Carl Weber's Kingpins

by Brandi Johnson

“See you in the mornin’.” He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

  “Oh my God!” she said, turned on.

  “Good night, Ke’yoko,” Ross said, smiling before turning to walk away to go take a cold shower.

  Ke’yoko wished like hell that Ross was like any other grimy-ass nigga. She wished that he would have asked her to come back up to his condo and make sweet love to her until the wee hours of the morning. Instead, she had to go home to her nasty dick-ass husband. Ke’yoko buckled her seat belt and pulled off. Her cell phone began to ring as she drove.

  “This better not be Ja’Rel’s ass,” she said, pulling her phone out of her purse and checking the caller ID. She was shocked to see Ka’yah calling her. She thought she got the hint by now since she hadn’t spoken with her in weeks. Ke’yoko started not to answer but did anyway. “Wassup?” Ke’yoko answered.

  “Hey, stranger,” Ka’yah replied. “How come I haven’t heard from you in a minute?”

  “I’ve been busy,” Ke’yoko said, irritated already with their conversation.

  “Busy doin’ what?”

  “Busy takin’ care of Ke’yoko for once in my life,” she said.

  “Ummmm. I see you have time for everybody else, but you put your sister on the backburner; that’s kinda fucked up, don’t you think?”

  “Like who?”

  “Like Ross,” Ka’yah spat.

  Ke’yoko was mad as hell. How in the world did Ka’yah find out about her being with Ross? She must have been following her or something. This bitch was turning into a real live stalker. She should be happy Ke’yoko was with Ross and not at home with Ja’Rel.

  “Me and Ross are handlin’ some business together,” Ke’yoko said nonchalantly.

  “Ummmm, well, does Ja’Rel know that you and Ross are dealin’ wit’ each other?” Ka’yah asked suspiciously.

  “I don’t know! Why don’t you ask him?” Ke’yoko shot.

  “I don’t talk to him,” Ka’yah said.

  “Since when?” Ke’yoko asked. She wanted to go all the way in on her sister and bust her dirty-ass out but remembered Ka’yah would pay right along with Ja’Rel so she let up. “Anyways, girl, what you want?”

  “I was just checkin’ on you and the baby,” Ka’yah replied.

  “We good.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we should get together and have a cup of tea.”

  Ke’yoko was on fire. She couldn’t believe this bitch was still trying to get her to drink that tea. “Yeah, maybe we should,” Ke’yoko said through clenched teeth.

  “Talk to you later,” Ka’yah sang.

  Ke’yoko didn’t even respond, she just hung the phone up. “Biiiiiiitch,” she said and continued driving home.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Ross stepped on the elevator and smiled the entire ride back up to his condo. He walked in and began cleaning up his and Ke’yoko’s mess. He could not stop thinking about her as he filled the dishwasher with their dirty dishes. He wiped off the kitchen counter, straightened the magazines on the coffee table, turned off the lights, and headed home.

  Ross pulled up into the driveway and sat for a minute thinking about Ke’yoko. Thinking about her smile, the way she laughed, the way she smelled, and most of all how soft her lips were. He couldn’t believe he kissed her even though he had been wanting to for years. The fact that she was married to a nigga he was once close with bothered the shit out of him. He opened up the car door and got out. He whistled all the way into the house. He walked in and tossed his keys on the coffee table before heading upstairs to check on his baby girl.

  Ross walked into Rayna’s room, made sure she was covered up, kissed her on her forehead, and smiled before walking across the hall to his bedroom. He walked in and looked over at Sharae who was sitting on the bed staring at some papers. He acted as if she wasn’t there and began getting undressed so he could go take a shower.

  “Is it yours?” Sharae finally asked.

  Ross turned around with a confused look on his face. “What?” he asked with a frown.

  “I said is it yours?” she repeated slowly.

  Ross was oblivious to what she was talking about. “Is what mine?”

  “The baby,” she said, holding up the sonogram photos.

  “What was you doin’, goin’ through my shit?” he asked.

  “Naw, I was lookin’ for Rayna’s birth certificate and ran across these sonogram pictures. Now, can you answer my question?” Sharae asked impatiently.

