“Good morning, YaYa,” Bella greeted. She was a beautiful twelve-year-old girl. She was so obedient and respectful. It warmed YaYa’s heart to see Skylar so taken by Ethic’s daughter. It made YaYa feel like maybe, just maybe, this thing between them could work. It felt odd to be in this spontaneous family situation. Yet Indie had been all she had for so long that she couldn’t help but feel guilty for leaving him. She had tossed and turned all night thinking about their confrontation yesterday.
“Good morning, Bella. Where is your dad?”
“He and Ezra are still asleep,” Bella informed her.
YaYa went to the door that adjoined their suites and knocked gently. She entered and peeked inside the master bedroom, where Ethic was sleeping with his son sprawled wildly beside him. YaYa smiled as she tapped his foot, stirring him awake.
“Everything good?” he asked.
“I need to go home for a bit,” she admitted.
“Home?” he asked as he sat up, untangling himself from his son.
She realized her poor choice of words. She didn’t want Ethic to feel like he was something temporary that she was enjoying on the side. He wasn’t a rebound; at least she hoped he wasn’t. Rebounds didn’t feel so authentic; they weren’t this healing.
“You know what I mean. I need to go back and get some things for me and for Sky. She wants to see her dad,” YaYa answered. “He just got out of Rikers. I know she wants to spend some time with him.”
Ethic nodded. He was certain that she was going for more than that—Skylar was just the one reason that she had the guts to admit aloud—but he didn’t protest. She had to want to be here. He wouldn’t pressure her to stay.
She leaned down and kissed his lips. “I’m coming back,” YaYa said. She didn’t know who she was trying to reassure more, Ethic or herself.
* * *
As YaYa pulled into Elaine’s driveway, she hoped that Indie hadn’t yet arrived. She was hoping to avoid him altogether. After speaking to Ethic, she had decided to use Elaine as the middle person between her and Indie. She didn’t want to put herself in position to be alone with Indie. He had a way with her, a way of clouding her judgment, and she didn’t want to be swayed.
“Grandma Lai!” Sky shouted as she pulled open Elaine’s front door and rushed into her grandmother’s arms. Warmth radiated through YaYa. She was so glad that her daughter had so many people who loved her, and she felt guilty because if she took Ethic up on his offer, she would be moving Skylar away from everyone she loved.
“Grandma’s baby! Hey pretty girl!” Elaine greeted jovially. “Your granddaddy is in the backyard on the grill. Go see if you can help him out while I talk to your mom, okay?”
“Okay!” Skylar shouted as she took off for the back of the house.
YaYa was prepared for the conflict. Elaine didn’t play when it came to Indie. He was her last living son, and YaYa expected her to take his side.
“Elaine, before you—”
Slap!
YaYa gasped in shock as she covered her stinging cheek with her hand. She never saw the blow coming, but Elaine had just smacked the taste from her mouth.
“Have you lost your mind?” YaYa asked.
“Have you lost yours?” Elaine shot back. There was fire in her eyes, the look of a lioness protecting her cub; only difference was, Indie was a grown-ass man, one who had wronged YaYa first.
“My son pulled you out of the gutter, and this is how you repay him? You leave him when he is facing a prison sentence?” Elaine asked. “I’ve grown to love you like a daughter, which is why I’m not afraid to get in your narrow behind.”
“Did your son tell you he fucked Parker?” YaYa responded, her voice breaking as tears clouded her eyes. “He cheated on me. He told her he loved her!” YaYa broke down, but she quickly recovered, forcing herself to sniff away her emotions.
Empathy rested in Elaine’s gaze. She had been there before, with YaYa’s own father. Buchanan Slim had broken her heart more times than she could count back in the day. She couldn’t help but wonder if YaYa was reaping some residual karma from her father’s past.
“I don’t mean to get in the middle of things but—”
“Then don’t,” YaYa said. “Please, Elaine. I just want Skylar to spend some time with Indie. I saw him yesterday, and he didn’t look…” YaYa paused. “He just seemed sad.”
