Cameron 6 (2 page)

1

2014

Roxie cradled and soothed her whining infant as Cameron sat beside her with her head buried in her hands. Lately, it seemed like she just couldn’t catch a break to save her life. If there wasn’t one thing, there was another.

Earlier that day, Justin’s daycare had called expressing concern over his health. What was thought to be an upset stomach and fever had actually turned out to be a childhood autoimmune illness known as Kawasaki disease.

“Is he answering?” Roxie asked.

Worry was heavy in her tone as she waited on a response. She’d witnessed Cameron call Jude several times, and to no avail, he refused to pick up. In the beginning, Roxie believe their marriage was nothing short of happiness and perfection. But over time she quickly discovered the shit buried beneath the glitz and glam. Jude treated his wife like crap, and because of that Roxie hardly wanted anything to do with him.

The fact that he paid her bills and made sure she was financially stable was the only reason she maintained a certain level of respect for him. And she knew he did that only out of obligation. Over a year ago, she’d lost the love of her life and father of her child, Joaquin. He was also Jude’s young protégé, and dear friend. Back then, Jude was much kinder — but money had quickly turned a humble man hedonistic.

“This dirty, inconsiderate motherfucker doesn’t even know what’s going on with his own child,” Cameron said, fighting to not hyperventilate. She hated whenever Jude blatantly ignored her. She was beyond tired of her husband’s sometimey attitude when it came to their relationship. Sometimes he answered her calls. Sometimes he didn’t. Sometimes he came home at night. Sometimes he didn’t.

Cameron often found herself wondering why she even bothered to remain with a doggish, neglectful nigga. It was clear that the caring, and loving man she’d met some three years ago was now dead and gone. In its place now was a carnivorous monster that put business over family and insignificant women over marriage.

“If you wanna go get him, I can stay with Justin,” Roxie offered sympathetically.

She was the closest thing Cameron had to family and vice versa. She was a cute, chocolate younger version of her sister. Ever since Rumor’s disappearance, she and Cam had grown inseparable. In a short amount of time, they became one another’s support systems during their times of need and grievance. Sadly, Roxie still had no clue that the very man who paid her mortgage was also the same one who’d buried her sister six feet deep.

“You shouldn’t have to. He should be here,” Cameron stressed.

“Cam…?”

Looking over at her play sister, Cameron saw the sincerity in her expression. She then looked over at Justin lying in the hospital bed, playing with Roxie’s cellphone without a care in the world. She tried to fight back tears of overwhelming emotion for the sake of remaining strong.

“Go,” Roxie said.

Cameron released a ragged sigh of frustration before finally standing to her feet. Without another word, she stepped out into the hallway and headed towards the elevators. She had just pushed the button when her cellphone rang unexpectedly. Initially, Cam assumed it was her husband returning her calls. However, she was surprised to see Jag’s name displayed on her screen.

Images of him dipping his head between her thighs on the kitchen counter quickly flooded her mind. It was that same lust that had driven them apart, and created a rivalry with Jude. She and Jag’s bond just hadn’t been the same since he skipped town. They barely even communicated like they used to. He claimed it was because of the Feds closing in — but she knew it had everything to do with Jude.

Her husband wouldn’t stand for another motherfucker pushing up on what was rightfully his. And Cameron was without a doubt rightfully his. She didn’t know it, but Jude had stooped to an all-time low to ensure Jag received his “message” loud and clear, starting with Lark and finishing with his mother.

Jude was a barbaric, untamed animal determined to shield his territory from any and all predators; and in his eyes, that’s exactly what the hell Jag was. He had to teach the kid a lesson. After all, without consequences, lessons could not be learned. Jude was certain that Jag understood now. And if any other nigga out there stepped on his toes, they’d be dealt with ten times worse.

It was a shame too. In all actuality, Jude didn’t want to take shit there, but Jag gave him no other choice.

“You know you shouldn’t be calling,” Cam answered in a hush tone. It was almost as if she feared Jude would manifest from thin air. With him, you really could never be too sure.

“I hate that things have gotten to a point where I can’t even get a normal greeting,” he said. Cameron had no idea what he was going through without her. His days were mundane, and his nights sleepless. He missed her more than a prisoner missed freedom. He needed her.

