by Chunichi
I see everything is still intact here. You guys even kept up the landscaping and maintenance,” Vegas said, surprised at how well his brothers had kept the house.
“Yeah, man. We weren’t trying to hear your fucking mouth,” Snake joked. Vegas jumped out of the car and headed to the house.
“I’ll be back about twelve, man, so be ready,” Snake yelled out the window as he pulled off.
Arf . . . arf . . . arf!
Vegas could hear Prissy barking as he put his key in the door.
“They even took good care of you, Prissy,” he said as he patted her on the head. Once inside, Vegas headed straight for the shower. When he entered our room, he paused. The full size portrait of me really saddened him.
“I’m sorry, C. I’m sorry. I was supposed to be there to protect you. Nothing was ever supposed to happen to you. I love you, baby, and I’m gonna get you home,” he spoke aloud as he adored the portrait.
He hopped in the shower to wash away all the memories of his imprisonment. Vegas exited the shower ready for a new beginning. He turned toward the closet, disappointed that he would have to wear an outdated outfit.
Damn, I’m not trying to wear no old ass shit. If my baby was here, I know she would have all the latest shit here waiting for me, he thought.
“Daaaammmmn!!!” Vegas yelled as he opened the closet door. His brothers had looked out for him big time. His closet was stocked with all the new Tims in every style and color, all the newest throwbacks, Prada sneakers, Evisu jeans, team jackets and even a few packs of fresh, white tees. They got him everything he could possibly need, including socks, boxers, toothbrush, his favorite toothpaste, deodorant, and lotion. All of his jewelry was freshly cleaned and buffed. Vegas felt on top of the world as he got dressed. After dressing he decided to check out the rest of the house. Everything was exactly as he remembered. Nothing had changed. Vegas then decided to make a few calls since he still had some time to waste.
“Hello,” a female voice answered.
“What’s up, yo?”
“Who is this?” the female responded rudely.
“Come on, I don’t have time for the games. Where my kids at?” Vegas asked.
“What kids? Oh, we’ve found another baby daddy,” she said before hanging up in Vegas’ ear. Before he could pick up the phone to dial again, the phone rang.
“Hello.”
“You have a collect call from—” the recording began to say. Vegas immediately accepted the charges.
“Hey, baby!” I said, excited to hear his voice. It had been so long since we’d spoken to each other. Vegas had no idea the deputy spilled the beans about his infidelity. I decided not to bring it up. I had other plans for that. I kept in mind what Vegas taught me in the beginning of our relationship: Sometimes you just have to let shit ride and keep your enemies close.
“How are you, C? Everything okay? Are they treating you right in there?” Vegas asked a thousand questions at once.
“I’m fine, baby, considering my state.”
“Well, I’m gonna do everything I can to get you out of there. First thing tomorrow, I’m gonna holla at my lawyer about getting you an early release. Okay?”
I didn’t get my hopes up because I didn’t think much could be done. On the other hand, I didn’t want to discourage Vegas.
“Okay, baby. Do what you can.” I’m sure Vegas felt responsible for getting me locked up, but in reality, he should have. He lied to me, causing me to act irrationally. As much as I loved Vegas, the deceit remained in my head.
“All right, baby. Call me tomorrow. I love you, baby girl.”
“I love you, too,” I said before the call was disconnected.
Ring, ring . . . Ring, ring.
“Hello,” Vegas answered again.
“Yo, nigga, come the fuck outside. You ready to roll?” It was Snake.
“A’ight, nigga,” Vegas said before hanging up. When Vegas opened the door, his other brother and Martinez were there to greet him with a bottle of Belvedere.
“What’s up, nigga?” they both yelled before bombarding him with masculine hugs.
“I hope you ready, nigga, because this is about to be a three-day party,” Martinez said as they got in the car. Each one of them handed Vegas a thousand dollars in cash as a welcome home gift.
“Thanks, niggas. That’s the least y’all mutha-fuckers could do since y’all been living in my shit rent free.” They all laughed.
