Playing With Fire: Loyalty Demolished

by Charlee Renea

  ~ ~

  Fen took the last puff on her blunt, took the safety off her gun, and got out the truck. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she headed to the church’s door with the gun just out in the open. A policeman sitting in his car saw her walk up and called for backup.

  “I need backup! A woman carrying a gun is headed into the church!”

  He grabbed his gun and opened the car door with his gun pointed toward her. Fen had seen him before she got out the truck. She didn’t care and was still going through with her plan.

  “FREEZE OR I’LL SHOOT! PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME USE THIS!”

  Other police officers pulled up, armed and ready. Fen stopped and saw all the New Jersey police officers who had been called to take one woman down. She felt like Cleo in Set It Off.

  “Ma’am, please put the weapon down! Let’s do this the nice way,” another cop said.

  “Nice way? Y’all protecting this bitch when she was the one who shot my brother and killed him? Y’all didn't give a damn about my brother being killed! That’s why I beat that bitch to death and left her with a fucked-up face! Fuck that bitch! She deserved what-the-fuck she got!”

  The police weren’t sure who she was referring to. “Ma’am, we’re sorry about your brother’s death, but coming here and shooting up this funeral is only going to make matters worse. Please put the gun down.”

  The people inside at the funeral started coming out. Nobody had warned them about what was going on outside. They were leaving to leave to get away from the drama inside, only to find more outside.

  “These ghetto-ass funerals!” said one of Nicole’s female cousins.

  “Please go back inside!” the police instructed the people.

  When some of the people saw Fen holding the gun, they started screaming and headed back into the church.

  “YEAH, RUN BITCHES!" Fen screamed and aimed her gun at the church.

  One police officer shot her in the arm before she was able to fire and she fell to the ground. The officer ran towards her and kicked the gun away from her. Medical attention was given to her and she was transported to the hospital.

  Nicole’s sisters had agreed to have her body cremated due to the lack of money, so there would be no burial. Once the cops gave the green light for everyone to leave, some were relieved because they didn’t have be around the drama any more. Some really felt bad for Nicole and the family. They felt she didn’t deserve what had happened to her.

  ~ ~

  After medical treatment was done on Fen, she was transported to the county jail. Since she’d confessed to killing Nicole, she was charged with first-degree murder and was awaiting trial. Her bail was set at one hundred thousand dollars.

  . . . 22

  Boss and five of his crew members touched down in St. Thomas Monday night due to a delay with the plane. While Boss was waiting at the airport, he’d contacted his connect in St. Thomas for weapons. After they got their weapons, they headed to the house where Chyna and the family were staying. They checked the surroundings to see who all they might have to take down. The lights were on inside the house and they didn’t see any movement. They moved with caution onto the porch and wiggled on the doorknob. Luckily, it was unlocked and they went inside. They searched every room but no one was there.

  “Fuck!” Boss said.

  He was too late. They had already left. The house smelled clean and there weren’t any clothes or other personal items lying around. He went in Chyna’s room and saw the safe lying on the bed open. He looked in it and it was empty. He walked back into the living room. If he had flown out there right after the incident with Ray and Vin at the airport, he would have caught them. He knew he would have if he had known they were in St. Thomas. Bella had kept that a secret until Boss visited her in prison.

  ~ ~

  After Bella was booked, she was able to contact her father by calling him and placing him on the visitation list for Sunday morning. He had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. The most important thing was Bella was okay and she hadn’t been hurt. He sat on the stool and picked the phone up. It was a non-contact visit and a window separated them.

  “Hello, princess. How’re you holding up?”

  “Holding up fine, I guess. I’m use to being in this situation.”

  Boss started to feel bad for having put her onto the job. The plan was for Bella to stay in the truck so she wouldn’t be charged if they got caught. Knowing their conversation was being monitored, Boss couldn’t discuss a lot.

  “What happened to Ray?”

  “He didn’t show. I believe he went to St. Thomas.”

  “What’s down there?”

  Bella decided to finally be truthful about everything in hopes of her father killing Ray.

  “He’s with Chyna. I hired a private investigator to find Chyna and he did. They have a baby together and he went back to be with her.”

  “Damn! Why am I just finding out about this now?”

  “I felt . . . I felt ashamed. I wanted to handle it on my own. I thought I could.”

  “Fuck!” he said, mad that Ray had been playing all along and he could have had him handled a long time ago if he’d known. Now he had to take a trip to St. Thomas to pay the family a visit.

  “I wish you had told me this a long time ago. Everything could have played out differently. Don’t trip; let me handle this.”

  They hung up and he left. As soon as he got back to the hotel, he booked a flight to St. Thomas leaving the next afternoon.

  ~ ~

  Bella lay in her bed thinking about her whole life. She was back in a situation she’d prayed never to see again. She’d learned from her past mistakes and matured from them. Well, she thought she had. She pieced together she’d been tested by God and failed yet again. She promised she wouldn’t be involved with anymore illegal activity and would start her own business if she was given her freedom again.

