by Andrea Sad'e
“I got her,” I heard Rico say in the ear piece. I looked up, and all their men were sprawled out with bullets in them. Chris was the only one still alive. They had only shot him in the leg. I walked over to him and bent down over him, with tears running down my face.
“Chris, why?” He looked up at me with red eyes.
“I never wanted to Gena, but my son has cancer and I couldn’t pay for his treatments.”
“Your son?”
“Yes, Karen’s son is mine.”
“Oh my God, Chris; you know all you had to do is ask! Money ain’t shit. Now you’ve gotten yourself into some shit that I can’t get you out of. I can’t save you,” I said, breaking down on his chest.
“You don’t have to save me, Gena. I’ll be okay. Either way it goes. If something happens to me, just please take care of my son.” I kissed his face.
“I promise.” Ace walked in.
“Come on,” he said to Chris, handcuffing him. Slick walked in with Karen handcuffed. “We’re going to take ya’ll to the warehouse and chain ya’ll up like ya’ll did her, and when she’s feeling better I’ll let her decide what to do with ya’ll.”
“Where is your son?” I asked Chris before they took him out.
“He’s at Mom and Dad’s. I just told them everything too.”
“Okay,” I said, giving him one last kiss and a big hug. I cried the whole ride home, I hoped they spared my brother’s life, but most likely that wouldn’t happen with this group of niggas.
Rayna
I woke up in a bed, looking around trying to figure out where I was. Once my eyes focused, I noticed that I was in my bed at home. I was hooked up to an IV and in a new PINK night gown. I didn’t feel dirty anymore, so I smelled my skin and it smelled like my soap. I tried to get out of bed, but Ace walked in the room along with a black man in a white robe, who I assumed was a doctor.
“Hey baby. Don’t try to get up. You’re really weak right now,” Ace said, coming and sitting in the bed with me.
“What happened? How did you guys find me?” I asked, tears welling up in my eyes.
“Don’t worry about that, baby. Just know that we came and got you. You’re safe now.”
“I’m hungry.”
“I’ll go get you something, I’ll be back.”
I instantly panicked, “Don’t leave.”
“It’s okay baby, Rico is here. He’s gonna come up here and sit with you while I’m gone.”
“Oka,” I said, knowing that I was in good hands and had nothing to worry about. He kissed my forehead and left the room. A few minutes later, Rico walked in and sat down in the chair next to my bed. He started concentrating on something that I didn’t pick up on, so I turned my head. Looking at the TV, I waited for him to say something but five minutes had passed, and still nothing came out of his mouth.
“I didn’t think you were this rude,” I said, looking at him from the corner of my eye
“What?” he said, looking at me with a serious face.
“Nothing,” I said, going back under the sheets.
“If you’re wondering why I didn’t say anything, sometimes people don’t want to talk to people after these kind of things happen, so I was waiting until you wanted to talk and then I was gonna see how you were feeling, but you just had to jump the gun,” he said, shaking his head.
“Whatever. Get out!” I yelled at him, and he didn’t even budge.
“I was told to stay in this room with you, and that’s what I’ll do. I advise you to calm down.”
“Who do you think you are?” I asked, eyeing him.
“Somebody who helped save your damn life,” he said before looking in the other direction.
“They hurt me really bad,” I said with tears welling up in my eyes. “My face is all puffy and swollen. Lips busted, but I shouldn’t take it out on you. I apologize.”
“Thank you,” he said, showing no emotion.
“Fuckin bi polar ass nigga,” is what I sighed before falling back asleep. I could have sworn I heard him chuckle.
Ace
“I can send Slick. Some serious shit just went down over here with my family, and I can’t just up and leave and come to California.”
“Well Mr. Rowland, it looks like you won’t have the time to build an empire in the streets of California. If you’re going to do business with me, you will have to take me throughout California telling me your plans before I head back to Colombia. I take my business very very seriously.”