“I see you like the gear, too,” Martinez added.
“Whatever. Y’all niggas did a’ight.” They continued to laugh as they made the first stop of the day, which was the barbershop.
Vegas got a fresh cut with a sharp edge-up. By the time they left the barbershop, they had finished the bottle of Belvedere, so they headed to the liquor store to replenish their stock. They purchased a bottle of Hennessy and more Belvedere. That would be enough to last them for the next few hours.
After a day of visiting and catching up, it was time for the welcome home bash. Martinez and Snake arranged for the party to be held at the local strip club. They had one section of the club reserved for his guests only. They had all types of food trays, including wings, seafood, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, and other heavy finger foods. The section was decorated with a welcome home banner and a huge throne awaited the king of the night.
“Welcome home!” everyone cheered as Vegas entered the club. Strippers were coming at him from all directions. The females were more excited about the party than he was. As soon as he sat in the chair, the party began. Snake and Martinez had paid the dancers in advance to give Vegas the show of a lifetime. They did everything except sex each other in front of everyone. The club was chaotic that night. It was full of drinking and hormones. That was surely a welcome home night to remember.
Chapter 18
Bring Home My Baby
After all the welcome home partying, it was time for Vegas to begin his mission to rescue me. Early Monday morning, he went to see his lawyer.
“Mr. Jackson, glad to see you,” the lawyer said as he extended his hand. “Back so soon?” he questioned as he directed Vegas to be seated.
“It’s not me this time, man. It’s my girl. You handled her murder case for me. Her name is Ceazia Devereaux,” Vegas explained.
“Oh yes, Ms. Devereaux. That was a tough case. What can I do for you?” the lawyer asked.
“Well, I was hoping for a reconsideration on her time. She has no priors and I think we can get her released into a program or probation or something. I just need to get her out of there.”
“I understand, Mr. Jackson, but without the actual killer behind bars, it’s hard to get her off. She’s going to have to work with the detectives on this one. Murder cases aren’t my specialty, but the Commonwealth attorney and detectives were willing to work something out if she would give them some leads. Unfortunately, she was not budging. You think you can get her to work with us?” the lawyer proposed to Vegas.
“She really doesn’t know anything, man. She told you all she knew. Is there anything else I can do?” Vegas pleaded with the lawyer.
“I really don’t think so, Mr. Jackson, but I’ll speak to the Commonwealth and see. How has her stay been so far? Any disciplinary actions?”
Vegas was hesitant to answer, but he knew he had to be truthful.
“Well, she started off on the wrong foot. She was sent to solitary confinement for assaulting a deputy, but that is currently under review because the deputy provoked Ceazia.”
“Okay, well, let me see what I can do. Maybe I can use that as grounds for reconsideration if I can find mistreatment in the facility.”
Vegas wasn’t too hopeful, but at least that was a start. “Okay, man. Just do what you can and keep me posted.”
Vegas exited the building and jumped in his truck. Damn, I miss her. I got to get her home, he thought as he headed to the mall.
Once he entered the mall, he went to every jewelry store in search of the perfect wedding
band to match my engagement ring. Vegas had asked me to marry him and he was going to make sure he carried through with the plans. Nothing was going to stop him, not even jail.
After looking in four jewelry stores, Vegas still had not found the ring he was looking for. He was not expecting such a challenging search. It took no time for him to find the perfect engagement ring, but to find the perfect wedding band was hell. One of the young ladies in the store suggested he have one of my friends help him so that he could have a woman’s opinion. Vegas noted her suggestion and called Mickie.
“Yo, Mickie.”
“Yeah?”
“This is Vegas. Hey, I need you to help me pick out a ring for C.”
“Okay. When you tryin’ to look?” Mickie asked, eager to help.
“Well, I started looking today, but I’m gonna look some more tomorrow. I’ll give you call.”
“A’ight that’s cool,” Mickie said before hanging up.
After the mall, Vegas made his rounds to all the laundromats and then headed home.
The phone was ringing just as he walked in the door.
