Jail's Bait: Time Served (Book 5)

Jake stared at Malik, frowning.  After a moment of silence he took a deep breath.  “It’s you..?”

“Yes, it seems so,” Malik said.  “Someone came forward with proof.”

“Besides the DNA tests?  Didn’t anyone see those- because I didn’t get a chance to see them.”

“I didn’t need a DNA test to tell me who you were,” Marquette replied then, stepping forward.  

“You’re my sister’s child.  I was there back when you were still inside of her, and she confided in me, told me who her baby’s father was.”  She sighed.  “It’s Malik.”

“And you believe this, Auntie..?”  Jake asked with suspicion.

“Why would she lie to me,” Marquette asked him.  “She was frightened and 13 years old.  She needed someone to talk to, and I’m her big sister, the one person she could instantly talk to about anything.  No one would have had the energy to make up a lie at that moment.”

“My mother would,” Jake said ruefully.  “She can lie like a dog when she’s put on the spot.  You don’t know the whole story.”

“I knew that she cheated on Lamar with Malik,” she added, glancing towards the man, “and I kept my mouth shut for her sake.”

“Yeah,” Jake agreed, “and did you know she kept her mouth shut for her own sake..?”

“What do you mean..?” asked Marquette, a look of growing shock in her eyes.

“Awwww, get a clue, Auntie… Mother slept with all of Lamar’s friends, woman- all TWO of them.”

Understanding dawned with Marquette as she spun around to face RahRah, who stood just behind 

her.  “You slept with my little sister while we were still together..?”

RahRah managed to have that ‘cat-that-got-into-the-cream’ look on his face.  “Well, what had happened was-”

SMACK!!

The crowd gasped as RahRah reeled from the roundhouse slap that Marquette gave him.  She stood there, massaging her palm as he grabbed at his cheek.  “OWWWW!” he cried out, “Come on, that was almost twenty years ago!!!”

“Yeah, but I just heard about it, and cheating is cheating,” she replied, glaring at him.  “I never really understood why you left me, and for a long time I thought it was because of your obsession with Lamar.  But that wasn’t it, was it.?  Was it really because that was easier to do than facing me about fucking my little sister..??”  She raised her hand again.

RahRah flinched.  “I’m sorry, I really thought that we could leave all that behind us once Jackie went to stay with your grandfather,” he tried to explain.

Marquette seemed mollified as she slowly calmed down.  “Well, like you said, it was twenty years ago…but you’re still a dick.”

“It’s not like you didn’t already think that…” RahRah muttered, rubbing his cheek.

Jake went on.  “So my mother tells you that Malik here is my father, huh..?  it makes sense, I guess.”  He sounded dubious, however.

Malik tried stepping closer to Jake, slowly.  “Okay, Jake, if you don’t believe this we can always take another DNA test.  I’m game if you are.”

“You seem really eager to get rid of the idea of me being your son,” Jake murmured darkly.

“It’s not that,” Malik defended; “it’s just that… you want to be sure, right?  There were too many lies, too many twists in the truth, and also half-stories passed along.  Let’s be absolutely correct this time, for your sake, and ours.”

“What about for my sake..?” came a feminine voice from the cave mouth; it dripped with a Parisian accent.

Marquette turned and headed into the crowd, bumping and jostling people aside, and re-emerged with a struggling Jacqueline, dressed in a gold lame pantsuit and matching heels, her perfectly coiffed cinnamon hair now looking harassed.  “Sil-vous plait (Please), let me go,” the supermodel begged.

“Now, Mother,” Jake said with some surprise, “how did you find us..?”

Jacqueline sniffed.  “Ze staff down at ze main house, I was told many people passed zis way not too long ago; I simply followed ze footrpints.”  She seemed to try not to look into her older sister’s face.

But Marquette grabbed her by both shoulders, and the two sisters looked each other in the eye.  “Jackie..!  You slept with my boyfriend when we were kids, and lied to me about it..?” Marquette yelled.

The supermodel remained silent, but the guilty light of truth shone too brightly from her eyes.

SMACK!

Jacqueline fell to the cave floor with a scream as Marquette was quickly yanked back by RahRah and Marquis.  “Get up, face me like you should have back when you were crying on my shoulder, right after you fucked my man..!” she screamed.

Jacqueline looked up and saw Melo standing over her.  “Please help me up,” she cried weakly.

“Why should I,” Melo replied with contempt; “our business is done.  Get up on your own,” he replied, crossing over to the other side of the cave.

