Raging Blue (3 page)

“Stay in the car!” Gavin yelled through the phone.

“He’s not going to stop. Someone is going to get hurt.”

“Please, just stay in the car,” he pleaded.

Blue pressed the END button on her Blackberry. Then she pulled twenty dollars from her purse and dropped it on the front seat.

“Let me out here,” she said.

The taxi jerked to
a stop, and the driver snatched the money as Blue swung the door open, grabbed her bags, and jumped out. Blue had barely closed the door when the driver sped away. Seconds later, Jay’s taxi screeched to a hard stop in front of Blue. Jay leapt out of the passenger seat and reached for Blue.

“I’m sorry, baby. Let’s talk. We need to talk,” Jay babbled.

It was clear he was still under the influence of his earlier vices. His disjointed sentences and emotional flux frightened her. Blue had never seen this side of him. Jay grabbed her by the arms, forcing her to face him.

“Let me go, Jay,” she told him, trying to remain calm. “We’re causing a scene.”
She looked toward the crowd that began to gather.

Cars whizzed by blaring their horns, demanding they move from the side of the street. Jay continued to babble as he dragged her toward the sidewalk.
His fingers felt like they were wrapped around her bones. His pleas made him appear childlike and desperate. As the crowd grew larger, she searched her mind for a safe way to get out of Jay’s presence.

“Miss, are you alright?” one gentleman asked.

“Mind your business!” Jay screamed to the onlookers.

“Hey, isn’t that the basketball player Jaylin Mack?” another bystander asked to no one in particular when he recognized him.

Jay turned, bore his eyes into the crowd, and screamed again, “I said mind your own damn business!”

Another taxi skidded to a halt beside them, and Gavin jumped out. When Jay saw Gavin, he grunted but didn’t release his hold on Blue.

“Jay, let’s take this off the streets. You’re causing a scene,” Gavin said coolly, while slowly approaching Jay’s side.

Sirens blared, drowning out Gavin’s negotiation. Two police cars barreled toward them and came to a screeching stop. The officers jumped out, barking orders at the crowd and Jay, who still held Blue in his grip. One cop went as far as to draw his gun and command Jay to release Blue. Without letting go, Jay wiped the tears from his face with his shoulder.

“Sir, let the lady go,” the officer demanded, approaching closer with his gun still aimed at Jay.

“You’re going to shoot me?”

The officer stepped in cautiously.

“You’re going to shoot me!” Jay repeated in a higher pitch.

Blue wished she could close her eyes and disappear. The more agitated Jay got, the harder his fingers dug into her arms, his nails breaking her flesh.

As Jay cursed the officers, two of them closed in on him. One held the gun inches from Jay’s head, while the other struggled to cuff him as he read his rights to him. By the time they'd stuffed Jay inside the car, the officers’ foreheads were speckled with sweat.

After answering a host of questions about the incident, the police officers finally let Blue go. She could feel Jay’s eyes glued on her from the rear of the squad car. Blue watched, unmoving, as the police cars sped off along Fifth Avenue. When she turned around, she realized she was once again alone with Gavin, who always seemed to be there for her.

*****

Blue settled into The Pierre, a historic luxury hotel elegantly designed with a marble lobby, towering ceilings, captivating floral arrangements, and gracious white-gloved service. The recently renovated room provided a picturesque view of Central Park. Inviting warmth radiated from the traditional mahogany wood desk, satin headboard, and plush bedding.

Blue soaked her aching body in the hotel’s small tub, but longed for the comfort of her own large Jacuzzi. Her jet-black coils floated in the water as tears mixed with the droplets that settled on her face from the steam. Crying, she pondered the abrupt changes in her life, wishing there was a switch she could flick to turn off her heart. She felt sorry for Jay, but she’d grown weary of their taxing relationship. They'd had their arguments, but he’d never put his hands on her. Still, she wondered if it would be fair to leave without at least giving him an opportunity to redeem himself.

Years ago, he'd promised her that he would stop with the drugs. She had never seen him indulge, but she could always tell when he'd had a hit. His demeanor darkened and his temper flared easily. His lips and eyes would twitch involuntarily. She recalled the time when he'd sneezed and chunks of red tissue and membrane had sprayed the bathroom sink. The cocaine usage had begun to eat away at the flesh in his nasal passages.

