Chapter 3 #2
“Yeah, you look good,” I complimented. “I know that I have been busy, Chaya, and maybe even a little neglectful of you. I’m sorry.”
“Harold, you have nothing to apologize for. Your world was turned upside down when Harbor vanished. That took a toll on you, and you needed to get through it.”
“Well, the rest of the world is about to wonder exactly what happened to her too once this story breaks,” I grumbled.
I wanted to shield her from this. Harbor hadn’t done anything wrong, yet she was about to get bombarded with judgment and accusations. I wasn’t sure she was equipped to deal with this.
“Well, Harbor seems resilient. She was kidnapped and managed to snag a man during all of that. Not just any man either. I’ve read about Mr. Roth.
He’s powerful, connected, and very successful.
She found a diamond in the rough. And now the world will know, and they are going to want the full story.
Do you think she will tell it?” Chaya’s eyes widened in sudden realization.
The conversation was beginning to agitate me. She was acting like a damn reporter fishing for something.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in months, so I don’t know how she feels. She cut me off.” My eyes lowered to the table and anger brewed, making my veins boil.
The thought of Harbor being tied to a mothafucka like Frequency Roth left me uneasy. I didn’t trust him, given who his father was. Kutlass Roth was cold and calculated, and it was pretty obvious that his son didn’t fall far from that tree.
“Why not reach out to her? You are her father,” Chaya urged, closing her menu.
“Why all the interest in me and Harbor’s relationship all of a sudden?” I pressed.
Thrown off by my inquiry, a frown creased the middle of her forehead, and she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. Acutely nervous, her guilty irises fell on the table.
“I was trying to help you,” she whispered.
I could tell by her somber expression that I’d hurt her feelings.
Her eyes misted, and she picked her menu up again.
From across the table, I examined her. Drawn back.
Retreated. I reached for my glass to guzzle the rest of my drink.
At the rate we were going, we might not even make it to the appetizers.
After ordering and having more than enough alcohol, I managed to consume all my food while Chaya remained picking over hers.
Using my napkin, I wiped my mouth and tossed it open on the table. I was ready to go.
“You want to get a doggy bag?” I questioned.
She acted like I was interrupting her thoughts.
“Um, sure,” she replied, distracted by something on her phone.
I signaled to the waitress so that we could pay the check and leave.
I was ready to get out of here. Once we were in the car, Chaya seemed more distant than ever.
Her eyes remained focused out the window while mine focused on the road ahead.
I didn’t know when or how the disconnect happened, but it had my attention now.
Something was going on with her, and I was going to get to the truth, whether she wanted me to or not.
Frequency
The Oaklawn Rehabilitation Center was like a resort or spa.
With rooms full of amenities for their residents.
An Olympic-sized indoor pool, sauna, and gym were on site.
My driver wheeled the car around their circle drive and parked outside their sliding double doors.
Head down, I checked my emails and other text messages to distract myself.
I thought about what I had to tell my sister.
I wasn’t sure how she would react. When my door opened for me, I stepped out and glanced around, checking my surroundings.
Tucking my cell into my pocket, I approached the entrance as Slice popped up from the sidewalk a few feet away.
“Free,” he called out to me, stopping me in my stride.
Giving him a nod, we stepped inside together.
“How are things going around here?” I questioned, pausing near the counter to the reception desk.
“Um, shit’s good,” he said, bobbing his head. “She’s doing really good. She’s clean, sober, and still manages to keep a positive attitude in this place.” His eyes found the ceiling, and one of the girls that looked like she ran the place approached the desk.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen.” She wore a smile, but it seemed to be more toward Slice than myself. “We are seeing a lot of you around here.”
I noticed she seemed to be flirting, but Slice kept it cool as he swept his hand over the back of his head. He had a fade, but his top was in that sponge style the young dudes was wearing.
“Shit, a nigga like the food around here.” He kidded.
“Yeah, I know that’s a lie. More like you like the company.” She continued to toy with him. “And it seems you brought a friend this time for Miss Roth.” Her sharp eyes fell on me and sparkled all over again.
