Page 52 of Mr. Blackwood

“I don’t. I’d hoped that I had proven my intentions by now. I’m not even fighting you for my magazine or to restore all you’ve taken from me.”

His gaze softened before he dropped it to his plate. He pulled his fingers thoughtfully through his beard. “You’re right. I wanted to trust you, Camilla, the way that I hadn’t trusted anyone in a long time. I was so close to opening up to you before this happened.”

“My intentions weren’t pure at first, but I fell for you over time, Jabari. I wanted your story, and to have you featured in my magazine. I thought if you lowered your guard, you might show me the side of you no one else saw, and that if you came to trust me, you might agree to do an exclusive with my magazine. I was wrong to use you for exposure, and I’m sorry. I never expected to fall for you, though. Do you think that you ever will trust me again?”

“I don’t know. Only time will tell.”

“I hate it when people say that,” I replied with light laughter.

“It’s true. Why don’t you tell me what you learned from my father?”

“I will. In exchange, would you tell me where he disappeared to? No one has seen him in a while.”

He chuckled. “My father is in a facility that will help him deal with his gambling and alcohol addictions.”

“Where?”

“Fair Oaks.”

I whistled. “That’s an upscale facility. Kind of like a retreat.”

“It is, but it’s structured, strict, and they have routines that will be beneficial for him.”

“And it will also keep him from talking to reporters and selling your story to the highest bidder,” I replied, knowingly.

He nodded. “Yeah, and that.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize what I was stepping into when I chased after him.”

“What did he tell you?”

“He said that you used to be a drug dealer, and you were heavy in the streets. When an argument arose between your brother and you, you killed him and some other guys over drugs and money to ‘level up.’ He said that it was because of you that your mother died and that he turned to gambling and alcohol. He said that you also left the girlfriend behind who you vowed to protect and love.”

“And when he told you that story, all you saw was a monster, right?”

“No. I saw a man who had to change his life and identity if he wanted a shot in this world where no one cared about the truth, where lies and drama were preferred because they were more sensationalized. Was I shocked? Yes. Did I become worried? Absolutely, but I never feared for my safety or feared you.

“I’m a reporter in my heart, Jabari. Because of that, I always know there’s more to the story than what the eye can see. I never stop at surface-level thinking—I get to the heart of it all. That’s what I wanted to do with you, but you pushed me out.”

“You could see how it would look bad to me though, right?”

“I do. I will work hard to prove to you that I’m sorry for that. It won’t just be my words but my actions, Jabari. Please, just don’t shut me out—don’t give up on us.”

He dragged his hand down his face and looked out of the windows. I reached over and took his hand in mine, and with my other hand, I turned his face back to me. “If you’d care to tell it, I’d love to hear the entire story—your story. It’s not to be published, but so that I can understand you.”

He turned away again, but this time his jaw clenched, and his eyes took on a distant look. He remained quiet for several long minutes, and I feared after a while that he would do what he always did—find a way to distract me. When he did open up, I was surprised.

“My brother was feeding the Opps information on my crew and me for drugs. I’d refused to sell him anything because my mama and daddy begged me not to feed his crack, coke, or meth habit. I didn’t. He was my big brother, and I loved him. I hated seeing him the way that he was, but there wasn’t shit I could do about it but honor their wishes.

“One of my boys told me to watch my back because some other guys were eyeballing me to take me out. He informed me that they were getting information from someone in my inner circle. I didn’t want to believe it. When they came after me the next day and tried to rob and kill me at a spot no one knew about, I knew that he was telling the truth.”

“Are you sure they were trying to kill you?”

“When men pull out guns on you and shoot at you, trust me, pretty lady, they’re trying to kill you. Only one person knew where I would be—my brother, Malik. It was either them or me, and I chose me. I killed two of the guys on the spot, and the other two escaped. The first thing that I did was hunt my brother down and confront him. We argued, and I told him to stay away until he was ready to own up to what he’d done.

“I told him that I was gonna lay low, and I told him where he could find me when he was ready to apologize. When I returned to my place to grab a few things before I disappeared, I learned that Malik stole my stash. I laid low for a couple of weeks, but the other two guys hunted me down again.”

“And Malik was the only one who knew your location?”