Betrayal Page 8

  “I’m not guilty of anything,” she said.

  Jewell raised her eyebrows. “Well, then I wasn’t insinuating that you were.”

  Mother and daughter looked at one another in silence again, their eyes saying more than any words could or would say.

  Sapphire thought about the old pictures of her little girl and wished she could have gone back to that day in front of the Falls. She’d take multiple photos with Jewell in her arms this time, and she’d shower her with kisses. Things would be different from then on. Sapphire stared, wished, and sighed. The past was the past. The present was what it was, and despite what she’d hoped, the future didn’t look promising. Not for them. At least not now. Not this time.

  Sapphire sighed. “I just want us to be closer, Jewell. That’s why I’m here.”

  Jewell shook her head. “Not today, Mom.”

  “Is it even possible for us?” Sapphire asked sincerely.

  “Not today, Mom,” Jewell said again. “Let’s not do this today.”

  “I was looking at some old pictures the other day.”

  “Mom—”

  “We were at Niagara Falls. Do you remember that day?”

  Jewell sighed. She didn’t want to take any trips down memory lane. “Mom . . . I have—”

  “You probably don’t remember that trip. You were only three then.”

  “Mom, please . . .” Jewell tried again.

  “Jewell, we’re not the closest, and I know . . . I know that’s more my fault than yours.”

  Jewell wiped sweat away from her forehead again. Before the discovery of her mother’s affair, before the photos, she would have been willing to sit and talk, perhaps over hot tea or hot chocolate, to try to make the distance between them go away. The majority of her friends had close relationships with their mothers, and that was something Jewell envied. The bond she shared with her father was truly a special one, but because he was a male, there were certain things he just couldn’t relate to emotionally. He couldn’t completely understand her desires, her needs. He would get it, but not “get it.” Not in the way her mother would or should have. Before the discovery, Jewell would have listened, talked, even forgiven.

  But now . . .

  “Mom . . . some other time . . . maybe we could have talked. But right now I’m not in the mood. Besides, I have things to do.”

  Sapphire was taken aback. Without having been touched physically, Jewell’s callous tone and attitude had hit her like a sharp slap in the face. “Are these things more important than us talking?” She sighed and thought about the Niagara Falls photographs again, wishing one more time for Hiro’s power from the television show Heroes. But that was fantasy and no matter how hard she tried to focus, she wasn’t going to acquire the ability to turn back the clock anytime soon. Reality was what it was, and it was pointless to push the issue anymore. She looked at her daughter, frowned, and said, “OK.”

  Jewell nodded, and without a word, walked past her mother, went to the front door, and opened it. Sapphire slipped her coat back on and went to the door. Just before crossing the threshold, she paused and looked at her daughter again. She wanted to say something, but the tight-lipped expression on Jewell’s face kept her silent. With a defeated exhale, she stepped outside, and as the door closed shut behind her, she wondered if she and her daughter would ever become friends.

  On the other side of the door, Jewell breathed in and out deeply. She needed to kick and punch again. She needed to let out the anger and disgust she was holding inside. She turned and headed back to start over the workout DVD from the beginning.

  Sunday—Five Days

  Chapter 14

  Sam was back in his old neighborhood. Not because he wanted to be, but because he had to be. He had one week to make things happen. One week to hurt Jewell, but to be there for her through the hurt. It wasn’t going to be easy, but at least he was going to be around. His life was still going to be his. That’s what mattered.

  His mother-in-law didn’t.

  That was the way he’d come to look at things. It had been the only way to look at things. It wasn’t about Zeke. Or Sapphire. Or Jewell.

  It was about his life.

  It was about a past to which he couldn’t and wouldn’t go back.

  Sam turned right onto a block littered with row homes, double-parked in front of one toward the end of the block, and kept the engine running. A few seconds later, someone tapped on his passenger window. Sam unlocked the doors, then after his passenger got inside, put the car in drive and took off slowly. He made a right onto the next block, looked in his rear view, and, when he was certain that no one had followed them, held out a closed fist for a pound.

