by Saundra
Turned out he was cute and really cool, but Kirk had already stressed the need to keep it only professional. We talked, ate, and drank a lot. The plan was to get the date to drink as much as possible. Kirk said that he would make sure that all our dates were drunks, which meant drinking would be no problem for them. Soon it was time to head back to his place, which was also a part of the plan. Once inside, I was to search for the cameras and/or bodyguards if there were any. Then, once the coast was clear, I would seduce him as if I was ready to sleep with him, then text the person that was doing the robbery to let them know it was game time.
As planned, as soon as I began to fake-seduce him, I asked to go to the bathroom, then three masked gunmen descended on the house and held him at gunpoint. They asked him if anyone else was in the house. To my surprise he lied and said no. I’m not sure if it was to protect me or not. But one of the gunmen asked him again if anyone was in the house. He threatened that if they found out he was lying, they would kill him and whoever they found. Only then did he admit that I was in the bathroom. As planned, I was pulled out of the bathroom by the gunman; he shouted for me to get back in the same room where they had Mr. Ballplayer tied up. I was then told to lie down on the floor. They questioned him about whether he loves me or does he care what they do to me? They told him it’s either him or me. He told them he just met me. They said, “Well, you don’t care what we do with her then . . .” and that if he tells anyone they would kill him. Snatching me up off the floor a little rougher than I would have liked, one of the gunmen pulled me out of the room. He led me out the front door, where I jumped inside a waiting car. I was relieved when I saw Kirk. He explained that he already had all of my things. We headed straight to the airport while the three gunmen stayed behind and finished the job.
Finally, my part in the mission was over. According to Kirk, we had to leave right away. He told me that Secret had just left for Arizona for her mission, and that he would be getting on a different flight at the airport so that he could meet her there. Things were definitely in full swing. The next day I lay in bed a bit shaken as I replayed it all in my head. But the sight of the sixteen thousand dollars in cash that Kirk had delivered to me an hour before, which now lay on the bed next to me, helped calm my nerves a bit. After placing all the money back into the package that Kirk had delivered it in, I lifted my mattress and slid it under. Feeling exhausted, I climbed back under the covers and snuggled myself inside. I trembled as I felt as if I was a thief and even worse than my mother.
Chapter 19
Secret
I can’t front; when I think about my first couple jobs I can’t do anything but smile. Already I had completed five jobs and all went well, nothing off the course of what was planned. Talk about easy money, I had managed to make over eighty thousand dollars, and I could not believe it. Things were on the rise. We were finally getting a taste of what I referred to as the good life. We had all moved into a new apartment across town. Isis and I had thought about getting our own cribs at first but agreed we were not ready to separate. What we really wanted was a condo, but with our busy schedules, the time didn’t permit the search or paperwork. So we just planned to do it later. However, what we did have time for was car shopping. I wasted no time signing on the dotted line for a 2014 all-white fully loaded Camaro, and I loved it. Isis jumped a 2014 Challenger; we were balling and no one could tell us shit.
Today we had decided to meet up at the spa for a mani and pedi. We had invited Penny to come along, but she had a class, so she sent strict orders for us to bring back gift cards for her and Erica for another time. It had not gone unnoticed by her that our income had picked up in a major way, but when I told her the private dancing jobs out of town paid thousands more, she didn’t question it beyond that. Talk about a relief.
“My feet so need this pedicure, I swear they are just dog tired. I think I have been wearing heels way too much lately,” Isis said.
“I feel you. This visit was a must. I told you we should have got in here two days ago,” I reminded her.
“That would have been nice, but like I told you, I had to pick up a few things for my upcoming trip. Plus I had my hair appointment yesterday. I just couldn’t squeeze it in.”
“I get it, but we can afford this shit now. It needs to be a part of a weekly priority.”
“I can agree with that. Now I’ll make it your responsibility to work it into reality.” I laughed.