Jacqueline jumped up, but there was no prima-donna look on her face this time as she faced her sister.  “You red-bone bitch!!  I’ll slice the shit outta you if you try to put your fuckin hands on me again!!” she screamed to Marquette- in perfect American slang.

The change in accent startled a few of the group that stood watching the scene.  “What the-” Angelina began, thunderstruck.

“I told yall that bitch don’t speak French..!!!” Regine cackled with derisive glee.

“Let me GO,” Marquette growled at her son and RahRah.  “She got this coming to her…”

Malik, however, came over to take Jacqueline’s hand.  She looked into his face and began to tremble.  “I’m sorry I put you in the middle of this,” she said.

“Now that’s the Jackie I remember,” Malik said with a small smile.  “Come on, Jackie, make this right.  Why don’t you tell us who Jake’s real father is..?  You see how messed up your son is over this… is it really me?”

Jacqueline stared at her son, who held his gun against Carmen’s neck.  She looked back at Malik, and was still speechless.

“Speak up bitch, we aint got all day,” Kap growled at her.

“Back off, Kap!” Malik countered.

“I thought I’d at least give it a shot,” Kap muttered.

“You’ll get a shot alright, if you try talking to my mother like that again,” Jake threatened.

“The way you disrespect her, I thought you wouldn’t mind anyone else doing it too, Kap shot back sarcastically.

“I still have that little head-shot I took of you and Melo…” Jake said with a sneer.

“Nice try, Flake, but I already know about how you faked the feed on your phone to make it look like they were kissing,” Marquis said, stepping forward.  “No big deal; you’re a liar.”

“What’s this?” Melo asked, coming to the front of the group.

“I can bet you that the other player in the video doesn’t believe that it was staged… do you, Melo?” Jake asked leeringly.

“I don’t know what you’re talkin bout, Jake,” Melo replied blandly.

Jake scowled then.  “So youre not man enough to tell the truth then, huh?  Then why are you here?”

“To help stop you, punk,” Melo said, flexing his fists.

“No, now that’s not the right answer, bub… you’re here for Kap.  Tell the truth, DAMMIT, or she gets it!” Jake cried, thrusting the gun into Carmen’s startled face.  She screamed.

“Get that gun away from Carmen!!” Marquis cried out.

“Fess up, MELO!!!” Jake yelled out, advancing the gun on Carmen, closer, closer…

“Okay-OKAY!!!” Melo said then, holding up his hands; “just put that gun down.”  He turned to Kap.  “It’s true, I came to Seattle for you, Kap.  Marquis, that video was true.  Jake caught me kissing Kap; he promised it to me in return for my silence,” he added.

Marquis was staring at Kap as if he didn’t know him… then he turned to Melo.  “Silence..?  What secret would force you into a kiss with another man, in order to keep it..? he asked with a frown.

Kap turned to Marquis, his face pale.  “I was going to talk to you after all this… but the same day I got stabbed.. it was minutes after I kissed Melo.”

“It seems that Jake wasn’t the only one who saw the kiss live and in color,” Melo added.  “Hooch and I were…messing around for some time now…”

“WHATTTTT?” cried all the other students from Berekley.

Melo grimaced.  “Yeah, whatever though… anyway, Hooch caught feelings for me, turned stalker- and when he caught me kissing Kap, he saw Kap as competition- competition he had to get out of the way.”

“You mean to tell me all this happened because you couldn’t keep your lips off my boyfriend..?” Angelina asked, coming over to shove Melo, who stumbled.  “I thought you was cool, man.”

“Yeah, you’re a real freakin jerk,” Marquis added with spite.

“HEY, leave my little brother alone..!”

The crowd turned around once again to reveal Marcus, who had just entered the cave, eyes flashing, fists clenched.

Kap’s eyes grew wide.  “OMG- that’s Marcus James, the NBA All-Star!!”

Danielle whistled.  “Melo- that’s your brother?”

Melo nodded in surprise.  “Yeah, he is; what are you doing here?” he asked Marcus.

“My dude told me his son’s girl got kidnapped; I came to help,” he said, looking over to RahRah.  “The servants said you guys were up here, but here I find my little brother being ganged up on.  Not on my watch,” he growled.

“Pardon me, Mr. James, but you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Marquis replied coldly.

“Marcus, this is my son, Marquis,” RahRah stepped forward before anyone could say anything else.  “He just heard some news which involved his lover and your brother…”

Marcus stared at Melo and Kap, who stood before him.  “Ahhhhh, I see.  Would that be the same guy you called to tell me about- the guy who taught you how to finally love, Dook?”

