After Bella came out of the bathroom, she redressed. She wanted to stay longer but knew she had to report back to the room so they could get ready for the job. She liked being in Tone’s presence. She started considering taking things to another level with him after the job was complete. She believed his sex game already had her head over heels.
“You’re leaving already, baby?” he asked her.
She loved his voice; it was making her wet down under.
“Yes, I’m so sorry; I really don’t want to leave, but I have business to handle in the morning. Maybe we can have dinner tomorrow night if you’re still in town.”
If he said yes, she was willing to treat. She was ready for a new life.
“Damn, I guess there isn’t enough time in the day. I was expecting to chill with you all the way up until my flight left at four tomorrow afternoon.”
“Push it back. I’ll pay the difference.”
“I can’t. I have work later on tomorrow night.”
Bella felt bad. He’d come thousands of miles to see her and she couldn’t really spend any time with him.
“It’s okay; I understand you’re a busy woman. We can meet up another time.”
“Okay. I enjoyed the time.” She wrapped her arms around him while he sat on the bed.
“So did I.”
He kissed her neck. She started to respond to him but stopped his kisses before they took it to another level. She pulled away from him.
“My bad, I’m sorry,” he told her. “Let me help you out before something starts back up.”
She grabbed her purse and headed to the door. They shared another long kiss before she walked out the room. Tone watched her walk to the elevator and closed the door when she wasn’t in sight any longer.
Bella walked into her and Ray’s room at four in the morning. He was sound asleep, so she tiptoed, trying not to make any noise as she got her bag to go shower.
Ray heard her and he laughed to himself at the thought of her trying to be sneaky. He’d already known there was a possibility she would sex Jacob. After the meeting was over, she’d left quickly, which wasn’t a concern to him. He wasn’t tripping. He figured it was a good thing Jacob was sexing her. He hoped she would fall for him and get off his heels.
After Bella showered, she climbed in bed with Ray trying to cuddle up with him, but he played sleep. She rolled over to her side and thought about Tone. She wished she was lying next to him instead.
~ ~
Lying on her back, staring up at the grey ceiling, tears rolled down Ashley’s cheeks. They had just finished doing five a.m. count; after they were finished, she rushed back to her cell. She was missing Brittany and her freedom. ‘Damn!’ she thought. Her faulty ways had finally caught up with her and now she could be facing time in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Now she was feeling how Bella had felt when she’d spent ten years in prison for being set up. She thought back to the day she’d made the awful decision.
~ ~
Ashley watched as Bella stood in the kitchen and wiped the fingerprints off the bullets to her chrome .22 and inserted them in the gun. She was given the duty to remove the cocaine from the car so Bella could leave. After a long work day, Bella was anxious to go home to a home-cooked meal her man had slaved over the stove preparing for them. Bella bragged about how he’d cooked lobster tails, tiger shrimp, baked potatoes, and steak. Ashley envied her having a loving man and her own business. Ashley planned to have a life like Bella’s. She wanted to come home to a home-cooked meal by Ray. She remembered when she’d first seen Ray. He’d come up to one of Bella’s trap houses. He was looking good and she knew she had to have him.
“Is that everything?” Bella asked her after she finished playing with her gun. She said yes and handed Bella the keys. “Thank you!” Bella said and grabbed her black leather Christian Louboutin purse off the dining room chair and headed outside to the powder-blue Dodge Avenger.
Not a soul was out as Bella drove down the back streets that led to the highway. There were barely any streetlights on and it was hard to see at two-twenty in the morning. She turned up the radio some as Tupac’s All Eyez on Me blasted through the speakers.
I bet you got it twisted you don’t know who to trust / So many playa hating niggaz tryin to sound like us /Say they ready for the funk, but I don’t think they knowin . . .
Thinking about Tupac’s words, you don’t know who to trust, she was feeling the words because you never knew who was out to snake you! She was feeling some type of way about Ashley; lately, she’d been moving sloppily and the Feds were already waiting to take Bella down! Bella was at the top of the chain, calling shots and getting pure cocaine smuggled into the States. The Feds just needed solid proof to have a strong case.
Red and blue lights flashed in her rearview mirror. She debated whether she should run from them or not. Her Christian Louboutin heels were going back and forth from the gas to the brake pedal. She figured, what the hell! There weren’t any drugs in the car! She signaled the right blinker and pulled over. She looked through the rearview mirror, waiting for the cop.
A dark, tall cop got out. She looked over at passenger’s seat and realized she’d placed her gun there when she got in the car. She tried to think of a quick hiding spot because she didn’t have license to carry, but it was too late. The officer was at her window.
She pushed the button to let it down and his eyes beamed on the gun. “Fuck!” she thought. The only thing she could do was be nice and paint a smile. The tight-fitting blouse she wore showed off her girls. She turned her head his way and sneezed to catch his attention, but he kept looking at the gun.
“Turn the car off and step out, ma’am.”
