Jail's Bait: Time Served (Book 5)

As he strode up to the caves, Marquis tried without success to find three seats on a non-stop flight from LA to Seattle right away for his friends, but the earliest he could book was two days from now.  Disgruntled, Marquis hung up the cell phone- and realized that he had made it all the way to his destination.

The cave where his lion cub liked the most lay just feet in front of him, the opening yawning stark against the stone and surrounding moss.  Marquis saw his pet’s tracks leading back and forth from within the gaping hole.  “Leo!!” Marquis called confidently.

The cave remained silent.

“Hey, LEO,” Marquis called again; “it’s ME...!”

Again, there was no response.  Staring at the cave, Marquis suddenly felt the hairs on his neck to rise as he peered into the darkness, searching for a sign, movement…

Suddenly a low growl came from deep within the immense dark.

Marquis hesitated, wondering how much of what Malik and Lamar’s warning about Leo he should take to heart.  Then a surge of adrenaline rushed through him.  “LEO!!” he snapped.  “Come here, RIGHT now!!”

A second later, Leo the lion trotted docile-like out of the cave, tail swishing in content, tongue lolling out of his mouth.  Though the lion and Jamara were both 5 years in age, Leo had come into this own by now, with a full mane down his back and powerful, rippling muscles in his haunches.  He let out a small purr of welcome, showing very sharp teeth exuding from his maw, and his lion’s eyes were wide and glittering with recognition of his master.

Marquis smiled and knelt down, throwing his arms around Leo’s neck and burrowing his face into the lion’s golden mane.  “Ahhh, Ive missed you, boy,” he said, tightening his embrace.  He pulled back and stared happily into the great cat’s face.  “They say you were going wild, that you ate the baboon,” Marquis said then, smoothing back the silky mane from the beast’s face.  “But you’d never hurt anyone, would you...?”

Leo replied with a soft and gentle purr.

Marquis laughed.  “Hey, tonight you sleep in my room with me, before the girls and Kap get here, okay?”  He reached up and playfully tugged on Leo’s feline ears; “Just like old times, huh?”

He stood to his feet then, and beckoned to the lion.  “Come on boy, let’s go,” he said then, striding back to the manor, with the lion silently plodding along behind him.

*****

“Hey Carm, have you gotten through to the boys at all...?” Angelina asked her girlfriend as they sat in their dorm room with their suite mates, the Johnson twins Danielle and Tyra.  All were dressed for bed, in pajamas.

Carmen closed her cell phone up once again.  “I can’t get through,” she replied then, frowning.  “Not to either one of them...!  They don’t answer either of their phones.”

“Well, maybe Kap’s practice went over,” Danielle said then, busy polishing her nails.

“It has happened before,” Tyra said, doing her nightly routine of rolling her long hair in pins.  She was medium brown, slim and very pretty, with dark-colored hair.

“That would explain why Kap never even made it to the café for dinner, nor ever called me,” Angelina said then, “but where’s Marquis?”

“Maybe he’s studying with Jake,” Carmen answered; “they do that a lot up on the roof in their dorm.  Or maybe he just wants to be alone; you know, he’s dealing with losing his great uncle.  He might need some space.”

“Or he could have gone to see Kap’s practice, it’s not closed,” Tyra replied then.  “It’s a best friend thing; we know all about how tight best friends can be,” she said, looking at her sister, whom she mirrored identically in every way.

“Yeah, we’re named after best friends, actually,” Danielle added.

“Really...?  You never mentioned that before… how’s that work?” Carmen said.

“Well, our mom used to live back east, in New York.  Our father was named Tyrell Hill, and his best friend was Dante Robinson.”

“Get it...?  Dante, Danielle; Tyrell, Tyra...?” Tyra mentioned then with a mock seriousness.

“They both died before our mom ever got a chance to tell our dad she was pregnant,” Danielle went on.  “Our mama’s name is Nichelle Johnson, but everyone always call her Nisha from the old hood back in the Bronx.”

“…And your father was named Tyrell Hill, huh...?  Hey, wouldn’t it be a hoot if your dad was related to Marquis, like his long-lost uncle or something...?” Angelina grinned. 

“Hmph, I wish- we could sure use some of that Hill family money,” Tyra declaimed; “that’s for damn sure.”  The girls laughed.

“So, if you don’t mind, how’d they die?” Carmen asked; “the best friends…?”

“It was some kind of gun fight, according to our mom,” Tyra said; “they died together.  Our grandma Ranell who still lives back east never wanted to talk about it, but from the way she always looks whenever we bring it up, it must have been really bad.”

