A LaLa Land Addiction

by Ashley Antoinette

  “Naomi!” he called after her as he climbed out. She turned, but before she could respond the red, white, and blue lights pulling up distracted her.

  “Against the car!” an officer shouted as he immediately came off his hip with a 9mm handgun.

  “What the fuck is all this?” Noah asked. His tone was calm as he raised his hands, palms out, revealing that he was unarmed.

  “What are you doing?!” Naomi asked, concern and fear lacing her tone as she stalked over to the officer.

  A second officer emerged from the car, stopping her. “Ma’am, have a seat on the curb and put your hands behind your head where I can see them,” he said.

  “I’m not doing shit! Why are you arresting him?” she screamed. “He didn’t do shit!”

  “You want me to arrest you, too?” the officer asked. “Huh? Sit down and put your hands behind your head.”

  Naomi pulled out her cell phone and began recording. “Fuck you. I haven’t done anything. I don’t have to do shit. I’m recording every second of this.”

  “Naomi, chill. It’s all right. Just come bond me out,” Noah said as he bit his inner cheek to stop his temper from flaring.

  “Put the phone down!” the second officer ordered, this time much harsher as he snatched the device from her hand and manhandled her to the ground. “I gave you an opportunity to sit down and stay out of it. Now you’re going downtown too!”

  “Ow! You’re hurting me!” Naomi shouted as he forced her onto the ground and put a hard knee in her back as he cuffed her.

  Naomi’s cheek was pressed against the concrete and her heart almost pumped out of her chest as she half-expected to be shot in the back. She watched as the police forced Noah’s tall frame into the back of a police car. The officer who had taken him turned to the one apprehending her and said, “Cut her loose. We don’t need her.”

  “Bitch has a chip on her shoulder,” the second officer stated as if he was ready to fulfill a personal vendetta against her.

  “Cu-u-ut her loose. Less paperwork.”

  Naomi rubbed her wrists as soon as the handcuffs were removed. The way the officer had handled her had Naomi seeing red.

  “Run along before you get yourself locked up.” They spoke to her as if she were filth beneath their shoes, only intensifying her temper. She had always been a hothead, and before she could listen to the voice of reason screaming for her to stop she picked up a large rock that decorated the apartment-building landscape and threw it at the back of the squad car.

  The sound of glass shattering shocked Naomi as she put her hands over her mouth. She backpedaled as the officers quickly rushed her.

  “Now I can collar you for assaulting a police officer.”

  The cop bent her wrist so far back she thought it would snap as she was thrown in the back of the squad car next to Noah. Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “You fuck boys don’t have anything better to do than to harass us. Hate you fucking pigs,” she said.

  “Chill out,” Noah said calmly as he stared out the window. His tone of voice caused her to silence herself immediately. He was brooding, plotting, strategizing in his mind and she could see that her antics had only made things worse.

  * * *

  “I want a lawyer,” Noah said as he found himself on the other side of an interrogation table, staring at who he thought was a plainclothes detective. The last time Noah had been inside this very room he had never walked out.

  “You don’t need a lawyer, Mr. Langston. This is just two people, talking. My beef isn’t with you. I’m looking for Bleu Montclair. My name is Assistant District Attorney Tori Nixon—”

  “I want a lawyer,” Noah interrupted, uninterested in the introduction. He wasn’t buying her act. He knew that if he was even sitting in front of her he was in trouble. There was no need to play the game of cat and mouse. He wanted a lawyer. He would be mum until he received one. He folded his hands over the table and squared his shoulders as he looked at the black woman sitting across from him.

  “Noah, this can be easy or this can be quite difficult. You see, I know that you broke the stipulations of your probation by taking a trip to Los Angeles. I can have you arrested and have you thrown right back in prison. All I’m seeking is information to help bring Bleu back to Flint to testify in an investigation of the murder and armed robbery that she was involved in last year.”

