Pop Life: Volume 3

Chapter 11

After about an hour of waiting, the doctor came to Andre's room and cleared him for discharge from the hospital. Andre was never so happy to get out of there. The nurse helped him in a wheel chair and Dez pushed him down to the hospital exit. Prince called for one of his security staff to send out a car to get him home while the rest of us followed behind and drove to his house. Andre lived in a simple two story brick house on the outside but on the inside the walls were burgundy in color with gold album duplicates of his favorite soul and funk artists across the wall over his couch. We helped Andre get settled and I went in the kitchen to make him a bowl of canned chili and garlic toast. Andre was usually on the road a lot so I had to make due with what was there. I found a small can of tea mix and made him something to drink with the little bit of mix and sugar he had left. I took him his food and sat down on the floor in front of him while Prince and Morris sat on the couch next to him.

  "Geez Dre you need a woman in your life." I joked as I watched him eat.

  "It could have been you if Skipper didn't put the moves on you." He said as he shoveled in another spoonful of chili.

  "Yeah well he tricked me by thinking he was was cheating on me with Cat."

  "You told him?" Prince asked.

"Fuck yeah she told me! I almost left out the hospital to come beat ya ass kid!" Andre said smiling at Prince.

  "I would never hurt Regan like that. It was all a small part of a bigger plan." Prince said.

  "Wait what bigger plan? Prince what are you up to?" I asked him.

  "You'll see!" He said as he winked at me.

My heart skipped at his words. He's up to something and now he's leaving the door open for a million questions.

"Alright Cymone you got us over here for the some plan about how we deal with Marcus so what's up." Morris inquired.

"Yeah and hopefully it doesn't involved kidnappings, explosions, black male pictures and murders." Jerome said.

Andre laughed as he took a sip of his iced tea.

"Nah even better brotha." He said.

"Well then what is it?" Dez asked anxiously waiting to hear Andre's plan.

"We let Regan be his bait. Leave her alone."

The room went awkwardly quiet and and we all said the same thing at the same time.

"WHAT!?!?!??"

Andre didn't look surprised that we were trying to figure out why he would think leaving me alone would help the situation.

"I knew y'all would say that. Listen it's gonna work I'm tellin' you. This is what he wants. He wants Regan all to himself. Let him have her!"

"You've been in the hospital for far too long brotha." Dez said.

"Yeah Dre that's crazy! You don't realize that could get her killed!" Prince said.

"Now hold on a minute before y'all get all crazy I haven't explained why." He said sitting back on the couch.

"Oh god Dre what are you trying to do?" I asked him worried.

"Don't you wanna go back to LA?" He asked.

"Well yeah but it's not up to me. My moms not gonna go for it since she knows what happened." I said.

"Ok so instead of waiting on him to leave and follow behind you we'll let him come to you before you leave. We have a week and a half to get this shit in motion. By then I should be close to one hundred percent so here's how it's gonna go down. Marcus still thinks that he has a chance wth you. Let him think it. When you see him again because believe me it's bound to happen, tell him you and Prince aren't seeing each other anymore. Let his ego get the best of him. Give him the option of changing his ways and treating you right and you'll take him back or to leave you be altogether. He's gonna take the bait because he knows that now you're open to him now that Prince is out of the picture."

"But how will that get him caught?" Dez asked intrigued.

"It's simple. He's gonna slip up by asking you to sleep with him or something outlandish. Tell him no. We know he'll get violent but it's cool! We'll be following and watching."

"So I have put put my life in danger for y'all to step in? That's smart." I said to Andre sarcastically.

"Not for us but for the detectives."

"Wait! What detectives?" Jerome asked.

"Y'all remember my uncle Mo right?"

"The guy that used to throw candy at the back of our heads when we were kids? Yeah I remember his old ass! What's he gonna do?" Prince asked.

"He works in the sex crimes department in the special victims unit and he did some diggin'. Marcus is in the system and he has a warrant out for his arrest."

"What for?" Morris asked.

"Many counts of sexual assults since he was 19 years old. He's been avoiding the law and doing what he does on college campuses all over Minnesota and California. This is why we need Regan alone. He's gonna do it again. It's just who he is. Now we have a few days to set up an place where he knows for sure you guys will go. We'll figure everything else out from there. And Regan? Get ready to graduate."

Andre smiled and reveled in his elaborate plan. He was certain that his would be the last time we would have to deal with Marcus Jones. I sure hope that he's right. Prince thought about what Andre said and a smile appeared in his face.

"In that case Cymone I trust you." He said.

"Nothing is gonna go wrong with this one I can feel it. He's gonna walk right into it." Andre said as he shook with excitement.

"Well then I guess we better start practicing staying away from each other." I said looking at Prince as he still sat smiling.

Something was telling me this was going to work but at the same time keeping in mind that Marcus the monster was an unpredictable son of a bitch with a motive. Hopefully this time he gets the punishment he deserves.