“Shit, don’t worry I’ll get right on that. You know I got this.” I chuckled. “For real, though, we both been crazy busy lately. Even Penny been busy between work and school. I think we should all take a trip to Jamaica. We have earned it, and I think we all would enjoy it. Just think, a week of fun in the sun. And hopefully some fine-ass Jamaican dudes with that island accent,” I added as an incentive to encourage her.
Isis had her head back with her eyes closed as her feet soaked. “That does sound nice.” She opened her eyes. “Maybe we should go while Penny is out of school for her winter break. It’s coming up soon.”
“No doubt. I’ll hit Kirk up to get the name of his travel agent. ’Cause we don’t know nothin’ ’bout booking no trips.”
“I agree.” Isis chuckled. “So how is work going for you?”
“Shit, cool. Why you ask? What’s up?” I knew how she felt in the beginning, but now that money was rolling in, she seemed cool with it. But her question struck me as odd.
“Are you ever nervous while on the job? Like when it all goes down, the guys come in with the guns, the whole nine. ’Cause we kinda be in the middle of all that at first.”
“Hell, no, I ain’t nervous one bit. As long as I know them guns ain’t for me, and it always go as planned. It should be the same for you.”
“Yep, the plan always stay on course.” She seemed hesitant.
“A’ight then. And it always will; we just gotta keep our head and make sure that nigga take plenty of shots before it all goes down.”
“Please believe I be on that. My last guy damn near passed out before they even got inside his house, he was so drunk. While they were questioning him, he was dazed as fuck.”
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about: keep sending that liquid down them niggas’ throat. But you straight, though, right? You gotta stop worrying so much.”
“I’m good, no worries over here. Besides, I leave for Vegas tomorrow. And I can’t wait to see what Vegas looks like.”
“Damn, Kirk hook that up? I ain’t been there yet, but when I do, I’m hittin’ up them casinos. Fuck getting right out of town. I got to pull some slots first.” The ringing of my cell phone cut me off. The number was unfamiliar, but I answered anyway. “Hello? Yeah, it’s me, what’s up?” I asked. It was this guy I had met a couple of weeks ago. I had forgotten I had given him my number. “Let’s do that. Text me the address to the restaurant. A’ight, bye.” I ended the call.
“Restaurant?” Isis’s left eyebrow went up. “Who was that?” she interrogated me. Clearly she had been ear hustling.
“That was Marco—remember, that dude I met at the club a while back.”
“That’s been a minute. Is this his first time asking you on a date?”
“No, actually he called me twice after the club, but I was always busy with that private dancing. But he hit me up the other day, and I told him to call me in a few days so I could check my schedule. Hence all that bull. I’m going this time. Hell, I need a date.”
“Since you about to go on a date with him, can I officially meet him then? ’Cause at the club Trina and I kinda hung back.”
“Hell, naw, you don’t need to meet him. Dude don’t need to be gettin’ any ideas. Nigga might think this love or some. And you know I ain’t havin’ that.” I was known to dodge relationships and love. It all came with too much seriousness and this forbidden word called commitment, and I was allergic to that nonsense.
“You gon’ have to get rid of that black heart because there’s a guy out there for you somewhere tha
t’s worth your commitment.”
“Ha ha, and with that we need to get something to eat. Because you trippin’.” After our nails were dry we jumped in our whips and drove over to Real Wings.
The line inside was long as usual. Real Wings always had a crowd because they had some of the best wings in town, crispy and full of sauce just like I liked them. “This line need to get moving before I starve to death,” I complained. I was truly hungry. My stomach growled for confirmation.
“We shoulda stopped off at the store and ate a sneaker for satisfaction. ’Cause it’s gon’ be a minute before those wings touch our tongue,” Isis joked.
“I’ll remember that the next time.” We took a few steps forward as the line began to move. “It’s abou . . .” My eyes bulged out of my head at the sight of Jackie, who was about four people in front of us. She turned in my direction, looking me directly in the eyes. Suddenly I wasn’t hungry. “This world is too damn small. Let’s go.” I grabbed Isis’s arm and all but snatched her out of line.
“We gon’ lose our spot. What’s up?” She tried to keep up with me.
