Kim was working long and hard hours at the hospital while Rudy was out doing God knows what. Jersey felt like it was the perfect time to have some alone time. She spent most of her night in the tub singing along to some music. She laid in the clean-but-dingy-white tub that was filled with some cheap bubble bath. On her left was a cheap bottle of champagne that she bought from the store. Brand names on alcohol bottles didn't move her at all.
Tonight, Jersey felt like she needed something strong to help her relax. She grabbed the champagne bottle while singing horribly to an old Mary J. Blige song. After taking a few swigs from the bottle, she placed it down and pulled herself up.
Tears started to well up in her eyes as she thought about the recent mistake she made.
"What the fuck is wrong with me?" She slurred while pulling the drain out of the tub. She staggered towards the sink with her bottle in her hand and looked at herself in the mirror.
Jersey was still beautiful, but her eyes were becoming red. Her lips trembled in fear as she touched her face. She breathed uneasily as her tears blurred her vision.
"What did I get myself into?" She cried while holding on to the sink for support. "What did I do!"
Knock, knock, knock.
Those knocks caused Jersey to stop her crying. She just stood there sniffling. Kim had made it home from work and overheard her niece crying in the bathroom. Instead of ignoring it, she decided to check on her.
"Jersey, you good in there?"
Jersey wiped her eyes as she tried to make her voice sound normal. "Uh, I'm fine."
"You don't sound fine to me girl. I heard you crying, open up the door."
Jersey hesitantly unlocked the door and stood their butt naked with water and soap suds on her slender body. Kim looked at her as if she was crazy. When she noticed the champagne bottle on the sink, she assumed Jersey was drunk.
"Jersey, something is wrong with you?"
"Auntie..." Jersey forced out as she tried to stabilize her breathing. "I—I should've listened to you."
"Oh, God..." Kim trailed off while cocking her head to the side.
"You told me not to get in Rudy's business and to leave it alone."
"What did that nappy-headed boy do this time?" Her aunt asked her while placing her hand on her hip. "Did he say something to hurt your feelings?"
"No, no, no," Jersey answered while shaking her head. She fell forward into her auntie's arms and cried into her shirt. The water wasted no time absorbing into Kim's work uniform.
"Then what happened? Tell me."
"I went up to Malcolm's bar and I tried to talk to him."
Kim pushed Jersey off her and said, "You tried to talk to him!" She bellowed. "For what reason?"
Kim knew exactly who Malcolm was. He was a notorious, young businessman who lived in Brooklyn. He owned a couple of businesses and had money coming from a variety of stores in New York. His illegal work brought in great profits since he was able to move around freely without the law up his ass.
"I was trying to confront him about what he did to Rudy."
"So... he's the one who had Rudy in the hospital?" Kim quizzed her with a surprised expression. Jersey just nodded her head as she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her body.
Kim's eyes wandered around the room; Obviously, she had a lot on her mind.
"S—so what did he do to you...to have you in here drinking yourself to death?"
Jersey looked down at her fingers and said, "Because I intervened in his business, he put Rudy's debt on me."
"And, how much is Rudy's debt?"
Jersey looked at her for a minute before speaking, "Twenty-thousand-dollars."
Anger swelled up in Kim as she eyed her niece sternly. It was bad enough that Rudy was out in the streets getting into trouble, now Jersey had involved herself. Kim didn't want to deal with Malcolm and his goons, she heard about how he terrorized and killed people who owed him money. Kim didn't want to live a paranoid life. She didn't want to spend the rest of her days looking over her shoulder.
Jersey noticed the terrified look on her aunt's face. She knew that Kim was upset about the whole thing. "Look, auntie—"
"How in the hell are you going to pay off a twenty-thousand-dollar debt? You don't have that kind of money Jersey?"
"I know...and I told Malcolm that. So, he's making me work at his bar. Indefinitely."
"You need to leave my house," Kim ordered Jersey as she folded her arms. "You and Rudy have to go. I refuse to live in fear."
Jersey narrowed her eyes at her aunt. "So now I'm getting kicked out?"
"I cannot live here with you and Rudy. Jersey you might not think this situation is serious, but it really is. Malcolm is making you work for him indefinitely—that's forever. You'll never be able to do anything. You're going to be stuck at that bar until you die and let's not forget about all the pain and tormenting, he's going to do to you."
A few tears cascaded down Jersey's face as she tried to wipe them. "I know it's serious." She replied while flaring her nose. "I just thought I would have your support."