“Love???” Marquis asked, incensed.

Melo bristled at the sound of his nickname, but he smiled.  “Thanks for callin out my government, big bro; but yeah, I love Kap, and I’ve told him how I feel.” He looked over at Marquis.  “He refuses to leave you though, so I guess that’s that.”

“Wow, I need popcorn,” Jake said with a devilish grin.  “This is better than All My StepChildren..!”

“SHUT UP, Jake,” Melo threw out.

Jake smiled mischeviously.  “Not yet- you still haven’t told the whole truth, Bear-jock.”

“It’s what they call the Grizzles at school- bear-jocks,” Danielle replied to a confused Ranell.

Jake went on.  “I keep files on all the interesting people on campus, didn’t you know…?  So how much beer DO you keep in the fridge in your dorm?”

Melo froze.  “How did you know..?” he began- but then he looked over at Jacqueline.  “Of course,” he sighed, appearing as if he was putting things together in his mind.

“You have about 30 seconds to tell Kap everything- or I will,” Jake said, the sneer back on his face.  “If you’ve got the guts, that is.”

“Tell me what..?” Kap asked intently.

“Can I please speak to him alone..?” Melo asked Jake.  “This is personal-”

“NO..!  You had all the time in the world to tell the truth, and you clammed up.  TALK NOW..!”

“FINE, you rat-bastard!!!”  He looked at Kap, and Kap never thought he would ever see such fear coming from Melo’s eyes.  “Earlier on, towards the beginning of term, I got a call from that one over there,” Melo pointed with his thumb towards Jacqueline.

“Shut your mouth,” she cried out in fear.

“Not anymore,” Melo said resignedly, his eyes still fixed on Kap.  “She called me to tell me that she’d heard of my… talents, and that I was the one person who could help her out with a personal project; in return, I would get a new car and also the chance to… fuck her.”

“Mother, are you serious?” Jake scoffed.  “You promised to slut yourself with your little deal?”

“Shut UP,” Jacqueline repeated.

“She sent the Lexus truck I drive now as a good faith gesture that I would follow through on my end,” Melo went on, trying to keep focused on Kap’s face.  “Me inviting you to my crib that night was a set-up.  Jacqueline wanted me to find a way to break you and Marquis up, to help her son out with his plans,” he confessed.

“Wow, I didn’t think you had the balls to actually do it,” Jake said in gleeful awe.

“What the fuck is this,” Kap said to Melo, his stunned frown deepening.

“Kap, the night you came over and hung out at my dorm… the night you got drunk, blitzed… and then all of a sudden you were down with whatever I wanted to do… we wound up having the best sex of my life-”

“WHATTTTT???” gasped several people in the room.

Kap didn’t want to turn around to look at whatever expression might be on Marquis's face at the moment… “Oh my god,” he heard Marquis say though, with a stricken tone. 

Melo gulped, and went on.  “You don’t remember any of it, as you know… but there’s a reason for that.  After I tried to holla at you, you turned me down flat.  Remember right after that I gave you a beer- only one beer, and you only sipped on it…”

“Only one beer..?” Kap replied, confused.

Melo looked as if he would have traded his soul for the chance to stop talking- but he kept his gaze locked with Kap.

“I… slipped you a roofie.  A special blend of mine, mixed with Ecstasy. ”

Kap’s face paled.  “You did…what?”

Melo took a deep breath.  “Jake and his mom must have found out my secret.  It was my thing, when I couldn’t get the ass from a female I would slip em a roofie, and I found out that adding Ex to the roofie made them want it bad even though they wouldn’t be able to remember it the next day.  After a while I started trying it out on dudes, and they took to it faster than girls did..!  I used them roofies on many dudes on campus then, and some woke up the next day thinking they had the wildest dream of having sex with me.  Some of the more secure dudes laughed it off, others never mentioned it again, and then there were those who liked it and wanted to feel the real thing- Hooch was one of those.  When I gave you that roofie I thought that you were just a job for me to finish- but then I held you close, and it was… different for me, man. I caught feelings for you, instead of the other way around.  I wanted to give you my heart and that’s real talk-”

WHAMMM!

Melo flew across the cave and hit the ground as Kap, wincing, palmed his left fist.  Marcus jumped forward with a cry of rage, but RahRah grabbed him and yanked him back- “Don’t get involved,” he hissed to Marcus.

“But-” Marcus began.

“But nuthin,” RahRah growled.  “He slipped a date-rape drug to dozens of people.  He got what was coming to him.”

