Black Diamond 3: Lucky Chance (Urban Books)

by Brittani Williams

  “Just spill it, Jaz,” Diamond cut her off.

  “That baby she’s pregnant with, she’s been going around telling everybody that Black is the father, and they were having an affair for over two years before he died.”

  “What?” Diamond raised her voice.

  “Yup, she’s telling everybody how he was going to leave you and everything,” Octavia said.

  “Where did you hear this? That can’t be true. Black would never do that to me, he loved me too much,” Diamond said as she sat down in the chair and placed her hand on her chest in disbelief. Now she had to face the truth. It was one thing to suspect and another to know but now everyone knew and Diamond refused to look like a fool. She couldn’t have her image tarnished any further.

  “Diamond, I wish that I didn’t have to be the one to bring you the bad news but it’s true. She’s been freely telling everybody, Diamond. I told you that bitch was bad news,” Jasmine replied.

  Diamond sat silently, trying to take it all in. She didn’t know whether to cry, scream, or yell. The pain that shot through her body was unlike any that she’d felt before. How could she move forward if everyone was behind her back laughing at her? How could she look Kiki’s baby in the face and not remember her own? Her head was spinning and as Jasmine continued to talk, she could no longer hear her. After a few seconds she interrupted her. “Do you know where she is right now?”

  “No, but I can certainly find out,” Jasmine replied, retrieving her cell phone from her purse.

  “Okay, well I need you both to go with me to see her. If I go alone I may end up in prison tonight.”

  “No problem,” both of the ladies said before they all got up and headed toward the door.

  As usual, Tip was sitting outside in his car. He noticed the three ladies walking toward Diamond’s car and tuned on his ignition to begin to follow her. The women drove to Kiki’s house and parked. Diamond jumped out of the car and walked to the door, banging on it as if she were the police.

  “Hold on, damn,” Kiki yelled from the opposite side of the door. She walked to the door and opened it without asking who was on the opposite side. As soon as she opened the door Diamond punched her in the nose, causing her to fall to the floor. Diamond quickly got down on top of her and punched her in the face repeatedly.

  “You trifling-ass bitch! All of the men in the world and you had to fuck mine. I should kill you, you fucking bitch,” she yelled, banging her head into the floor. Blood was pouring from Kiki’s nose and lips. Kiki tried to push Diamond off of her but fueled with hurt and anger she overpowered her. Jasmine and Octavia sat and watched, allowing Diamond to take all of her frustration out on Kiki’s face.

  Outside, Tip heard the commotion and ran over to the house, pulling Diamond off of Kiki. Diamond kicked her as she was being pulled off of her. “Let me go, Tip,” she screamed. “If I ever see your fucking face again, bitch, I’ll kill you,” she screamed. “The only man I ever loved, you just had to have him.”

  Kiki got up from the floor, silent, trying to recover from the beating that she’d just taken.

  “Let me go,” Diamond continued to scream.

  “Get her out of my house before I have her arrested.” Kiki finally spoke, holding her stomach with one hand and the side of her face with the other.

  “Diamond, let’s go,” Tip yelled, pulling her toward the door.

  “I’ll go for now but this isn’t over,” she said calmly, pointing in Kiki’s direction. She turned to the door as if she was going to walk out, but the second that Tip released his grip she ran past him, Jasmine, and Octavia and punched Kiki in the face again, knocking her back to the floor. “Now we can go,” she said, walking out of the door.

  Tip shook his head and walked behind her to her car. “You’re crazy as hell, Diamond,” he said with a laugh.

  The three women got in Diamond’s car and drove back to Diamond’s house, where Chance was sitting on her steps. Jasmine and Octavia looked at each other and then back at Diamond. “Who is that?” Jasmine asked.

  “That’s Chance, he’s a friend of mine,” she replied with a smile, as she was happy to see him. She’d been spending a lot of time with him but she always had Tip lurking at Tommy’s command, making it hard for them to get close.

  “Chance? I heard that name before. Where do you know him from?” Octavia asked.

  “I met him at the hotel bar downtown.”

  “I can’t remember where I heard that name but have fun. Hope he can make you smile after the shit that we just told you,” Octavia said before exiting the car.

  “Well, thanks for telling me. I’m glad I didn’t hear it from the streets.”

  Jasmine and Octavia hugged her before walking to Jasmine’s car and leaving. Diamond waved and walked up the driveway to her steps to hug Chance, who stood when she got near him.

  “I thought we were meeting at five,” he said, kissing her on the forehead.

  “I know. I had to go handle something. Sorry I’m late.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Now that I see you, everything is just fine.”

  “Cool. So are we going now?” he asked.

  “Yes. I just need to run in the house and grab something really quick. Come in,” she said while waving her hand, directing him to the door.

  “Are you sure? I’m finally invited into your castle?” he asked, holding both of his hands in the air.

  “Yes, you are invited.” She laughed before walking to the door and opening it.

