SAVAGE

14

Police officers roamed around, trying to busy themselves. Crime scene investigators were busy checking the two corpses and the surrounding area for evidence. Detective Gaines stood there asking Dean questions. His partner, Officer Richmond was busy writing everything down.

Detective Gaines stood there, studying Dean carefully. He was an average height man with a slim build. Gaines wore his hair cut really low and he sported a goatee. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his hairy arms.

"So, you heard gunshots and decided to come outside?" Detective Gaines asked Dean casually.

"Right, yes." Dean tried to reply calmly with a head nod. He was nervous about the whole thing. Malcolm told him exactly what to say and do, but he still was a nervous wreck.

Malcolm instructed his cousin to call the police and let them know that two employees had been shot and killed in the back of the bar. He used his fair acting skills to get the police out there. Before he could blink, the whole squad was outside taking photos of the murder scene.

"You also reported that the company's truck was stolen?" Officer Richmond asked, following up with another question.

"Yeah. As soon as I walked outside, the guy in the truck started shooting at me, but he eventually pulled off."

"That explains the bullet holes..." Detective Gaines commented while looking at the wall and back at his partner. He darted his brown eyes over at Dean and asked, "Are you the owner of this bar?"

"No."

"Well, was the owner present when the shooting took place?"

"No, he's wasn't." Dean replied. "I close the bar up every night."

"I need the owner up here. Just so he can know what's going on. I also need that camera footage from the time this incident happened." Detective Gaines replied while narrowing his eyes in suspense.

"Get him on the phone, now." Officer Richmond demanded as he eyed Dean attentively.

Dean wanted to tell him off, but he decided against it. Instead, he pulled out his iPhone and called Malcolm up. He answered on the third ring, but he didn't say anything.

Unexpectedly, Detective Gaines snatched the phone out of Dean's hand. He started up the conversation and informed Malcolm that he needed to get to his bar, immediately. Malcolm didn't speak too much, but he did agree to show up.

When he got there, he was allowed inside. Malcolm played his part by acting surprised while being questioned individually. He showed Gaines the surveillance tape that only showed video shots of the suspect killing the two employers and taking off with the truck.

Dean was a little confused because he was expecting to see Dock and him in the video, but that part didn't show up at all.

Detective Gaines gathered up the information that was on Malcolm's company truck. After the bodies were taken away, the detective ordered a crime clean up and left shortly. Malcolm closed his bar and offered Dean a ride. They rode together in silence, trying to gather their thoughts.

"What's up with the video footage, man?" Dean asked while furrowing his eyebrows. "s**t was spooky. I didn't see me or unc in the clip."

"Thanks to my IT skills." Malcolm replied, referring to his skills in technology. He was lucky to take some technology courses while in college.

"How did you edit that s**t?" Dean asked with his eyes bugged.

"I can't tell you everything." Malcolm stated without a smirk on his face.

"s**t, so what's next?"

"We wait..." Malcolm replied calmly.

"Aren't you worried about the attention?"

"Why should I be worried? I didn't kill Fred and Kevin. I didn't steal my own truck either. I was robbed, Dean, somebody robbed me and murdered two of my employees."

Malcolm was right. There was no heat on him at all. All the evidence didn't point back to him. He wasn't worried about none of that. The detective figured the two employees were being watched closely by some unknown robber who had just killed a local mechanic.

"Look, I got other s**t to worry about." He continued but didn't disclose any more information.

Dean found a burner that was left on the ground. He assumed the robber had dropped it while trying to steal the company's truck. Instead of keeping it, he decided to give it to Malcolm.

After examining the phone, Malcolm found out that Deshawn was behind the whole thing. He wasn't surprised about Deshawn trying to steal from him. They didn't like each other—they were enemies in each other's eyes.

Malcolm's truck was going to be recovered—regardless. He wasn't worried about that. However, he wanted Deshawn, so he ordered him to be found.

_____________________________

The ticking clock ticked so loud that it almost drove Jersey crazy. She laid in bed—still dressed in her pajamas. Her eyes roamed the ceiling as she fidgeted with her short fingernails. They were natural but looked well-manicured.

Tick...tock...tick...tock

She darted her eyes over at the clock that hung up on the wall. Jersey wondered why in the hell would Malcolm hang a clock on the wall in her room.

Tick...tock...tick...tock

Jersey couldn't help but to look at the wall clock. It was one of those regular wall clocks with black numbers on a solid, white background.

She sighed hard while flipping the blankets from her body. Jersey hopped up and opened the door to her room. She stepped outside and overheard Kelli talking. Jersey furrowed her eyebrows because she heard another voice that she wasn't familiar with.

She made her way to the front and furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed the scene before her. Kelli had turned the living room into her own boutique. She had clothes, shoes, and jewelry laid out everywhere.

"How much for this jacket?" The unknown girl asked while holding up a Coach varsity jacket.

"Damn, I wasn't trying to sell that." Kelli cursed out loud while eyeing the clothing. She wanted to take it back, but she really wanted the money. "That jacket is three hundred dollars."

