Page 48 of New Beginnings
Caesar smiled. “That’s the story we’re going with.”
Rumi crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. “And why can’t we just tell the cops the truth? Why can’t we just tell them some psycho broke in here and tried to kill us?”
“That’s not an option, Mimi,” Caesar said, calling her by the nickname he’s called her for years.
Her eyes flashed with anger, and I could sense that this would escalate into a long ass argument we didn’t have time for.
“If it wasn’t for you, none of this would be happening anyway!” Rumi pointed at him. “You need to stay away from me and my family!”
Caesar pinched the bridge of his nose, but I wouldn’t let her put the blame on him. I could have said no when Caesar asked me to help J.D. with finding out what happened to Dani. But I loved a challenge. And this case was a challenge.
Did I know it was going to lead to me or my sister almost dying? No. But I still wouldn’t have changed my decision to get involved. I met J.D. and I was helping someone get closure with my talent. I loved my job.
“Rumi, that’s not fair,” I said, annoyed with my sister.
Annoyed that she always wanted to blame Caesar for everything. This wasn’t his decision. It was mine. I tried not to lose my temper with her because she didn’t know what was going on, but the truth was if she wasn’t spending so much time at my place instead of hers, she wouldn’t even have been here today.
“It’s the truth, Rebel! And you know it! If he would just leave you alone, none of this would have happened.”
“Look, Rumi!” I tossed my hands up in the air in frustration. “We don’t have time for this shit. The cops will be here any second. For once in your goddamn life just do what Caesar tells you to do!”
She glared at me. “After this is over, you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on Rebel. And I mean every damn thing.”
“CPD! Is anyone in here! Come to the door with your hands up.”
I gave her a pointed looked, and she rolled her eyes but nodded. I hoped my sister stuck to her word and would follow our lead because if she didn’t, we’d all be in deep shit.
I walked towards the door. Rumi and Caesar remained in the living room. When we reached the door, the sight of two officers standing there greeted us, their eyes assessing the damage to my broken door.
“How can I help you officers?” I asked as politely as I could with my hands up.
My back hurt from when Abrams slammed me to the floor and my head hurt because of Rumi and her constant negativity. All I wanted to do was sink into the warm water of my bathtub and drift off to sleep. It’s been a long ass day.
“We’ve got reports of a disturbance,” one of the officers said, then looked at my door before looking back at me.
“I’m sorry officers. I had a few friends over, and things got a little rowdy. Can I put my hands down?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the officer said as he tried to look around me. Hopefully he couldn’t see the glass on the floor. “Just make sure you keep them where we can see them.”
The other officer kept looking at my door that was barely on the hinges and would need to be replaced.
“Everything is fine officers.”
By the look on their faces they didn’t believe me. They exchanged a knowing glance, as if sharing a secret, before diverting their gaze back towards me.
“Is there anyone else inside the apartment, ma’am?”
“Yes, my brother-in-law and my sister. Officers, I was just having a little get together when things got out of control. I asked everyone to leave.”
“Well make sure you keep it down, ma’am. It’s not fair to the other residents who want to live in peace. If we’re called here again, somebody will leave in handcuffs.”
Normally, I would have told him to kiss my ass for trying to lecture me on what I could and couldn’t do on my property, but I bit my tongue and tried to remain calm. I just wanted to get them out of here, not end up in jail for pissing off a cop who seemed to have an authority complex. So, I fought the urge to tell him to go fuck himself and just smiled sweetly at him.
“We will officers,” I said. “And thank you for stopping by.”
Neither said anything else and, walked away from my door.
There was no point trying to close it, so I just returned to my living room.
