Chapter 5
Five
Breaking news! Suspect Braye Hilson, wanted for the shooting at Baldwin National Park that left one injured.
“Dumb bitch. You better hope the police catch your ass before Rio do,” Cali muttered.
She had been reading most of the articles written about Braye all morning.
He had gone on the run and wasn’t to be found.
Cali was so bitter that she called the police station and gave known addresses to where he stayed.
Despite that, she didn’t feel better. Trying to get revenge against Braye wouldn’t soothe the heart she had broken.
She wondered what Rio was going through.
Did he think of her? Was his love gone? Knowing him, the answer was a definite yes.
Cali hated herself. Her self-esteem had plummeted.
Her self-worth was in the toilet. Why couldn’t she see the light sooner?
Why did it take Rio almost dying for her to find her love for him?
They’d just found their groove. Bliss was the theme in their marriage and because of her selfishness, she was now hiding out at her sister’s house until Douglas took care of her problem.
A knock at the door interrupted her scrolling. Seconds later, two sets of feet pattered inside the guest room. She looked at her twin nephews, who were splitting images of their father. The only thing they inherited of Bria was her umber skin tone.
“TT, come eat with us,” Koda said, playing with the Van Cleef bracelet on her wrist.
“What are we eating?”
“Waffles,” Dallas answered. “And fruit.”
“Okay, well, let’s go eat.”
Cali got up from the bed and grabbed her robe. The twins held her hand all the way down to the kitchen where Bria’s husband, Lo, sat at the table and she stood over the stove.
“Did they wake you up?” Bria asked.
“No, I was already up,” Cali replied. “Morning, Lo.”
“What’s up?” He gave her a nod and finished his plate. He was so intimidating that Cali wanted to keep the conversation to a minimum.
“Here.” Bria sat a plate in front of her. “Hopefully, you found your appetite.”
Cali had been so depressed that she hadn’t eaten in days. Losing five pounds within a week had her looking gaunt.
“I’ve been trying to force myself to eat but I can’t.”
Lo stood up and put his plate in the sink.
He then walked behind Bria and wrapped his arms around her.
Cali immediately looked away, praying she wouldn’t burst into tears.
Witnessing the act of affection triggered her.
She missed Rio so much. His scent wouldn’t leave her nose, and his fingerprints were still imprinted on her skin.
I bet dying would erase all this pain…
The suicidal thoughts had increase since coming to Bria’s home. Cali wondered if she killed herself would Rio come to her funeral. Would her family be glad that their problem child was out of their hair? The thoughts were so depressing, but it didn’t stop Cali from wondering about that possibility.
“Dallas and Koda, y’all wanna pull the car out for Daddy?” Lo asked.
“Oooh, yes!” They both hopped up and ran toward the back door with him.
Cali looked back as a faint smile covered her pouty lips. “I know he’s not teaching them how to drive at three years old.”
Bria chuckled and took a seat at the table. “Girl, they think they be driving. He sits them on his lap, and they pull out of the garage.”
“That’s cute,” Cali muttered, forking the fruit on the plate.
“So, how you feeling?”
“Like shit,” Cali honestly answered. “I want to disappear and wait for my misery to pass… have you heard anything about Rio? Did Dad take care of everything?”
“No, to your first question and Dad hasn’t called. I’m sure he’ll take care of it soon.”
Cali rubbed her hands down her face, frustrated with the state of her life.
“I might lose my job. They're requesting that I come in but you know I can’t.”
Bria’s eyes ballooned. “Did you tell them you have a family emergency?”
“Yes, but I don't have any more PTO. I used it when I was caring for Rio.”
Bria waved her hand, dismissively. “Girl, you’ll be straight. With your skill, you’ll find a job in no time.”
“I still have bills, Bria. If I’m going to be without Rio, then I need to make some moves. I have a savings but it’s not going to be enough to sustain me. Fuck,” she hissed. “Why couldn’t I just do right?”
“Beating yourself up is going to make you feel worse.”
Cali exhaled and rubbed her tears away. She wanted to cry.
Not the regular kind but she wanted to ugly cry.
She needed to see snot streaming from her nose and her shoulders quivering from the pain.
Cali couldn’t do that now. For some reason, she wanted to exercise strength so she wouldn’t alarm her family how broken she’d been.
“Have you spoken to Irish? Maybe she can give you an update on Rio.”
Cali had suddenly realized that she hadn’t heard from her friend. It was weird since Irish was always present for her.
“I’ll be right back.”
