Chapter 8
It had been a week.
On top of handling things with the safe house, I’d been busy with my legit businesses. All of us found different areas to produce consistent streams of legit income. Deuce had the lounges. Kerrion taught self-defense classes. Devin sold guns and taught weapons training classes. Jaeda and Mia co-owned several restaurants.
I owned a laundromat, a gas station, a cleaning service, and the local movie theatre. I also had my hands in a few franchises across the state. Plus, I had stock and investments. Even if I never took another job from this day forth, I would be straight.
It was around five when I got done making my rounds for the day. I decided to go by the safe house and check on things. All week long, people had been leaving to go home to their families. The only people left were Colin and Charity.
When I pulled up to the house, I saw a strange car with Florida plates in the driveway. Just as I got out of the car, Colin walked out with a small child on his hip and a woman on his arm.
“Maceo, this is my son, Ernest, and my wife, Penelope. Baby, this is one of the men that rescued us.”
Penelope left his side and came to me with open arms. For someone so small, she packed a mighty hug.
“Thank you… Thank you!” She kissed my cheek, then hugged me again. “We’ve been worried sick about him.”
“I’m glad I could be of service. You drive safe, and best of luck to you.”
Colin extended a hand to me. I shook it, and he, too, pulled me in for a hug. Again, he thanked me before climbing in the car with his family. I headed up to the front porch where Tiny stood.
“What’s up?” I asked, slapping his hand.
“Ain’t shit. The only person left is ol’ girl. Honestly, I don’t think she’s trying to go anywhere. She said all she had was herself, so what’s keeping her here?”
“She did tell Shar she was living in her car. I can imagine she’s enjoying having a warm, soft bed to sleep, a hot shower, and guaranteed food.” I shrugged. “I guess. She can’t stay here though. We need the space, and I’m not leaving her here by herself.”
“What are you gonna do?”
I scratched my head. “I don’t know, man. I’ma go holla at her.”
“Bet.”
I headed into the house where I found Charity, standing at the open blinds of the window, watching Colin and his family drive away. She turned to me with a light smile.
“I guess I’m all by my lonesome, huh?”
“Looks that way.”
“I guess I should get out of your hair. I just need a few days to get something in order and figure out where I’m gonna go.”
“What do you mean?”
She sighed as she went to take a seat on the couch. “I finally heard from the police about my car. They found it, but everything was stolen, and the car was stripped. I literally have nothing. Everything is gone. I’ve been trying to figure out what I’m gonna do for days now.”
She dropped her head in her hands and began to cry. That shit fucked with me. With all the shit I’d seen over the years, I had a soft spot for women and children in need. I prayed this shit wasn’t going to bite me in the ass for what I was about to do.
“What if you stayed here for a bit?”
She looked up at me with red eyes and sniffles.
“What do you mean?”
“I could give you temporary housing and a job until you decide where you wanna go from here.”
“You would do that?”
“I wouldn’t feel right sending you out with nothing and nowhere to go. A friend of mine owns a hotel in town. I’ll put you up for a while. Are you opposed to getting your hands dirty?”
“If you’re gonna help me, I’d scrub toilets if I have to.”
“Good. One of the women from my cleaning company is out on maternity leave, so you can take her place for a little while.”
Much to my surprise, she threw her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.
“Thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to me.”
I kept my hands at bay as I slowly pulled back from her.
“It’s nothing. I’m sure we’ll be needing this space again soon.”
“How long have you been rescuing people like me?”
“A while. Why don’t you go grab a few things and we can head out.”
“Okay.”
She stood from the couch and made her way upstairs. I called my homeboy to see if he could hold a suite for me. I would have put her up in one of the empty apartments in the building my family owned, but I thought better of it. With the room confirmed, I then went to call Shar.
“Hey, baby,” she answered.
“Hey, baby.”
“Are you on your way home? I have a surprise for you!”
I smirked. “A surprise, huh? What kind of surprise?”
“Something red and lacy with a peekaboo hole that leads to something wet and slippery.”
My dick twitched. “Don’t tease me, mama.”
“You wanna see?”
A FaceTime call came in before I could answer her question. I quickly stepped into the bathroom to answer it. The first thing to pop on screen was Shar’s fine ass. I could tell she had the phone propped up on her tripod. Before the camera, she lay spread eagle with a clean-shaven pussy on full display.
“Shit, baby,” I said, grabbing myself.
She slid her middle and ring finger down her slit and spread her pussy lips, exposing the deliciously sticky mess gathering between them. When her dildo appeared, I felt a hint of jealousy surge through me. Seeing it slide in and out of her with ease had me ready to dip out right now.
“She’s ready for you, daddy,” Shar informed me with a moan. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
“I won’t. I just have to handle some business right quick, and I’ll be home.”
She kissed her teeth as her face came to view. “It’s nothing that can wait? I’m horny as hell, Maceo.”
“I got you, baby. Aye! You better put that dildo away too. Don’t even touch yourself while I’m not there.”
“Baby!”
“Princess. Don’t I always take care of your needs?”
“Yes.”
“Then be a good girl and do what I said. I’ll be home soon. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We disconnected the call, and I got my dick together before I left the bathroom. When I opened the door, I jumped back because Charity was standing right there.