  Noah was unmoved. His poker face was strong, but his heart was racing. Behind the cell of a prison wall was the last place he wanted to be. He had known that this was a possible consequence to chasing after Bleu, but when she had called him he felt inclined to check on her. There had been desperation in her voice. He had heard fear in her tone, so he hopped on the first flight smoking to L.A. to find her. Now the D.A. was trying to jam him up, but he couldn’t give her what she was asking for. If Bleu stepped foot back into Flint, her life would be in danger. There was a bounty on her head, and as soon as word got out that she had returned every goon in the city would be chasing that payday.

  “Lawyer,” was all Noah said as he stared straight ahead, making eye contact with the D.A. to show that there would be no further discussion without his representation in the room.

  District Attorney Nixon nodded. “Okay, Mr. Langston. Play hardball,” she said as she stood and walked out of the room.

  Noah swiped his hand over his face and let out a sigh of exasperation as he sat waiting impatiently. He didn’t know why he took penitentiary risks for Bleu, but whenever it came down to him or her he always sacrificed himself. This time might just be the final nail in his coffin.

  * * *

  “Hello?” Naomi yelled as she sat at the metal table tapping her foot rapidly against the concrete floor. Her nerves were on 10. “I know you fucking hear me! You stupid fucking pig mu’fuckas!” she shouted. She hated this waiting game. She knew that the police were purposefully antagonizing her. She stood, determined, and stalked over to the mirror that she was sure had officers standing on the other side. Her balled fists beat against it as her rant only intensified: “Let me out of here!”

  Naomi had been sitting there for hours. From the moment she had stepped foot into the police precinct they had separated her from Noah. Her mind ran wild as she thought of the possibilities. She wondered had she and Noah slipped up somewhere along the way? Had the cops found out about the heroin that Noah had flooded through the prison? Had someone talked? Had she and Noah neglected to cover their tracks? She spun on her heels in frustration as she picked up the chair she had been sitting on. “You want to watch me? Well, I want to watch you too,” she said as she swung the chair against the glass mirror with all her might. The glass splintered, like a windshield in the wintertime, and she picked up the chair again, this time swinging harder. The mirror shattered, revealing the next room as two uniformed officers rushed into her room.

  They quickly handcuffed her and grabbed the chair before forcing her into her seat. “You can’t just hold me in here! Where is my lawyer!” she shouted.

  “Well, well. You are on a roll with breaking things tonight, aren’t you?”

  Naomi rolled her eyes. “Who are you?” Naomi shot, her face turned up in distrust.

  “I’m the District Attorney.”

  Naomi sucked her teeth. “You think you’re important with your fancy two-piece suit and them cheap-ass shoes. Girl, you’re just another ass-kissing Uncle Tom. No matter how many of your own people you put away, you still won’t be one of them. How many niggas you lock up today?”

  D.A. Nixon smirked as she took a seat and pulled a manila folder out of her leather briefcase. She opened it and began flipping through the pages. “You’re tough,” she said. “Grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Father in federal prison. You’re related to the infamous Porter clan. Picked up for grand larceny, felonious assault. In fact, you have an active warrant for your arrest there.…”

  Naomi’s stomach went hollow as she listened to her past being thrown in her face. She had come t
o Michigan for a new start, but as she sat here she felt it in her soul that everything she had run away from was about to catch up to her.

  “What do you want?” Naomi asked frankly. She knew that if the D.A. really wanted to turn her over to Baltimore P.D. she wouldn’t even be wasting her time with threats. This wasn’t about Naomi. The D.A. was interested in something else.

  “Noah Langston is your boyfriend?” D.A. Nixon posed the question.

  Naomi hesitated. What is this about? she thought.

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to answer. I’ll assume that he is,” the D.A. said. “I’ll also assume that as his girlfriend you aren’t too pleased with the fact that Bleu Montclair is the reason he continues to have trouble with the law. He caught a five-year bid for killing her stepfather; now he is at risk of being sent back for violating his parole to go see her in California.…”

  Naomi’s disposition changed at that revelation. He told me he went to Cali to handle business. Not to chase after some bitch, she thought, slightly irritated.