  “ ’Sup, Ty.”

  Ty Streets put his fist on top of Sam’s. “Been a long time, nigga.”

  Sam kept his eyes on the road. “A long time,” he agreed.

  “I see you doin’ a’ight for yourself.”

  Sam nodded. “I’m good.”

  “Shit . . . we all good, nigga. Make a right on the next block, then a left at the first alleyway. Go to the end of the alley, make a right, and then pull into the garage on the left.”

  “Old Man Hop still running that chop shop?”

  “Ah, so you ain’t forget where you came from.”

  As much as Sam wanted to . . .“Nah. I didn’t forget.”

  “You just forgot about us ma’fuckas, then.”

  Sam didn’t respond and kept focused on the street.

  Ty was two years older than Sam and at least six inches taller, and fifty pounds heavier. Back in the day, he was known as The Black Hulk, not only because of his size, but also because of his rage. Ty had always been a step away from crazy, and those who knew better knew to keep him as far away from that step as possible.

  Sam got to know Ty when they were both lookouts on the block. One night, four guys from a rivaling block jumped Ty as he was heading to the corner store. Ty had slept with the girlfriend of one of the guys and he wanted payback. Although it hadn’t been easy, the four guys managed to beat Ty down until he was lying on the ground barely conscious. Standing over Ty with a .22 pointed at his head, the disgraced thug laughed and mocked about how he’d taken down The Black Hulk. Seconds before he pulled the trigger, Sam, who’d been on his way to see a girl he used to mess with from time to time, saw what was about to happen, and pulled out his weapon, shooting the thug in the head and killing him instantly. The other three guys, who’d been full of bravado only moments before, practically tripped over one another as they ran away.

  Ty would have died that night, had it not been for Sam. From that moment on, they were as tight as could be. But when Ty was sentenced to prison for ten years for his second armed robbery offense, the two had lost touch.

  “That ain’t the old man’s spot no more. He died two years ago.”

  “Old Man Hop was a good guy. Who’s running it now?”

  Ty laughed. “Couple of crooked-ass cops.”

  Sam turned and looked at Ty. “Word?”

  Ty nodded. “Yeah. One of ’em is Hop’s nephew. After Hop died, he and his partner took over the shop. They didn’t take a cut before out of respect for Hop, but they kept the heat away. Now that Hop’s ass is dead—”

  “They still protect and get served in the progress.”

  “Yeah. Them niggas be rippin’ us off, too.”

  “Damn.”

  “Anyway. It’s a good spot to talk business.”

  “Why can’t we talk here?”

  “I got two niggas there waiting. My generals. Whatever you got to say to me, you can say in front of them niggas too.”

  “ ’Sup, man, you don’t trust me?”

  Ty looked him over. “Been a long time, nigga.”

  “I’m still me though, Ty.”

  Ty looked him up and down, perusing his clothing, his Movado watch, and platinum wedding band. “Nah, nigga . . . you ain’t the same.”

  Minutes later, Sam pulled into the chop shop a
nd cut the engine. Standing outside of the car were two guys—one black, the other a Latino, with Glocks in their hands. Ty got out of the car first. Sam thought about calling the whole thing off for a fleeting moment, but then got out of the car. He’d made the call. He was there. There was no turning back.

  Ty pointed to his black partner, a thin guy with a jagged scar running down the right side of his face. “Pat him down, G.”

  Sam looked over at Ty. “Come on, man.”

  Ty shook his head. “Like I said, nigga. You ain’t the same.”

  Sam frowned and then spread his arms as G stepped to him and groped him everywhere, checking for a weapon or wire.

  “He’s cool,” G said, stepping away from him seconds later.

  Ty gave him a nod and then looked over at the Latino. “Loc’ . . . check the car.”

  Sam opened his mouth to protest, but Ty cut him off.

  “I’m sure you got insurance, nigga. Just tell ’em your shit got broken into. You’ll be a’ight.”

