aimee
. . .
"Landon, can you please move over… big ass feet," I said, shoving him. He looked up from his laptop.
Landon and I had both received a text from Core to meet at Menace's house. I was sprawled on one end of the couch while Landon occupied the other, his feet pointing in my direction and mine in his. Given his height, Landon could have easily played basketball.
Even though I was involved with Capella, I wasn't blind. I could see how fine Landon was. Caramel skin, and every inch of his body seemed covered in ink. I couldn't verify *every* inch, but from what I could see, he had tattoos everywhere.
"You came and got on this couch when there are three others," he said, pointing to the three empty couches in the sunken living room.
I scrunched my face. "Why do you lie so bad? You saw me peacefully writing this paper for my political science class, then you hopped over the couch, landed on it, and started eating an apple." I recalled the events as they actually happened, not how Landon remembered them.
"You know you can just drop that class, right? We accomplished getting you placed as his intern."
I continued typing my thesis and shrugged. "I kind of like it."
Landon laughed. "Stop fucking around with me."
"Seriously… if you think about it… these politicians are like legal kingpins… at least from where I'm sitting."
"You're not wrong." He went quiet. I looked up to find him staring at me. "How have you been though? Seriously."
"Pushing through because I have no other choice."
"You have a choice… did you fix things with your man?"
I laughed and sighed. "We're not together… just doing things for our son. I love him so much, and I wish we could fix it, but he doesn't want to talk."
"Tough situation… I feel guilty."
"Why?"
"Because I took you to get the abortion… I ain't never apologizing for a woman's right to choose, but you should have had that conversation with him."
I smiled. "Thanks for that, Landon… I appreciate you keeping quiet, and not saying anything to anyone."
He winked. "Shorty, I was raised by the realest… I don't run my mouth like some other pussies."
"I know like hell you bitches don't got your feet on my fucking custom Italian couches," Menace's voice roared, causing me to jump.
Landon looked at his brother. "Every time I give you a damn compliment." He removed his sneakers from the couch.
Menace had an aura about him. Like the whole room stopped when he stepped inside. It was a scary aura, but an aura nonetheless. I watched as he swaggered into the sunken living room and sat on the opposite side of the couch, staring at both of us.
"You tried to kill yourself and your baby by Plaza, and now you wanna fuck my brother… so, is your mission in life to get the Delgatos to kill you?"
"What? I am not fucking Landon, and we're friends," I blurted out as he stared at me with those menacing eyes.
I now knew why the fuck they called him Menace, because just that look told me everything I needed to know.
"Nigga, you already know I don't come over here like that… so you know Core had to have called me."
"Only when you want to steal my fucking jet, right?" Menace looked at his brother, who was damn near his twin.
Menace looked like he spit Landon out himself. Except Landon was the younger version. I'd only seen Zoya, but never their older sister. They never mentioned her much, either.
We heard sneakers squeak on the marble floors and turned to see Skyler coming around the corner into the living room. "Sorry, I'm late."
She quickly sat down on the middle couch and pulled out her laptop.
"Hey Skyler," Jeffie, Menace's assistant, said as she came into the room and handed him some red juice.
"Hey Jeffie!" Skyler smiled at her, then logged into her computer.
Menace looked between both of them. "You know he want the both of you, right?" he blurted.
I was certain Menace said whatever came to his mind. An impulsive thought hated to see his ass coming because he was going to say it.
"If he pulls that… nigga is the goat," Landon muttered.
Core came into the living room. "I got caught up with something… I wanted to make sure everything is straight. You and Skyler are gonna be on the jet with Capri… I need to make sure you know she's to be protected at all times."
"He's not to be underestimated… nigga is fucking sick and won't hesitate to try some shit." We turned our heads as Governor Johnson walked into the living room.
He was the reason I was into politics. A man covered with tattoos who was raised in New York City Housing and knew what it was like to come from where most of the people who voted for him were. Governor Johnson wasn't clean as a whistle, but he was dirty-clean. The strings he pulled were for the good, not the bad like Morgan's horny ass.
