Chapter 6
Scorpio
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I sat in my contemporary-decorated office at Jay's and couldn't get a thing done. My mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of Shane and our relationship. Yesterday, Shane, Mackenzie and I had a blast. We went snow sledding, went to the movies, and had an awesome dinner at J Bucks. He was becoming everything I dreamed my future husband would be. After our conversation last night, I had a feeling my time was soon to come.
Earlier, Shane told me he had something important to tell me, so I waited at Jay's for him to come. It was already 3:00
P.M.
, and when I called his house, he didn't answer. I called his cell phone too, but his voice mail picked up. I left a message for him to call me.
Attempting to pass the time, I walked up front and sat with Bernie and one of her customers. Because of the weather, not too many people were willing to fight the blistering cold. Many of my stylists had even stayed home, but Bernie said that she had money to make and was there to make it.
“Scorpio, I'm just about finished. Give me about thirty more minutes and I'm calling it a day,” she said.
“Okay,” I said, taking a seat by the window. I gazed out of it, watching the falling snow. It was so pretty. I couldn't decide if I wanted a winter or summer wedding. Also, I didn't know if Shane and I would keep it simple, or if we'd invite all our friends. Knowing Shane, he'd want to keep it simple. I thought of his friendship with Jaylin, and then, my thoughts turned to him.
When we spoke the other day, he sure sounded down. I didn't know what was up with him and Nokea, but from what Shane told me, they were having some minor problems. I wanted to find out what had gone down, but frankly, it really wasn't any of my business. Jaylin had finalized his choice and so had I. He was now a part of my past. Shane had become my future. It took a long time for me to get to this point. I thought my love for Jaylin would never, ever go away. I'd be lying if I said I still didn't think about him from time to time, and it was always difficult for me to forget about the spectacular sex he always dished out.
Bernie's customer had left and time was flying by. Several times, I looked at the clock. It wasn't like Shane to tell me he was going to do something and not do it. Either way, I locked up after Bernie left. When the phone rang, I hurried to my office to answer. It was Shane.
“Baby,” he said in a soft tone. “I need for you to do something for me.”
His voice didn't sound right to me. “What's the matter? Is everything okay?”
“No it's not. I'm in jail.”
My eyes widened and so did my mouth. “In jail? For what?” There was silence. “Shane! In jail for what?” I yelled.
“Attempted murder.”
“What?” I yelled. “This is a joke, right? Please tell me this is a joke. I don't have time for games. If you don't want to get married. . .”
“It's no joke. I'm right here in Clayton, but before you make your way over here, I need for you to make some phone calls for me.”
I was still in disbelief. I had so many questions, but I knew Shane's time on the phone was limited. “Call who and for what?”
“My bond is two million dollars. I have some money in the bank, but a lot of it is tied up with my company. I only need ten percent. I can swing at least a hundred thousand.”
“I have some extra money too, but . . . but please tell me what's going on. Are these false charges or what? Tell meâ”
“When I get out of here, I will tell you everything. First, I need the money. Whatever you have, I will give it back to you. The difference, would you mind calling Jaylin to see if he can spot me?”
“I'll get on it now. I love you and I will do whatever it takes to get you out of there.”
“Thanks, baby. I love you too.”
Once I got off the phone with Shane, I quickly crunched some numbers and he was still forty Gs short. Without Shane's consent, I knew I couldn't pull one hundred thousand dollars from his bank account. I had to ask Jaylin for one hundred and forty thousand and promise to pay him back. I took a deep breath and dialed his number. Just my luck, Nokea answered.
“Hi Nokea. You know that I wouldn't bother Jaylin unless it was important, but can I speak to him, please?”
I couldn't believe she hung up on me. I called back, preparing myself to plead with her.
“Hello,” she snapped.
“Nokea, please. Shane has been arrested, I need some help from Jaylin.”
Her tone quickly changed. “Arrested? Did he tell you why?” she softly asked. “Whe . . . when did this happen?”
“Today. I really don't know the details, but I just got a phone call from him. His bond is ten percent of two million dollars. We just don't have that kind of money lying around.”
“Hold on, Scorpio. Let me go get Jaylin.”
Nokea put the phone down. I couldn't remember the last time she'd been that kind to me. I'm sure her concern was for Shane. Jaylin picked up the phone.
“What's going on?” he asked.
“Jaylin, Shane's been arrested. I don't know the details, but he mentioned something about attempted murder. He's short on his bond. I promise you we will repay you every single dime of it back.”
“This is a joke, right?”
“No it's not. That's the same thing I said when he called me, but he was serious. If you could have the money wired to my bank, I'll make sure when he's released he'll call and tell you all about it.”
