Power

by King, Joy Deja

  “No, you’re the best.”

  “Well, congrats, man.” Reggie stood up and gave Alex a hug. “And welcome to the fam,” he said, hugging Dahlia too.

  “Alex, can I talk to you for a minute, outside?”

  “Sure. Dahlia, I’ll be right back,” Alex said, before following Deion outside. “So what’s up, man? You wanted to tell me congratulations in private?”

  “No, I wanted to ask you what the fuck are you thinking?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Man, you don’t even know this broad. How can you even think about marrying her?”

  “Deion, I’m not doing this wit’ you tonight.”

  “Doing what…having a real fuckin’ conversation? You’ve known this broad for all of a minute and now you making her yo’ wife. What’s really going on wit’ you?”

  “First of all, stop callin’ her broad. Her name is Dahlia and she’s my fiancé. Secondly, this is my life. I don’t have to explain shit to you. This is the woman I want to marry and spend the rest of my life with. If you don’t like it then that’s your fuckin’ problem.”

  “So our friendship means nothin’ to you? You let this broad come in…”

  “Didn’t I say stop calling her broad?” Alex barked, lounging at Deion. The men were about to brawl until Reggie came out and broke the men apart.

  “What the fuck is you guys doing?”

  “Instead of this motherfucker being happy for me, he out here talkin’ shit about my engagement.”

  Reggie looked over at Deion who had his face all frowned up still pissed the fuck off. He was waiting for Deion to explain himself, but he said nothing.

  “Can you both calm down and come back inside? The ladies are in there waiting for us. The waitress needs to take our orders so we need to bring this party inside the restaurant.”

  “You all can order whatever you want but I’m done here.”

  “Alex, don’t leave. We supposed to be celebrating.” Alex ignored Reggie’s pleas and went back inside to get Dahlia so they could leave. “Deion, why the fuck you ruin that man’s night?”

  “I’m tryna save his life. That woman got Alex fooled. She ain’t no good. She playin’ that sweet role but I guarantee you she’s just a typical scheming-ass gold digger.”

  “Even if you right, Alex a grown man and talkin’ shit about his fiancé is only going to create bad blood. You all have been friends for too long to let that happen. If you don’t stop you’re going to lose your partner and best friend,” Reggie warned.

  Chapter 22

  No Heart No Love

  “I’m glad you called,” Alex said, letting Deion in.

  “I would’ve called sooner but I figured you wasn’t ready to fuck wit’ me yet.”

  “You figured right, but I’ve cooled down.”

  “I fucked up. I was wrong for how I acted that night.”

  “I know how hard it is for you to admit you’re wrong, so thanks, bro.”

  “I’m just glad we can put this behind us and focus on business. No matter what, we can’t let nothin’ come between us gettin’ this money.”

  “Speaking of business, there was something I wanted to discuss wit’ you.”

  “Speak. What, you ready to do some more expanding on our drug distribution?”

  “None of that. I’m entering a new chapter in my life with Dahlia and I’m leaving the game behind. I’m done.”

  “Alex, I’m accepting this whole marriage thing, now you’re tellin’ me I have to accept you giving up the game? We came into this shit together, I thought we was gon’ leave it together too.”

  “We’ve both made millions from this shit; you’re more than welcome to join me in retiring from this game. Real estate investments is going well for me and now that I’m done wit’ drugs I’m going even harder. Join me.”

  “This is what I do. I’m a drug dealer. I hustle for a living and you know what…I enjoy this shit. I thought you did too. Unless you’re doing this for your new fiancé.”

  “Don’t blame Dahlia for this, it’s my choice. I can’t lie, I did enjoy hustling and the sense of power that came with it, but I’m ready to move on while I’m ahead.”

  “I feel you. Well let me get outta here. I got a bunch of shit to take care of today.”

  “Cool, don’t be a stranger. Although I’ll soon be a married man we’re still best friends.”

  “You right, and best friends look out for each other. Talk to you later.” Deion left Alex’s crib straight plotting. “Tommy, what up. I need to meet wit’ you in the next hour and I want you to bring me something…”

  * * *

  “Baby, what time are you coming over tonight? I have a surprise for you,” Dahlia said, holding her positive pregnancy test.

  “I have a surprise for you too.”

  “Tell me. What is it?”

  “You tell me yours I’ll tell you mine.”

  “Okay, but you go first.”

  “I’m about to go meet with Danny.”

  “The man that does some real estate business for you…right?”

  “Yep. But I’m meeting with him to close on our new mansion.”

  “Stop playing!”

  “Remember that house I took you to a few weeks ago and said it was the mansion a friend of mine was buying?”

  “Ohmigoodness, not that European estate in Buckhead on Crest Valley Road?”

  “That would be the house.” Dahlia started screaming in the phone and all Alex could do was laugh. “Can you calm down so you can tell me what your surprise is?”

  “We’re having a baby. I just took the pregnancy test and it came out positive.”

  “I bet it happened that night I proposed to you in Miami.”

  “I was thinking the exact same thing.”