“Shit,” I mumbled to myself. In my mind, I knew this was a bad idea but I had to expand my empire. The quicker I made money, the quicker I could get out of the game.
“Hello?” she said into the phone.
“Alright Veronica,” I said, hanging up the phone. I knew I shoulda never got a connect who was a bitch. Her lil’ ugly ass always wanted to fuckin flirt and shit. She’s not actually ugly, but she was plain; skinny, long hair, tan skin, blah blah blah boring. The way she acted desperate for me made her ugly and unattractive in my eyes. My phone vibrated, and I looked down seeing that Veronica had sent me a message.
“You have two days” -V.
I rolled my eyes and put my phone back into my pocket. I left the trap and headed back to my house. When I got home, I walked up to the room and Rayna was sleeping while Rico sat in the chair, looking at his iPad with all the camera screens on it.
“Wassup man,” I said lowly as he looked up and gave me some dap.
“Wassup Ace.”
“She give you a hard time today?” I asked Rico.
“Nah, she still seems pretty tired. Her doctor left all these papers. He also said all her tests came back negative.”
“Good. Okay. I really appreciate it, Rico.”
“Let me talk to you for a minute,” I said, leading him towards the door.
“What’s up?”
“I have to go on a business trip tomorrow. I will be gone for three days. I need you to stay here and look after her. Ahleya will be here today, but she’ll be with my mom for the three days I’m gone. Anywhere Rayna needs to go, you take her.”
“Well, I’m going to have to go home and get some stuff,”
“You can go home. My plane leaves at ten forty-five am, so if you can be here at eight-fifteen so I can get to the airport by nine, that would be straight.”
“Alright. I’m going to get going then,” he said, walking down the stairs.
“Oh Rico, one more thing.”
“Wassup,” he said, turning around.
“Please don’t let anybody into my house. Not even the other security; you’re the only person I trust inside my house.
“Gotcha,” he said, walking down the stairs.
I walked into the room and saw Rayna tossing and turning. I sat down on the bed and rubbed her arm. She jumped out of her sleep with a panicked look on her face.
“it’s just me, baby/” It took her a few seconds to readjust. “I have to talk to you about something, Ray.”
“Wassup,” she said, looking at me in the eyes.
“I have to go to California to close a business deal.”
“Do you realize that I just got home last night, Anthony?”
“Yes, baby. I’m sorry this was so last minute, and she said if I don’t come within two days, supplying me more for Cali is out of the question.”
“She?” she said, raising her eyebrows, “so your new connect is a fuckin she, and you’re going all the way to California without me to meet with her? Yeah, that sounds pretty fucking logical.”
“Baby, don’t be like that. You know it’s all business. I’m doing this for us,” I said, snatching her hand away.
“No nigga, you’re doing it for fucking you! I got me no matter what!” I don’t know what had gotten into her. “It’s getting ridiculous, Anthony. Before I got taken, you were home a lot less, and when you were home you were always in the office or on the phone. Money is going to destroy you one day,” she said with so much passion and tears roll
ing down her face.
“Rayna, the quicker I make more money, the quicker I can leave the game. I’m just trying to make sure that when we have children, they never have to want for shit.”
“Protection.”
“What?” I asked, not understanding what she was saying.
“Protection is the only thing your kids will want. The deeper you get into this game, the more enemies you’ll make,” she said, walking to the bathroom and slamming the door shut.
“Fuck,” I said to myself. I hated leaving on a bad note, but she knew who I was and what I did before we got into this relationship. I made it perfectly clear what this life would consist of. I got up and went to the door, grabbing it and seeing that it was locked. I went to the closet and grabbed the door key, unlocking it. She was sitting on the floor crying her eyes out.
“Fuck man,” I mumbled under my breath. I bent down, putting my arms around her.
“I know you’ve been through a lot Rayna, but I promise I’m just trying to give you everything you never had,” I said in her ear. She turned around and hugged me tight.