  He laughed and followed her inside. “Very nice,” he said, looking around as if he’d never seen the inside of her home before. He immediately looked into the dining room and flashbacks of Black’s body came across his eyes. He knew that he had to deal with Diamond just until he found out where she kept the money. Since their plan hadn’t gone as they’d hoped, he ended up coming out of the deal empty-handed. He was furious when he got word that the exchange hadn’t gone off as planned. He waited patiently by the phone only to see it all play out on the news. Sure, Johnny got exactly what he wanted. She would always have to suffer with the thought of knowing that she was the reason her family was gone, but he didn’t get the money that was promised and he planned to get it by any means necessary.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, noticing him staring into the dining room.

  “Oh nothing, just admiring the décor.” He laughed. “Everything here is just as beautiful as the owner.” He smiled.

  “You just love to compliment me.” She laughed. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to run upstairs really quick.”

  “Okay, I’ll be here.”

  She ran up the stairs and heard her cell phone ringing as soon as she reached the top of the stairs.

  “Hello,” she yelled, out of breath.

  “Are you fucking him?” Tommy yelled.

  “No, Tommy, I’m not fucking him. Why are you so loud?”

  “Well, what is he doing in the house, Diamond? That wasn’t part of the plan.”

  “I had to get something, Tommy, calm down,” she whispered as she walked into her room and closed the door.

  “I don’t want you in a closed place with him, you hear me? I need you to get back outside to a public area where Tip can see you.”

  “Okay, I’m going, Tommy.”

  “All right, come to my house when you’re done.”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  “I love you, Diamond,” he said before hanging up.

  She put the phone into her bra and walked back out of the room to find Chance standing in the hallway.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, shocked.

  “Just looking for your bathroom.”

  “Oh, it’s right there on the left,” she said, pointing to the open door.

  “Cool,” he said, walking to the bathroom and closing the door.

  Her heart was beating a mile a minute. Just a week prior Tommy had told her about his true identity and what he was there to get. She had to co
ntinue to act as if she was falling for him to avoid getting hurt. Tommy wanted to be sure that there weren’t any other assailants before taking him out. To stare at the man who had a part in her husband’s and daughter’s murders made her sick to her stomach. She wanted to just murder him herself but she decided to allow Tommy to lead this time. Things hadn’t always gone good for her when she tried to handle things on her own. She was nervous that he’d realize she was on to him and lose her own life, but she kept it as cool as she could when he exited the bathroom with a smile on his face.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yup,” she replied.

  The two left the house without incident and got into his car to head out for dinner. He looked over at Diamond and noticed that she was uneasy. He couldn’t figure out what was on her mind but he was determined to find out one way or another.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t been acting like yourself.”

  “I’m fine really. I just had an eventful day that’s all.”

  “Anything you want to talk about? You know I’m here if you need to let off some steam.”

  Realizing that he wouldn’t let up easily she decided to tell him about the Kiki incident to deter him from the real reason she was so jittery. “Well, I just learned today that my one-time best friend is pregnant with my deceased husband’s child.”

  “Wow, that’s heavy. Damn, Diamond, I’m sorry you have to deal with that shit. Did you talk to her?”

  “No, I didn’t talk to her, but I beat the shit out of her. That’s why I was late meeting you.”

  “Damn, I’m sorry about that, baby girl. That’s real fucked up but that’s why you can’t trust people. They’ll always backstab you for their own gain.”

  She looked over at him and shook her head. Hell, she couldn’t trust him either. It was almost as if everyone in her life was out to get her. She didn’t know what to believe, or whom she could depend on. The only person who had been there for her from the beginning was Tommy, and she couldn’t wait until this was all over with so she could let him know just how much she appreciated him.

  “But I’m fine. I don’t want that to ruin our evening.”

  “Well, I’m glad that you’re okay,” he replied.

  After dinner Chance drove Diamond home with every intention of getting back inside of her house. He wasn’t concerned about the watchdog or anyone he would bring with him. He needed to make her as comfortable as possible to find out all that he needed to know.

  Once they were in front of the house she had to figure out how she would end the night.

  “So am I invited in again?” he asked, standing in front of her on the steps.

  “Uhhhh, that depends on what you plan to do once you’re in there,” she said in a sexy tone.

  “Well, that’s for me to know and you to find out, but, trust me, you will enjoy it.” He smiled and moved closer to her.

  She looked over at Tip and gave him the signal that she was letting him inside.

  Tip grabbed his phone and called Tommy to let him know that tonight was the night.

  She knew that she couldn’t hold him off much longer without him knowing that something was up. With a smile she whispered, “Come inside.”

  “My pleasure.” He smiled and followed her inside.

  Both smiling but both hiding a secret agenda, they entered the house, not knowing what the night would bring.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Game Time

  “Let’s go merk this nigga,” Tommy said to Tip outside of Diamond’s house. He’d been waiting for this day and couldn’t wait to get it over with. He wanted to get on with his life with Diamond and not have guards constantly following her around. Chance was a constant reminder of a night that he wanted her to forget.

  “Let’s do it,” Tip said, retrieving his gun from his waist.

  Using the key that Diamond gave him, they quietly entered the house and made sure that the door closed behind them without making a sound. Tommy gave directions with hand motions. They moved through the house like snipers, checking around every corner before entering the next room.

