Black Love

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Black Love Page 8

by Brenda Hampton


  “He’s going to say it was self-defense. That he stood his ground, after I attacked him. Everyone knows the story already. I saw the two of you having sex and got angry. I jumped on him and he retaliated to save his life. His defense is plausible, and because he has a good lawyer, and a witness who will confirm his story, he will walk.”

  I never even looked at it that way. Thinking about it made me sad and angry at the same time.

  “But Demetrious said he was going to say some other people did it. That a drive-by shooting occurred and he saw the men who did it.”

  “He was just fucking with you. He wanted to see how you would react. He would never tell you specific details about his real plans to get out of this.”

  I shook my head, disgusted. I had to do something. Anything to make sure Demetrious was convicted.

  “I’ll think of something,” I said. “If the jury doesn’t believe me when I take the stand, things will turn ugly. Real ugly and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”

  “I appreciate your efforts, but don’t be surprised by how the defense will spin this. He has some very skilled lawyers who are waiting to tear you up and rip your side of the story apart.”

  I cut my eyes just thinking about it. Then I sat back on the sofa and laughed.

  “I forgot to ask you a question. How did you knock Demetrious out of the chair? That was so funny. The look on his face was priceless.”

  “I didn’t do anything to that man. Must’ve been someone else. You said a ghost, didn’t you? Maybe that’s who it was. Wasn’t me.”

  “Whatever, Nate. Since you’re speaking to me again, does that mean you’re not sleeping on the sofa tonight? I’ve been missing you in my bed. Come hold me again, please.”

  “I can’t. I have something else to do that’s important. Also, just in case you need to know, I don’t sleep.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  “Too many things to do.”

  “Things like what? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were cheating on me somewhere. You’re always coming and going. I don’t really know when you’re here and when you’re not.”

  “Just remember this, okay? You’re not the only one I have to watch over. I have other missions too.”

  “I know you watch over your mother, don’t you?”

  “Yes, all the time.”

  “Are your other missions just as important as me and your child?”

  “I can’t answer your questions. That’s all I can say right now.”

  “Okay, Nate. Just say something to let me know you’re here.”

  He didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure what his other missions were about, but all of this, especially the situation with Demetrious, had started to worry me.

  Chapter Ten

  Somehow, I had to stop Demetrious. He was making plans to pull the plug on Monai and kill her, so she wouldn’t testify against him. I didn’t want to convey anything to her about his plans. I knew she would be afraid. And even though his lawyers would probably be able to get him off, he still wanted her dead. He was bitter about everything. Upset that he had to do a little time in jail for what he’d done. Every single day he griped about being in jail; it was everybody else’s fault, but his. According to him, he wasn’t supposed to be in there, and he had too much business to handle on the outside. He didn’t deserve this, and he had a whole life ahead of him, waiting for him when he got out. That included the three women who had been coming to see him in jail. Two of the women were pregnant by him; the other woman, Derinda, had already had two kids by him. He was definitely a loser. Every time I saw him, I wondered how a woman like Monai could spend so many years with him. The shit puzzled me, but I guess for some women, looks were, indeed, everything.

  It was a shame I didn’t have the authority to kill Demetrious myself. In life or death, vengeance wasn’t mine. Therefore, I had to wait and watch. I had to keep my eyes on everything, just so I could always be ten steps ahead of his plans. And when I knew something tragic was heading my loved ones way, at least I had the ability to send warning signals. Signals that might have someone driving in another direction one day, because taking the same route could bring harm. Maybe even making sure delays happened, instead of being somewhere on time. It was a lot of that going on around here. Many people didn’t know or understand how well they were being protected.

  I leaned against the wall in Demetrious cell while listening to him speak ill about Monai to his roomy, Fredo, who was an Italian so-called gangster. He was supposed to be released soon, and Demetrious had offered him a substantial amount of paper to make sure Monai would never make it to court.

  “I want her dealt with, soon,” Demetrious said. “The sooner the better, and when you do this for me, understand there will be great rewards. My partner, Jerrod, will take good care of you. Real good care and you will be set for a very long time.”

  “Is there any way you can give me some kind of advancement? I just want to make sure I’mma get paid, that’s all. The job seems pretty easy and she won’t even know I’m coming.”

  “Nah, she won’t know, and you have to make sure no one else is around. Basically, don’t let this shit fall back on me. Check your surroundings real good before entering and stay with her until she takes her last breath. I want to make sure she’s dead and can’t complicate things for me.”

  “I’ll do what I can, but make sure I get a small advancement. You can have it sent to my baby’s mama. And by the time I get out of here, something will be waiting for me already.”

  “I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Just need to make some phone calls tomorrow, and I’ll let you know what’s up.”

