#3 Turn Up for Real Read online

  I responded, “Well, I just want to make one album, sir. I wasn’t fortunate enough to win your competition, so I’m just trying to make my own way. I can’t believe my dad knows you.”

  “Yeah, we go way back, and I’d love to mentor you along the way. Though I’ve got to be honest, Stanley,” Mr. Mundy said to my dad, “I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to keep my doors open, so helping your daughter right about now is a stretch.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  SCHEME

  “So you still thinking about my kiss?” Avery seductively said to me on the phone.

  Holding the phone between my shoulder and my ear, I looked up at the ceiling and had my hands raised. I don’t know if I was trying to imagine him on top of me or if I was going crazy. Just talking to the guy had me spinning.

  He purred, “You’re not answering me, and you know I’m dying to see you again. My lips are dry. When can we connect?”

  “It hasn’t even been a week, and the last time I was with you I got in a whole bunch of trouble.”

  “Wait, straight up, I’m being serious now,” Avery changed his tone and said. “Please tell me you hadn’t been thinking about those guys. Again, I’m sorry. K.J. had no right to force himself on you like that.”

  “No, no, no. You came in just in the nick of time. I don’t have nightmares or anything, and you did a pretty good job of helping me forget the events of that day. When I think back on it, I’m definitely not thinking about him. I got in trouble with you.”

  He let out a sweet sigh. “When can we see each other?”

  “Well, you’re not going to be the one to ask all the questions.”

  “Okay, what do you want to know?”

  “Have you settled everything with those goons?”

  “Goons … that’s a weird word.”

  “Okay, creeps, jerks, hoodlums, guys that have no problem roughing up you, me, or your mom.”

  Huffing, he sighed, “Okay I get ya. I got that. You don’t need to worry about it.”

  “So that’s a yes?”

  “Tell me about your business. You’re going to start the record label? We gonna cut a demo? Did you and that queen form a group or what?”

  “You’re changing the subject, Avery,” I stated, a bit agitated.

  “That’s cuz I don’t want you stressed, Slade,” he uttered back in his sultry and enticing voice.

  “I like the way you say my name,” I said to him, getting myself off track.

  Avery was a dream. He was so daggone hot that even through a phone his voice sent chills up my spine. I didn’t even realize I was squirming in the bed and biting the blanket until the door abruptly opened.

  My mother shouted, “Slade, what in the world are you doing?”

  “Okay, I got to go,” I rolled over and said, as I quickly hung up on Avery, unable to even fathom an explanation that would make sense.

  Irritated, she huffed, “What were you doing feeling all over yourself like you done lost your mind?”

  I guess I had lost my mind. I didn’t know if it was the porn, if it was the kiss, if it was just me growing or what, but I wasn’t the same old sweet, innocent Slade anymore. Maybe some of the sexy music I was singing was making my hormones go crazy. Whatever it was, I had changed.

  My mom and I had always been cool, so I sat up and said, “Can we talk?”

  The way I said it let her know that I was serious. If she didn’t want to know what was going on with me, then she needed to just say no because she wasn’t ready to hear that her little girls were growing up. I couldn’t speak for Shelby, Ansli, Sloan, or Yuri, but I for sure could speak for Slade. I really did need a cool mom to talk to about it all. She came over and sat beside me.

  She took my hand, looked me square in the eye, and said, “Yes, for sure. You know it. You can talk to me. What’s up?”

  “It’s this guy.”

  Half joking, she gasped, “Not you too … are you serious? What is going on with you girls? You were playing with Barbies, and now you all want to play with Ken?”

  “Ha, ha, ha, Mom.”

  “No, I’m really serious. Who is this boy? Where’d you meet him, and how serious is it? I send you girls to public school, and all of y’all lose your mind. Only wanting to study anatomy or something.”

  “Whatever, Mom,” I teased and nudged her. “Girls in private school are having sex too.”