“Hello.”
“This is a call from inmate—”
Vegas pressed one to accept the call.
“Hey, baby,” I said, excited to hear his voice.
“What’s up, ma? I spoke to the lawyer today and we’re gonna work on getting you outta there. I got big plans for you when you get home. We’re gonna make some serious moves.”
Vegas sounded excited about the plans he had for the future. I wasn’t excited, though. In fact, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to come home to him at all. I still hadn’t healed from his infidelity, but I made sure I played my cards right.
I remained humble and put all the memories of deceit on hold.
“That sounds good, baby. I just can’t wait to get out of here. So, how’s life on the streets?” I asked, really not interested in the response. I was sure Vegas was living it up—probably with another woman.
“Shit is lovely, baby. Your house is just like you left it, the laundromats are doing very good and Prissy is still healthy. All I need is you here to make things complete.”
“Well, I’m gonna go now. I’ll see you Saturday. This time I need you, baby . . . catch my heart.”
“I love you, momma,” Vegas responded before hanging up the phone.
It was Snake’s birthday so Vegas planned a huge party at the crib for him. The hot May weather was perfect for a cookout. Vegas pulled out the grill, Jet Skis, and patio furniture. By nightfall, the party was jumping. Guests included all of my friends, Vegas’ boys, and his family. Vegas had a number of tents set up outside. One of the tents was for the women to change into their swimsuits and the other for the men. Vegas also had a special room set up for the birthday boy. This room was for his special gift. Vegas did all he could to keep everyone outside. He really didn’t want much traffic inside the house.
As Vegas was bringing the meat outside to put it on the grill, he ran into Mickie.
“What’s up, Vegas?” she asked as she walked toward him.
“What’s up, Mickie? Who’s that you got with you?” Vegas asked as he noticed the very attractive young lady beside Mickie staring at him seductively.
“Oh, I’m sorry. This is Sonya.”
“Hi, Sonya,” Vegas said as he extended his hand. “You ladies enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“We sure are. Where’s your brother?” Mickie asked, unable to locate Snake.
She and Snake had continued their sexual escapade from the night I introduced them at the club. Now things were supposedly serious between them and they were actually calling themselves a couple.
“He’s around here somewhere. I’ll tell him you’re looking for him,” Vegas said as he turned his attention back to putting the meat on the grill.
After eating, everyone began to do their own thing. Some people were in the pool, others rode Jet Skis or played cards, and some were dancing. Vegas decided it was time for Snake’s grand finale, so he headed out to find him. He looked all over outside, but Snake was nowhere to be found. Vegas decided to head in the house to look for him.
When Vegas walked in the house, he noticed the bedroom door was open. This was odd, because he had made sure to shut all the doors just in case some of the guests wandered in the house. He entered the room slowly. The first section of the room with the Jacuzzi was empty, so he continued to the back where the bed was located.
“Hi, sexy,” a female voice sang as Vegas turned the corner. A naked body lay before him. He stood in shock, unable to find any words.
“You like what you see?” the young lady asked as she caressed her clit with one hand and her breasts with the other. Due to the lack of sex Vegas had in the past months, this was an instant arousal.
“Nah, shortie, you got to get the hell out of here,” Vegas said, attempting to sound firm.
“Well, from the look of things, you like what you see,” the female responded as she looked down toward Vegas’ erect penis.
She crawled across the king-size bed toward Vegas, and then she unzipped his pants slowly and pulled out his dick. Vegas tried to resist the temptation, but he was unsuccessful. Her lips were already around his penis and she was giving him crazy brain. Vegas grabbed the back of her head, gripping her long, black hair.
“Ahh . . . ahhhhh . . . ahhhh,” he moaned. He was in another world. He was so taken by the head he was getting that he didn’t even notice Snake and Mickie standing behind him.
“Sonya!” Mickie yelled. “What the fuck are you doing? Vegas, I can’t believe you.”