“I seen Jackie, she was in front of us.” Isis turned to look in that direction just as Jackie yelled my name.
Walking as fast as our legs would allow to us go, we bolted out the door, but Jackie was right on our trail still yelling my name, clearly determined to get my attention. The touch of her hand on my shoulder proved we had been defeated. Angrily I snatched my shoulder back and turned to face her. “Don’t you fucking touch me, ever.” I spat the words out. I could not believe she had the nerve to even approach me.
“I just wanted to talk to you, Secret.” I even hated the way my name rolled off her alcohol-smelling tongue.
“You have nothin’ to talk to me about . . . We have nothin’ to talk about.” I wanted to be clear.
“Hey, Isis,” she spoke as if the whole situation were normal.
Isis looked at me, and we both started walking toward our cars. I reached mine first, snatched the door open, and jumped inside, instantly starting the engine and throwing it in reverse. As I started to back up, Jackie grabbed my car door.
The strange words out of her mouth left me boiling. “I love and miss you and Penny. I would like to see you two sometimes,” she shouted.
Livid, I screamed, “Get your hands off my got damn car, Jackie. And stay away from Penny and me with that dramatic bullshit. You never loved anyone but yourself.” I burned rubber out of Real Wings’s parking lot.
Jackie screamed, “I see you are doing good for yourself.” I could not believe her.
Isis’s name lit up on my Bluetooth in the car. “Hello?”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, damn, why did I have to see that evil-ass woman today?” I hit the steering wheel as I started to feel emotional. A tear attempted to sting the roof of my right eyelid. I wiped it away with so much force it burned. “That woman is the reason why I’m never scared. Seeing her reminds me that I have to do what I gotta do. And I’d do mostly anything to keep from going back home to her.”
“And you won’t ever have to,” Isis tried to reassure assure me.
The growl within the deep pit of my stomach reminded me that I was still hungry. “Aye, meet me at Buffalo Wild Wings. Shit, I gotta eat asap.” I gave a slight giggle.
For the first time I realized that I was stronger now and I could no longer permit Jackie to predict my life. Penny and I had survived despite her, despite the way she tried to break us. I would not allow the sight of her and her manipulative words to ruin me or my day.
Chapter 20
Isis
The tires on my Challenger did a circular side spin as I burned rubber pulling out of the carwash. “That was dope.” Penny laughed, holding on to her seat. I was on my way to drop her off at school, but my car was dirty so I decided to stop by and let the carwash soap it off and shine my rims, because I could not be pushing through the streets of Miami looking dusty. “So you still gon’ let me borrow the car tomorrow night? So that Erica and I can kick it with our other friends,” Penny asked.
“Of course. But don’t make me have to smack any of your damn friends about my whip.”
“You know I will not let anything happen to this car. Everybody gon’ be chill keepin’ they hands to themselves.”
“That’s cool. I will be out of town working, so just take the car. I’ll fill the tank up before I leave.”
“That’s what’s up. Thank you so much.” Penny grabbed her bag and climbed out of the car.
I had a job in St. Louis the next day and nothing to wear so I headed over to Macy’s to find something. After an hour I had found nothing. I guess I had bought everything they had to offer with all the shopping I had been doing lately. So I ended up in Sunglass Hut trying on shades. A pair of Guccis had caught my eye. I took a step over to the mirror so that I could flex in them. I took one step backward to get a good look and stepped directly on this guy’s foot.
“I am so sorry,” I apologized right away. That Gucci had me tripping. I was paying no attention at all to where I stepped.
The guy whose foot I had brutalized didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered, and he was noticeably cute. He gave me a slight smile. “It’s cool.” His demeanor was calm.
With that I turned back to posing with different facial expressions. I tried on several more pair of sunglasses before settling for the Guccis that had originally caught my eye. Since I didn’t find anything to wear for my date, I decided to just wear something I already had. I still had things with tags on them, so something would have to work. But I was certain that I didn’t want to go to another store to look for anything. And since I had some free time left, I decided to take a drive to out to the middle-class area of Miami and take a look at a condo that I had recently seen advertised on Facebook.