  ‘Damn!’ she thought, feeling stuck on stupid. She felt she was too old to keep making the same mistakes. She’d failed at knowing her worth and settling. After her lawyer had told her Ray wasn’t paying her lawyer fees and was really with Chyna, she should have let that be and moved on. No, instead, she’d made a fool of herself and missed the potential of being a better woman. She loved her father, but she’d also let him sucka her into going back to that lifestyle.

  She shook her head at herself in disbelief. She’d let her son down again. He’d been cursed since birth. Bella wasn’t pleased about her choices; she’d been a gullible teen who thought she knew everything and had let her hormones take control. She thought back to how her karma had started.

  ~ ~

  It was a hot, sunny day in New Jersey. She wasn’t the average teenager who chased boys or played outside. She was a fast girl at the age of fifteen who sold cocaine. She’d watched her father and that was how she’d picked up on the game. Her younger sister Arabella wasn’t into that lifestyle, but she was dating a man named Jo who was twenty and sold drugs. Bella and Jo did business together occasionally. At the time, Arabella didn’t know because she didn’t pay him any mind.

  One night, Bella and Jo were in the trap house bagging up work. Bella was wearing some little shorts and a spaghetti-strap shirt. Jo had always thought Bella was attractive, and being young, he decided to test the water. He purposely pushed up on Bella to see what she would do. He wasn’t getting any attention from Arabella, so he thought, why not?

  “Boy, what’re you doing? You’d better watch it!”

  He was standing behind Bella real close, pressing up against her backside. She started to like the feeling. She’d never been touched like that before. Even though she was becoming a boss in the streets, she wasn’t a boss in the bedroom. She was still a virgin. Jo’s toned body, sexy dimples, and low-cut fade turned her on. African American men turned her on by their style and cold mouthpieces. He was hustling hard and building his own empire.

  “Girl, you know you like tha
t! But, my bad; I’ll step back.”

  He was right—she liked every bit of it. She wanted him to stay in that position and give her more, but she didn’t know how to go about such things, especially considering he was Arabella’s man. Arabella had started complaining about him, saying he sold drugs and she wanted him to change that. Bella knew he was in the game too deep and wasn’t changing anything. That was her reason for pursuing Jo. She felt they were on the same page and Arabella wouldn’t be affected by it.

  “Um, wait . . . I mean, what am I doing?”

  “Enjoying what’s a part of life.”

  He turned her around and started kissing her. She didn’t stop him and let him take her virginity. As he got closer with Bella, he started to fall out with Arabella. Bella knew she was in the wrong, but she thought his love was feeling good. They started getting careless and Arabella found out when she caught them kissing in the car.

  “What the fuck?!” Arabella said, looking through the window.

  It was daytime and they were parked a couple of houses down from where Bella and the family stayed. Arabella had just got out of school and had to walk home because Jo wasn’t there to pick her up.

  “Really? How long has this been going on?”

  They were looking at Arabella with her hand rested on her hip. She’d had a feeling something might be going on between the two because they were too close. She just didn’t have any proof. She was just starting to care for Jo and accept his lifestyle.

  “I can explain. It isn’t what it looks like,” Bella said, getting out the car.

  Arabella couldn’t care less what excuse she had. She was fucking around with her boyfriend and there was no excuse. They were blood and Arabella would never have done her such a way. Arabella walked away from the car. As she thought about it, she didn’t care or feel down. She felt relieved. She didn’t trust men after that and had learned her first lesson on how quickly family would stab you in the back. Despite what Bella had done, she worked to forgive her, but didn’t trust her. There were only two of them and she didn’t want a nigga to come between them.

  That wasn’t all the bad news. Bella found out she was pregnant with Jo’s child. At first, Arabella was hurt over it but she quickly got over it. She felt sorry for Bella because she knew what she’d done was going to come back on her.

  ~ ~

  Bella came back to the present when the correctional officer walked past her cell. She’d taken Arabella’s man away, and now Ray had been taken from her and had had a baby on her. Bella put together how Ray and Chyna must have started. They were working together every day and had gotten curious, just like with her and Jo. The only thing different was Ray and Chyna had lasted longer. After Jo found out Bella was pregnant, he’d disappeared. That was a secret the sisters would keep to themselves.

  . . . 23

  The Southwest flight landed in Houston, Texas, late that night. Everyone aboard gathered their things and departed. Chyna was feeling nervous because she was in a new state and didn’t know what to expect. ‘What happens from here?’ was all she could think about. The money Ray had left behind wasn’t going to last forever, so her next move would be to look for a job. She cringed at the thought of leaving her children to go work. She knew it had to be done because she refused to settle for less. She carried the car seat and a sleepy Junior followed behind, whining to be picked up.

  “I’ll get that,” Ronald said, reaching for the car seat. She handed it to him and they headed to the baggage area. Ronald sat the car seat down next to her and went over to gather their luggage.