"Three hundred?" The girl reiterated. "For this?"

"Hell yeah." Kelli replied smartly. "That jacket is new, and it costs two thousand dollars in every clothing department. I'm letting you have it for three hundred dollars, so take it or leave it."

The girl stood there and contemplated. She sucked her teeth while rummaging through her purse. "You know, for a booster, you sure are expensive."

Kelli accepted the money and said, "I'm not your average booster hun, enjoy your jacket."

The shopper rolled her eyes as she left out with the coat tucked in the crook of her arm.

Kelli stood there shuffling the money she had made from today. She heard footsteps and darted her eyes up. Jersey eased inside the living room wearing her pajamas.

"Oh, my bad. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was uh—up." Jersey replied as she eyed the mess before her. "What's with this mess?"

"I'm going to clean up. I was just trying to make some money." Kelli informed her calmly.

Jersey frowned up because she annoyed by Kelli. She leaned on the couch and said, "You got people running in and out of here like you're selling crack."

"I'm not selling any drugs."

"You might as well..." Jersey trailed off and said, "I don't understand why you're still doing this. You make good money at the shop."

Kelli narrowed her eyes at her friend and said, "Yes, I'm getting paid at the shop, but I need more money to support the lifestyle I live. What's so bad about that?"

"Just be careful and remember that people are after me. Watch who you bring in here. I just wish you would respect me by not boosting here."

"Well fine, I'll just boost over at Vena's."

Jersey watched as Kelli started tidying up the living room. She didn't understand how Kelli was going to boost at Vena's place. She lived right in the heart of Brooklyn with her parents, siblings, uncle, aunt, and cousins. There was no way Kelli would be able to do anything over there.

Hanger by hanger, she snatched. Jersey assumed she had an attitude. Instead of addressing it, she decided to stay quiet.

"I'll have to find a way out there." Kelli continued. "My car won't start at all."

"What? Why not?" Jersey asked while silently cursing. She wanted Kelli to take her to Brooklyn today. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible.

"I don't know, but I called a local mechanic. He's supposed to come over sometime tomorrow and look at it." Kelli replied while sighing.

"I was hoping you could take me to Brooklyn. Damn."

"Oh, even if my car my was fixed, I wouldn't take you to Brooklyn."

Jersey grew offended as she searched her friend's face. "Why not? You're going back and forth. You're safe."

"Keyword—I'm safe. I can go anywhere I want, they're not after me. I just can't stay in that apartment."

Jersey rolled her eyes as she stood there. She didn't feel like it was fair to her. Being cramped inside the apartment was not something she liked. She missed her Auntie, Lisa, and wanted to check on her. Jersey was supposed to go to her house after the funeral, but she didn't. She knew that her aunt was hurt, she could feel it.

"I just want to see my aunt, that's all. I miss her."

Kelli neared her friend and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I know you do, but it's not safe. Don't be stupid and go out there, Jay. You're way smarter than that."

Jersey just sighed while looking off.

Kelli shook her head and asked, "You hear me?"

"Yeah..."

"Did you hear about Malcolm's bar?"

"No, what about it?"

"Two people were murdered there."

"Are you serious?" Jersey questioned her while looking shocked.

"Deadass." Kelli countered. "Somebody stole one of the trucks too. I heard they're not shutting it down though."

Jersey sighed and said, "That's tough."

"It really is. I'm glad you're not working there anymore. It's too dangerous."

Jersey glanced at Kelli and looked over at the windows. They were plainly decorated by Malcolm himself. She moved towards them and examined the two, large windows. Jersey pushed the curtains back and took a look outside.

The icy weather had an impact on everything and everyone. People were walking back and forth toting around heavy-duty coats, the ice on the ground created cautious drivers which created backed up traffic.

Jersey hit the locks on the right window and pushed it up. Kelli furrowed her eyebrows while eyeing her friend attentively. She neared her and touched her shoulders once again.

"Jay, what are you doing?"

Jersey leaned over and took everything in again. She wanted to jump out, something told her to jump out of the window. Of course, she knew that it would kill her. The apartment was far up, they lived on the fourth floor. 

"I was checking the weather..." She trailed off.

"The weather?" Kelli reiterated as if she didn't believe her. "Did you take your medicine today?"

"Yes."

"Well let's get away from the window." Kelli grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her inside. She shut the window and closed the locks.

"I'm going to lay down."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine..." Jersey mumbled.

"Well, alright. Just be patient Jay. You'll be able to see your aunt after this situation is over." Kelli assured her. "Until then, just hang around Manhattan."

Jersey didn't even bother to reply. She just nodded her head and went straight to her bedroom.

_____________________________

The stench of coffee danced around Tilly's nose. She sighed tiredly as she flipped through the files that laid on her desk. The police department was pretty hectic due to recent incidents. Tilly was busy trying to complete the reports she had due. Lately she had been writing a lot of citations and not completing the actual report.

"The front desk is jammed. It's seems like everybody is here to collect their property or get fingerprinted—and most of them don't even have an appointment for the fingerprinting."  Detective Newton stated as he pulled his coat off. "Poor Danielle."

