Page 10 of Kisses Behind The Spotlight 2: Finale

That was all we said. But our embrace communicated everything else. I felt her anger about what happened Saturday, the anxiety that came with her father being in the hospital, and the way she held me close; I knew she needed me by her side more than ever. After a few minutes, Jameera dropped down, and I leaned down to kiss her lips.

“You okay?” I questioned.

“I’m better now that I’m laying eyes on you,” she confirmed.

“How is your pops?”

“When I talked to my Uncle Sam this morning, there weren’t any changes,” she informed me.

“He’s going to pull through,” I assured her, leaning in to kiss her unbruised cheek.

Jameera took a deep breath, and my mama was up on me next. Pulling me into a brief hug.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m good.” I kissed her cheek and diverted my eyes to Uncle Vincent. He stood next to Amill and Yaseer.

“I want the information for all of the arresting officers. Shit didn’t have to go the way that it did. Look at her fuckin’ face. They hopped out like we were armed fugitives on the run or some shit.”

“The lawyer is already on it. We are working on y’all charges first, and a lawsuit will follow,” he notified me.

“We gotta move. The trucks are pulling down the street now, and there are paparazzi, and all types of motha fuckas with cameras outside. Stay close and tight once we get outside. Amill, Khaleesi, Xain, Marrisa, and Yaseer, you are in truck two with Duke. Jameera, Q, and Vincent, you’re with me,” Stepp appeared out of nowhere, barking orders.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for me and Khaleesi to ride with Q and Jameera since we are going to the same place?” Amill chimed in.

“No, they are going to stop at the lawyer’s office, then they are going to the hospital,” Stepp clarified, motioning for everyone to move.

We were used to this protocol for leaving public events or places where the media was out like thirsty ass vultures. As we rode down the escalator, the crowd beyond the glass doors quickly came into view. Jameera’s hand was in mine, and I held her close as we braved the sea of people. Media, supporters, and haters were everywhere; shouting came from all sides the further we moved. Xain and Stepp brushed people aside as we approached the trucks.

I helped Jameera into our truck, then climbed in behind her. Vincent got in next, and Stepp closed the door before taking the front seat. We pulled off and joined the flow of the downtown traffic. Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the parking garage of another building downtown. Vincent led us to the lawyer’s office, where the lawyer reviewed the paper-thin case they’d put on me.

Jameera and Stepp waited in the waiting room while Vincent and I waited in a conference room for the lawyer to join us.

“Now that we are away from listening ears, I gotta ask. What the fuck were you thinking?” Uncle Vincent scolded me.

“I know, I had a lapse in judgment, and shouldn’t have let D3 get me out of character,” I sighed, leaning back in the chair.

“No, I get why you pulled up on him, but if you gone do shit like that, you have to go all the way,” he reprimanded me, reminding me who I was dealing with. “Tech told me what went down with D3. That snitching ass nigga should be taking a dirt nap. Instead, he’s sitting in the prosecutor’s office running his dick suckers. Drinking from a straw isn’t good enough; he should be decomposing. Ain’t nothing wrong with seeing a nigga about your girl. The issue was letting him walk away. Now you get felony assault, home invasion, and kidnapping charges for this dumb shit. Alexander is a dog, though. He’s going to do what the fuck needs to be done to get you out of this shit.”

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Alexander greeted, confidently swaggering into the room. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat across from us with a stenopad in his hand.

“I know you’ve had a long weekend, so I’m going to make this quick. I needed to meet with you because of the out-of-state case. From what Duke and the girls told me about the arrest, it sounds like I’ll be able to get the resisting charges tossed as soon as I get my hands on the body camera footage.

“When it comes to the New York case, the prosecutor has two pieces of evidence: D3’s testimony, which came after a few interviews in which he said he didn’t know who attacked him, and Quinten’s presence in New York at the time of the attack. He flew to Jersey two days before the attack and left the following day. What were you doing in Jersey?”

“Clearing my head,” I shrugged. “My Uncle Vincent has a property up there.”

Alexander jotted something down while he continued speaking.

“Okay. Although they don’t have a solid case, they were still able to convince a grand jury to bring charges, so you will have to go to New York to handle the charges.”

“When will I have to do that? I’m supposed to be going on tour soon.” I ran my hands down my face, dreading the answer.

“Depends. I’m waiting to hear back from the prosecutors in New York. I plan to negotiate a voluntary walk-through surrender. You have no criminal record, and your positive public image will also help your case greatly. I’m confident that none of this will interfere with your professional obligations. I don’t see that case going far either. An alibi for the time of the attack would help.” Alexander’s eyes flicked between Uncle Vincent and me.

“He was hiding out at my rental property, entertaining strippers that I hired to cheer him up,” Uncle Vincent attested. I didn’t flinch, just went along with it.

“Okay, perfect.” Alexander leaned over to jot something down on the stenopad. “I will need the name and phone number of at least one stripper as soon as possible. Outside of that, relax and let me do my job while you focus on yours. I know the entertainment industry loves to ask questions about open cases. If you do any interviews, podcasts, or any type of press, do not speak on the case. Not a single word. If I had a dollar for every time a client went out and said something that made the case impossible to fight, I could retire,” Alexander vented, gently pressing his thumb and index finger into the small, flat space above the bridge of his nose.