All the King's Men ( An Urban Love Story )

♟️War♟

"I'll let Jaceon know we're here,"

Desmond said breaking the silence in the car, as he backed into a parking space.

She quietly nodded her head.

He texted Jace before stepping out of the driver's seat to go open Jaden's door, but she had already gotten out and was heading for the elevator. He sighed and grabbed her backpack to carry on his shoulder.

Once upstairs, inside of the condo, Desmond sat her bag down on the couch before speaking, "Baby, I'm sorry about what happened."

Jaden look up from the floor, "You don't have to apologize." she told him. "I'm gonna take a shower," she walked away before he could respond.

He sat on the couch and laid his head back, closing his eyes, trying to collect his anger. They didn't know who broke in, so he didn't know who to be mad at.

There was a knock at the door and Desmond got up and answered it.

Jace walked inside, "How she doin'?" he asked as he sat the bags down.

"She not really saying much. She's in the shower now."

"Aight bruh bruh, take care of your lady. Hit me if you need me," Jace dapped his brother and walked back out the door.

Desmond picked up the bags and carried them into his bedroom sitting them on the bench. He glanced over at Jaden in the shower as he was leaving his bedroom. He could see she was sitting on the shower bench with her legs to her chest. He knew she was crying.

Desmond wanted to get in with her and just hold her tight, but he thought it best to give her some space. He went and sat back down on the couch in the living room and dropped his face into his hands.

Another knock on the door broke him free of his thoughts.

Desmond opened the door and Marquis walked in with an unreadable expression on his face, "What's good?" He welcomed his best friend.

"Bishop is lookin' for your girl."

"Fuck that bitch ass nigga, if he want her, he gon have to take her back in BLOOD!" Desmond said truthfully. He was fully prepared to kill Bishop if need be.

"I feel you bruh, I just needed to let you know cause word is there's money on whatever nigga she fuckin wit. He just don't know the nigga is you. Ion know if he knows where she works or lives but y'all be careful out here.

"Marquis, I do—"

"Desmond!" Jaden yelled from the bedroom.

Desmond rushed into his bedroom to discover Jaden sitting on the bed with her phone in her hand breathing heavy, "Rashawn's tryna find me."

"Who told you that?"

"Mama. She said niggas been askin' round about me." She said as tears threatened her eyes. "I can't let him find me, Desmond." She sobbed no longer able to hold her tears.

"He won't!" He assured her as she cried in his arms.

"If he finds out..." her words trailed off as she began to hyperventilate. She grabbed at her chest, shaking uncontrollably trying to calm herself down. Feeling like her lungs were on fire, she couldn't catch her breath. She started feeling lightheaded because she wasn't getting enough air.

"Baby, I need you to try to calm down.." Desmond worried with no clue what to do.

Jaden's heart raced as she cried out as if she was in pain.

Not knowing what else to do, against his better judgment, he called his mother.
"Ma, what do I do if someone's havin' like a panic attack." He asked hopelessly as he put the phone on speaker and set it on the nightstand. He then took off his hoodie and shirt because his anxiety had him feeling hot.

"Can they hear me?" His mother, Doreen, asked through the phone. "Find something for them to focus on instead of what's causing them to panic. Then have them breathe in deep, hold it for a few seconds, then exhale. Keep doing that and it should subside."

Desmond unwrapped Jaden from her towel, picked her up in his arms, and sat down on the bed with her in his lap where they could be skin to skin. "Baby, I need you to look at me." He gently held her face. "Breath with me." He instructed her.

After keeping her focus, "Now close your eyes and keep breathing like that, okay." He told her.

Jaden nodded her head and closed her eyes as he used his thumb to wipe the tears from her face. She dropped her head on his chest and breathed with him as he held her in his arms rubbing small circles in her back while whispering in her ear that she's safe with him and everything would be okay.

Eventually, the room fell silent except for a few sniffles. Desmond felt Jaden's body go limp from sleep but he still sat with his back against his headboard with her in his arms. He was afraid to put her down.

"Desmond," his mother finally said through the phone, reminding him that she was on the line.

"Yes ma'am?" He responded knowing his mother more than likely had questions.

"We'll talk another time. Take care of her. I love you, son." She said.

"I love you too. Thank you for helping me," Desmond said before his mother hung up.

After Desmond was sure she'd stay asleep, he laid Jaden down on the bed and covered her naked body with a blanket.

He walked into his living room and saw Marquis and Jace sitting quietly on the couches.

"When you come back over here?" Desmond asked his brother while going into the fridge to take out a beer. He handed one to Quis and motioned one in Jace's direction and he accepted.

"Since mommy called me askin' what's goin' on and why don't we tell her things. I didn't know what she was talkin' bout so I came to see what happened," he explained. "Is she okay?"

Desmond nodded then sighed heavily, "I'm gonna have to call a sit-down."

"You know how these niggas is. We gotta strategize." Marquis said.

Desmond nodded, "And we will. Jace, I need you to up the security at some of the businesses. Make sure all patrols have concealed carry permits and registered weapons only. Hire more guys if we need to, but make sure they're experienced. I need comprehensive background checks before hiring." He instructed his brother.

Jace took out his phone and started typing, "I'm on it."

"Quis, you do the same with the spots. Let niggas know, nothing comes in unless you approved it. Ain't no more hangin' out, and no new niggas, if we've never dealt with them before, tell them niggas to go somewhere else."

"Gotchu. What about the new shit?" Marquis asked.

"We sit on it. Once these niggas find out who her nigga is.." he pointed to his bedroom speaking of Jaden, "they're going to try to hit us hard. I'm trying to have the least amount of casualties possible."

"You gon go to war about her, ain't you?" Jace said lowly.

"Yes!" Desmond confirmed with fire in his eyes.

Jace stood from the couch and walked closer to his brother. He held out his half-drunk beer, "then to war, we shall go." They clanked their glasses together.

Marquis held his glass up from the couch.

"To war!"

♟️•••••♟