  “So you’re having sex?” she snapped.

  “Mom, I didn’t say that! But I mean, if you’re going to trip like this, then forget it.”

  She got up and paced the floor for a minute, holding her head like she had a headache. I hadn’t even really told her anything. I guess all the stuff she was imagining had her stressed.

  “When did you lose your virginity?” I asked her, really wanting to know.

  “Slade Sharp, don’t make this about me.”

  “So it was young then, huh?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Yeah, but you didn’t say it wasn’t. If it was a time frame that you thought was appropriate, you would be the first to blab it. Since you’re holding it back, I know that means you don’t want me to have information I could use against you. That’s lawyer thinking,” I smiled and said.

  “And you’d make a good one, it seems.” My mom scratched her head and took a deep sigh. “I made some choices that I’m not proud of. I made some mistakes I don’t want you to repeat. I wish I would have waited. But can I live your life? No. Can I throw you in a convent and do away with the key? As your parent, I probably have that right, but what good would it do you? I want you to grow. I want you to make your own mistakes. Most importantly, Slade honey, I want you to be the smart young lady that I raised you to be. You got this company we were supposed to work on tomorrow. I got a lot of things lined up for you to get your ducks in a row. The last thing I want you thinking about is spreading your legs for some guy. I mean, what I just saw you doing on this bed, are you practicing or what?”

  Embarrassed, I softly voiced, “I don’t know, Mom. I wish I could explain what’s going on with me. This guy, he’s so hot, and he’s seeping into my dreams.”

  “Tell me he’s in school.”

  “Yes ma’am. He’s a junior this year like me. He just doesn’t go to Marks but another school in the city.”

  “And his grades?”

  I didn’t really know, but I didn’t want her worried, so it took me a second to answer. “Good.”

  “You hesitated. Do you know what his grades are?” She’s really good at her dang job.

  “No, no, no, they’re good. I mean, he wants to be a producer and singer like me.”

  Throwing her hands up, she said, “Oh, that’s just great. Don’t you guys know that’s a hard career to get into?”

  “Yeah, Mom, but it’s very lucrative, and we’ve got to chase our dreams. You followed yours, right?” I rationalized.

  With a grim face, she took my hand and asked, “Honey, do I need to get you on birth control pills?”

  “I don’t think right now.”

  “You don’t think?”

  “Okay, not right now.”

  “But you promise me, if things change, you’ll tell me? And don’t tell your father. My goodness, he’ll probably jump off a cliff,” she tried joking.

  “We’re growing up, Mom.”

  “I know, baby,” she said as she hugged me. “And we’ve got to start having more talks like this because I’ve got girls, and I’m not trying to be a grandmother. Be ready early in the morning. Sharp Records…that’s what your mind needs to be focused on.”

  “But you aren’t all for it,” I said, knowing deep down she wished I had a different passion.

  “Well, trust me. A record company or a guy … your Sharp Records dream will win out every time in my view.”

  The next morning she kept her promise. We were up early. We went to the Secretary of State’s office and filed for a tax ID number. Since I wasn’t old enough, my mom
had to put down her information too. We filed for a trademark, and she showed me several business plans. We chose one that wasn’t too cumbersome, and she had me sit down all day to put in my thoughts of what I wanted. I had to research companies that could make the DVDs for me at a minimal price but with good quality. Once all that was done and I had a great plan, she helped me present it to my father. I walked him through every aspect of what Sharp Records was planning to do, and he smiled. After that, my parents took me to open a bank account. I got a one thousand dollar loan to start my business. When I saw the balance in the account, my mom smiled and pinched my cheeks. I know what she was thinking. “See, look at you all proud of yourself. You put your mind into business, and you weren’t even thinking about that boy.” And she was right. But I couldn’t wait to tell Avery. So maybe she was wrong because he wasn’t that far off my mind.

  “Hey, Slade. When we going to the studio?” Charlotte asked me later that day, for the fourth day in a row.