“Damn,” Jaylin said. “Did he say anything about Stephon or Felicia? He mentioned to me before that he might have a warrant out for messing up Stephon's barbershop that day.”
“No he didn't mention a thing about that, but with a two million dollar bond, this sounds more serious than that.”
“Two million dollars!” Jaylin yelled. “What the fuck . . .”
“I don't know what's up, but I want him out of jail, now. All I need is one hundred and forty Gs and he'll be free to go.”
“Do you want me to transfer the money into his account or yours?”
“Put it in mine, please. It would make it a lot easier.”
“Give me your account number. Within the hour, check your account. If you have any problems, let me know. The moment Shane steps out of jail, tell him to call me. Do you know if he's talked to our lawyer, Frick, yet?”
“I hope so, but if he hasn't, I'm sure he will.”
“Just in case, I'm going to call him. Wait until Frick calls you and do not take that money to the jailhouse unless he's with you.”
“Thanks Jaylin. As always, we owe you.”
“Big time,” he said.
Before hanging up, I gave Jaylin my account number. Within thirty minutes, the money had hit my account. Frick called about an hour after that. He told me to meet him at the jailhouse. Once I left Jay's and the bank, I hurried to the jailhouse to meet Frick.
It took almost two hours. Finally, Shane was released. I wasn't trying to pull a Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, but I hurried into Shane's arms. I was so excited to see him. He hugged me tightly and gave me lengthy kisses. Mr. Frick stood close by, waiting until our hugs and kisses were finished.
“Shane,” he said. “I need to see you in my office at 9:00
A.M.
You and your friend Jaylin have been on a roll this year. I didn't expect for you to get caught up in some mess like this. You and Nokeaâ”
Shane quickly cut Frick off. “I'll see you in the morning,” he said. “We can talk then.”
Frick patted Shane on his back and hurried down the steps with his tailored suit on and briefcase in his hand.
“You never told me you had a Richard Gere look-a-like for your attorney,” I playfully said, nudging his stomach with my elbow. “And, please tell me what Nokea has to do with this. Mr. Frick mentioned Nokeaâwhat's that all about?”
“Can I go home, get out of these clothes, and then, tell you all about it?”
“Of course,” I said.
We held hands and walked to my car. On the drive to Shane's place, he brought up Jaylin.
“So, I guess he came through for me again, huh?”
“Yes, and he didn't hesitate, not one bit. He told me to tell you to call him. When you do, please don't forget to thank him. We have to make sure he gets every bit of his money back.”
“Oh, you'd better believe he'll get it back. You will get your money back too.”
“Don't worry about me. I just want to know what the hell is going on. I know you didn't attempt to murder nobody, but it would be nice to know why the police think you did.”
Shane displayed a worried look. “I assure you that I didn't murder anybody. But, like I said, when I get home, I'll tell you all about it.”
Chapter 7
Shane
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No doubt, I was fucked! The time I spent in jail, as well as the entire ride to my place, I tried to think of something legitimate to tell Scorpio about that night. She kept pressing me in the car. Even though I told her part of the story, I had in no way told her the truth. I had a feeling the police would catch up with me, but not this soon. I had the day all planned out and it consisted of asking Scorpio to be my wife. Earlier, I'd gone to the jewelry store and picked out a ring. Just as I was on my way to Jay's, the police came to my house. I was arrested and the rest is history. Until Frick showed up, I hadn't said much to the police about what happened that day. I knew what I'd done to the officer was in self defense and I hoped that my side of the story someway or somehow held up.
When we got to my place, I went to my room to get out of my clothes. I stripped down to my white jockey shorts and socks. Scorpio was in the family room, and she seemed a little content with what I had told her in the car. I failed to mention what had happened with Nokea, and I felt bad about the lie I was going to tell if she continued to question me. I stood with the palms of my hands on my dresser. My head was lowered, and I was thinking about all that had happened. My concentration was broken when Scorpio cleared her throat. I turned my head, admiring the beautiful person I was proud to call my woman. She looked downright beautiful in an off the shoulder olive green linen dress. Shame on me for not even noticing how spectacular she looked. Most of her naturally curly hair was pulled back into a clip. Several strands hung on her shoulders. Her body reminded me of Lisa Raye's, but being Black, mixed with Italian, that put Scorpio in a class all by herself. Gorgeous.“Come here,” I said. “You are such a sight for sore and tired eyes.”
She sauntered over to me, placing her arms on my shoulders. Her hands rubbed the back of my twisties. I turned my head to kiss the inside of her hand.
