Jordyn's life in Chicago is turned upside down when she receives a call from her estranged mother, Pauline, who’s been arrested by the feds in Miami. Torn between her past and her new life, Jordyn must decide whether to return to a city that holds painful memories and danger, or stay and protect the future she’s worked so hard to build.
“This is a prepaid call from a Dade County correctional facility. If you would like to accept this call, press 1. If you do not wish to accept this call, hang up.”
Jordyn’s heart sank in her chest. It had been four years since she’d seen or spoken to Mega, so when the jail call came through, she was afraid to accept in fear of hearing his voice again. But something in her gut told her to answer, and when she did, the last person she expected to hear on the other end was her mother.
“Hey, Baby Girl.”
“Ma!?” Jordyn frowned in confusion. “Why the hell are you calling me from jail?”
“It’s a long story that I can’t get into over the phone, but I need your help.”
Pauline sounded fragile and defeated. After her come up with Mega and his crew, she started putting in crazy work. She made the most money out of all of his workers and rounded up more clientele in different states than any of his men.
She loved the game of money. She loved the freedom that came with it, and she loved being able to take care of herself the way she used to. So when she had to call Jordyn and ask for help again, Pauline felt like she had failed her daughter for the umpteenth time.
“Are you able to come to Miami?” she asked. “The detectives that picked me up from bingo don’t look like no regular detectives. I been around the yard a few times, so I know the feds when I see them.”
“Ma,” Jordyn sighed, “I told you I was never coming back. And this is exactly why I wanted you out of Miami and away from all that shit.”
“I know. Trust me, I know. I’m sorry to call you, but I got a bad feeling about this.”
The fear Jordyn felt before the call began turned into anger before it ended. She had built a brand new life in Chicago, started her own consulting company, and thought she put the reckless city of Miami in her rearview for good. So it pissed her off when Pauline called, asking for her help again. It seemed like no matter how far Jordyn tried to distance herself from the life of crime, it always followed.
“You have one minute remaining,” the operator’s voice alerted.
“Can I call you tomorrow?” Pauline asked. “I’m not sure what they’re holding me on, so maybe I’ll be released. But if not.”
“Yeah,” Jordyn cut her off to avoid a truth she knew all too well. “Call me tomorrow and let me know what’s going on. I’ll see what I can do about getting down there.”
The call ended before either of them got to say their goodbyes and even though Jordyn was upset with her mother for turning to the streets again, she felt odd not being able to say I love you.
From what she knew about jail, doing time felt like dying a slow death. And since Pauline had already declined from her cancer, Jordyn’s feelings of obligation crept into her bones and made her want to run to her mother’s rescue.
Every time I try to live my best life, here comes some bullshit, she thought to herself. I left Miami, Mega, and all their toxic bullshit behind four years ago. Why the hell would I wanna go back? She knows how triggering it is for me. Especially after my miscarriage.
Jordyn’s mind was all over the place, but the one thought that was constant was her miscarriage.
When she found out that Mega slept with Mila while they were in New York, she got so sick and stressed out that the pregnancy was too much for her body to bear.
Not to mention the dozens of times he called, wanting to know where she was and if she was keeping the baby.
The truth was, Mega was the reason she was able to leave Miami in the first place. He was the reason she was able to start her company and build a new life. But he was also the reason she never wanted to step foot on Florida soil again.
After the way he played her with Mila and thought $200,000 would buy him time to figure out his love life, Jordyn grew tired of waiting and turned into a woman with a chip on her shoulder.
“Knock-knock.” Adrian, Jordyn’s assistant, walked into her office without a care in the world. She was bold, loud, and boisterous. The perfect candidate for JX Consulting. Jordyn had actually hired her by accident, but over time, they grew to love each other and were able to put their differences aside to build an empire.
“What if I was in here getting my freak on or something?” Jordyn teased. “You never wait for me to actually say, ‘Come in. You just come in.”
“Oh, I know Miss Conservative ain’t doing none of that!” Adrian laughed. “You probably ain’t let a nigga smell the coochie the whole time you been in Chicago.”
She was right. No man had touched Jordyn since Mega. She was so messed up over him, Mila, and the miscarriage that she wouldn’t even look at a man too hard.
“Everything that needed to be signed, sealed, and delivered has been signed, sealed, and delivered. So I’ma take off on this good Friday night. I got myself a hot date.”
Adrian admired herself in the full body mirror in Jordyn’s office as if she were wearing her favorite freak-um dress and red heels.
She was a thick and curvy woman with a small waist and the perfect ratios. No man to call her own, but she had a lot of admirers. You know, men she used to get what she wanted.
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