Chapter 5
D euce texted me that they had apprehended the culprit behind the hacking of my computer.
It took me a few days to fully locate him because I couldn’t do it with just his IP address.
That was only the first step. I had to locate the internet service provider and go all around the mulberry bush and through different channels to locate this man, but I was able to do it.
I was exhausted.
I barely got any sleep because I was hell-bent on getting to the bottom of it.
Currently, I was sitting in the basement of one of the family properties with my father and Mia, waiting for my brothers to arrive.
Deuce found this whole thing entertaining.
He was texting me right now, trying to hype me up.
Deuce: This nigga might be alright. Him and Smoke got into it cause his reckless ass busted the man’s computer.
Me: I asked y’all to bring him to me, not break his shit.
Deuce: So? You acting like you aren’t about to do worse. I love when you bring out Gangsta Boo Jaeda.
Me: Stanley, please. This is business.
Deuce: It is. But you be too quiet sometimes, sis. I’m glad to know you will let a nigga know when they got you fucked up. I see you learned from the Dewayne dude.
Me: Speaking of Dewayne…
Deuce: Bye.
“You good, baby girl?” my father asked.
“I’m fine, Daddy. This ain’t my first kill, you know.”
“I know, but I also know you don’t like being in the field like that.”
“I don’t, but this isn’t just about me. I don’t know what all he’s seen or who he’s spoken to about what he’s seen. He could put the whole family at risk.”
“Maybe you’re jumping the gun,” Mia said.
My head snapped in her direction. “Excuse me? That’s coming from you?”
“I’m just saying. You said he gave you information that helped with our cases, right? Would someone plotting on us do that?”
“Would a sane person do that? What if he was tracking us for an enemy, Mia? We could be sitting ducks. I take my role in this family very seriously.”
“Oh, I’m aware.” She rolled her eyes. “How far away are the guys?”
“Deuce said they were about five minutes out.”
She nodded as the phone in her hand began to ring. With a heavy sigh, she answered and walked away. It wasn’t long before I heard the rumbling of Steel’s pickup truck. I crossed my legs and waited patiently for them to come down.
A few minutes later, the basement door opened.
Maceo and Steel walked ahead, and the mystery man was led down by Deuce and Smoke.
I shook my head at the sack they had over his head.
His wrists were bound with handcuffs that were attached to cuffs around his ankles.
As they led him to the chair in the middle of the floor, I retrieved my solid gold beretta from the holster and stood.
“Jaeda, I can explain,” came a voice from beneath the sack, as he sat.
Smoke smacked the back of his head. “Shut the fuck up. Did she ask you to speak, nigga?”
The guy jumped up and snatched the sack off his head as he turned and rolled up on my brother.
“Take these fucking cuffs off because I’m about sick of this cocky muthafucka.”
“The fuck you wanna do?” Smoke asked, shoving him.
“I’ll beat your big ass, my nigga. Don’t let these glasses fool you.”
They started arguing back and forth, and I was already over the shit. Walking over to them, I placed my gun to the back of his head. Talking ceased as he raised his bound hands in surrender.
“Smoke, take a walk,” I said.
He glared at the man that almost matched him in height.
“If she doesn’t kill yo’ bitch ass, I will.”
My brother walked off to a corner of the room and took a seat.
“You,” I said to the man. “Turn around.”
I didn’t lower my gun as he slowly turned to face me. My eyes widened as I recognized him as the guy from the toy store.
“You?” I whispered.
“You know this nigga, Jae?” Deuce asked.
“I . . . I’ve met him before,” I said, still in shock. “Have you been following me?”
“No, I—” He sighed. “Please. If I can explain without all the guns and handcuffs. I’m harmless, I promise.”
“Nigga, you?—”
“Quaid?” Mia said, walking up.
He looked relieved that she recognized him. “You must be Mia. You look just like Titan described.”
“Titan?” everybody said.
“How do you know him, Mia?” my father asked.
“I’ve seen pictures of them together,” she answered. “He’s Titan’s friend. His best friend.”
“Aw, hell naw,” Deuce said. “You already know how I feel about that muthafucka.”
“Now I really wish I’d fucked your shit up,” Smoke said, coming back over.
“Fuck you, with your swole ass,” Quaid spat.
Maceo laughed. “My bad, man. That was funny. Maybe we should hear the nigga out. I mean, if it wasn’t for him and Titan coming through with that live camera footage for me, we might still be chasing Charity’s ass.”
Deuce shook his head. “How do we even know that was him?”
“It was,” Mia spoke up. “Titan told me a lot about his best friend. Remember the Q his crew referred to when we were at the farmhouse? This is him. Why don’t I just call Titan?”
“A sensible answer,” Quaid said, pointing at her.
Smoke mocked him. “ A sensible answer . Fuck outta here.”
Quaid glared at him. “Let me guess. You’re the brawns in the family. Clearly you don’t bring the brains with that childish ass shit.”
Again, they started going back and forth.
I was a little hesitant, but I lowered my gun.
He didn’t seem dangerous, and if he was the person Mia said he was, I partially owed him for helping my brother.
I opened my mouth to say something but was captivated by his handsome face and the slick words coming out of his mouth.
The slight roughneck edge presented itself when he was angry.
The calm version I met intrigued me, but this version .
. . whew! He didn’t appear the least bit afraid of Smoke, who had a good twenty pounds on him.
If we let him, he would probably go round for round with my brother.
The Dillinger men could be a lot, so anybody that could stand toe to toe with them and not show any fear had a lot of heart.
I looked at my father, who was already looking at me.
“It’s up to you what you want to do,” he said. “If they don’t shut the fuck up with all that arguing, though, the decision is gonna be out of your hands.”
