“Ramsey, are you listenin’ to me, boy?” Renee called out to him.
“Nah, I ain’t hear you.”
“I asked you how are you doin’ with all this?”
“How am I supposed to be doin’, Ma? My wife is in a coma and she has no idea that our twin daughters have entered the world. This shit got me fucked up, for real.” He shook his head.
“I can only imagine how you’re feelin’, son. You know we’re here for you if you need anythin’.” Renee placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Yeah. You know we got you, bro.”
“Thanks, y’all. Until Cashmere wakes up from this coma, I’m gonna be posted up here every damn day. Her room has a shower in it. I’m gonna need toiletries and like a month’s worth of clothes for me and some pajamas, underwear and socks for Cash.”
“I’ll grab that for you first thing in the morning,” Randall replied.
“Good lookin’ out.”
Minutes later, Ryan and Tiffany returned with tears in their eyes. Tiffany walked over to Randall, who wrapped his arms around her and Ryan received comfort from her brother. Ramsey felt his sister’s pain and he knew how upset she was to see her best friend in the state she was in.
“The babies are so adorable, Ramsey. They’re a combination of both of y’all,” Ryan chuckled as she wiped her tears.
“Yeah, I’m gonna wait until Cash wakes up so we can name the babies together. I don’t wanna do anythin’ without her.”
Everyone nodded in understanding. They talked for a few more minutes and promised to come back and visit before the family left the hospital. Ramsey found Dr. Jordan and explained to her that he would be staying at the hospital with Cashmere for her entire stay there. The doctor tried to explain to him why she couldn’t allow that, but when Ramsey pulled out the roll of hundreds from his pocket and told her she would be paid ten grand every other week, Dr. Jordan quickly snatched the money out of his hand and got a bed set up in Cashmere’s room.
After the bed was set up, Ramsey sat in the chair he had moved next to her bed and grabbed her hand. He stared at his soon-to-be wife and his heart broke a little more than it already was. The ventilator was helping her breathe, and as he stared at her, his thoughts started to get the best of him.
“Cashmere, I know you can’t hear me, but I just want you to know that ya man is right here, okay? And I’m not leavin’ ya side. Baby, I need you to pull through this. You can’t die on me, bae. You’re too strong not to pull through this. I need you, Cash.”
Ramsey felt the tears about to fall from his eyes and he didn’t bother to stop them.
“Please, Cash. Don’t leave me.”
58
Baylynn laid in the hospital bed in pain as she waited for the morphine to kick in. She stared at the ceiling and replayed her day. Her day had started off great, with bomb sex from Manny, and when their sex session was over, they both got dressed and went their separate ways. While Brandi and Manny had their daddy-daughter day, Baylynn beautified herself for the dinner that evening. As she made her way to her car, she was happy to see that Tamia was calling her. Before Tamia could get her warning out, Baylynn was shot and instantly dropped to the ground. Thanks to a few onlookers, Baylynn was in an ambulance minutes later and rushed to the hospital.
While she was heavily sedated, the doctor removed the three bullets from her shoulder, upper and lower back with ease and patched up her wounds with gauzes and medical tape. The nurse who wheeled Baylynn to her room was the one who had informed her mother that she was in the hospital. Baylynn was unaware of where she was when she woke up and started to panic until the nurse rushed in and explained to her what had happened and why she was there. The nurse informed her that her family was there and they would be in to see her in a few minutes.
The tears slowly rolled down Baylynn’s face as she thought about how her life could’ve easily ended that day. She also thought about who the shooter could’ve been and why they wanted her dead. She had done quite a few people wrong in the past and she figured it was finally catching up with her. The sound of her room door opening made her turn her head in that direction, and when she saw Manny, Brandi, her mother and father, she smiled. They surrounded her bed and Brandi climbed on top of her mom and Baylynn wrapped her arms around her.
“How are you feelin’, love?” Manny grabbed her left hand.
