Black Friday: Exposed

by Ashley;JaQuavis

  “Good morning,” he greeted warmly as he invited himself into the room. She pulled the hotel robe tightly around her frame and ran her fingers through her hair uncomfortably as he stared at her.

  “What are you doing here? I ... I mean it’s so early,” she stammered.

  Another knock at the door frightened her and she looked at Kasheef in fear. She did not know what to expect from him yet and the way he had sent a hit squad for her the first time she certainly would not put anything past him.

  “You’ve really got to stop looking at me like that,” he said as if he were offended. “You make me feel like the boogeyman or some shit.” He opened the door and in walked the concierge with a huge platter of food in his hand. He sat it on the table and Kasheef tipped him generously before he made his exit.

  “I thought you might be hungry,” he said as he sat down and pulled some of the plates in front of him.

  “Hold on one second ... I’m just going to freshen up,” she said as she tip toed to the bathroom. Staring at herself in the bathroom mirror she frowned at her disheveled appearance. I can’t believe I was standing in front of him looking so crazy, she thought. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pulled her hair up in a loose ponytail. When she exited the bathroom she gasped at the sight in front of her. Her hand shot up to her mouth in shock.

  “$100,000.” Kasheef spoke calmly as if that amount of money were chump change. The smug demeanor that he possessed was as if he were born amongst riches. It was obvious that he was accustomed to the finer things in life. He had spread the money all over Alija’s bed and laughed as she stood there stunned beyond belief. It was the most money she had ever seen in her entire life. The hundred dollar bills wrapped in bundles were breathtaking. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She could not pick her jaw up from the floor.

  “I um ... wow. Thank you,” she whispered sincerely. That type of money could change her life. She had always been a girl form the hood. She had never aspired to be anything else, but the money in front of her could elevate her status and help her provide a new life; a new perspective for her family.

  “Don’t thank me. You are going to work for this cash ma. You’re about to make me look like a saint. I want you on the witness stand saying that I’m feeding starving kids in Africa,” he said.

  Alija laughed and Kasheef motioned toward the food. “Let’s eat. You can tell me how you’re going to spend my money.”

  Alija smirked at him but she answered his indirect question. “I’m going to take care of Nahla and get as far away from New York as I can. I just don’t feel safe here anymore,” she admitted. “You know how the hood views snitches.”

  “You don’t have to worry about all that. You don’t have to leave New York. I’ll put it in the streets that you’re good people,” Kasheef stated.

  “Thanks but no thanks,” she replied without hesitation. “I just need a new start. A new city for me and my baby. She is my everything.”

  “Where will you go?” he asked. “There ain’t no better city than New York.”

  “Whatever you say,” Alija answered sarcastically as she raised her brow in disagreement. “I’m going to Atlanta or somewhere south where I won’t have to look over my shoulder every second of every day. It’s slow and safe down there. I love my daughter and I don’t want her to grow up here in the middle of the hood like I did.” Alija smiled as she thought of her daughter growing up in a better place. “Nahla is my world.”

  “I can tell,” Kasheef replied with a genuine smile.

  “You got any kids?” she asked as she dug into Kasheef’s pancakes. “You didn’t order me none of these,” she complained.

  Kasheef laughed as he looked at the beautiful woman sitting across from him. As his eyes scanned her he could not help but notice how attractive Alija was. She was the last person he expected to be cordial with, but now that he had met her formally, he was glad that he’d failed in his attempt to get her killed. He respected her. She was a good mother and a gorgeous young woman. His eyes discreetly roamed her toned arms and ample breasts that were easily visible through the satin camisole she was wearing. Her wide hips were complimented by a flat stomach, thick juicy thighs, and defined legs. He looked down at her feet, even those were pretty. He felt like he was looking at a piece of art, her body was so well sculpted. “My fault ma. Here you can have these,” he offered as he passed her the plate. “And nah I don’t have kids. I haven’t met anyone worth having them with. Most of these bitches out here don’t need to be raising any kids anyway.”

  “Bitches?” she repeated in offense. She hated when niggas referred to women as bitches. It was so disrespectful and she did not doubt that Kasheef had come across many scandalous women, some of which probably were hos or bitches but she felt like the lady a man chose showed who he really was. It takes a bitch to know a bitch and a lot of bitch ass niggas were choosing women that weren’t shit because they themselves weren’t shit.

  “Yeah ma, I’m not gon’ hold my tongue. Most of these women out here are dirty,” he stated as he thought of how Norelle had crossed him.

  “I don’t want you to take offense, but maybe you need to ask yourself why you keep attracting these dirty ass bitches. Maybe it’s something about your dick that keeps these hoes, coming around. I assure you that every woman ain’t like that. Just the ones you fuck with,” she defended as Kasheef reached into her plate to grab another bite of her pancakes.

  He chuckled at her logic and replied, “You’ve got a point.”

  She passed him the plate back. “I’ll share,” she said. She looked at him and frowned as she remembered the visit she’d received from his girlfriend.