  Sam clenched his jaws and sighed. There was no point in replying. Whether he liked it or not, his car was due for an inspection. Fifteen minutes later, after his leather seats had been ripped up, his glove compartment rifled through, and his trunk searched, Loc’ gave a thumbs-up signal and said, “Cool.”

  “I told you you had nothing to worry about,” Sam said, glancing at the vandalism of his car’s interior.

  Ty shook his head again. “You clean, but you ain’t the same nigga I came up with. You ain’t got that same look in your eyes. You ain’t hungry no more.”

  Sam looked from Ty to G to Loc’ and then back to Ty. They were all staring at him, their eyes reflecting pain, abandonment, anger, distrust, and hopelessness. Feelings Sam had once known all too well. In another life, Sam’s eyes bore the same reflection. He’d felt the same frustrations. People talked about heaven and hell, but in the lives Ty and his crew were living, hell was all they knew. Heaven was just a word that meant nothing. Until Zeke stepped into Sam’s world, heaven had been just that for him, too.

  Ty said Sam had changed, and standing there in front of Ty, Sam realized for the first time how true that statement was. He thought he’d been keeping things real all this time, but looking back at Ty, he saw just how much his reality had been skewed.

  He gave Ty a conciliatory nod.

  Ty nodded back, and said, “So what’s up?”

  Sam’s heart beat heavily. This moment was the moment. No turning back, he thought again.

  His heart thudded as he looked at Ty. After the night he’d saved Ty’s life, Ty had been indebted to him, but never had Sam cashed in on that debt. Now, as he stood silent and still, his palms damp and cold, as much as he didn’t want to do it, he knew the time had come.

  “You remember when I shot that dude in the head?”

  Ty closed his eyes a fraction. “Yeah.”

  “It’s time for you to return the favor.”

  Monday—Four Days

  Chapter 15

  “Let’s go out to dinner.” Sapphire looked up from a book she was reading. Zeke had just stepped into the bedroom. He’d been standing in the doorway watching her for several seconds.

  “Dinner? When?”

  “An hour from now. I made reservations.”

  “Reservations? What’s the occasion?”

  “Nothing special. I just want to have dinner and drinks with my wife.”

  Sapphire looked at him. “Dinner? This is really last minute.”

  “It was a last-minute decision.”

  “I really don’t have anything to wear.”

  “You have a ton of things to wear.”

  “But, Zeke—”

  “Sapph . . . do you really have to put up a fight about me wanting to take you out to dinner?”

  Sapphire shook her head. “No. I just wasn’t prepared. I mean, I have to find clothes, do my nails, my hair.”

  “Sapphire, you have a clothing boutique in your closet, your nails are fine, and so is your hair. Like I said, it was a last-minute decision. Just roll with it and get ready.”

  Sapphire looked at Zeke as he stood with his arms folded across his chest. He wanted to take her to dinner. Excluding random dinner dates with other couples for business and occasionally for leisure, dining out was something they hadn’t done in a while. She nodded her head. “OK.”

  Zeke forced a smile. “Thank you.”

  Sapphire folded the corner of the page she was reading, closed the book, and rose from her loveseat. “Where did you make the reservations?”

  Zeke shrugged. “Just someplace someone recommended to me.”

  “Where? What type of food?”

  “You’ll see when we get there.”

  Sapphire smiled. She was enjoying the mystery. “Well, can you at least tell me how upscale the restaurant is?”

  “It’s just a small restaurant, baby. Nothing too exotic. You don’t have to overdo it. Just look nice.”

  Sapphire walked over to Zeke, rose on to the tips of her toes, and draped her arms around his neck. “Nice, huh?”

  Zeke wrapped his arms around her waist, and looked down at her. “Nice,” he said.

  Sapphire smiled. “I got your nice,” she said, placing her lips on his.

  For a split second, Zeke made a subtle move to pull away, but quickly reminded himself that he had to play his role and play it flawlessly. He tightened his hold around her and matched the intensity of her kiss, driving his tongue into her mouth.