  “Nope, he’s not mine,” he answered nonchalantly.

  “You a fuckin’ liar! If the baby wasn’t yours then why would you have these fuckin’ pictures?” Sharae yelled as she stood up from the bed and walking over to Ross, getting in his face.

  “Look, man, don’t be sittin’ here questionin’ me. I told you the baby wasn’t mine.”

  “What the fuck ever! You foul as fuck, nigga,” Sharae said, shaking her head while poking Ross in the side of his head. She knew Ross was out in the streets sleeping around with different women and had been since they’d been together, but she really must have meant something to him in order for him to have unprotected sex with her and get her pregnant.

  “Whatever,” he said, waving her off, while lightly shoving her away from him.

  “Are you in love wit’ her?” Sharae asked, bracing herself for the truth.

  Ross looked Sharae dead in her eyes and slowly shook his head yes. “Yeah, I am,” he admitted, feeling if Sharae didn’t deserve anything else, the truth was something he owed her.

  “Wow,” Sharae said, hurt. She looked at Ross and waited for him to tell her that he was just playing and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and Rayna, but he never did.

  “Look, man, I’m sorry,” Ross looked at Sharae and said.

  “So how long you been fuckin’ her?”

  “I ain’t never fucked her,” Ross said truthfully.

  “So you gon’ keep standin’ here lyin’ to me in my face?” Sharae asked, appalled.

  “Look, I don’t have to lie to you about anything. I’ve never fucked her.”

  Sharae stared at Ross and wanted to swing on him but she knew it would be a losing battle. With what little pride and self-respect she had left she decided at the moment she would give Ross what he’d been asking her for for a long time.

  “Look, man, I will be out your house tomorrow. I’ma move in wit’ my momma,” Sharae said.

  “You can go. I’ve been tellin’ you that shit for the longest, but Rayna ain’t goin’ no damn where!” he said in a raised tone.

  “You kill me wit’ that ‘Rayna ain’t goin’ nowhere’ shit! Nigga, you don’t even be home long enough to spend no time wit’ her! So miss me wit’ that shit! I’m takin’ my daughter wit’ me, case closed. If you wanna see her, you know where my momma stay!” Sharae said and meant every word.

  Ross wanted to argue, but he couldn’t argue with the truth; he was too deep off in the streets to be raising his daughter on his own right now. It was gon’ kill him to let Rayna go, but he knew he had to do what was best for his daughter, and being with her mother was it. The thought of his baby girl moving out hurt Ross to his heart, and if Sharae wasn’t all up in his face he probably would have shed a tear or two.

  “You right,” Ross said.

  “Huh?” Sharae asked, shocked.

  “You can take her wit’ you. You’re right, I’m not in a place right now where I can take care of her physically. But as long as I got breath in my body, financially she gon’ always be straight.”

  Sharae knew Ross would be there for Rayna without a doubt, which was the least of her worries.

  “Now when I wanna come get her, I don’t want no shit,” Ross said.

  “It won’t be none,” Sharae said, forcing a weak smile.

  “I love you, baby momma,” Ross looked at Sharae and said before kissing her on the forehead.

  “I love you too, baby daddy.”

  Ross
smiled at Sharae before going into the bathroom to take yet another cold shower.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Ke’yoko pulled her car into the garage, got out, and walked over to the same box where she kept her hidden pictures. She dug her hand to the bottom of the old clothes and pulled the pictures out and began looking through them, just like she’d done at least once a month to keep reminding herself how no-good her husband had been since the beginning of their relationship.

  Ke’yoko stared at the picture of Bo and his wife with Ja’Rel and some chick. Ja’Rel was bent over, kissing the stomach of this pregnant broad. When Ke’yoko had first hired the private investigator all she’d wanted was to find out if Ja’Rel was messing around with the woman. Ke’yoko found out a little more than what she had bargained for. She found out that not only was Ja’Rel messing around with the chick in the picture, but the baby she was pregnant with was his as well. The PI had pictures of Ja’Rel going into the hospital with balloons, teddy bears, and flowers for three days straight. Ke’yoko also got pictures of Ja’Rel taking the broad and the baby home in her car. Now of all the disrespectful things Ja’Rel could have done to her, riding your side chick and your illegitimate baby in your wife’s car took the cake.

