Between Friends (6 page)

Authors: D. L. Sparks

Tags: #Fiction, #Suspense, #General, #African American Police, #Urban Life, #Thrillers, #African American

BOOK: Between Friends

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I had no idea what his problem was but Dionne agreed to do the last count down of the night and tip out the DJ for me so I could finish up in the office and head home. I slipped her the keys and headed out.

When I pulled into my driveway over an hour later, Linc's Yukon wasn't there. The fact that he wasn't home made my nerves worse. I woke India up so she could head home and I checked in on Cameron. He was sleeping peacefully, which calmed my nerves, but not much.

As I was making my way back downstairs, Linc was finally pulling into the driveway. I went in the living-room and took a seat on the couch. I didn't know what the hell was wrong with him but he needed to get it out, whatever it was.

Once he came in the house, I sat motionless and listened as he shed his night, layer by layer. The sound of the Velcro yielding the release of his bulletproof vest echoed through the foyer. Next I heard the sound of his handcuffs clanging against the tile in the foyer. His footsteps moved into the distance as he moved to the den. The next sound was that of the strongbox, which housed his Glock, being unlocked and relocked. It was then placed back on the shelf, where he kept it, out of Cameron's sight and reach. He was barely three, but that didn't mean he wasn't a master explorer and we made damn sure that gun was nowhere in his path.

“Idalis!”

“I'm in the living-room.”

More footsteps.

This time headed in my direction.

I stood to my feet. My mind was running through every possibility of what his problem could be. His eyes were fixed on me, causing my face to flush hot. I took a deep breath and blew it out softly.

He didn't speak as he walked up to me.

Then again, he didn't have to say a word. The anger on his face said enough.

“Somethin' you wanna tell me?” he questioned.

Slowly I shook my head. “Look, I don't know what you're talking about. Or why you're tripping butâ”

His hand shot up and clamped around my throat. He cocked his head to the side and spoke, “I asked you a question shawty.”

I reached up and wrapped my hand around his wrist. Fear gripped my body and rattled my bones.

“I don't knowâ”

He tossed me to the couch and I bounced off the edge and hit the floor. “You don't know what?” he demanded. “I can't hear you Idalis.”

My mind was in overdrive. I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. “What is
wrong
with you? What are you talking about?”

He lunged toward me and snatched me up from the floor by my hair. He put his face close to mine; I could see the tiny brown flecks in his eyes. His nostrils flared with rage.

“I'ma give you one more chance. Is there
anything
you wanna tell me, shawty?” he asked, through clenched teeth.

I was terrified. I wished I knew what he wanted me to say because at that point I would've said whatever he wanted me to say just to get him to stop.

“I swear, Linc, I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Guess you ain't think I was gon' find out 'bout you meeting Trip at the gym?”

My chest grew tight and my eyes widened.

My mouth gaped opened, but the only thing that came out was a soft cry of pain from the grasp he had on my hair.

“Or about y'all hugged up at Waffle House.”

That knocked the wind out of me. “Linc, it wasn't like that and you know it! We're just
friends
you know that!”

He tightened his grip on my hair. “Then what was it like, Idalis?” he growled. “I asked your ass on the phone if you'd talked to him and you told me no.”

“I hadn't. I swear. He just happened to be there.”

“Oh so now you think I'm stupid?”

Tears fell relentlessly from my eyes. “Linc, stop! Cameron is upstairs asleep.”

He looked toward the hallway, then back to me. “Maybe I should go wake him up and school l'il man on how much of a liar his mother is.”

“Linc, don't do that,” I begged.

“You got me workin' fuckin' crime scenes with this dude knowin' he had already been hugged up with you and got him laughin' behind my back?” he yelled.

He released the grip he had on my hair. Before I could recover from the excruciating pain, his hand slammed across my right cheek, knocking me back to the floor.

Terrified, I scrambled to the couch and scooted into the corner.

He stood there for a moment glaring at me before he turned and walked away.

“You ever make me look stupid like that again, Idalis, I'll kill you,” he said, as he headed down the hall.

A few moments later I heard his footsteps fade off in the distance as he made his way upstairs to the bedroom. Once I heard the bedroom door close, I got up off the couch and went into the bathroom in the hallway and checked my tear-streaked face. It was red, but nothing that I couldn't cover with makeup.

After all, I had become somewhat of a pro at covering up things.

Chapter Seven

Idalis

“Idalis, this is crazy! I can't believe he
hit
you.”

The next evening I was sitting at my kitchen table as India handed me a washcloth with some ice cubes tucked inside. I placed it on my throbbing jaw. She came by after her evening class and brought us some takeout. I could barely get off the couch and had managed to keep Cameron happy with PB&Js and cheese crackers all afternoon.