Blue realized she had cried herself to sleep when she was shocked awake by her Blackberry playing a cheery tropical tune with steel drums. The melody startled her. She rubbed her eyes and then blinked out of her haze. Her sight settled on her wrinkled fingers; she had shriveled up like a prune. She lifted her sore limbs from the water, dried off, and wrapped her body in the plush hotel robe. She felt a slight pounding at her right temple, the same side of her face that had met the hardwood floor of her penthouse. While holding her face in her hands, she got a sharp reminder of its tenderness.

The steel drums played again,
and she reached for the phone. She didn’t recognize the number, but against her better judgment, she answered anyway. Hearing Jay's voice froze her to the spot. Tossing the phone entered her mind, but she shook the thought away.

“Blue,” he whispered.

He was sober now. She could tell.

“Blue, please answer me. I know you’re there.”

“What do you want?” She tried to keep her voice steady.

The last thing she wanted to do was cry again or let Jay hear her pain. She swallowed hard and pushed back the hurt before repeating, “What do you want from me?”

“I’m sorry,” Jay said and then paused. “Please…tell me what happened.”

Blue lifted her head to the ceiling and blinked back the tears. Jay hadn’t even realized what he had done.

“Too much, Jay.” This time, the tears came and the pain forced its way out.

“Did I hurt you?”

Blue didn’t answer. She drew in a soggy breath, pressed her lips together, and tried to suppress the rest of her anguish. Minutes passed before she spoke again.

“Yes. You went too far this time.”

“Baby…I…” A dense silence settled between them again.

“I can’t do this anymore. I have to go.”

“Baby…can you bail me out?”

Blue pressed the end button.

C
hapter 5

Gavin

Gavin paced around his spacious living room contemplating whether or not he should bail his friend out. His friendship with Jay had been on the decline for the past few months, starting with Jay’s erratic behavior on the court. As his agent, he’d warned him numerous times that his actions could land him in trouble. Jay, being hardheaded
, threw aside Gavin’s admonitions as idle threats. It wasn’t until Gavin dropped him as a client that he realized he’d meant business.

When their friendship survived the business breakup, Gavin was somewhat relieved, even though Jay wasn’t the ideal companion. His hardcore competitiveness spilled over from the court into every possible area of life. Simple conversations weren’t safe from his need to always be right
or to one-up everyone. Gavin wondered how much more their fragile connection could stand. He was still in awe of Jay’s behavior the evening before.

Gavin patted his back pocket and checked his wallet to make sure he had everything he needed to get the large sum of money from the bank. Leaving him in that cell crossed his mind several times. Maybe this would be an opportunity for Jay to assess his life and make some much-needed changes. Then again, Gavin doubted it would help.

Gavin headed for the elevator. As he reached to press the call button, doubt clouded his mind again and his hands dropped to his sides.
This is it,
he determined. This would be the last and final time he’d help Jay, and then, just like all the others, he would distance himself. He even decided he wouldn’t ask for his money back. It was the price he’d pay to get rid of his so-called friend.

The process of bailing Jay out went more smoothly than Gavin anticipated. He'd expected to spend
half the day waiting around the courthouse, and was pleasantly surprised when things appeared to go seamlessly.

Jay came dashing out of the building in haste. Gavin had to look twice to make sure it was him heading in his direction. He looked disheveled. A stomach-churning stench mixed with urine and alcohol littered the air around him. Jay still wore the dress shirt and slacks he'd had on at the reception,
which were now stained with blood and liquor. His custom cuff links were missing, and his monogrammed shirt was torn. Gavin thought about giving him cab money to get home instead of letting him ride in his late-model Range Rover.

“Thanks, man! I’m going to get that money back to you as soon as I work things out with Blue,” Jay promised as he wiped his dirty hand across his face. He was still moving fast.

Gavin raised a brow. Jay’s behavior was suspicious. He’d seen him in this anxious state before and hoped Jay hadn’t managed to score while he was in lockup. Being in jail didn’t seem to hinder access to illegal drugs.

“Don’t worry about it. Consider it a gift,” Gavin said, giving Jay a bewildered look. “Why are you walking so fast, man?”

Gavin had to walk double-time to keep up with Jay’s pace as they proceeded in the direction of the parking garage. Jay rambled on while the attendant brought the car to them. By the time they got inside, Gavin had stopped listening.

“Can I use your phone for a minute, man? I need to call Stan,” Jay said.

The mention of Stan’s name confirmed Gavin’s suspicions. Gavin shook his head. He couldn’t believe that after getting out of jail, the first person Jay wanted to call was a damn coke dealer.