  Diamond and Chance had retreated to her bedroom, where she was in the bathroom and he was patiently waiting on the bed. Tommy and Tip crept up the steps and made their way down the hall toward the room. They stopped just short of the door, which was left open. They could hear Diamond talking to Chance through the door. Tommy nodded, giving Tip the cue. Both men walked into the room and began pumping bullets into an unsuspecting Chance. His body jerked as each bullet pierced his body in different spots. Blood splattered all over the walls, bed, floor, and other exposed surfaces.

  Diamond sat on the floor in the bathroom with her hands covering both ears, trying to block out the noise.

  Tip stopped shooting once Tommy stopped and put his hand in the air.

  “Diamond,” he yelled as he made his way to the bathroom.

  She was still crouched in the corner with her eyes closed and her ears covered.

  He bent down in front of her and touched her leg, startling her. “It’s okay, babe, everything is okay.”

  She reached out and hugged him.

  “Come on, let me get you out of here,” he said.

  “I can’t go out there, Tommy. I can’t. I will see Black and Dior. I just can’t.” She shook her head and cried.

  “Just keep your eyes closed. I promise you won’t see a thing,” he said, holding her close. He walked her out of the bathroom and out of the room. “Go get in your car and go to my house, okay? I will be there soon, I already have someone outside waiting to follow you there.”

  “Okay,” she said as tears began to fall from her eyes.

  “Baby, it’s over, okay? It’s all over,” he said, grabbing the sides of her face and kissing her tears away. “Just go get in the car. I will be there soon.”

  She did as she was told and made her way to her car to leave.

  Tommy returned to the room where Tip was already wrapping Chance’s body up in the bed linens. “Did you call them to come clean this shit up?” he asked.

  “Yeah, this will be all cleared away in the next two hours,” Tip replied.

  “All right, I’m gonna go home and get her together. Call me when this shit is done.”

  “All right.”

  Tommy left the house and made his way home to meet Diamond. Once he arrived he found her balled up on the sofa in the dark. He knew that it would take some time before she was comfortable again, but he would work as hard as he could to make sure that happened. He set his gun down on the table and walked over to her. Without saying a word, he hugged her and cradled her face as she cried.

  “I got you now, and I’m keeping my promise to Black. I will handle you with care,” he whispered in her ear before leaning his head back onto the back of the chair and closing his eyes. He truly believed that Black would be looking down on them, satisfied with the way that he handled things. If there was anything that he could have done differently, he’d want Black here by his side, but he knew with Black here, Diamond could never be his. He’d worked hard to keep her unharmed and now that he had her he didn’t plan on letting her go. “I love you, Diamond,” he whispered.

  “I love you too,” she replied, finally letting him know that the feelings were mutual.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  The Culprit

  Alisha sat, looking out of the hospital room’s window with many thoughts running through her mind. She was saddened thinking about the events that led them to the place where they currently were. Just a few weeks earlier she and Lucky were out shopping and shooting the breeze; now she lay clinging on to life. She was frustrated because she’d tried her best to steer her away from a life with a criminal, fearing that she’d end up exactly where she had. Thinking back, Lucky was always drawn to the rough, street type and every relationship led to a horrible ending. Every so often she’d look over at Lucky and then back out of the window when she hadn’t noticed a c
hange. Though the prognosis wasn’t good she was optimistic. One thing that rang true about her best friend was the fight in her, and she’d always managed to pull herself through any circumstance. After standing and peering out of the window for ten minutes, she walked over to the bedside and grabbed a hold of Lucky’s hand before saying a silent prayer with her eyes closed. As usual she held her friend’s hand tightly, but unlike any other time before then she felt a twitch in her hand. She immediately opened her eyes and looked at Lucky.

  “Lucky?” she called out.

  Lucky’s eyes began to flutter as she fought to see the face behind the voice that was so familiar to her.

  Alisha was now standing and calling her name over and over, hoping that it would bring her around. “Nurse,” she called frantically from Lucky’s beside. She was afraid to move from the room for fear that Lucky’d fall back into the deep sleep where she’d been since being shot. “Nurse! I need a nurse in here,” she yelled and pressed the red call bell located on the wall. She continued to yell for what seemed like forever until a nurse entered the room.

  “She’s waking up,” she yelled at the nurse who came over to the side of the bed, checked the monitor which displayed Lucky’s vital signs, and walked out into the hallway to call a doctor.

  Alisha backed into the corner of the room while the doctor entered the room along with respiratory to see if she could be removed from the ventilator, which had kept her alive the past few weeks.

  “Ma’am, we’re going to have to ask you to sit out in the waiting area while they evaluate her,” the female nurse said, gently pushing Alisha out of the room.

  Alisha looked on but obeyed the nurse’s command, as she didn’t want to interfere with anything that could bring her best friend back. She grabbed her bag and walked out of the room, looking back one last time at the crowd of medical staff, which now surrounded Lucky’s bedside. She walked out in the hallway with her stomach full of butterflies. She could barely stay still as she attempted to sit in the waiting room. She paced the floor for what seemed like an hour before the nurse came out to the waiting area to get her.