Anéyah
________

Dionnis dropped me off at the airport. I would be lying if I said my heart isn't pounding out of my chest.

Some similarities stand out clear, the immigration officer hands me back my passport. Michael sent a text, he's outside waiting.

It's now or never.

I make my way to the exit and not long after I spot him leaning up against a black bimma. The sound of my suitcase dragging behind me serves as a distraction; his face has a smug smile.

Hate him yussi.

I roll my eyes.

He step towards me giving me a hug. I know dionnis men are watching us and reporting back to him. Michael puts my luggage in the back seat then tells me to get infront.

We were being followed up until the last stop light, after that I don't know where the black markx disappeared.

The plates seem fake they don't match Fiftie or jerome license plate numbers from the last time.

Michael broke the silence when he asked for my phone.

"Why?" I retort, feeling annoyed.

"I know your location is on, give it to me" he explains, his voice firm.

I kiss my teeth then hand him my phone. "Password?" I hear him ask.

"117658" I tell him. He gets in and start messing with my settings.

Mek it look like him wipe me phone?

A dat him do yes.

We pull up to a house somewhere in Cherry hills; looks like a gated community to me, many big houses along our drive to his destination. A guard opens the gate and we drive through it then park.

We both get out, he takes my bag inside. "This will be our martial home?" I ask in awe.

"No this just temporary until the other one is fully furnished" he says with his back turned to me.

Michael shows me to my room then hands me a paper bag. I look at it hesitantly before taking it, when I look inside my face contorts in confusion.

"Tek it now" he demands in a no nonsense tone.

My face holds a blank expression "yuh fraid?" He smiles sinisterly.

I shake my head "no it just catch me off guard that's all" I respond and make a beeline to my joining bathroom.

He is still inside my bedroom, I haven't heard the door closed.

This man is sick.

After removing the pregnancy test from the bag, I do the necessary steps and wait for it to show results.

How me nervous suh?

After my last period we had sex twice and he pulled out both times... well I'm not sure about the last time I was sore and exhausted.

And dat a yesterday so me good yah.

I wash my hands for the third time trying to addle my thoughts.

"Plan to live in dey?" He queries with a knock on the door. I roll my eyes in annoyance.

"I'm coming" I try to sound pleasant.

The door open and he looks at me expectantly. I hand him the test wrapped inside of a napkin and side step him to my bedroom.

Sleep, that's all I want right now.

"I don't believe this, yuh need to take another one infront of me. I think yuh used water to trick me" he expresses with dissatisfaction.

Ughh

I goan and stand back on my two feet, he hands me the other test. How me suppose to take this after me just pee? My bladder is empty.

"I need a glass of water or juice please" I say, he narrow his eyes then turn and leave.

After a few minutes he returns with a bottle of water, I take it and the seal isn't broken.

Good otherwise me wouldn't drink it.

I uncork the bottle and gulp down a fair amount. We stand awkwardly for about five minutes then go to take the other test. He follows closely behind monitoring my every move.

"Can yuh turn around and give me a little privacy please" I ask and Michael scoffs "it no like me never see yuh supm before eno" he protest and I glare at him with disdain.

"That was high school, look how much years dat" I say with a little attitude.

He kiss his teeth then turns his back to me leaning against the wall.

The sound of my pee falling into the toilet bowl makes this ten times more uncomfortable. I finish the steps again and place the test on a fresh napkin opposite the sink while I wash my hands.

"Yuh can monitor it if yuh like but I'm going to bed, jet lagged" I say nonchalant and climb into bed.

I refuse to get undress, he is not getting any easy access to my body.

He comes out "it's negative" he then leaves my room. I hear the door closed; dionnis was right I shouldn't have came here.

I cry silently.

Dionnis
___________

"Boss we followed them until the last stop light like yuh suggested" jerome says.

I knew he would have taken her to the house. That was the first house he purchased after he started working for me.

Predictable move.

Her location is turned off. I tried messaging her but it has one tick, I tried on FaceTime her status is green which means her phone is off or she is out of service.

I have this awful feeling that Mj is up to no good.

The games have already began.

"Okay monitor Benjamin" I command.

"Aite bossy" jerome ends the call.

We found the whereabouts of the doctor. He has been having constant meeting ups with Mj in public places, the first stupid mistake he made thus far.

Me a watch the play cause if him a play checkers me a play chess.

Leshawn has been doing a great job even though not much there to do but to clean lemar's face.

I never thought I would miss his presence this much. His cold demeanor, his nonchalant aura but behind all that tough exterior lies a young boy that just wanted to feel loved by a father.

Lemar opened up to me on a deeper level not even his mother knows half the things he entrusted me with.

