Love Without Loyalty

by Kaige Keira

  “Wait, Nancy,” Dina said as she stepped in between them. “How do you know this man?”

  Nancy looked at Larenz as if she had swallowed something disgusting. “This is Avery’s father. He was supposed to take Avery in after his mother dropped him off on his doorstep. But this no-good nigga, decided to drop him off at the fire station. Me and Duke had to fight for custody of our nephew. We almost lost Avery due to this motherfucker ignorance.” Nancy braced up on Larenz as if she was two seconds from sneaking him.

  “You know better than to place your hands on me,” Larenz hissed as he eyed Nancy. “Should have told your funky ass sister in law to remember her place. She knew better than to drop that bastard at my door.”

  Nancy scoffed again as she looked away. “That bastard is your son. He came from your nut sack. You man enough to stick you dick in a woman but you not man enough to take care what comes out of it? You are pathetic.”

  Larenz held his hand out as if he wasn’t trying to hear Nancy’s words. He looked at Dina, who was trying to digest everything that was being said in front of her. “I can come by tonight. What’s your address?”

  Dina laughed as she looked at him. “You can’t be fucking serious?” She scratched her head as she cleared her throat. “You will never know where I stay.” Dina said as she looked Larenz in the eyes.

  “Well fuck both of yall bitches,” Larenz said heatedly as he walked away. Nancy stuck her foot out when he went to pass her, causing him to trip and fall down on the ground.

  “Pimp down,” Nancy exclaimed. “Pimp in distress.” Dina bust out laughing as Larenz quickly got up and hurriedly walked off. “Bastard.”

  “I can’t believe he is Avery’s father,” Dina said as she looked towards the elevators. “Tori, my youngest, is his child as well.”

  Nancy shook her head as she looked at Dina. “That fool isn’t nothing but a snake in the grass. He purposely chased after Avery’s mother. Duke wouldn’t believe me, but I think he is the reason she turned to drugs. His wife isn’t a saint either. She doesn’t care how he gets money as long as she gets to buy what she wants.”

  Dina casted her eyes downward. “I know what you mean. After I had Tori, I was still foolish enough to mess with him. Well, when Tori turned two, I discovered I had syphilis. As a result of it being untreated, it ended up destroying my uterus.”

  “Ohh, baby, no,” Nancy cooed as she stepped to Dina.

  “It’s ok,” Dina said as she squeezed Nancy’s hand. “It just made me more grateful for the kids that I do have. Every shift I took, every paycheck I earned, it went towards them. They are my heart and I will die if something happened to them.”

  Nancy was about to speak but the doctor decided to show up. “Ms. Richards,” the doctor asked as she looked at Nancy.

  “Yes,” Nancy asked.

  “She is in her room now. You can go back to see her. We have her stabilized and we are monitoring her closely to make sure the fetus didn’t suffer from lack of oxygen.”

  “Fet—Fetus,” Nancy stammered. “My baby is pregnant?”

  PRIEST SAT IN THE CAR as he waited in front of the precinct for Avery to get out of lock-up. After Ms. Nancy had called him to let him know Avery had gotten arrested, he immediately sprang into action to get his ace out of jail.

  Priest hopped out of the car when he saw Avery walking out of the building. He had a busted lip and his shirt was torn. “Who ass you whupped,” Priest asked as Avery made his way to the car.

  Avery hopped into the car and slammed the door. “I can’t stand his bitch ass. Out of all the women in New Orleans, he wants what is mine.” Avery looked out of the window as he started to contemplate his next move. “I don’t get it. Why niggas keep fucking trying me? I got out of that life for a fucking reason. I went legit. Brought a few properties and opened up my own realtor company. Nobody didn’t do shit for me. They didn’t bless my pockets when I was hurting. But now that they see a nigga is up, they want a piece of the pie. And if they can’t get it, they start looking around the table, searching for a weakness.” Avery shook his head as he looked at Priest.

  Priest remained silent as he kept his eyes on the steering wheel. “Whatever move you want to make, just say the word. You know I’m riding.” Priest held up his hand as Avery dapped him off.

