Never again no more 6, p.1
Never Again, No More 6, page 1
Never Again, No More 6:
Karma’s Payback
Untamed
www.urbanbooks.net
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 - Gavin
Chapter 2 - Charice
Chapter 3 - Mike
Chapter 4 - Ryan
Chapter 5 - LaMeka
Chapter 6 - Trinity
Chapter 7 - Aldris
Chapter 8 - Charice
Chapter 9 - Gavin
Chapter 10 - Pooch
Chapter 11 - Aldris
Chapter 12 - Ryan
Chapter 13 - Charice
Chapter 14 - Lincoln
Chapter 15 - Lucinda
Chapter 16 - Gavin
Chapter 17 - LaMeka
Chapter 18 - Terrence
Chapter 19 - Pooch
Chapter 20 - Ryan
Chapter 21 - Lincoln
Chapter 22 - Aldris
Chapter 23 - Gavin
Chapter 24 - Mike
Chapter 25 - Terrence
Chapter 26 - Pooch
Chapter 27 - Trinity
Chapter 28
Epilogue - The Cost of Loyalty
Urban Books, LLC
300 Farmingdale Road, NY-Route 109
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Never Again, No More 6: Karma’s Payback
Copyright © 2022 Untamed
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.
ISBN: 978-1-6455-6334-1
ISBN 10: 1-64556-355-3
First Trade Paperback Printing June 2022
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.
Distributed by Kensington Publishing Corp.
Submit Orders to:
Customer Service
400 Hahn Road
Westminster, MD 21157-4627
Phone: 1-800-733-3000
Fax: 1-800-659-2436
Dedication
To all the readers who stayed with me on this journey. This is for you!
Acknowledgments
God first, forever, and always. There is no creativity without the Creator. Thank you for allowing me to borrow this gift while I grace your Earthly plane.
To my hubby and kids, my original and forever riders, y’all keep me grounded, and your support means the entire world. This vessel doesn’t run without the moving parts. Thank you all for fueling me every day. I love you.
To N’Tyse and Urban Books, thank you for giving my book baby series a home.
To Robert White, Royaltea Book Club, Book Club Bosses, J. Sapphire, My Luv of Books, Sip and Flip Book Club, Kaybee’s Bookshelf, Diamond’s Literary World, Sip then Read, and the numerous book clubs, reviewers, and bloggers who got behind this series, my thanks are limitless!
To the countless small and Black-owned bookstores who house the series, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I must give special love to two bookstores that have been instrumental to me. Urban Reads Books in Baltimore, you all show out with selling my books! And Source of Knowledge in New Jersey, the cornerstone bookstore to get Untamed out there to the world of urban book readers, I’m forever grateful to you, Patrice and Dexter.
To the readers who journeyed with these crazy-ass characters and my loopy self throughout this series, bless your hearts! They end here, but we all know nothing this good ever really ends, right? Ha! Thank you for the ride. Join me one mo’ time!
Last, but never least, to my mother. You spoke this over my life. I wasn’t ready when you tried to push me, but I’m ready now. Thank you for giving life and speaking life. Rest well, my beautiful angel.
Chapter 1
Gavin
“LaMeka! LaMeka! Baby, I know you hear me! LaMeka! LA-ME-KA!” Standing outside on her front steps, I took a swig of my Hennessy straight out of the bottle, then wiped the remnants of the liquor from my mouth with the back of my hand before recapping the bottle. “LaMeka! Open this door. Talk to me!”
“Gavin?” I heard a voice by the side of the house.
It was her nosy-ass neighbor, Mr. Jim.
“Yeah, it’s me, Mr. Jim. Just trying to talk to my girlfriend. You can go back inside.”
Mr. Jim looked at his watch. “You do realize the hour, don’t you, son?”
I looked at my watch. Twelve thirty in the morning. “Yes, I do. You do realize I’m not talking to you or knocking at your door, don’t you, Mr. Jim?”
“Listen to me. You’re drunk. Nothing is going to get resolved today and definitely not at this godforsaken hour that doesn’t have disaster written all over it. Why don’t you come inside with me and let me fix you a hot cup of coffee? You can sober up, and we can talk. Then you can start fresh again in the morning with Meka.”
“No. She’s gonna answer the door. You just wait and see.”
“Gavin, she hasn’t answered in the full two weeks you’ve been coming over here. Now, son, come on over for some coffee before someone calls the police on you.”
“If they call the police, she’ll probably open the door.” I kicked the front door with my foot.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and LaMeka walked out wrapped in her robe and bedroom shoes. “Hi, Mr. Jim. It’s okay. I’m going to let him in. You can go back inside. I’m sorry for the disruption.”
“It’s not your fault. Are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked, eyeing me closely.
“She’ll be fine. I’m not gonna hurt her. I just wanna see her. Talk to her.” My eyes never left LaMeka as I caressed her face. “I’ve missed you so much. Don’t you miss me?”
She sucked her teeth and swatted my hand away. “I’ll be all right. Goodnight, Mr. Jim.” She waved at him as he nodded and went inside. “Get your ass inside this house and shut up before I call the police on you my damn self.”
