Chapter 34
Seojun
Istared between Ayzo, Denice, and Jay and waited for their response. I had just informed them everything that has happened and why I had Addison and her friend tied up in the warehouse. To see her on the phone with Cindy and Sandy had my anger boiling all over again. I thought Addison was different. I mean, being around her had me feeling a way that I hadn’t before. Even though we married out of convenience, I felt that we could make us work. I don’t know if it was love or lust, but either way, I wanted her to stick around. Unfortunately, she betrayed me.
“Let me get this straight.’ Denice began.
“You think Addison is helping whoever set you up all those years ago?”
I nodded.
“She was talking to Sandy and Cindy, who used to work for me.”
I stated before hopping out of my seat.
“Now that I think about it, Cindy and Sandy are probably June and Tiny.”
Ayzo cocked his head to the side before he nodded in agreement.
“That makes so much sense! They were the only women on your payroll that you fired. They must’ve been the first ones to go over to the Cobras. They knew everything that happened around the Jaguars. Hell, you remember how they use to get down. They had men eating out the palm of their hands and could have easily persuaded them to jump ship.”
“Shit! You are right! We can send them a message from Addison’s phone to setup a trap.”
Denice cleared her throat as she shifted in her chair.
“Again, I ask, how is it that Addison is tied up in the warehouse? From what y'all are telling me, it doesn’t sound like she even knew what was going on. Hell, this Mr. L person sounds like the you should be looking in to.. Maybe he’s the one that set all this shit up.”
Ayzo sat down next to Denice.
“How is that, love?”
“Well, think about it. Didn’t Addison say that Mr. L used to make her have mandatory doctor’s visits with Dr. Johnston to make sure she is still pure.”
I nodded.
“Isn’t Dr. Johnston also Arnez? Coincidence?”
My mouth opened then closed. Damn, I hadn’t even thought about that.
“Well, hot damn.”
Jay said, with arched brows.
“My baby smart!”
Ayzo shouted, grabbing her face and planting kisses on her lips.
“Now we need to find out who Mr. L is. Maybe my yeobo will know more than what she is saying.”
I stated, cracking my knuckles.
“Seojun? Don’t hurt her,”
Denice called after me.
I scrunched up my nose and stared at her.
“She may have still betrayed me. I don’t tolerate disloyalty.”
“I understand that, but if she’s telling the truth, the last thing you want to do is hurt her to the point that she can’t forgive you.”
“My baby is right cuzo. Go in there with a bit of optimism for your wife. Plus, if it wasn’t for her you wouldn’t have been able to hold up your end of the bargain with the Reapers.”
I rubbed my chin. I am grateful that Addison agreed to marry me which helped keep the agreement with the Reapers valid. I didn’t understand why we needed the Reapers before but began to understand as I got older. Merging the Jaguars and the Reapers was a smart move between the north and the south. With the Reapers and the Jaguars joining forces, we benefited off of shared power and unity making everyone’s lives easier. Our connection ensured that no one could step in and try to dominate us.
However, with all of the years not keeping up with the bargain, it all seemed to crumble. I wasn’t focused on keeping us strong, but instead worried about sustaining our image and keeping the cash flowing effortlessly. It was inevitable that we’d be attacked. it just hurt more when we were attacked from the inside. We were divided and eventually both groups dissolved. Meeting Addison and making her my wife, knowing she had Reaper blood, was going to rebuild the groups. Now, I’m afraid that was only going to be short lived.
If Addison truly betrayed me, then I would torture her before I ended her life. I would make her suffer for giving me false hope for restoring the Jaguars and all of the hard work my father endured to get us out of poverty. For the false hope of finding someone who understood me and potentially finding love. I mean, I didn’t love her at the moment, but i could see myself falling for her the more time we spent together.
I nodded at everyone and walked through the tunnels down into the warehouse. Addison sat with her head hung down while her friend Akira cursed and yelled for someone to come out to them.
“Stop all that yelling,”
Raheem said, coming out of the meat locker.
“Fuck you, Heem! How dare you tie me up in this damn chair like I’m your enemy. Is that it now, Heem? You think that I am your enemy. After everything we’ve been through together? After I let you have me in my most vulnerable state?”
A look of guilt washed over Raheem’s face before he made eye contact with me. I slightly held up my hand, motioning him to stand down.
“Until we get to the bottom of all this confusion, you two are staying in the chairs.”
I said, walking closer to the pair.
Addison’s head lifted up and a maniacal smile spread across her face.
“Seojun, when I get out of this chair, I am going to fuck you up.”
“Is that right, yeobo?”
I asked, hovering over her.
“Yes! Because you know I had nothing to do with you and your group being setup.”
“Then who is Mr. L?”
I asked, walking over to the metal table and picking up robe.
“The man who tried to sell me. Hell, he never told me what the L stood for. All I know is, he has a financial advisory business just outside of downtown. He also owns a massage parlor that doubles as a brothel house in Vegas.”
