by Shan
"Where you been all day?" Tamar asked.
"Just out with Starr," I said placing my bags by the door and walked away towards the kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of water out the fridge and turned back to head into the living area but ran slap into Tamar.
"I talked to Dmitri today and told him that he can go ahead with the security ya'll talked about. I got somebody coming out in the morning to work on putting up a gate around the house and I'm gonna have the cameras and shit upgraded," Tamar sighed. "Don't ever think I don't care about your well-being or my shorty's."
"Okay," I said taking a sip of my water.
"I just hate to feel like I gotta have heavily armed men walking around my damn house. Shit ain't supposed to be this way."
"Your family and my family are not supposed to be as grimy as they are but they are and they still out there. Maybe once they locked up some damn where the security is not needed but for now we need it Tae."
Tamar nodded his head but didn't speak on what I'd just said; he didn't have to though ‘cause I knew exactly what he was thinking. He didn't believe in snakes going to jail; he would rather send them to their graves and pray they burned in hell.
"You never answered me earlier when I asked you if that baby was mine." Tamar said tossing his beer bottle in the trash and grabbing another one out the fridge.
"Yes it’s yours even though you gonna get it tested anyway."
"Yea but I rather get rid of it if it ain't mine. You damn sure not gone have a baby by that hoe ass nigga."
"I wouldn't even want to. Anyway, can you please stop throwing that shit in my face? You said you wanted to work on our relationship but if every time we have a disagreement or whatever you gonna throw it in my face then I don't wanna work on it."
"You keep throwing your sister in my damn face. Telling me that lil’ girl name! Why the hell you even going up to the hospital to see that damn baby?"
"Because she's your baby! That's the only reason I helped Nesha! The only reason! Starr tried to kill her and I stopped her ’cause of your damn baby!"
"Well you shouldn't have stopped her! You should’ve let Starr put that bitch’s lights out!"
I shook my head and tried to walk around Tae out of the kitchen. He blocked my way and forced me to look up at him.
"I'll stop talking about you and Brandon if you leave Diamond and that baby in the past too." Tamar said. He picked me up and sat me on the counter. I nodded my head in agreement knowing I wasn't going to leave little Shanya to fend for herself. Tae's mama would be moving here in a couple of months maybe she could talk some sense into him and make him see that she was just an innocent child.
40 BRANDON
Switching Sides
3 months later
I've been on the run ever since the day Taron let me walk up out of Kevin's house the same day I lied on Tae and said he'd killed my fiancé Brittany. Evidentially things didn't work out the way I'd wanted them to. I was now wanted by the Miami police department, had money on my head, and didn't have Rozalyn.
Some days I wish I could take it all back, never killing Brittany and never turning into a rat. I never felt so damn alone in my life. Even back in the day when me and Brittany had it out I still had my boys around and now I had nobody. I couldn't even call Cheryl, the lady who became a mama to me to even tell her how bad I'm hurting and how bad I fucked up.
Trust and loyalty was always important to me but somehow I let jealousy steer me away from that. As much as I wanted to turn back and right my wrongs, I couldn't. The only thing I could do was try and finish what I started.
Rozalyn was pregnant and the possibility was there that the babies she carried were mine. I wasn't exactly sure how far along she was but we'd been together and everybody knew that. They had to know that I wasn't the type of man that would run away from my responsibilities.
"So, what brings you here? What did Tae do to you?" Tahj asked puffing on a cigar.
"All I want is Rozalyn and to take care of my kids and I know as long as Tae in the way he will never allow it," I said.
"Rozalyn, huh? Damn, what's so special about her?" he asked.
"I can't explain it," I cleared my throat and looked around the room.
"I can," Tavon laughed.