"You mean she's running the front desk by herself?" Tilly asked as she sat up straight in her seat.

"Well, Joseph is helping, but he's not much of a help."

"Lazy ass, I should go and help her."

"Leave them to their own work. Judging from your desk—you have a lot of work to do. That explains why you're not on patrol." 

Tilly cut her eyes in irritation. She didn't like it when Newton studied her. Instead of calling him out, she decided to intertwine her hands.

"I need to discuss something with you anyway." Newton took a seat and pulled his tie loose. "So, I heard about the incident that took place at Malcolm's Bar."

Tilly leaned her head to the side as she sat there in suspense. She had no idea that something happened at the bar. Her curiosity grew as she placed her attention on Newton. "Incident—what happened?"

"Apparently, two of his employees were murdered by some robber. I'm pretty sure it was a male—after he killed the employees, he stole Malcolm's company truck."

"Damn." Tilly cursed while thinking about Malcolm. As of right now, they weren't talking to each other. Tilly figured that Jersey had went back and told him about the questioning and statement. She wanted to be upset with the girl, but she couldn't. She had allowed her partner to put her in a bad place.

"Do you believe that s**t? I mean, the story sounds like a hoax to me."  Detective Newton opined with a serious expression on his face.

"It could've been true." Tilly countered.

"True?" Newton reiterated while eyeing her suspiciously. He leaned over and said, "It sounds like everything was planned to me."

"We shouldn't worry about it. The case belongs to Gaines and Richmond. We need to focus on our newest suspect."

Newton scoffed while touching the bridge of his nose. "I feel like you're against me right now. I really do."

"I'm with you—I'm one hundred percent with you Newton. I just don't see Sullivan as a threat or anything. I mean come on; we did our research on the kid. He's clean, he graduated from high school and college, and plus he's never been to jail or prison."

"Well, I do." Newton argued. "And I want to know why you gave me that simple ass statement. You were supposed to get the good details from Jersey."

Tilly's nose flared as she grew tired from Newton and his nosiness. She slammed her folder close and said, "I got what I could from the girl. She wasn't biting, Newton."

"Well did you at least tell her that I sent you?" He asked while doubling his lips. Spittle went across the front of the folder that Tilly was going through.

"I did but she didn't seem to care." She remarked hastily. "Just please leave me alone about Sullivan and Jersey. If you don't, I'm going to report you to the chief. He'll want to deal with your little obsession."

Newton eyed her as if she had broken his heart. He sat there in silence, desperately trying to read her. The detective rubbed his stubby face with his thumb and said, "You want to go there? Well, okay. I know you're hiding something Tilly."

"I'm not hiding anything." She replied honestly. "I'm just tired of hearing about Sullivan."

Detective Newton laughed to himself like a crazed man. Tilly watched as he put his coat back on. Quickly, he made his way out of the office.

_____________________________

Jersey spent most of her afternoon cleaning up the apartment. Technically, the apartment wasn't dirty, but she managed to clean up the kitchen and wash the laundry.

After freshening up, she grabbed herself some water and flopped down on the couch. Out of nowhere, Jersey started thinking about her aunt again. The thought of not being able to see her made her upset. She furrowed her eyebrows as she contemplated on what to do.

She thought about Sawyer and his job. He was her personal driver and he was supposed to take her anywhere she wanted. Jersey darted to her room and snatched up her cellphone. She called up Sawyer and waited for him to answer.

Jersey paced the room as the phone continued to ring. She stopped in mid-pace when she heard him pick up. The sound of his heavy voice just made her nervous. She bit her bottom lip and tried to calm herself down.

"Hello?"

"Oh—yes—hi." She responded nervously while instantly regretting her action. "I was wondering if you could take me somewhere."

"Yeah, I can. Where you tryna go?"

"I—um—I need to go to Brooklyn to check up on my aunt."

Sawyer was quiet for a minute, but he eventually spoke up. "...Damn, shorty I can't take you to Brooklyn."

Jersey's eyebrows drew together as she grew angry. "Why can't you take me? You're my driver."

"Malcolm told me not to take you to Brooklyn."

"He told you that...well, I'm telling you that I want you to take me. This is a family emergency."

Sawyer shook his head; he was not about to overstep his boundary. He wasn't trying to lose his job at all.

"I think you should call Malcolm up and see if I can take you." He suggested.

"I'm not doing that, bye." Jersey retorted in a smart tone. She ended the call and tossed the phone on the bed.

"If nobody will take me, then I'll just have to catch the train." She said to herself while pulling her closet door open. A bag fell and some papers slid out.

Jersey bent down to grab them while quickly scanning the papers with her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows when her eyes laid on one, particular letter:

It was an open letter from Ashanti Berkeley addressed to Rudy. Nosily, Jersey pulled the letter out and read it. Word for word, she was able to get a better understanding.

Apparently, the letter was sent around the time Rudy got locked up for theft. Ashanti informed him on what was going on in her household and the sickness she was having due to her being pregnant.

