I Can Touch the Bottom (7 page)

Ava was lost in her own world as well, listening to the music that way playing on the radio. Opening the bathroom door, she was unaware of Stackz's presence in the hallway. For all Ava believed, she was alone in her home; carefree with no worries. However, that was about to change.

Out of nowhere, a strong force grabbed her around her waist, yanking her backward. A hand covered her mouth and before she knew it, she was lifted off her feet. Terrified to death, she attempted to scream and resist, yet it did her no good. She was overpowered by her mystery attacker. As Ava's eyes bucked, a voice with a warm breath whispered into her ear, “Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you.”

“Who in the hell beating on my fucking shit like they dun lost their goddamn mind?” Leela roared, yelling through the closed door.

“The Detroit Police Department,” one officer loudly replied from the front porch, gun in hand.

Gee sat calmly down on the tattered sofa, but not before brushing a few random crumbs off of it. Holding a small wad of cash in his hands, he nodded his head. “Welp, you up, bitch. Earn your fee,” he sideline coached Leela like she was next in a pickup basketball game at a city court. Leela rolled her eyes at him. When she said she hated the police, she meant it. That statement wasn't for show; it was a fact. After the cops had the nerve to bang once more like they paid her bills, Leela snatched the door open, then proceeded to go ham.

“Okay, I know I just really woke up and might be tripping, like I'm hearing thangs. But which one of you disrespectful fools beating on my door like you live here? I mean, why? For what?”

One officer in a hand-me-down Goodwill suit decided to cut straight to the chase. “Yes, miss, are you Leela Westbrook?”

“Yeah and . . .”

“Well, Miss Westbrook, we're investigating a homicide that took place early this morning.”

“And what would some damn homicide have to do with me?” Before the policeman could get another word out, Leela leaned over toward the right side of the gate, locking it, showing her contempt for their unwarranted visit. “Look, Officer, I don't know where you got your information, but trust me when I tell you I don't know jack shit about no murder this morning or any other time.”

The detective was not giving up so easy having gone up with other supposed witnesses to crimes that claimed to have seen nothing. “Hold on. You haven't even heard the victim's name or know the location so—”

Still not trying to hear what Joe Law was saying, Leela went back in. “Look, I done told you I don't know shit about no damn homicide. Period.” She purposely allowed her robe to open. “Now, if you talking about how to suck a good dick or how to throw this hot pussy on my man, then lock my pretty ass up. I'm your girl. 'Cause see, I'm all the way on my job. Otherwise, y'all might need to go look elsewhere.”

Seeing they were getting nowhere with the defiant female, the detective left his card, asking Leela to please give him a call within the next twelve hours or he'd be back, and next time, they wouldn't be knocking.

“Whatever. Scat.” She dismissed the policeman and his colleagues off her sister's property. After closing the door, Leela marched over to Gee with her hand stuck out, expecting not only the money in his hand, but some dick as a tip. Sure, she was sick about Devin being dead and his murderer upstairs with her little sister, but she still had to get her money by any means necessary.

* * *

Stackz held Ava firmly in his arms. Wanting nothing more than to break free, she struggled as if her life depended on it. And for all she knew, it did. The soft powder-blue towel wrapped around her trembling body fell to the floor. Naked as the day she was born, Ava still tried relentlessly to get away. Being ashamed of her nude body never crossed her mind until she saw her reflection in the full-length mirror at the end of hall that hung on the outside of the bedroom door. Not only did she see herself, she saw her attacker as well—the guy that gave her sister's hanging buddies the business. The man who Ava had heard ended up killing Devin after they fled the restaurant and wounding Mickey and Rank.

Shocked, she stopped resisting. If Stackz wanted to have his way with her, then so be it. She wanted to live, and if it took giving up the cat, she'd not put up a fight. Coming to her senses about who he was, what she saw him do, and she was naked, she had no win. The thought in her mind skipped to,
Is this fine-ass nigga gonna kill me after he get the pussy, or what?

Stackz felt Ava's body go totally limp. Not wanting to scare her any further, he reassured the naked beauty once more in a cool, even-toned voice that he wasn't going to do her any harm, and that she could relax. “Seriously, chill out, ma. This ain't what you think it is. I ain't trying to hurt you, I promise.”