  “First thing first, we need to get to the hospital,” Avery said. “This shit with you and Blessings got to get resolved.”

  Priest eyed Avery as the word hospital popped in his mind. “Who in the hospital?” Priest looked at Avery for an answer. But Avery kept his silence as he plugged in his cell phone to the car charger.

  “Find out when we get there,” Avery said as he leaned back in his seat. He was done playing nice with niggas.

  Chapter 17

  Tori laid across the bed, playing a game on her phone as she tried to ignore Mark and Yvonne’s petty argument.

  “You said you was gone charge a stack,” Yvonne yelled as she flared her nose up at Mark. “This shit isn’t more than five hundred. What did you do? Sold the rest?” Yvonne held up the money for Mark to see. Mark shrugged as he laid back down in the bed.

  Since they had got put out of Ms. Nancy’s house, the duo along with Tori, was now sleeping at a rundown motel that offered weekly rates of the Westbank Expressway. Mark had started selling cocaine and heroin just to try and get by until the girls were able to find paying customers. Tori thought they were just hyping up the clients for Mark. Little did she know, they were just show casting their only girl.

  “You are bugging,” Mark said as he took a sniff of the powder residue that was sitting on the night table. Yvonne rolled her eyes as she threw the money at him.

  “I knew I should have followed my first mind,” Yvonne yelled as she looked at the door. The only thing that was stopping her from leaving was the fact that she didn’t have nowhere to go. She grew up in the foster care system and when she turned eighteen, she was on her own. But not completely. Avery was always there to make sure she had a roof over her head and was safe. Yvonne closed her eyes as she tried to keep the tears at bay. It was eating her alive that Avery’s affection was now going towards another woman who was deserving of it.

  “Then run back to that nigga,” Mark said as he looked at her. “See if I give a fuck.”

  Yvonne rolled her eyes as she looked his way. Mark was starting to let himself go. With each sniff, he was slipping deeper and deeper. His actions were aggressive, and he was starting to get beside himself. “Suck my dick,” Yvonne hissed.

  Mark quickly hopped off the bed and stood directly in front of Yvonne. She was startled he had gotten up so fast and didn’t have much time to brace for the blow she knew was coming.

  Tori plugged in her headphones and quickly turned up her music as Mark started beating Yvonne. Tori didn’t dare to interfere. As far as she was concern, Yvonne brought it upon herself. She knew Mark wasn’t in his right mind and she antagonize him still. If Tori was to jump in, it would just piss Mark off further. No sense for both of them to have black eyes.

  Mark grabbed Yvonne by her hair as she started kicking and scratching at his hands to free herself from his grasp. Mark punched Yvonne one time in her chest and that caused her to curl up in a ball. Mark then seized this as his opportunity to place Yvonne on the bed. Tori tried to keep her eyes on the phone, but she couldn’t seem to focus on it. Her eyes kept darting to the other bed where Mark had just slammed Yvonne’s body down on.

  He ripped off her blouse as he hiked up her skirt. “Aren’t you fertile this time of the month,” Mark asked Yvonne as he pried open her legs. But Yvonne kept her mouth and eyes closed as she felt him push at her dry opening.

  Yvonne said a silent prayer in her head as her mind drifted back to a place she was happy. She was expecting it to be the memory of her at prom. But it was a different memory. It was the day Avery proposed to her. He had rented a horse and carriage ride and the couple trotted up and down Canal street, without a care in the world. It wasn�
��t until they stepped to get off, did Avery suddenly got down on one knee and proposed. Yvonne wasn’t expecting much from their relationship. But deep down she knew she took Avery’s love for granted. She thought he would always be there, regardless of how many times she fucked up. He proved her wrong.

  “You ok,” Tori asked Yvonne. Yvonne opened her eyes and looked down. Mark was nowhere around. “He just left out the room. You really shouldn’t nag him.”

  Yvonne groaned as she tried to get up. Her body felt sore and she knew for a fact, she was going to be limping for at least a week. “His duck ass sleeping in your bed tonight,” Yvonne mumbled as she finally got up. Tori placed a hand around her and helped her to the bathroom.

