Chapter 45 MAJA
MAJA
Jerell Franklin turned his life around after losing his oldest brother to the streets.
According to Alli, Jerell had seemingly been living a quiet life.
He was in a relationship now, and the couple was expecting a baby girl.
Jerell could’ve had his wonderful life to live.
Instead, he allowed the death of his brother to immerse him back into a life he’d turned his back on.
Tonight, he would learn that his need for revenge wasn’t greater than mine.
“Katrice was the connect between Lucían and Jerell,” Alli explained. “I’ve been going through her messages, and it looks like she’s been in Jerell’s ear since Jemell’s death.”
Poppa grimaced. “She already knew Lucían was coming for Heir.”
Alli nodded. “Right. Jerell was already out for blood, so naturally, he did whatever the bitch asked him to do.”
Noa laid out an enlarged photograph of the exterior of Black Dream. On it were several markings showing where bullets struck the building. There were at least a couple of dozen shots.
“That explains why he only aimed for Von,” Noa added. “The rest of the shots were random.”
That revelation only added fuel to the fire already burning inside me.
“He’s linked back up with his old crew as well as some niggas who ran with Jemell,” Humble stated. “So far, I’ve counted twenty-two bodies, including Jerell.”
Peace pointed to the poster, displaying the floor plans of the mansion Jerell owned. Adir had him and Humble sitting on Jerell for most of the day.
Peace chuckled. “As if that matters.”
Noa agreed, smirking.
Adir walked into the conference room, scanned everyone’s faces, and said, “It’s time.”
“You ready?” Poppa asked me.
“Yes.”
“I love you, aight? Keep yo’ head on a swivel, and trust that we got you.”
“Okay.” I hugged Poppa, then followed him, Adir, Humble, Peace, and Alli out of the office. Noa followed behind me.
The living room was teeming with Bells, all of them knowing what was to come.
This was my family. The family who took me in, raised me, and loved me more than I could explain.
My mother would’ve loved them. She would’ve loved the way they loved their children and wives.
She would’ve loved the way they protected anyone connected to them.
She would’ve loved the community of men who never sat back and watched a woman be abused or hurt in any way.
My mother deserved better. She deserved better than the piece of shit my father was.
Already consumed with anger, I had to shake off thoughts of Richard Storm.
Instead, I thought about Von and everything he meant to me.
To think, he’d been searching for me, the killer.
To think that I never cared enough about the life I lived to pay attention to something as simple as the investigators chasing after me.
If I had known Von then, I would’ve sworn he was my kryptonite.
Because of him, I gave an officer a chance.
As I stepped outside, the breeze of the night played along my face, noting that a tear had dropped from my eye.
All I wanted was to be next to Von and have him put his big arm around my neck like he always did.
I missed his body’s weight against mine and the way he stared into my eyes—the eyes he put light back into. I couldn’t possibly live without him.
“Focus, baby girl,” Adir murmured. He opened the door of the van to let me in. I climbed inside, took a seat, and zoned out. I had to leave Maja at Bell Estates. Donning a simple black baseball cap, I pulled it low over my eyes. May was on her way to wreak havoc.
***
“I want you to hit every target. Don’t think about it. Spot ‘em. Pull the trigger,” Poppa instructed.
“Yes, sir.”
Through the scope of the AR-15 resting against the front of my shoulder, I spotted Jerell, pacing on his balcony.
At seventeen, I could shoot from distances that rivaled the best military member.
Due to my shoulder injuries, it was hard learning how to handle the recoil.
Adir wouldn’t let up, though, until I could handle the rifle just as well as he could.
It would have been so easy to pull the trigger and end Jerell’s life, but that would have been too easy, too lenient.
So, I waited patiently for Adir’s signal. He and the rest of my family were already on Jerell’s property, preparing to light that bitch up. Sure enough, the faint sounds of bullets firing crackled through my earpiece. I kept my sights on Jerell, who wasn’t aware of the death going on around him.
“Perimeter clear,” Noa relayed.
