by King, Deja
“I think tomorrow will be the perfect time to introduce you to them. I already mentioned that I would be bringing my new partner so they’re looking forward to meeting you.”
“I didn’t bring any clothes for a party.”
“You can borrow something of mine. We’re around the same size.”
“Thanks but no thanks, I like to wear my own clothes. Plus I always love an excuse to go shopping. Tomorrow we’ll make a day of getting pampered and hitting up some high-end boutiques. I can run up my parent’s credit card a few more times.”
“Just think, pretty soon you won’t even need it. You’ll be balling so hard you won’t have nothing but endless cash coming out your pockets.”
“Cheers to that. Maybe I will have that drink you mentioned.” I followed Peaches to the kitchen and she pulled out a cold bottle of champagne and two glasses. I was def in the mood for a little celebrating.
“Here you go,” Peaches said handing me a glass of bubbly.
“Cheers to my new beginning and a Boss Bitch in the making.” We clanked our glasses and for the first time in what seemed like forever I was optimistic about my life.
“I can’t believe how much shit we bought today,” I said, dropping my shopping bags in the front door entrance when we got back to Peaches’ townhouse.
“Girl, I saw so much hot shit I could’ve shopped for another few hours. I’m glad you said it was time to go because I was losing my mind in that last store.”
“Once I found what I was wearing tonight I was good. It just took about seven stores and endless other outfits for me to figure it out.”
“Well we need to hurry up and get ready because we’re already running late.”
“I’ll be ready in less than an hour. But let me go get some champagne first. I can drink it while I’m getting dressed.”
“Cool, let’s do this.”
Luckily Peaches had two full size bathrooms in her crib so we could get ready at the same time. Getting all dolled up for a party was exciting for me, as I hadn’t done it in a very long time. The more I thought about it, I realized the last time I did get dressed up for a party was the night of Sway’s murder. Even after all this time had passed it was hard to believe that Sway Stone was dead. Although all the charges against me were dropped I would forever be connected to his murder. A few weeks ago VH-1 did a special on him in celebration of his birthday and of course they showed pictures of us together, talked about the charges against me, and my involvement in his death. Of course they waited to the end of the segment to mention those charges were dropped. The sensationalism of it all made for great television but for me it was like a dark cloud hanging over my head. I didn’t want my life to be remembered as the girl who was accused of murdering hip-hop mega superstar Sway Stone. I was determined to create a different legacy even if it meant moving kilos.
By the time I finished having flashbacks of my time with Sway I was dressed and ready to go. All I had to do was brush my hair and apply some makeup. My fuchsia Alexander McQueen silk chiffon open back mini dress was so risqué that I opted for a clean look when it came to my face. I went light on the eyes, some bronzer with a dab of Wonderstruck lip-gloss. I felt so fuckin’ sexy and I loved it. I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs so we could go.
The drive to ourdestination seemed rather long but I think it was because I was going to an unfamiliar place. The brothers lived further out in Somerset County in a small city called Bernardsville. I had never been in this part of Jersey but when Peaches turned down Claremont Rd., I felt right at home because there was nothing but money mansions decorating the street. One in particular sitting atop a mountain really caught my eye and of course that ended up being the winding driveway Peaches pulled up to.
“Damn, I knew them niggas was making bank but they gettin’ it foreal. Watch we gon’ be just like them, Peaches bragged.
“You ain’t sayin’ nothin’ but a thang,” I chimed in, cosigning on our dreams of being female drug lords.
“Let’s do it!”
When we got to the entrance Peaches showed what I guess was some type of invite to the security guard. The funny part was that the invite was a little black and chrome toy gun that fit in the palm of your hand. It had a serial number engraved in it that matched up with a number on the guest list. The valet took the keys to the car and we headed to the entrance feeling and looking like some bad bitches. When we stepped inside, the spatial design all portrayed the finest materials and caftsmanship, Corinthian columns, Enkeboll moldings, absolute black moldings and Swarovskichandeliers. We could hear two men talking so we followed the voices. When we entered the great room there were about a dozen people sitting down in chairs and another dozen standing up. They were all listening to the two men speak. They both stopped for a second and stared at us when we came in.
“That’s the brothers,” Peaches whispered as we took a seat on a couch that wasn’t occupied. While listening to the men I couldn’t believe that two brothers could look totally different but be equally fine. Both of them had an aura about them that was magnetic. There was one attribute that was a dead giveaway they were related. They shared the exact same smile with a dimple on the left side. After taking in the sexiness of the two brothers I inspected everybody else. It seemed that there were mostly couples in attendance. The men were all dressed in what seemed to be tailored suits but the women had no style at all. It was like they threw on a bunch of expensive name brand shit but knew nothing about fashion. They just wanted to be able to brag and say they man had long money and could afford to buy them such and such labels. “Come on, I want to introduce you to the brothers,” Peaches said, grabbing my arm after they finished talking.
“Girl, you have to give me one second. I need to go to the bathroom. Those few glasses of bubbly I had before we left have kicked in.”