  Sapphire moaned and kissed him back feverishly. Zeke drove his tongue deeper and caressed her behind. Sapphire moaned louder, kissed him back harder, unclasped her hands from around his neck and went to his zipper and began to pull it down. Zeke squeezed her rear end harder and shivered from the feel of her touch as she removed his penis from his boxer briefs and began to stroke him.

  Playing the role.

  That’s what he was doing.

  Playing the role.

  He wasn’t truly enjoying the fire of their kiss. He wasn’t in a state of near paralysis from her fingers moving back and forth around his now very erect and very thick shaft.

  Playing the role.

  He didn’t miss the touch. His wife’s touch. He didn’t miss the passion. He was just going along with the plan he’d set in motion because she had fucked another man.

  Another man.

  Those two words hit him like a vicious blow to his midsection suddenly, and she stumbled back a step.

  Sapphire looked up at him. “Are you OK?”

  Zeke blinked several times and then looked at her. An image of her sitting atop her headless lover appeared in his head like camera flashes.

  She’d fucked another man.

  She’d . .. fucked . . . another . . . man.

  Over and over, the statement repeated itself.

  She’d fucked another man.

  Play the role.

  Zeke blinked again, then slid his quickly softening penis back into his boxers and zipped up his pants. “I’m fine,” he said. “We just need to get a move on, that’s all, or we’re going to be late for our reservation.”

  Sapphire smiled seductively and stepped toward him. “Forget the dinner, Zeke,” she said, reaching for his crotch again. “I’ll cook something.”

  Zeke moved her hand away and stepped back. “Go and get dressed,” he said, an edge in his tone. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about this place.”

  Sapphire was stunned. “We can go another time, Zeke,” she insisted. “Dinner is not that important right now.”

  “I’m hungry,” Zeke said. “You know how I don’t function properly on an empty stomach.”

  Irritated, Sapphire snapped, “You seemed to be functioning just fine a second ago. Don’t you want to make love to me?”

  “Of course I want you, Sapph. That’s a ridiculous question to ask.”

  “But—”

  “I’m hungry, Sapphire. I want you in the worst way, but I’ve got to get some food in my
stomach. Let’s go and enjoy some time out together. I promise when we get back, I will more than make up for now.”

  Sapphire pouted. She wanted to protest again. She opened her mouth to do just that.

  “I promise,” Zeke said, before she could speak. “It will be well worth the wait.”

  Sapphire frowned and let out a sigh. “You promise?”

  “I do.”

  Sapphire rolled her eyes. “OK. But it better be earth-shattering,” she said with a smile.

  Zeke gave her a smile, but didn’t respond. Sapphire walked up to him, gave him a kiss on his lips, and said, “I love you, Zeke.”

  Zeke looked at her. Said, “I love you too.”

  Sapphire smiled, gave him another kiss, and went to get ready.

  When she was out of view, Zeke closed his eyes tightly and pressed against his temples with the palms of his hands, as images of Sapphire and her adulterous acts ran through his mind in surround sound. He could hear her moaning and breathing heavily. Zeke pressed. Felt as though he could crush his own skull with both hands. Wanted to. Wanted to make the sounds stop. He clenched his jaws, stifled a moan. He was on the edge. Teetering, about to plummet. He breathed, squeezed, clenched, and told himself again:

  Play the role.

  Play the role.

  Chapter 16

  Thirty minutes later, whatever excitement Sapphire had been feeling drained from her body as Zeke parallel parked directly across the street from Tre’s building. Her heart beat like heavy drums as she sat silent and still. Tre’s apartment. Right across the street.

  The route Zeke had been taking had caused her some trepidation, but she let the anxious feeling go, surmising that she was just being paranoid. Sure, they were nearing Tre’s neighborhood, but that didn’t mean anything. But the closer they got, the heavier her heart beat, and the more she struggled to catch a breath. And when, instead of going past Tre’s building, Zeke pulled to a stop across from it, Sapphire’s heart all but stopped.

  Tre’s apartment.

  Right across the street.