Her aunt shook her head. "I told you to stay out of Rudy's business and you didn't. You brought this on yourself. Now you need to figure out how to get out of it. I'm not saying you will, but...you need to do something."
Jersey grabbed her champagne bottle and gulped some of it down. She eyed her aunt cautiously before walking out. When she made it to her room, she threw her clothes on and jumped right in bed. Jersey had to think of a quick plan. She didn't want to spend her whole life working at a bar for an angry man.
¨
Jersey called Kelli and informed her about the whole situation. She immediately volunteered for Jersey to stay at her place. Unlike Kim, Kelli wasn't afraid of letting Jersey live with her. She wasn't worried about Malcolm nor his people. Kelli had two handguns that she wasn't afraid to use.
"He cannot make you work for him. I'm going up there to talk to his ass." Kelli lectured.
"Kelli no!" Jersey objected quickly. "He might involve you or worse—hurt you. I'll just figure something out."
"Like what? Jersey you do realize that you're practically a slave to him."
"I should have never gone to that bar—I should have listened."
"You should have but...what's done is done. We'll just have to get through it together. Going to the police is out of the question since he has a connection inside. We'll think of something together."
Jersey nodded her head as she held her phone up to her ear. The girls continued their conversation until a loud commotion interrupted them. Jersey could hear Rudy arguing with his mom in the hallway. She told Kelli she would call her back so she could see what the problem was.
"You gone throw me out over some shit Jersey got herself into?" Rudy asked as he raised his voice at his mom.
"You got yourself into this mess! You're the one who stole the money!" Kim yelled back.
Jersey walked in the hallway and said, "I tried to help you out, but it backfired on me."
Rudy just gave his cousin an icy look. "I told you to mind your fucking business. I don't need your help."
"What you need to do is give Malcolm his money back. He put your debt on this girl."
"I'm not doing shit. Let her pay it off since she wants to play savior for me."
Jersey's feelings were hurt as she watched her cousin drag his bag towards the door. She was also surprised to hear Kim say that. Apparently, Rudy still had the money. He just didn't want to give it up.
"You're not going to help me?" Jersey asked Rudy in a throaty voice.
"I don't have anything so how am I going to help you?" He questioned her dryly. "And even if I did, I wouldn't give you shit."
Kim wasn't surprised by her son's words and actions. She looked him right in the eyes and said, "You're just like you're no good father and brother."
Rudy cast his mom a glare before leaving out the door.
Kim marched to the back of the apartment leaving Jersey by herself.
******
It took Jersey a minute to move all of her things to Kelli's apartment. Unfortunately, she couldn't get her bed because Kelli drove a Hyundai. Instead of abandoning it, Jersey promised Kim that she would find a way to get her bed soon. She spent her whole Sunday trying to fix her room up. Kelli walked by her room door and noticed that her friend was busy putting up her things.
Kelli leaned on the archway and she watched Jersey in silence.
"Are you okay?"
Jersey looked over her shoulders and noticed her best friend. She was as beautiful as ever. Kelli was a little thicker than Jersey with a beautiful complexion. She stayed wearing colorful frontals that she made herself.
"No." Jersey breathed out. "Not really..."
Kelli made her way over and wrapped her arms around her friend. She felt sorry for Jersey. "I'm so sorry Jersey ..."
Jersey pulled away and said, "It's not your fault. It's mine."
Kelli just looked at her softly.
"I should have never gone to that bar. I was trying to save somebody who doesn't even want to be saved."
"Look, you need to just leave New York. Doesn't your brother live in Georgia?"
Jersey shook her head lightly. Her little brother lived in Georgia, but they never communicated before. She blamed his father since he was the one who kept him away from the family; Jersey knew her brother was in Georgia because his father had moved there after taking him from their grandmother.
"I don't know Preach like that to be staying with him," Jersey answered her. "And besides, Malcolm will just end up finding me. I can't allow myself to put you all in danger. This will be the second place they'll search for me. If you don't give me up, they'll kill you, Kelli."
Kelli sighed tiredly while eyeing her friend. "I understand."
"Rudy has that money, Kelli" Jersey announced. "He has the twenty-thousand-dollars. He just won't give it up."
"So, this nigga got the money and he won't give it back?"
"He took that beaten because he wouldn't open his mouth. I believe Marcus is behind all of this."
"Well, maybe we should do something about it."
Jersey looked over and scoffed. "He's not going to give that money up and I'm not even going to try Marcus."