  The D.A. noticed her anger. “Oh. I see you are not familiar with Mr. Langston’s relationship with Ms. Montclair,” she said.

  Naomi cut her eyes at the D.A. as a million things ran through her mind. She didn’t know about the complexity of Noah’s friendship with Bleu, but the fact that he hadn’t told her about it bothered her deeply.

  “You see, all I want is Bleu Montclair’s location. She is a witness in an armed murder and robbery of a local business owner in the city. I think Mr. Langston knows where I can find her. He broke parole to go see her. For some reason, he would rather be shipped back to prison than let me know where Ms. Montclair is—”

  “He went to Calabasas,” Naomi said. She was pissed. The fact that Noah was willing to risk all that they were building to protect another woman had her vexed. Naomi was a territorial woman and she had already marked Noah. His loyalty to another made her sick to her stomach. In any other circumstance she would have given the D.A. her ass to kiss, but Naomi wasn’t about to protect a girl she didn’t even know. “I don’t know exactly where ol’ girl is, but he mentioned something about the Holiday Inn in Ventura when he was there.”

  The D.A. smirked and stood as she gathered the case file. As she headed for the door Naomi lifted her cuffed hand.

  “Hey!” she shouted, expecting to be freed for her cooperation.

  The D.A. looked at the officer standing in the corner of the room and said, “Let her cool off for a few hours and then cut her and Langston loose. And put an arrest warrant out for Bleu Montclair. She hasn’t done anything, but I’ll take her any way I can get her. If she so much as gets a traffic ticket in L.A. I want LAPD to detain her. I need her testimony to close this murder case against the two liquor store shooters. I want her back in Flint, Michigan, as soon as possible.”

  * * *

  “Who is Bleu?” Naomi asked.

  It was the first words that had been spoken since she and Noah had been released from holding nearly twenty-four hours ago. A thick tension filled the air between them. It was an uncharacteristic vibe for their relationship. Every interaction with them had been smooth, easy, and effortless. Now an awkwardness existed. Both were consumed with thoughts they didn’t care to share, but the silence was deafening. Naomi awaited his response with bated breath. Her gut knotted because she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like his answer. She saw the wheels turning in his head. He was choosing his words carefully. Perhaps overthinking his explanation, which only worried Naomi more. “It’s a simple question,” she added.

  “With a complicated answer,” he responded. He didn’t look at her. Instead he stood in the window of Naomi’s top-floor loft, overlooking the lights of the city.

  Naomi knew better than to push. If she forced him to talk he wouldn’t disclose the full truth to her, and she didn’t tolerate dishonesty. The first time he ever lied to her would be the last. She would be in the wind before he even realized she was gone. Naomi wouldn’t make herself susceptible to pain. She couldn’t. Noah had a strong hold over her. Loving him could leave her broken, and she didn’t like the vulnerability of it all.

  “Just tell me if this girl is somebody I need to worry about,” she whispered.

  Noah turned toward her. The concern in her tone was surprising. He crossed the room and stood directly in front of her. Noah lifted her chin with his fingertip so that he could look into her tear-filled eyes.

  “You don’t have to worry,” Noah assured her.

  “You promise?” she asked as she placed her hands on the sides of his face and pulled him near.

  “I promise,” he answered.