Ashanti was having problems with her family while Rudy was plotting to leave for Colorado with her. She wanted to get to the bottom of the situation, so she folded the envelope and tucked it away in her dresser.

Before she could step out of the room, her phone started ringing again. Jersey walked over and grabbed it. She assumed it was Sawyer calling her back, but it was Malcolm.

Kiss ass. Jersey said to herself.

She held the phone in her hand as she contemplated on answering the call. Malcolm eventually hung up which caused her to put her phone down.

Jersey went back to the closet and pulled out her duffel bag. She rummaged through her things, desperately trying to find something to wear.

She settled for something suitable for the weather since it was cold outside. After gathering her things, she grabbed an old bag that Kelli gave her months ago.

Jersey stuffed her wallet and keys inside. She went back into the drawer and grabbed the envelope that had Ashanti's address on it. She stuffed it in her bag, grabbed her phone, and made her way outside.

_____________________________

"She's not even answering her f*****g phone." Malcolm cursed as he sat in his car. He was trying to call Jersey since Sawyer called and told him about her wanting to go to Brooklyn.

Instead of dwelling over the situation, he decided to put his attention on something else. Malcolm hopped out of his Jaguar and walked straight into the hotel that Seema told him to meet her at. He wanted to speak with her since she would be leaving soon.

He made his way to the room and noticed how Seema's hotel room was filled with armed security—including Octavio. Malcolm had to go through two searches, but he eventually made it to her.

"It's nice to see you again." Seema greeted Malcolm while gently shaking his hand. "So, have you come to a decision?"

"I have." Malcolm replied while checking out his surroundings. "Seema, I don't think us working together would be a great idea." He spoke honestly. "We should leave things as they are. Your business is doing great and so is mine."

Seema rubbed her brown hands together as she studied Malcolm. Her nonchalant expression soon turned into a vibrant smile.

"I like you, a lot." She commented with a chuckle. "You have your own mind and you're very independent. Dammit, Malcolm."

Malcolm shrugged his shoulder and said, "That's the only way I know how to be."

"Well, I can respect your decision." Seema continued and sighed. "Usually, I get what I want, but I respect you."

Malcolm nodded his head and said, "I respect you too. I like a woman who knows how to handle her business."

"Thank you." Seema cheesed, but she removed the smile from her face quickly. "I wanted to talk to you about this situation that has been messing with me all day."

"What situation?"

"Nieko has been dealing with the police." Seema spilled.

Malcolm's eyebrows drew together as he sat there. He wasn't surprised about Nieko's sudden betrayal.

"The police makes me nervous and it f***s with my anxiety, Malcolm." Seema continued while clenching her fists. "It's a lot I can deal with, but the law is another thing."

"You think he's running his mouth about you and your business?"

"I don't know, but I want to be careful." She replied quickly. "Malcolm, I want you to handle Nieko for me."

Malcolm took in a sharp breath while thinking about Seema's request. He already had plans to eliminate Nieko either way.

"Just, think about it. He's probably talking to them about your business as well. We shouldn't take this lightly."

"You can't handle this yourself?" Malcolm asked her.

"Well..." Seema snarled. "I can't get my hands dirty. I just figured you handled situations like this."

"I'll do." Malcolm replied lightly.

"Well, can you handle this?"

He nodded his head without hesitating.

Seema looked him in the eyes and said, "I want you to make that old bastard suffer."

Malcolm planned on doing that anyway.

_____________________________

Jersey hopped on the next available train and headed straight for Brooklyn. Her ride wasn't too comfortable since she had to witness a couple arguing. They were calling each other names, which was very toxic. Jersey didn't understand why toxic people stayed together. It wasn't worth it at all.

She eventually hopped off the train and headed for her aunt's apartment. Lisa's place wasn't too far from the train station.

Jersey made sure to keep her eyes on the ground as she crammed her cold hands inside of her hoodie. The young girl bypassed a couple of men who had the nerve to take up most of the space on the sidewalk. She politely walked by and tried not to draw attention. Unfortunately, one of the guys started cat calling her. She ignored him and went straight towards the Crawford building.

When she made it inside the building, she slowed her walk down. The cold building looked exactly the same. Still, there was no one working the lobby and no cameras were installed. Jersey made her way up the stairs and walked towards her aunt's apartment.

Knock, knock, knock

It took a minute, which caused Jersey to grow impatient. She clenched her bag while looking over her shoulder every second. The jiggling doorknob caused her to raise her eyebrows. When the door opened, it revealed Shaye.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned Jersey while furrowing her eyebrows.

"To see Lisa." Jersey replied honestly. "Are you going to let me in or what?"

Shaye sighed while slowly backing away from the door. She allowed her cousin to walk in. Jersey noticed that the apartment looked totally different. In fact, the whole living room was empty with a large drop cloth covering most of the carpet. Judging by the two buckets of paint, Lisa planned on repainting the walls.

The sound of footsteps broke Jersey's attention. She looked over and watched as her aunt walked into the room smoking on a cigarette. She looked better and was dressed in her work uniform.