I staggered inside as she closed and locked the door. Her mom and sister were standing there in their robes, too, one with a baseball bat and the other with a frying pan.
“Heeeeyyyyy!” I put my hands up. “What the hell?”
“Oh, we’re here just in case you get outta hand,” Misha said, holding the frying pan. “I love you like a brother, Gavin, but this is my blood sister, and ain’t nobody putting a hand on her again.”
“And I second that,” her mother concurred.
“Ms. Barbara. Come on, Mama. You know I’d never do anything to any of you all. I just want to see Meka.”
“Well, Hennessy makes people do strange things. Makes them act out of character. I’m just here to make sure that you don’t get out of character because if you do, I will get out of hand,” Ms. Barbara said. “Do you understand me?”
“Understood.” I put my hands up to let her know there wouldn’t be any problems from me.
LaMeka walked in front of me, turning her attention toward them. “We’re going to go to the family room and talk. You guys can fall back.”
They looked at each other. “We’ll be in my room, which ain’t far from the family room. If I hear one thing that sounds remotely like a cry of distress—”
“I promise you won’t.” I interrupted Ms. Barbara’s rant.
“I better not,” she said before turning away. “Come on, Misha,” she ordered as they both walked away, eyeing me closely.
LaMeka turned around, rolled her eyes at me, folded her arms, and proceeded to walk to the family room. I followed behind her. Watching her ass swish side to side in that silk robe made me want to grab her and make love to her right there on the floor like I never had before. She flipped her hair, which made me take notice. She’d gotten her hair done and added some long tresses to it. Long hair looked very good on her. She was a goddess no matter how long or short it was, though. I just wanted to run my fingers through it and kiss her.
It wasn’t just about the sex with LaMeka either. For as many sexual fantasies that were going through my mind, I had just as many family fantasies. As we reached the family room, I peered at the dining room and smiled as I thought of all the Sunday dinners we’d shared in that room. Pictures of the boys were everywhere. To me, they weren’t just LaMeka’s boys. They were my sons.
My eyes fell on a picture that LaMeka and I had taken with them at Six Flags. Our first family photo, so to speak. I thought of all the times we’d sat on the floor in this room by the fireplace and held each other, talking about our dreams and aspirations. I missed everything from Saturday morning breakfasts to joking with Misha, helping Ms. Barbara deep clean, playing Transformers with the boys, and hell, even running to pay bills. I missed Meka and everything about her like crazy.
“What the hell is your problem coming over every day causing drama for me with my neighbors?” LaMeka sounded off, breaking my thoughts.
I sat on the sofa and put my bottle of Hennessy on the table. “Baby, I’m sorry for that, but I had to see you. You’ve been avoiding me.”
LaMeka put her hand on her forehead in frustration. “Gavin, I haven’t been avoiding you. I broke up with you. I don’t need to see you because we need to go our separate ways.”
Leaning forward, I shook my head. “I didn’
“Ugh!” she bellowed. “This is ridiculous. It doesn’t matter who broke up with whom. It only matters that we are no longer together, but you already know that. You’re not dumb by any stretch of the imagination. So, let me be clear. Do not come by here anymore. Stop calling, stop texting, stop emailing, stop leaving me gifts, and stop trying to corner me at the workplace. Just stop. We’re done.”
“I can’t!” The words bounced out of me as I jumped up from the sofa. “Meka, I can’t let you go. How can you just let us go like that? Didn’t I mean anything to you?”
The question lingered in the air for a while, then I attempted to walk up to her. I needed to be in her space, but she put her hand up as a signal to thwart my attempt to enter her closeness.
“No, don’t come near me.”
“Why not?” I kept approaching her. “Are you afraid to be close to me? Afraid that if you’re close, you’ll be weak? Your feelings will take over?”
“You reek of alcohol, and it stinks,” she said plainly.
A smirk spread across my face at her comeback. “You’re playing hard. I know that’s your MO.” She waved off my words, but I continued despite her dismissiveness. “I know everything about you. I know that you really don’t want to let me go.” Still reaching out for her, I pulled her to me by the waist. “I love you, baby. Don’t let us go.”
Clamping down on her bottom lip, she began to blink back the tears that had begun to form in the corners of her eyes. “God, Gavin! Why can’t you just leave me alone? You keep bringing up emotions that I am trying so hard to let go of. I don’t want to let you go. I want to be with you, but I can’t. Your family would never allow it to happen, and I owe it to my family not to put them through that. We have no choice but to end this, so just stop.”
There it was again. The source of my forever headache, my family. Scratch that. My father and my brother were no family of mine. Their racist views had driven a wedge the size of Texas between LaMeka and me, and while I didn’t give a damn about their opinions and threats, LaMeka did. With all that had happened in her life, I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to engage in this fight, but I’d be damned if I wouldn’t. I had enough fight built inside for the both of us. If only she’d allow me to be her fighter.
Gently, she pulled away from me and took a seat in the recliner. My recliner. I had deemed it as my favorite seat months ago. I kneeled in front of her.
“I don’t care about my family, and I would never let them do anything to hurt our family.”