“Keep your voice down. Cameron is in the other room.”

“I know. And what if my nephew had woken up last night when he came up in here, acting like a dick?”

I put the ice pack on the table. “But he didn't. Can we just drop it?”

“That's it.” She threw her hands up in the air. “I'm tellin' Mommy.”

I stood up. “Don't do that, India. She already got too much to worry about with Grammie.”

“Then I'm telling his captain! I'm telling someone. This is bullshit!” she yelled. Her voice was quavering, letting me know she was about to cry.

That was one thing about us that we both hated. It didn't take much for us to cry. Especially when we were mad.

My twin stared at me with tears in her eyes. She was a mirror image of me: right down to the back-length honey blondâhighlighted hair and the tiny scar above our right brow.

My scar came when I was eight years old. I was running and playing out in front of our grandmother's house. Grammie's home had a brick wall, which framed the front yard, and I tripped and fell, hitting my head on the edge of one of the bricks. Twin insisted we didn't match anymore and we had to be the same, even down to scars. So she took Mama's house key and dug it into her head above her brow until she bled, leaving a scar to match mine. Of course, my mother wanted to strangle her, but I think it was then when she realized that the connection we made in the womb would never be broken.

I tried to make light of the situation. “So, can I slap you so we have matching bruises?”

She cut her eyes at me, letting me know she wasn't in the mood to laugh this off. I couldn't blame her for caring; after all, she was my sister. I wanted to say something to make her feel better, but I didn't have the answers myself. Linc had never done anything like this before. This was unchartered territory for everybody; I hated it just as much as she did.

“Idalis, you need to handle this. He's gone too far.”

I stood up and made my way to the sink, dumping out the melting ice cubes. “I know, India. And I will,” I assured her.

“I'm serious,” she continued. “He needs to get his shit straight, or it's a wrap.”

Her honesty, although appreciated, was starting to annoy me.

“Twin, I understand where you're coming from. I just need to sort this out with him, which I
will
do.”

A few moments later we heard the soft chime of the alarm notifying us that the front door had been opened. My body tensed as India stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

I heard Linc's keys being placed on the table in the foyer and I stood to my feet as he made his way down the hall to the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?” India snapped, ready to fight.

“I live here,” he countered. “Fuck
you
doin' here?”

I put my hand on her arm. “India, don't.”

She looked at me, then back to him. “I'm going to check on my nephew.”

We both stood motionless as she disappeared out of the kitchen. Once she was gone, he moved in my direction. I didn't know if I should run or grab a knife out of the butcher-block caddy.

“Idalis ... I'm ... I'm sorry.”

I moved slowly and managed to put the island in the middle of the kitchen between us.

“What's going on with you, Linc?” I asked.

He reached up and rubbed the top of his head. “Man, this case just got me stressed. That's all.”

“But you've had stressful cases before, and you never brought them home with you. Most of all, you've never put your hands on me.”

He placed his palms on the counter. “I know. But this one's different.”

“Why, because of him?”

I stood there, waiting for an explosion of some sort, but instead he kept his head down. He was hiding whatever truth his eyes might have been holding. I saw his chest expand and deflate as he filled his lungs with air and let it out.

Silence hung between us, longer than I wanted. I could hear Cameron laughing and what sounded like music coming from the television in the den.

“Do you wanna be with him?” he asked, when he finally spoke.

This time it was my turn to move toward him. I reached up and placed my hand on the back of his head. “Linc, I'm marrying you.”

He turned his head and looked down at me. “That's not what I asked you.”

“Trip is my best friend. We've been through a lot together. We have a lot of history. It's hard to label something like that.”

He shook his head. “That don't mean nothing, shawty. Hell, we got history. You still ain't answered my question.”

Just then, India and Cameron walked into the kitchen, taking our attention away from each other. She had car keys in her hands and Cameron's Optimus Prime overnight bag on her shoulder.

“What's going on?” I asked.

“Cam's coming to spend the night with Auntie India, right?”

My baby boy smiled big. “Can I, Mommy? Can I, Daddy?”

I knew what she was doing; and whether I agreed with her or not, I loved her for it.

Linc bent down and picked up Cameron. “You promise to be good for your grandma?”

“Yes, sir.” He nodded, excited. “Mommy, can I go?”

I forced a smiled as I stared into my sister's sad eyes. “Yes, baby, you can go.”

He raised his tiny fists over his head and started cheering. “Yay!”

I watched as Linc bent down and placed him back on the floor and he ran over to my sister. She scooped him up and looked from Linc back to me. “Call me if you need me.”

“I will.”

They headed down the hallway. I heard the front door open, then close. And just like that, I was alone with Linc.

