The Fixer

22.

~Elijah~

With playoffs only days away, Jabari is on edge with everything going on and he's psyching himself out thinking he's not ready.

"What is your problem? Have you not been trying to get to the conference finals, at least, for like the past two seasons? How you going to get there with this mentality? Keep your shit together Jabari. Stop letting personal shit affect your ability to do what the fuck you supposed to." I give him a taste of his own medicine.

He just stares a me as if he doesn't know what to say and then he rolls his eyes and sighs.

"You good with the kid?" I ask him grabbing my bag and keys off the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

"Of course, I'm going to take her out to the park or something. Where you going?"

"To take care of some shit. I'll hit you later." I move toward the door and he starts making noise.

"What?"

"What?" He asks as if confused with why I'd respond with such a word.

He reaches his hand out and I walk back over to him. He grabs me by the inside of my wrist and sits up from his laying position on the couch. He pulls me by the front of my neck to kiss me three times on the lips.

"Don't act like that."

"Like what?" I frown.

"Like I'm your homeboy or roommate or some shit. Just walking out the door talking about "I'll hit you later". You know what's up."

"I do, and so do you so why you trippin'?" I kiss him again.

He shrugs laying back down.

I get in my car and call Maliq. The quicker this gets resolved or the crime is passed onto someone else, the easier it will be for Jabari to focus.

"Hey, can you meet now? I'm not sure if this will get you anywhere but if it helps my client keep his nose clean, then I'm willing to tell you what I think I know."

Jabari would never forgive me if he knew I pointed the police in Demetri's direction. He can't find out about this. Because if it turns out his friend lied to him and actually did kill this girl or set her up, he's going down for this shit one hundred percent.

It would be a mess, Teddi would most likely have to cover Jabari's ass and speak to the fact that Jabari was willing to pay Laura whatever she wanted rather than kill her, in the event that Demetri tries to say he was ordered or paid to do it. It would literally obliterate his relationship with the closest friend he's got and it can't come back to me.

"Jabari can't know I sent you in Meech's direction Maliq. I'm not kidding. The only reason I'm even telling you this is because he aggressively expressed how upset he was when Jabari told him and another friend that Laura was trying to blackmail him for routine payments. Find another way to explain this shit. I'm serious." I use a threatening tone.

"Unh uh. Favors ain't free ma." He sizes me up and down.

Is he serious?

"Are you serious?" I scoff looking at him as if he's lost his mind.

"What do you want?" I have to consider. I can't exactly recant my statement. Or can I?

"What you think?"

"You know what, forget it. I was bullshitting you anyway. I just had suspicions I thought would possibly help. Do whatever the fuck you're going to do. Just know whatever you come at us with, we're bringing 100 times the ammo." I try to walk away.