YaYa would pay each girl $5,000 upon their return to the States and then schedule another “shoot” in two weeks. Two shoots for each girl per month, carrying two keys back in the platforms of their shoes, fifty girls . . . It all totaled out to 200 kilos per month. YaYa was about to get it.
Trina and Miesha pulled up to the Za Za Hotel. It had become YaYa’s temporary residence. They pulled up to the valet and handed the older man their keys. The opulent hotel was highly favored by every superstar that visited the city. Anybody who was somebody had stayed there. They hardly even let regulars occupy a suite, so Trina and Miesha were surprised when YaYa summoned them there.
Trina pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to YaYa to let her know that they had arrived. They had been around YaYa often in the past, but as they stood in the lobby, for some reason this one particular time they both had butterflies dancing in their stomachs. Something about her had changed. She seemed withdrawn, as if the power of her new position had sucked the life out of her.
Trina remembered the first time they met, YaYa’s smile had been contagious; the light in her eye blindingly bright . . . her soul pure. YaYa had been one of the good people—one of the people that God had placed purity inside, good intentions, a kind heart. When she loved, she loved wholeheartedly and recklessly. The downside to that was when she was let down, her entire heart broke.
Trina and Miesha had witnessed YaYa’s heartbreak the day Skylar had been taken, and ever since then she had never been quite the same. They had literally buried her memory, thinking she was gone, only to have her resurrect herself into their lives. That had done something to her. Whether YaYa would ever admit it or not, she had transformed into someone new. Some would say a boss, others a queen pin, but whatever had happened, there was a darkness that now hung over her head. She intimidated Trina and Miesha, but they were loyal to her regardless. They trusted her because Indie vouched for her. They were family, all of them knew.
The concierge came over to them with a friendly smile. “Right this way, ladies,” he said.
They followed him onto the elevator and watched as he pressed PH, signaling that they were going to the penthouse. Miesha and Trina glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes as they wondered exactly what they were being called for.
When the elevator opened up, they stood in a small hallway space before a wooden door with silver numbers. Trina felt as if she were standing on the threshold to hell. The suspense was too much. Just the fact that YaYa had asked them not to tell anyone that they were coming to meet with her made Trina wary. She trusted YaYa, but knew that with so much at stake, any little misstep could change the tides of their friendship. After seeing how Sydney had been handled, they both knew that anyone could get got. If you were a threat to the operation, then you became a liability. Liabilities weren’t tolerated. All loose ends got clipped.
Did we do something wrong? she thought.
Finally the door opened and YaYa stood before them. Her haircut softly complemented her green eyes, and her presence stunned both girls into silence. YaYa had always been beautiful, but it seemed as though since the fire she was even more so. Her imperfections, the scars from the surgery, the lace gloves she wore to cover the burns on her hands . . . it all seemed to enhance her beauty because they signified that she was a woman who had been through some shit. She was a woman who had endured so much and still come out on top. She was a woman . . . resilient, strong. Like a cat, no matter how many times she had been knocked down, she had always managed to land on her feet.
“Hi, ladies,” she said. “Come in.”
The BCBG leggings she wore displayed her amazing physique, hugging her curves. It was complemented by a matching blazer with a ruffle shoulder and black diamonds that glistened with every step that her red-bottomed feet took.
“You ladies know the deal. Let’s go on the balcony,” she said. She poured herself a glass of white wine and poured out four pills from a prescription bottle. She tossed the pills into her mouth and rinsed it down with the wine.
Miesha raised an eyebrow, knowing that drugs and alcohol weren’t a great mix, but she kept quiet and followed YaYa as she led them outside. They seemed to be on top of the world as they peered out over the city. From fifty-one stories in the air, the city lights were amazing.
“Reminds me of New York from this high up,” YaYa said as she sipped from her wine glass.
Miesha shifted unsurely in her stance. “YaYa, are we in trouble? Like, should I be worried right now?”