His brown skin reminded me of the butter you poured over your sweet potatoes before you stuck them into the oven. His moisturized skin and beard were the stars of the show, along with those lips.
His thick pink lips probably made all the damn women scream. His eyebrows were nice, thick, and perfect, like he got them done to keep them contained. His hair was cut short, but you could see from the small amount he did have that the texture was curly.
"Aimee?"
I snapped out of my thoughts and loosened my grip on my laptop. "Hmm?"
"Has he noticed things missing in that library?"
"Not that I know… is that why we're here?"
Core nodded his head. "I'm not watching this shit by myself… and Menace wants to make sure none of the women from CH are on any of these drives."
Skyler stood up and walked over to the TV, connecting her laptop to the screen. Her display popped up, showing a picture of Estella on a swing set. "Estella is so cute."
Core looked at me. "You know about her seed?"
"She's my friend… of course she knows about my daughter," Skyler laughed.
"Guess I'm the odd one out cause I didn't know," Landon muttered.
"Me either," Menace added.
We all looked at him. "You don't even know Skyler," Jeffie said, and we all couldn't help but laugh because his ass was dead serious.
"I can't know my future Goddaughter… fuck type of shit is that?"
Skyler laughed and shook her head, while Core smirked. "Enough about Estella, and more about these videos… are we ready?"
We all looked at each other and silently agreed that we were ready to see the shit that was going to happen in these videos. Since we took some that night of the gala, I had been going in there every time Morgan had me at the condo, stealing one each time.
Skyler went into the files and clicked the first one. The video started with him sitting in the chair in that library, and then a woman came onto the screen – Black, of course. She slapped the shit out of him, and then spit in his face while Morgan started to engage in explicit acts. The shit had me sick just watching his pale ass in that chair that I fucking hid behind.
I touched the damn seat to get behind it, and now I had to burn my damn hand because he was in that chair exposed. Skyler quickly skimmed through that video because there wasn't much there.
Governor Johnson sat on the edge of the couch I was on while we all watched the next few videos, which weren't anything more than him getting abused and liking the shit. "His fetish for Black women is fucking sick."
"Tell me about it." I rolled my eyes.
Skyler clicked another video and then she gasped. It was a younger Spanish woman; she looked to be around my age, and he was tossing her around. Morgan looked like a zombie the way he ripped her clothes off as she tried to get to the door. Snatching her back by her hair and tossing her to the floor before mounting her.
I closed my eyes because I couldn't see anymore, and it was triggering me. Core noticed right away and looked at Skyler. "Cut that off for me, Baby."
Skyler quickly exited the video. "Sorry, Aim."
Corleon looked at Jeffie. "Get her some water for me, Sexy."
If I wasn't in the middle of what I had going on, I would be impressed at how he spoke to both Skyler and Jeffie, and both those bitches blushed and felt no way about him referring to one as baby and the other as sexy.
"This nigga here," Landon whispered, shaking his damn head in disbelief. "Teach me the game, Ghost… teach me the game."
We both ignored his ass. "I'm sorry… feel stupid."
"You not stupid… shit is real. I'm sorry because I should have considered you."
"Not your fault, Core… I promise I'm alright."
He looked at me once more before hugging me and getting back up. "That is the girl from the case that he had Capri dismiss," Skyler said.
"I'm not putting this video out there… shit would ruin her," Menace said.
It was at some points the man was heartless, and then at the very last minute, his heart appeared. "I agree… we got enough shit on him that we don't need to release it."
Jeffie handed me water and then rubbed my back while I sipped, thirstier than I thought. Skyler played another video, and we watched a fair-skinned Black woman strut into the camera and give him a little strip tease. She kissed him on the neck, and then spun around while giving him a lap dance.
I spit the water damn near across the room and started choking. Landon moved over and started patting my back as I choked. "Right on my antique marble table."
Menace walked over toward a small cabinet, grabbed a dish rag, and started to wipe the water up. As he wiped, he counted quietly and repeated the same motion until he was satisfied.
"That's Brandi, Quameer's baby mother," I blurted.
I had seen Brandi a few times when she dropped Ryder off at Capri's house up at the lake. I never spoke to her, but I had saw her a few times. Skyler paused the video on a close-up on Brandi's face.