“I’m sorry, Jag… it’s just…”

“Just what?” he pressed.

Cameron paused. She didn’t feel like mentioning Jude’s name, so she steered the conversation elsewhere. “It’s just that now’s really not a good time. I’m up here at the hospital with Justin—”

“Damn, word? Is he okay?” Jag eagerly asked. The anxiousness and concern behind his question felt like he was her son’s father. He may as well have been. The three year old had spent more time with Jag than his own biological dad.

Jude was so hell-bent on continuing his predecessor’s legacy that he barely spent any time building his own. Justin needed his father, but Jude needed the money, power, and street notoriety more.

When he realized he couldn’t guard Cam from enemies lurking, he hired Jag to look after her. What started out as him protecting Cameron quickly turned into something more. Somewhere along the way the lines became blurred. Jag soon found himself falling for his boss’ wife.

Unable to bear the thought of any competition, Jude quickly eliminated his ass before the game even began. Instead of murdering Jag like he should’ve, the young boss decided to hit his tenacious ex-employee where it hurt.

What Jude didn’t know was that Jag had never stopped caring and checking for Cam. He loved her — and a bullet to the head was the only thing in the world that could change that.

“I don’t know,” she said exasperated. “They’re still running tests, but they said the fatality rate is less than one percent… so it’s not too serious. Still, it’s something I didn’t prepare to deal with alone, you know?”

“Do you need me to come to you?”

“Jag, you know Jude—”

“I don’t give a fuck about that
pretentious
fool when it comes to you and Justin,” he argued.

“Jag, that’s… It’s not a good idea. It will only further complicate things…”

Jag scoffed. In the distance, Cameron could hear traffic on his end. “You wanna talk about complicated?” he asked. “My life is the one that’s complicated without you.”

Cameron hesitated with a response before closing her eyes. His words warmed her heart while bringing about old emotions that should’ve been long buried. Although she still had a weak spot for Jag, she knew they could never be.

Even though she was a married woman, Cam often found herself imagining what a world with Jag would be like if she was his wife and Justin was his son. The toddler greeted Jag with more enthusiasm than his own father, and Cam was certain Jude had noticed too.

In an alternate universe, her life was perfect with Jag. She was happy, carefree, and loved. Sadly, her reality was the complete opposite. In the real world, she had chosen to marry a narcissistic, money-hungry tyrant who’d knocked up some bartender behind her back.

To this very day, Jude swore up and down the baby she was carrying wasn’t his, but Cam begged to differ. Though Essence kept her distance, Cameron was positive that there was truth to her accusations. She’d looked at the photos his ex Ericka had taken a thousand times, and she knew Essence was more than a fling. Hell, Cameron remembered her fragrance more than her own husband’s since he wore it so much.

Jude had promised he was done with Essence but Cam would bet money they still fucked around. She just didn’t have the proof to prove it. However, the gut instinct in the pit of her stomach was all the evidence she needed.

All of a sudden, Cameron heard the distinctive sound of movement behind her. “Who’re you talking to?”

2

“Is that Jude?” Roxie asked curiously.

Cameron turned around and quickly disconnected the call. “Yeah — I mean, no. I tried calling him but got his voicemail again,” she said.

Cameron didn’t know why she was lying — well, actually she did. For quite some time, Roxie had been attracted to Jag. Secretly, she had high hopes of finishing with him what she and Joaquin started. Cam knew that so she kept Roxie ignorant, especially since she too had feelings for Jag.

“Okay. Let me know when you get in touch with him,” Roxie said before walking off.

The elevator chimed, quickly snapping Cameron out of her thoughts. She knew if she wasn’t careful, sooner or later she’d get caught up. At the end of the day, the flame between her and Jag had never fully burnt out.

***

“Cameron? Hello?” Jag peeled the phone away from his face and stared at the screen. He wasn’t expecting her to hang up so abruptly, but he figured maybe Jude had come.

Standing at an impressive 6”4, Jag was incredibly handsome with coal black hair, stormy blue eyes, and bronze skin. At first glance, most would probably assume he was Hispanic or Middle-Eastern. The faint two-inch scar on his cheek told a powerful story of his past.

