by T. Styles
CHAPTER 18
SNOW
Snow and Rasim sat in a dark restaurant inside of the Four Seasons Hotel. The all black suit he modeled set off the dark features of his smooth face, including his growing beard.
Snow was equally enchanting and the red dress she wore exposed just enough cleavage to cause neighboring male customers to look her way every so often to be sure she was still there. “Husband,” she said placing her hand over his, which held his fork. “What’s on your mind?”
He exhaled. “I want to talk to you about something but I don’t know how you gonna react.”
She removed her hand and wiped her mouth with the white cloth napkin even though nothing was on her lips. “Just tell me, Rasim.” She cleared her throat, fearing the worst. “Let’s start there.”
“I’m worried about Stanley.”
She leaned in. “Stanley?”
“My son.”
She sat back and sighed.
Hearing the words MY SON egress from his mouth and knowing she had nothing to do with his birth panged her. “What is it about someone you haven’t formally met that could keep you so tight, and so tense, that you would keep it from me?” She paused. “Over the past few weeks you’ve been growing the hair out on your face and you refuse to give me any attention. What the fuck is up?”
He sat back in the seat and puffed. “Snow, whether or not I met him doesn’t negate the fact that he is my son. What do you want me to do? Turn my back on someone I helped bring into this world?”
“You mean someone you helped bring into this world because you were cheating?”
“I mean someone I helped bring into this world that has my blood in his veins regardless of my faithfulness to you,” he yelled. “I was a kid, baby. I’m sorry.”
She touched her stomach and tried to prevent the ugly cry from occurring. “Rasim, I don’t think I can handle this.”
“Handle what?” he frowned. “You haven’t even given me a chance to tell you what’s on my mind and you’re already being difficult.”
She slammed her napkin down. “I’m listening! Tell me what’s so important that you would continue to cause me pain.”
He shook his head and wiped his hand down his beard. He was trying to be sensitive to his wife’s feelings but the melodrama level was high. After all, it wasn’t easy knowing that he produced something with the one human on planet earth she hated most of all.
“I might have to turn myself in to prison to protect him. That’s why I’ve been growing out the hair on my face. If I go inside I want to look as differently from him as possible.” He paused. “I know this is tough but Selena not telling me about my kid was not his fault, Snow. He’ll die without my help. I have to do this.”
He poured his heart out and the only thing Snow heard was that her husband was leaving her. “Turn yourself in? How, Rasim?”
“By violating my probation.”
“If you do that you’ll be inside for at least a year,” she yelled hoping to bring him back to his senses. “What about me? What about us?”
“I know but I don’t have any choice.”
She sat back and looked over at him. “Rasim, you can’t violate your probation.” She leaned over the table. “Especially with everything you’re facing.” She knocked three times on the table to signal their code word for the FBI. She was trying to remind him of Vance, who was still on the lamb. What if he was locked up and they kept him there? “And what if someone tries to kill you.”
“Never,” he said arrogantly. Rasim was a legend and in prison he sat on the throne.
“But it could happen. Even the impossible does.”
“I don’t have a choice, Snow. The only reason I can’t do it right now is because I can’t get to Vance.” He paused. “But once I do, I’m gone.”
“Sounds like the decision is already made to me.”
Silence.
“I had no business marrying you,” she said in a low voice.
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” He touched her hand and she jerked it away. Besides, she needed it to wipe her upcoming tears.
“Snow, I know this is fucked up. I know you’re hurting but do you want the kind of man who could deny his own child?”
She didn’t respond.
“Do you?”
“No,” she said through clenched teeth. “I want the kind of man who would have never had a child on me in the first place.” She wiped her mouth again, threw the napkin in his face and stormed out.
****
Snow declared war.
She didn’t speak to him and he didn’t speak to her despite conducting business together.
Snow was hoping that her silence would force him to realize how stupid he was being. But he moved about the home like she wasn’t even a factor. And in the second week he did something that in all of the years they were married he never did before.
He failed to come home.
When Snow rolled over and her husband was not in the bed, she felt like she’d been gut punched. He won. He succeeded in proving her point and Snow knew it was time to wave the flag. Because although she was as tough as rawhide, when it came to a real man and his child she wasn’t prepared to wager her marriage. So she called him and said, “Okay, Rasim. I concede. Please come home.”
“I’m on my way.”
Rasim got there an hour later. He stood in the middle of the floor and stared down at his beautiful but depressed wife. What she didn’t know was that although he missed her terribly, he could’ve stretched the beef out a month longer if she wanted the trouble. Besides, he had worthy company. Although Queen was no replacement, she was a good sideline.
“Thank you, Snow.” He gripped her into a warm embrace. “Thank you so much.” He rocked her in his arms in the middle of the living room floor.
He felt differently to Snow in her mind but she couldn’t figure out why.