“Bad enough to make Mom move from the Bronx to Compton,” Danielle said then.  “She told us it was for our safety or something, like whoever killed our dad might still be out there… we used to ask her lots of questions but she never wanted to talk about it either, but she did at least tell us that we were named for my dad and his boy Dante cause they were such good friends and all…” (For more details on Dante and Tyrell, you should read Love Potion #10...! Shameless plug- so sue me...! LOL REEM1975)

“Interesting story,” Angelina remarked.  “So, girlfriend, should we name our kids after Marquis and Kap...?”

“Or how about me and you,” Carmen chuckled.  “Picture it; ‘Carmelina’ and ‘Angarmen’...?”

“Naw, naw- here it goes,” Angelina said, gulping back laughter; “ ‘Kapelina and ‘Marqarmen’ ”…  They all rolled on the floor laughing.

Carmen’s phone suddenly rang, and when she saw it was Marquis calling she grabbed it, yelling at everyone to shush while trying to stop laughing herself.  She cleared her throat and then opened her phone.  “Hey baby,” she said then, are you okay?  “I’ve been trying to call you…”

“Hey baby,” Marquis said then; “I don’t know why your calls aren’t coming through- but then again, I might not be in a good area to get a signal.  Mountains and all that…”

“Mountains...?” Carmen replied in surprise.  “But there are no mountains here...!”

“Well….” Marquis began, “I’m not actually at Berkley at the moment.  I did something a bit impulsive.”  And he explained the whole situation to her.

Carmen said nothing for a moment.  “Soooo… let me get this straight.  You can’t send the jet back because the only guys licensed to fly it are now out sick, and you bought us tickets to fly coach to Seattle day after tomorrow...?  And yet Jake is there with you now...?”

“He’s settling in upstairs, and I’m outside with Leo, but yes, everything else is actually the truth.” Carmen heard a low, guttural sound that could only be Leo’s way of making his presence known.

“No problem, love,” Carmen replied with composure.  I’ll let Angel know and we’ll find Kap.  ¡adiós!.”

“Wait, Carm- I just want to tell you-”

But she had already hung up the phone, her eyes flashing and her chest heaving.  Angelina, spotting the danger signs, instantly sobered up from the laughter.  “Whats up, girl?”

Carmen took a deep breath.  “Okay... I get that Marquis is going through grief and all that, but this is too much...!”  She turned to her friends.  “That tirón completo sent for the family jet and bounced out of school.  He’s back home in Seattle now...!”

“What the fuck...?” Angelina choked.  “Is Kap with him?  Is that why I can’t reach him?”

“No, Kap’s not with him, girl,” Carmen said with an scandalized look.  “He took JAKE with him on the jet HOURS AGO, and he’s only just calling me NOW… ME!  His got-damn girlfriend.  His freakin fiancée!!! How does Jake get better press than I do?  Me inclino cree aquel asno...!”

“You better step in and remove that French croissant before he starts to make you have to step your game up,” Danielle warned her, putting the finishing touches to her nails and blowing on them to dry.  “You shouldn’t have to compete with another got-damn man for YOUR nigga.”

Angelina and Carmen gave each other surreptitious looks.  No one knew of their special connection and the secret life they enjoyed with Marquis and Kap; they knew that Danielle couldn’t possibly realize how close to the truth her statement was.

“Okay, then,” Angelina said, subtly deflecting from the subject, “if Jake and Marquis are in Seattle, and we’re here in Carter Hall, then where the HELL is my boyfriend...?”

*****

It was just before 6am the next morning.  Sunrise finally reached the windows of the men’s dorm, shining into the third floor windows first and subtly waking those who didn’t have the foresight to close their blinds before going to sleep.

The world slowly blurred into focus as Kap regained consciousness.  At first he was not sure where he was, but as more and more of his sight gained clarity, he saw that he was in his own dorm room, but laying across Marquis's bed in his boxers and a tank-top, with pale early sunlight streaming down into the room.  A low throbbing pain was going on in the back of his head; turning it caused him to grow nauseous and spasmodically vomit right where he lay; since his stomach was empty, nothing but residual mucus and spit came up, hitting the floor.

He lay back, panting, as the world stopped spinning.  What the hell… he thought to himself as he tried to sit upright.  His stomach twisted again, but nothing came up this time.  He turned over on his stomach- and groaned with fresh pain when he lay on his groin.

“OWWW!  What the fuck...?” he asked aloud as he turned slowly to his side, and reached down to feel his balls.  The result was him snatching his hand away as he finally noticed that his scrotum was aching- which puzzled him, even in this hung-over kind of state.  Why do my nuts ache the way they normally do after an all night fuck session with Marquis?

Just to make sure, he reached behind himself and felt his ass- and jumped again.  “Aww shyt, my ass is sore.  Marquis and I must’ve had make-up sex last night…” he happily looked around for his lover then.  “Maybe he’s in the shower…” but then he noticed Marquis's shower slippers and favorite bathrobe still hanging on its perch, which took the happy look from Kap’s face.