  “Baby, you’ve just made the happiest man on earth. I never thought I could love you more than I did before but I do. You and this baby are my everything.”

  “I love you so much too. Please hurry over, I need to be with you.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I finish things up with Danny. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” When Dahlia was hanging up with Alex she heard someone knocking on her front door. She thought it was the apartment super coming to check on the heater problem she had complained about, but when she opened the door it was Deion. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to apologize to you. Can I come in?”

  “Sure.” Dahlia was reluctant about talking to Deion but he was Alex’s best friend and she did want to get along with him if possible.

  “I’m shocked Alex still has you living in this piece of shit of an apartment. I mean, you are now his fiancé.”

  “That doesn’t sound like an apology to me, but since you’re so concerned about my living arrangements, Alex is about to close on a mansion for us in Buckhead.”

  “I have to give it to you, you’re much more than a pretty face. You’re very smart. A lot smarter than I gave you credit for.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You have this good girl act down to a science. You went from waiting tables, driving a broke-down raggedy car, wearing cheap clothes and living in this dump to a major come up. I applaud you,” Deion taunted, clapping his hands.

  “I think it’s time for you to go,” Dahlia said, opening the door.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Deion shot back, slamming the door closed. “You think you can come in and in a matter of months destroy everything Alex and I have built.”

  “I’m not trying to destroy anything. Alex and I are in love and we’re getting married. Deal with it, Deion, because those are the facts.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Before Dahlia
could blink, Deion had her pinned down to the floor, his hand covering her mouth. See, you should’ve chosen me and maybe things could’ve turned out differently for you.

  Tears swelled up in Dahlia’s eyes when she saw Deion pulling down his pants. She began moving her body violently trying to break free but her petite size was no match for Deion’s strength. Dahlia closed her eyes wanting to escape her torture as Deion pounded inside of her. Tears continued to flow down her face as she prayed to God to make this nightmare end. When Deion was finally finished raping her, Dahlia curled up, rocking back and forth.

  “Please leave,” she mumbled through tears.

  “If only it was that easy.”

  “It is. I won’t say anything to Alex. I just want you to go. Please just go.”

  “I can’t do that.” Without giving it a second thought, Deion pulled out his gun with the silencer and but two bullets in Dahlia, killing her instantly. Deion then pulled out the baggie of drugs that he’d gotten from Tommy. It had the GMC logo on it. He left it right next to Dahlia’s lifeless body before making his exit.

  Alex arrived at Dahlia’s apartment with flowers, stuffed animals and a diamond bracelet he’d bought for her at the last minute. They had so much to celebrate. An upcoming wedding, a new home and most importantly, their child. Alex couldn’t imagine his life getting any better than it was now.

  He knocked on the door but there was no answer. Alex knocked a few more times before using the key he had.

  “Maybe she’s in the shower and didn’t hear me knocking,” he said, thinking out loud. But within a few seconds Alex realized that wasn’t the case at all. He saw Dahlia’s dead, naked body lying on the floor. “Dear God, nooooooooo,” Alex wailed, dropping everything out of his hands and cradling Dahlia’s limp body. For the next few minutes Alex couldn’t take his eyes off of Dahlia until he noticed the baggie of drugs with the GMC logo on it.

  His unconceivable pain then turned to full-fledged rage. “These niggas took my wife and my child. They’ll pay for this shit…all of them,” Alex promised as he continued to hold Dahlia’s dead body in his arms.

  Chapter 23

  Wicked Games

  Alex woke up in a pool of sweat, huffing and puffing. He couldn’t seem to escape the nightmare of finding Dahlia dead. The scene constantly haunted him in his sleep, and Alex felt until he wiped out the entire crew whom he believed to be responsible for her death, this would be his existence.

  Alex headed to the bathroom to take a shower, hoping the hot water would somehow cleanse his mind and body of the hell he was living in. When he stood up, Alex noticed he had several missed calls on his cell phone and they were all from Deion. He immediately called him back, wanting to make sure no bullshit was going down.

  “What up?”

  “Man, I been calling you nonstop.”

  “I was knocked out. Is everything cool?”

  “I got some news on those boys. By Friday we should be able to make our move. You feel me?”

  Although Deion wasn’t giving specifics, Alex knew exactly what he was talking about.

  “I sure do. Let’s meet tomorrow so I can get the details.”

  “Cool. See you then.”

  When Alex hung up with Deion, for the first time in weeks he felt there was a chance he might get some sort of closure. He knew the shit would be on his mind all night, so instead of going to take a shower, Alex got dressed and headed downstairs to the building’s 24-hour gym.

  “What Alex say?” Reggie asked, finishing up his drink.

  “He want us to meet tomorrow.”

  “Man, I hope that GMC info is legit ‘cause them niggas gotta go. What they did to Alex’s girl was the ultimate disrespect. They crossed the fuckin’ line,” Reggie spit.

  “You right. But Alex will get the last laugh.”

  “There ain’t nothin’ humorous about none of this shit. That nigga lost his wife.”

