“When your mother found out about me, she put a hit out on my mother and our father. She paid a group of young gang members to kill our father and make it look like a setup. My mother’s body was found dismembered and dumped behind an abandoned building in Haiti. Your mother was kind enough to give my aunt money in exchange for her silence about who my parents were. I guess she didn’t want anyone to know about me because she didn’t want to ruin the image of your perfect little family. Isn’t that right, step-momma?”
Jazzie mumbled through the tape.
“This is crazy.”
Keyz stood there in disbelief as he looked at Jacq and then at his mother.
“You had my pops killed?” His tone was calm, but I knew better. Keyz was like me. The calmer we were, the more dangerous we were.
“I think we all want to hear this answer,” Jacq stated, ripping one corner of the tape from her mouth.
“Fuck!” Jazzie shouted in pain.
“Talk, bitch! You don’t have much time as it is.”
“Fuck you. You’re nothing more than a bastard who refused to stay in his place. You’re lucky I was gracious enough to spare your life because I wanted you gone, too. The only reason I spared your life was because I used to be good friends with that no-good mother of yours. When Emmanuel took me to visit Haiti, she was one of the first friends I made. Whenever he would conduct business out there, I would hang at her house, and she would teach me different Haitian recipes.
“I was so excited because Emmanuel preferred Haitian food over American, and I would do anything for my man. She wasmarried to this old-ass drug lord by the name of Augustin, and she always gave me advice on how to deal with men like ours. I thought her snake ass really cared about me, but it turned out she had been fucking my man behind my back long before we got married. She was in an arranged marriage, but the two of them were secretly in love.
“The idea of Emmanuel loving someone other than me drove me crazy. I had held him down for years. I even helped him run his drugs from Haiti to America. Do you have any idea how many times I risked penitentiary charges taping bricks of cocaine to my body, and taking flights back and forth? I was the perfect wife to him. Even when I found out about the bitches he was fucking, I never caused a scene. I held my head up high, knowing I was the head bitch in charge, and no one could take my spot.
“Then I noticed Emmanuel growing distant. His trips to Haiti were becoming more frequent and lasting longer than normal. When I asked if I could come along, he made every excuse for why I couldn’t come. I started doing some digging, and that’s when I found out about Emmanuel’s bastard child. When I reached out to Phara, she went out of her way to avoid me, and I knew then the information I had gotten was true. Still, Emmanuel sat in my face and pretended he was madly in love with me, all the while sending that bitch money, jewelry, and designer clothes and bags.
“I bet those two mothafuckas had a good ol’ time laughing at my expense, thinking they had pulled the wool over my eyes, but they were sadly mistaken. Emmanuel underestimated me, and it cost him his life.” Jazzie laughed maniacally.
When I looked over at Keyz, he was glaring at her.
“Aww, are you upset, son of mine? Well, now you know how I felt when you took my man from me. I guess we’re even, huh?” Jazzie blew a kiss in Keynauri’s direction, and he lost it. Before Ihad time to react, he lunged toward her. His hands gripped her throat as she gasped for air.
I debated whether to intervene, but I decided to step in. Keyz was taller and heavier, but I managed to pull him off. Jazzie coughed as she attempted to catch her breath.
“I understand you probably want your own revenge for these two bitches, but I’ve been planning the shit for a long time, and no one is gonna get in my way.”
“Look at the two brothers bonding. You can kill me, but it won’t bring your precious mother back. I’ll never forget the day we ended that bitch’s life. Trina and I took a trip to Haiti, and Trina befriended Phara’s gullible ass at the grocery store. We followed her around for three days, and on the last day, she ended up at this pub with some of her friends. Trina called her and told her some sob story about her man beating her, and Phara offered to come get her. I can still remember the sound of her last breath when I snapped her neck.” Jazzie giggled.
Jacq’s face turned red as he reared back and slapped the taste from Jazzie’s mouth. Her chair rocked, and I thought for sure she was about to tip over. Jacq placed the tape over her mouth, then locked eyes with Keynauri.
“I asked East to bring you because I wanted you to hear the truth before she dies. The only reason I didn’t include Lyric was that, from my understanding, these two have already done a number on her. I didn’t want to open any new wounds. I know East had people look into me, and I have my own people who looked into you all as well. I’m not here to cause any problems in your lives. My only mission was to establish myself in the U.S. and finally avenge my mother’s murder,” Jacq explained.
I had been debating whether to tell Lyric that the stranger who helped her at the grocery store was her brother, but I needed to make sure he didn’t have any hidden agendas regarding her orKeyz. They had gone through enough shit, and I wasn’t going to allow anyone else to harm them.
“I don’t even know what to say. I knew my momma was a fucked up person, but this shit is even sicker than I imagined. Lyric is pregnant, so I don’t want her to know about this right now. I’m sure she would love to know we have a brother, but all the other shit needs to stay between us, at least until after she gives birth,” Keynauri requested.
As much as I hated the idea of keeping things from my woman, I agreed with him. Lyric had already been through hell between the incident at the house and Shaylyn’s death. My baby couldn’t handle any more painful news.
“Whatever you feel is best. I’m not expecting y’all to welcome me with open arms, but I would never do anything to intentionally hurt either of you.”
Jacq seemed sincere, and that was all I needed to see. He had every reason to seek revenge since he had been robbed of a relationship with both of his parents.
“Understood. Do whatever you need to.”
We stood there as Jacq pulled out a bag with syringes. He took turns injecting them in the neck with whatever solution was inside, then untied them from their chairs and sat them on the couch next to each other. The two of them seemed frozen, but their eyes were wide and moving wildly.
“What did you give them?” I asked inquisitively.
Jacq stood there with a satisfied grin as they writhed in pain. When I glanced at Keyz, his face was stoic, but his eyes never left Jazzie’s body.
“It’s a combination of medications. One paralyzes their limbs, and the other one is a form of acid that burns them internally. Eventually, their organs will all be disintegrated, including their heart and brain. It’s a very slow and painful process that takes place over a matter of days. Any toxic screening that isperformed will come back as a heroin overdose, and some more advanced tests will show traces of embalming fluid, which a lot of drug addicts dip their cigarettes in, which is why I’m leaving these behind. He held up two different needles and a half-smoked cigarette and placed them near their bodies.