Page 19 of Still Forever

“I can fund your relaxation day until my son comes back home. Let me know when you want to do lunch,” He chuckled and kissed my forehead.

My mother scoffed and rolled her eyes. She always hated how close Jax and my father were.

She told him that being around Jaxon was going to get him a RICO charge, but he never cared.

“Thank you, daddy,” I said just as the Valet attendant came back with my car and handed me the keys. I peeled off a bill to tip him before walking around to the driver’s door.

My father yelled after me, “taught you well.” I turned to him and laughed, blowing him a kiss, and then disappeared into the sun for a day of relaxation.

My spur-of-the-moment self-care day was well spent.

My nail tech must have gotten cracked good the night before, because she gave me the best pedicure ever and a fire Russian manicure.

Normally, I only let one girl in the shop thread my eyebrows, but I tried another girl, and they came out perfectly. It was a sign of good things coming.

I went from store to store, courtesy of Leon, then took myself to a restaurant to sit at the bar and wind down with a couple of drinks. The restaurant I had chosen was one I had visited many times. I loved the atmosphere, and the food here was always a hit.

“Excuse me, ma’am, you don’t mind if I take a seat here, do you?

” I turned around to see an older gentleman standing beside me.

He had a salt-and-pepper beard, was a little on the shorter side, and was well-groomed and dressed.

I figured that he wouldn’t be a bother, and even if he was, I technically couldn’t stop him from taking an empty seat anyway.

“No, I don’t,” I gave him a smile and turned back to my lobster rolls.

“You are gorgeous,” he said as he took his attention from the screen in front of us and brought it back over to me. I inwardly groaned.

I had been giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was coming to hit on me.

“Thank you,” I kept it short. Not wanting to be rude, but not wanting to be too inviting.

He continued to talk to me, trying to be charming. But I kept it surface. I smiled, nodded, and laughed on cue.

I felt someone stop between the two of us and stand there. I turned abruptly to see Zo there, in the middle of the restaurant, causing a commotion with an AR. Immediately, my face flushed with embarrassment.

“Uh, old head. You got two minutes to get the fuck up and leave.” He said lowly.

“Zo…” I said through clenched teeth.

He never looked my way. Instead, he continued to keep his eyes trained on the man who was fumbling to pull money from his pocket to pay for his items.

Mayhem was unfolding around us. Chairs sliding, glass breaking, screams, and people falling over each other to get out the door. All while he stood there as cool as a cucumber, and I knew this had everything to do with Jaxon.

The man, whose name I didn’t even care to grab, was out of the restaurant like his loafers were flaming. Picking up my last roll, I hit Zo on the arm when we were alone.

“Let’s go, Kennedy,” he said as he stepped to the side to allow me space to get down from the barstool I had been sitting at.

Scoffing, I grabbed my purse and we walked toward the exit.

“Ma’am! Ma’am, are you okay? The police are on the way.” The waitress tried to stop me by grabbing my arm on the way out.

“That hero shit gets muhfuckas killed,” Zo’s head snapped toward her. She screamed.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I assured her as I continued to walk, hurrying outside.

“Zo, what the hell are you doing?” I screamed as soon as we were on the sidewalk.

This man reached into his pocket and threw a mint into his mouth casually and shrugged, “Boss’s orders.

He said when he said no more dates, he meant that shit, and you have a two-smile maximum.

Since we cool like that, I gave you four.

Come on, so I can trail you home.” He said as he walked me toward my car.

I shook my head at Jaxon as I got into my car and drove away.

Back at my condo, I swung the car door open and gathered my things before walking toward my front door.

Beside me, another car door opened at the same time.

It was Taj. I had been so busy thinking about Jaxon that I didn’t even notice that his car was parked waiting for me.

His door opened, and my heart started beating faster than the speed of light.

I knew that Zo was literally parked just a couple of cars away from me, watching the whole interaction.

“Hey, Kennedy,” Taj said as he got out of the car and extended his arm for a hug. I gave him a church hug.

“Hi, Taj. Why are you popping up at my home? The office was one thing, but just because you were here once doesn’t mean you have an open invitation,” I scolded. Instantly regretting the moment I allowed him to pick me up the other day. I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him.

“I’m sorry, Kennedy. You weren’t answering my calls. And I wanted to have a conversation with you.”

“Coming to my home uninvited isn’t cool,” I snapped at him. Whether Jaxon comes back into the picture or not, this still would have been a red flag for me.

“Well, I didn’t think you would mind since everyone else comes and goes as they please. I get an attitude when I come, and they get pussy?” He snapped, causing me to freeze at the change in his tone.

“Excuse you?” I raised an eyebrow, shocked.

“You heard what the fuck I said. I was trying to treat you like a woman. If you wanted to be treated like a hoe, you should have just told me that,” He snarled.

“Goodbye, Taj,” I said as I turned to walk away from him. I didn’t even have the capacity to cuss him the fuck out. My hips still hurt from the way Jaxon had me folded like a pretzel. I had bigger issues than his crazy ass.

He pulled me by my elbow and yanked me back; my head spun in his direction.

“That’s what you’re used to, right, bitch? Being manhandled?” He gritted as he squeezed my arm.

Before he knew it, the purple Ruger LCP was out of my purse and pressed against his chest.

“If you don’t get the hell away from my house, you’re going to find out that being with Jaxon taught me more than how to suppress my gag reflexes,” I smirked.

He threw his hands up in surrender. Over the years, especially after what happened with Storm, Jaxon and Trouble had us get firearm training to make sure we were comfortable using them.

Despite us always having armed security, they still thought that we should know how to defend ourselves.

Their work paid off, because I was fully prepared to lay Taj to rest on this curb.

Everything happened so fast, I didn’t even see Zo approaching us.

I should have known that he would intervene.

Zo put Taj in some sort of pressure point chokehold, and he was out in less than five seconds and slumped against Zo’s body.

I watched, eyes wide, as he dragged Taj over to his car, popped his trunk, and stuffed him inside of it.

I scanned the area quickly, hoping that none of the neighbors were outside walking their dogs. Not like having an audience would stop Zo, but I was grateful that no one seemed to be here to witness it.

“You good?” Zo asked as he came back around to Taj’s car door and opened it. I cleared my throat and nodded as I straightened my clothes.

“Aight, go in the house,” He ordered. I did as I was told and spun on my heels to unlock my door.

I went over to the window and watched as he disappeared from the community in Taj’s car.

As soon as he was out of my eyesight, I knew in my gut that I would never see him again.

If Jaxon was involved, Taj’s chapter in my life had just been closed. Permanently.