Ava found her second wind and tried to buck a few more times, while biting at Stackz's hand which was still wrapped around her mouth. “Let me go, let me go,” she managed to muffle the words from her covered mouth.

Stackz's big strong hands pressed against her lips were only tickled by her bites. The more Ava squirmed, the more he secretly liked her determination to get loose. “Look, I swear I will let you go if you stop embarrassing yourself,” he announced, hoping she'd calm down. Feeling Ava's hot, naked body up against him, Stackz fought with himself for his dick not to rock up. “Hey, Gee is my brother,” he whispered in her ear as she squirmed once more in his arms. “You know Gee; he grew up with you and Leela.”

The words Stackz spoke took Ava by surprise. She stopped moving as if she was trying to comprehend what he'd claimed. The fact a dude she and her sister have been cool with since childhood has a brother she has never met, who is the same guy that she thinks is fine as hell, but has her hostage and killed Devin a few hours ago, took a moment to penetrate her mind.

“Listen up. Your sister and Gee are downstairs talking to the police right now. That's why I'm up here. Leela said it was cool.” Stackz hoped he had gotten through to her, and she would stop bugging out. “Okay, now, if I let you go, can you please act like you got good fucking sense? I ain't trying to have the damn police run up here. That ain't what I need, or what you want.”

Ava nodded her head the best she could, mumbling yes. Stackz did as he said he would and prayed for both of their sakes she'd keep up her end of the bargain. Just like that, Ava was free from his strong-arm hold. Finally free, she didn't yell or scream. She didn't run toward the bedroom or bolt in the kitchen to grab a knife. Instead, a baffled Ava turned around and just stared at Stackz speechless.

After a few brief seconds realizing she was naked, Ava became modest and began to blush. “Oh my God!”

Stackz stepped back, looking Ava up and down. “I see God blessed you from head to toe.” He shook his head slowly in utter amazement.

Ava took her time bending down with her mouth twisted and giving Stackz the side eye. She grabbed her towel off the floor and wrapped it around herself. Then she pranced across the hallway toward what had to be her bedroom. She stopped at the doorway only to say, “Let me put some clothes on, if that's okay with you. And then you can explain how you and Gee are brothers, and we never met you before now.”

“Go ahead, girl. Put some clothes on that perfect body. A nigga will be right here waiting.” Stackz grinned, wishing she'd invite him in and bang his lights out.

Secretly, Ava was intrigued with Stackz. He had a swag that meant business; he stood upright, and dressed like he had his clothes custom-made. In between last night and now, Ava could tell whatever he was into, this guy was straight winning. Slipping on some sweatpants and a T-shirt, she then quickly stepped into her sneakers. Brushing her hair back, Ava felt ready to face Stackz and anything else that was to come her way today.

When she stepped out of the bedroom into the hallway she expected to see Stackz standing there, posted, waiting for her. However, she was fooled. He was not there. Praying that he'd not disappear as suddenly as he'd interrupted her morning, Ava walked to her living room. There, she found Stackz lurking near her front window. Assuming he was watching the cops pulling away from the house, Ava asked him what was going on outside just to verify. Stackz insisted to her that everything was good and that they should go downstairs so they could all four get some things straight. Although he felt a good chemistry between them, Stackz was still not opposed to sending Ava or her sister Leela on their way if they wanted to go against the grain about the forced-hand restaurant shooting.

The pair took the same way down to her sister's as Stackz had taken coming up. Neither said a word, but both could tell this was possibly the beginning for the two of them. That is, if Stackz was who he said he was, and he believed that she wasn't anything like her sister and her foolish comrades. They found Leela and Gee in the living room mocking the police and shooting the shit about how dumb cops are these days to think anybody would help them do their job. Leela had just repeated something slick she'd said to the big-bellied officer before dismissing them from around the perimeter.

Gee looked up, seeing his brother and Ava coming through the kitchen and into the dining room. He smiled when he saw Ava was unharmed because he knew Stackz didn't give a damn about shortening her or anyone's existence on earth if they couldn't be reasoned with. He was a man with zero tolerance for bullshit.

“All right, now, Ava, I see you've met my brother for the second time and in less than twenty-four hours,” Gee casually remarked.