When she noticed Jersey, she stopped in her tracks and blew smoke from her mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"To see you...we haven't talked since Rudy's funeral."

Lisa scoffed while eyeing her niece closely. Shaye stood back; she was basically watching everything unfold.

"Rudy's funeral was weeks ago and now you want to show up and s**t?"

"It's not my fault." Jersey blurted out as she thought about her choice of words. "I—uh, I had to leave right after the funeral."

"What do you mean?" Shaye questioned her nosily.

"You believe this girl?" Lisa asked Shaye as she turned her attention towards her. "I don't believe she left, maybe your guilt wouldn't let you come over here and look me in the face."

Jersey's eyes fluttered as she thought about her aunt's response. "Wait—what do you mean my guilt?"

"I mean you're guilty about what happened to my son. I know that you've been dealing with Malcolm. I know that he had my son killed and you had something to do with it too."

"I had nothing to do with Rudy's death. As far as I'm concerned, Malcolm and I tried helping Rudy, but he was too hardheaded to let us do that."

"And you're still lying in my face." Lisa accused. "You come in here and—and you put on this solemn face as if you didn't have a part in his death. Jersey, you had no business getting into Rudy's mess. You were upset about the money, so you set him up to be killed. That was your way of getting out of the debt. Just tell the truth."

Shaye knew about everything, thanks to her aunt. She told her that Jersey was working for Malcolm due to her nosiness and her son's wrongdoings.

"My truth is the truth!" Jersey argued. "I—"

"But it's not!" Lisa bellowed. "You took my son away from me and I'll never forgive you for it."

"But I didn't, I promise you I didn't. I would never do anything like that to Rudy. I was trying to help him."

"You're just like your mom, y'all can never tell the truth." Lisa avowed as she examined her niece. "She was a drug addict and traitor just like you—she turned on her best friend and ended up dead."

Jersey grew furious as she stood there and listened to Lisa belittle her mom. She wanted to slap the s**t out of her, but she didn't. She felt that keeping her hands to herself would be the right thing to do.

"Woah..." Shaye exclaimed with her eyebrows raised.

"You're lying. That's not what my grandma told me." Jersey replied in a low tone. Her grandmother told her that Terrie was killed out of jealousy. She was taking over certain parts of New York and people didn't like it.

"So, you really believed mama? This is the same woman who allowed Terrie to sell p***y straight out of her brothel."

"You're really going to stand there and talk about your only sister like that?" Jersey questioned her aunt as she fumed inside.

Lisa spread her hands and said, "It's the truth—mama should have told you all about that story."

Jersey looked over at Shaye who was sitting across from them in a chair. Instead of trying to help her cousin, she was busy watching everything.

"You need to get out of my apartment." Lisa instructed her neice. "And never show your face around here again."

Jersey shook her head and left out of the apartment. She upset about her whole conversation with her aunt, but she didn't cry.

She found herself walking swiftly down the sidewalk. Jersey was upset and as of right now, nothing mattered. Hearing Lisa talk that way about her mom just made her stomach turn flips.

She just couldn't believe that her mom used to prostitute for her grandmother back in the day. Another shocker was Terrie's death. It was hard for Jersey to believe that her mom was killed over betrayal.

The night sky had settled in, but that didn't stop Jersey from going to Kelli's old apartment. She wanted to see if she had any mail before going back to Manhattan. The young girl made sure to pull her hoodie over her head, in order to prevent attention.

A couple of blocks later, her hands were cold, her nose was practically frozen, and her legs were growing numb. She hurried inside the building and enjoyed the warmth of the lobby. Her mouth trembled as she slowed her pace down and made her way towards the clustered mailboxes.

Jersey noticed a woman who was busy checking her mailbox. She looked like Kelli's old neighbor, Mrs. Moreno from behind.

"Mrs. Moreno?" She called out while pulling her keys out of her bag.

As suspected, it was her, but Jersey wasn't ready for the outcome. The older lady turned around and that's when Jersey silently gasped to herself. Mrs. Moreno's face was bruised. She had a black eye that was swollen, a busted lip, and the right side of her jaw was also swollen.

"A—are you okay?" She asked as she watched the lady attentively. Usually, Mrs. Moreno had a lot to say, but not tonight. She held a look of terror and disgust on her battered face.

Instead of answering her, Mrs. Moreno just furrowed her eyebrows and doubled her lips.

Mrs. Moreno placed her attention back on her mailbox, trying her best to avoid Jersey. She snatched her mail out of the box, slammed the door, and quickly went up the stairs.

Instead of dwelling over the awkward scene, Jersey found the specific mailbox and searched her keys for the designated one. She unlocked the box and pulled out a bundle of mail that was stuffed inside the small unit.

Quickly, she shuffled through the mail. Most of it was Kelli's, but Jersey did spot some mail that was from Laurence, her brother. A faint smile appeared on her face as she tucked all of the mail inside her bag.

Jersey tried backing away from the clustered mailbox, but something stopped her. She tensed up when she collided with a chiseled chest. Her heartbeat drummed as she quickly placed her keys in between her fingers. She turned around, prepared. She was going to key whoever it was in the face.