"Well, you need to tell Malcolm or something."
"I can't do that," Jersey replied while shaking her head. "Malcolm will end up killing him."
"Rudy doesn't give a fuck about you Jersey. It's either your freedom or his life."
¨
The sudden sound of feet pattering the floor woke up Malcolm. He opened his eyes and noticed the woman standing before him. She had her back facing him as she quickly got dressed. Before speaking, he got a good look at her backside. Not too fat, not too small but just enough to satisfy him.
"Getting dressed already?" Malcolm asked her.
"Yes, I'm meeting my sister for dinner."
"Cool..." Malcolm replied as he watched her move around the room.
Judging from her brownish, wet hair, he assumed she'd just jumped out of the shower. She noticed him peeking and a smirk drew across her face.
"Don't you think you need to be getting dressed?"
"I'm about to leave your place. You don't have to rush me." Malcolm replied as he stretched his long body. He stood up and went right into the bathroom to pee. When he walked into the room, he noticed a manila folder on the bed.
"That's what we went over yesterday." The woman announced while brushing through her hair.
Malcolm viewed the papers inside and furrowed his eyebrows. Apparently, the New York Police Department was trying to keep tabs on him once again. He scanned the statement and realized it was made by Detective Newton.
"This nigga just keeps trying me..." Malcolm trailed off while tossing the folder on the bed.
"Malcolm, Newton strongly believes that you're running drugs from your bar."
"Come on Tilly, why would I jeopardize my business?" Malcolm replied as he eyed her.
Tilly eyed Malcolm suspiciously and said, "Look...just take a break from everything. Newton is on your ass, okay? He has people following you around Malcolm."
"Are you one of them?"
Tilly sighed while cocking her head. "Come on. Now you know I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize our relationship. Hey, I'm just here to warn you."
Malcolm sighed and that caused Tilly to raise her voice a little.
"Newton is trying to find people who are connected to you. If they arrest them and they crack—that's it. You're going down."
He shook his head while looking over at her. Tilly was part of his connection in the police department. She was a police officer who worked closely with detectives. Malcolm had been seeing her for a while now, but nobody knew about it. She kept him updated on everything. Wellness checks, search warrants, and even investigations. She always made sure he was prepared for the police department. However, Malcolm was close with the Police Chief and he pulled a few strings from time to time. Malcolm was supposed to be off-limits, but Detective Newton didn't see it that way.
"I'm not supposed to be investigated," Malcolm stated while pulling his shirt over his head. "Newton just wants somebody to fuck with."
"And therefore, I'm telling you to be careful. The police department will be at the Bike Drive you're having on Wednesday. That'll be a great way to show them you're helping the community and not destroying it."
Malcolm scoffed as he gathered his stuff, he wasn't worried at all. Detective Newton was investigating him for nothing. Tilly moved over to where he was standing and wrapped her arms around his torso. She pressed her lips against his forearm and watched him closely.
"Just be careful Malcolm, you know how I feel about you."
¨
"Damn, does Mrs. Moreno ever quit?" Jersey questioned herself as she laid on her air mattress. Since she couldn't get her bed, she had to purchase an air mattress for her room. Laying on the couch was out of the question since Kelli didn't play that. She wanted her furniture to last for a long time.
Latin music could be heard through the thin walls. Kelli's widowed neighbor, Mrs. Moreno, was nothing but an old drunk. She stayed across from them in the same building with her music turned up loudly. They would sometimes catch her leaning out the window talking rudely to people on the streets.
Not realizing the time, Jersey reached over and grabbed her phone. When she noticed it was thirty minutes after four, she jumped up and went straight into the bathroom.
"Shit, shit, shit!" She cursed while running the shower. She peeled out of her clothes quickly and jumped right into the shower. After several minutes of lathering and thoroughly cleaning, she quickly rinsed off. She eventually got dressed and went over her short, curly hair with some moisture spray and a comb.
After fixing herself up, she headed out the door and checked her surroundings before going any further. She noticed the city bus was just pulling up, so she decided to hop on. After paying her fee, she took a seat near the window and waited for the bus to pull off.
Jersey was about to slide her bag on the empty spot beside her when some random white guy sat down.
Just my luck. She thought to herself while looking out the window. She looked at the time again and realized it was going on five. Jersey knew that Malcolm was going to be pissed with her. She could feel it in her gut.