Stuffing the iPhone back in his pocket, Jag revved up the engine to his $92,000 custom Confederate bike, and pulled off. Cruising down I-85, he allowed the last year and a half of his life to play over in his mind. Moving to the cutthroat, but prosperous South, joining a multi-million dollar car theft ring, and losing his baby brother felt like someone else’s slideshow. Sadly, it was his own nightmare — the reason behind him not being able to sleep alone at night. The reason he would never be the same man he was before relocating.

The world as Jag knew it had changed drastically in a short, traumatic span. He barely had time to cope from that loss before suffering another. Resentment quickly filled his heart after remembering how torn up he was finding his mother dead in her Savannah home. Jag had moved her and his little sister Alessia to Georgia in hopes that they could start over and live comfortably.

He chose Savannah because it was out of the way and peaceful. He thought they’d be safe away from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta — safe from the enemies he’d made and the friends that turned to rivals.

Jag would never forgive himself for being unable to protect them when they needed him most. The very thought of his absence killed him inside. He was his mother’s only remaining son.
I should’ve been there,
he told himself repeatedly. Hatred consumed him as he revved the engine and sped up the freeway.

Jag would never forget what the fuck Jude Patterson took from him. He would never forgive that motherfucker for taking shit too far. It was evident that jealousy could push a once sane man over the edge. His wife had been the rope while both men played tug-of-war with her heart. Jude, hell bent on coming out the victor, took an all time low by going after Jag’s loved ones. He wanted to teach his ex-employee a lesson his ass wouldn’t forget: Never bite the hand that feeds you.

It’d been several months since Lark and Alessia’s disappearance, and he still didn’t know their whereabouts. No phone calls. No ransom notes. Nothing. His sister’s fate was a mystery, and Jag could only hope she was taking care of herself where ever she was.

All of a sudden, he spotted his target’s car and decreased his speed. Jag’s heart was now made of ice. He could murder without so much as batting an eyelash; kill with sympathy not present in his conscience. Alone in a cold, cruel world with no relatives or real friends, he chose to get money the best and only way he and his family ever knew how. Hit for hire. Jag’s father was a contract killer, and the father before him. It was only in his blood to continue the legacy Matteo started.

The fact that Jag still cared deeply for Cam was the only reason Jude was still breathing. He loved and respected her too much to take a husband and father away from his family.

Cameron…

A short sigh escaped Jag’s lips at the very thought of her. As crazy as it was, his feelings towards her had never wavered. Not even after everything he’d been through. The love and adoration he had for his ex-boss’ wife would never falter.

3

It’s a fucking shame I gotta scour the city for my own so-called husband,
Cameron thought as she navigated her Porsche Cayenne through the busy Atlanta streets. She didn’t find him at the Warehouse or the hole in the wall Midtown bar he and his boys practically lived in. Cam knew there was only one other place he could be.

Twenty minutes later, Cameron pulled into the crowded parking lot of Gentleman’s Persuasion, the new strip club Jude had opened behind her back. She didn’t even find out about it until the establishment was already up and running for three whole months. Needless to say, Cameron was not all too pleased.

Jude used to keep her in the know about the decisions he planned on making. They were once a glorified team… but those days were long gone.

Cameron sighed the moment she saw Jude’s parked custom McLaren. “This motherfucker spends more time here than with his own family.”

What happened to consistency; fidelity? Their happily ever after seemingly went out the window the minute they said their “I do’s.”

Sometimes Cameron thought back to the loving man she’d met during her college years. Then reality slapped her in the face and reminded her that she married a total stranger. After everything Jude had done to her, she often found herself wondering why she even chose to stay.

Yes, she’d done her fair share of dirt throughout their relationship; but Jude stepping out and getting another woman pregnant was the ultimate low. It was something that could never be undone or taken back.

Cameron loved her husband, but at the same time she was miserable with him. Hell, just the sight of his no good ass ticked her off. Cam grew nauseous as she watched him smile and caress a cute brown-skinned dancer.

This is exactly why he opened this place,
Cameron realized.

Jude oozed money, looking every bit of the boss he was. He wore Givenchy down to the sneakers. The women were like magnets to his charm, but none new the real man beneath the layers of designer clothing.

The bitch in Jude’s lap was cheesing and shit like he wasn’t a married man. It literally sickened Cameron. After counting to ten in her head, she slowly approached her husband.

