No More Games

81

"It's Jermaine," Dean looked at me with this stoic look.

Sasha and I stood there in the kitchen with white bath robes on, staring right back at him with the same look on our faces.

"Please don't tell me he escaped or something," I said, almost in a winded manner.

"No, he—"

"Is he dead?" I interrupted.

"He's not dead but. . .he could be if he doesn't pull through his surgery."

"Surgery?" Sasha and I both repeated in unison.

"What surgery?" I raked my fingers through my hair, my stress levels rising like a tide. "Why is he in surgery?"

"He was attacked in his cell today."

I could hear a small gasp escape Sasha behind me but I remained unmoved by what Dean just said. My heart was beating hard and fast from fear that maybe he somehow escaped. My family's safety was my number one priority.

"Well, he's going to be ok, right?" I sighed, rubbing the stubble on my cheek. My mind went back to being in that tub with Sasha a few minutes ago and how I was so close to maybe making love to her again. Now my frustration was kicking in. "Couldn't you have called me or texted me? I thought someone died the way you barged in Sasha's room."

"Everyone's been calling and texting you, sir." Dean pulled out his phone and pointed the screen towards me. "Twenty-three of those calls coming from me."

"Fuck," I mouthed, realizing my dumb ass left my phone in the car.

I'm sure this situation was all over the media by now.

"I'm here to take you to the trauma center he's at right now," Dean said.

I took a step back and frowned. "Why do I need to go there?"

"They found a series of notes in his bunk stating that he had something really important to say to you." Dean cleared his throat and looked at his watch, "I can actually get you there right when he's out of surgery."

"The heck does he have to say to me?" I looked back at Sasha and I could see how worried she was.

This was supposed to be a good day, where I brought Sasha back to my place to stay with me for two weeks. This was going to be our first Christmas and New Years together since we broke up. I wanted everything to go perfect for the whole two weeks she was with me.

I turned back to Dean and just said, "No."

"Wait, what?" Sasha's voice trembled behind me.

"Sir, I think you should—"

"No, Dean," I said, affirmatively. "I'm not going. He's caused enough pain and stress on me and everyone around me. I'm not going and that's final."

"But—"

"That's an order, Dean."

I felt Sasha's hand gently grip my arm. "Michael, I think you should go." I turned and looked at her. "At least find out what it is he wants to tell you."

I grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. "No. I'm not going to repeat myself either. Jermaine doesn't deserve a single ounce of energy from me. I just want these two weeks you're with me to be the best two weeks of our lives." I turned back to Dean and continued, "I'll consider going after these two weeks are done but till then, do not mention his name around me. I hope I made myself clear because I'm not going to say it again."

"What if he doesn't make it?" Sasha's voice was quiet.

"That's for him to worry about, not me." I went over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water and made my way out the kitchen. "I'll be upstairs waiting for you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sasha's Point Of View

All I could do was just look at Dean with an apologetic look. I felt bad but at the same time was sort of happy that Michael stood his ground the way he did. He had every right to feel the way he did given the hell Jermaine has made him and my sister go through.

"Call me if he changes his mind," Dean said with a weak smile.

"I doubt he will but I'll definitely let you know if he does."

Dean left, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I shook my head and stood there just processing everything that just took place. From Michael and I making out in my tub, to Dean telling Michael about Jermaine being attacked.

I'm startled when I hear a weird sound coming from the living room. I turn around and it's Shad sitting on the couch casually slurping spaghetti.

"Shad, what the—" I walked over to him. He had the biggest bowl of spaghetti in front of him. "Were you sitting here this whole time?"

"Mmhm," he nodded.

"So, you heard everything that just happened?" I raised a brow.

"Yup," he continued eating his spaghetti as if everything he heard had no effect on him.

I just stared at him eating while he scrolled through his phone until he awkwardly stopped chewing and slowly looked up at me.

"Did you know anything about this?" I asked.

"It's all over social media," he looked at me with pure sarcasm.

"No, Shad," I sat down next to him, "did you know know about this? I mean before anyone else did?" I narrowed my eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He was so nonchalant as he kept eating.

His composure sort of gave me the answer I was looking for. I knew whenever Shad was being sneaky about something. He was never great at hiding things since he was little.

"Shad!" I gritted my teeth and snatched the bowl of spaghetti from his hands, slamming it on the coffee table. "Last few weeks you've been basically MIA in this house and days later you come in here with Elise saying you saw her while visiting your homeboy in prison. You haven't spoken or went to see those guys in years. All of a sudden you're driving hours to go see them without telling any of us. Look at me and tell me you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about!"

Shad looked at me, clenching his jaws in anger. He leaned in closer where his eyes were deadlocked into mine. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

He grabbed his bowl of spaghetti and continued eating.

"I'll let you have it since you want to play dumb," I shook my head and stood up from the couch.

"Why the fuck are you even pressing me, Sash?" Shad exasperated. "You must've forgot the shit that man did to this family." He slammed the bowl back on the table. "Raelynn is without a father because of that bastard. I'll never be able to be in a normal mental state after witnessing Andre's head get mutilated by a twelve gauge shotgun. I still can't sleep because that shit replays in my mind every fucking time I close my eyes. Whatever torture that nigga got in prison, I frankly, don't give a single flying fuck. He deserves every bit of pain there is. So, don't drill me about knowing shit. What matters is that this family won't ever have to worry about that crazy ass sociopath again."

I just nodded and walked away.

I just knew Shad had something to do with Jermaine being attacked. Shad knew too much guys on the inside that owed him a whole lot of favors.

I'm not angry if he did. I'm just scared that this might come back and bite him in the ass later. We've already been through enough.