“Better yet, can we stop by there on the way to the house? I need to—”

Gavin slammed on the brakes. “After what you’ve been through in the past twenty-four hours, you get out of jail and the first thing you can think of is getting high. Isn’t that what got you into this situation in the first place?” Gavin eased off of the brakes. “You need to focus on working things out with Blue.”

“Don’t worry about me and Blue. We’ll be fine. This is not the first time we’ve had problems,” Jay replied like it was no big deal.

Gavin snapped his neck in Jay’s direction. “You hit her!” His brows were knitted. “Is yesterday a total blur to you?” He waited for a reaction from Jay. “You need to get your head straight, man. I’m not taking you to Stan’s. I’m taking you home.”

Jay slammed his fist down on the dashboard and then stared out the window, while taking hard breaths. Gavin shook his head again.

“Fine. Don’t take me to Stan’s. I can handle my business on my own. Just drop me off. I’ll get your money. Don’t worry about that.”

“Jay, this is not about the money!” Gavin said. He was on the verge of saying more but stopped. Getting through to Jay during a normal conversation was a daunting task, so he knew his efforts would be especially fruitless now. Gavin resigned himself to focusing on getting Jay home as fast as possible.

“Why are you worried about it? I bet you just want her for yourself. I see how you look at her. You’ve always been mad because I got her instead of you.”

“What!” Gavin’s face was tight from Jay’s insinuation. A vile response lingered on his lips, but he held his tongue. Instead, he looked at his watch and then checked the street to see how close he was to Jay's building. He even thought about putting him out right where they were.

“You’ve wanted Blue since the first day we all met, but I got her. That incredible body, nice hair, and blue eyes against her pretty brown face. You’re jealous!”

Gavin smashed his brakes, shifted into the right lane, and brought the car to an abrupt stop. It took all of his inner strength to refrain from punching Jay right in his mouth.

“Get out!”

“You're putting me out? I don’t live here,” Jay said, repositioning himself in the seat.

Gavin shut his eyes briefly and gnawed on his bottom lip.

“
How can you just put me out of your car? You can’t be serious!”

“I’m going to say this one more time.” Gavin clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and centered his heated gaze on Jay’s eyes. “Get. Out!” He pointed to the door.

Jay looked at Gavin like he didn’t understand.

“Man, just drive. Stop playing games.”

Gavin turned off the ignition, sat back, and folded his arms.

“So you’re just going to sit here?” Jay asked when he realized Gavin wasn’t going to move. “Come on, man. I don’t have time for this.”

Gavin closed his eyes to focus on reeling in his anger. He wasn’t a fighter, but he could already feel the satisfaction from striking Jay one good time. Jay wouldn’t go down easy, and that one punch would quickly evolve into an all-out brawl. Gavin toyed with the possible outcomes as he sat there.

“All right! I apologize. Now can we just go home?” Jay huffed.

Gavin shifted the car back into drive and raced to Jay’s building in silence. The car door had barely met the frame before he peeled off, filling the air with the high pitch of his tires.

When he arrived home, Gavin wore down his natural wood floors pacing off his anger. The conversation with Jay played over in his head. He wasn’t surprised at his friend’s uncharitable ways, but he'd at least expected a semblance of appreciation for bailing him out.

Snatching a glass from the cupboard, he set it down with a clank and popped open a vintage bottle of red wine. Stepping out onto the sun-soaked patio, he settled into a chair. With no other obligations for the day, he was free to rest his mind. He couldn’t imagine having to go back to the office after his encounter with Jay. He’d made the right decision by clearing his work schedule.

Undoubtedly, it was time to cut the ties on their taxing relationship. Gavin had tolerated Jay long enough
, having been friends since high school. Over the years, he had witnessed many of Jay’s other friendships disintegrate and wondered how theirs' had lasted. By the time they'd reached their thirties, Gavin had expected more growth from Jay.

Gavin blamed Jay’s mother for his destructive ways. She was the guilty type who used materials things to fill voids that should have been sustained by basic nurturing. She was hard, made bitter by his father’s absence. Their relationship had stripped her of softness, leaving a shell of a woman to serve as Jay’s only parent. A single mother with multiple jobs, she barely had enough of herself to give. Jay’s interaction with his father had been minimal, spanning years at times, with occasional visits that induced momentary excitement from vacant promises. Together, they'd succeeded in creating another bottomless shell who desired from the world what his parents were unable to give.

Certain of his final decision, Gavin rose from his chair. It was time to end their friendship. He huffed as his resolve clashed with his conscience. He no longer wanted to be bothered, but who else did Jay have?