The sisters attacked, bombarding them with question after question. “Why we never knew about you?” Ava suspiciously asked with folded arms.

“Yeah, Gee, you never talked about or mentioned no other brothers, other than that crazy ass, T. L. Now, out of the thin blue sky, another brother pops up,” Leela chimed in with her two cents.

Ava was blunt and direct, saying, “Look, if he's your homeboy, that's cool. We, like, been knowing you forever; we get it. You fell through with yo' man to let us know he with your crew. Enough said, we ain't cut with rat in our DNA.” Ava looked at Stackz and Gee with a serious expression on her face that said, “Don't play with me; I'm not that bitch.” “So if that's the reason for this visit, y'all good my way. I mean, it's fucked up Devin's dead. I feel for his family. But I never liked his grimy ass from jump. That's Leela's people, not mine.”

“Damn, Ava, just throw me under the fucking bus!”

“Naw, it's not like that, sis. I'm just saying he was an asshole that liked to dominate and hit women. And a nigga like that is bound to get fucked up with dealing with a real alpha man. RIP, Devin, but damn . . .”

Gee, like Leela, took notice Ava and Stackz were looking at each other with a hint of lust. They didn't know what was said upstairs when they first met, but whatever it was, the two were giving off strange vibes now. Leela read Ava like a book and knew that her sister was feeling Stackz. That man that'd killed Devin after pointing a gun at them as well. The same man that tried to take Mickey out of the game and almost blew Rank's wig back.

When it had come to relationships, Ava had always gotten men that did for her without her asking and treated her with the upmost respect, but never a man with any real bosslike qualities Stackz seemed to have. Leela had always harbored jealousy toward Ava for that; not to mention her younger sister was prettier and a low-key hustler, getting her coins without having to sell her ass. She always paid her bills on time and didn't wait on no man to do for her. Ava understood the power of her pussy and possessed a strong mind to back it up. A man could never sell her a dream. Unlike Leela, Ava wasn't in the market to buy off into bullshit

* * *

As the four of them came to an understanding that Stackz was not looking for any trouble the night before and had no choice but to send Devin on his way, Leela's phone rang. Looking down at the screen, she saw it was Devin's sister yet again calling from his cell phone, surely to harass her about her dead brother. Leela was tired of going back and forth with her. She'd already informed her and his mother she was not there and had left early. Leela had already begged them to ask Mickey and Rank if they didn't believe her, but I guess that would be too much like right. Fed up, and, of course, wanting to show out in front of Gee, Leela answered and was ready for verbal combat.

“Damn, bitch, what the fuck you want? Why you keep calling me? I already done told your dumb ass!”

Devin's sister had a better idea other than going back and forth on the phone; she wanted blood firsthand, or so she thought. “Dumb ass? You got me fucked up. Bring that ass outside, you dirty, set-up, nut-guzzling ho!” Devin's sister yelled on the phone. “Everybody knows how you get down setting real niggas like my brother up to get got! You ain't slick, bitch! Not at all!”

Leela was heated. She sprinted to the front window and looked outside. Sure enough, Devin's entire 285-pound sister was pacing her gorilla ass back and forth in front of her 2007 two-door, rusted-frame Neon.

“Come on out here. You talked all that rah-rah on the phone, you slimeball-ass bitch. You set my brother up, and you know it. You gotta come out sooner or later. I'm posted out in this bitch.” Devin's sister had no chill or off button. She was going at the top of her lungs, not caring who heard or saw her. “Mickey and Rank scary asses acting like they don't know shit, but I told the police to come over here. Your good dick-slurping ass was probably the one who pulled the trigger!” All she knew was her brother was dead, and the last time she'd seen him alive, he had Leela's conniving ass hanging on his arm.

“Oh hell to the naw. She want it, she can get it.” Leela darted past Gee, going into her nasty bedroom. Grabbing a pair of leggings and a T-shirt out of a huge pile of dirty clothes thrown off into the corner, she quickly put them on. Putting on her high-top sneakers, Leela was hyped. She didn't tolerate no bitch coming to her front door talking that beast-mode shit—dead brother or not. Running back into the living room it was definitely on!

As Leela was passing back by Gee on her way out the front door, he snatched her up by the arm. “Yo, girl, hold up. She just in her feelings about her brother, that's all. The bitch just venting!”