"Oh, it's just you." She breathed out while looking up at Malcolm. Somehow, he still managed to find her.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked while looking directly at her. There wasn't a smile on his face at all. "Sawyer told me that you questioned him about going to Brooklyn. I figured you would."

"How did you find me?" Jersey questioned him while furrowing her eyebrows. She removed the keys from her fingers.

Malcolm clenched his jaw while looking elsewhere. He had found her through the chip that was installed in her burner. He figured she would pull a stunt like this, hence his reason for doing it.  

"My question needs to be answered first." He replied calmly. "You’re way out here, knowing you're not supposed to be."

"I'm not a child, I'm a grown ass woman." She retorted back.

"s**t, you're acting like a kid to me." Malcolm countered.

Jersey narrowed her eyes and said, "Nobody wouldn't take me out here to see my aunt, so I made a way for myself."

Malcolm just stood there and eyed her. He was upset with Jersey because she was taking advantage of her situation. She was out in Brooklyn as if everything was all good when it wasn't.

"Come on, I'll take you back home."

"I'm catching the train back." Jersey decided while walking ahead of him.

"Oh yeah? You gone walk yo' ass all the way back to the train station? It's trying to drizzle out there and plus it's cold."

"I don't care." Jersey shrugged her shoulders while opening the door. Immediately, she was attacked by the cold weather.

"Alright." Malcolm replied. "I'm not going to make you get in the car."

He unlocked the doors to his Jag and hopped inside. As soon as he started his ignition, the heat started blowing out. He sat in his car and watched Jersey who was stubbornly walking up the sidewalk, clenching her coat.

Her lower lip trembled as she continued to walk in the icy weather. She had an instant regret as she tried her best to handle the coldness and light raining.

"I should've just taken his offer." Jersey said to herself as she looked around the neighborhood. A couple of people were scattered everywhere, trying to run from the weather. Suddenly, the drizzle turned into some heavy rain.

Quickly, Jersey turned around and noticed that Malcolm was still parked across the street with his lights on. She scurried towards his car and pulled on the handle; it didn't budge.

"Malcolm!" She bellowed while stomping her foot.

He rolled his window down a little, leaned over, and said "I thought you was catching the train?"

"It's raining now!" She yelled back while pulling on the handle.

"Let it go before you f**k my s**t up, yo." He ordered while drawing his eyebrows together. Jersey did as instructed, which caused him to unlock the doors.

"You’re getting my seat wet." He commented while examining at her. She wasn't soaked, but she could've been if she had stayed outside longer.

"It's not my fault it's raining." Jersey countered back.

"But I told yo' dense ass that it was drizzling outside. What you do? You continued to walk." He argued back.

Instead of replying back to his smart remark, she just pulled her hoodie off, revealing a long sleeve shirt. Malcolm paid her no mind; he was too busy driving.

"Look at you now—wet."

"Don't taunt me." She retorted while shivering, trying to warm up to the heat.

"What's up with your phone? I called you earlier. You didn't answer." He continued while stopping at the red light.

"I know—I didn't get to my phone on time." She lied.

"You don't realize how dangerous this s**t is." Malcolm stated while shaking his head. 

"People are looking for you in Brooklyn and yet you decide to run your ass out here anyway. What type of s**t is that?"

Jersey never replied, she just sat in her seat, thawing her body out.

Malcolm glanced over at her and said, "I'm talking to you, not my damn self."

"I don't know..." She mumbled with an attitude.

"You don't know?" He reiterated while scoffing. "You just pulled the same stunt as Rudy. You're f*****g hardheaded and you don't realize how much danger you're in. The same person who popped your cousin is looking for you. And I promise you, when they see you, they won't hesitate to kill you."

Jersey didn't get upset with Malcolm mentioning Rudy. In fact, she finally realized that Rudy had done the same thing as her. Their outcome was just different. She palmed her face as she thought about how stupid she felt.

Malcolm glanced over and noticed her palming her face. "Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just want you to realize that I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to keep you from getting hurt or worse, killed. Just stay away from Brooklyn right now. Manhattan has everything you need."

"You're helping me, and I should be grateful for that." She stated while rubbing her hands together. Jersey thought about her aunt and said, "I'll probably never come back to Brooklyn."

Malcolm furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's just that...my aunt and I aren't on good terms." Jersey replied as she felt her eyes watering. "She thinks I had something to do with Rudy's death. She keeps saying that I had him killed, through you."

Instead of growing angry, Malcolm was cool about it. He knew that he didn't have Rudy killed. "So that's what your aunt thinks, huh?"

"Yes. I didn't trade his life in for my debt."

"If you know it's not true then don't worry about it. You can't beat yourself up over a lie. Let her think that s**t if she wants to."

"But that's my aunt, she's all I have." Jersey tried reasoning with him. "She's not going to talk to me anymore."

"So." Malcolm replied coolly. "That's one, less person you have to deal with. She'll eventually come around and realize that she was making all of this s**t up in her head."

Jersey breathed out and said, "I hope so."