I cringed at Tavon's words knowing exactly why he said what he said. I wasn't too enthused about coming to them for help but they were out to get Tae and I was out to get Rozalyn. They were still after the trust fund that Tamar had yet to receive and they wasn't too happy with the fact that they only ended up with twenty grand for the kidnapping of Tamarion. Tamar wrapped most of the bills with counterfeit bills from what I heard. All I wanted their help with was getting him out the way so that I could be with Rozalyn. She wanted to be with me; a blind man could see it but Tamar had her so shook that she would never admit it.
"I hear Tamar is planning to get out the game within the next year but before he does he's expanding to Tennessee, Dallas, and Louisiana. There is supposedly a big deal about to go down but I have no idea of the date, time, or location. If you can get this info for us then we all can get what we want. I can take back over what was mine, you get your girl, and at the end of the day we can go home happy," Tahj said clasping his hands together.
"Wait, I want the fuckin’ money. Rightfully that money should go to all of us and not just him. She was my grandmother too," Tavon said.
"He's not giving up that money. I'm sick of trying to get it. Besides if we take back over the empire that I started then we can make more than that 27 million dollars," Tahj said looking at me.
"I can try but I was hoping maybe ya'll had something better planned." I said feeling like this whole trip as risky as it was; was fuckin’ useless.
"Well hell we did until Diamond decided she no longer wanted to go through with it. She caught some kind of religion after that brat saved her life and that ugly ass baby of hers." Tahj laughed. "She told me she was moving on to a new hustle and no longer had an interest in hurting her sister. Not only that, she says that it probably wouldn't have worked anyway once Tamar found out the baby was mine and not his."
"Yours?" I questioned.
"Yea that's what she told me but I don't know. I don't think my wife would be cool with me bringing a baby home so I won't touch on that subject too much." Tahj shrugged his shoulders.
"Damn, you were fuckin’ with her too?" I asked surprised.
"She's been my side piece for quite some time. How do you think she knew to hook up with Tae? Anyway enough of all that. Will you be able to get us the info we need or not son?" Tahj asked.
"I'll do my best but ya'll know Tae has money on my head and damn near everybody in Miami and Atlanta is looking for me. It was risky enough for me to come out here,” I said firing up a Newport.
“Well, do you have any other suggestions? I rolled by his house the other day and one would think that the President of the United States was living there with all that damn security he has now,” said Tahj.
“I’ll see what I can find out but no one usually knows about his meetings but him and Dmitri. Even when I was handling his end of the business I never got to meet with Dmitri’s pops or any of his connects. Everything was a secret and I was only given info on a need to know basis,” I blew smoke in the air and looked over at Tavon who was all of sudden entertained by his phone.
“Well do that and get back to me, we don’t have much time, so if you really want that bitch then I suggest you get on it right away,” Tahj stood up from behind his desk and walked around to the front of it. I stood up, dapped him up, gave him a hug, and then left out of his office.
I left Tahj's office feeling like I had a lot on my shoulders. I've already tried setting up Tamar once and it backfired now here I was about to try and set him up again. If Tahj was able to do what I thought if I got him the info he needed; this could either be the end of Tamar's blazing career or either what finally sent him to his grave.
He's been talking about expanding and takin
g over the whole South ever since he got connected with Dmitri's pops so I know what Tahj said about him having a meeting had to be true. All I had to do was figure out a way to get the time, date, and location of the meet.
***
Upon landing back into Miami later that night, I immediately contacted Rozalyn. We'd been going back and forth through short text messages for the past few months. All it took was a simple apology for what I had done to risk Tamarion's life and I was back in her good graces.
Even though she says there is no chance that the babies she is carrying could be mine, she kept me up to date with what was going on with them.
"You got five minutes. I can't believe I'm even meeting you right now," Rozalyn said cuffing her arms over her round belly.
"I just wanted to check on you and my shorties in person is all."
"Brandon, how many times do I have to tell you that these ain't your damn babies? I wish you would get it through your damn head and stop calling and sending me messages!"
"How far along are you Rozalyn?" I asked reaching out and placing my hand on her stomach.