She did as he asked and leaned on the back door. “What’s the reason you pulled me over?” She knew she hadn’t been speeding.
“For a broken left taillight, but now I see a weapon! Do you have a license to carry?” He flashed his light on the gun. “Is there anything else in the car I should know about?”
“No to both questions.”
“Okay, I’m going to have to call for back up and search your vehicle.”
The officer found two pounds of cocaine in the trunk! Bella had a bad feeling; you can’t just overlook two white bricks! Especially when they were sitting out in the open in an empty trunk!
‘That bitch set me up!’ she thought.
~ ~
Ashley thought about how she’d done Bella and started to feel bad about it. If she could do things all over again, she would take back what she’d done and appreciate Bella for being by her side. Bella was the only person who’d helped her out when she was down and broke. Ashley was so envious of her she’d bitten the hand that fed her. Now her betrayal and deceit had caught up with her. After going over her file, she could be facing a lot of time in prison. They had pictures of her trafficking cocaine when she was working for Bella. She didn’t have any money for a lawyer. She’d rather be hustling making money, taking care of her daughter, instead of being locked away for ten-plus years.
~ ~
Fen reached in her purse, grabbing her rings and placing them on each finger. She wrapped tape around her hand to keep them from falling off. She took another shot of Hennessy and was feeling the half of bottle she’d already drank straight since earlier that morning. She’d been up all night, planning what she wanted to do with Nicole. She lit a Newport and threw the empty box at Nicole, who was still tied to the pole and lying on the dirty mattress.
“Depending on how I’m feeling, this might be your last day on earth!”
Nicole rolled her eyes, not caring anymore. She knew her life was coming to an end. She’d tried talking with Fen, hoping she’d see her point of view, but her pleas were useless. She was ready to end the long battle of abuse and be in a peaceful place.
“Just go on and kill me. There’s no sense in dragging this shit out. Your no-good-ass brother wasn’t shit and he isn’t coming back! Than
k God he was taken off this earth by a real man! Had I known he was like he was, he would never have gotten any of my time!”
Nicole had been ready to release the fuel off her tongue and tell Fen how it really was! The look on Fen’s face was like a deer caught in the headlights.
“I’ve endured all the pain I can. There’s nothing else you can do to break me!”
Repeated punches to the head knocked Nicole out. Blood dripped from her noise and her mouth was all busted. Fen showed no mercy as she beat every inch of her body. All morning and afternoon, Fen treated her like her personal punching bag. She had a framed picture of Brian smiling at his high school prom. She had loved her one and only brother, and they’d had a great bond. She’d lost a part of herself when he died. She always thought he was too good for a woman because of his charming looks and his go-getter hustle.
She picked up the baseball bat off the floor and swung it full force. She kept swinging as the mattress started fill up with Nicole’s blood. She hit every part of her body. Nicole was taking it like a pro. At first, she didn’t show any pain. Now, she didn’t know how much more she could take before tapping out.
. . . 14
I can love you with my eyes closed / I see your heart through a blindfold / I ain’t never ever met another better / So my baby ain’t no way that I’ma let go / From the North to the South Pole / On the east or the west coast / Every area, all over the globe / Ain’t nowhere on the planet you can go that I won’t / From sun up to sun down / I’ll always be around / Every minute of every hour / Still it ain’t enough time . . .
Mary J. Blige’s 25/8 played on Chyna’s phone as she cleaned her room. Every second, she thought about Ray and wondered if he was okay. The thought of what Bella had pulled let her know she wasn’t letting Ray go without a fight. Truthfully, Ray was hers. She was there from sun up to sun down by his side, so if Bella wanted a fight, Chyna was prepared for battle! She wasn’t letting the love of her life, her best friend, and the father of her children go. Tara walked into the room, knocking her from her thoughts.
“Wassup? How’re you feeling?” Tara asked.
“Feeling a little pain. Ready to meet her.”
“Have you talked to Ray?” Tara wasn’t aware of what had Bella pulled and Chyna wanted to keep it that way. She had enough on her plate and she didn’t want to add the stress of her mother down-talking Ray.
“Yes, last night before I went to sleep. He’s going to try to make into town sometime today,” Chyna lied. She hadn’t spoken with him since the incident at the hospital.
“Okay. I want to apologize for my behavior lately. I’ve been stressing over your daddy’s death and I guess I’ve been hard on you about Ray because I don’t want you to go through what I’m going through.” Tears started to fall from Tara’s eyes. She meant every word, and wanted her daughter and grandchildren to be happy.
“I understand, Mom, but you have to understand. Ray is under pressure right now and he’s taking care of all of us by himself plus more. I do accept your apology and I’m sorry you’re going through the stress over Daddy.”
As Chyna opened her arms for her mother, she started to feel pain in her stomach and put her hand on it. She was feeling pain like the other day, but more intense. Tara looked down at her stomach, realizing Chyna was going into labor.
“Hold on, baby, let me call the ambulance!”