Appraising me carefully, she soaked in my attire, lips, and everything in between. Shorty was giving me all kinds of “fuck me” vibes.
“And what name should I put on the visiting log?” she asked, batting her big ass false lashes at me.
If the bitch blinked too hard, I was afraid she might flap the fuck away and turn into a damn bug.
“Frequency… Roth,” I introduced myself.
“Oh, so you are related to Kara?” she posed. “Brother?” Her mouth turned up into a sexy pout.
“I am.” I nodded.
“And no wedding ring. Hmm.” She noticed, her mouth going into a full-on seductive grin as she went to scribble something on the visitor’s log.
“Ain’t no ring, but a nigga definitely locked down,” I informed her, and disappointment displayed behind her gaze.
She slid two visitor stickers across the counter for us to put on as well. “There you go. Don’t forget to check out,” she advised.
“Thanks, Tiffany,” Slice told her.
We each turned to walk away, and I would bet any amount of money that her thirsty ass was back there watching us. We stopped at the elevator, and Slice turned to me.
“She’s a wild one. She been throwing the cat at a nigga since I came through the door.” He shook his head as the doors opened.
“Looks like you getting comfortable around here. What’s that about?” I glanced his way, and we both stepped onto the elevator.
“I been checking on her. Letting her know somebody is out there rooting for her. I know you’ve been busy with the family and everything so you haven’t had a chance to visit. Your moms and bro were here earlier though.”
That didn’t surprise me, considering what we talked about.
I watched the numbers move at the top of the elevator, and we arrived on the third floor.
We stepped off together, and Slice remained at my side until we were right outside the door to Kara’s room.
It was closed, and I faced him briefly before raising my hand to knock.
The door flung open, and my sister stood radiant on the other side.
She didn’t wear any makeup with her hair pulled up into a high ponytail.
When she saw Slice, her eyes lit up, but they seemed to dim when landing on me.
“Free, what are you doing here?” she questioned.
“Can’t I come and see my sister?” I asked.
“You haven’t made the choice since I’ve been here,” she quipped, lifting a hand to the door and holding it in place.
I watched her look Slice up and down, giving him a half simper that he returned.
“Hey. Come to get your ass kicked in a game of Uno again?” she taunted.
“Nah, you wish, with ya cheating ass,” he joked right back with her.
“We done with this little dance y’all doing?” I asked, looking back and forth between them.
Kara snickered, and Slice humbly bowed his head.
“I’ll just wait out here,” he finally said.
“Good. Do the job you paid for.” I pushed past Kara into the room, but she lingered there a little longer stalking Slice with her lusting ass eyes.
It was clear they had gotten close, and I wasn’t one to step on no toes or try to interfere normally, but this was different. She was involving herself with someone in my business, and a few lines would need to be drawn. She shut the door behind us and quickly whirled around to face me.
“Free, what are you doing here? Coming to check my temp after Mama and Mine left?” she interrogated.
She dropped down into her bed and kicked her legs while staring off ahead. Hanging back near her dresser, right in her peripheral, I noticed she was avoiding looking right at me.
“So they told you.” I cleared my throat and used my arms to prop myself up.
She cut her normally bright irises in my direction and tilted her head.
“Karmine couldn’t help himself. Mama fell apart and laid the blame on Daddy and Celine and everyone under the sun,” she rambled.
“Now we all know that most of our lives has been some fabricated ass story that they kept telling over and over until it felt real to them. All the lies… it finally caught up to them. So… did you do it?” Her question was vague, but I knew what she was asking.
Tucking both arms across my chest, gradually my head lowered until I was ready to answer.
“What do you think?” I asked her.
“I think you are protective,” Kara responded.
“And I think that you would only do something drastic if the situation called for it. Daddy has been unpredictable all our lives. You have always been solid, never switched up. You might be brash, but it’s part of your charm. ” She snickered, and my gaze softened.