Belle

by Treasure Hernandez

  “Yes, me. Now get in this car before these crackers call the police on your ass for comin’ up here with a gun!” she exclaimed. “I swear, your mama told me you were smart. Tuh! Please.”

  Kidd did as she said and got in the car. She pulled off before he’d even shut his door all the way. She hit the road, playing her old music, and constantly checked her rearview like she was making sure nobody was following her. Kidd was still shaken up and didn’t know what to say, but Luella had a mouthful.

  “And why on earth would you have me pick you up down the street from that son of a bitch’s establishment?”

  “You mean Unc?”

  “No, I mean that son of a bitch!” Luella let him know that she meant what she said.

  “I wasn’t in my car when I got there.”

  “You ain’t never heard of Uber?” she asked, looking at him like he’d come from a different planet. “No matter, I think we’re good. I don’t think anybody followed us.”

  “Why would anybody follow us?” Kidd asked, finding himself shooting a glance to the back window of the truck.

  “Because they don’t want you to find out the truth, that’s why.”

  “The truth?”

  “Yes, the truth. Ain’t you hear me, boy? The truth!”

  “The truth about what?”

  “About your mom. She’s watched at all times. That’s why she had to tell you to go to that mailbox in code. I left that message there even though I told her you probably would never find it. I guess you are kind of smart,” Luella told him. “You ain’t never wondered why she didn’t want to see you? You never wondered why she denied all your attempts to visit her? It wasn’t because she didn’t want you to see her like that.”

  “Then what was it? What other reason could keep a woman away from her son for almost ten years?”

  “She was keeping you safe,” Luella said.

  “Safe from what?” Kidd inquired.

  “Where do you live?” Luella asked and put her hand up as if to stop him from talking. “These years haven’t been that good to me. I feel old as a bat. I can’t do all this talking and driving now. I’ll explain everything once I can sit on a couch and have a glass of sweet tea.”

  Twice in a row, somebody had silenced him like he was a little boy, and it wasn’t sitting right in his chest. He had half a mind to tell her to pull over and take her advice about getting an Uber, but that would defeat the purpose of calling her in the first place. Plus, he was curious to know exactly what she was talking about.

  “And put your damn seat belt on, boy! You’re gonna get me a damn ticket!”

  Kidd glared at her and mumbled something under his breath. He did what she said, though. The ride to his condo seemed to last longer than it actually was. He didn’t know if it was the music or the smell of lavender that made it drag on, but whatever it was, he could have leaped for joy when they were finally in his parking garage. He exited the truck first and then helped her out before leading the way to his place.

  “Well, I’m glad to see that you have some manners at least,” she told him when he held the door to his condo open for her.

  “You know, you were a lot nicer at the restaurant.”

  “Yeah, well, I get paid to do that,” she said and winked at him as she walked past.

  He locked the door behind them and went into the kitchen to see if he had any sweet tea in the refrigerator. By the time he brought it to her, he saw that she made herself comfortable in his living room on the couch. He handed the teacup to her with a couple packets of sugar.

  “Just in case that’s not sweet enough for you,” he said and took a seat next to her.

  “Thank you,” she said, taking a sip of the tea. “Mm, mm, mmmm! That’s good right there. Did you make this?”

  “Yes, ma’am. My mom loved her some sweet tea.”

  “I know that’s right. Gia would drink a whole gallon if you let her,” she said with a fond smile.

  “How do you know my mom exactly?”

  “We went to college together. We were like two peas in a pod back in those days. Well, three. You do know she went to school in Atlanta for a bit, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I think I remember her telling me that.”

  “Yep. Those were the good ol’ days,” she said and continued sipping her tea.

  Kidd waited for her to bring up what she was talking about in the car, but when she didn’t do so on her own, he initiated the conversation. “What did you mean in the car when you said my mom wanted to keep me safe? Keep me safe from who?”

  “Who do you think?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you,” Kidd said, feeling himself growing agitated.

  “From that monster of a man you call your uncle.”

  “Uncle Gene? That doesn’t make any sense. He took me in after she went to jail.”

  “Did you ever wonder why?”

  “I guess I just always assumed it was because he was my uncle.”

  “Ha! You mean to tell me that you think Gene Hightower committed a selfless act?” Luella asked and gave a deep, hearty laugh. “Everything that man does is strictly for personal gain.”

  “What could he have possibly gained by welcoming me into his home and taking care of me?”

  “Your mother’s control,” Luella said, looking into Kidd’s eyes. “Tell me, what do you know about the reason your mom is in jail?”

  “She was laundering money and got caught in the act.”

  “Laundering money?” Luella asked and laughed again. “That’s what they told you? I can tell you’re a smart boy, Andrew, so I know you can’t possibly believe that. How could she have done that? Through the hospital job she was working?”

  “Okay, well, if that wasn’t it, what was it? Because that’s what Uncle Gene told me.”