“Shit, you walk light.”
“Sorry. I was just wondering where you went. I’m ready.”
She held up a small bag.
“Bet. We can head out.”
I led her out the front door. Tiny was sitting on the porch, talking on the phone.
“I’m about to get Charity situated with temporary housing. Call the cleaners and have them come in tomorrow. Lock up when you leave.”
“Got you. Good luck, Ms. Lynn.”
“Thank you, Tiny.”
We slapped hands before I led Charity to my car. Once she was settled in, I climbed into the driver’s side and made my way back into town.
“I really can’t thank you enough for this,” Charity said, placing her things on the bed.
Before I dropped her off, I took her to pick up a few essential items. I wasn’t sure how long she was going to be at the hotel. Other than the few clothing items she took from the safe house, she didn’t have anything else, so I took her to buy clothes and shoes. It took a little longer than I expected, and I was sure Shar was going to be pissed when I got home.
“You don’t have to thank me,” I said, reaching into my wallet. I pulled out a couple of bills and handed them to her. “Consider that an advance on your first check. I have an open tab here, so you can eat in the restaurant or order room service if you want.”
She smiled softly. “I really appreciate this. No one has ever done anything like this for me.” Slowly, she walked over to where I stood and peered up at me. “If there’s anything I can do to return the favor, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”
The way she said that caused my brows to furrow.
“You know I have an ol’ lady, right? Shar?”
“I know. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just saying, if I can be of service, let me know. I mean, look at this hotel. I know the nightly rate can’t be cheap. Being a cleanup woman won’t even begin to cover the cost of this room.”
I shook my head. “You don’t need to worry about that. I got it.”
“I bet you do.”
I took a step back and headed for the door. “Good night, Charity.”
“Good night.”
I opened the door, only for her to call my name.
“Maceo?”
“Yeah?”
“Shar is a lucky girl. I hope she knows that.”
I didn’t bother to respond to that. Instead, I left the room and headed back to my car to go home. I wasn’t sure what to make of the shit that just happened. I also wasn’t sure what the hell she had to do to survive where she came from. If she was homeless, maybe she’d done something strange for a piece of change. Maybe she was used to giving favors for favors. I didn’t fucking know.
We weren’t out here doing background checks on victims, because they were victims. In this case, I might have to bring Jaeda in on this shit. I hated to do that because she would start asking questions, and if she didn’t get the answers she wanted, she was gonna start snitching.
I couldn’t have that.
I’d sit on it for a few days before I decided what to do. I needed to make up my mind fast because as long as she was in this city, it was going to bug the fuck outta me. Right now, my only concern was getting home to my woman.
Shar had moved in with me about three months ago. At first, it was weird having her in my space, but now, it just felt right. I woke up with head and breakfast in bed and went to sleep after a deep dive in some wet ass pussy. I couldn’t wait to shower and slide in bed behind her.
When I made it to the house, only the dim light from our bedroom could be seen. I made my way inside and upstairs. Pushing the door open, I saw Shar curled up under the covers. I didn’t miss the setup she had going on. There were rose petals covering the floor, candles that were now blown out, champagne sitting in a bucket of now melting ice, and chocolate-covered strawberries.
I felt bad that I’d missed her surprise.
I headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. By the time I came out, Shar was sitting up in bed with her arms folded and a frown on her face.
“I’m sorry, baby?—”
“Where have you been?”
“I told you I had to handle some business.”
“You know I have your location, right?”
“And? I have yours too.”
She threw back the covers and stood on the bed, still dressed in her lingerie.
“Don’t be a smart ass. What bitch did you take shopping and then to a hotel?”
“I can explain?—”
“Well, get to explaining before I feel the need to bop you and that bitch in your shit!”
“Sharina, please sit your little ass down. I told you I can explain. I don’t lie to you, and you’re not about to stand over me and accuse me of some shit.”
I snapped my fingers and pointed to the bed. She crossed her arms but sat down.
“Now, are you gonna let me explain?”
She waved her hand, signaling for me to continue.
“Colin left today, making Charity the last person in the safe house. I was sure we would need the house again soon, so I got her a few things and put her up in a hotel. She’s gonna be working with the cleaning company for a few weeks until she figures out where she’s gonna go from here.”
Shar frowned. “Maceo, don’t be out here being a friendly ass nigga.”
“What would you have me do, Sharina? She has nothing and nobody. She said they stole her shit from her car and stripped that muthafucka. It’s literally nothing for her to go back to. You wanted me to send her back to the streets when I have the means to help? That ain’t how my family operates with victims.”
“Okay, Maceo.”
She stood from the bed and walked into the closet. When she came back out, she was wearing pajama bottoms, a T-shirt, and her bonnet. I guess I wasn’t getting any tonight.
“Where are you going?” I asked as she headed for the bedroom door.
“To smoke. You have my fucking nerves up.”
“Baby, come on.”
“Ain’t no come on. You left me hanging tonight, Maceo. You could have called or texted me, but you ignored me. So yeah, I’m mad.”
She snatched the door open and stormed out. I stood there for a moment, staring after her.
“Fuck!”