Moments later, those familiar sounds echoed through my earpiece again. I listened as one by one, my father and cousins picked off every breathing thing inside the mansion. Jerell must’ve suspected something. He paused pacing and glanced around the grounds of the backyard.
“Maja, you’re clear.”
Adir’s prompt lit every cell in my body.
Shouldering the AR-15, I stood from the tall, manicured bushes lining the inside of Jerell’s property.
His ass had no clue that I was steps from his patio.
I entered through the patio door, ignored the carnage my people caused, and bounded the stairs to the second floor.
Humble waited at Jerell’s bedroom door, his assault rifle ready just in case.
Handing him mine, I entered Jerell’s bedroom.
The blankets on his bed were shuffled, and the television was loud as hell. The closer I got to the balcony’s French-style doors, the faster my heart raced. Not because I was afraid—on the contrary, I was excited.
Stepping onto the balcony, I stood behind a pacing Jerell and tilted my head to the side.
He was taller, stockier, and more handsome than his brother.
Looking at him, I saw the streets all over him.
His locs were long, down to his waist. Tattoos covered ninety-five percent of his bare chest and back.
His beard was long and unkempt. He was a far cry from the man who appeared on countless news broadcasts demanding that Von be fired, investigated, and all but murdered in the streets.
“Hi. I’m May.”
Jerell whirled around, and his wide eyes raked over me. His astonishment at seeing me heightened my senses into overdrive. Still, I remained patient. I wanted to feel every ounce of energy draining from his body.
“Bitch! How the fuck you get up here?”
“Your question should be, why am I here.”
“I’on give a fuck why you here, bitch!” He took a step towards me, but I lovingly tapped the barrel of my thirty-eight against my chest, stopping him in his tracks. “I’ma take that gun and kill you wit’ it, bitch!” he hissed.
Chuckling, I replied, “No… That’s not how this is about to go.”
Frantically, his eyes darted around, looking for anything or anyone to help him.
“Your brother is dead, your crew is dead. If your woman was here, she would be dead.” Smiling, I added, “You’re lucky if I don’t kill your mother.”
He growled, but a growl never put fear in me.
“I commend your love for your brother. However, you fucked up by shooting at my family… And injuring the love of my life.”
Recognition set in, and Jerell noticeably blanched. Still, he stood his ground.
“That nigga killed my brother!” he spat.
“No…” I giggled. “I killed your brother.”
“Fuck outta here! Ain’t no bitch get the drop on my brother!”
“I got the drop on you.” I shrugged. “And we both know your brother wasn’t nearly as intelligent or street savvy as you. I put a bullet through his head not three minutes after he hung up with you.”
Jerell growled and charged towards me. One warning shot to his gut had him staggering back and hitting the wall behind him. He slid to the concrete balcony floor and peered at me, shockingly so.
I stooped down to his level and sat before him. Wordlessly, he stared at me as more blood seeped from his wound, and his breathing became choppy.
“I’m sure that now you’re wishing you would’ve held true to your word.
You told Jemell that there was going to come a day that you couldn’t save him.
Now, here you are, bleeding to death because he didn’t give a fuck about you or anyone else for that matter.
He killed a beautiful, innocent woman to protect himself.
For that, I had to kill him. You attempted to kill my man. For that, I have to kill you.”
He snarled. “Fuck you! And fuck that nigga!”
Smirking, I sat with him and gloried in the way he grimaced in pain. “Are you dizzy yet?” He had to be. He was losing too much blood.
“Fuck…you!” he grunted. As weakness took over his body, his eyes rolled.
“Actually, it’s fuck you. Forever.” I cracked a tiny smile and shot him right between his startled eyes.
Sometime later, all clean and mind clear, I arrived back at Dr. Bell & Associates.
I sat with Mama for a while, checked in on Heir and Shyah, then made a detour to the emergency department.
I went into the stock room, searched for what I needed, then made my way to the restroom.
Minutes later, I smiled down at the test. Now if only Von would wake up, so that I could give him the good news.