Chapter 20 #2
After she lifted from the bed, the first stop was his bathroom, where she pulled herself together before she went looking for Asao. She didn’t know what was next and that made her queasy.
He could still leave me.
When she walked into the living room and found Asao seated on the sofa, slouched down low, head back with his eyes closed, she began to panic.
Maybe he didn’t want to be near her. Samari’s eyes trailed over his body, starting with the tension in his face, the way his brows were pinched, his jaw was tense, and the vein at his temple was defined.
She moved lower, taking in the expanse of his shoulders which looked tight, his bare chest exposed defined muscles in his arms, flexed because his hands rested in his lap with his fingers curled into his palms.
She nervously cleared her throat and his eyes shot open. The frown on his face deepened until his eyes landed on her and softened.
“I should probably go.”
Asao grunted his disapproval and yanked a hand down his face. “Nah, you shouldn’t. Come here, Mari.”
She made her way to him, stopping between his legs. He looked her up and down for a minute before bringing her into his lap. She didn’t fully relax until he closed her in his arms and kissed her forehead. “What do you want to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
He grunted again before his lips touched her forehead. “You need to eat something.”
“You pick.”
Asao pushed his hand between his thigh and the side of the sofa to retrieve his phone.
He would have handed it to her but the notifications would still be there.
They had flooded his screen since the video surfaced.
The video was attached to Samari, Samari was attached to him, and he was attached to the music festival.
As successful as it had been, the only thing people were talking about was the video that leaked.
So no, Asao wouldn’t be handing over his phone.
He pulled up the Munchies app and placed an order from Morningside before his attention was on her again. His conflicted gaze settled on her face before he spoke what was on his mind.
“What do you want to do, Mari?”
She frowned, not understanding the question.
When she didn’t respond, Asao added, “I need you to tell me how you want to handle this. Whatever you tell me you want, I’ll make it happen.
I just need to know how I’m stepping with this shit.
I know how I’m gonna handle it but that doesn’t have anything to do with the decision you make. So I need to know what you want to do.”
She tensed because the threat and the warning were clear when it came to how he planned on handling things.
“No…” was all she offered and he laughed arrogantly.
“I’m not asking you for permission.”
That muthafucker is gonna see me, he thought but elected to keep the words from affirming what she was already thinking.
“I want this to go away, not get worse. Whatever you’re thinking will make it worse.”
He didn’t disagree but his mind wouldn’t change.
“I’m gonna fix it. You have to trust me. If I can’t make it go away, I can make it right.”
She didn’t have the energy to argue. There was also another thing to be addressed. As long as she wasn’t out there, the whispers would stop. But the minute she showed her face, there would be someone reminding her of a past she’d desperately tried to forget.
“I can’t pay you back right away but if you give me some time…”
“Pay me back for what?’
“The songs, the…”
“You don’t owe me shit. Mari. How many times do I have to say that?”
“It’s not just about you. If I’m not out there, I can’t make money.”
“Why the fuck you think you’re not gonna be out there? I don’t give a damn about any of this shit. It’s handled. Niles and Dom aren’t pressed about it either. We’ll figure it out.”
When his eyes narrowed on her face. he had his answer. She was bailing and that pissed him off.
“You gonna let him win? Because if you do, that’s gonna fuck me up.”
His hand met the side of her face before he lowered his forehead to hers and his thumb brushed over her smooth skin. “No one can tell you who you are, Mari. Not that video or anyone’s thoughts about it. They can’t have power over you unless you allow them to. Don’t give it to them.”
When his deep browns locked in, demanding that she accept his words, Samari nodded. Asao’s thumb moved over her cheek again. “I need you to trust me to fix this. Can you give me that?”
She nodded and he dropped his mouth to hers. “Go call your girl and let her know you’re good. I’m sure she’s worried.”
After one last kiss, he tapped her thigh and Samari lifted from his lap, pushing the negative thoughts away for the moment. They would be there when she felt like dealing with them, because regardless of what Asao believed, he couldn’t fix this. Nobody could.