  Noah saw his words soothe her angst as the tension left her shoulders. Guilt filled him because even as he stood in front of Naomi Bleu occupied his mind. He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she was in trouble. He couldn’t place his finger on what exactly had changed about her, but Bleu was different. He told himself that his concern came from a friendly place, but deep down he knew. Being around her made him feel hollow inside and leaving L.A. without her had killed him. Bleu out there with that Hollywood-ass nigga, riding her high horse. She’s too good for you now, he told himself. He had a woman right here in front of him who would do anything for him. Naomi was loyal. She was solid. Naomi wanted to be his, and that was more than he could say for Bleu. A part of him wanted to keep his heart on reserve. He felt disloyal for allowing Naomi to occupy such an intimate place in his life, but Bleu had made her choice. She was doing her thing, living in a life that he didn’t quite fit into out in L.A. Time and distance had made them grow apart. They had walked down two different paths, and although his soul would always crave her, Noah couldn’t wait around forever. Bleu was his past. Naomi had held him down during his bid and helped him break free. Naomi had proved herself time and time again. He owed her his loyalty. Naomi was exactly the type of queen he needed as he built his street kingdom. He knew this, but still his affections for Bleu resided deep within him. He pulled away from Naomi, conflicted. He wanted a young woman he couldn’t have, but still their bond had been cemented in years of friendship. He couldn’t help but love her. Bleu knew him better than anyone else in the world. Trying to let go of that bond was proving futile, but he had to try. He wasn’t used to playing a sucker. He didn’t like how much power Bleu had over his emotions. Maybe it’s a good thing she’s so far away. I can’t have her weighing on me this heavy and chase this money. She’s a distraction, Noah thought.

  “What’s wrong?” Naomi asked, sensing the inner turmoil that was conflicting him.

  She snapped him out of his reverie. “I’m good,” he replied distractedly.

  Naomi closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. “You’re not good, but you will be by the time I’m done with you.” Her kisses dulled his concerns as she dipped low, going south, then a little farther, planting her perfectly pouted lips against his skin to build the anticipation. Noah sighed and let his head fall back in pleasure as she helped him release all of his tension. As he fisted her hair he realized that she might not be exactly whom he wanted, but she knew exactly what he needed to take his mind off of the one woman he couldn’t have.

  3

  Bleu could hear her heart beating in her ears as she stared out of the window of Iman’s car. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. What could she say? She felt like a child riding with a disappointed parent. The only difference was, Iman wasn’t obligated to save her. He wasn’t naturally designed to love her. His affections for Bleu had limits and she feared that she had tested them one too many times. A mixture of fear and wanting filled her. Had Cinco told Iman about her involvement in robbing him? Was Iman driving her back just to be punished? She had a feeling that there was a side of him that she had yet to witness. He was in deep with the Mexican Cartel. He ran an entire West Coast operation. Bleu wasn’t naïve to the fact that there was a darkness inside of him. Good guys didn’t make it to
the position of power that Iman was in. His love for her had allowed her to witness a rare side of vulnerability, but as she stole a quick glance she no longer saw that in him. His frustration was written all over his face. The worry lines written on his forehead revealed the anger that he was trying hard to hide. His temple throbbed. He was like a kettle threatening to boil over. Bleu waited for him to chastise her. She would rather he yell and berate her, but he kept his composure, giving her nothing but silence as he drove her home. She didn’t even feel like it was her place to speak. It was like she needed his permission to open her mouth and provide an explanation. He didn’t give it, so she didn’t make one peep. It was the first time she had ever felt intimidated.

  When Iman pulled up to his Calabasas mansion Bleu didn’t move.

  “Iman…”

  “Just go inside, Bleu,” Iman said. “I need to go clear my mind, ma. Can I trust you to stay put until I get back?”

  She could tell that he was trying his hardest to be patient with her. He was fed up and she couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t her daddy. He shouldn’t have to put up with her stunts. Her bad-girl antics were tiresome and she could tell by his temperament toward her that he viewed her differently now. The first time he had snatched her off the streets she was a good girl who had lost her way. This time she wasn’t so innocent. She was just some cracked-out fiend desperate for the chance to wrap her lips around a glass dick. Why would he want to be with me now? she thought.

  “Bleu,” he said, frustration lacing his every word. “Go in the house.”

  She nodded as tears accumulated in her eyes. Even now, under his judgmental gaze, Bleu still felt the urge to get high. She hated herself for loving something more than she loved Iman. She was too weak to resist it and she was afraid of what she would do if left alone.