His secrets

His first crush which we all know about now.

His first kiss

I chuckle, mi no know who he get the last part from but tell me what a 7th grader a do feeling up female private parts.

He said it was a mistake but his eyes suggested otherwise.

Done see me got to prepare for grand pickney early.

......

"How yuh lie so" kenrick jokes with Fiftie.

He chuckles "dawg mi serious eno cyaan move when she done wid me" he continues.

"Mi no believe yuh innocent Aaliyah we a talk bout eno" he says in disbelief.

"Mek she innocent look fool unuh" he states and Antwaun pitches the bridge of his nose.

He hates when we talk about his sisters. He doesn't see them in that light but behind closed doors dem a some freak.

"Yoow me seh mi no wan hear unuh a chat me sister dem" he says and we laugh at him.

"Dawg but yuh must chat bout we cousin?" Diondré asks and antwaun kiss his teeth.

"Yuh and yuh crawsis cousin can gwaan" he states, we sober up immediately. This is not like antwaun he's always happy.

"Wah do yuh bro?" Dre asks concerned.

"Briana say me a work too much and she no feel safe being in the house alone knowing she heavily pregnant so she a move out and go live with har parents dem" he explains.

Man a stress out.

"Me ask her if she rather me be a wasteman and can't support she and mi pickney. Me neva get cuss out inna so much patois yet" he exhales like he has ten men standing on his shoulders.

"When she a move?" I query. He takes another sip of his drink then says "Tomorrow, she goodly a leave now anarl while me deh yah".

Kenrick burst out into a laughing fit. He's the unserious one.

We could hear the hurt in his voice, he really loves Briana.

Briana is strong willed and feisty, she does not listen easily like someone I know but I'm sure dem can work something out.

"Hear wah, mi will take on more clients so yuh can go home early to yuh wife" kenrick suggests and we all sound our agreement.

"Good proposal" I say. In that way he can work regular hours and see his family while they're awake.

"Yeah but mi doubt she gone buy that" antwaun sighs.

"Tell her give yuh a trial run for two days and if yuh no hold up your end of the bargain she can gwaan cut" I tell him and he leans back into the chair processing everything we just said.

"Mi no need no more headache on top of losing my nephew this fuck a mess wid mi meds" he confess and we shake our heads.

"Lemar no dead" I state.

Kenrick, Antwaun and dré eyes widen at my announcement.

"No bro, mi no believe yuh why him eyes still shut then?" Dré ask puzzled.

"The surgeon a work with mj find out sey a him cousin. He put lemar into an induced coma until anéyah leaves but we ain't know why" Fiftie answers for me instead and their expressions get even more dramatic.

"Wah kinda sick LMN movie we inna?" Kenrick asks, Antwaun is in deep thought. His eyes swelling up with tears.

"Mek sure seh him dead eno dionnis" Antwaun says his voice lace with vengeance.

Never see this side of Antwaun yet, the man face red yf.

"No affi tell me twice, him dead longtime and if this goes as planned we nah leave no trace of evidence fi him wife bury" my voice cold as winter night.

"He turned off Anéyah's phone but we know where they are. Just a mek she do har thing then a we turn to be grime reaper" I put the glass to my mouth and swallow of the contents.

"Ah"

What Antwaun says next runs my blood cold "Good cause Anéyah won't feel safe marrying yuh until he's dead and out of the way" my face turns pale.

That's how she feel?

Someone phone starts to ring. I know it isn't mine so I don't waste time in checking.

"Hey" Antwaun answers.

Antwaun
___________

"What yuh mean yuh fall Briana" my voice slight raised in shock, she's sobbing loudly.

"Mi no know, I step down from the shower and slip. I'm in pain" she cries. I'm already outside the boys falling closely behind.

We pull off into our own vehicles speeding towards my house.

"Stay on the line with me b" she doesn't say anything.

"Please Briana" I beg and she gives a faint "okay".

Lord me can't lose mi woman and mi child next.

Wah dis pon me today.

"Where hurts?" I ask feeling my heart beating outside of my chest.

"My foot and my side" she replies.

"Okay baby, soon reach yuh" I assure her.

"I'll try to get u-"

"No! Stay dey no move Briana" I advise her.

"Okay" she says.

We pull into my driveway and jog inside the house one by one. I head straight up the stairs to the joining bathroom inside of my bedroom.

Briana is leaning up against the wall holding her side. The boys don't come any further just in case Briana is naked and she is.

I wrap a towel around her and lift her to the bed. Fiftie hands me a loose dress along with a panty for Briana to wear.

They love their cousin, I can see it on their faces.

The concern.

The need to help at any cost.