  “Well, your Uncle Gene is a lot of things, but a truth teller isn’t one of them,” Luella said, setting her cup down on the glass coffee table in front of them. She turned back to Kidd and grabbed his hands in hers as if to steady him for what she was about to say. “A little over ten years ago, your uncle came up with this crazy idea for a gentlemen’s club. He wanted it to be away from everything and everybody to make it more exclusive, and he found the perfect spot for it. The only thing was, the property and the land was already owned by a guy named Miguel Torres. Miguel didn’t want to sell to Gene.”

  “But he got the land,” Kidd said, butting in. “Somehow he got the land, right? What did he do, blackmail him?”

  “Worse,” Luella said, shaking her head. “See, blackmailing him would have been too easy for Gene. Where is the fun in that? No, Gene set him up and used your mother as bait.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “You were a growing boy, Andrew. He promised her enough money to take care of you for a long time if she lured Miguel away from a bar and back to a hotel. Gene killed Miguel that night, but not before he tortured him into signing over the deed to the land and building. That murder was traced back to your mother months later.”

  “And he let her take the fall for him?” Kidd asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” Luella said. “And he threatened that if she ever told the truth, he would kill you. That’s why he made her deny your visiting requests.”

  There was an anger welling up in the pit of Kidd’s stomach that he’d never felt before. It was pure rage. For so many years, his mother had had to sit and rot in prison alone because of something Gene talked her into doing. Not only that, but Kidd had hated her for so long, not even knowing that she was just trying to keep him out of harm’s way. He couldn’t imagine the feeling of knowing that the only way of keeping your child safe was to push him away. The agony knowing that the person she was trying to keep her son safe from had him nearby at all times. Gene had mentally tortured his own sister for years to command her decisions. For that, he would have to pay. Kidd tried to pull his hands away, but Luella didn’t let them go.

  “That’s not all,”
she told him.

  “What could be worse than finding out you’ve hated your own mother all these years for nothing, Luella?”

  “Gene is planning something, Kidd.”

  “Gene is always planning something.”

  “No, something bigger.” Luella shook her head. “Gia told me the other day when she called me after Gene visited her.”

  “Gene visited her?” Kidd asked and suddenly remembered the day Gene had him and Ollie waiting at his house. “What did he want?”

  “Information about the husband of our other close friend from college.”

  “Who?”

  “Her name was Taina. She was a real looker, too. So beautiful. She married well. A man named Lucas Dubois.”

  “Wait, did you say Lucas Dubois?”

  “You know him?”

  “I know of him. Gene—”

  “Got him and Taina killed,” Luella said, and tears flooded the corners of her eyes. “They didn’t deserve that. They were good people.”

  “They had a daughter who survived,” Kidd told her.

  “Thank God,” Luella said. “And hopefully Gene never finds her, because if he does, the world is in trouble. Gia thinks that he wants to use the Bliss Lounge to control everyone in the country who has a voice. Lucas’s company represented everyone from musicians to politicians. All it takes is one trip to his little gentlemen’s club to have them wrapped around his finger. But without the sole owner of Lucas’s company, Gene won’t have access to any of the information he needs. He doesn’t need that kind of power. Nobody needs that kind of power.”

  “Shit,” Kidd said to himself and tried to iron out his thoughts. “His brother. Lucas had a brother. Somebody needs to have him tighten up security and tell him what’s going on so he knows.” There was a sadness that came over Luella’s gaze that was hard to miss. “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, baby. He’s already dead. Murdered last night. It’s been on the news all morning.”

  “But Gene was here in Miami last night.”

  “Gene has long money, baby. Just because he’s here doesn’t mean he can’t reach elsewhere,” she said.

  “Then that means Belle is the only one left,” Kidd said and looked at Luella and slumped his shoulders in a defeated fashion. “Gene already has her.”

  “What? How?” she exclaimed.

  “It’s a long story.” Kidd shook his head. “But she’s at the Bliss Lounge as we speak.”

  “And you just left her there?”

  “How was I supposed to know all this shit?”

  “Well, you have to go get her. Your uncle is a dangerous man. You should know. You’re one of his hired hands. You know what happens to people once Gene has no use for them anymore.”

  Her revelation took Kidd aback. “How do you know about what I do?”

  “Come on, boy. Do you think that just because your mom is locked up, she didn’t at least keep tabs on her baby boy? She’s proud of you. I hope you know that.”

  “Even though I didn’t go to Harvard?”

  “I’m sure she is, but just in case, you can make it up to her by doing one thing,” Luella said, staring deeply into Kidd’s eyes. “Save that girl, and put an end to Gene Hightower.”

  Chapter 15

  Love can only be found through the act of loving.

  —Paulo Coelho

  In the weeks that followed, Belle grew accustomed to her new life in Florida. It was a different kind of vibe than the one she was used to. Life in Nebraska hadn’t been too slow, but compared to Miami, it was a snail. She moved into a nice-sized apartment in a good area in town. She decked it out to her liking, which meant the color pink was everywhere. Pink drapes, pink rugs, pink wall décor. She’d chosen off-white furniture, and her bedding was the color of opal. It wasn’t anything like the home she shared with her family, but it would do for the time being. She had a neighbor she’d started getting to know named Char, who seemed cool. Belle thought that it would be nice to have a new friend who wasn’t a stripper.