Marcus hesitated, then stepped back, mollified.

Meanwhile, Kap stood before Melo, his anger flaring.  “You raped me,” Kap breathed.

Jake looked like Christmas had come early.  “Gawsp!  I don’t need popcorn, I need funnel cake..!”

“Jake, I’m coming for you after I finish up with Melo,” Jake yelled behind his back to the man.

Jake assumed his most innocent-looking expression.  “Oh yeah, what did lil ol me do..?”

“You put this all in motion, and you think you not gonna get your piece of this?” Kap growled, still facing Melo.

Jake tutted.  “One wrong move my way and my hand slips- and poor Carmen takes a nap.  Her and the kid.  So what was that again, dumb-ass..?”

“Whatever- GET UP, Melo..!” Kap cried out.

Melo began lifting himself to his feet; no one assisted him.  “Look, I deserve that one and much more,” he began.

“You made me wonder whether I was falling for you, man.  And all this time you were lying to me, and you raped me.”  Tears of anger filled Kap’s eyes.

“But its different-” Melo tried again.

“WHO CALLS RAPE LOVE???  Only the sickest of assholes,” Kap spat at Melo.

Melo drew back like he had been slapped.  “You really believe I’m incapable of loving you..?”

Kap’s eyes darkened.  “You love me, huh..?  Prove it then- turn yourself in for serial rape.”

The room gasped.  Melo stared at Kap, the hurt deep within his facial features.  “You’ve got to be kidding me..?”

“Then your so-called ‘love’ is bullshit,” Kap said with contempt.

“What will Melo do..?” Jake sounded like a soap-opera cliff-hanger announcer.  “Will he prove his love and thus destroy his career by pleading guilty to date-rape, or will he remain true to his selfish nature and become the Heismann-trophy winner he was destined to be, thus destroying all future chances with the love of his life in the process…?  Tune in next time…”

“Oh, gawd, shut up!!” Regine groaned.  “You’re worse than a old ghetto woman- and I should know!”

Kap, however, paid no mind to anything else but Melo.  “What are you gonna do..?”

“Never mind all that, you thought that you slept with this guy and you never told me..?” Marquis interjected as Kap spun around to face his lover.

“Uhh-ooohhh…” Jake muttered, humming a sinister tune.

“Look, Marquis, I know I have some things to work out with you-” Kap began.

“SOME things..?” Marquis exclaimed, his eyebrows arched.

“Can we get back to the point please?” Kap asked.  “Why we’re all here..?”

“Yes, and it’s on you Jackie,” Malik said then, turning back to her.  “For once in your life please tell the truth.  Is what you told Marquette years ago the truth?  Is Malik Jake’s father...?”

She still hesitated.  In the drama of the last few moments, RahRah and Marquis had let go of Marquette, who took the opportunity. She rushed at her sister, and before anyone could stop her she jumped in front of Malik and-

SMACK!!! “Tell the truth, bitch!!!” SMACK!! SMACK!!! SMACK!!!

Jackie screamed bloody murder as Marquette's slaps rained down on her, and this time no one went to her defense, so stunned were they all from the attack.  “Get off me!!!” she yelled over and over in a panic, crouching to the floor.

Marquette got down on her knees and grabbed her sister by the shoulders, shaking her wildly.  “IS MALIK JAKE’S FATHER?!?!?” Marquette screamed.

“NO!!!” Jackie screamed out to the stunned crowd.

Marquette released her, and she lay on the ground, heaving with sobs.  “…No,” she repeated once more in between ragged breaths.

Malik knelt besides the two girls.  “That’s enough, Marquette,” he said, turning to the battered supermodel.  “Who is it, Jackie..?  Is it me, or is it Lamar..?”

For the last time Jackie hesitated- and then her sodden eyes looked over towards RahRah, the answer in them evident.  “I lied all those years ago.  Robbie, I… I’m afraid… that Marquis has… a little brother.”

The significance of that remark stunned everyone in the cave all anew.  “I-I can’t believe it,” Marquis said, turning to look at Jake for the first time as his brother.

“Bitch,” Jake declared, staring down at his mother, a darker fury than anyone had seen on his face rising.  “You conceived me from your slut moment with your own sister’s boyfriend…”

“Well, look at that, Jake- turns out you’re holding a gun on your own nephew or niece-to-be,” Carmen said then, reminding Jake that the gun had slid down from Carmen’s face to her stomach.  He began to shake, it was obvious on his face that he didn’t want to hurt the baby at all. He lowered his arm- and then someone tried to rush him.  In knee-jerk reaction he yanked his arm back-

BOOM!!