“I’m happy to be alive, but my back is killin’ me. I’m tryin’ to wait for this medicine to kick in, but it’s takin’ too long.”
“Baby, what happened?” Charles asked from her right side.
“I was comin’ out of the hair salon when Tamia called me. She was tryin’ to warn me about somethin’ while I was tryin’ to get in my car, but before she could get it out, I was shot in my back. I didn’t even see it comin’.”
“I’m just glad you’re all right. Don’t worry about a thing, I’m gonna handle this shit, okay?” Fateema assured her.
“Fateema, I told you to calm down. I will take care of this situation myself. I don’t need your help,” Charles spoke firmly.
“You can handle it your way, and I’m gonna handle it my way.”
“Mom? Dad? What’s goin’ on?”
“I’ll let you know at a later time. All I want you to do is rest right now.” Charles kissed his daughter’s forehead. “I have to go check on your sister.”
“Somethin’ happened to Tamia?” She winced in pain as she tried to sit up.
“No. Cashmere. She was in a car accident on her way here to see about you. Her babies are fine, but she’s in a coma,” Charles explained.
“Oh my God. No.” She placed her hand to her mouth.
“Fateema, can you take Brandi home? I’m gonna stay here with Bay.”
“Sure.”
Baylynn kissed her mother, father and daughter goodbye before they exited the room. Manny pulled up a chair and focused his attention on Baylynn, who was in trance.
“Bae, what’s on ya mind?”
“I don’t know how to feel right now, Manny.” She tried to fight back her tears. “Cashmere was on her way to come see me and got into a car accident. She actually wanted to see me and now she’s in a coma. How am I supposed to feel right now?”
“Yes, she was on her way to come see you, but her accident had nothin’ to do with you, Bay.”
“How do you know that?”
“I don’t have all the details yet, but just trust me, okay?”
“Was Tamia here?”
“Yeah. She left with Cash’s mom to go see her. She might still be at the hospital, but I’m sure she’ll come back to see you.” Manny held her hand.
“I guess you’re right, bae.” She smiled weakly. “Are you really gonna stay here with me?”
“Come on with the silly shit,” he chuckled. “That morphine must be kickin’ in.”
Baylynn couldn’t help but laugh as she thought about her last statement. The medication had her feeling woozy, and it wasn’t long before she was knocked out completely.
59
The sound of dishes rattling made Tamia stir in her sleep. She opened her eyes and squinted from the brightness of the sun. Slowly sitting up, her head began to throb as she took in her surroundings. When she realized she was in Nick’s condo, she tried to remember how she had gotten there. Tamia got up from the couch and dragged herself into the kitchen where Nick was.
“Baby, what the hell are you doing in this kitchen?” She sat on one of the bar stools at the counter with her hand on her head.
“I’m tryin’ to make my lady some breakfast. You’ve been unconscious for damn near thirty-six hours.”
“What the fuck happened?” she asked, confused.
“When we left the hospital, you went to ya parents’ crib to go see your mom and I followed you in my car. When I walked in, I heard someone comin’ down the steps, but it was dark as shit and I didn’t want to shoot just in case it was you. But when I saw it was someone carryin’ a body, I let off a few shoots an
d dropped his ass. The person was wearin’ a ski mask, so I removed it and took a picture of the nigga.” He leaned on the counter across from her.
“Woah! This shit is literally making my head spin.” She rubbed her temples.
“Give me a minute to try and remember.”
Tamia closed her eyes and tried to recall what Nick was talking about. A few minutes later, thoughts of being at a hospital with her father, Cassandra and Fateema entered her head, along with the confession she made about her mother having something to do with Baylynn being in the hospital. Then she remembered that Cashmere was in a car accident and the twins were born. Thoughts of her going home to confront her mother and being knocked out was what she remembered last, and she began to panic.