When he released her he said, “Now all I gotta do is get this nigga Vance and I’ll be straight.” He rubbed his beard. “With this nigga out there, I can’t even leave right now if I wanted to.”
Snow sighed and shook her head.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She dug in her pocket, opened his palm and slapped a key in his hand. Afterwards she dipped into her other pocket and handed him an address off of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. “You’ll find him there. In the basement. Tied up and waiting for you.”
He thought she was fucking around because she spoke as if she were giving him driving instructions. “Snow, are you telling me the nigga I’ve been searching for forever is at this address?”
She nodded. “He’s been there a week.”
Whoa. She kept him hidden knowing Rasim wouldn’t go back to prison without him.
Instead of getting mad, he was relieved. “Baby, do you fucking realize what you’ve done?” he asked excitedly. “You saved my life.”
“I’m your wife, Rasim.” She looked into his eyes so that he could feel the weight of what that really meant. “It’s my duty to protect you. Like it’s your duty to protect me. Isn’t that what we vowed?” She touched the place where her name rested on his chest.
Her remark hit him in the heart because at the moment he was being a world-class whore. “Yes it’s my duty to protect you, Snow. And no matter what goes on, I always will.”
“I hope you mean it, Rasim.”
He ran his finger down the side of her face. “Of course I do.” He paused. “But, baby, how did you get him?” he questioned trying to skip the subject.
“It was easy.” She shrugged. “Some men have a penchant for new pussy.” She glared at him. “And in Vance’s case, he’ll pay for it with his life.”
CHAPTER 19
RASIM
In three days Rasim would violate his probation to return to prison and save his son’s life. And although he was having second thoughts, the choice did not belong to him anymore. It was a must. If Rasim didn’t help him, his son would perish.
He had broken so many codes when it came to Queen that it was impossible to find the proper place to start. For one, he allowed himself to spend too much time without getting the necessary intel on her background. Was she really married? Was she happy? And did she have ulterior motives?
The tragedy was that Rasim was astute. He knew things didn’t add up but he still kept her around. He realized that Queen didn’t move in the world like a woman who had a husband. Whenever he wanted to see her, no matter the hour, she was available. He even brought up her flexibility one day and asked how her husband felt.
“He’s fine,” she would say dismissing the matter. “He trusts me.”
Rasim believed what he wanted. Besides, it was cool having two women.
But just picturing Snow leaving their home anytime she wanted without him being with her was hard to fathom. He demanded too much of her time and relied on her for his existence. Snow had to prepare dinner every night. Snow washed his clothes and dropped to her knees to fulfill every sexual desire. That didn’t include the things she did for the drug operation. She was in charge of making sure the mules who ran dope up and down the coast were paid. And she was in charge of getting them attorneys if they were arrested so they wouldn’t cave. She was good at it too so there was never any free time.
What did her husband require?
Rasim wondered, although Queen wore a beautiful ring, did her husband really fuck with her at all?
“I’m going to miss you so much,” she said looking up at him, her face wet with tears. “My pussy too,” she cooed. “And I know you aren’t mine, and I know this isn’t right but I’ll still be worried when you go inside.”
“Come on, Queen,” he said wiping the water off of her face with the back of his hand. “I know you dealt with a dude in prison before. You know a year is a cakewalk. Why you so uptight?”
“No I haven’t,” she admitted. “This is the first time this has ever happened to me, Rasim. My husband is a white collar type dude so it ain’t the same.”
“Well don’t worry, sexy. I’ll be in contact every day. We won’t miss a beat.” He ran his cool hand down her back. “Trust me.”
“You saying that but I don’t believe you,” she pouted. “You probably got a rack of bitches who’ll be taking up your time. I need to feel special, Rasim. That’s how this shit works between you and me. I just hope you’re not collecting hearts like you did mine.”
That’s the only thing that frustrated him about Queen. For some reason in the back of her mind she assumed he bedded a lot of women. It probably had more to do with the fact that he was cheating period. Lately he spent more time than he wanted explaining that although he loved being inside of her, he wasn’t a whore off the street. He was a man with money and too much to lose to fuck with chicken heads. It just wasn’t his thing.
He reminded her repeatedly that he chose her because he had a second place position available and he wanted to fill it with the right one. That’s where she came in. She applied and was hired the day she sucked his nut down her throat.
Didn’t she see that?
“Queen, I will be in contact.” He rubbed her shoulders. He kissed her on the cheek and his beard tickled her lips. “That’s my word.”
She stroked his large bicep. “Why can’t I see you right before you go in? Like the day of?”
Not this shit again, he thought as he exhaled.
All night Queen had been begging to see him the day before he went into prison and each time he said no. She could ask in any language around the world if she desired and the answer would always be the same.
Those last moments belong to Snow and he would never deny her. Not for a bitch in second place.
All Queen was trying to do was pull rank and see where she stood. And it was still behind his wife.