She ran into the living room and told everyone what was going on. They called the ambulance and a cab. They were ready for round two, and hopefully, the arrival of their new addition.
~ ~
Chyna lay in the hospital bed and her contractions were coming quickly. Tara stood by her bedside, coaching her along the way.
“Breathe, baby. Take your time and breathe.”
Chyna breathed in and out. She knew the routine from having Junior. It hadn’t slipped her mind.
“Ma, I’m cool. I don’t need the coaching like last time. I’m a pro now!”
Tara rolled her eyes at Chyna’s cockiness, but she understood where she was coming from. After having her first child, she’d consider herself a pro also and didn’t want anyone telling her what to do either. She peeped how Chyna acted like her.
“Well, excuse me. I’ll go sit my ass down!” She walked over to the chairs.
Lashan walked in the room in her son’s absence. She didn’t bother to call Ray to let him know.
“How’s she doing?” Lashan asked as she walked over to the bed.
“Like a pro! She doesn’t need any help!” Tara crossed her legs and rolled her eyes.
“Whatever, Ma! How’s Junior?”
“Good. Playing with the baby and trying to figure out what’s going on. He keeps asking about you and his sister.”
“Yeah, and I’m ready for him to meet her, too,” Chyna huffed.
Ten minutes later, the pain got more intense and her contractions were coming quickly. Chyna requested for the doctor to come in and check her. She had dilated to ten and it was time to push.
~ ~
“Push! Push! You can do it!” Doctor Jones instructed her. Chyna took a deep breath and started back pushing when her contractions came. She didn’t remember this much pain when delivering Junior. Tara and Lashan were by her side helping coach her along the way.
“There you go, baby! You can do it!”
Chyna pushed one last good time. The cries of her baby daughter brought tears to her eyes. She was crying nonstop as the nurse weighed her and cleaned her up. She was happy their daughter was here finally and healthy, but her heart still hurt about Ray not being there.
Lena Doll Smith, born on that August morning, weighed seven pounds even. Both grandmothers were happy to see the yellow-bone, curly-haired, chubby beauty. She looked just like Junior when he was born. The rest of the family was let back to see the new bundle of joy. Tara picked Junior up so he could see her.
“See your baby sister,” she asked him. He rubbed her stomach and kissed her cheek.
. . . 15
Finally, the day had come. Arriving in sunny California, Nikki wore a huge smile. She had been ready to take down the bold criminals planning to hit the truck. Her and Pebbles grabbed their luggage and headed outside to a cab to take them to the hotel. Pebbles was feeling good inside about arresting Tae. She had one down and a challenge to go. She’d been thinking heavy about her plan for Ray.
“You ready to take these muthafuckas down?” Nikki asked Pebbles.
She was beyond ready, considering she didn’t get Ray for drug charges. She most definitely would see him go down for robbery. The only thing was, Nikki would take the credit, but she didn’t mind sharing the spotlight with her. Nikki would be doing her a huge favor once this went through.
Ever since Bella had gone to prison, Pebbles had been trying to take Ray down. They got in the cab and she thought back to that day.
~ ~
She sat at the table, tapping her fingertips on it, frustrated with going through this continued process. All the years Bella was locked up, Pebbles had visited her frequently, desperate to get any new leads. Bella was solid, sacrificing her freedom by not snitching. That annoyed Pebbles. She’d offered her a deal, that if she would be a witness against Ray for trafficking drugs, she could be released.
Pebbles had interrogated Bella as Detective Chris watched. He’d warned her Bella wasn’t going to snitch and she was wasting her time. Pebbles didn’t listen and couldn’t care less what her partner/lover at the time was talking about. Pebbles wanted to take everybody down and planned to use Bella.
“Listen, Bella, you’re facing a long sentence, and I want to help you. You don’t deserve to be here. You’re too beautiful and I know your son is missing you! Let me help you.”
“Help me? You can start by locking Ashley up! She’s the reason I’m here!”
“We’re working on that, but it’s going take more than her! Right now, we don’t have any evidence indicating she’s trafficking! But we could hav
e some on Ray. We just need a witness.”
Bella snaked her neck, giving her a funny look. How dare her expect for her to throw Ray under the bus! He was hustling to help get her out.
“I don’t have knowledge of him trafficking. I never knew him to do such a thing.”
Pebbles started laughing. She got up out the chair thinking, ‘She can’t be this dumb!’ Pebbles had done her research on lover boy Ray and she’d recently found out he had a baby on the way. Not only that, he wasn’t paying the lawyer like Bella thought he was because her lawyer hadn’t been present in a while.
“Well, to clear the air, you may want to rethink everything!” She wasn’t going to tell Bella what she knew about Ray. “I may be the best thing for you at the moment because, if you keep counting on Ray, you’ll never get out here!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bella asked, confused.
“Look around, Bella. Where’s your lawyer? He should be present! I know you’re a wise woman.”
Playing With Fire: Loyalty Demolished Page 15