“Of course he’s sad. He’s lost his wife. You took his daughter. Parker’s family took King. He has no one, YaYa, and he’s facing prison time. My son needs you. You’re his wife, Disaya.”
“That didn’t count for much, now, did it? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to feel about him loving another woman!” YaYa countered.
“She’s dead. Let ghosts lie,” Elaine urged. “Sure, he loved her. It was complicated, but he doesn’t love anybody like he loves you. Not even his own mama.”
“I don’t need your speeches. Indie brought us to this point.”
“You’re doing all this shouting about him and how he failed you as a husband. Are you acting like a wife?” Elaine asked. “You running around here with some man. You got a gut full of baby and don’t know whose it is. If he can forgive you for that, then you can forgive him for his mistakes. Marriage is hard, but you don’t give up on it. It’s easy to love a man when he is doing everything right, but what about when he makes a mistake? That’s the time you’re supposed to lean on your commitment to your vows.”
YaYa sighed as Indie pulled up. “I’m not doing this. I should have never come here,” she said. She didn’t mean to be rude, but she wasn’t up for this conversation. She couldn’t make excuses for a grown man. Her anger wouldn’t allow it, but as she hustled to get into her car Indie rushed to her.
“YaYa, talk to me, ma. Just give me a minute,” he urged.
“What?” YaYa shouted in exasperation.
YaYa crossed her arms defensively. She didn’t want him being able to penetrate her personal space. She needed distance. She needed boundaries. “You getting big,” he said. “How far along are you?”
She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, “Five months,” she replied.
“What if it’s mine?” he asked.
“It won’t make a difference, Indie. A baby isn’t the solution to our problems,” YaYa responded.
Indie stepped closer to her, grabbing her arms, fighting her resistance as he forced her to open them. He pinned them against the car that she leaned against. “Stop fighting me, ma. I love you, YaYa. I fucked up. I know it. I was wrong. For everything. I was out of line. I miss the shit out of you, YaYa. I just want you home.” She could smell the liquor on his breath, and although his drunk mind was revealing sober thoughts, she couldn’t give into him. She pushed him off, easing her body from beneath his.
“Just stop,” YaYa said.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. “Stop what? Stop loving you? That’s what you want? Because I’m not ever doing that.”
“You’re drunk,” YaYa whispered.
“You can’t tell me that nigga can love you like I do.”
YaYa shook her head. “You know what, Indie? He don’t hurt me like you do either,” she protested. “I love you. That will probably never change, but I’m coming to learn that just because I love you don’t mean you’re right for me. Sometimes the thing we love is the same thing we need to let go of.”
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”
Skylar’s voice ended the conversation.
“Take some time to sober up before you drive with her in the car. I’ll pick her up from Elaine in a few days,” YaYa instructed. She was torn between the past and the future. No matter how tough of a visage she put up, her instinct was to run to him.
“YaYa!” he shouted as she stepped into her car.
She reversed out of the driveway, desperate to get away from him. Her heart was beating too quickly, urging her to hear him out, while her mind screamed in dissent.
* * *
Indie’s heart sank in
despair, but he couldn’t show his dismay, not with his daughter standing there looking on in confusion. He turned to her, and her presence alone was healing for him.
She was the perfect mixture of Indie and YaYa. She was the very best parts of them, and just the sound of her voice brought sunshine to a rainy day. There was absolutely no better feeling than the love that Skylar gave him. It was so forgiving, so unconditional, and Indie appreciated his daughter. He was jealous that YaYa had her spending time around another man. He was territorial over his seed. He didn’t want anyone coming into Skylar’s life interrupting the bond they shared. Ethic had already stolen YaYa. If I go away for ten years, she’s going to be thirteen when I come home. He’s going to be the only father she knows. He’s taking my place. The thought saddened him in a way that made a grown man want to cry. He had lived and breathed for this little girl since the day he laid eyes on her. He couldn’t go ten years without her. Being absent in her life, not to mention King’s, would break him. It would harden him, and even when he finally got out, time would have erased their need for him. The streets would grab ahold of his son, and Ethic would hold Skylar’s heart in his hand. He couldn’t allow that.