“Go ‘head, I’ll be over there talking to them so just come over.”
“Cool.” I wanted to run to the bathroom but felt it wouldn’t be ladylike so I fast walked instead. “Excuse me, where is the restroom?” I asked, one of the servers who were working the party. She pointed down the hall and I rushed in that direction. Luckily nobody was occupying the bathroom. After I did what I had to do, I washed my hands and checked my appearance in the mirror. I freshened up my face and brushed my hair before making my exit. Now I’m ready to meet my new bosses I thought opening the bathroom door.
“Oh shit,” I jumped.
“My apologies, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Well, if you’re standing directly in front of somebody when they open the door it’s bound to scare them.” I had to catch myself from going off because after the initial shock wore off I quickly realized that it was one of the brothers who had caught me off guard.
“Again, I apologize.”
“Apology accepted, now excuse me.”
“Wait, I actually came over here because I wanted to speak to you. You’re Aaliyah, correct?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Peaches informed me that you had come to the bathroom. I was hoping we could discuss some things in private.”
“Some things like what?”
“Come with me into my office,” he continued without answering my question. I went ahead and followed him, wondering what the hell he needed to say to me in private. “Close the door,” he directed as he made his way behind his opulent marble desk. Inside his office he had shelves and shelves of nothing but books. He also had a huge portrait of himself and his brother along with other paintings that I could tell were very expensive. Nico had become a huge art collector in the last few years so he had already schooled me on deciphering between the good shit and the bullshit.
“So again, what would you like to talk to me about?”
“First, let me introduce myself. I’m Emory, and welcome to my home.”
“And a beautiful home it is, thanks for having
me.”
“You should be more than comfortable; you’ve gr
own up in homes like this all your life.”
“True, but it doesn’t stop my appreciation for them.”
“So Aaliyah, Peaches tells me you’re her new partner. Why would a young lady like yourself who has access to all the money anybody would ever need want to get involved in this business?”
“That’s a fair question, but like I told Peaches, that’s not my money. Yes, I’ve been given everything that I’ve ever wanted in life, but now I want to be able to give it to myself. Not relying on my parents to do so.”
“What about school?”
“What about it?”
“You have no plans to attend college?”
“I did at one time but I’m not sure.”
“Why is that?”
“You seem to know a lot about me so I’m sure you’re aware that I met Peaches while I was locked up in prison.”
“Yes, I know about that.”
“Well that experience and a lot of other things have made me rethink what I want to do. Right now I don’t want the demands that come with being in school. For almost a year, somebody was telling me exactly what I had to do from when to go to sleep when I had to wake up. I need a break from structure. I want to enjoy my freedom.”
“With freedom comes a lot of responsibility. You do understand that?”
“What’s your point?”
“The point is that I don’t want some spoiled rich girl who doesn’t have a care in the world fuckin’ up my organization. My brother and I built this shit from scratch. See unlike you, we weren’t born shitting out money; we had to work for it. We both graduated college with degrees in law and business. We took what we were taught in school and applied it to what we learned in the streets. Because of where we came from we were born wanting more but see you’ve never been hungry and people who’ve been eating good all their lives make me uneasy.”
“I feel you and I’ll admit I had my reservations about partnering up with Peaches but I want and need to do this. Honestly, right now I don’t have any direction in my life and this will give me purpose.” As soon as I said it, I regretted admitting that to Emory. To me it showed how vulnerable I was emotionally right now. From the surprised look on Emory’s face I think he was also shocked by my candor.
“I see. Well Peaches believes you’ll be an asset to her and this organization. I trust Peaches. She’s been a member of our team for a very long time and has proven her loyalty. Everybody needs somebody they believe they can depend on. If Peaches believes you are that person for her then so be it, she has my blessings.”
“Thank you.”
“But remember, Aaliyah, once you’re in, you become a member of our family and loyalty is a must.”
“I understand.”
“Good, now let me go introduce you to my brother Dale and the rest of the family.” For the first time from when he stopped me at the bathroom Emory smiled at me and a sense of relief came over me. This had obviously been a test and it seemed as if I had passed.
Precious
When Genesis called me this morning saying he needed me to come over so we could talk, a million different scenarios raced through my mind. At first I declined and told him it wasn’t a good time but he insisted. So here I was trying to get through the Lincoln Tunnel as I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel thinking about Aaliyah. It had been a month since she left and it seemed she had no intentions of coming back anytime soon. We had spoken on the phone briefly a couple times but we communicated mostly through text, but something was better than nothing.
When I made it to Genesis’s place, to my despair as I was going into his building so was Nico. We hadn’t spoken or seen each other since a few weeks after Aaliyah got released from jail. Personally, I liked it better that way but I knew sooner or later we were bound to cross paths. Once we got on the elevator I decided to break the silence.
“How have you been?”
“Good and yourself?”
“I’m okay. I’m sure you know by now that Aaliyah moved out.”
“What! I had no idea when did this happen?” Fuck! I thought to myself. I figured since she told Supreme she mentioned it to Nico.
