She continued to pace the floor until a knock on the door stopped her dead in her tracks. Walking out of her room, she headed towards the front door. Without looking to see who it was, she opened the door and was surprised to see Cashmere and Baylynn standing there. They stared at each other silently for a moment before Tamia moved to the side to let them in. Closing the door behind them, Tamia walked into the kitchen with her sisters on her heels. As Cash and Bay sat on the stools at the counter, Tamia went to the fridge and removed three bottles of waters and closed it back.
“How did y’all find me?” She placed the waters in front of them.
“Randall gave me the address,” Cash answered.
“We just wanted to see if you were okay, and to let you know we’re here for you, Mia.”
“Here for me? Like the way y’all were there for me when Bay called me a punk and you said I was a bitch for hiding? Neither one of y’all ever stopped to ask me how I was holding up with everything that was going on. My mother tried to have us killed. US! I was included, too. Y’all didn’t stop and think that I was fucked up about that? I spent so much time worrying about y’all and making sure y’all were okay, hoping the two of you would get along when Cash woke up from her coma, but no one bothered to ask me if I was okay.” Tamia’s eyes filled with tears.
“You’re right, Tamia. We didn’t ask those questions and we apologize. The only reason I never asked how you were doin’ was because whenever I saw you, you were always in good spirits. I assumed you had come to terms with everythin’ and decided to move on,” Baylynn confessed.
“I was always smiling because I put my feelings on the back burner to make sure my sisters were cool. I was only knocked unconscious. You took a few bullets, Bay, and Cash was in a damn coma for a month and some change. Most people wouldn’t have cared so much about family members they had just met, but I’ve grown attached to y’all. I know I spoke up a little late and I apologize. I didn’t want to be held responsible for what happened to y’all, but I ended up taking the blame for it anyway.” The tears fell from her eyes.
“Stop that crying, sis. I already told you I didn’t blame you for what happened and the fact that you spoke up at all speaks volumes about how you feel about us. We were just too angry at the time to mention it before. We love you, Tamia, and we’re sorry.” Cash grabbed one of her hands and Bay grabbed the other one.
“I forgive y’all,” Tamia smiled.
“Good. Now, maybe you can tell us why the hell you been ignroin’ our calls like you owe us money or some shit.” Baylynn opened her bottle of water and took a swig from it.
“Besides being mad at y’all, I just didn’t want to talk to anybody after what I did.” Tamia removed her water from the counter and walked into the living room.
“What did you do?” Cash followed her with her water in hand, and so did Baylynn.
“I went to go see my mom last week at the hotel she was staying in. We got into a little argument and she said some hurtful shit to me. Simon showed up, my mother had a gun pointed to me like she was going to kill me, my mother said she couldn’t kill her child, Simon snatched the gun from her so he could kill me, I killed Simon and got away before the cops came,” Tamia shrugged.
Cashmere and Baylynn stared at her with their mouths gaped opened as they processed what Tamia had just told them.
“Wait a minute. Ya moms pulled a gun on you but couldn’t bring herself to kill you?” Baylynn quizzed.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Then why the hell did she get the gun at all?”
“I guess to prove to Simon she was. She grabbed the gun before she opened the door for him. My mom wanted to let me leave, but he told her to kill me.”
“That’s fucked up.” Cash shook her head.
“Who you telling? I just knew my mom was going to snitch on me to the cops, but she didn’t. Dad called me before y’all got here and told me that my mom is doing ten to twenty years for murdering Simon. She took the charge for me.” Tamia looked at her sisters.
“What the fuck?” Baylynn blurted out.
“That was nice of her to take the fall for you,” Cash spoke.
“But why would she do that, though?” Tamia questioned.
“Her boyfriend tried to kill me and she pulled a gun on me like she wanted to kill me her-damn-self, so why would she take the rap for me?”
“Her ass is probably feeling guilty for what she did to you and this is her way of makin’ it up to you. Whatever the case may be, I wouldn’t stress about it. She coulda left just like you did, but she decided to stay and take the fall for it. It is what it is,” Baylynn shrugged.