  The two of them slapped hands and sat next to each other. While gazing into each other eyes, they started to kiss. Demetrious’ hands squeezed Fredo’s package; it wasn’t long before the two of them started to indulge in sex. Unbeknownst to Demetrious, Fredo was not a friend of his. He had been collaborating with a guard who was right outside their sleeping quarters, listening in and taking pictures. They hated Demetrious and wanted to do him serious harm. The other guards, however, were his puppets. They did whatever Demetrious wanted them to do, and as long as he gave them money, he had special privileges. The guard who despised him had to be careful. He didn’t want to find himself with a knife in his back, and he definitely didn’t want anyone getting too suspicious. He took a few more pictures with his cell phone, but just as he made his way down the hallway, he was stopped by another guard who had seen him lurking around Demetrious’ sleeping quarters.

  “Raylo, what you doing, man?” said the other guard. “You ain’t supposed to be up here this late are you?”

  Raylo didn’t want to get busted. He was sure the other guard would ask to see what was in his hand, and if he saw the photos, he would know Raylo was up to something. Therefore, he thought fast. He squinted and looked behind the guard, pretending like something was there.

  “What’s that,” Raylo said, causing the guard to quickly swing around. As soon as he did, Raylo quickly pitched his cell phone in a trashcan. The other guard turned around, facing Raylo again.

  “I didn’t see anything. What was there?” he asked.

  “I saw something crawl across the floor. Maybe it was a rat or something. Whatever it was, it’s gone now.”

  The guard pivoted to look again. There was nothing there, so he continued to question Raylo about why he had been lurking around, all by himself. Again, Raylo expressed he’d heard something that alarmed him and made him check things out. He was in the clear, because the guard believed him. However, when he returned to the trashcan to retrieve his cell phone, it was gone. He scratched his head, wondering what in the hell could’ve happened to it.

  A few hours later, I was at a wild house party in North St. Louis. The two-story brick house was wall-to-wall thick with people getting high, rap music blasting and nearly every male in the room was strapped. Demetrious’ baby mama, Derinda, was there. She was the down chi
ck with two kids by him and was pissed when she’d found out two other chicks were pregnant by him. The thought of him seeing two other chicks had her on edge, and knowing they were pregnant by him made her more furious. She had been through hell with Demetrious. Nonetheless, she was determined to have love by any means necessary, so she stayed with him. She’d been to the jailhouse to see him almost every weekend. He denied his involvement in my murder—she believed him. He also denied having two babies on the way—she wanted to believe him. He’d told Derinda she’d been lied to, and he would clear up any misunderstandings with the other two “hoes” after he got out of jail. Derinda had hoped he would, and she told him she would be there for him every step of the way. Even though her gut warned her not to trust him, a huge part of her did.

  Instead of partying like everyone else was, Derinda was in the living room area with three other chicks, getting high while trying to defend her man.

  “I mean, come on,” she said, taking another hit from the joint. “Have y’all seen them hoes? There ain’t no way Demetrious would even fuck with bitches like that. All they’re trying to get at is his paper.”

  “Well, I personally know Jasmine and she wouldn’t lie about the baby being his,” said another chick who wanted Derinda to wake up. “I’ve spoken to her several times about this situation. She told me that she’s been to the jailhouse to see Demetrious, and he told her the two of them were going to get married when he got out. He even had one of his boys give her a diamond ring. She showed it to me the other day. I don’t know why Demetrious is lying to you, but you need to check his ass. He needs to come clean about this, and there ain’t no telling what he’s saying to the other chick who is pregnant by him too.”

  Derinda rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to accept the truth, even though it was obvious Demetrious had lied. She was the kind of woman who needed proof, before she took action. And by all means, she was determined to get it.

  Not wanting to continue on with the conversation, Derinda lifted a bottle of Cognac and guzzled it down. She slammed the bottle on the table, then she exited her surroundings of haters. On her way to the bathroom, she bumped shoulders with a close friend of Demetrious who had been watching Derinda all night. Now that Demetrious was locked up, he felt it was time for him to make his move on Derinda. Through his eyes, she was fine as fuck and all he wanted to do was hit the pussy one time so he could brag about it to Demetrious later. While they considered themselves friends, they often competed for women. Derinda was a ride-or-die chick, but that didn’t stop Demetrious’ friend from trying to get it, hit it and quit it. He jumped in front of her, just as she was getting ready to enter the bathroom.

  “What’s up, Li’l Mama?” he asked with a quirky smile on his face which made her roll her eyes. “You think I can come in there with you and help you out?”

  She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back. “No, thank you. Now, move out of my way and don’t you ever disrespect me like that again. I will tell Demetrious, and you’ll be sniffing dirt in no time.”

  He held his hands in the air and backed up. But as Derinda went into the bathroom, he waited for her to come out so he could approach her again. She, however, went inside and closed the door. She looked in the mirror, and with her thoughts locked on Demetrious, her face became twisted.

  “Bastard,” she whispered underneath her breath. “Wait until I see your ass again.”

  Derinda was about to use the toilet, but she stopped short of doing so when she saw someone had left their cell phone on the counter where the double sinks were. She picked up the phone, and attempting to see who it belonged to, she hit the power button. The first thing she saw caused her eyes to bug, stomach to tighten. Her heart dropped to the floor and tears rushed to her eyes as she flipped through pictures of her man, the man she loved with every fiber of her being, the man she had stood by for many years and the man whom she had no doubt had lied to her, getting fucked by another man. She couldn’t believe what her eyes had witnessed, and the photos made her sick to her stomach. She thought about who could’ve put the phone there so she could see Demetrious in action, and as she charged out of the bathroom, the first person she accused was his fake friend.