  Gene had kept good on his promise and granted Belle the title of Lady Beauty. He also did not require her to sign a contract with the Bliss Lounge under the condition that she pay weekly dues while she worked there. To top it all off, he also allowed her to pick her own schedule. She could go in and work only one day a week if she wanted to, but Belle had grown money hungry. There was barely a day that she didn’t show up for work. If she missed a day, all she thought about were the Benjamins she would miss out on.

  There was one strange thing about working for Gene, and that was that she barely ever saw Kidd. Now that she knew he was Gene’s nephew, it was even stranger, because she knew he was around somewhere. Whenever she did get a glimpse at him in the lounge, he would be gone before she got another. She tried to contact him again, but all she got was a message back saying the number had been disconnected. She was positive that the last time he looked at her, she saw something there. Something more that she couldn’t explain because it was more so how she felt. She tried not to let it bother her. Maybe it was best to just forget about him.

  That night, she was cursing herself as she walked down the steps of her apartment because she’d taken a little longer on her makeup than she wanted to. There, of course, was a room at the Bliss Lounge that the women used to get dressed, but Belle preferred to walk in with her face already beat. That way, all she had to do was get dressed and go. The yellow midi dress she wore hugged her curves tightly, but she could still feel her butt bounce with each switch. The three-and-a-half-inch nude ankle strap heels she wore gave her a comfortable lift, and her pretty polished toes gleamed in the moonlight.

  She was almost to her car when she heard footsteps approaching her, but she didn’t stop walking. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, telling her that something wasn’t right, but still, she did not look back.

  “Where you going, walking so fast?” a gruff voice said close behind her.

  The owner of the voice grabbed her forearm tightly and spun her around. Belle turned her nose up instantly, seeing a man in his thirties with hair and a beard that badly needed a trim. He was brown skinned, dressed like a thug, and not attractive to her eyes at all. The man was standing a little too close to her, and Belle had to take short breaths to not inhale too much of his liquor stench. He wasn’t alone, either. Not too far behind him were two more men, each looking at Belle with the same lustful gaze. Belle had no idea where they came from, because they surely weren’t from around there. All three of them had golds in their mouth that made their teeth seem like they hadn’t been brushed in weeks, and it made Belle want to gag. She tried to snatch her arm away, but he had a tight grip on her.

  “Where you goin’ dressed like that?”

  “How about you just let my arm go so I can get there?” Belle snapped.

  “Damn,” he said, licking his crusted lips. “Hot and spicy, just like I like ’em. You got the body of a dancer. Is that what you is? You a dancer?”

  “Nigga, let me go,” Belle demanded. She tried to yank her arm away again and failed.

  “What?” he said with a grin. “You don’t like me or somethin’?”

  “Ay! Y’all leave her alone!”

  Belle looked up and saw Char standing on her porch. Char was wearing an oversized T-shirt that hid her curves and whether she was wearing any shorts underneath. On her feet were a pair of furry slides, and she had thick rollers in her weave. Belle felt a surge of relief wash over her when she saw her neighbor.

  “Bitch, go back in the house!” the man who was holding on to Belle said.

  “Scoop, stop it,” Char said, calling the man by name. “Y’all was supposed to wait for her to leave.”

  Belle realized what was happening, and her relief was short-lived.

  “We were, but you ain’t tell me how scrumptious she was,” Scoop said and turned back to Belle. His eyes fell on her perky breasts and stared at her erect nipples before looking back in her face. “Char already told us that
you was a dancer, so you ain’t even gotta answer that for me, sweetheart. Now, why don’t you be a team player and tell us where the cash is at?”

  “Not in my apartment if that’s what you thought,” Belle said. “If y’all were waiting until I left to rob me, y’all were going to be highly disappointed. Ain’t shit in there but maybe some expensive fine china and designer clothes. That lick wouldn’t have even been worth it.”

  Scoop eyed Belle’s face hard before breaking into a sinister grin. “Well, that’s too bad, isn’t it? But I still want to find out myself,” he said.

  “You’ll be wasting your time,” Belle said firmly.

  “Well, say I am wastin’ my time tryin’a go up in your spot. What you say you, me, and my niggas here climb in your car and have some fun? Call it even.”

  It was then that Belle regretted lying to Gene and telling him she was staying with Dynasty. Well, she really hadn’t lied, because that was where she was laying her head until she got her place. She just failed to mention that to Gene. She planned to, but she wanted to enjoy the little privacy that she had for a little longer. She looked around, but there was nobody in the parking lot to witness what was going on, and if anyone was looking out of their window, they didn’t seem to care.

  “In your dreams,” Belle said. She pushed on Scoop’s chest and finally broke free. “I’m not a prostitute.”

  “You’re right about that,” Scoop said and pulled a chrome pistol from his hip. “’Cause prostitutes get paid, and you gon’ pay me. You either gon’ take us to the money or pay the fee in pussy. Or maybe you wanna pay with your life. What will it be?”

  He raised the gun and pointed it at Belle’s forehead. Flashbacks of that night at the gas station came to her, and she remembered how it felt to have unwanted hands roaming her body. She would rather die than sell her soul, and Scoop found that out when she spit in his face.