  “What’s with the look?” he asked. “You still don’t trust me? You think I poisoned your food ma?”

  “No, it’s not that. I have something to tell you,” she said. He put down his fork and leaned back in his chair, ready to listen. She took a deep breath and continued. “I met your girlfriend.”

  “My girlfriend?”

  “Yes, some girl named Norelle came to see me yesterday at the motel. She’s grimy Kasheef. She wants you to go away,” Alija admitted.

  “What did she say?” he asked. She knew that her words had struck a nerve because she could see his jaw clench as he grit his teeth.

  “She offered to pay me $75,000 if I testified against you.”

  Kasheef shook his head. He couldn’t believe that he had been sharing his bed with a woman like Norelle. He knew that she had deserted him and stolen his money while he was locked up, but to use his own money to pay off his witness was the ultimate betrayal.

  “Take the money,” he told her.

  “What?”

  “Take it. Tell her you’re going to testify against me and take her cash. You can keep it. Use it for your daughter. When you get on the stand do what we planned. Tell them I wasn’t there. I’ll take care of Norelle. She won’t bother you,” he assured.

  “Are you going to hurt her?” Alija asked. “Because if you are I don’t want no part of that. I have enough on my mind. I don’t need to be feeling bad over a girl I don’t even know.”

  “Did I hurt you?” he replied.

  She shook her head, not really knowing if she believed him or not. They finished their breakfast in silence and when they were done he reluctantly left, wishing that he could spend his entire day in her company. She was cool people and he enjoyed being around her. He almost felt like he had to make something up to her, make her life a little bit better since he was the one who had ruined it in the first place.

  Alija walked into the District Attorney’s office. She could not wait until this was over and her life returned to normal. She wished that she could get out of testifying all together, but there was no way that the state was going to let this case slip through their fingers willingly. Last night she had seen a side of Kasheef that she did not know existed. He was a hustler and she did not think men like him had hearts, but he had proven her wro
ng and shown her that there was more to him than what met the eye. Oddly she felt an allegiance to him. It was like they had become friends overnight. This trial had given them something in common; a bond between them that only they could understand. She had gone from fearing him to understanding him in only a few hours. Alija knew that she would have to be careful when dealing with him. His personality was magnetic while his charm was seasoned and unpredictable. She did not want to get caught up in his world. She could not afford to. She had to force herself to remember that they were not friends.

  “Hello Alija,” the DA greeted.

  “Hi ... I don’t mean to be rude or rush this process but I really need to make this quick. My daughter is in the hospital and I need to be with her,” Alija stated.

  Nancy Schwartz smiled understandingly. “Alija, I completely understand. This case is so open and shut I can prosecute that murdering, drug dealing bastard in my sleep. I really wanted to know how you were doing. We can’t afford to let the defense trip you up. They’ll try to distort your words, twist what you say, and make it seem as if you are unsure. Also try to stay away from any reporters who try to speak with you. We don’t need our star witness saying something that could jeopardize this case. If the public gets a hold of false information it could be the death of my case. I have seen many cases go awry from people talking too much. Save all of your testimony for the court. If you are okay with your testimony, and if you stick to what you told me and the police before, this entire process will run smoothly okay?” The DA was almost 100 percent positive that she was going to win this case. She was confident in her ability. She didn’t think that God himself could change Kasheef’s fate. She was going to make sure that he never saw the light of day again.

  Alija nodded, “okay.” Alija left the office and headed straight toward the hospital. She couldn’t wait to hold her daughter. She was $100,000 richer and she could take care of Nahla. She was capable of giving her daughter the type of life she deserved, the life that she herself had never had.

  She walked into her daughter’s hospital room and was surprised to see pink balloons and yellow flowers throughout. She walked over to one of the bouquets and plucked the attached card.

  To Baby Nala and Mom,

  Hopefully these flowers will brighten up your day.

  I hope you both feel much better today.

  You are very lucky to have one another.

  -Kasheef

  Alija smiled because of the misspelling of her daughter’s name, but knew that it was the thought that counted. She put the card back the same way that she found it. She was appreciative of Kasheef’s gesture and a tear slipped down her cheek as she thought of what she was about to do. Just get through this. Not much longer before all of this is over, she thought as she went to her daughter’s side. “Hey mama!” she greeted as she picked Nahla up. Her daughter reacted to her voice and opened up her eyes, but she was saddened to see that she was still very weak. The monitors that were hooked to her tiny frame broke Alija’s heart. Her temperature was still elevated, but she knew that it would take awhile for Nahla to fully recover. “Well, let’s see what mommy brought to entertain us today,” Alija said. She reached into her diaper bag and pulled out a children’s book. “The Cat in the Hat,” she began. She opened up to page one and began to read aloud.