  “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to get in touch with Avery, but he hasn’t called me back. This is so unlike him.”

  “Yeah, that’s your boo, right?” Charlotte teased.

  “I don’t know about all that, but I definitely thought he liked me, Charlotte. Now he’s not even returning my calls. I’m trying to give him some work … I don’t know. Just seems a little shady,” I voiced in an irritated tone.

  Calmly she asked, “Do you know where he lives?”

  “I don’t, but I know where his mom works.”

  “Duh, if you’re really concerned, you need to head over there.”

  When we hung up the phone, I knew Charlotte was right. What she didn’t know that I knew was that Avery was mixed up with some salty jokers. It had been days since I tried to get him. The fact that he hadn’t called me back was extremely alarming. I just couldn’t sit back and pray that everything would be okay. I had to put some action behind what I was thinking and investigate.

  I had to be smart about this. I had gotten out the house without worrying my family. They thought I was just going to the mall to find a cute outfit for the photo shoot, but I drove straight to the theater.

  A car was around back. I hoped it belonged to his mother. I didn’t want to alarm her. I needed to be careful to make sure that I just asked for Avery. If he was alright and just had a change of heart about wanting to pursue a relationship with me, then I needed to deal with that. I could be a big girl and move on if need be. I had given Taylor that same talk, and I was not above taking in the good advice. I had too much self-esteem to even be thinking about chasing down a brother, but I did need closure.

  When I got inside, I found his mom pacing back and forth in the same office where I had seen her earlier in the month. She was also shaking. Before I could speak to her, she started dialing the phone.

  She cried out, “Avery, son, why didn’t you come home last night? Please call me. I’m going out of my mind.”

  At that moment, it was confirmed I did have something to worry about. I felt sick to my stomach, like I had been poisoned. Now I was shaking.

  “Ms. Hardy,” I said as I stepped into view.

  “Yes, may I help you?”

  I hesitated. “I’m, I’m friends with your son.”

  “You know where he is?” she asked.

  “Well, I wasn’t trying to be nosy, but it appears he’s missing.”

  “I know that. I’m asking if you know where he is … wait,” she said as she squinted my way, “Where do I know you from?”

  “At the pageant. I was the one that was back here,” I told her, not trying to spend much time on the past as we needed every second to find Avery.

  “Oh my gosh, you sure were. You were listening in that day, and it seems like you’re listening in now.”

  “Because I’m concerned about your son, and I didn’t want to alarm you or tell …” I cut myself off, not wanting to speculate that Boots had him.

  “What do you know? Just spit it out. I haven’t seen him all night! What do you know?” she drilled.

  Taking a deep breath, I said, “I don’t know for sure, but I was working with him on a demo, and we went to some house, and the guys there were the same guys who said he owed them money that day.”

  “Where’s this house?” she asked in a panic.

  Thinking back I said, “I put the location in the GPS when I left, so it’s in my car.”

  “Great, I’ll follow you,” Ms. Hardy said as she went to grab her purse and coat.

  I cautioned, “It’s not the kind of place we want to show up just you and me.”

  Exhaling she said, “My friend is a cop. You stand right there, I’m going to call him.”

  While I didn’t think I needed to pray earlier, now that I truly believed Avery was at that house, prayer was the only thing that could help him. Those guys were crazy, and they had it in for him. If he didn’t have their money, it might already be too late.

  “Sam! You’ve got to meet me at this house. This friend of Avery’s thinks she knows where he is … No, no, I’m going to leave now. I can’t sit here and wait,” his mom said.

  “We should wait,” I said, reemphasizing that I didn’t want the two of us to go there without backup.

  His mom might be all big and bad. However, seeing that I remembered her being restrained as the same guys were roughly handling her, she should know we were no match for them alone. I wasn’t moving without real backup.

  “Okay, okay,” she said to me. Then she talked back into the receiver. “Hurry up, Sam.”