* * *
“I thought you were flying out to New Jersey earlier.” I was surprised to find Secret rummaging through the fridge when I entered the kitchen.
“Kirk canceled that about two hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. I’ll be going to Atlanta first thing in the morning instead.” She pulled sliced turkey, Swiss cheese, honey mustard, lettuce, and a tomato out of the fridge.
“Did he say why they cancel?”
“Something about the dude pulled out when his wife who was supposed to be out of town returned a day early.” She hunched her shoulders nonchalantly. “I’m glad for that, too, because I don’t need to be in New Jersey locked up for beating a bitch’s ass.” She chuckled while pulling out the butter-flavored bread.
Watching her pull out the cutting board and seeing all the ingredients on the counter, I now wanted a sandwich. “Real talk.” I sighed. “Hook me up one of them sandwiches.”
“I got you. What you been up to today?”
“Nothin’. I dropped Penny off at school then hit up the mall, got me a new pair of Gucci shades. And they beat, you gon’ be jealous when I flex.” I reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Dasani water, which had been my original reason for coming into the kitchen. “Afterwards, though, I checked out this dope condo. It was a two-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom, with a two-car garage. I’m thinkin’ about leasing it. The cost is reasonable and everything.”
“No doubt. You gon’ have to take me over to check it out.”
“Cool, we’ll go when you get back day after tomorrow.”
“Aww, I don’t want you to move out.” Secret gave me a fake pout.
“Whatever, you can’t wait until I bounce. But that was our plan anyway, remember. Eventually grab our own crib,” I reminded her.
“I know, I just hate the idea.”
“Me too,” I admitted, suddenly sad about leaving her and Penny. My stomach growled as she passed me my sandwich. “Thank you so much; this looks good. I’m about to go to my room, eat this sandwich, and take a nap. I’m tired.”
“A’ight. Wait a minute.” She stopped me as I turned to leave the kitchen. “I
got a call from Christian today. He said that he ran into Karen from the old neighborhood a couple of days ago and that she said your mom wants you to come down for a visit.”
Instantly annoyed, I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why Felicia would send a message through Karen. I hadn’t spoken to Karen in years. Her sister Linda had been locked up with my mom for the last four years. And still we hadn’t even managed to run into each other.
“Why that face?” Secret giggled. “What’s up?”
“That’s just bullshit that Felicia would send a message through Karen. Like what would make her think she could reach me through her?”
“The streets and connects, I guess . . . But when the last time you been down to see her?”
“It’s been a minute, but not that long ago. I mean, I went down that one weekend to straighten out that issue about that money. But . . . anyway, I been busy and just ain’t had the time.” That was enough reason for me to at least excuse myself. I couldn’t fool Secret, though; she knew better. “I just ain’t been feeling like foolin wit’ her. Real talk. Things been going good, and I just want it to remain that way for a minute.”
Secret nodded her head in agreement. “You know I understand that. So you ain’t even gotta trip . . . I gotta say, though, on Felicia’s behalf. Growing up before she got sent up, you had it better than us. Because she might have been a thief, booster, or whatever you want to call it. But she loved you. Still do . . .” Secret’s eyes watered, but no tears fell. “Penny and I didn’t have that . . . Just think about that.” Stunned at the real she had just given me, I exited the kitchen with a heavy heart.
Chapter 21
Isis
Although it was a hard truth to swallow and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to accept it yet, I woke up early the next morning and drove out to see Felicia. On the drive down I wondered what she would think about the work I was doing now if she knew. Would she accuse me of being a hypocrite? Or if I told her about all the money, would she just tell me to keep getting it? I even taunted myself with the dumb idea that I might tell her just to get my answer. But by the time I arrived, checked in, and she walked into the visiting room, I had come back to my senses. I could never tell her what I was doing. Never did I want her to judge me in a negative way. And while I didn’t know if she would or not, I didn’t have the guts to find out.