I nodded. “Shut up!” I yelled. “Damn. I can’t even think with the two of you going back and forth. Just shut the hell up and let me think for a second.”
I closed my eyes and went to the quiet place in my head to rationalize with myself.
I needed to know what this man’s angle was, but at the same time, that giddy feeling I got when I first met him was slowly creeping its way back in.
I couldn’t talk about Mia and her toxic shit anymore.
Not when I was over here lusting after a man that could have potentially put my family at risk.
I couldn’t talk to him with them here, though. That much was clear. Opening my eyes, I stared at the group awaiting my response.
“Uncuff him, Deuce,” I said.
“Jaeda.”
“Uncuff him now!” I demanded. “And you all can wait outside until I’m done. I’m never gonna get anywhere with all of you here.”
Deuce shook his head as he uncuffed him. Quaid flexed his wrist as he glared at Smoke, looking ready to pounce on him.
“You hit my brother and I will most definitely shoot you,” I warned.
Smoke laughed. “If he knows like I know, he won’t jump stupid.”
“Everybody, out!” I demanded.
They all muttered under their breaths as they headed for the door. Mia stopped next to me and leaned in, whispering in my year.
“Minus this bullshit, that man is fine as hell, sis.”
“Bye, Mia.”
She giggled as she filed out behind my brothers and father. I took a deep breath and backed away to the chair I’d previously occupied. Taking a seat, I crossed my legs and motioned for Quaid to take a seat too. Grabbing the chair placed for him, he moved it closer to me.
“That’s far enough,” I said, holding up a hand. “Sit down.”
He complied and took a seat across from me.
“Explain yourself,” I said, crossing my arms. “Why were you going through my computer? What were you looking for?”
“I wasn’t looking for anything, per se. I just . . . I wanted to help.”
“I didn’t need your help. While I appreciate your contribution to protecting my brother, it was Titan who asked for your help, not me. Hell, we didn’t even ask him. Ms. Maddie did.”
“I’m aware.”
“So you know Maddie too?”
“I do. Titan’s mom and her are good friends. I’ve met her several times over the years.”
“How long has this been going on?”
He hung his head. “A couple months. Can I be honest?”
“That would be your best bet.”
He signed heavily. “This was probably an extreme way to get your attention, . . . definitely not the smartest. But I’ve been interested in you for a while, Jaeda. I first came across your profile on Sweet Meets about a year ago . . .”
My ears perked up. That was the dating app I’d been on. I squinted as I looked at him. That’s when it hit me that I had seen him on there. I’d checked his profile several times, but I was convinced he was too good to be true by all the things we had in common.
“I remember you,” I admitted. “If you wanted to get my attention, why not send me a message? Why hack my computer and look through my shit?”
He gave a nervous chuckle, giving me a glimpse of his smile . . . He had a beautiful smile.
“You make me nervous, if that wasn’t obvious in the toy store.”
“Why?”
“I think you’re beautiful, Jaeda. Reading over your profile, I instantly wanted to know everything there is to know about you.
I’ve never met a woman so much like me. From the love of Legos to anime to cosplay, .
. . you seemed perfect for me. Maybe a little too perfect.
Titan has offered to introduce us several times, but I was too chicken, which is crazy because I’ve worked too hard to build my confidence over the years. ”
He stood and came over, taking the seat next to me. Nervously, I turned to face him. Him being this close to me was making me nervous. I avoided his piercing gaze, feeling almost like a child about to be reprimanded.
“Can you look at me?” he asked, gently taking my hand.
Slowly, I looked over at him.
“I apologize. Word to my mother, I never looked through your personal information. Anything I learn about you, I want it to be a natural and consensual thing. I just looked at your cases to see where I could lighten your load. I work with Titan a lot, and I know how stressful this shit gets. I’m capable, but even I wish I had help at times, especially with sensitive cases. ”
My face softened a little. “At least someone knows how I feel.”
“Trust me, I do.”
“Look, I get you were nervous. Honestly, it’s the reason I never messaged you on Sweet Meets. But hacking my computer was a bit extreme, Quaid.”
He blushed at me saying his name. “I know. I uh . . . I kinda anticipated this happening, knowing who your family was.”
“Oh, so you wanted me to have you snatched up?”
He chuckled. “Maybe not to this extent. Your brother, the big one, fucked up one of my monitors, and I’ma need him to pay for that.”
“You don’t know Smoke.”
“No. Smoke doesn’t know me. I’m not some punk he can push around. I haven’t been friends with Titan all these years and not learn a thing or two about defending myself. Now, I’d hate to have to fight your brother to prove a point, but I’m not the bitch ass nigga he insists on calling me.”
The roughness in his voice when he said that had me a little hot. I shouldn’t have been hot and bothered by a man not afraid to fight my brother, but dammit, I was. Of course, I’d never let that happen, but still.
Clearing my throat, I spoke. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll call him off, and I’ll replace the monitor?—”
“No. He broke it, he replaces it.”
“Fine. I’ll have him replace it on one condition: You stop with the spyware. You know what Titan does for a living, so I’m sure you’re aware of what my family does as well. I can’t have them at risk. If anything ever happens to any of them and I find out you’re behind it, I will kill you myself.”
He licked his lips as he looked at me. “I promise, I would never bring harm to you or your family.”
“Good to know.”
We stared at each other for a moment. I didn’t realize we were still holding hands until he gently stroked mine with his thumb.
“I guess I should formally introduce myself,” he said with a smile. “My name is Quaid Michaels. I’m twenty-six years old. I own a cyber security company, I’m a big ass nerd, and I would really love to get to know you, Jaeda Dillinger.”
I couldn’t help but blush.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Quaid.”