YaYa turned and looked at her in surprise. Are they afraid of me? she thought. She had no idea how her change of status would change the way those around her reacted. Fear was the last thing that she wanted those close to her to feel. She wanted love. That’s all she craved. She would rather be loved than to be feared. It wasn’t the way of men, but it was her way . . . the only way, in her opinion, to retain loyalty from her team. The niggas that feared you were the same ones who would pop you if given the opportunity. With love, niggas felt obligated to protect you, to warn you, to pull your coattail if negativity was headed your way. Ego made kingpins rule with fear. She was a woman. She would do it a new way to avoid the pitfalls of the game.
“No, Miesha, you don’t have to worry, hon. I called you both here because tomorrow it’s go time. I needed to be sure that you’re ready,” YaYa said.
“We’re good,” Trina said. “Passports are already on deck, tickets are purchased. I just hope that it’s as easy as you say to get past the body scanners.”
YaYa pointed at Trina. “See. It’s that right there . . . that skepticism that I just heard in your voice. You can’t have that tomorrow. That doubt will get you caught. It is all about the art of deceit. You can’t walk into the airport feeling guilty. Your confidence has to be at an all-time high. You can’t be nervous. You can’t be fidgety. You have more control over the situation than you think,” YaYa said. “You are the only one who actually knows what you will be bringing back with you, so you are the one that I am worried about. The other girls have the advantage because they are clueless. You have the burden of knowledge.”
“Well, Miesha will be there, so—”
“Miesha won’t be there,” YaYa interjected.
Miesha’s eyes widened as she immediately looked around. “I thought we both were going,” Miesha said.
“I have another job in mind for you,” YaYa said. “Now, both of you can back out and say no at any time. I give you my word that what happened to Sydney will not happen to you.”
Trina and Miesha only half believed YaYa as they nodded their heads in understanding.
YaYa continued. “You turned eighteen a few weeks ago, which is the reason why I am asking you to do this instead of Trina.”
The lost expression on Miesha’s face urged YaYa to continue. “I can’t move into the future without first clearing up the past. The federal detention center in Houston is overcrowded, so Leah is locked up at Harris County Jail. I need her touched, and I need her touched by someone I trust. I wish that I could be the one to do it personally, but that isn’t possible,” YaYa explained.
“Are you sure you don’t want to leave that alone, YaYa? She is going to rot underneath the jail for what she did to Sky. Her own karma will take care of her. After everything that you’ve been through, are you sure you can handle this?” Trina asked.
“I can’t handle not doing this, if that makes sense,” YaYa replied honestly.
“Does Indie know about this?” Miesha asked.
“No,” YaYa admitted. “And I would like to keep it that way.”
“What do you want me to do?” Miesha asked.
“I want you to go to jail,” YaYa answered bluntly.
Miesha looked as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. YaYa had anticipated this reaction, but she needed someone young, with no records, and with something to prove to take care of this. For Miesha, this was the turning point. If she pulled this off, she would be in good with
YaYa. There would be no dismissing her loyalty to the team.
“I have an attorney on retainer already. You’ll commit a petty crime. My guy will make sure that you get placed on the same cell block as Leah. You’ll be arraigned, but plead not guilty, and a trial date will be set. While you’re waiting for your trial, you’ll have nothing but space and opportunity to hit Leah. I don’t care how you do it, but I need her taken care of,” YaYa said. As she spoke she seemed to zone out. Even the thought of revenge was sweet, and YaYa relished in the moment as she imagined Leah’s face in her mind. “I’ll pay you well. If you do this, you will never have to worry about money a day in your life,” YaYa said.
Miesha stood deep in thought as her eyes shifted to the floor.
“Your son will be taken care of every day of his life,” YaYa said.
“Son?” Trina said in surprise as she looked at Miesha. They had been thick as thieves for over a year, and Miesha had never mentioned a child. “She doesn’t have a son. I’ve never even seen you with a kid besides your little brother.”
