The Boy From Detroit

Chapter Thirty-Seven

At 12:43 a.m. Kareem parked the Altima next to the Oldsmobile offered to TJ by Khaled in the Westwood motel parking lot. It was identical to the one currently parked back at the house. The motel room window facing the lot was illuminated. Kareem knocked on the door and waited.

"What's the magic word?" It was clearly TJ's voice.

Kareem grinned. It felt so good to hear the voice of his best friend in person. "Thank you?"

"You know what, I'll take that."

TJ opened the door and embraced Kareem tightly.

"So good to see you, bro," Kareem said, his voice muffled.

"So good to see you too, bro."

Keke appeared behind TJ, overjoyed, and Kareem quickly embraced her as well.

"Kareeeem," she squealed.

"Kekeeeee," he squealed back.

"Come on in," she said. "We've got pizza."

Kareem recognized the smell. "Don't tell me—"

Keke pointed to the pizza box on one of the two beds. "There's a Rosario's in the next town."

"God, I've been dying for some Rosario's!"

"Peperoni," Keke said. "Just the way you like it."

Kareem suddenly heard a flushing sound from beyond the closed bathroom door.

Kareem paused. "Who's in there?"

TJ and Keke exchanged glances and then looked at Kareem. Kareem's eyes widened. Then he made a face of slight disappointment. He sighed. "I take the pizza isn't the big surprise."

TJ and Keke shook their heads with wide grins.

Kareem sighed. "You shouldn't have."

The washroom door opened and a woman stepped out drying her hair wearing a black top and black butt shorts, with seemingly no idea of Kareem's presence in the room.

Kareem swallowed hard. "Jane."

Jane paused and gazed into Kareem's eyes and smiled.

Kareem's heart sank.

"Hello, Kareem," she said.

"What are you doing here?"

She stepped into the room and closed the bathroom door behind her. "Jeez, not much of a welcome."

"No, what I meant was, how did you know? What do you know?"

"I know about the deal, what you're doing here, and the two agents."

Kareem shot another sharp look. "Snitch."

TJ shrugged. "What, she was very persuasive."

"Why didn't you call me?" Jane asked Kareem.

"How could I possibly explain what happened to me without you being repulsed by me?"

She tossed the towel on a rack. "With one phone call and telling me exactly what happened."

"I didn't know how you would react."

"Kareem, I think I deserved to know. Can you imagine my reaction when I found out that you had been arrested?"

Kareem said nothing.

"After the hundredth call to your eternally engaged phone, I contacted TJ, and he explained everything to me. And look, here I am, still. I'm not repulsed."