“I can’t do that,” he said walking away from her to slide on his watch. “This was our time together and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.” When he was dressed he moved toward the door. “Goodbye, sexy. I’ll see you in a year.” He strutted out.
Queen remained planted in the middle of the floor with her drizzling pussy. “Naw, nigga.” She hugged herself like a lunatic. “You gonna see me before that. I guarantee it.”
She got on the phone and called a friend to help with her plan.
****
The stench of gunpowder twirled through the air in the warehouse as Rasim stood over Navy’s body. Thanks to Snow, he was able to close some loose ends before returning to prison later that week. Since he already had Navy wearing his signature, it was time to put him out of his misery. Now he wore two bullets to the clavicle.
With Navy dead, he moved over to Vance who sat in a chair in the center of the floor. His arms were tied behind his back and a tire was draped around his neck. For an hour the tire was doused in gasoline and it was ready for his plan.
Rasim stared down at Vance with a hard smile resting on his face. To him, a man who snitched after obtaining money and success from the dope game that fed him was disposable. And the plan was to teach him a painful and final lesson.
Brooklyn and Chance stood behind the chief but both kept their eyes on the floor, each afraid to see the new limits Rasim would journey to today. Over the years Rasim’s passion for maltreatment had reached astounding levels and they feared it would only get worse.
After 9/11, and losing his parents and Donald on the same day, Rasim didn’t just grow stronger and richer, he also grew bitter. He blamed many Americans, the citizens and even Al-Qaeda for his suffering and he took his soreness out on people who owed him money.
“Rasim, I’m begging you, please don’t do this,” Vance begged as he inhaled the strong fumes. His goggle eyes peered up at Rasim who was so enraged he was steaming.
“Do what?” he responded cocking his head slightly to the side. “Punish you for getting in bed with the FBI? Or for stacking your pockets with cash, setting the empire on fire and then running out to save your own life? Which part are you asking mercy for?”
“I promise you, Rasim.” His breaths were rapid and the gasoline was causing his eyes to burn. “All I was going to do was give them the information that wouldn’t hurt you.” He blinked a few times. “Light block shit, you know, a foot soldier here, a foot soldier there but I never mentioned you.”
“That brings me to my next question. What did you tell them?”
Now Brooklyn and Chance were looking in his direction.
“Like I said, nothing really. They don’t know nothing about you. Think about it, Rasim. If they did, do you think you’d be free right now?”
“It takes years to build a RICO case, mothafucka,” Brooklyn added because he couldn’t find credence in his eyes.
“I swear I don’t know shit about that, Brooklyn,” he said looking around Rasim to see him. If he did a good enough job, he figured he could call Rasim off. “The only thing I signed up for was a few low level cats who aren’t worth nothing. They would’ve never been linked to you guys.”
Since he denounced the dope game to save himself, Rasim lit a match and threw it. A shock wave of heat pushed toward Rasim, Brooklyn and Chance and they moved back. The flames missed their flesh by inches.
Vance screamed loudly as the inferno blanketed his body. Necklacing was one of the most torturous things that could be done to a human being and Rasim loved every bit of it.
It took fifteen minutes for Vance to die and Rasim didn’t take his eyes off the blaze one time. The smell of burnt flesh did nothing but make him covet power.
When the show was over, Rasim turned around and faced Brooklyn and Chance. “Put the fire out and have somebody pick up the remains.”
In the moment, he reminded his friends of Donald and they hoped he wouldn’t
suffer his same fate.
“Are you aight, man?” Brooklyn frowned after witnessed the crime.
A sly grin situated on Rasim’s face. “Come on, homie. It’s a little too late to ask me that now. Don’t you think?”
****
Rasim positioned himself in the front of Minnesota Avenue with Selena who had her arms crossed over her chest in anger. He called earlier to talk to her but once again refused to meet anywhere private. “I see you standing over there with an attitude but you better hear what I’m saying.”
She looked over his shoulders as if he weren’t there. “I said I’m listening, Rasim. You don’t have to talk to me like I’m a kid. I’m not one of your little dope boys, you know?”
She was as salty as a sweaty dick in a box of popcorn for many reasons. First and foremost, she didn’t appreciate Snow getting out on her at their home awhile back when she slapped and punched her. But the real source of her annoyance was that after all this time, Rasim still refused to give her any more dick.
The man was mad!
He knew they should’ve been fucking by now.
She hoped that since they had a son it would rekindle his sexual appetite and they would explore each other again. She was wrong. Rasim never got over how Selena pulled off on Snow when she caught them at Hains Point, almost destroying his relationship in the process, and he never would.
“Do you remember what I said to you when we were on the bus a long time ago?”
He stepped away from her, snatched the Kufi off his head before slapping it back on and stepping up to her again. “Fuck are you talking about, Selena? Why you bringing up shit from when we were kids? Shit is serious now.”
“Do you remember or not?” she frowned.
“No.”