  Ke’yoko was so hurt when the PI had given her the pictures because not only did this broad have his baby, Ke’yoko was pregnant as well and Ja’Rel was spending all his time with his side chick and their baby, while she was at home alone. When Ke’yoko was lying in the hospital having a miscarriage, Ja’Rel was nowhere to be found. Nadia and Ka’yah called him several times trying to reach him but couldn’t. Ja’Rel didn’t find out about his wife’s miscarriage until the next afternoon. She had lain in the hospital overnight by herself completely emotional and mind racing. It had been almost two years to the day that Ke’yoko had found out about Ja’Rel’s child. Even though the thought of Ja’Rel having another baby ate Ke’yoko up on the inside, she’d made a promise to herself that she would keep it a secret until the time was right to uncover all of Ja’Rel’s bullshit; and his time was almost up.

  Ke’yoko walked into the house and looked around to make sure Ja’Rel wasn’t home, before walking into the kitchen and calling her brother.

  “Wassup, sis,” he answered, happy to hear from her.

  “Wassup, baby brother? How you been?”

  “I’ve been good. Just tryin’a get settled in our new house,” Kailo said.

  “Oh, you moved outta the dorm?” Ke’yoko inquired.

  “Yeah, sure did. I had to get out of there.”

  “Well, it ain’t nothin’ wrong wit’ that. So how’s school anyways?”

  “Ummm, I kinda dropped outta school,” Kailo said and waited for his sister to explode.

  “You did what?” Ke’yoko asked rhetorically.

  “I dropped outta school,” he repeated.

  “What the fuck you do that for, boy?”

  “Look, sis, I never wanted to be an attorney. That was father’s dream, not mine. I only went to college because he was paying for it. After he passed, I decided to do what I wanted to do all my life,” Kailo explained.

  “And what’s that?” Ke’yoko asked.

  “I’m in the process of opening up my own pet store,” Kailo said happily.

  “A pet store?” Ke’yoko frowned. “What the fuck?”

  “Yes, a pet store. It’s always been a dream of mine, ever since I can remember.”

  “What does Chad think about you quittin’ school and openin’ up your own pet store?”

  “Chad was very supportive of me quittin’ school and startin’ my own business,” he replied.

  “And what if your store is a flop?” Ke’yoko said, not trying to rain on her brother’s parade, but trying to be realistic about the situation and see if he had a backup plan.

  “We’ve discussed that, too. I told Chad that if my store doesn’t generate money after two years, I’ll sell the business and go back to school,” Kailo said.

  “Okay, that’s smart. Well, at least you put some thought into it and have a plan. Good luck,” Ke’yoko said.

  “Thanks, sis.”

  “Maybe I can come buy your nephew some goldfish or somethin’.” Ke’yoko laughed.

  “Nephew?” Kailo asked happily.

  “Yes, nephew.”

  “Another boy, huh? That’s so exciting,” Kailo said. “I know we better get an invitation to the baby shower!”

  “Trust me, y’all will.”

  “Okay, sis. Well, I hate to rush you off, but I really need to get this TV mounted on the wall.”

  “Okay, but before you go let me ask you a question,” Ke’yoko said.

  “What’s up?”

  “Didn’t you tell me you done an internship in high school at the Cleveland police department?”

  “It was somethin’ like an internship for one of my classes. Why, what’s up?”

  “I bet you know a lot of dirty cops then, don’t you?” Ke’yoko inquired.

  “Dirty ain’t the word.” Kailo laughed, thinking back on all the dirty deeds he was involved in at such a young age.

  “Ummmm,” Ke’yoko said. “Are you still cool wit’ any of ’em?”

  “Oh, yeah, I got a lot of good friends who work there. The chief and his wife flew out to Massachusetts to party with me and Chad a few times. Why you ask?”

  “Ke’yoko, you home?” Ja’Rel called out.

  “Shit, let me call you back, Kailo,” Ke’yoko said before pushing the END button on her phone.

  “Who was that?” Ja’Rel asked while walking into the kitchen.

  “Kailo,” she replied.