He laid back again.  “Wait a minute… he didn’t come home last night,” Kap realized then, disappointment filling him.  “He must have really been pissed after our argument; maybe he went to sleep at the beach house.  But why are my balls sore then- and anyway, why did I get so fucked up last night,” he frowned to himself.  “I don’t even recall drinking anything...”

But just then a scene flashed in his mind of himself inside of Melo’s dorm room, sitting on his couch and taking a bottle of beer…

Shock flooded his brain and helped him sit up straight, all sickness and nausea momentarily forgotten.  “Wait a minnit- I had a fight with Key, then I wound up drinking with Melo… and now my balls are sore as shyt, and my ass aches… Aww FUCK, I got drunk and slept with Melo last night...!  Oh god,” he groaned, guilt refreshing his nausea.

Just then there was a knock at the door.  If it’s that French-Flake, I’ll throw up on him, Kap thought grimly, his eyes closed.  Out loud he said croakily, “Come in.”

The door opened up, footsteps, then the sound of the door closing.  “Hey Kap, you okay...?”

It was Melo’s voice.  Kap gingerly opened his eyes and stared at the tall figure standing over him, holding a glass of what looked like orange juice.  “This is my hangover cure,” he said in a low tone, holidng it out to Kap.  “Tobasco sauce, raw egg, aspirin mixed into OJ.”  He smiled then, sitting down on the bed.  “Come on, sit up so you can get this down.”

Kap simply stared at him.

Melo blinked.  “Are you okay...?  Do you need more than just my hangover cure to-”

“Did we have sex last night...?”

The look of surprise mixed with cat-caught-in-the-cookie-jar confirmed Kap’s suspicions.  He raised up partway in bed, anger fueling his strength.  “Man, why’d you let me get so drunk that I’d get in bed with you...?”

“Is that what you-” Melo started to say.

“Mannnn,” Kap said, groaning and holding his throbbing head with one hand, “ to be honest, not for nuthin, who wouldn’t wanna throw down with a nigga like you… and my nuts hurt, so I know I bussed off madd deep… I don’t remember it, but that shyt had to be hot for me to still have a kind of …good feeling about it.”

That would be the Ecstacy part of my roofie, Melo thought to himself; out loud he agreed, “Yeah, that was one of the best jumpoffs I had at this school yo.  Damn, I wish you was all mine.”

“But that’s just it man,” Kap said.  “I’m NOT all yours.  You took advantage of me being drunk and half-hot for you.   I told you I love Marquis.  You gonna pretend I didn’t say that shyt...?”  He glared at Melo through narrowed eyes.  “Man you lucky that I’m fucked up right now, cause I wouldn’t give a fuck that you are a quarterback; you’d have my boot stuck up in your quarterback ass...!”

Well, that’s kinky, Melo thought to himself slyly; your foot up my ass is just about the only thing we didn’t do last night… Aloud he acquiesced.  “Look,” Melo said then, placing the hangover cure on the nearby desk and holding his hands up in surrender, “I’m sorry that I disrespected you and Marquis.”

Kap stared heatedly at Melo, then seemed to deflate, sagging back on the bed.  “Naw, its my fault for gettin so damn drunk,” Kap said then, frowning at Melo.  “How many beers did you give me...?  I only remember that first one.”

Before Melo could answer, Kap’s cell phone rang; from the ringtone he knew it to be Marquis.  “That’s my dude,” he said abruptly then, pointing towards the door.  “Let yourself out.”

Melo stared at Kap once again, and then nodded and headed towards the door.  “I’m sorry again,” he said by way of farewell, pulling the door closed.

Outside in the hall, Melo stared at the now closed door, placing one broad hand on its surface, knowing that just on the other side of the door was the ONE… pride and ego kept Melo from telling the honest truth to Kap; that not only was that the best sex he’s ever had at the school, it was the best sex he’d ever had in his life.  No girl, no other dude, no one ever made Melo shiver and stutter, spasm and lose control of himself the way he did last night with Kap.  He knew then that Kap pireced the inner wall where his heart lay hidden, and struck him right in the center.  

“Yeah, Kap,” Melo murmured to the door, caressing his hand over it in longing, “you and I aren’t over yet, not by a LONG-”

WHAM.

Someone had just thrown a hard-as-fuck punch to the small of Melo’s back.  A lesser man would have fallen, but he was the star quarterback of the school, and had taken knocks just as hard in practice, let alone on the field.  He spun around, ready to break the jaw of whoever had just assaulted him, and saw a second fist come flying at his face.  With the reflexes borne of his football training, he blocked the punch by grabbing the fist in mid-air- and that’s when he saw the dark-skinned thug Hooch, struggling to free himself from Melo’s grasp.  In one smooth motion Melo grabbed Hooch by the legs and hoisted him up over his back.