I arched an eyebrow and pulled out my phone. The massage parlor sounded like the one I used to own, but I wanted to be sure.
“I am going to have Ayzo look into that. If you are lying, yeobo, then you and your friend are dead.”
Addison rolled her eyes.
“And when you find out I was telling you the truth, then you owe me!”
I smiled down at her as I texted Ayzo and waited for him to respond. Addison and I continued to stare at one another and I had to admit, I liked her boldness. She wasn’t crying or pleading for me to not kill them. I learned to realize a lot of guilty people did that, but not her. Was she telling me the truth?
My phone began to ring, breaking my eye contact. Ayzo was calling me on FaceTime. With a confused expression, I answered the phone.
“Why didn’t you just text back?” I asked.
“Fuck all that! You are not going to believe what I just found.”
My heart hammered in my chest as I held my breath. I prayed that Ayzo wasn’t confirming my suspicions.”
“I can’t believe that son of a bitch!”
Denice yelled in the background.
My eyebrows scrunched together.
“What is going on?”
“Mr. L is Luther Jones. Denice and I grew up with him in Chicago. He used to hang out with T and his people. When Cindy and Sandy got fired from your establishment, they must’ve went to Luther who was in the beginning stages of the Cobras.”
I looked down at Addison who was still staring at me.
“Tell me again how you got involved with Mr. L.”
She rolled her eyes and dropped her head back.
“I told you all of this already!”
“Amuse me.”
She lifted her head and sighed.
“Where do you want me to start? From the day that we met?”
I shook my head.
“From the beginning.”
“A few months back, I was sitting on a bench outside on campus crying because I didn’t have the funds to pay for my nana’s bills when this woman approached me and told me about Mr. L.”
“Wait,”
I said, arching a brow.
“What woman?”
Addison stared at me in confusion.
“I don’t think that matters. I mean, I’m pretty sure she worked for-”
“Yeobo, please. What woman?”
“Her name was Olivia, but I don’t know her last name.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
Ayzo said on the other line.
“Turn the camera around so I can ask her something,”
Denice ordered.
I did as she asked and saw Addison’s eye widening as she stared into the camera.
“Ayzo?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Addison but Ayzo is my cousin.”
I said nonchalantly.
“We’ll talk about that later,”
Denice said.
“Addison, this Olivia, was she a Latina woman with curves for days and a fucked up attitude?”
A look of shock flashed across Ayzo’s and Addison’s face. Ayzo opened his mouth, but Addison had beat him to it.
“H-how did you know?”
“Olivia is my foster sister.”
“Get the fuck out of here!”
Ayzo shouted.
“Olivia is Nicholas’s ex-girlfriend that had him setup a couple of years back.”
“Small fucking world,”
I said, rubbing my chin.
“So, let me get this straight. Denice, Olivia was your foster sister when you lived back in Chicago?”
She nodded her head.
“Yes. Ayzo, baby, you never met her because she had left with Luther and Xavier that night me and you hung out. About the time they all came back, you were already gone.”
Ayzo shook his head.
“Not quite. I mean, I had slipped out of your window, but got into it with Luther. Xavier was in the house fucking with Olivia again, but they never mentioned her name. If they had, it would have rung a bell when I moved to Philly. I had just met Nicholas and he was dating Olivia’s ass up until the day-”
“Everyone turned their backs on me!”
I shouted.
“That was the day me and you went into hiding. I remember because you were trying to go back for Nicholas, but he was in the hospital.”
All the pieces were falling into place, but the only thing I couldn’t figure out was why this Luther character wanted smoke with me. I know him and my cousin had got into it over Denice, but by that time, Ayzo had long since left the Jaguars. Olivia was the common denominator, but again, what did she have to do with all of this? Her roll seemed more like the obedient girlfriend. What was I missing?
I looked down at Addison who was giving me a puzzled look. I swallowed my guilt and waved Raheem over. Throughout all of this drama, there was one thing for certain. Addison and Akira were innocent. I nodded my head at Raheem, indicating he could untie Akira. As soon as he did, she balled her fist and punched him.
“I told you we weren’t involved in yall drama!”
She shouted, continuing to hit him.
“Baby, wait.”
Raheem pled, but she wasn’t listening.
“And you!”
Akira shouted, pointing her finger at me.
“How dare you treat my best friend like some gutta rat off the street.”
She ran toward me with her fist in the air, but Raheem grabbed her before she could take a swing. He slung her over his shoulder and headed out of the warehouse, her curses still bouncing off of the walls.
“Ayzo, grab everybody and meet me outside the warehouse. We are going to end this shit tonight.”
“Bet.”
I disconnected the line and found my eyes colliding with fiery brown ones.
“Agi, untie me from this damn chair.”
I walked over to her and kissed her forehead.
“Yeobo, I am sorry. I just had to be sure.”
“Untie me, now.”
Doing as I was told, I untied her. I opened my mouth to apologize, but she slapped me.
“You should have believed me. Now you have to be punished.”