Screams filled the cave as RahRah suddenly fell to the ground, a large red stain on his shirt just below the rib cage.

Jake froze with fear as fresh screams filled the cave.  A stricken Marquis and Marquette dropped to the floor next to the now unconscious RahRah.  Marcus started to run to him, also, but Melo grabbed him and pulled his brother back from the scene.

“DAD!!!!” Marquis yelled as he tried to revive him, performing CPR.

“Someone call 911,” Marquette grasped in fright.

Jake was trembling as he tried to reach for his cell phone, but everything spilled from his pants pockets- including what looked to Carmen like the skeleton key that would open her handcuff lock.  She dropped to her knees to reach for it, hoping against hope that Jake wouldn’t notice- but she didn’t have to worry about that.  Two seconds later, she heard Kap say: “You son of a bitch!!!  ARRRRGGHHH!!!!”

She looked up in time to see Kap leap onto the stunned Jake, trying to knock the gun from his fist.  They struggled over her as she tried to not get stepped on, feeling for the key in the dirt…

Her hands closed around the small cylindrical object.  Success! she cried inwardly as, kneeling on the ground,  she hurriedly unlocked herself from the handcuff.  In seconds she was free…

“You French-Flake FUCK,” Kap said then as he rained down blows on Jake’s face and body.  Jake was temporarily overwhelmed by Kap’s vicious attack, but then he swung the butt of the gun into Kap’s gut- right where his stitches from the surgery were still healing.

Kap went down to the ground with a yelp of pain, his knee landing right on top of Carmen’s stomach.  She shrieked with pain and landed on the ground underneath Kap, unconscious.

Kap, blinded with pain, heard Angelina cry out- “CARMEN!!!”

He tried to open his eyes, but it was too painful to move his lids… but a part of him shrieked out that he was partially laying on top of Carmen, and he struggled to get up besides the tearing pain in his abdomen.  But moving caused him to suddenly feel a sharp stab of pain, and he blacked out, slumping back down over the unconscious girl.

Angelina and the twins fought to get to the front of the crowd, to reach both Carmen and Kap, but everyone was struggling and in each other’s way… it was almost impossible.  For a moment pandemonium reigned- then it immediately got worse-

“GRRROOWWWLLLL!!!!”

Mostly everyone froze- for at the mouth of the cave was Leo, come home at last.  The noise had attracted him enough to wonder what the hell was going on in his cave, and there the albino lion stood, blocking the only way anyone could enter or leave the cave.  His roar of anger was louder than any noise the others could have dreamed of making.

Suddenly there was a high-piercing shriek- and to the surprise of those around her, Stella the maid suddenly dropped like a stone, in a dead faint.  Lionel rushed over to her, kneeling down to acess the problem.  “Fainted,” he said after a few moments.

“Someone get Stella out of here…” Regine said, looking around frantically; “she shouldn’t have come this far anyway-”

This, however, was the last straw for Leo.  Looking towards the source of the scream, he saw the one of his master’s friends that he did not like… and the smell of RahRah’s blood filled his nostrils, mixing with the scent of fear…

With a guttural roar he bunched and then leapt into the crowd, knocking Jake over and landing on top of him…

“GET OFF ME!!!” Jake screamed in true fear- 

BOOM!!!

The lion stopped in mid-growl, and slumped to one side as Jake scrambled out from under him.  One glance at its frozen face made it plain that Leo was dead.

Marquis, frantically trying to help his unconscious father, went pale from shock when he saw his lion lying prone next to his unconscious best friend and equally unconscious girlfriend-

“NOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

Marquis stumbled across the floor, reaching his pet as he felt for a pulse.  “It’s gonna be okay, boy, its gonna be okay…”

There was no sound from the lion.

With a heave Marquis turned him over.  Right in the space where the heart would be was a large dripping hole, the white matted fur stained dark crimson where the blood seeped to the floor…

“LEO!!!!!!!” His scream was just as loud as his lion’s roar, which he would never hear again…

Jake was crouched nearby in the corner, having finally dropped the gun.  “I-I was only trying to stop him from attacking me,” he whispered, his slowly blackening eyes wide with fear.

Marquis turned towards Jake, and threw himself at the boy, grabbing his throat by both hands-

“NOOOOOOOO!!!!!  I’ll kill you-ILL KILL YOU!!!!” He tightened his fists and Jake began to thrash and choke, slowly turning pale, then blue...