“Ah damn, Mickie. It ain’t like that,” Vegas tried to explain as Mickie glared at him, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Damn, li’l bro. You doing your thang,” Snake said, trying to dap his little brother up. “She gives some good ass head, don’t she, man?” Snake continued.
This was beginning to be all too strange to Vegas. “You mean she sucked your dick too, man?”
“Yeah, man. That’s our thing. She would have been in there with me and Mickie if you ain’t come in and cock block. Me and Mickie were in the bathroom getting our thing on while Sonya was out here getting herself prepared. I always have to get my first nut with my girl, but after that, Sonya comes in and joins us for the second round. She usually likes to listen and play with herself. Sometimes she watches too. All that shit turns her on,” Snake explained as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Man, I wasn’t even tryin’a fuck with her. She just started sucking my shit. Damn, I fucked up. I fucked up, man.” Vegas knew there was no way he could keep Mickie from telling me.
“Fuck it, man. You only live once. R. Kelly thinks he got the best of both worlds. Shit . . . that nigga has no idea.” Snake laughed as he smacked Sonya on her ass. “Get dressed. Let’s go,” Snake said.
After the three of them left the room, Vegas could still picture Mickie shaking her head, a constant reminder of the huge mistake he had made.
Chapter 19
A Turn in the Tables
As Vegas enjoyed life on the outside, I made do of my world behind bars. To utilize my time, I constantly studied law books. I was sure there was some loophole or something that could get me out of jail.
I was no longer in solitary confinement and life in population was better. I didn’t need to prove myself. In fact, I had a few chicks who were serving me. My cellmate, Brook, was one of them. She was serving time for embezzlement and had already been turned out in her short stay of only twelve months. She had a huge crush on me, and it was her personal mission to sex me. At times, it was pretty tempting. Brook had a gorgeous shape and a pretty face, unlike most of the females in there. Many of them had million-dollar bodies with food stamp faces.
Brook was my partner in crime. We masterminded a scheme to get me out. With my knowledge in law and her skill at scheming, we came up with the perfect plan. We just had a final few kinks to work out before executing it.
&nbs
p; The days began to fly by and Saturday rolled around in the blink of an eye. I anticipated Vegas’ arrival. I had a huge surprise for him. I had spoken to Mickie and she told me about his little dick-sucking incident. She told me not to mention it to him and tried to explain how Sonya had provoked him. Of course, none of that really mattered to me. I was able to keep my composure on our calls throughout the week, but I was going to make it my duty to show him a thing or two at visitation. Vegas had fucked me over once and I’d be damned if he was gonna get away with it twice. This was the final straw. I loved Vegas with all my heart and tried with all I had to put things behind me. I knew if I just remained humble, the truth would prevail. I hoped the truth would have been that Vegas really loved me and would never betray me, but deep inside I knew he had turned out to be as much of a snake as his older brother.
“Ceazia Devereaux, visitation!” the deputy called. I took my time walking to the gate. I could see Vegas’ nervous smile as I approached.
“Hey, baby,” he said as he hugged me tight. I returned a loose hug. My actions were making Vegas uneasy.
“How was your week?” I asked with a mischievous smile. Vegas instantly knew something was up.
“It was cool. What’s up with you, C? Why you acting all strange?” he started to ask. That was my cue.
Smack!
I threw my hand across his face.
“Fuck you, Vegas. You just can’t seem to keep your dick in your pants, can you?”
It took all he had, but Vegas did not strike back.
“I’m sorry, Ceazia,” he said through his teeth.
“It was a mistake. I understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore, but please just give me a chance to show you I can be the Vegas you’ve always loved.”
“The Vegas I loved protected me, was there for me, loved me, and damn sure never cheated on me,” I told him. “I hate you and I never want to see you again.” As a final touch, I spit in his face before leaving.
“You’re making a mistake, Ceazia!” I could hear him shouting. “You’re making a big mistake. Mickie told you what I did, but did she also tell you that she accepted three grand to keep her mouth shut? She’s jealous of you, C. She doesn’t want us together because she knows how happy you’ll be. The bitch is shiesty!”