I watched again as the man in the red suit was shot down. I watched as his bodyguards fell beside him, and a man tried to stand over him to finish the job, just as reinforcements came and the shooter ran. I frowned and played it back again. I didn't know what I was looking for, but I could also hardly believe what I was seeing. I sat in my office transfixed by this video.
Each time I played it back, my hand twitched. I was not a morning person, so being woken up had pissed me off, but not as pissed as I was the moment my mentor hit the ground. The video was from five days ago, and my contact just reached out to me. The worst part? He hadn't called me at all and I had no idea how the video ended.
With a snap, I closed my laptop as Terrance walked in. In his hands were two steaming cups of coffee. I smelled it even from this distance, and the room was not small. He smiled a little but his eyes were searching. Terrance was sharp as a tac and I knew I hadn't gotten anything past him. I wondered if I had woken him up with my yelling earlier. I lost my shit ten seconds after the call began. Usually, he would be sleeping. Neither one of us was an early riser.
"I come bearing really good coffee." He said, but he didn't approach me. He calmly took a sip of his coffee before finally padding over and handing me a mug.
I took a sip and moaned as it went down. It was just how I liked it, black with just enough sugar to kill the harsh bitterness. He nodded and went to look out the window of our library office. I sat back enjoying my coffee and watched him. Terrance was the kind of guy you would notice in a crowd. He stood out and it wasn't the fact that he easily towered over most men. His energy was like a gravitational pull, people navigated toward him wanting to know more.
When I met him a few years ago I would have never thought we'd be as close as we are. Terrance had saved my life more times than I could count and I had saved his. He had my back as if we had grown up together. He was my best friend and honorary brother.
Not everyone understood a single man and a single woman living together, while not being together. I could see why. We were inseparable. If you saw T you saw me and if we weren't side by side, the other was on the way.
Not to mention he was fine. He was no longer the boy I met at that party. His hair, even at this crazy time of the morning framed his strong face on each side in thick black natural waves. He wore a tank top and you could see each muscle in his chest. He had two golds and they made his smile seem special. He was easy to look at, but we were just friends. I had never had a romantic thought about him. Taking his call, that day had been one of the best decisions I had ever made. I truly didn't know where I would be without him.
For the unpayable debt of saving my life, he had simply asked that I take care of his grandma at night while he went away to do a six-month bid in the Justice Center. I didn't get it at first, why he would ask a stranger to do something like that. He told me I had a soft side and that his grandmother was going to love me. I had been skeptical until I met Ruby Mae.
His grandmother had been the happiest most thoughtful woman I had ever met. She appreciated everything and the highlight of her day was her stories. Followed by a visit from yours truly. The way her face lit up whenever I came to see her. To her no-nonsense attitude when I tried to lie and tell her that T was away on business. She was quiet most days but said her peace. She had been dying of pancreatic cancer, but you would never know.
She smiled often, got out when she could, and loved to get her hair and nails done. Toward the end, I began doing her hair and painting her nails. When she got really bad I moved into her house. The house I still lived in. As I said Ruby Mae appreciated everything I did and at some point, she wrote me into her will. She always tried to pay me but I kept refusing and, in the end, she still found a way to repay me. She left me and Terrance her house.
It was huge and I had expressed on many occasions how much I loved the white stone and red house. It was the biggest on the block and had two kitchens, a foyer, a library, and a sitting room. The table in the dining room could easily seat ten and the backyard was spacious and beautiful. I loved this house and Terrance had no problem sharing it with me. So we cohabitated and we had each other's backs. He wasn't part of The Family or as the streets labeled us The State Street Gang, but he was an honorary member via me.
"So what's got you up at this time of the morning? Even the roosters are still sleeping and you, baby girl are up, yelling. What was that video?"
I smiled at the way he talked, like an old man. He said words most people in St. Louis often didn't bother to say let alone pronounce. It was cute and added to his charm.
"It was nothing important," I replied.
He hummed and then tipped back his cup, before placing it on my desk. He reached for my hand and began playing with my fingers. "If it's serious I'd like to know."
I clasped his hand in mine and blanked my face. I was lying and nothing he could say would change that. I shared a lot with Terrance, but I refused to share Big D. I never wanted to be part of his demise and therefore he was my best-kept secret, but then again if anyone was to meet him it would be Terrance.
"It's not." It so fucking was, but I wasn't gonna tell him that.
"Is it about Christian?"
I fought the wave of heat that threatened to take over and recovered quickly. I had decided to forget him. I was going to cut him loose. Mentally and physically. I would not give him any more of my energy.
"No," I replied but pulled my hands free of his and put mine behind my head as I leaned into my chair. " I was thinking, that it might be time for me to finalize the house. I love this place, but I think it's time I gave you your house back."
"Why?" He asked, "This is your house just as much as it's mine."
"Yeah but this is your family home and I was planning to move out anyway."
He finished his coffee before replying. "But things have changed. I don't think it's a good idea for you to be living alone."
"I'll be fine T. Plus I know your lil girlfriends be feeling some type of way."
"I never gave a fuck about any of them Baby Girl and you know that. I like having you around and maybe it's not a good idea for me to be living alone."
"You wouldn't have to worry about me waking you up in the morning yelling."
He laughed and shook his head. "Just think about it, A. You don't have to leave here until you ready."
"Bet," I said standing and putting away the laptop. "I'll think about it."
"What are your plans for today?"
I sucked my teeth and rolled my eyes. If it wasn't Terrance someone else was on 'don't let Anna kill anybody duty'. As I said, I had kind of been in a bad place lately.
I had nothing important to do today and I told him as much. I had some running around to do. I needed to check on my girls and Big D. I also had money to collect.
Checking my watch I told him, "The guys will be at the cleaners later, so I was going to go there before coming back to prepare for a night out." I added a small smile and an eyebrow lift before turning and continuing on my way.
"Meet you at the R and W?"
"Sure."
He nodded once before backing away. Fuck Christian James.