Chapter 25
He paced the lobby of the precinct. His nerves shot, his mind racing and the anger he could normally keep at bay rising. Andrew being arrested for using a card that he’d given him was complete bullshit.
“You Jahlil Savage?” a heavy, weathered voice questioned, halting Jahlil’s motion.
He pivoted, finding a middle-aged man, probably twenty years his senior, standing on the other side of the small fence in pressed dress pants and a quarter zip – in this Los Oceania weather.
After Jahlil finished his silent observation, his voice came out in a rumble of aggravation. “Whose asking? You or some nigga from the precinct?”
The man chuckled smugly. “District Attorney John Bernette. Your son can’t seem to stay away from my daughter. What is it that you do that you can’t keep a handle on that little thug?”
Jahlil’s brows pinned while his jaw clenched and nostrils flared. “Fuck you call him?”
“Thug. I’m looking at you and I see where he gets it from. I don’t care who you pimp or what drugs you’ve sold to end up in my neighborhood but keep that little nigga away from my daughter and we won’t have any more problems,” John spoke, closing the space.
Jahlil let a smirk dimple his cheek. “That ‘little nigga’ you speak of is a straight A student. He’s smart and respectable.
Since we want to talk about people’s kids around this bitch, I suggest you keep a better eye on your daughter and she wouldn’t be at my house finding solace, love, and safety.
I’m assuming you made the call to handcuff a thirteen-year-old boy and parade him around like he’s anything other than a child.
You should get to know your neighbors. I’ll be sure to talk about this in my first press conference of the season.
If you’re done swinging your dick, tell your officers to bring me my son before I make shit really fucking hard for you. ”
“You threatening me?” John posed.
Jahlil swayed his head dangerously calm. “Never.”
John glared at Jahlil, trying to find anything that would indicate that Jahlil didn’t know who he was.
There wasn’t anything there. Jahlil knew who he was and he’d learned how to network with the right people over the years.
John stepped back, roamed over to the lobby officer, said something that Jahlil couldn’t make out before leaving.
Within the next ten minutes, a frightened Andrew was coming from the back with remorse piercing his orbs.
Jahlil couldn’t stomach that. For now, it smothered his anger with Andrew’s sneakiness.
Instead of anger Jahlil, lent him safety.
He opened his arms and allowed his brother to amble into them and weep.
“I’m sorry,” Andrew cried.
In true father mode, Jahlil pressed his mouth against the top of his head and squeezed his shoulders. “You’re good, bro. You’re good. Wipe your face.”
Andrew swiped his face free of the tears.
“Shoulders back and hold your head up.”
Andrew followed suit.
“Let’s go home,” Jahlil rumbled, keeping Andrew close to him as they walked out. Jahlil expected the JoyRide to be waiting, instead, he found Ashton and Kyrie posted up against Kyrie’s SUV. “Hell, y’all doing here?”
“Back up in case we had to run up in there and break little bro out,” Kyrie stated. “Come on, Aunt Violet is worried out of her mind about you, boy.”
The ride home was long and quiet. When they arrived, Sanaa was pacing the floor in dress up heels, using a marker as her cigarette. Her eyes spotted Andrew and Jahlil and she blew a fake puff of smoke from her mouth and dropped the marker.
“Thank God for Jesus!” she exclaimed, running toward Drew and hugging his legs. “I thought you were going to be a jail nigga.”
Ashton tucked his lips and turned to Kyrie who was trying to muffle his laughter too. Andrew patted her back and gave her a lopsided smile. The less stress he showed her, the better.
“I’m good, Sanaa,” Andrew assured, spotting Aunt Violet come inside the house from her chain smoking.
Andrew’s eyes swelled when he found the worry in his aunt’s. She engulfed him and sighed in relief. “Don’t you ever do this shit to me again.”
“I won’t. I promise,” Andrew spoke, muffled.
She kissed the top of his head and looked up at Jahlil. “You two go get ready for dinner. You three, come with me.”
Ashton, Kyrie, and Sanaa trailed Aunt Violet into the kitchen and Jahlil and Andrew made their way to Andrew’s room. Jahlil took a seat, grabbed a basketball, and tossed it in the air.
“Tell me how my thirteen-year-old ended up in a holding cell after I told him he was grounded?” Jahlil asked, watching Andrew sit on the edge of his bed. “Start at the point where you finessed your aunt.”
“At first we were going to the court to play basketball,” Andrew started. “And then, Miya wanted to go to Shaking Shack. So I used your card and got a JoyRide. I paid for our food, before I know it, the lady wasn’t giving me the card back, her dad was there yelling at me and I was in the cop car.”
Jahlil placed the ball in his lap and stroked the short hairs of his beard.
“You realize none of this shit would have happened if you stayed in the house and you weren’t being sneaky.
I don’t get it Drew. I just had this conversation with you.
Not even a week ago. Had I not been who I am they’d be booking you and sending you to a juvenile facility. ”
Andrew looked down at his sneaker covered feet.
Jahlil’s voice snapped his eyes back center. “Look at me. Don’t cower now. You were bold when you were lying to your aunt. You’re not ready for the shit that comes with being a fuckin’ man. Do you hear me?”
“Yeah but I wasn’t doing nothing wrong,” Andrew defended. “Her dad swore I was some gang member.”
“Her dad is an asshole. But again had you been home where you were supposed to be or even at the courts where you told your aunt you were this could’ve been avoided.
Hear me, I ain’t shit if I don’t have you or Sanaa.
You get that? It’s been me and you. Stop fuckin’ trying to play me.
At this point it’s disrespectful. Every time I tell you no, you think it’s a yes and do what you want.
These rules aren’t to hinder you it’s to keep you safe.
I’ll be losing my shit right now if they would’ve taken you from me. You get that?”
“I do,” Andrew stated.
Jahlil shook his head the bliss he felt morphed into uneasiness. “You don’t and I am so disappointed in you. Tighten up before I have to show you what life is like without rules and someone caring about you. Get out them clothes and be downstairs for dinner.”
Jahlil walked out his body quaking with a mixture of emotions he couldn’t sort through. Having Emani’s hands on him right now would’ve helped calm some of this, instead he was met by Sanaa screaming at the TV.
“Hell no they got my girl! What am I going to do now?” Sanaa dramatically called falling out on the couch. “Not E.Rose!”
“Ah shit,” Ashton blew plopping down dramatically next to the marker chain smoker. “You want the pink or purple marker?”
“Red,” Sanaa blew. “I’m stressed.”
Jahlil roamed into the living room finding the images of Emani’s mugshot plastered of the entertainment news. “Ah fuck!”
Sanaa held up the marker in Jahlil’s direction. “Here daddy. You need this more than I do. You’re never getting your girl back.”