  Yvonne sat down on the edge of the tub as Tori ran her bath water. “Why are you here,” Yvonne asked Tori. Tori kept her eyes on liquid that was falling from the bubble bath container. “You didn’t grow up broke or unloved. So why put yourself in this situation?”

  “That home never felt like a home,” Tori whispered as she looked at Yvonne. “Every time my mother looked at me all she saw was my father. I know she hated me.”

  Yvonne sighed as she shifted her weight. “So, you would rather be slumming with us instead of staying in that big house? You some kind of special.”

  Tori rolled her eyes as she looked at Yvonne. “Same reason you left Avery to be with Mark.” Yvonne looked at Tori and then laughed.

  “I didn’t leave Avery. He just found out about us. You know how big Mark dick is. I just had to try it out. But everything that glitters isn’t gold. At least you still have a family to go back home too. I have nobody.” Yvonne held her hand out as Tori took it.

  “Bullshit aside,” Yvonne said as she squeezed Tori’s hand. “Go back home before Mark ruins your life further. Your young so you think you know everything, but you don’t know shit. This life isn’t for you.”

  Tori shook her head as she grabbed her hand back. “You don’t know everything,” she said as she stood up.

  Yvonne rolled her eyes as she placed a hand on her chest. “Mark doesn’t give a damn about you. He is prepping you so you can turn tricks for him. All that shit I told you at the hospital, I lied. I wanted to get back at the person I felt slighted me and in actuality I was the one who fucked up.”

  Tori chuckled as she looked away. “What happened to not giving a fuck?”

  “All that went out the window when I realized I’m living in hell,” Yvonne whispered. She was about to say something else until Mark came walking back into the hotel room. Tori’s heart started beating faster as Mark looked at her and then at Yvonne.

  “I need you to go put gas in the car,” Mark said as he held out the keys. Tori snatched them out of his hands and waited for him to give her the gas money. “Come back in ten minutes.” Mark handed her the cash and motioned with his head for her to leave.

  Yvonne looked away as Mark sat down on the toilet seat. “I have a job for us tonight.”

  “I don’t feel like fucking nobody,” Yvonne said calmly. “I already feel sore.”

  “It’s not that kind of job,” Mark said solemnly. That got Yvonne’s attention as she quickly looked at him.

  “What kind of job is it?”

  “We just have to break into a house and take a few things. The details are need to know,” Mark said as he patted Yvonne on her head.

  “Well me and you can do it, Tori can stay in the car,” Yvonne said as she tried to come up with a plan. If this job was promising real money, she could finally leave his ass. She just needed to wait for the right time.

  “Tori is staying here,” Mark said in a stern voice. “She doesn’t even need to know. Just tell her we are going out.”

  Yvonne felt a flutter in her stomach. Something wasn’t right. Ever since Tori came along, she was involved in almost everything Mark had set up. Now he didn’t want her to know. Something wasn’t right with this picture.

  “Why can’t she know,” Yvonne asked. She looked at Mark deeply and she suddenly knew why. “We are breaking into her mother’s house, aren’t we?”

  Mark nodded his head. “We are getting paid twenty grand if we do a nice job. Fifty if we kill her mother.”

  Yvonne’s eyes bucked. “Fifty?” There was no way whoever Mark talked too was going to pay him fifty grand if this was just business. This whole situation screamed at Yvonne that this was personal.

  “You in?”

  Yvonne looked at Mark as she mentally weighed her options. She needed her own place and to get away from Mark. She was tired of his bullshit and the way he treated her. She really needed that money. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to kill somebody who didn’t do shit to her. This was the woman who birthed Tori. If she dies, who will Tori go back home too?

  Yvonne knew for sure Autumn was probably done with Tori after that incident at the restaurant. Yvonne felt like she was suddenly robbing Tori of the only parent she ever knew.

  Yvonne looked upwards as she opened her mouth to make her decision. This couldn’t be her life. She done went from planning a wedding to now planning somebody’s death. “I’m not pulling the trigger,” Yvonne whispered as she looked at Mark. “I can’t have that stain on my conscience.”