“Did I ever tell you that you would make an excellent underwear model,” she said, rubbing my buffed chest. Her hands scrolled down to my nicely cut abs. Then, she lowered her right hand to my goods.
I wanted to get inside of her so badly, but first, I had to call Jaylin and thank him.
“Baby, let me call Jaylin real quick. Why don't you get comfortable and I'll meet you in the family room in about ten minutes.”
“Please hurry. I still got some things on my mind. I'm deeply concerned about what Nokea had toâ”
“We'll have our discussion, right after I call Jaylin. I promise.”
Scorpio turned around, releasing her long hair from the clip. “Would you take off my necklace and unzip my dress.”
Standing closely behind her, I removed her silver necklace and unzipped her dress. To no surprise, she didn't have on any underclothes. I slid my hands inside of her dress, massaging her breasts together.
“It's a shame what you do to me,” I whispered in her ear. I licked around it and Scorpio tilted her head to the side.
“No,” she said. “I'd say it's a shame what you do to me.”
She lowered my hand. Once she wiggled her way out of her dress, she put my hand between her legs. I got anxious and moved her closer to my bed.
“Maybe I should call Jaylin a little later, huh?”
Scorpio kneeled on the bed, looking back at me standing behind her. “Maybe so,” she said. “Besides, this
talk
we're about to have could take a while.”
As soon as I dropped my shorts, the phone rang. Ignoring it, I touched Scorpio's shapely ass, but she reached for my hand.
“Answer the phone, it might be Jaylin. Besides, if we go for the sex first, I'm afraid you might not want to talk to me later. I really need to know more about what's going on.”
Damn
, I thought.
Just when I thought I could hit her with something to occupy her mind.
I nodded and Scorpio reached for the phone to answer it.
“It's Jaylin. I'll be in the family room watching TV. Come see me when you're finished, okay?”
I nodded again and placed the phone on my ear.
“Hello,” I said.
“All I want to know is who in the hell doesn't know how to follow directions? You or Scorpio?”
“Believe it or not, I was about to call you. I had my hand on the phone and was getting ready to pick it up.”
“And, since Scorpio answered the phone, I assume you had your hand on her ass and couldn't quite get to the phone.”
I laughed hard. “What, you got cameras in this muthafucka or something?”
“Ha, Ha, nigga. Ain't nothing going on in your household that ain't going on in mine. If you want some tips, you might want to hook up a hidden camera over here. In the meantime, why have you become St. Louis' Most Wanted Criminal?”
“Fool, I've always been St. Louis' most wanted man and I forever will be.”
“That's because I moved away. The women there have to settle for what they can get.”
Jaylin and I both laughed. “Naw, straight up, though. Thanks for the loan. Soon, I will make sure you get every dime of it back. I have a hundred Gs in the bank. I'll shoot it back to you tomorrow.”
“No rush. Just tell me what the hell is up.”
“When Nokea and me got stranded, do you remember the police who I told you took us to a hotel?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, that wasn't the truth. At first, he offered to help, but when I declined his offer, he started tripping. He used racial slurs and we got into a scuffle. I fucked him up. When he tried to pull his gun on me, I pistol whipped his ass. Afterward, I left him squirming on the ground and found an air pump in his trunk. I aired up my spare tire and me and Nokea took off. When you called we had just checked into a hotel. Today, from what the police at the station said, the officer is still in the hospital, claiming that I tried to kill him.”
“I can't believe you or Nokea didn't mention this incident to me, especially Nokea. With something like that happening, she would've been a nervous wreck and the both of y'all walked in here all cool, calm and collected. Man, that shit don't add up andâ”
“I wanted to tell you, Jay, but you and Nokea were going through some shit already. I didn't want to worry you about what had happened. Surely, I thought what had happened was behind me.”
“Shane, there ain't no way in hell you pistol whipped a police officer, left him for dead, and you thought the shit was behind you. As for Nokea, she knew better not telling me what happened. I don't care how mad I was, somebody should have told me. She could be in trouble her damn self. I hope like hell Frick helps you work out this shit.”
“I hope so too. Please don't be angry with Nokea. I asked her not to tell you because our friendship had already suffered enough. I didn't want you to know that I ran across some difficulties getting her home.”
“That's all fine and dandy, but no matter what you suggested, she still should have told me. I wasn't gon' trip. If the fucking fool was shooting you down with racial slurs, then he deserved to get his ass kicked.”
“Oh, he definitely got what he deserved. I just hate all of that had to go down with Nokea being there.”