He bent down and scooped her into his arms. It’s him or me, Indie thought. He kissed Skylar’s cheek and then walked into his mother’s house. He would spend the day with his daughter, shower her with love, and absorb her energy. He needed her there to remind him what he was doing it all for. He was about to go against everything he stood for just to ensure his freedom, just to guarantee that another man didn’t end up raising his child. He told himself that Ethic had brought this on himself. He had destroyed the respect between them, and now Indie had no qualms about sacrificing his enemy to save himself.
22
“Ezra Okafor, better known as Ethic. If you look him up, he was tied to Benjamin Atkins, a high-level drug dealer out of Flint, Michigan, who was killed years ago. After Atkins’s death, Okafor took over and established a distribution ring that reached as far as St. Louis, Missouri. This is the man that bought Mr. Perkins’s seat on the board. He wanted to establish a legal relationship at Vartex and then exploit it to distribute pills from New York to his hometown. My client is willing to give you pertinent information to help you prosecute Mr. Okafor. We request full immunity from his charges and any new charges which may incriminate him during the investigation into Okafor,” Einstein said.
Indie sat uncomfortably as he adjusted his necktie while staring the DA in the eye. He felt like a snake. He had never imagined that he would be in this position, breaking every rule he had ever learned in the streets. He was a snitch. He was turning state’s evidence. It didn’t matter that Ethic was his enemy. The two of them were supposed to hold court among themselves. The wild governed the wild, but Indie was going against all he knew. He was ashamed as he sat there, gritting his teeth. He had earned his stripes one by one in the game, but by cooperating with the feds, he had erased all his credibility. Men had died for less. This was the ultimate trespass.
“The only way we will agree to full immunity is if he wears a wire and testifies in open court,” the DA responded.
Indie leaned over to Einstein. “I’m not testifying, but I’ll get whatever he needs on the wire,” he said. He couldn’t stand in a courtroom and expose his hand. He would only alienate YaYa more. She would never look at him the same if she knew that he was the one behind Ethic’s arrest. No, he had to move in silence. He was only doing this so that he could be with her, so that he could be there for his kids. If he lost them anyway, there was no point in losing his honor as well.
“My client’s life will be in jeopardy if his testimony is given in open court. We can agree to a chamber testimony with redacted court records to protect his identity from the public. The only people that will know he is the informant are the attorneys and the judge. It’s not flashy, but it will still get you that political gain. Would you agree?” Einstein asked.
The DA grimaced and folded his hands on top of the table.
“Without open-court testimony, he does two years,” the DA stated.
“Absolutely not,” Einstein countered. “Probation. Six months.”
“House arrest,” the DA countered.
Einstein paused and leaned into Indie. “It doesn’t get much better than this.”
Indie nodded and whispered back, “I’ll set up the meet. The faster we get this over with, the better.”
* * *
The buzzing of Ethic’s phone caused YaYa to stir out of her sleep. With Skylar with Indie for a few nights, she was finally able to spend the night in her man’s bed. Ethic’s children were older, and they hadn’t seen Ethic happy in a long time. They welcomed her with open arms. They were excited about the idea of YaYa being a part of their lives. Skylar’s transition would be more confusing. She was used to YaYa loving Indie. Explaining that she loved someone else would be hard not only for Skylar but for YaYa as well.
Ethics’s phone buzzed again, and YaYa sat up, reaching for it. She pulled her hand back, unsure. This wasn’t her old relationship. She didn’t have to worry about who was calling Ethic. He had been nothing but transparent with her. She didn’t want to bring bad energy into what they shared. The phone buzzed again, and she heard Ethic’s voice behind her.
“You can check it.”
She jumped and placed a hand over her heart. “You startled me!”