  “Oh, your queer-ass brother,” Ja’Rel joked, and was the only one who laughed.

  Ke’yoko rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Ke’yoko was sitting at the kitchen table flipping through a magazine while waiting for Ross to call her and it hit her that she hadn’t spoken with Nadia in a couple of weeks. It wasn’t unusual for them to go awhile without speaking because Nadia stayed busy in the shop while trying to keep a handle on their workers, but for her not to check in was rather odd to Ke’yoko.

  Ke’yoko picked up her cell phone and called Nadia’s cell phone, only to have it go straight to voice mail. She then dialed the number to the hair shop.

  “Nadia’s?” Connie answered.

  Ke’yoko rolled her eyes. Connie was the last person she wanted to talk to. “Ummmm, yes, is Nadia available?” Ke’yoko asked, trying to change her voice.

  “Naw, she ain’t here, Ke’yoko,” Connie said with an attitude.

  “Do you know when she’s comin’ in?”

  “Shit, do I look like her keeper?” Connie asked smartly.

  “Look, Connie, I know you’re not fond of me, but a lot of people aren’t and I still sleep real good at night knowin’ this. All I wanna know is when is Nadia due to come in?” Ke’yoko said.

  “I don’t know! She’s yo’ best friend. How don’t you know where she at? How don’t you know she hasn’t been at the shop for well over a week? With a friend like you who needs an enemy?” Connie commented harshly.

  “Fuck you,” Ke’yoko said, before hanging up on Connie.

  Ke’yoko got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed over to Nadia’s house. Ke’yoko knew something had to be going on because Nadia didn’t miss work, no matter what. Money was her first true love.

  Twenty minutes later Ke’yoko pulled up in front of Nadia’s house. Her car was in the driveway so she knew she was at home. She got out of the car and looked at her lawn. The grass looked like it hadn’t been cut in weeks. The flowers she had hanging on her front porch were all dying and withered from not being watered. Ke’yoko shook her head because this was not Nadia. She made sure everything around her stayed intact.

  Ke’yoko rang the doorbell and waited for Nadia to answer. After a few minutes of waiting and getting n
o response she began knocking on the door. Still getting no answer, Ke’yoko began getting nervous, hoping she was okay. She began knocking on the door like the police. Still getting no answer, she began calling her name, drawing attention from Nadia’s neighbors.

  “Nadia, now, I know you in there. Your car is in the driveway. If you don’t come open this door I’m ’bouta call the police and have them kick ya door in,” Ke’yoko warned.

  A few seconds later, Nadia came and unlocked the door before heading back to the sofa where she’d been for almost a week. Ke’yoko twisted the knob and let herself in. It was pitch dark in Nadia’s house as she made her way to the living room.

  “Nadia?” Ke’yoko called out as she felt her way through the hall and into the living room.

  “Whaaaat?” Nadia asked, not wanting to be bothered.

  “Why is it so dark in here?” Ke’yoko asked, walking over to the drapes and opening them up.

  “’Cause I want it to be,” Nadia snapped.

  “Oh, my goodness! What the fuck is wrong wit’ you?” Ke’yoko looked over at her friend and asked. Ke’yoko couldn’t believe how Nadia was looking. Her hair was matted to her head, she had no makeup on, and had on a dirty, light blue robe. As long as she and Nadia had been friends, she had never seen Nadia looking less than flawless. Ke’yoko was at a loss.

  “Ain’t nothin’ wrong wit’ me,” Nadia said while protecting her eyes from daylight.

  “You must not have looked in the mirror lately, ’cause, bitch, you thu!” Ke’yoko said, not knowing any other way to describe what her best friend was looking like.

  “So?” Nadia said uncaringly.

  “And what took you so long to let me in?”

  “I was hopin’ you would catch on and go home,” Nadia said, knowing better. She knew that she had to let Ke’yoko in because she would have called the police to kick her door in just like she had threatened.

  “Yeah, right. Where’s A’Niyah?”

  “She’s at her grandmother’s house; or, should I say, the lady we thought was her grandmother up until a few weeks ago,” Nadia said, hurt.

  “Why you send her over there? She barely even know them folks,” Ke’yoko fussed.