  “You put that phone in there, didn’t you?” she shouted.

  With a scrunched face, he didn’t know what in the hell she was referring to. “What phone? And why are you yelling at me, mama?”

  “Because you of all people know what Demetrious has been doing. Don’t tell me you didn’t know. You put that phone in the bathroom so I could see him doing that . . . that nasty shit!”

  “Look. Calm down and tell me what you talking about. I don’t know what Demetrious been doing. I haven’t seen him since he went to jail.”

  Derinda pulled him into the bathroom and showed him where the phone had been placed. “It was right here. If you didn’t put it there, who did then?”

  “I don’t know, but what’s the big deal about a phone being left in the bathroom? Find out who it belongs to and give it back to them. Damn. What’s the big deal?”

  She put the phone in front of his face so he could see the explicit photos. Shock covered his face, and then he laughed.

  “Hell, nah,” he said, covering his mouth with his hand. “I knew something was up with that fool. How dare he do you like that, as fine and sexy as you are. This is fucked up!”

  “You’re damn right it is.” Derinda pointed her finger in his face. “If I ask Demetrious what’s up, all he will do is lie to me. You need to ask him. If you find out more about this, and tell me who this other nigga is, I’ll gladly pay you for your time.”

  Demetrious’ friend smiled. If this was how he was going to get a piece of Derinda, cool. After this shit, though, he could possibly make her his woman instead. He couldn’t stop thinking about how beneficial this info would be to him; he was willing to do anything.

  “I’ll find out more,” he said. “But since you already know what’s up with that fool, why don’t we go ahead and start making some noise that’ll upset him right now.”

  Derinda knew exactly what Demetrious’ friend wanted. She hiked up her skirt and bent over so he could stir up her juices from behind. As the two of them made noise together, the thoughts in her head were devious. Devious enough to let her know that this kind of information was provided to her by design. Nothing was a coincidence, and she needed to act soon.

  Monai

  Chapter Eleven

  I was so happy when Nate came back the other night. We talked, made up and had some fun that left me feeling more satisfied than ever. I was satisfied with the way things were going, and I realized that Nate was never coming back to me in a way I wished he could. The only problem I had was with Demetrious. I was so worried about him getting away with murder. I started doing any and everything I could to make sure he didn’t walk free. One of the first things I did was go to the police station to make sure my written statement would hold up in court. I intended to give them the letters he’d sent to me, and I also wanted to know why the prosecutor hadn’t reached out to me about testifying. I should’ve heard something by now. Demetrious would have to go to court soon, and I didn’t even know the specifics of his case.

  While on my way to the police station, I couldn’t stop rambling on about Demetrious. Nate hadn’t said much to me, but when I pulled over to get gas, he finally spoke up.

  “I just want you to know that you’re wasting your time by going to the police station.”

  I was angry by his response. “How am I wasting my time? This has to be done, and even though you think he’s going to get off, I totally disagree.”

  “I don’t know why you won’t listen to me, Monai. I keep telling you there is nothing you can do.”

  I opened the car door, but turned to him as I got out of the car. “Watch me. You’re going to be so proud of me. I assure you that he will be convicted.”

  I got out of the car, and when I went inside to pay for my gas, a very attra
ctive older man approached me. He reminded me so much of Nate, and with slanted, light brown eyes, I was immediately drawn into his conversation.

  “You can go first,” he said as I’d jumped him in the line. “I’m still trying to figure out what lottery numbers I want to play. Any suggestions?”

  “What game are you playing?” I asked.

  “Pick three. I don’t normally play, but my mother asked me to get her some tickets. Said she was feeling lucky today, so she’s counting on me to choose the right numbers. Decisions, decisions.”

  He laughed and so did I. After I paid for my gas and a pack of gum, I turned to him and whispered the numbers 516.

  “Play them straight and boxed,” I said with a smile. “And good luck to your mother.”

  As I started to walk away, the man grabbed my hand. “Thanks, but what if she wins? At least let me call you and tell you if she’s a winner. If she is, you have to promise me dinner.”

  His dimples were so sexy like Nate’s. I immediately thought about him; I wondered if he was in here watching this go down. He probably was, so I wiggled my fingers in front of the man’s face, showing him my ring.

  “Sorry, but I’m married,” I said. “Maybe next time.”

  “Happily married or just married?”

  I paused before I answered. “Happily married.”

  The man snapped his finger. He reached into his pocket, then handed me a business card.

  “If things don’t work out, give me a call. Give me a call later, anyway, just so I can tell you if my mother hit the jackpot.”

  We both laughed again. I took the card from his hand and put it in my purse. Feeling slightly guilty about doing so, I walked to my car and kept my eyes glued to the passenger’s side. After I pumped the gas, I got in the car and drove off.

 

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