Silence fell upon the two as they headed for Manhattan. Jersey fell asleep which caused Malcolm to turn his radio up. He managed to listen to his music while driving. It didn't take them long to arrive at the apartment.

Instead of letting Jersey go up by herself, Malcolm decided to follow her. They used the elevator for faster transportation and finally made it to the apartment. Jersey unlocked it with the key and walked inside the warm apartment.

"Kelli!" She called out while tossing her hoodie on the couch. Malcolm closed the door behind him and walked further inside.

There was no response, so Jersey said, "She must've caught a ride because she's not here. I'm gonna go and get out of these wet clothes."

"Can I use the bathroom?" Malcolm asked.

"You don't have to ask me; this is your place." Jersey replied, heading to her room.

Malcolm made his way to the back and used the bathroom. Instead of being nosy, He just took a piss and washed his hands.

When he made his way out, he noticed that Jersey was in her bedroom. She was busy pulling her shorts over her hips. He leaned on the archway, basically checking Jersey out. She had changed into some drier clothes. She wore a tank that showed off her hard n*****s and shorts that didn't show off too much.

"I see you changed clothes." He stated, basically startling her.

"Oh—I didn't see you there." She babbled while slipping him a guarded look.

"It's alright..." He replied coolly while looking around. "You picked this room?"

"Actually no." Jersey answered while closing her drawer. She looked over at him and said, "Kelli claimed the bigger room before I could."

"That's f****d up...but typical Kelli."

"It is typical for her." Jersey replied while thinking about her friend. Kelli always had to have the best, no matter what it was. "You can come in and sit down if you want." She offered while eyeing him closely.

Malcolm gave her a look, narrowing his eyebrows. However, he did manage to walk further in the room. "I'm about to leave out in a minute."

"But it's raining." Jersey countered. "You can't drive in that weather."

"I'll be straight and besides, I have some business to handle."

"Yes—well I know you're busy with your bar."

"Luckily, I can put that s**t off on other people." Malcolm replied honestly.

Jersey thought about what Kelli had told her earlier about the robbery that took place at Malcolm's Bar. She wanted to say something, but she decided against it. It wasn't her place to ask him questions about his business.

"You know what—this room suits you." Malcolm commented, breaking her away from her thoughts. "It reminds me of you. This bedroom has a laidback—minimalist style."

Jersey frowned and looked over the bedroom. Everything was plain with no kind of decoration. It looked as if she was on a budget.

"Wait a minute, are you calling me basic? Is that what you think of me?" She asked while turning around to look at him.

"Don't twist my words around." Malcolm objected while shaking his head. He neared her and said, "I'm not calling you basic. I'm just saying that you value yourself more. You're not materialistic."

"Now I get what you're saying." She responded while leaning her head to the side. She wanted to blush because she had no idea that Malcolm was checking her out like that. She was indeed laidback, and she kept things simple.

"Do you?"

She nodded her head while keeping her eyes directly on him. Malcolm noticed the look and realized that it was different. Affection glowed in Jersey as she stood there, flirting with her eyes. She didn't know how to come out and flirt directly, so she did it with her eyes.

Instead of falling in her trap, Malcolm decided to ignore her. He checked his pocket for his keys and said, "I'm about to head out, you want to lock the door?"

"Uh—yeah." Jersey replied while clearing her throat. She followed him to the front and watched as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

Malcolm looked over at her and said, "Don't leave Manhattan. If you want something, call Sawyer."

Jersey parted her lips to say something, but she could only say, "Okay."

He nodded his head and left out the apartment. Jersey sighed hard while locking the door. She furrowed her eyebrows in irritation. There it was—clear as day to her—she liked Malcolm. Unfortunately, she was starting to think that the feelings weren't mutual.

_____________________________

Malcolm's truck was discovered in an abandoned parking lot and collected by the authorities. After searching everything and finding nothing, they returned the truck back. As expected, they failed to find the suspect. Since Malcolm's truck was found with the driver's door open and abandoned in a parking lot, they assumed the suspect had fled the scene. However, Malcolm already had the suspect waiting in custody. He was now headed to see Nieko.

Instead of meeting up with him at his restaurant, Malcolm went to his house. Nieko lived in a single-family home that wasn't guarded at all.

The night air was cold and windy to Malcolm. He made sure to bundle up in his black attire. Everything was black—from his skully to his shoes. He used a screwdriver to break into the back door. After a few minutes of prying, he finally got it open. Malcolm pushed the door open and made his way inside. Judging from the driveway, he assumed that only Nieko was there.

The house was quiet, which didn't come to a surprise to Malcolm. He moved around the house, checking every room to make sure no one else was there. After checking the rooms downstairs, he made his way up and heard a raspy voice. It was Nieko, of course.

"Deshawn, where the f**k are you? I've been calling your phone for the past two days. You better call me as soon as you get this message, nigga." He commanded while ending the call. He sat on the couch that was located at the foot of his bed. 

Malcolm cautiously made his way further up. He looked around and noticed that most of the doors were closed. Instead of checking them, he headed straight for the door that was open. As he expected, Nieko was in that particular room. He sat with his back facing Malcolm, so he didn't know about his presence.