Miesha nodded her head, silently wondering how YaYa knew about the secret child that her mother had helped her to hide. “He’s not my brother, Trina. He’s really my son,” she admitted. She had never spoken those words aloud. After getting pregnant at fourteen, she decided to let her mother raise her child, so that being a young mom wouldn’t ruin her life. They had relocated from Dallas to Houston once she gave birth so that Miesha could live a regular life as a teenager without being judged. Hiding her child had killed her soul, and watching her mother struggle to feed another mouth always intensified her guilt.
“You do this, and I will personally make sure that both you and your son are set,” YaYa promised.
Miesha knew that there was nothing left to think about. She would do anything to take the burden off of her mother’s shoulders. For so long, she just wanted to admit to the world that she was a mother. She loved her son and wanted to claim him, to reclaim her life. She was eighteen, and four years ago she had made a mistake. To be able to take care of her child and repay her mother for all that she had done would right all of her wrongs.
But what if something goes wrong? What if I get caught? What if I can’t do it? she thought. Miesha wasn’t a killer. She wasn’t cold-hearted. She was just an around the way girl that was in love with the street life. She had a thrill for money and was willing to do most things to get it, but could she do this? Even if she did pull it off, would she ever be the same after it was done? Would the guilt eat her alive? These things flashed through her mind as she stood in front of YaYa with her mouth hanging open as she urged herself to speak.
She desperately wanted to be down with YaYa’s operation, but was she willing to take things this far? There were certain actions that couldn’t be taken back, and this was one of them. It wouldn’t be able to be undone. If she failed, would YaYa punish her? More importantly, if she said no, would she end up the way that Sydney had?
Miesha shifted unsurely in her stance. “Can I think about it?” she asked.
YaYa felt horrible for even placing a large burden on such small shoulders, but she had nowhere else to go. Outsourcing the job had proved disastrous. She had to build her own team, make them strong, push them to their limits until they became treacherous the way she needed them to be. The only one who was ready was Chase. He was thorough because Indie had trained him to be. The girls had to catch up, and this was Miesha’s chance to prove her value to the team.
“Don’t take too long. If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow evening, we can forget this conversation ever happened,” YaYa replied. She downed the rest of her drink. She turned around and leaned on the ledge as she peered out at the parking lot below.
Leah Richards always put her in a somber mood. A part of her was afraid to start living her life again because she always felt that Leah would come through like a wrecking ball and tear it all apart again. She didn’t feel safe. She feared for her daughter’s wellbeing. She always would as long as there was still air in Leah’s lungs. This had to be done. Once and for all, she needed her enemy to be lying in a cold grave. It was time to put an end to all of the chaos that Leah had caused. What had started out as friendship had turned into an obsession that had spanned across decades. She knew that the only thing to make this end was death, either hers or Leah’s.
Now that she was in a position to fight, she was going to get at Leah before Leah got at her. Whoever hit first usually hit the hardest, and YaYa was going for the knockout.
“See yourselves out.”
“Was she high?” Trina asked as they waited for the valet to bring their car around.
“She took enough pills. I don’t think she’s supposed to take that many,” Miesha said. She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe she’s still in a lot of pain.”
Trina folded her arms across her chest and frowned. “Yeah, maybe. Why didn’t you tell me you had a son?”
“I was young. It’s not something that I’m proud of,” Miesha said. The car came around and the girls entered. “YaYa’s offer sounds real good right now, though.”
“Do you realize what she’s asking you to do?” Trina asked. She didn’t know why she was whispering. After the eerie meeting they had just had, she was afraid to speak the words too loudly.
The fact that Miesha didn’t respond told Trina that Miesha was more than considering the job.
“You’re going to tell her no, right?” Trina insisted.
“I don’t know,” Miesha admitted. “The type of money she’s offering can change my life . . . my son’s life.”