“It sounds harsh when you put it like that, but Bay does have a point, sis. Don’t worry about the reason behind her actions, but if you really want to know, go see her and ask. I know you might not want to after everything she’s put you through, but that’s still your mom and you might need closure one day. Even though we think she’s doing this bid out of guilt, she might’ve taken the fall for you because she loves you, Mia.” Cashmere wrapped an arm around her.
Tamia rested her head on Cashmere’s shoulder as she thought about her sisters’ words. Everything they said about her mother feeling guilty about the harm she had caused Tamia confirmed how she already felt, but what she didn’t consider was that her mother’s action could be out of love. When Tamia went to see Olivia, nothing about her showed Tamia she loved her. The way Olivia spoke to her was hateful and the smug look she wore on her face as Tamia told her how she felt confirmed that Olivia didn’t care about the words her daughter spoke. The only thing that made Tamia think her mother probably still loved her was the fact that she couldn’t bring herself to kill her. The thought of going to visit her mother in prison wasn’t a bad idea, but it wouldn’t be any time soon.
Cashmere and Baylynn filled Tamia in on what was going on in their lives, and when she heard about Ramsey’s affair, Tamia was ready to fuck him up just like Baylynn. After she had all the tea on her sisters, Tamia shared with them how wonderful everything was going with Nick and how she had been living with him since her accident at her house. She expressed to them that she was in love with Nick and how she had never had a man like him before. Her sisters were happy that things were working out between her and Nick. They knew by the way Tamia lit up as she talked that her feelings for Nick were real. Talking about Nick and how good he treated her put Tamia in a better mood and she was ready to get out of the house and enjoy the day.
Once she was washed up and dressed, the trio left Tamia’s condo and hopped in Cashmere’s navy-blue Cadillac XT5 and headed towards King of Prussia to do some shopping. When they arrived at the mall, they stepped inside and all eyes were on them as they strutted through the mall like they owned the place. All of the sisters were rocking the latest designer fashions, shades and purses, and the fact that they were all bad as fuck made things that much better. Tamia and Cashmere, the lighter sisters, walked on each side of Baylynn, the darker sister. They had all gotten a little thicker in all the right places, and even though Baylynn didn’t resemble Tamia and Cash, she still looked like she was related to them.
The men stared at them with lust in their eyes as the women gave them looks of hate, which was nothing new to them. They just smiled at them and kept it pushing. The first store they stopped in was Nordstrom’s. The trio ripped through the store, buying everything from work clothes to street clothes and accessories. By the time they left the store, they had all spent over 3,000 dollars. The next store they shopped at was Jimmy Choo.
Tamia and Cashmere were trying on shoes when two chicks entered the store, laughing loudly. Cash and Tamia exchanged a look of annoyance before Cash got up from the chair to try out her shoes. Tamia was trying her best to ignore the ratchet chicks’ conversation, but when one of them spoke of Ramsey, her eyes shifted in their direction, and so did Cashmere’s.
“Phoenix, you are a grimy bitch, yo. How the hell you gonna tell that man he’s the father of
your baby and you were already pregnant when you fucked him?”
“Look, I was just doing what I was told. My man told me to fuck up his family and that’s what I tried to do, but I think that nigga knows this baby ain’t his. The last time I seen or talked to him was when he came to my doctor’s appointment, and that was almost three months ago. Besides, that nigga wasn’t gonna leave his family for me anyway.”
“I think Omar is a bitch for gettin’ you involved with his beef. This shit ain’t got nothin’ to do with you. You all pregnant and shit. What if that nigga Ramsey tries to get someone to kill ya ass for that stunt you pulled?”
“Tracy, don’t call my man no bitch. He loves me and I love him. As far as Ramsey, he’s too busy being a family man. He’s not involved with the streets no more. Plus, I know how to handle myself. Shit, the sisters Omar tried to kill better be the fuck worried because since that bitch Olivia killed his dad, he’s about to put a torch to the fucking city. All that nigga sees is red.”