There was a gun, located on the nightstand. Malcolm just shrugged it off because he wouldn't need it at all. Instead of grabbing it, he just neared the much older man.

He wasted no time roughly grabbing Nieko by the neck, catching him off guard. Nieko's eyes shot open as he tried to free himself from Malcolm's tight lock.

"What—?" Nieko managed to say while desperately trying to look at the person from the corners of his eyes. His eyes bugged when he noticed that it was Malcolm

The begging and pleading all fell on deaf ears. Malcolm gripped Nieko's neck and snapped it forcibly and quickly. And just like that, Nieko's mouth was silenced, permanently. Malcolm wasted no time letting him go. The older man fell back with his mouth gaped. Blood spilled down, traveling down the couch.

Malcolm wasted no time trying to get out of the house.

_____________________________

"Vena's coming over." Kelli announced while flopping down on the couch.

"For what, gossip?" Jersey asked while wrinkling her nose.

"b***h, it's movie night." Kelli replied quickly. "And I just ordered some Indian food."

"Well, okay..." Jersey trailed off in a low tone.

"Are you joining us?"

"I have nothing else to do, so yes."

Suddenly, Jersey's phone started ringing. She snatched it up and noticed that she had an incoming call from her driver, Sawyer. She excused herself and walked away to answer. Kelli narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but she didn't say anything.

"Jersey?"

"Why are you calling me?"

Sawyer laughed as if she had said a joke. "You still mad about that?"

"I never said I was mad." Jersey replied calmly. "But you should have never told Malcolm."

"It's my job to do that."

"No it's not." She countered. "I am a grown ass woman, I don't have to report to anybody. Therefore, you shouldn't go back and report to Malcolm about me!"

Sawyer was a quiet for a moment. He sucked his teeth and said, "Malcolm is my boss...he hired me to drive you around while making sure you're safe."

"I understand all of that, but you don't have to tell him everything—the Brooklyn situation, for example."

Sawyer had to think about it for a minute. He was so caught up with trying to get back in Malcolm's good graces, that he was telling on Jersey, practically looking for cookie points.

"He found out where I was and took me home." Jersey informed him.

"I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." Sawyer replied coolly. "But shit...I just wanted to make sure you was safe. I figured you was going to take your ass to Brooklyn. With or without me."

She stayed quiet, wanting to end the call. For some reason, she just held it and waited on another response. Hearing that Sawyer wanted her to be safe made her feel warm inside.

"Do you forgive me?"

"I don't know..." Jersey replied honestly. "Don't make me lie."

"Can I come over and pick you up?" Sawyer questioned her out of the blue. "We can get something to eat...and talk."

Jersey didn't think anything of it. She figured that Sawyer was trying to get back in her good graces. She knew that he liked her from his previous attempt. She assumed that he was cool with being just friends since she told him that she wasn't looking for a relationship. Her mind was supposed to be on getting her finances and living situation right.

She peeped outside of her room and noticed that Kelli was sitting on the couch, running her mouth.

They'll just have to eat that Indian food without me. Jersey said to herself.

"I guess so."

A small smirk appeared on Sawyer's face as he touched his chin. He licked his lips and said, 

"A nigga mention food and now you want to be nice to me."

Jersey couldn't help but to start smiling. She realized that her whole mood changed once Sawyer mentioned food.

"Whatever, just be come on." She remarked.

Eventually, they ended the call and Jersey made her way to the front. Kelli was sitting on the couch with her iPhone glued to her ear.

"Well, damn. How much does the part cost?"

Jersey took a seat on the couch while watching her friend.

"Okay—well...okay. Look let me talk! That is the right part, just get it. Yeah, whatever. Bye." Kelli tapped the red button and tossed her phone on the coffee table.

"Niggas I tell you." She blurted out while shaking her head.

"What's wrong? Who was that?"

"Ryder." Kelli answered with an attitude. "I told him about the part I need, so he's at the store trying to get it. He keeps getting on my damn nerves about it. He thinks I don't know what I'm talking about."

"You should've just gone and got it yourself." Jersey replied. "While you were out."

"And spend my money? I don't think so. That's why I got him buying it for me. He's going to bring it over today."

"Well, at least he's buying it, can't complaint about that."

"Mmhmm..." Kelli hummed. "So, who was that on the phone?"

"Oh, that was Sawyer." Jersey replied coolly.

"Sawyer, huh?" Kelli mimicked while nodding her head. "You had to go in another room to talk to him?"

"Well, no." She replied. "He was just talking to me about staying away from Brooklyn."

Kelli stared at her friend with narrowed eyes. She didn't believe a word.

"Well, I'm telling you the truth. He's on his way now to pick me up. I to finish my errands." Jersey replied, making up excuses.

"b***h you ain't got no errands." Kelli objected. "I'm not stupid, Jersey. I know that Sawyer likes you and it wouldn't hurt to give him a chance."

Jersey couldn't help but to smirk, causing her dimples to show.

"I want to see how he looks first." Kelli continued.