Jaylin and I discussed the situation for a while longer, then wrapped up our conversation. He told me if I needed anything else to let him know. He encouraged me to quickly talk to Frick and I couldn't wait until morning to go see him.
Later that night, again, I told Scorpio the same story I'd told Jaylin. To me, it sounded like a fabricated story. I wasn't sure if either of them believed me. For now, it just had to do. I hoped Nokea kept things on the low-low until she spoke to me.
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Scorpio wanted to go to Frick's office with me, but I told her I needed to go by myself. Instead, I asked her to take care of some other things for me like wiring some of Jaylin's money back to him and going to the grocery store. She agreed to do it and I felt relieved.
When I got to Frick's office, he immediately invited me in to have a seat. He had a bunch of papers on his desk and cleared them out of the way before he spoke. Being very observant, he glared at me from across his desk.
“Your case is interesting Shane. I need to hear your side of the story. Then, I'll share with you what I know, versus what I don't understand.”
I stuck to the same story and repeated it to Frick. He looked at me like I was crazy.
“If you want me to represent you, I need the truth. I don't buy that freaking story, Shane. There are so many things that don't add up. For starters,” he said, scrambling through some papers, “I have receipts from two hotels that night. One receipt is from a motel where the victim said you shot him, and you did shoot him. The other is at a hotel almost forty miles away from that one. Are you telling me that you only pistol whipped him and didn't shoot him?”
I lowered my eyes and swallowed. “I . . . yes, I shot him.”
Frick took a deep breath. “Why, Shane? I need to know why you shot him, and this time, I want the truth.”
“I shot him because he forced Nokea and me to have sexual intercourse. He threatened to kill us if we didn't. At first, I thought he was going to rape Nokea, but he had other plans. He demanded money from us, talked to us like dirt, and held us at gunpoint while we had sex. In self defense, when I was able to rush him, I took the opportunity and did so.”
“Why did you feel the need to come in here and lie to me about this? These are some serious charges against you.”
“Because I didn't want anybody to know what happened in that room. First of all, I felt . . . felt bad for not being able to protect myself or Nokea. And now, I don't want Jaylin or Scorpio to find out about this. You know how Jaylin gets and Nokea has already been through enough. I'm sure he'll have no problem ending our friendship, but complicating his marriage to Nokea was not my intentions.”
“But, it was a situation that no one could have prevented. If you shot this man in self defense, then I'd say Jaylin owes you for saving his wife's life.”
“He is not going to see it that way and you know it.”
For a moment, Frick sat quietly while in deep thought. “He might not see it that way Shane, but if this case goes to trial, he's going to find out exactly what happened in that room. In the meantime, I have good news, and of course, bad news.”
I leaned back in the chair. “Let's hear it.”
“The man who you shot was not a police officer. He's a wanted child molester, a con artist and a bank robber. Basically, his rap sheet is three times the size of my dick. I'd say you did the police a favor. They have no idea where he got the police car from, but he'd used it to pull over several victims and rape them. He's being heavily guarded in the hospital. His story is that you attempted to rob him, and when he wouldn't cooperate, you shot him. Because of his criminal record, I doubt that anyone is going to buy his story. But, in an effort to clear your name, you and I have to go to the station and tell the police exactly what happened.”
“Okay, that's fine, but what's the bad news.”
“The bad news for you is, the detectives are possibly making their way to Nokea's house, as we speak. You and her stories must be on the same page with each other. If they are not, you stand a chance of this case going to trial because no one believes you. You may want to let her know that her attorney should be present. If Jaylin would like for me to send someone there on his wife's behalfâ”
“That won't be necessary. I don't want Jaylin getting all worked up over this. I'd rather speak to Nokea first.”
Frick picked up his phone. “You're going to have to call her now and encourage her to be honest with the detectives upon arrival.”
I covered my face with my hands and rubbed my temples. “Why must we involve Nokea? I . . . the police will believe me. You know they will.”
“Considering the background of the individual you shot, they probably will. But, we need to be sure that everything is clear and out in the open. Nokea is the only person who can confirm your story. I'm sorry, Shane, but you've got to call her. Call her now,” he ordered.
I took a deep breath and took the phone from Frick's hand. I dialed out and waited for someone to answer the phone. I hoped like hell that it would be Nokea, but Jaylin answered.
“Hey, man,” I said in a dry tone. “I'm at Frick's office. I need to speak to Nokea.”
“Sure. Is, uh, everything working out?”
“Everything is going okay. I just found out that the officer was actually a wanted criminal. This is very good news for me. I just need for Nokea to confirm a few things for me.”
“I'm sure she won't have a problem with that, but if this is such good news, why are you sounding so fucked up?”