in the road cause you to become stagnant because you steady thinking about the past. This the situation we in now. What’s your next move?”
I placed my hands on my flat stomach. “If there’s a baby in here, then I’ll take Kross up on his offer of running his lounge. Once the baby’s born, I’ll wait a couple months before finding another spot for Club Reign.”
He nodded his head. “That’s a deal. I’ll take care of the bill for the new location.”
“Oh, baby, you didn’t have a choice.”
He threw his head back in laughter. “You’re wild, Lovey. You know I got you.”
I kissed his lips. As I pulled away, he leaned in and pecked my lips two more times.
“You ever gonna tell me what happened that night you left the club with Kross and Zeke?” I couldn’t help myself.
I had to ask. As much as he was carrying on like nothing was wrong, I could tell he had a lot on his mind.
A smooth chuckle aired from him as he shook his head. “You would love to know, wouldn’t you?”
I toyed with my hands before batting my lashes innocently at him. “Are you gonna tell me?”
“Fuck no.” He nudged my head lightly. “You think ‘cause you sitting in my lap all cute and shit I’m gonna give you what you want? Gotta come harder than that, Lovey.”
“Fine. I don’t wanna know anyways,” I scoffed.
“Yeah, I bet.”
His phone went off, and he grabbed it. I tried to lift off his lap, but he kept me there. Based off his responses, I could tell he was chopping it up with Kross.
“‘Preciate you, Kross. I’ll have that whip shipped out to you in no time. I’m gone look into this shit.” After they said their goodbyes, he let out a heavy sigh as he checked the time on his phone.
“Awe, that’s nice, baby. Giving Kross a new car. I wonder what happened for him to deserve that?” I tapped my chin jokingly.
He smacked his lips while shaking his head since he knew I was just fishing to get information out of him. “Leave it alone, Lovey. Your brother told me you were nosy; I should’ve fucking listened.”
“Priest always saying something with that big-ass head.”
“Yeah, and you steady proving him right. Nosy ass.” He tapped my nose. “Do me a favor. Can you go pick up Blue from school for me? I got some shit I need to straighten out.”
At the thought of Blue, my lips curled into a smile. We managed to get back into the city the day he was set to spend the week with us. I missed my baby!
“I been meaning to stop by the school to see which one of them little girls he’s calling his girlfriend.”
“Don’t go embarrassing him, Lovey.”
“I’m not! Okay… maybe I will just a little. He needs to realize that he’s still a little baby and not a grown man.”
Ahkeem chuckled as I got up from his lap so he could head out. We had just got back, and he already had business to handle. The man was always on go.
“I don’t know how long I’m gonna take. Take him out for some ice cream or some shit, will you? You know he just passed his spelling test.”
“Of course. Baby boy deserves it. I’ll let Cyro to meet me at the school since we’re cutting it close on time.”
“Bet.”
We headed out together and he helped me into my Mercedes. “I love you. Call me if you need anything.” He strapped me into my seat belt before pecking my lips.
“I will. Love you too. Be safe.”
“Always.”
He swaggered to his Bentley that was parked next to me and got in.
As always, he made sure I pulled out of the parking garage ahead of him, and then we went our separate ways.
I called Cyro and told him to meet me at Blue’s school.
I knew Ahk only suggested ice cream, but a little toy shopping wouldn’t hurt.
My baby had been studying those vocabulary words all week, so he deserved some toys for his hard work.
I always enjoyed picking up Blue. It made me feel good being on time for him.
When I was his age, I was always worried about dismissal time because I didn’t know if either of my parents would bother to pick me up or if I had to wait for Priest, who got out of school much later than I did.
I knew shit got serious with Ahk when he put me on the school pick-up list. Brooke lost her shit since we weren’t even engaged at the time.
She ended up removing it, but Ahkeem added it right back on.
He even updated it after we got married so it would reflect that I was now carrying his and Blue’s last name.
As much patience as it took me to be mature with Brooke’s mean ass, I actually did want us to eventually be on the same page.
We never had to be friends; I just wanted us to respect each other.
After all, the common focus was Blue, and we all wanted him happy.
Something told me if I was pregnant, the minute Brooke found out, she would raise hell.
She did typical baby mama shit, and she always managed to get the fuck under Ahk’s skin.
I, on the other hand, remained stoic and never engaged.
I didn’t give her the satisfaction of arguing back and forth with her.
As long as Blue was happy and Ahkeem was assuring me that I wasn’t overstepping as a stepmom, I was okay.
I cruised through traffic with my music on, only a few minutes away from Blue’s school.
Right as I was about to cross the busy intersection, a car collided into me, t-boning my car.
I desperately tried to gain control of the wheel but failed.
My car lifted off the ground and flipped repeatedly.
I clenched my eyes shut as my airbags deployed, and my ears rang from the sound of my car scraping along the cement.
My head was pounding as the pressure began to feel unbearable.
I desperately wanted scream; however, it felt like my body was defying my mind, and I remained mute.
Luckily, I managed to flip right side up, but I couldn’t see anything beyond the airbags.
I felt like I was spinning, and my eyes were getting heavier.
As I screamed internally, encouraging myself not to give up, my eyes shut and everything went black.