“Oh my God! Nick? What the hell is going on with my sisters? Did Baylynn leave the hospital yet? How are Cashmere and the girls? Where is my mom? Is my dad okay?” she fired question after question.
“Baby, calm down.” He walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“I spoke to Ramsey the other day and he said Cash is still in a coma, but the babies are good. As far as Baylynn, she called you about an hour ago, but I didn’t answer. You know how I feel about shorty.”
“Where’s my phone, bae?” She rolled her eyes at the statement he’d made about Baylynn.
Nick pulled the phone out his pocket and handed it to her before he walked back over to the stove to prepare breakfast. Tamia looked through her call log and saw that she had a few missed calls from her dad, Baylynn and Cassandra. She didn’t have any missed calls from her mother and she began to worry. She pushed the call option for her father and waited for him to answer, which he did on the third ring.
“Tamia!?”
“Hey, dad. What’s going on?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I came home and found the door wide open and blood on the downstairs floor, but no body. I’ve been trying to stay positive, telling myself that my wife and daughter were not dead and I’m thankful I can confirm that you are still alive. Your car is here, but where are you?”
“I’m with my boyfriend. He saved me from the intruder who knocked me unconscious when I came to the house, looking for Mom. My boyfriend shot him and took a picture of him.”
“What the fuck!? Somebody tried to kill you, too!?” Charles’ voice boomed through the phone.
A lump formed in her throat at the sound of her father’s anger. Charles didn’t get angry or curse too often, so when he did, that meant shit was about to get real.
“Do you know where your mother is?”
“No, Dad. I can try to call her and see if she answers.”
“You can try, but I doubt she will. This woman is going to make me kill her ass.”
“Calm down, Dad. We’ll find her, and we’ll get to the bottom of this, okay?” Tamia said in a calm tone.
“I’m calm. Send me that picture so I can find out who the intruder is, and make sure you call Baylynn. She’s worried about you and Cashmere. Whatever you do, don’t tell her the reason behind her shooting. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Dad.”
Tamia ended the call and sent the picture of the intruder to her father from Nick’s phone. The next call she made was to Baylynn, who broke down at the sound of Tamia’s voice. Baylynn asked her about Cashmere and insisted that they go to the hospital together to see her soon. Baylynn told her that every time she mentioned something about the shooting, everyone got quiet or changed the subject. Tamia promised to give Baylynn the details when the time was right and to just focus on getting better. She also promised to visit Baylynn soon before the call ended.
Moments later, breakfast was finished and everything smelled delicious. Nick sat a plate of waffles, cheese eggs, grits and sausage in front of her, along with a glass of lemonade. He carried the syrup and another glass of lemonade over to the counter before he sat down with his plate of food. After saying a silent prayer, Tamia dug into her food.
“Damn, baby. I didn’t know you could cook like this.”
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about ya boy,” he smirked.
“I got a feeling you’re trying to imply something, Nick.”
“I’m just sayin’, shorty. We been talkin’ for a few months now and I still don’t know that much about you but the basics. After ya little disappearin’ act, I was about to say fuck it and move on, but when you called, I couldn’t just turn you away in ya time of need. I ain’t gon’ front like a nigga don’t care about you. So, now that I have you here, I need to know. Am I wastin’ my time or are you feelin’ me?”
“Nick, I apologize for not telling you what was going on, but I didn’t know how to explain to you or anybody what my mother had tried to blame me for. I thought staying away from everybody was the right thing to do, but I was wrong. And to answer your question, I am feeling you, but I’m not used to dating guys like you.”
“You mean a street nigga?”
“Exactly. I don’t know shit about that life, so the fact that you’re interested in a girl like me makes me wonder,” she answered honestly.
“I’m interested in you because I can tell by the way you carry yaself that you don’t tolerate disrespect. When I drove you home from the party, I knew you were educated and had a good head on ya shoulders. The chicks I fuck with are nothin’ but ratchets, but you got class and I love that about you. And the fact that you’re bad and bougie is a major plus.” He licked his lips.