Baylynn emerged from the dressing room with the look of death in her eyes as she made her way over to where Tamia was sitting. Cashmere looked at the chicks through the mirror she was looking in and Tamia kept her eyes trained on her sisters’ expressions. She had never seen them look that way before, and she knew she had to get them out of the store quickly before they fucked it up by whooping ass. They gathered the items they wanted and paid for them before Tamia pushed them out the store.
“I know y’all heard what the fuck I heard. I’m the fuck heated, yo!” Baylynn spoke through gritted teeth.
“So am I! That bitch just admitted she tried to set my nigga up! I can’t let that shit ride! No fucking way!”
“Y’all have to calm down and think rationally for a second. That bitch just said her nigga is out to kill us because he thinks my mom killed his father, but if we find his ass first, we can put an end to this bullshit.”
The duo walked out of the store and Tamia signaled for her sisters to follow her. They followed the chicks to the food court, and when the pregnant chick, Phoenix, went off to the bathroom, the sisters followed her friend, who sat in a booth in the far corner. Tamia slid in the booth next to the girl and Bay and Cash sat on the opposite side. The look on the girl’s face was one of pure terror as she shifted between the strangers.
“Look, I’m going to cut to the chase because the conversation we just heard got us real pissed off. I need your home girl’s address right the fuck now,” Cash demanded in a low tone.
“Bitch, I ain’t givin’ you shit.” The girl’s voice trembled.
“Tracy, is it? We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“Bitch, you better tell us what the fuck we want to know or else I’m gonna send a bullet up ya stank ass pussy. So, what’s it gonna be?” Baylynn cocked her gun under the table.
“Her address is 555 Main Street in Norristown,” Tracy answered quickly.
When she gave them what they wanted, the trio left the booth as quickly as they’d appeared. Making their way towards the exit, they strolled to Cashmere’s car and hopped in. Cashmere revved the engine and placed her earphones in her ear before she pulled out the spot.
“Bay, you’re a crazy bitch. What the hell are you doing with a gun in your purse?” Tamia turned around to face her.
“After what happened to me, I don’t leave home without my piece.” Baylynn flashed her silver 9 millimeter and winked.
“I like how we just slid in the booth with that hoe. We were all on one accord and ain’t ask no questions.” Cash smiled at them.
“Let me find out y’all my new partners in crime,” Tamia beamed.
“You’re fuckin’ right. You don’t need nobody else when you got family,” Baylynn agreed.
Tamia couldn’t help but smile at her sisters. She only wished that she and her sisters would be able to get along like this, and even though they still had to work on building their relationship with each other, Tamia was glad that they were off to a good start. She thought back to how she had kept her relationship with Baylynn a secret from Cashmere, and how she would bring Cassi along with her whenever she saw Bay so their kids could spend time together. Tamia was grateful that Cashmere had decided to forgive her and not put her foot in her ass for having her child around her enemy at the time.
They were exiting off the expressway when Cashmere’s phone rang.
“Oh my God! No! We’re on our way!”
“Cashmere, wassup?” Baylynn questioned.
“My mom and dad are in the hospital!”
“What!” Tamia and Baylynn shouted.
“I don’t know what happened, but I’m on my way there now.”
Tamia held on to the side of the door as Cashmere drove like she was on the run from the cops. She knew that the girl’s boyfriend Omar had something do with her father being in the hospital. Tamia said a silent prayer to herself, asking God to forgive their father for his sins and to spare his life so he could continue to right all of his wrongs.
77
Ramsey was posted up in an abandoned warehouse in South Philly where he had been for most of the morning. His mind was supposed to be on the task at hand, but all he could think about was Cashmere. She hadn’t spoken to him in a few days and her silence was driving him crazy. He was used to women going crazy on him when he fucked up or gave them bad news, but this silent treatment shit was new to him and he didn’t know how to handle it. Ramsey was ready for things to go back to the way they were. He was tired of sleeping on the couch and he missed lying next to his wife at night.