  “You know I didn’t mean it like that, plus that wasn’t his wife.”

  “They were engaged. Same fuckin’ thing, and she was carrying his seed,” Reggie said, frowning up at Deion.

  “Nah, married and engaged ain’t the same fuckin’ thing. But why we still talkin’ about that shit…she dead and them GMC boys will be dealt with. End of story.”

  “You a cold nigga. That woman’s body barely cold and Alex over there sick, so this ain’t hardly the end of nobody story. I just hope our man will be able to move on from this.”

  “Listen, Alex know how this game go,” Deion stated, standing up from the sofa and standing in front of his fireplace with a bottle of Rey Sol Anejo in his hand. “Women are a liability. I feel for Alex. I know his heart hurtin’ right now, but he strong. Once he gets revenge, he’ll recover and move on. Dahlia will be a distant memory.”

  * * *

  Deion was sitting on the bench at Piedmont Park watching kids play on a brisk November day. He thought back to when he and Alex were small boys living in the projects, staying in trouble. Back then their trouble was fun and harmless, now it was costing innocent people their lives.

  “What’s good, my dude?” Tommy walked up on Deion and said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

  “You tell me,” Deion replied, before pounding fist with Tommy.

  “Same bullshit, just another day. I’m still waiting on you to hit me up wit’ some more of that heroin with that extra discount you promised.”

  “I got you, nigga.”

  “Cool, but when? You know I’m tryna break free from GMC and get my money up so I can make my own moves.”

  “I know what the plan is and we gon’ make it happen. But we have to watch how we move. You know I had to kill my partner’s woman because I found out she was snitching to the Feds. So I was just trying to let things die down a little. But I think things are good now. Plus, we want to make sure the shit is done right and your boys don’t start thinking you up to something.”

  ‘I feel you, but fuck them. I’m tryna eat good like the rest of them niggas. They want me to be a worker forever and never a boss.”

  Deion listened to Tommy complain, trying to keep his patience. All he really wanted to do was confirm the location where the GMC meeting was supposed to be Friday night without arousing suspicion from Tommy. Deion knew Tommy was ready to start running his own shit but he wasn’t prepared to see his crew murdered in the process, so Deion had to proceed with caution.

  “I have to go out of town later on today but I’ll be back Friday. How ‘bout we meet up Friday night and I hook you up?”

  “Bet, my man.” Tommy started smiling hard as hell at what Deion had just told him. “But can it be early Friday, ‘cause we have a GMC meeting Friday night and that shit mandatory”

  “Nigga, you was just sayin’ fuck them, now you worried ‘bout makin’ mandatory meetings,” Deion said, clowning Tommy.

  “I know…I know. But until you hit me off a few more times and my money right, I gotta keep fuckin’ wit’ them niggas.”

  “I feel you, but I can’t make it early Friday. I won’t be back in town until later that night. Where is your meeting? I can hook up wit’ you right afterwards.”

  “The Fire and Ice Lounge.”

  “I know exactly where that is. So what time is the meeting?”

  “It starts at nine but I’ma try to break out early so we can meet up.”

  “How long the meeting normally last?”

  “Couple hours. Then niggas just be drinkin’, eatin’ and kickin’ it.”

  “So what time you gon’ try to break out?”

  “Damn, I just remembered that Carlos need me to go pick up some money for him Friday so I won’t be at the meeting. I’ll probably get back late so can we meet up Saturday instead.”

  “That’s even better,” Deion said, gr
inning inside. Deion didn’t want Tommy to be there when they hit up his crew because he still planned on utilizing him for some other shit. Deion could tell Tommy was the type of dude that would be down to do just about whatever he asked. Now, there would be no headache of trying to figure out a way to get Tommy away from the lounge before they swarmed the spot.

  “Good deal. So I’ll see you Saturday for sure. The earlier the better, ‘cause I’m tryna make that chicken.”

  “I hear you. I’ll have that heroin to you first thing Saturday morning.”

  “Appreciate it. See you then,” Tommy said, shaking Deion’s hand before walking off.

  Deion stood with satisfaction as he envisioned his plan unfolding correctly. In just a couple of days he would be gaining even more power on the streets and resolving some problems that needed to be put to rest. With the GMC members dead, Deion would be able to supply the majority of their customers, which equated to a major boost in revenue. Not only that, Alex would finally get retribution for Dahlia’s death and put that shit behind him once and for all.

  Alex could never find out that it was him that raped and killed his fiancé. Deion knew that was the one sin Alex would not ever forgive him for and it would be the end to not only their partnership but also friendship. He refused to let that happen. Deion had convinced himself that Dahlia was better off dead because she was coming between the lifelong best friends, and that what he did to her was justified. As Deion stared out at the children playing in the park one last time, he vowed no one would come between him and Alex ever again.

  Chapter 24

  Stick To The Script

  “So you sure that meeting is going down tomorrow night?”

  “Positive. My inside connect confirmed the time and location.”

  “If he’s down with GMC, how do you know it’s not a setup?”