To keep herself from overreacting, she decided to look out the window. Abandon churches were posted up everywhere—mostly Baptist. A Jamaican Cuisine wasn't too far from where Kelli stayed. Graffiti covered some of the buildings and that made the neighborhood look tacky. Malcolm's bar wasn't too far, maybe just three blocks away. Unfortunately, Jersey didn't have that kind of walking energy.
Jersey pulled the cord once she realized she was near the bar. After hopping off, she scurried to the bar. It was empty which meant it was still closed. She tried opening the door, but it wouldn't open at all. Instead, she decided to knock on the glass. It didn't take long for some woman to saunter to the front.
She was a thick-looking woman who had a dark-skin complexion. When she unlocked the doors, Jersey got a good look at the sister who stood before her. She wore long weave that touched her butt, medium-length nails, and tattoos adorned her neck, forearms, and legs.
"Can I help you?" The girl asked in her rough-like voice
"Uh, Malcolm is expecting me..."
The girl curled her upper lip and said, "What?" Before finishing her sentence, she looked Jersey up and down and pointed her finger at her, "You're the new girl he hired?"
Jersey only nodded her head.
She moved over and allowed Jersey to come inside.
"I'm Morgan, Malcolm's cousin—what's your name?"
Jersey cleared her throat and nervously said, "Jersey."
Morgan narrowed her eyes at Jersey and said, "Girl, I know you're not nervous. You weren't nervous when you decided to confront him in front of his customers."
Oh, no wonder she has a smart mouth. She's related to Malcolm. Jersey said to herself.
"Yeah, he told me all about it. Isn't that why you're working here?"
Jersey just nodded her head pitifully.
Morgan scoffed, not feeling sorry for the girl. She just handed Jersey an apron.
"I understand that you were looking out for your cousin, but you should've left that shit alone. Malcolm isn't a nice guy when it comes to his business. Your cousin stole from him, so he wasn't going to take it lightly."
Jersey nodded her head and said, "I know. He doesn't even appreciate that the debt is on me now. He doesn't even care."
"See..." Morgan pointed out. "And one more thing, you need to toughen up around here. This is Brooklyn—in case you didn't know."
"I'm from here so I know how the people act." Jersey retorted. "And I'm not going to let me people treat me any kind of way..."
"Could've fooled me..." Morgan commented as she instructed Jersey to follow her.
"What exactly am I going to be doing?" Jersey questioned her.
Morgan informed Jersey on her duties. She let her know that she wasn't going to make any drinks since bartending was for actual bartenders. She would just assist the actual bartender, Dean, by taking orders, serving closed-bottle beverages, and snacks. Her job was easy but unfortunately, she still wasn't happy about it. This was not something she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing. She had to come up with twenty-thousand-dollars quick if she wanted to get her life back.
"I made that Black Russian for nothing..." The bartender, Dean, stated as he looked over at Jersey. She darted her eyes over at him and couldn't help but to crack a small smile. She was in the back of the bar trying to prep some of the snacks.
"I'm sorry about that. I was going through a lot that day."
Dean leaned over the table and said, "Don't we all."
He was smitten by her as he stood there. He didn't even know what happened to her after she left her drink.
Jersey gave him the once-over and couldn't help but notice how handsome Dean was. The nice skin tone, the muscular body, and the way his hair fell to his back. He also had a couple of tattoos on his arms.
Before they could continue their conversation, Malcolm walked inside. He was dressed casually, looking killer as usual. He had a gold Jesus piece that hung from his neck. He made sure to wear it everywhere he went.
"You were fifty-three minutes late, why?" Malcolm asked Jersey calmly.
Everybody inside the backroom darted their eyes towards Jersey.
"I laid down for a nap and forgot to set my alarm clock."
"And whose fault is that?"
Jersey hadn't been there a day yet and she was already fed up. Both Malcolm and his cousin were really trying her.
"Look, I forgot. The next time I won't." Jersey replied sternly.
Malcolm looked her dead in the eyes and said, "You damn right you won't. If you pull some shit like this again—I'll drag your ass out of that apartment myself." He darted his eyes over at Dean who looked disgusted. "Get back to work."
Dean threw his towel over his shoulder and gave Jersey one last look before he walked off. Malcolm's eyes dragged off her as he walked out of the room.
¨
The bar was finally closing, and that meant Jersey was able to go home. Her first day of working at the bar wasn't too bad. She just didn't like the way Malcolm and his cousin talked to her. She didn't want to be mistreated over a mistake she made. Hell, she was human just like them.