“Ace, I’m not crying about that.”
“Then what’s wrong, baby?”
“I’m so hungry,” she said, giving me a face that I couldn’t help but laugh at.
“Your food is downstairs, come on. Clean yourself up so we can eat.”
That girl right there...
Chapter 9:
Kay
“That’s cute,” I told China as we looked in the baby store. She had just found out she was having a girl, and she was more than excited. I offered to tag along to shop with her cause I kinda felt bad that her fuck ass baby daddy wasn’t doing it, whomever that nigga is—I never even asked.
“I’m going to go and pay for the stuff. I’ll be right back.” I nodded my head and grabbed my phone out of my pocket. I looked at the screen seeing that I had a iMessage from Gena. I opened it, seeing that she was on her way to my house.
“Damn,” I said to myself, looking up at a smiling China. “Hey China, something just came up. Can I get with you later? I’m sorry, it’s an emergency.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah, it’s fine. This isn’t your responsibility anyways,” she said with tears in her eyes. I gently grabbed her chin.
“Hey, don’t be like that.”
“No it’s fine, just go.” I kissed her forehead and rushed out to my car.
Gena and I pulled up at my gate at the same time. I unlocked the gate, and we both drove in at the same time. She got out the car.
“What’s good, ma?”
“Hello Kaleb,” she said, hugging me.
“What were you up to today?” I asked her while we walked in the house.
“Nothing, I had to work today but I’m off tomorrow. So I’m gonna go see Rayna. I can’t believe my brother did that,” she said, touching the bridge of her nose. I grabbed her and held her against my chest.
“It is going to be alright, Gena.”
“Just make the pain go away,” she whispered to me. I looked up at her and grabbed her, causing her to come closer to me. I took her lips in mine, sucking her tongue. She straddled me and I stood up, carrying her up the stairs with ease, taking her shirt off in the process. When we got up the stairs, I carried her down the hallway to my room. Gena was special to me; I’d never let anyone other than her in my room. I laid her down and spread her legs.
“Ohhh shit, Kay.” I slapped her thigh.
“What’s my name?”
“Kalebbbbb,” she moaned out.
“MmmHmm. That's what daddy likes to hear.” I pulled my head up and zipped down my jeans, pulling my man out. “On your stomach,” I demanded her, not having to say too much before she flipped over.
Gena
He pulled my hair so that my ear was by his mouth.
“You giving this pussy away?”
“N-no,” I stuttered. “It’s yours,” I lied through my teeth. He smacked my ass and kept stroking my insides. “Ahhh I’m about to cummm…”
“Cum for daddy.” My whole body started to get warm, and my legs got weak. I released and instantly felt high. My legs started giving out.
“Oh no. Not yet. I gotta get mine,” he said, holding me up. Ten minutes later, we were both laying on the bed exhausted.
“I really like you, Kaleb.”
“I like you too,” he said, looking up at me.
“Do you want to have more kids?” he asked me, awaiting my answer.
“Yes. After I get married. This back and forth thing is just way too much.”
“Do you see yourself having kids with someone who isn’t your baby’s father?” I thought about it for a second, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to lie to him or not, because I don’t want to be one of those women walking around with five different baby daddies.
“That’s kind of hard to say, because look at Kenyah; ya know, she’s so perfect. How could I ever manage to make a baby like that with somebody else?”
“Mmmm,” he said like he was in deep thought.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Kay, I really like you. I thought I was just going to be doing this to have some fun and get back at Slick, but I’ve really fallen for you and it’s all kind of confusing for me right now. That’s why I’m not making any sudden moves right now.”
“I understand. I also appreciate you telling me the truth,” he said, kissing my lips.
“Let me get dressed. I need to go home and get some stuff done while Kenyah is with her dad.”
“Alright sexy.” He watched me get dressed and walked me to my car. “Be safe. Call me when you get home.”
