Page 98 of Widow Mayker

“Thanks, man. If it wasn’t for you and Maja runnin’ the play, I would’ve missed out on the biggest win of my life. Next month, I can’t wait to be at ya side while you watch ya bride come down the aisle.”

“Shit, it won’t come fast enough.” We both chuckled and dapped again.

“You know I love you like a brother, right?”

“Right,” I replied.

“And I love Maja like a sister.”

“No question.”

“I have something for you. I’ve been holding on to it for a while, simply because I wasn’t sure how you’d handle it. Make no mistake, I want to protect you. However, Maja… She’s different, bruh. I mean different like, don’t ever let another nigga get the opportunity to have her. Protecting her is paramount.”

“We agree on that.” As close as Lewis and I were, I wouldn’t dare share what I knew about Maja. My baby’s secrets were mine to take to the grave.

“Good,” he said. “I got something for you.”

He produced a cellphone and handed it to me. As he put it in my hand, he held on to my hand.

“Promise me you gon’ always protect her.”

Confused, I responded, “Of course.” Lewis never questioned me this much, leading me to be intrigued by what the hell was on this cellphone.

“Go to the last video recorded. Press play and just…listen. No judgement. Just listen wit’ ya heart, man. Aight?”

I chuckled. “Aight, bruh, damn.”

He chuckled too, then dapped me again before leaving me in the gazebo with the cellphone still tucked in my hand. Doing as he said, I opened the phone, surprised to see the picture on the screen.

“Jemell?” I mumbled it out loud. It was a picture of him and Iyana on the screen. That nigga would be haunting me from the grave. Immediately, everything I’d done over the last few months came to this moment. From scrubbing the case files to accidently misplacing witness statements, I’d made sure nothing tied back to Maja. Was there evidence hiding somewhere that I missed? Obviously, so. It rested in my hand, the weight of it heavy.

Promise me you gon’ always protect her…

Lewis’s voice echoed in the recesses of my mind. Shit! Quickly, I went to the gallery to view the video. It was a black screen, and the recording time was nearly three hours. I turned the volume down, pressed play, then brought the phone to my ear.

“You the bitch that was at the burger joint. The fuck you doin’ in my shit, shawty?”

There was a brief moment of silence, then my heart stopped.

“Hi. I’m May.”

My baby’s voice. Although just above a whisper, flat, and void of emotion, Maja’s voice was unmistakable. I cut the video off and felt my chest caving in.

“You okay?”

I spun around and grilled Adir. His ass was standing right inside the gazebo, just a couple of steps from me.

“Say, mane. You gon’ have to put some fuckin’ bells on ya feet.”

He smirked and shook his head. “You good?” he questioned again. His eyes dipped to the cellphone still weighing down my hand.

I slipped it into my pocket and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.” My chest was tight, but it would calm down as soon as I figured out how the hell I was going to ensure nobody ever got a hold of this phone or anything else tying Maja to Jemell’s crime scene. I was sure of tying up every loose end, and now I felt like everything was about to come crashing down.

“While you were recovering, Lewis and I had a conversation.” He motioned toward my pocket. “He showed me that cellphone. I told him to hold on to it and give it to you once you were ready.”

“What the hell?” Incensed, I glared at Adir. “Are you crazy? He could’ve taken this shit to the Feds.” If I was in my right mind, I would’ve known that Lewis would’ve never did any shit like that.

Adir shrugged. “He could’ve. However, I knew he wouldn’t. The only way to test a man’s loyalty is to put ya life into his hands.”