"It's too late for you to be out here by yourself," Dean spoke as he watched Jersey grab her things from the back of the room. They were the only ones left to leave, but Dock was the one who made sure the bar was locked up.
"I know." Jersey concurred while looking at her phone. "It's two in the morning."
"Let me walk you to your bus."
Jersey nodded her head and proceeded to leave until Dock walked out of his office. He was an older guy who was well-groomed. Dock barely said much since he stayed in his office most of the time. He only reminded both Jersey and Dean about the time and proceeded to look around the bar.
"You have your own car?" Jersey asked Dean as they walked down the sidewalk together. It wasn't too dark since the lights illuminated their way.
He shook his head no and said, "I don't see the use of one."
Jersey cocked her head to the side and squinted her eyes at him.
"What? New York traffic is terrible." Dean reasoned.
"So how do you usually get around?"
"You know..." Dean trailed off while rubbing his hands together. "I have my ways—it depends but I mainly do Uber."
"I would rather have my own ride," Jersey replied as she started to laugh.
Suddenly, a Jaguar pulled up and blinded them. Jersey had no idea who it was until the window rolled down. Malcolm sat on the driver's seat with the music blaring. He turned the music down and proceeded to speak, "Dean, we need to talk."
He gave Jersey a once-over and didn't even bother to smile. He just sported his usual nonchalant look. Jersey noticed his eyes on her and walked further down the sidewalk.
"Alright, let me just make sure she gets on the bus."
Malcolm scoffed but allowed Dean to do what he was doing.
Dean continued to walk Jersey down towards the bus stop and that's when she felt the need to ask him a question.
"Why do you work for somebody like him?"
Dean looked over at her and shrugged his shoulders, "He pays me well and besides, he's my cousin."
Jersey's eyes bugged because she was surprised.
Not you too...
"He's your blood cousin?"
Dean just nodded his head.
"Morgan, too?"
"Her too..." He trailed off. "We're all first cousins."
"I don't see how you do it." She replied bluntly.
Dean was different from Malcolm and Morgan. He was friendlier and more careful with his choice of words. Them, on the other hand, were rude and mean as hell. They didn't care about other people's feelings.
"Yeah, they can be rude..." He trailed off. They came to a halt when they neared the bus stop. He narrowed his eyes at her and said, "How did you even end up working for Malcolm?"
Jersey reclined her head back and said, "It's a long story...that I won't be able to tell you because the bus is on its way."
They looked over at the bus and Dean proceeded to ask her for her number. Jersey wasted no time giving it to him. Dean was a pretty cool guy, so she didn't mind letting him get it.
After they exchanged numbers, he slipped her some bus fee. She was hesitant at first but thanked him for his generosity. She was surprised to see him being so generous towards her. The men in her life wouldn't give her a quarter if she'd asked for it.
Dean hopped inside his cousin's Jaguar and waited for him to pull off. Instead, Malcolm just sat there going through his phone.
"What was that all about?" Malcolm questioned him.
Dean narrowed his eyes as contemplated. "Oh, you' talking about me and Jersey?"
"That's who you were with..." Malcolm replied smartly.
"Shit..." Dean trailed off with a shrug. "I'm trying to hit it off with her."
"I don't want you talking to that girl. She's not at the bar to make friends or get a boyfriend. She's working off her debt."
"Debt?" Dean reiterated. "What debt?"
Malcolm looked over at his cousin and said, "Apparently, the kid who robbed Adrik was her cousin. She came up here trying to confront me about that lil' nigga, so I put his debt on her. She's working here indefinitely."
Dean just sat there eyeing his cousin. He wasn't worried about Jersey confronting him. Dean just didn't understand why Malcolm was so hard on the girl. All he had to do was threaten her and she would've fled. Jersey really wasn't a threat to Malcolm at all—he just wanted to be mean.
"You're making her work for you indefinitely? What the fuck?"
"It's what she gets for getting into my business."
Dean touched the bridge of his nose and scoffed. "Alright—I'll pay her debt off. If that'll keep her from working at the bar."
Malcolm darted his eyes at his cousin. "Nah. I don't want anybody helping her. She needs to be taught a lesson."
"I just don't understand why you're doing this. I mean—she confronted you about her cousin, but it wasn't that serious Malcolm."
"Jersey will work at the bar until I tell her to stop," Malcolm replied while glancing at his cousin. "I advise you to stay out of this and leave her alone. It's plenty of pussy out here that you can fuck."
*****************