"None of your damn business. Well if all you wanted to do was check on me and my babies then we are fine as you can see. I'm about to go before my husband realizes I've been gone too long," Rozalyn turned to walk away but I grabbed her pulling her into my arms and embracing her with a hug.
"I miss you. All I want is to do is spend a lil’ time with you. You all I think about you know?" I placed light kisses along her neck and brought my hands down over her ass.
"I can't Brandon. It's bad enough that I'm here knowing that Tae and the whole fuckin’ Miami Police department is looking for you. Brandon, you killed Brittany and tried to pin that shit on Tae," Rozalyn pushed me away and took a few steps back.
"It was his fuckin’ fault that I killed her!" I yelled.
"I'm about to go. Look don't contact me anymore, these are not your kids and it will be proven once Tae takes a DNA test."
"Damn, even he knows they might be mine," I smiled grabbing a hold of Rozalyn again.
"Whatever! Let my arm go so I can leave," Rozalyn jerked away from me and staggered a few feet backwards until she fell to the ground. I attempted to help her up but she slapped my hand away and got up on her own.
"That was your fault so don't go getting mad at me. I really need your help with something so can you please just go somewhere with me to talk?"
"I'm sorry Brandon," she said while looking over my shoulder.
"Sorry for wh..."
ERRRCCCHHHHH!
I quickly reached behind my back and drew my pistol, grabbed Rozalyn, and put the gun to her head. The bitch had set me up once again giving that ruthless ass nigga Tae her loyalty when he wasn't deserving.
"Oh my God Brandon!" Rozalyn screamed.
"Bitch all I wanted was a little of your time and you fuckin’ set me up!" I grimaced.
"It's not what I wanted B! Tamar found out about the text messages you've been sending! He was the one who's been replying to you for the past couple of months! I tried to tell you to leave me alone!"
"Hoe ass nigga! Did you really think she was gonna come meet you to give your ass some pussy? When you gone learn that no matter what you do she gone always be loyal to daddy?" Tae said with a blunt hanging from the tip of his mouth while managing to hold an AK down by his side.
"Bruh, I'll kill her ass man. Ya'll better back the fuck up!" I bellowed backing away. Keylan cocked the rifle he was holding and pointed it towards me. I pulled the safety off of mine and shoved it further into Rozalyn's skull. I didn't want to but I'll body Rozalyn along with the twins she carried if them niggas tried me.
"Hold up Key back down!" Tamar placed his hand and the end of Keylan's rifle and pushed it downwards.
"B, you been hella sheisty lately. What's up with that ‘cause I know we were good to you and you were eating hella good," Keylan said.
"Ya'll should know what it is, I shouldn't have to explain it to you. Back the fuck down and let me get outta here before Tamarion be missing his mama!"
Tamar's facial expression spoke a thousand words; never had I seen him so scared in my life. Seeing how fearful he was made me sure of one thing; long as I had this gun to her head they wasn't gonna kill me.
"Blood on everything I love I never thought you would ever be on the other side of my gun!" Tamar shook his head. He removed the blunt from his mouth and placed his gun on the ground.
Rozalyn was barely standing in my arms; felt like the moment I let her go she would collapse to the ground. I continued to back away from them until I was at my car.
"Just let her go B! We ain't gonna chase you my nigga! Let her go!" Tae yelled.
"Tell Key drop his shit and I'll let her go!" I yelled.
"Just say the word bruh! I got a straight shot for this rat's head! Man just the say word!" Keylan yelled.
"Nah drop it Key!" Tamar yelled.
Keylan looked disgusted as he dropped his gun to his feet. Slowly I pulled the gun away from Rozalyn's head and pushed her towards the ground. Just as I reached for the car handle of the door, I spotted Keylan going behind his back for what I knew was a gun.
POW! POW!
Regretfully I sent two bullets flying through the middle of Keylan's skull; blood splattered across Tamar's shocked and stunned face. Before Tamar could react I was in the car and peeling out of the empty lot.