Hooch started to yell- but Melo whispered to him, “If you EVER want any mo of this dick, nigga, you will SHUT THE FUCK UP- right now.”

Hooch instantly shut the fuck up.

Melo grunted.  “Guess I was right when I thought yo bitch-ass would do any mafcukin thing for dick…” and then, carrying Hooch over his neck like a sack of potatoes, Melo disappeared down the hall.

*****

Kap reached over and picked up his cell.  “Sup,” he said groggily.

“Hey, nigga, where you been...?” Marquis asked heatedly.  Leo, laying beside his master, looked up mildly.

“Here in the dorm,” Kap replied.  “Who are you yellin at?”

“I-I’m sorry…. Dude, I’ve been lookin for you,” Marquis said in answer.  “When I saw you yesterday we got into it… and that’s not what I really wanted to say.”

“Well, it seems like that’s all we do nowadays is fight,” Kap replied seriously, “over that fuckin’ French-Flake.”

“Do you have to start this already...?” Marquis asked wearily.  “I asked you over and over not to call him that- look, never mind all that right now.  I’m in Seattle.”

That made Kap sit bolt upright in bed.  “You’re WHERE...?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah.  Right before I saw you outside the café, my father had just called me.”

“Rah-Rah...?” Kap suddenly felt an icy chill creep through him; nothing Rah-Rah ever involved himself in turned out pleasant for the Hill family.  “What’s happened?”

“Smithers passed away,” Marquis replied simply.

“Your great-uncle...?  Aww man, I’m sorry,” Kap said then.

“Well, he was my great-great-uncle, but I understand what you mean,” Marquis said.  “Thanks.”

“So you had to go home for the funeral?” Kap asked.

“The funeral’s in a couple days.  I decided to come home early,” Marquis replied, absently stroking Leo’s mane.

“So… do you want to be alone, or...?”

“I wish my best friend was here with me,” Marquis replied, answering the unspoken question.  “And tell him to bring the love of my life with him too,” he added.

“Yeah,” Kap answered with a small smile, and then guilt brought the fact that he had (possibly awesome) sex with Melo last night back to him, wiping the small smile off his face.  “So, how’d you get there so fast?” he asked distractedly.

“The Hill family jet,” Marquis said.  “It was already fueled and ready to bring me back to HT.”

Kap put one hand to his head again, willing the rollercoaster in his head to slow down.  “So can the jet come back for me and the girls...?  I assume you want them to come as well?”

“No, it’s not that… the weirdest thing happened,” Marquis said, explaining to Kap the condition of both pilots.

Kap whistled.  “Wow.  “Good thing you got to Seattle just in time, huh?”

“Seems like it,” Marquis agreed.  “So I found tickets for you guys; you can fly out here tomorrow afternoon, or if you can find a faster way, just use the Hill family Crest.  You know it grants the jewel’s holder unlimited access to the Hill family bank account at every bank in America, and some of the Swiss ones too; no questions asked.”

“You mean use the jewel to get money to pay our way back home- if we can find a faster way than flying out tomorrow?” Kap asked skeptically.

“I know you don’t like to use the jewel, but just this one time, for me, please...?”  Marquis hesitated.  “I could use my friends around me, I still feel guilty as hell that I never told the guy I was his nephew- distant nephew, but still…”

“We’ll be there,” Kap declared.  “I’ll call the girls.”

“I already did,” Marquis said.  “Listen, there’s something I have to tell you-”

But just then Kap’s nausea came back full-force, making him retch across the bed.  “Baby- hold that thought, I gotta go,” Kap managed to say, hanging up the phone before the wave hit hard, splattering the floors with more sick.

*****

Marquis stared at the phone, realizing what he heard just as the phone died was the retching sounds of a college kid regretting his drinking choices the night before.  “He must’ve really got shit-faced, huh,” Marquis remarked to himself as he headed on down the hall to the nursery, thinking Kap must have really been hurt from all their fighting to get drunk all alone.  “Maybe this wasn’t the best time to tell him about Jake, after all…”

*****

A shadow detached itself from the cluster of dark just beyond the place Marquis stodd to hae his conversation with Kap.  The owner of the shadow reached into his pocket to bring out a shiny, glittering red jewel, suspended by a golden chain; in the center of the jewel the letter H was intricately carved.  A slight grin spread across the face of the one who held up the jewel he stole from the rightful owner.

Jake smiled again as he surveyed the Hill family Crest with renewed interest. “So, this thing right here gives the holder access to the entire fortune… all over the world...?  Le plus magnifique,” Jake said, his grin widening into an evil smile.  “Bulls-eye.”