Trina looked at Miesha as if she were crazy. “And getting caught up in that can change your life. This is crazy. We’re not killers! You’re not a killer. How can you even be thinking about this? Do you really think you can pull that off?” Trina asked.
“For the right price . . . yeah,” Miesha said as stared at her best friend directly in the eyes.
Trina sucked her teeth and shook her head. “She ain’t right for coming to you for this. Getting money was one thing, but this . . .”
“Just stop, T! Damn, you’re not making the decision any easier. What did you think came along with the game? We’re selling drugs, moving kilos of cocaine. You think all that target practice Chase had us doing was for fun?” Miesha asked. “Don’t be naïve! We’re in this shit knee deep. Leah will be the first, but she probably won’t be the last. It comes with this territory.” Miesha was so passionate as she spoke that her eyes watered.
Reading her as if she were a book, Trina snapped, “Who you trying to persuade? Me or yourself?”
The girls rode in awkward silence until they arrived at Miesha’s house. Before Miesha got out of the car, Trina said, “Just make sure you think this all the way through before you say yes. I don’t know if I’m about this life. Cooking up product for Indie for extra pocket money was one thing, but this new thing YaYa is running, this is on a different level. How long can it really last?”
Miesha didn’t answer immediately as she let Trina’s words sink into her brain. “I’ll holla at you later, Trina. Love you, girl.”
Miesha exited the car, thinking of the risks and rewards of YaYa’s offer. Sure, she was getting money, but nothing like the offer that YaYa had proposed. Working with Chase and Indie in the past looked like small time compared to this. She looked up at the apartment building that she lived in and looked around the dilapidated neighborhood that she called home. She didn’t want her son growing up here. She didn’t want her mother struggling to take care of them. To make a long story short, she just wanted more. She wanted more than fly clothes and spending money, more than money rolls. Miesha needed long paper, security, the type of cash that would relieve the burdens of her struggling mother. She needed what YaYa was offering her. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed YaYa’s number.
“Hello,” YaYa answered.
“I’ll do it,” Miesha agreed.
Click.
Miesha look
ed at the phone. “Hello? Hello?” she said. She was sure that YaYa had heard her. What she didn’t know was that no more words needed to be spoken. Miesha was in, and that’s all YaYa needed to hear.
YaYa looked out over the city and finished the bottle of wine as she sat with murderous thoughts running through her head. Leah’s fate was one that she wanted to hand deliver, but she was too impatient to wait for the opportunity to arise. Leah was locked up, and there was no way to get to her personally, unless she went inside herself. YaYa couldn’t do that, but Miesha could, and if she succeeded YaYa would forever be grateful to her.
She smiled, knowing that karma was a bitch. The day she read Leah’s obituary would be the best day of her life.
“What are you doing out here?”
Indie’s voice startled her, and she turned around to face him.
“Hey, babe,” she said. “Come here.”
She pulled at his arm until he was standing directly in front of her.
He picked up the bottle of wine. “You drank all this by yourself?” he asked.
“I did,” she replied. Her eyes were low and heavy. The mixture of pills and alcohol had her on cloud nine. Indie had no idea how high she truly was, because he blamed her current state on the wine alone.
He picked her up and carried her back inside the penthouse. “Is everything okay, ma? I know you’re nervous. Your first run is coming up, but everything will go smoothly. I’ve paid off some of the TSA workers here in Houston. Everything is good to go,” he assured. Her head leaned lazily against his chest. “YaYa, are you sure you can handle this? It’s not too late to back out.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I don’t want to think about any of that. Right now I just want to think about you and me. You inside me . . .”
Her words drifted off, and he knew that she was in no state to make love. “You’re drunk, ma,” he said with a slight chuckle. It reminded him of the very first time they had met. They had sat up all night talking and drinking together. It was back in those days when their lives were so uncomplicated and their attraction to one another was fresh, untainted by treachery.
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