I took a deep breath and rubbed the palms of my hands on the front of my jeans. I knew this night could end one of two ways: peaceful or chaotic. I personally was voting for peace.

He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms against his chest.

“So you gon' answer me or what?”

I nodded as I moved slowly toward him.

I ran my hands up arms uncrossing them and resting my hands on his chest. I stood on my toes as I kissed his neck. His hand slid up my thigh and rested on the small of my back.

When I felt his body relax, I took his hand and led him upstairs to the bedroom.

Linc sat on the edge of the bed, watching, while I allowed my clothes to fall to the floor. The only time he took his eyes off my body was when he pulled his shirt over his head. I licked my lips and bit my bottom lip as I reached behind me and undid my bra, letting it fall to the floor. I moved forward into his embrace, skin against skin. He sucked one of my nipples into his mouth, moistening it before gently blowing on it, causing it to reach out to him. A moan rumbled in my throat as he called the other one to attention.

I looked down and watched him draw circles around my nipples with his tongue as I reached down and undid his pants. Once they were completely off, I laid him back on the bed. I held him in my hand and slowly began stroking him until I felt him begin to swell in my hand, and a groan escaped his lips.

“Put it in your mouth,” he instructed.

“Yes, baby.”

I did what he wanted and sucked him into my mouth.

“Like that, baby?”

“Yeah ... just like that.”

He moaned and I felt his hips move as I licked and sucked the head while I stroked him. His hands made their way to the back of my head as I sucked all of him into my mouth.

I moved slowly at first. Making sure I was able to take him all in without gagging. Then I let him work his hips and use my mouth for his pleasure.

I squeezed the base of his penis with my thumb and forefinger, making sure his pleasure lasted. I massaged the underside of the shaft of his penis, feeling the huge vein throb against my tongue.

“Mmm ... you taste so good.”

He reached for me. “Come here.”

I crawled up his body until my center was directly over his. He sat up and sucked my nipples into his mouth as his hand moved between my legs. I felt his fingers enter me as I reached between us and began stroking him. As I straddled his thighs, I moved my hips against the rhythm of his fingers as we stroked each other.

It wasn't long before his hands were on my waist and he was lifting me up, guiding me down onto his waiting shaft. I couldn't stop the moan that rose and escaped from my throat as he opened me up.

He pulled me close and I wrapped my legs around him. He sucked on my neck as we rocked like that for a few minutes before he lay down and let me take over.

I worked my hips in small circles, watching him as he looked up at me, enjoying his show. He reached around and smacked my ass, and my rhythm picked up some speed.

“Yeah, girl, you know how I like it. Work that ass.”

Sweat ran down my body onto his as he grabbed my waist and began thrusting his hips upward, causing me to cry out. I held on to the headboard and rode him faster.

“Uh! You ... gon' ... make ... me ... cum,” he said, his breathing ragged.

Just then my eyes snapped open and I stared, emotionless, at the wall in front of me.

That's exactly what I'm trying to do,
I thought.

I placed my hands on his chest and moved up and down on him. I was so wet; the sounds of my body filled the room.

I teased himâpulling him out, all the way to the tip, and then taking him all back in. I did that, over and over again, until I felt his hands grip my waist.

“Cum for me, baby,” I whispered.

When I felt his body tense, I hopped off him, slid down his body, and took him in my hand. I worked him up and down. I licked and sucked his tip as he cried out. I felt him throbbing and twitching as he came; his warm seed spilled out onto my hand.

I got up and went into the bathroom for a towel to clean up. I turned the water on in the shower and let it run as I looked at the woman staring back at me in the mirror. Tried to justify the things she'd done in the name of love and family.

When I realized I couldn't, I climbed under the streaming water.

You do what you have to do,
I thought.

I cleaned up and brushed my teeth. After brushing my hair back into a ponytail, I climbed into bed. Linc was already half asleep, but he pulled me close to him as soon as he felt my body next to his.

“You know I was thinking about something,” I started.

He reached up and rubbed my hair. “What's that?”

“There's a lot going on and I can't focus right now, with Grammie being sick and you working on this case.” I took a deep breath. “What if we pushed the date back for the wedding? Just for a little while.”

He got quiet and I held my breath.

Held it so long that my lungs began to burn.

“Nah, date stays the same.” He grabbed his phone and silenced the ringing, officially dismissing me.

“I mean, don't you think it would make senseâ”

“Drop it. The date stays the same,” he said, cutting me off. “Oh and Idalis.”

“Yes.”

“Don't get Trip fucked up.”

My eyes went to the ceiling, and got lost in the fan's movement.

Became hypnotized by its smooth rotation.

I lay there, trying to find comfort in the midst of chaos.

Is that even possible?
I asked myself.

I guess anything is possible, when you have control over nothing.