He sat up and reached by her, grabbing his phone. He sat back against the headboard and pulled her between his legs. “Ain’t no secrets, no other women, no nothing. I know what I have, and I’m not going to forget how much I wanted it when it wasn’t mine.” He kissed the back of her shoulder. His reassurance was so comforting. He opened the message in front of her, and a sinking feeling settled into her stomach when she saw Indie’s number on the screen.
“He wants to meet up with you,” she said.
“You don’t have to. I’m going to pick up Sky in the morning. I can talk to him…”
“I’ll handle it,” Ethic said as he put his phone back on the nightstand and wrapped her in his arms.
He was unbothered, but YaYa was disturbed as she rested her head against his chest. He could feel the tension in her shoulders. He reached around her body and ran his hands down her stomach. She squirmed beneath his touch, and when he reached her wetness, she sighed as he worked out all her worries, making her forget they ever existed.
* * *
“Inside this watch is a transmitter that will record your conversation,” the federal officer informed Indie as he handed a black watch to him.
“This will pick up the conversation?” Indie asked as he put the band on his wrist. The federal agent held up a Bluetooth as he placed it in his ear before handing out additional receivers to his colleagues in the room. “No wires, no microphone?”
“Yes, technology has come very far. We no longer tape up our informants. You won’t need to worry about being patted down,” the agent informed him. “We’ll be in a cable van close by.”
“And my client will be arrested as well, correct? We need this to look real so that his anonymity is protected,” Einstein interjected.
“We do this every day. We know how it needs to go down,” the agent answered.
“I’ll meet you at the federal building. You’re almost in the clear. This is the last step to your freedom. After this, you can put this entire thing behind you,” Einstein said as he gave Indie’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
Indie walked out of the building and made his way to his car. He could feel their eyes on him, and he was sick to his stomach because he had aligned himself with the law.
He didn’t recognize this version of himself. His fear and his jealousy had him moving differently, had him acting out of character. But it was too late to turn back. The ball was already in motion. As he eased out into traffic, the feds pulled out behind him. The trap was set, now all he had to do was get Ethic to step in it.
It had taken Indie year
s to earn his stripes in the game. He had fought for every ounce of respect he had in the streets. He had bled for this business. With this one decision none of those things mattered. If this got out, his name would mean nothing. He would be associated with the snakes and rats. His legacy in the streets would no longer be esteemed. He was gaining his freedom but losing respect, even for himself.
He pulled up to the busy diner and looked over his shoulder as he exited. The feds had parked directly across the street. They were a bit too close for comfort. Ethic was seasoned and would sniff them out if they weren’t careful.
“Pull up the block. You’re too close. It’s ten o’clock at night. Ain’t no fucking cable companies out this late. Fucking obvious, yo,” Indie said as he shook his head. The van pulled up the block a bit as Indie opened the door and entered the busy diner. He knew how Ethic moved because they were built the same. He instantly pointed out the three young guns that Ethic had strategically placed throughout the restaurant.
Indie approached Ethic and slid into the booth.
Their hatred for one another was evident.
“I’m here, G. What’s this all about? You look like you got something to get off your chest,” Ethic said.
“I thought about blowing your head off when I walked in here,” Indie stated.
“Those are the words of an emotional man. We both know that wouldn’t be smart,” Ethic replied.
“You crossed a line with me. I don’t know how they get down in Flint, but here men respect men. I brought you into my home. We were set up to do good business together, so I wanted to break bread with you. Eat with you. I brought you to where my family slept, and you fucked my wife,” Indie stated.
“It didn’t quite go down like that, but go ahead, G, blow off some steam,” Ethic said sarcastically with a chuckle. “You forgot about the part where you fucked your baby mama and put your wife and daughter out the crib. I met YaYa the day you embarrassed her at the altar, way before I even knew you, nigga. I ain’t into explaining, but don’t kick dirt on my name. Yeah, we could have gotten a lot of money—”
The Prada Plan 5 Page 23