Her sad eyes lifted in shock from the words I’d spoken. Simultaneously, a small gasp escaped her lips, and her hand moved to her heart. “You said our family.”
Leaning forward, I caressed her face. “Yes. Ours. You, the boys, your mom, and Misha. You all are my real family. My loyalty is to you, and I will protect you all at all costs.”
Briefly she took in my words and then slowly shook her head. “I love and appreciate the fact that you want to be with us, but that is your father and your brother. They are your blood. If things don’t work out between us, then who will you turn to?”
“Things will work out between us. I know this. I can’t explain it to you, but in my gut, when I think about living my life with you, it just feels right. You’re my soulmate, Meka. I may not do all I’m supposed to do in my Christian faith, but I believe in God, and I believe He made you just for me.”
She wiped the tears that had finally managed to escape, then stared at me for a few moments as if searching deep within my soul before she spoke again. “Gavin, I’m scared, and I can’t feel secure in what you’re saying because I sense your fear, too. It’s best if we just end things. We can be friends. You know I’d do anything for you as a friend.”
She could not be serious. The realization of her words was beginning to take root, and I needed her to understand that the only fear she saw was the fear I had of losing her. My emotions got the best of me, and it was like a knot was lodged in my chest. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I jumped up.
“Friends? I don’t want to be your fucking friend! I want to be your man. Your man, Meka! Fuck friendship. Fuck Gerald Randall. Fuck Gary Randall. Fuck Tony. Fuck every fucking body who tries to come between us!”
Before I could turn around, Ms. Barbara was already in the family room. “Everything all right in here?” she asked with the bat planted firmly in her hands.
“We’re fine, Mama,” Meka said with exasperation.
“I think it’s time for you to leave, Gavin. It’s after one o’clock in the morning, and the boys are trying to sleep. Now, you’ve said your piece, and Meka has said hers. It’s time to end this mess tonight, so we can all get some rest,” Ms. Barbara said definitively.
“Mama, please don’t push me out right now. I need to talk to Meka a little longer. I just have to get her to understand—”
Meka stood and threw her hands up. “Enough! I’ve heard enough. No more talking. I have to rest for my exams tomorrow, so I’m going to bed. Gavin, you’re drunk, and you’re not driving anywhere in your condition. I will bring you some blankets and a pillow to sleep on the sofa. In the morning, I want you to be gone before the boys see you like this,” she demanded before walking out of the family room and taking my bottle of Hennessy with her.
As I sat on the sofa, I knew there was no use in arguing with her. I didn’t want her mom to call the police on me or have the police called on her for beating me to death with that bat, so I decided to chill. I could try to explain again the next day that I had called my father and told him to buy me out. I wanted out of the family business, the family money, and the family. My father hadn’t been pleased with me at all. In fact, all he had said to me was that he’d look into it and then he hung up in my face.
Oh, well. He could feel how he wanted to feel about it. At the end of the day, I was sticking by LaMeka. She was my sole concern, but I needed her to know how committed I was to her and our life.
“Here,” I heard Meka say to me. I opened my eyes and saw her standing over me with blankets and a pillow.
“Why can’t I just sleep in our bedroom?”
“Because it’s not our bedroom. It’s mine.” She shook her head. “You are a piece of work.”
“I’m a man in love with a woman.”
Ignoring my words, she said, “Set your watch for seven in the morning. Junior has a therapy session at eight-thirty, so you need to be gone before he wakes up. Here are two ibuprofen and a small cup of coffee to fight off that hangover you’ll have in the morning.”
As she slipped the pills in my hand, I grabbed her hand. “I love you, baby.” My voice dripped with deep sincerity.
“I know,” she said, turning to walk away.
“Please say that you still love me, too,” I begged just before she walked out. My voice was thick with emotion as I pleaded. “Please.”
She stopped, and I could sense the internal debate she was having. Slowly, she turned around, let out a deep sigh, and told me the one thing I needed so desperately to know. “I love you, too, Gavin.”
Before she could move to leave, I got up and walked to her. Without warning, I kneeled on one knee and pulled out a small box that contained a three-carat diamond solitaire engagement ring. I opened it for her. She gasped as I held her hand.
“This is how ready I am to prove to you and the world that you are the only woman for me. I’m selling my shares back to my dad. I’ve already set that in motion. I’m out of the family business and money. You are my family now. I gave it all up for you because you’re meant to be my wife. I love you, LaMeka Shantel Roberts. Please do me the honor of allowing me to be your husband. Will you marry me?”
Emotion had overcome her as she stared at the ring and took in my words, and the tears that she’d once successfully withheld spilled down her face in waves. “I don’t . . . I don’t know what . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. Please. Say yes.”
She put her head down and bit her lip but still didn’t answer.
“I’ve done everything. I’ve given back the business. I’ve given up those two Randall men, and I’ve sworn them off. I promise, on my life, that I will never leave you. I want to be your husband, Meka. Please say you’ll be my wife. My life is with you and the boys. I want us to get married, have a little girl or boy of our own. Raise the kids. Grow old together. I can’t see my life without you in it, Meka. Say you’ll stay in my life and be my wife. Please.”