  She hung up the phone. “He said he’ll be here in ten minutes, and then we can follow you. I can’t believe my son was taking you to these guys’ house.”

  I wanted to tell her it wasn’t a great experience, but she was already worried enough. The fifteen minutes we had to wait for Sam to show up seemed like an hour, but finally he arrived. He wanted me to give him the address, but Ms. Hardy said we’d already wasted too much time waiting for him. He explained that they would be right behind me and once we got to the house I didn’t need to park close.

  When I got in my car, I programed the GPS to take me to the previous destination. I realized this was serious, and my dad deserved to know where I was going. On the way I called him.

  “Hey, pumpkin. Your mom told me you were at the mall. You’ll be home for dinner soon? I’m not there yet, but I have a lot of good stuff to tell everyone,” my dad said in a chipper mood.

  Struggling not to mess up his day, I barely breathed, “Daddy…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m scared.”

  “Of what? It doesn’t matter what happens with the election, we gave our best go at it. You don’t have to worry about whether I lose, or win for that matter. It’s in God’s hands.”

  “No, no, Daddy. Remember when I was in the pageant? The guy that you saw me with? You told me to not mess with him anymore? Well, I messed with him again.”

  “What are you talking about, Slade?”

  “Well I mean … he owes these guys some money, and I think he’s in trouble. I’m on my way to this house with his mom and this cop and …”

  “You’re on your way where?” my dad yelled, not happy for sure. “Give me the address right now! And don’t you even go in there, girl. You aren’t anybody’s private investigator.”

  “But he’s my friend, Dad!”

  “You don’t need to go at all.”

  “Dad, you’re just going to have to be angry with me because I’m going over there. I’m really, really worried about him.”

  “What if you get killed too?”

  “Dad, just come. I’ll text you the address,” I said before hanging up.

  My cell rang and rang. It was my father calling back. I knew I was going against his wishes, but I wanted him to know I didn’t want him to stop me. I needed him to help. I texted him the address when I was at a stoplight, and then I proceeded to help my guy.

  An hour and a half later, there was a major
police operation going on at the house in question. Sam snooped around and found enough probable cause to get other officers out there. Drugs were being sold on the property, but Ms. Hardy was all stressed out because while the cops were bringing bad guys out, Avery was still nowhere to be found.

  Boots was brought out in handcuffs, and she rushed up to him and started pounding on his chest.

  “Where’s my son? Where’s my son? What have you done with my son?” she shouted.

  Sam tried to pull her away.

  “You got my money?” Boots rudely said to her.

  “No!” she shouted, still distraught.

  “Then I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  And the police carried him away.

  “Oh my gosh, Daddy, what if they killed him?” I said to my father, who wouldn’t let me get anywhere near the house.

  Suddenly, gunshots were fired inside the house. When someone within it yelled for the police to get back, my dad really became concerned and told me not to move. Then he rushed toward the back of the house.

  I screamed out, “Daddy! Daddy!”

  With the gunshots coming from the police outside and from someone else inside, I could only hope my dad didn’t get mixed in the cross-fire. About fifteen minutes later, media trucks were surrounding us.

  Sam yelled out, “Hold your fire! We’re coming out. Call for an ambulance. We’ve got one badly wounded.”

  The moment was chaotic. My dad came out of the house with two other guys who dropped their guns as soon as they stepped outside. My dad brought them over to law enforcement.

  A reporter rushed past me and stepped to my father. “Mr. Sharp, you’re running for mayor, but we didn’t know you spent any time with the police academy.”

  My dad, walking to me, uttered, “I haven’t.”

  The reporter would not move out of his way. “What made you get in the middle of a gun shoot-out? What you did was really, really dangerous. Why would you do something so foolhardy?”

  “Just didn’t want any more young men losing their lives to gun violence. I asked them if I could talk to them. They said yes, and the rest is history.”