Drake and Kendrick’s
“Poetic Justice”
thumped through the club’s massive speakers. He’d easily spent half a mil on the establishment. Jude didn’t even notice Cam walking up. He was too busy entertaining the vixen that had his undivided attention. As usual, he had a flock of goons with him. Jude knew better than to migrate alone and unequipped — especially when he had a shitload of haters waiting for him to slip up. A young, cocky nigga with paper, he’d quickly become a target after taking over a multi-million dollar operation.

“So
this
is what got you so preoccupied?” Cameron asked, barging inside his VIP section. “The reason you can’t answer my fucking calls? I’ve been blowing you up nonstop.”

The whore in his lap looked up at Cameron and smirked. It took everything in her not to revert to her Cleveland days, and drag that ass. Jude was no better. He didn’t even have enough courtesy or respect to tell her to beat it so they could talk.

“Phone on silent,” he simply said. Cameron watched as his gaze drifted to the stage where a thick redbone was shimmying up the bronze pole. Cam wouldn’t have been surprised if they too were fucking. Nowadays Jude didn’t even surprise her.

Cameron shook her head in disgust. “Be real, Jude. Why you even buy this damn place? It’s obvious that it’s just a distraction and excuse for you to fuck off—”

“Man, miss me with that bullshit!” Jude yelled before tossing the wad of money in his hand at Cam. “You never gave a fuck how I spent my paper before! Now you gotta problem ‘cuz I ain’t spendin’ it on you?! Fuck outta here! And you wonder why I don’t answer ya calls, and why I’m always in this bitch! I get tired of your constant fuckin’ naggin’!
I
make this mothafuckin’ money!” he stressed. “How I choose to spend it is on
me
!”

Cameron’s mouth was wide open. She couldn’t believe he had actually thrown a bulk of cash at her like she some worthless stripper. His boys were equally surprised as they looked from Cameron to Jude in suspense. He’d been wildin’ lately, and it had a lot to do with his newfound position. Apparently, the money and street fame had gone to his head, because he was clearly losing himself, and the respect he once had for his girl.

Without warning, Cameron grabbed the double shot of Hen off his table and tossed it on him. “Fuck you, Jude!” The beverage splashed all over his expensive designer clothing and the thot still planted in his lap.

“Bitch!” she screamed.

Slightly bent off lean and coke, Jude jumped up so fast that she nearly fell on the floor. “Have you lost yo’ fuckin’ mind?!” With clenched fists, he approached Cam — but was quickly stopped after his boys jumped between the two. Jude had never outright put his hands on Cam before, but she really did just try him.

Jude’s 21-year old, protégée, Magyc placed a firm hand on his boss’ chest. “Come on, man, chill. It ain’t that serious, bruh.”

The young Florida native had come into the game last year as a member, stealing cars to fulfill whatever orders came in. He was Jude’s accountant Michael’s younger brother. Growing up Magyc stayed in and out of juvie for most of his life. He was a menace to society, but surprisingly smart as hell. While locked up he read every book from
48 Laws of Power
to the
Autobiography of Malcolm X
. Unlike most of the niggas his age, he was wise and had calmed down a lot over the years.

Magyc stood at an average 5”10 and was slender yet toned in frame. His cognac-colored skin was smooth and blemish free, and his freshly twisted dreads reached his shoulders. He was attractive with an undeniable thuggish appeal.

In the short amount of time Magyc worked for Jude, he quickly moved up in ranks. He’d started out as a member before he was promoted to transporting cars to be shipped oversees. Jude loved his work ethic and humbleness, so he soon became his protégée. Much like King did with him, Jude took Magyc under his wing and groomed him to one day take over the company should anything happen to him.

“You right. She ain’t fuckin’ worth it,” Jude said in a nasty tone, with double meaning behind his statement.

His words cut deep, and Cameron was tempted to slap the shit out of him. She was really at her wits end with Jude.

“Your son is in the hospital! But you don’t even know or give a damn because you’re too busy fucking around in here!” she yelled. “But it’s cool. Don’t worry about it, Jude. You ain’t ever got to worry about us. I got me, and mines.” With that said, Cameron turned around and left the club. She was grateful that Jude couldn’t see the tears falling from her eyes.