  Kasheef didn’t want to disrupt Alija as she read the book to her daughter. He was supposed to meet with Carmen today to go over his case, but after having the flowers and balloons sent to Nahla’s room he wanted to go check on her personally. The gentleness that Alija used with her daughter intrigued Kasheef. It was as if Alija only lived for Nahla. Their love was unlike anything he had ever encountered. Now that there was a possibility for him to go to prison, he desperately wished that he’d opened up his life to more affection. He was beginning to see that the only thing that had been missing in his life was what Alija had—pure love. He stood with his arms folded against his white polo crew shirt, until Alija was done with the story. It was crazy. She was the star witness against him, but he wanted to start a friendship with her all the same. He knew that everything would be ruined if they were seen together, but he was willing to risk it. He was just as infatuated with baby Nahla as he was with her mother. He had never seen such a beautiful little girl. Seeing a mother and daughter like the one before him made him want a set of his own. In his eyes a wife and child were the perfect accessories if you could find the perfect woman, but perfection was elusive and he was not willing to settle for less which is why he had yet to find his life partner. He cleared his throat to announce his presence and Alija turned around in surprise.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked sweetly.

  “I just came by to check on Nahla,” he said.

  She stood up and placed her hands on her hips as if she was angry. “I can’t believe you!”

  “What?” he asked. Yo, she be flippin’ out on a nigga like she’s my chick, he thought as he touched his bruised eye gently and smiled slightly while shaking his head.

  “You’ve known me for an entire day,” she said as she got up and grabbed the card and pushed it into his chest, “and you don’t know how to spell my daughter’s name!”

  She laughed when she saw the dumbfounded look on his face.

  “Oh, you’re trying to be funny,” he said with a sexy smirk. “Keep ya’ day job ma.”

  She laughed and returned to Nahla’s side. “No seriously, thank you for the flowers and everything. She needs as much love as she can get.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I feel somewhat responsible, running you out of your home and all. How’s she doing?” he asked.

  “She still has a fever, but I think she’ll be fine. The doctor said it will take a couple weeks for her to recover so I’m just putting it in God’s hands,” she replied.

  “God? You trust Him that much?” Kasheef asked.

  “You know what? I don’t know. Before all this happened, I didn’t think twice about God. I’ve never even been to church. It just feels like He’s the only hope that I have left,” she replied.

  “That’s cool. I don’t have faith in nobody but me. Trusting other people will get you fucked up,” Kasheef said.

  Nahla began to squirm and whimper so Alija gently picked her up, making sure not to unplug any of the wiring. “You want to hold her?” she asked.

  “Nah, I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “Boy sit down,” Alija said playfully as she stood up so that Kasheef could take her place in the chair. She placed Nahla in his arms and when her daughter stopped whining her mouth dropped in an O of surprise. “Wow, she likes you.”

  “She’s so damn small,” Kasheef stated as he counted ten tiny toes and fingers.

  Alija laughed at his ruggedness. Kasheef reminded her of someone she used to know. Her father had died when she was a small child and the one thing she remembered about him was the way that he looked at her. He didn’t look at her, he looked through her. He could tell if she was happy or sad, just by staring into her eyes. Her father could make the worst day better and he always made her smile. He was able to right any wrong, and fix anything that may have been broken; including her heart if it was ever shattered. Kasheef had the same gentleness about him. It was hidden underneath years of a rough visage, but she knew that it was there; beneath the skin. Inside his heart Kasheef was just like her father. They were built alike and she smiled at the distant memory.

  “She’s beautiful Alija,” he whispered gently as he stared at the little girl.

  “Thank you,” she replied.

  Staring at the little girl was causing his insides to feel strange. Nahla’s skin was soft as silk, her presence as cleansing as a confession, and her eyes as penetrating as a bullet. Holding the small child in his arms was the most innocent and trusting interaction that Kasheef had ever had. Baby Nahla was tugging at his heart. He had never seen anyone so precious and he knew that after his name was vindicated the first thing he was going to do
was settle down and find the woman who could bring him the same joy that he felt right now. “Contact Norelle,” he said as he stared at the child in his arms. “Get the money for your daughter. She deserves the best.” With those words he handed Nahla back to her mother then stood up and made his exit.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Dawn, can you get Kasheef Williams on the line for me?” Carmen asked then released her intercom button.

  A couple minutes passed and then her phone line lit up. She picked up the call and said, “Kasheef! Why haven’t you called me? What happened that night?” she asked eagerly, wanting to make sure Kasheef was not at risk for another murder charge.

  “We’re cool,” Kasheef answered. “I’ve already paid her half of the money. She’s game. I’m walking away from this ... no bruises, no scratches.”

  “Okay, make sure you keep this quiet and stay away from Ms. Bell. She’s still the enemy,” she reminded him before hanging up.

  Her hair upswept in a bun, she sat behind her desk with her legs crossed professionally at the ankle and tucked behind her. She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly to relax her mind. She was more at ease now that Kasheef had made the deal happen with the witness. She was still curious about Alija’s background however. Jumping into an arrangement like this was like having sex. She needed to know who she was getting in bed with and it bothered her that she knew absolutely nothing about Alija. She hit her intercom.