  Mark shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Yvonne. “Fine with me. Just be ready at midnight.” Mark left out the bathroom as Yvonne turned to look at the water that was seemingly still in the bathtub. Yvonne wished her soul can be that peaceful, but it wasn’t. Mark was slowly dragging her closer and closer to his level and she couldn’t do anything about it.

  Chapter 18

  Blessings kept her eyes on the television as she felt him enter the room. She didn’t understand how she knew it was him, but it was. It wasn’t like she smelled him or anything. But the way her body reacted whenever she was in his presence, always was the same. Her body would get this strange sensation. Priest grabbed a chair and pulled it closer to her bed as he sat down. He gently ran his finger across her hand as he looked at her.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “You know I still love you. I never wanted us to end this way. This whole situation just popped up and I didn’t want to lose you. But I had a kid to think about. I didn’t know what to do.”

  Blessings rolled her eyes, but she didn’t dare look his way. He has taken her through every emotion she could possibly go through. Autumn was right. This wasn’t Blessings. She just wanted the pain to stop. She wanted to stop crying every three minutes and just get through the day, tear free. But today, nothing was working. She prayed until she couldn’t pray anymore. When she stopped, another pain took over.

  “Go away,” Blessings whispered hoarsely. Her throat was bone dry and she licked her lips just to keep them somewhat moist. “You lied to me about everything. You said you loved me but that was a lie. You said you didn’t fuck her, but clearly that was a lie.” Blessings looked at him finally. Priest’s hung his head as the truth dripped from Blessings mouth.

  “I can’t change the past,” Priest said as soon as he found his voice. He knew he fucked up. “I fucked up. But damn it, that don’t mean kill yourself. I almost lost my mind when Avery finally told me who we were coming to see. I love your mean ass and I still need you in my life.”

  Blessings blinked her eyes rapidly as she tried not to cry. “You don’t know how much you hurt me. We were so happy and now it’s like we can’t be friends anymore. You are with her and I am missing you.” Blessings shook her head as she looked at him. “It’s not the same anymore.”

  “It can go back to just being you and me,” Priest said in a soft tone as he grabbed her hand. “Just me and you, Blessings. I can put myself on child support and set up visitations.” Tears was running down Priest’s face as he pulled Blessings hand to his face. He closed his eyes as he saw his blessing suddenly disappearing in front of him. She was everything he ever wanted. He never wanted her to dumb down her intelligence just to uplift somebody else. But he realized she did it anyway. For him. Because she loved hi
m.

  Blessings looked away as she used her other hand to hit the call button. She couldn’t bear to watch him cry. She had enough on her heart that she had to deal with. She cared about him for far too long and look where it got her. Laying in the hospital bed, with her left wrist wrapped in bandage. He ended up loving her all wrong. Now she had to fix what he broke.

  The nurse knocked on the door and walked in. “Do you need anything,” she asked as she looked at Blessings.

  Blessings nodded towards Priest. “Can you please escort him out of here and bring me something to drink?”

  Priest looked at Blessings with an incredulously look on his face. “You want me to leave?” Blessings nodded as she looked at him.

  “I forgive you,” she said. “But I can’t love you again. I have to love me now.”

  “What about the baby?”

  Blessings looked away as she thought about their child growing inside of her. “I don’t know.”

  Priest looked away as he got up from the chair. He walked out of the hospital room, without saying a word. Blessings could feel the tears coming but she knew what she had to do.

  AUTUMN STOOD AT THE vending machine as she tried to decide what kind of snack she wanted. She was in desperate need of a home cooked meal, seeing as though she didn’t eat much today. She thought back to the plate Chicago had made for her and how it shattered when Avery pushed her. Autumn rolled her eyes. That was a waste of food.

  Autumn sighed as she peered deeper into the glass when she saw somebody standing behind her. “Shouldn’t you be talking to your cousin,” Autumn said in a short tone.

  Avery sighed as he continued to look at her. “I’m sorry for pushing you.”

  Autumn turned around and looked at him. “You don’t get it, do you?” She eyed Avery’s body language to get a clue if he really was sorry. His body language was all over the place. “You hid the fact that my sister was with your ex. I don’t care if I had to run the whole universe. She is important to me. She comes first. I would drop any and everything for that girl.”