Ramsey’s thoughts were interrupted by the muffled sounds coming from the two niggas who were tied to two chairs a few feet away from him. He had gotten a call at four that morning from Nysir, telling him he had two of the niggas involved in Cashmere’s accident. Without asking any questions, he jumped up and darted out the house. He shot a text to Cash, telling her that something had come up before he pulled out of the driveway. Ramsey and Nysir tortured the two men until they gave up Benjamin’s whereabouts, and the other two were a part of their team. Ramsey was ready to kill their asses but decided to kill them together.
“Shut the fuck up with all that whinin’ and shit. Ya ass wasn’t whinin’ when you crashed into my wife’s car and put her in a fuckin’ coma, you pussy-ass nigga.” He marched over to one of the men and hit him in the head with the butt of his gun.
The man cried out in pain, but the tape that covered his lips concealed the noise. Ramsey stared at the two men with pure hatred as he waited for his family to arrive with the rest of the party. Thirty minutes later, Randall, Manny, Nick and Nysir walked into the warehouse with four men in front of them. When they got to where Ramsey was standing, they pushed three of them into the three empty chairs that were next to their badly beaten partners while one remained standing. The only light they had was provided by the sun that shined through the dirty and broken windows, so it was kind of hard for them to see the men’s faces. Ramsey stepped closer to the man who was standing and couldn’t help but chuckle when he realized it was Darren.
“And where did y’all find this nigga at?” Ramsey pointed at Darren with his gun.
“He was parked in his car outside of this nigga’s crib.” Nysir pointed to one of the men.
“It seemed like you weren’t gonna handle their asses, so I was there to get the job done,” Darren spat.
“What the fuck you say?” Ramsey asked through gritted teeth.
“You heard me. You’re supposed to protect your girl by any means necessary and you let these motherfuckers live longer than they needed to. Cashmere should be with me. You don’t know how to fuckin’ treat her. I don’t know why she chose to be with you.”
“Nigga, my wife is where the fuck she belongs, and soon, you will be, too,” Ramsey smirked.
“What the fuck—”
Before Darren could finish his sentence, Ramsey put a bullet through the middle of his forehead, which made his body drop to the floor with a hard thud.
The sound of liquid hitting the floor made everyone look in the direction of where the noise was coming from. Nick turned on his flash light and saw that one of the men had pissed themselves and was forming a puddle on the floor.
“This nigga just pissed himself!” Nick burst into laughter.
“Not Benjamin, the tough-ass nigga who had my car shot up,” Nysir chuckled.
“Co-come on, Nysir, man. I’m s-s-sorry about that,” Benjamin stuttered, causing everyone to laugh.
“Nigga, gangstas don’t apologize for shit. They own the shit they do.” Manny shook his head.
“Nysir, kill this clown-ass nigga.”
Without hesitation, he aimed his Desert Eagle at Benjamin’s chest and fired four shots, causing him to die instantly. Nick killed the two men who were tortured and Manny was ready to bring the last nigga’s life to an end. As Manny aimed his gun at the man’s head, he began to laugh hysterically in the chair.
“What the fuck is so funny?” Manny shouted.
“Man, when my pops came to me with the plan to kill them three bitches, I didn’t know the full details behind the shit. When he broke shit down to me that he just wanted Charles dead because he wanted his bitch, I was heated because he had gotten me involved in this dumb shit. But when I found out that bitch killed my pops, I couldn’t kill her because she’s booked, but I did manage to get my revenge. I couldn’t kill the bitches, but I took somethin’ away from them as well.” The man smirked.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Randall questioned.
“It means that I ain’t gonna be the only one without my pops, motherfuckas.” The man laughed out loud.
Ramsey’s phone began to ring, and he quickly snatched his phone out his pocket. He knew it was Cashmere by the song that was playing and answered quickly.
“Wassup, bae?”
“My parents.” She cried uncontrollably.
My Other Baby Mama Box Set Page 38