41 TAMAR
A Fallen Soldier
"Go in the house and tell Taron to come here," I said to Rozalyn. She hadn't moved an inch since I picked her up from the ground at the empty lot and put her in the car. Only thing that seemed to move was the steady tears that flowed down her eyes.
“Ma, I need you to go into the house for me. Go check on Marion."
I placed my hand on her thigh and noticed that her leg was trembling uncontrollably. She continued to stare in front of her out of the window, never once glancing in my direction or anywhere else for that matter. I got out of the truck, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and unbuckled her seat belt. I picked her up from the seat, feeling a warm moisture soak through my arms as I carried her to the door.
"Baby, you okay? Why you wet?"
I leaned on the doorbell over and over again waiting for somebody to come open the door. Wasn't sure why Rozalyn clothes were wet; had she been sweating, was it blood, did her water break?
"What happened? What's wrong with her?" Taron asked after opening the front door. He stepped to the side to let me in where I walked and placed Rozalyn on the sofa.
"Roz, baby look at me. You okay? Is the babies okay?" I asked.
I placed my hand over Rozalyn's stomach hoping that I could feel movement from my twins she was pregnant with. They still were too small to feel anything but I was hoping today I would get some kind of sign that they were okay.
"Yo, what happened? Where the hell all that blood come from?" Taron asked with a distraught look on his face. "Did she lose the twins? What's up?"
I put Rozalyn's feet up on the couch and placed a pillow under her head and stood up looking at Taron. My face suddenly filled with tears just thinking of the reason why Rozalyn was in the state she was.
"Bruh, what's wrong? What you crying for?"
"I need your....need your help outside," I said walking towards the front door. Taron followed me steadily asking questions about what happened and what was going on. I opened the back door on the driver's side and shook my head seeing my boy laid out with two holes in the center of his head. No matter how many times me and Keylan got into it we were like brothers; closer than my two blood brothers and it had been the same way with Brandon until things changed.
"Oh Fuck! What happ....no...not Key man!" Taron broke down crying upon seeing Keylan's lifeless body.
As many bodies as my boy wore under his belt and not once had a nigga been able to bring him down. To think about how the person responsible for his demise was our supposed to be brother was devastating. Ye
a true I made Rozalyn set up that meet to kill Brandon's ass but that's ’cause he had been foul. Nigga steadily trying to take my wife from me then tried to pin Brittany's murder on me knowing that he was the one that did it. As much as it would hurt me to take him out he had to go just like my pops and Tavon. It was a must.
"Bruh, what happened? What happened to him?" Taron asked pulling on my shirt.
I was leaning against the car just thinking about how I'd just lost my two best friends in a matter of months. I laughed to myself thinking nothing could ever pull us a part. We was three deep and the bond we shared was unbreakable. Even after all the fights, bitches, money, street fame, or whatever; what we shared was untouchable and just like that it was gone.
Taron sat on the steps of my home and stared out into space. His eyes were red and full of pain; he shook his head repeatedly then pulled a small bag of weed from his pocket along with a cigar.
"Might as well smoke one in his honor," Taron said through the tears. I joined him on the steps deciding now was the time to put it out there that a soldier had been lost. The police would be notified later but for now we were gonna say good bye our way. Before he was wrapped up in a body bag, thrown on the back of a truck, taken to the morgue and cut on, then made up to be mourned over and buried.
"Mama, I need you to come over to the house. You and Taylana," I said to my moms when she answered the phone.
"What's wrong? My granbabies okay?" Cheryl asked.
"Yea they good but I just need you to roll through here for a lil’ while. It's important."
My moms agreed to come through and after hanging up with her I called my cousin Ki-Ki who'd been on bed rest for the past couple of months due to a complicated pregnancy. She was due any day now so I knew if today's events sent her into labor she and the baby would be okay.
After making the call to Ki-Ki I got up and went into the house to check on Rozalyn. She was no longer lying on the couch where I'd left her. I walked around the house looking for her to make sure she was okay.