Right away, she stood and stepped out into the backyard. Pulling out the burner phone Douglas insisted that she use, she dialed Irish’s number.
“Hello?”
Cali was taken aback by her somber tone. “Irish?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s me, Cali. What’s wrong?”
There was a pause with a lot of shuffling in the background.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
Irish cleared her throat. “No, it’s not.”
Cali quickly sat down in the patio chair, alarmed by her words. Irish was usually upbeat, giving everyone good energy. Never was she the somber one who sounded like she was on the verge of death.
“What happened?”
Irish sighed. “A lot… I don't even know where to start… I never told you this but me and Jovanis have an open marriage.”
Cali’s mouth gaped before she covered it with her hand. Through her perspective, they had the perfect marriage. Their chemistry was electrifying and they complemented each other so well. Cali would’ve never guessed they had that type of arrangement.
“So, we date other people, but I fell for someone that Jovanis says is off limits.”
“Who?”
“You can’t tell anyone.”
Cali chuckled. “Girl, if you knew the position I’m currently in, you would know that I don't have anyone to tell.”
“Well… I was dealing with Noble.”
“Bitch, Noble?” Cali gushed, smiling for the first time in days.
Irish chuckled. “Yeah… I was fucking around with Noble.”
“You one sneaky whore but tell me if the dick is hittin’.”
“Hittin’? Girl, I’m an addict.”
“Ooh, I knew it. A nigga that fine and powerful gotta have something lethal between his legs. Anyway, continue on.”
“So, Jovanis found out, and he got mad and roughed me up. He has never put his hands on me, so I was offended by that. He ordered me to stop dealing with Noble and I did but… it hurts so bad, Cali. I don't wanna be without him.”
“OMG, Irish did you fall in love with him?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Cali was stunned by the recent developments in Irish’s life.
Who knew she and Noble had engaged in a secret affair?
She remembered the thrill of fucking around with someone she wasn’t supposed to.
It was exhilarating, yet dangerous, and even though their lives were in disarray, they did share some parallels.
“Damn, friend, we’re both in fucked-up situations. Don't feel bad, Rio found out about me and Braye and thinks that I set him up to be killed. Oh, and he put a hit out on me. I’m hiding out at Bria’s house.”
“What the fuck?” Irish yelled. “Set him up? He has to know that you wouldn’t do no shit like that.”
Cali looked over her shoulder to ensure no one was listening to her conversation.
“I didn’t tell my family this because it would make things worse but… I met up with Braye, and he pulled a gun out on me.”
Irish gasped, causing Cali to wince. “A gun out on you? What the fuck? That nigga is crazy as hell.”
“I was so scared.” Cali closed her eyes at the memory.
The feeling of her skin sprouting goosebumps still sat in her reverie.
“I thought that man was going to kill me, so I yelled and got the attention of other people. This nigga ended up shooting another man. The police are looking for his stupid ass. I hope they catch him.”
“Girl this is worse than I thought. I can’t believe this man did a 180 on you like that.”
“I can’t believe it myself…” Cali mumbled, feeling shame cover her like a blanket.
“I’m waiting on my dad to figure this thing out, you know, with the bounty.
I’m so depressed right now. I think the worst thing for me is…
” She cleared the emotion from her throat. “Knowing that my marriage is ending.”
“Aw, Cali, I’m really sorry that it’s come to that. Sometimes our lessons are painful and hopefully, you’ve learned yours.”
“Yeah, I learned never to cheat again. Shit, I’ll probably never get into another relationship after this. If it ain't Rio, I don't want them.”
“Wow, so how much is the bounty?”
“$100,000.”
“Damn that nigga want you gone,” Irish joked.
None of this was a laughing matter but Cali couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s not funny, Irish.”
“It’s not but damn. If I was a shady bitch, I’d call Rio right now and tell him to come get your ass.”
Cali laughed harder with Irish joining her. She was so thankful for her friend. They were both trapped in the midst of raging storms but managed to find a sliver of humor. Cali found Irish’s conversation soothing. She helped her temporarily forget how badly she’d ruined her life.
“You would never switch up on me.”
“Never! Even when you make bad decisions, I’m still gonna be here telling you to think about what you're doing.”
Cali’s smile faded. “I wish I would’ve taken your advice.”
“Yeah, hindsight is 20/20. This is all happening for a bigger purpose. I don't know what, but nothing just happens. There’s a method to God’s madness.”
Cali gulped away the ache in her throat. “I’m gonna go before I start crying. I’ll call you later. Please keep your ears to the streets for me. And if someone asks, you haven’t heard from me.”