“About a month ago.”
“Is she staying with Supreme?”
“No, she’s staying with her friend Peaches in Teaneck.”
“Why did she move out?” I decided to give Nico the same reason Aaliyah gave Supreme.
“Her friend is going through a difficult time and Aaliyah wanted to be there for her.”
“So is it temporary?”
“Hopefully,” I smiled relieved when we reached Genesis’s floor and the elevator doors opened. I wasn’t in the mood to be interrogated by Nico. If I had known he thought Aaliyah was still living at home I wouldn’t of told him otherwise.
“Wow, you both got here at the same time, this worked out good,” Genesis said when he opened the door.
“So what was so urgent?” I asked when we got inside.
“Let’s go have a seat.” When we entered the living room Amir was already in there.
“Hello, Mrs. Mills.”
“Hey Amir, how are you?”
“I’m okay. How’s Aaliyah?”
“She’s still dealing with some things but other than that she’s okay.”
“I saw her about a month ago.”
“She mentioned that to me. She said you were with Justina.” My tone was accusatory but there was no since in hiding my disgust for Justina.
“I was but it wasn’t what it seemed but Aaliyah wouldn’t give me a chance to explain.”
“You having dinner withJustina at a restaurant, I think that’s pretty self explanatory.”
“There is nothing romantic going on between Justina and me but she is going through a tough time. She has nobody and I don’t want her to hurt herself so I’m just trying to be a friend.”
“Last I checked Justina has a mother and a father and clearly they’re very resourceful since Chantal isn’t locked up behind bars yet.”
“Precious, I understand your frustration but let’s discuss what I called you over here for. When we’re done you and Amir can finish your conversation. Is that acceptable to you?” Genesis asked, trying to play peacemaker.
“Of course, so what’s going on?”
“We’re all aware of what happened with Quentin. As you know I’m very close to him, in a lot of ways he’s like a father to me and definitely a mentor. Ever since he was shot, I’ve made it my mission to find out who is responsible for putting him in that coma.”
“Does this mean you know who it is?” Nico jumped in and asked.
“Not yet but I’ve narrowed it down to three different organizations. I also believe the same people who ordered the hit at Nico’s house did the hit several months back at the monthly meeting we attended.”
“What meeting are you talking about?” I was perplexed at what Genesis was talking about.
“Your boyfriend didn’t discuss it with you during pillow talk?” Nico was dying for an opportunity to take a shot at my relationship with Lorenzo but I refused to open myself up to the argument so I simply ignored him.
“Of course, normally I wouldn’t discuss business with you, Precious, but in a lot of ways you are family and you’re Quentin’s daughter. I know what we discuss in this room will stay here.”
“Of course,” I reassured Genesis.
“We’ve been submerged in a vicious drug war for some time now. The hit at Nico’s house let us know just how deadly it was. Whoever did it is playing for keeps. They have also been very strategic and careful about how they move. So much to the point up until recently I couldn’t even narrow down the organizations to the three. But I am getting closer. I don’t want to move too fast because I don’t want to eliminate the wrong family. But as soon as I get concrete confirmation the entire crew will be wiped out. Nobody will be spared.”
“How long do you think it will be before you know for sure?”
“I wish I could say no later
than tomorrow but honestly I’m not sure. But for our safety I’m closely monitoring all three families. I want to make sure that what happened to Quentin doesn’t happen again. Precious, I’ve had a couple of men watching your house.”
“You have? I had no idea.”
“I didn’t want to alarm you but I also wanted you to be protected. But to be safe I want to add a couple more to be on your premises.”
“You think that’s really necessary?”
“I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think it was. You have ties to Quentin and Nico.”
“Don’t forget Lorenzo,” Nico added.
“The point is you’re firmly in the mix, Precious. They can easily make you a target. So until we have this situation under control we all have to watch our back and front.”
“I understand. What about Aaliyah?”
“What do you mean? I told you your house is being guarded and whenever you all leave somebody will be following.”
“Aaliyah’s not staying at home right now.”Where is she staying?” Amir jolted into the conversation. He had been so quiet once Genesis started talking I almost forgot he was still in the room.
“She’s staying with her friend Peaches in Teaneck.”
“Do you have the address? I’ll get somebody on her.”
“Yes, I’ll write it down for you. Do you think I should let her know?”
“No, I think Aaliyah should be fine. Nobody knows her whereabouts at her friend’s house. But I’ll put somebody on her just to be safe. We don’t need to bring any unnecessary stress on her, she’s been through enough.”
“I agree with Genesis. Under the circumstances, staying with a friend might be the best thing for Aaliyah. It’ll keep her safe and away from all the bullshit,” Nico said.
“Maybe I should let Xavier stay with Supreme or his grandparents for a while until this all blows over.”
“That would be a good idea,” Genesis agreed.
“Mrs. Mills, if you don’t mind I also want the address to where Aaliyah is staying so I can go see her.”
“Amir, I don’t think that’s a good idea. If she’s not returning your phone calls then she isn’t ready to see you.”