"Martin's wife," the governor added.
It was Sunday, so everyone was at Capone's house for brunch. It wasn't something that happened every Sunday, but everyone tried to get together as much as time allowed. This was my first time heading over for brunch since me and Rory's accident. I kept my distance from everyone because I was ashamed and wanted to give everyone the space they needed. They were frustrated with me, and I respected that.
"Do you ever use the front door?" Capone asked. He and Erin were cuddled up on one couch, Cappadonna and Alaia on another, and then Capri and Meer were sharing one chair, with her on his lap. "Just be walking through my grass like I don't maintain it."
"Nigga, you know damn well that you don't maintain that damn grass," Meer called him out, and he laughed because he knew the shit was true.
"What's going on, Aimee?" Alaia asked, as I took a seat on the empty single chair.
I looked over at Meer. "I know that I have a long way to go to rebuilding all of you guy's trust in me… I'm willing to do the work and I'm sorry for ever doubting that you guys would show up for me like you do. Me and Core found something out… and I don't know if you're prepared to hear it."
"Aim, as much as you piss me off at times… you in trouble and I'm running like I would for cornball in there. Trust is big with me, and if I can't trust you… done deal. You get two chances with me, and then lights the fuck out." Cappadonna leaned up and looked me in the eyes. "Hearing you scream you don't have family had me ready to choke yo' ass out, too… we been here. Realize that shit and know that we coming behind you like your last name Delgato."
"Or Inferno," Meer added.
Capri kissed him on the cheek and nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. "Now, what the fuck happened?" Capp asked.
I was about to break out in a sweat with the way all eyes were on me, waiting for me to speak. "Martin is gay… Brandi is fucking Morgan, and the only reason Brandi is married to Martin is because of the police commissioner… Martin has some dirt on him."
Nobody said anything as they stared at me, unsure of how to respond. "Damn… was trying to celebrate Pride for the wrong man," Quameer said, and Capri lifted her head.
"Your baby mama fucking Morgan and that's what you took from all of that?" Capri stared at her husband.
I honestly think Meer was in shock. Not only did he find out that Brandi had married Martin because her father forced her, and he was in fact gay, but he also found out that Brandi was fucking Morgan.
"You think Peach would want to bury her mama in black or white… Brandi too damn fair skin to do white, maybe navy."
"Navy seems like a good compromise," Capone replied, and Erin slapped him in the back of his head.
"Keep it white… light and won't traumatize Ryder… I hate black funerals," Cappadonna added, and Alaia buried her head in his arms while trying to keep from laughing because Capri was staring at all of them like they had lost their minds.
"I would want to be buried in black… won't get dirty when you're low?—"
"All of you got me fucked up," she scolded before turning to her husband. "Robert, are you fucking serious right now?"
"I'm being fucking serious, Suga… I gotta kill that bitch. She fucking with Morgan…the fuck kind of shit is that? Then let's not forget she was fucking Tookie and went to see his ass… the fuck she got planned? I'll buy that horse she wanted to distract her from everything." I wanted to laugh, but this nigga seemed like he was serious.
I held my hand up. "I honestly don't think Brandi is doing anything to come back on us. I think she met Morgan and decided to fuck him since she's clearly not sleeping with her husband."
"It explains why they don't have children together," Capri added.
Meer looked over at me. "I honestly don't think bringing your damn baby to fucking Plaza was a good idea, but here we are."
Capri pinched him. "Quameer, stop that."
"All I'm trying to do is have a good pregnancy and this bitch keeps stressing me the fuck out."
We all looked at him. "You're not pregnant, Quameer," Capri said.
"We pregnant, Sug… please get that shit through your head. You be making me eat those fucking sticky wings, so you don't feel bad, so we pregnant."
I leaned forward. "Morgan isn't going to be a problem much longer, so we don't have to worry about that. However, you may need to make sure that Brandi hasn't gotten herself into some shit she can't get out," I advised.
"Appreciate the information, Kim Possible." He looked straight ahead, and I could tell the wheels were turning in his head.