“So, where do we go from here?” she blushed.
“I guess we can pick up where we left off and continue to get to know each other. I would say that I’m tryna see what that pussy like, but I don’t mind waitin’.”
They locked eyes for a moment and Tamia’s juices began to flow. The times she and Nick spent together were when they went to dinner a few times. They never shared a private moment like they were currently having. She knew Nick was sexy, but his boldness added to it. Everything in her wanted him to fuck her on the counter, but she figured she would make him wait a little longer to see if he was bluffing or not.
“As tempting as that sounds, I’m going to make you wait a little while longer,” she smirked.
Nick chuckled.
After breakfast, Tamia called her mother while Nick got ready for the day. She called her mother twice with no answer. She called her one more time and she finally answered the phone, but when she heard a man talking, she listened.
“Fuck!”
“What’s wrong, Simon?”
“One of my workers I hired got killed tryin’ to kill one of the daughters.”
“I thought Baylynn and Cashmere were already dead?”
“They are, but Tamia is still alive.”
“You lyin’ bastard! You told me Tamia was safe!”
“I told you everythin’ that nigga gave life to must die. You weren’t supposed to find out about this until after we got back home and the damage was done. Now, I gotta find someone else to finish the job.”
“Oh my God! What have I done!”
Tamia quickly hung the phone up and began to panic. The reality of the situation brought tears to her eyes and the fact that her mother was with the man who tried to end the lives of her sisters and hers. The hurt she felt over the situation instantly turned to anger and she knew she would have to find her mother sooner than later. Whoever the man was wasn’t aware that her sisters were still alive, which gave her some time to get together with her family and come up with a plan.
60
Olivia stood on the balcony of their suite in a trance. Her mind was racing a mile a minute as regret began to plague her thoughts. She couldn’t believe that her lover would betray her in such a way. The thought of her daughter being a target shattered her heart and guilt instantly set in. All Olivia wanted was for her husband, his bastard children, and their mothers to pay for all the pain she’d had to deal with for all those years. She didn’t think her daughter would be a part of that plan.
Olivia’s anger grew as she listened to the conversation Simon was engulfed in. His anger erupted as he told whoever he was talking to to finish the job or there would be hell to pay. As he ended the call, he joined Olivia on the balcony and wrapped his arms around her, but before he could get comfortable, Olivia slipped out of his grasp.
“Okay. Now what the hell is your problem?” he sighed.
“You know what my fucking problem is! I can’t believe you planned to have my daughter killed and you’re still trying to finish the job like I’m not standing the fuck here!” she huffed.
“Look, I’m just doing what we both agreed to. When you found out your daughter reached out to her sister, you felt betrayed by her actions because you felt she went against you. You came crying to me when Charles told you that the DNA test proved the other little bitch was his daughter. In that moment, you decided that you wanted them gone and we came up with the plan to get rid of the people who caused your pain. Your daughter added to your pain, sweetheart. Tamia was the one who brought up this painful situation. I was just trying to take care of it like I promised you I would,” he stated sincerely.
“But that’s MY daughter, Simon. How the hell do you expect me to move on with my life if my child is gone? And don’t act like you were doing this all for me. You have a motive as well. You want Charles out of the way so you can be the new judge. You made promises to all the drug dealers and murderers who put in work for you over the years that are now in prison and you’re trying to get them off. If you don’t keep your word, your ass is going to end up on someone’s hit list. Don’t think I don’t know the real reason your ass is doing this. I’m just the puppet who brought you closer to him.” Olivia rolled her eyes and walked inside.
Simon followed her inside and snatched her by her arms towards him.
“Olivia, if you’re thinking about fucking up my plans, I advise you not to because if you fuck this up for me, I won’t have a problem with making YOUR ass disappear. We’ve come too far to let this fuck us up. I need you right now,” Simon stated through gritted teeth.
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