They said patience was a virtue but at the moment Asao didn’t have the ability to possess behaviors that would qualify as a high moral standard, so his patience was lacking. Regardless, he sat in the black SUV tagged with fake plates, waiting.
Niles accepted the role of driver, Dom rode shotgun while Asao filled the seat behind him.
They’d touched down in Chicago that morning after doing research to locate the reason they were there.
Access made things too easy. Pictures on social media linked Mase Davidson to a social media model he spent money and time with.
Recognition and a transfer to her account through CashMe granted Asao insight on when he could pull up to handle Samari’s situation his way.
The goal was simple. She was hurt and the source of her pain would feel pain.
“You sure this shit is legit, Sao?” Dom asked, shifting in his seat.
He was just as prepared as his boy to get things done, but time was money.
He would ride that shit out as long as necessary but he was ready to get his hands dirty.
Niles and Dom’s connection to Samari was very different than Asao’s but they fucked with her all the same.
She was family now, so checking muthafuckers behind her was a given.
“It’s legit,” Niles said, motioning to the body that stepped out of the back VIP entrance to Elevate, an exclusive gym for athletes in the city.
The money Asao transferred was well spent.
Kizzie K handed over details of where they could find Mase.
Because he was nursing an injury he was keeping from his team trainers for fear of being traded, Mase was seeing a physical therapist who worked at Elevate.
The late night appointment granted Asao and his boys access.
“Let’s go,” Asao mumbled before he jumped out of the SUV and rushed Mase.
Asao was on him so quick Mase didn’t have time to react.
Asao lifted a Timb covered foot and made contact with Mase’s left knee—the same knee he was at Elevate to rehabilitate—so he buckled and dropped to the ground.
Asao didn’t let up but the next move was a punch to the face delivered with all of his strength.
With a fistful of the hoodie Mase was in, Asao delivered blow after blow until he felt satisfied that the point was made.
Swollen eyes, bloody mouth, bruised skin.
He then stood above Mase, removed the gun from the small of his back, and angled the barrel so it was aimed at Mase’s head.
The battered ballplayer quickly lifted both hands, palms facing out. Any thoughts of retaliating quickly left his body.
“What do you need? Just tell me what you need,” Mase rushed out, assuming the assault was connected to a come up. He thought they were jack boys. “I don’t have cash on me, but you can get my watch, my car, shit, whatever you need.”
Asao laughed arrogantly. “I don’t want a damn thing you have. I’m here to discuss how you like drugging and assaulting women.”
Mase’s battered face tensed and his eyes expressed confusion before it clicked.
He recognized the person who assaulted him.
The video exposing one of the worst decisions of his life had been on repeat over the last week.
His teammates had been giving him props for what they assumed was a rookie player living wild, engaged in a threesome.
His new management team was on his ass, interrogating him with questions about what repercussions they would need to deal with.
They asked for details of that night. Details he had yet to be honest about because he was embarrassed.
“I didn’t drug her,” he stated flatly, and although the confession was true, it granted him another painful blow to his knee which caused him to yell out and hiss through gritted teeth. “I didn’t fucking drug her and I didn’t assault her either. We never had sex that night.”
Anger pushed through Asao’s veins and he leaned over Mase, shoving the barrel of the gun in his mouth. “You calling my girl a liar, ’cause she said she was drugged and that video shows you with her that night.”
Mase’s eyes went wide and he jerked his head from left to right before he exerted his best efforts to speak with a gun in his mouth. “That’s not what happened. Chill and I’ll tell you.”
Dom kept a close eye on his boy. The plan wasn’t murder and they were getting dangerously close to that point. The three of them had taken lives before but that was when they had a lot less to lose. If that was how the night would be ending, they needed to make sure they didn’t get caught.
“Sao, let him talk.” It took a minute for Asao to ease up but only so much grace was given. He removed the gun from Mase’s mouth and centered the steel on his forehead.
“You better hope I believe what the fuck you’re about to say.”
Mase’s eyes darted to the two men standing close by, sending a silent plea. When they didn’t move in his defense, he nodded again and swallowed nervously.