Page 41 of You Make Me Feel

I nodded. After that, I quickly got my keys and wallet from the kitchen countertop to follow them to the police station. It was a Friday night. She probably wouldn’t be arraigned until Monday. Knowing my baby would be behind bars until Monday made me sick inside. When I got to my car, I immediately called Devin. I didn’t have Sidney’s phone number. He answered after one ring. “Hello?”

“Mr. Taylor, this is Oliver. I need your wife’s number. Kinisha just got arrested for assault.”

“Aww shit. I’m texting it to you now. What did I tell you about that Mr. Taylor shit? What happened?”

“I know. I know. She yanked my ex-employee to the ground by her hair. For whatever reason, Mya is in the hospital. This shit done went from bad to worse.”

“Don’t worry. We’re heading that way. What county?”

“Harris.”

“A’ight. We’re gonna head that way, but go ahead and call Sidney so she can have all the details.”

“Okay.”

I ended the call and immediately called her. She answered just as quickly as Devin had. I ran down the entire situation, starting when we purchased the hot dogs. She was fuming but promised to try to get the charges dropped. I didn’t know how she would do it, but I had faith in her abilities. She was great at what she did. There had to be something that could be done, though. Kinisha had a temper that I hadn’t noticed until now. While that could serve her well, it didn’t work to her benefit this time.

Sidney informed me that they would most likely release her, and she would have to return Monday for her arraignment. Hopefully, that would be the case. Although I knew I wasn’t to blame, I felt guilty as hell. Mya was after me, and that got Kinisha caught up in this bullshit. I wanted to call Lazarus and tell him what was happening, but I thought better of it. They expected her to be gone all weekend anyway.

If they released her after I met her bail, then she could let them know what was going on if she wanted to. When we got to the police station, I was antsy as hell, not knowing what to expect. I’d never been in trouble or associated with anyone who got into trouble. I hadn’t educated myself on protocol for an allegation like this. I just hoped it didn’t take Devin and Sidney too long to arrive.

As I exited the car, I watched them lead my baby inside. I was grateful they weren’t rough with her. It would be no good if we both ended up in jail. I wouldn’t have hesitated to knock a cop on his ass if he’d mishandled her. When I walked in, an officer had me sit in the waiting area while they booked her. I was sure I would know of any bail once they were done. I wasn’t certain of Mya’s condition, so I could only hope her bail was minimal.

Chapter 15

Kinisha

That stupid ho had gotten me caught up. I was so disappointed in myself. This one time, it didn’t matter what anyone else thought because I was disgusted with myself. I was arraigned Monday, and while I wanted to plead not guilty, my conscience got the best of me, especially because she ended up in the hospital with a concussion. She hit her head on the cement and had to get a few stitches for a minor laceration the blow caused.

I pled guilty and accepted my couple of months of probation and community service. Sidney was prepared to go to bat for me, but I knew I was wrong. Had Mya put her hands on me, I would have fought it to the bitter end. That was on me. I didn’t control my impulses; now, I had to suffer the consequences.

Thankfully, I had a very understanding boss. He told me his brother had been in trouble with the law some years back and that their mother was a queenpin. That shit was surprising as hell, especially when he admitted to selling drugs while in college. God had spared me yet again. I knew Oliver was just as disgusted as I was, but he held me in his arms and assured me that everything would be okay.

I didn’t bother telling my family. They would only blame Oliver . . . at least my dad would. I knew Kiana wouldn’t, but I didn’t want to involve her or Ramsey in the shenanigans.

As I sat at my desk, reviewing a client’s financial report, my phone rang. I glanced at it and answered when I saw it was Ramsey.

“Hello?”

“Hey. Where the hell you been? I was calling you all weekend.”

“You forgot I told you I was going to All-Star Weekend with Oliver?”

“Shit. Yeah. I was calling to tell you about this fuck nigga. So I guess it wasn’t important.”

“Ramsey, your feelings are valid, boo. What happened?” I asked.

She sounded like she was about to put herself down, and I couldn’t have that. Robert had done a number on my girl. Although we’d gone to the club and gave him the business, she loved him. He was her fiancé. He was the man she was suppose to marry, start a family with, and spend the rest of her life with. I felt so sorry for her. I knew what it felt like to be duped and taken advantage of.

Jarod had a whole-ass woman that he was planning to propose to while he was fucking me, leading me on to think we could possibly have more. I hated to see her so broken, though. She’d had a relationship with his ass. I wasn’t as involved with Jarod. This man had promised to give her the world, although he was rarely present when she needed his ass. She’d given her all to him, only for him to break her heart.

“Robert called, begging me to take him back.”

I rolled my eyes. However, when she didn’t say anything else, they widened. “Ramsey? What did you say?”

“I told him to meet me at Sertino’s to talk about it.”

Sertino’s was one of our favorite sandwich cafes to go to. It was so laid-back and comfy. I switched my phone to my other ear and asked, “Are you serious?”

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