“Alright,” I said quickly.
“Don’t be cutting me off, big head ass girl.” I chuckled
“Whatever, bye nigga,” I said before getting in the car. How can I be in love with two men? God, what am I gonna do?”
When I got home, Kendrick was sitting in my living room rubbing Kenyah’s back as she fell asleep.
“Well hey,” he said, looking at me. He got up and put Kenyah in her bed. I rolled my eyes, ready to get in my shower and get into my bed.
“Well I’m out,” he walked toward the door. I walked to the door to close it, but he turned around and looked at me. The next thing I know, he had rushed in my house with his hand around my neck. “You have a fuckin hickey on your neck. What the fuck!”
I started to panic, trying to get his hands from around my neck, but he was too strong. Just as I started to feel weak, he let go and stormed out of my house. I just sat there gasping for dear life. I stood up and looked in the mirror, noticing that a bruise was forming around my neck.
“Fuck,” I said, cursing myself. I gotta get this shit together.
Enrico
I walked in the house and saw Layla sitting on the couch reading a book.
“Where are the kids?”
“At my mom’s house. She wanted to keep them tonight.”
“Oh, cool,” I said, sitting next to her. “How you feeling today?”
“I’m feeling okay. Taking it one day at a time.”
“Why won’t you go see a professional? Somebody who can help you through this? The kids need you in a better state than this.”
“I finished a dress for Ciara’s red carpet event. It matches the suit I made her boyfriend.” This is what she does. She changes the subject. I interrupted her babbling.
“I have to do a security job for three days.”
“Oh, okay,” she said, kind of zoned out.
“So do you even give a shit?”
“Don’t do that, Rico.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I mumbled as I got off of the couch. I headed to the kitchen
“Hey Tati. You had a day off from the kids.”
“Si,” she said smiling. She placed my plate on the table and went out the backdoor. She lived in our guest house. It was a nice ass guest house. We had it decked out for her because she only deserves the best. I looked by the
stove and saw that she had fried some chicken and made some kind of beans and rice, with a dinner roll on the side. I sat down and ate, and then went to the bathroom and took a shower. I wondered how these next three days were going to play out. I washed up, then got out the shower. When I came out, Layla was already in the bed sleeping. Boy, I get so tired of not being able to make love to my wife. I’m a man and I have needs. We haven’t had sex since before Christian was born. I didn’t know how much more I could take of this. Something had to give.
The next morning, I woke up and drove over to Layla’s mother's house. I rang the doorbell and soon after, I was greeted by Christian’s slobbery face.
“Hey big man,” I said, grabbing him out of his grandma’s arms. Jayla came down the stairs with her shoes in her hands; I kissed her forehead. She put her shoes on and tried to lay back down.
“Jayla, vamonos,” I said, heading to the door. She got up and stomped her way to the car. She hated mornings, and the fact that school was involved didn’t make it better either. “Cheer up princess. You can take a nap after school.”
After driving for about ten minutes, we arrived at her school. I got out and leaned down in front of her.
“Daddy won’t be home for a couple of days because I have to work extra hours. Give me a kiss.” She gave me a sloppy one on my cheek. and I gave her the same.
“I love you, Daddy,” she hugged me, and went to her class bench. I smiled knowing I had the sweetest daughter in the whole wide world.
I walked into the house as Ace was walking out.
“See you in a couple days. Call me if she gets hard to handle; she has been really in a bad mood, but I can understand why.”
“Gotcha. Now get gone before you miss your flight.” He walked out the door, and I walked in the basement to get everything I needed for the day. I have all of the cameras hooked up where I can control them from my iPad. I sat in a chair and watched the tape to see if there was anything that night shift may have missed. Everything looked clear, so I went outside to observe, talk to the outdoor security, and came back into the house and sat on the couch closest to the door. I heard footsteps, so I looked up. Rayna was coming downstairs still in her pajama shorts, which were extremely small.