Dré helps to put the dress over her head while I lift her body slightly for him to pull it completely over her body. I then remove the towel from around her and pull her panty up to her waist.

"I'll take yuh both to the hospital" dionnis says and I lift Briana into my arms.

"Grab her bag" I tell kenrick and he picks it up following behind us.

Nobody is saying a word only briana snuffles can be heard.

Fiftie is on the phone with her parents. They won't allow her to stay by me if she's released from the hospital. They're good christian people but I'm slowly becoming less favorable to them.

I make their daughter cry too much.

We get to the hospital and the doctors tend to briana immediately, I think it's because she's pregnant.

Her ankle is sprained and her side bruised. The doctors did an ultrasound, the baby is a 100% fine.

Briana and her parents are inside having a discussion which they didn't want me to hear.

The boys stare at me apologetically, I exhale feeling overwhelmed.

"Never know a so bad aunty and uncle can gwaan" dré says in disbelief. I find this laughable.

"They can do worst trust me" I retort and he chuckles "hmm-mm?"

"Yeah dawg" I reply.

The voices inside reduces and I go inside.

Briana's foot has a band around the ankle, it's elevated resting on a pillow to help reduce swelling.

"She will come home with us" her mother says firmly not giving me a chance to say anything.

"That nah go happen" I retort.

She kiss her teeth "look we like yuh antwaun but yuh haven't been treating our daughter well since she got pregnant" she lies through her teeth.

I remain quiet.

Briana bows her head in embarrassment.

She should be ashamed yes, I treat briana like a princess she doesn't want for anything.

"Yuh haven't even proposed to her. It's clear you want our daughter to be apart of the statistics of baby mothers" her father retorts harshly.

"Yuh would both give me your blessings to make that happen?" My voice firm.

"Of course" they both chime in but her mother finishes the sentence. "what ridiculous question is that".

"Cool" my eyes still on briana.

The boys step inside after hearing her parents raised voices. I smile at how willing they are to back me up and I walk over to Briana's side. She looks up with her eyes brimming with tears.

"Briana mi no know what yuh tell your parents but I know we both know I've been a great man to yuh. The world is yours no doubt about that whatever you need no matter the cost it's yours.

Time and time again I give you the reassurance you need to let you know that you have my heart. Is you mi love not no other so for you to stay here and allow your parents to talk down on me is very disappointing.

I'm hurt briana to know that I didn't do my best all along, I have been giving you the bare minimum but it ends today" I say my voice lowered.

"But wait yuh cyaan just break up with we daughter just like that" her father says in a trembling voice.

Briana breaks out into a crying fit.

The boys expression remain neutral they know me nah left mi woman.

I pull the small jewelry box from my pocket and get down on one knee. "Briana Jeffery, I have been walking around with this box in my pocket for about a month now waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask but now is better than never. Will you do me the honors of becoming my wife?" I humbly ask. Briana nods her head profusely with the widest grin I've ever seen on her face since we met each other.

"Yes Antwaun, yes!" She exclaims happily.

I slip the ring on her finger, she reach her hand out to hold my face "mi think yuh did a go leave me" she gets out before I place my lips over hers locking us into a passionate kiss.

The room erupts into applauses everyone expressing their best wishes.

"Congratulations bro" kenrick says

"Congratulations dawg" the others say one after the other. Briana's parents celebrating with each other.

We pull apart, my best friend kenrick approaches me first then diondré, Fiftie and dionnis.

I make my way back to her when I finished thanking the dawg dem "we need to talk and yuh don't have to go with your parents I will take two weeks off from work" I tell her and she smiles with a nod.

"Jah jah" I hear kenrick mutter. Me and the boys burst out laughing. We know why he said that but he wouldn't say it out loud.

"Consider it an early congratulations gift" he whispers to me. "Mi a cut yah now" he says to no one in particular and daps me into a brotherly hug.

"We a leave too" Fiftie says as he hands me my car key "mi bring yuh car, dionnis will drop me to pick up mine from your driveway" he informs me.

"Okay thanks bro" I say genuinely if it wasn't for them being there I might have been in a state of panic.

Just glad I have the support of my brothers.

"Yeah spend likkle time with your future wife" dré says hinting to something and I chuckle.

The boy is a joker eno he don't let nothing go.

I smile and daps each of them before they leave.

"We'll be outside sweetheart" her mother tells her before grabbing her husband's hand leading him outside.

Briana looks down awkwardly fiddling with her fingers "what's wrong?" I ask as I lay halfway on the bed next to her.

"I'm sorry" she says apologetically without meeting my gaze.

"B no study that we good" I assure her and plant a kiss on her forehead.

She smiles "okay".

Once she's happy I'm happy.

Happy wife...

Happy life.