  Lashan had always wanted to visit Texas, but not this way. Her son was missing and she refused to believe he was dead. Ronald put his arm around her as they waited for their luggage. She really hadn’t talked much since leaving St. Thomas. She was wondering what the next move would be concerning her family and who was this woman Ray was having them visit. She was supposed to be the mother of Vin’s children and had invited them with open arms. She didn’t trust her because she didn’t know her. She just hoped her son didn’t have them in the middle of some mess. It had been enough dealing with Tara in St. Thomas. She said a light prayer, hoping they were in a comfort zone.

  Ray’Sha held her baby girl tightly in her arms as she walked to the restroom. She needed some tissue to wipe her nose. Truthfully, she was ready to pay a babysitter and go on the hunt to look for Bella. If she’d done anything to hurt Ray or was responsible for him being hurt, she was ready to lay hands on her! She had already lost one brother behind a senseless female and she wasn’t trying to lose another. In her opinion, her brothers were good people. They might hustle illegally, but they were solid with good hearts. Even if Ray didn’t want to be with Bella, she figured Bella should understand he’d risked his life to reduce her prison term, so she should be thankful for that. She grabbed some tissue and headed to the seating area where Chyna was.

  Just like Tara had expected, Ray wasn’t there for the birth of his daughter and now he was shipping them to another part of the country. She was getting sick of moving and Ray’s constant lies. In her opinion, he was bringing her daughter down. Chyna was doing well taking her online classes for nursing while Ray was gone. Now, she wasn’t sure if her daughter had even opened up a textbook since Ray had been back in her life. She did feel better after seeing her son Tone. It had been a year since the last time she’d seen him. She missed all her children dearly, wishing they had stayed in Kansas City and pursued careers there. Out of five children, Chyna was the only one who’d stayed back with her. She was happy to see her every day; she just wished she had a career. She felt like she couldn’t win for losing.

  While they were living in St. Thomas, Tara had tried to reach out to one of her daughters, but she hadn’t been able to get in contact with her. Her daughter kept a busy work schedule. To her surprise, her daughter had called her and agreed to fly to Texas since she was on vacation. That put a smile on Tara’s face. She was ready for something different.

  Chyna reached into her purse to get her phone to call Vin’s children’s mother. She answered on the third ring.

  “Hello.” She sounded older.

  “Hey, is this Tasha? This is Chyna.”

  “Yes, this is she, and I’m here. You guys can come out now; I’ll be waiting in a silver Cadillac truck out front.”

  “Okay, we’re coming.” Chyna told everyone and they headed outside.

  Just as she’d said, a silver Cadillac truck was waiting for them out front. Chyna wanted to put the kids in the car first so she could help with the luggage. The passenger-side door opened and Chyna was too busy looking down at Junior to see she had help.

  “Let me get that, beautiful.”

  She looked up quickly, recognizing his voice, not believing her eyes. “Oh my, babe!” She hadn’t been expecting Ray to pick them up from the airport. He grabbed the car seat out of her hand and placed it inside the car. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they shared a passionate kiss. Once they let go, he picked Junior up and hugged him. His attention was really on seeing his baby daughter. He looked into the car seat and she was sleeping peacefully.

  “She is so beautiful.”

  He couldn’t stop looking at her. He was so into his princess, he’d forgotten about his other family. They watched as he admired his baby girl. Lashan walked up to him and hugged him from the side. She was relieved to know he was alive and okay.

  Tara was speechless. She’d really thought Ray wouldn’t show. When she’d finally talked to her oldest daughter before the left St. Thomas, she’d been telling her how stressed she was from taking care of Chyna’s children while Chyna ran the streets with Ray. Tara had told her she was coming to Texas and asked if she would pick her up from the airport.

  After Ray finished speaking to everyone, he and his father put the luggage in the truck. Ray wanted to start fresh with Tara and not have a bitter relationship between them. He’d forgiven her for how she’d acted in St. Thomas toward his f
amily and walked her way feeling happy inside. He’d stuck to his promise by returning and he hoped she’d see that. He tried to grab her luggage but she denied him.

  “Someone is coming to pick me up!” she said with an attitude.

  Ray was tired of the attitude she always had towards him. He’d tried to be the bigger person but it was hard when she stuck to her childish ways.

  “Okay, but there’s no need to be nasty about it!”

  He walked off to avoid hearing what she had to say next. He felt he was there, so what was with the attitude? She was about to say something but she didn’t. Chyna saw Ray walk back empty-handed.

  “Where’s her stuff?” she asked.

  “Somebody’s picking her up. I don’t have time for her shit!”

  Chyna walked over to her mother to see what was going on and who was picking her up. She never knew her mother knew somebody in Texas.

  “What’s up, Ma?”

  “Y’all go on and go, I’ve got a ride! Don’t worry about me.”

  “Who? I’m not leaving you here by yourself.”

  “I told you, don’t trip off me! I’m good. Go be with your family.”

  She hated when she talked like this, like she didn’t mean anything to her and she’d put Ray’s family over her. She thought they’d left the drama behind and moved on, matured from it.