by N'Tyse
“Yeah, I’m cool,” Sand lied. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she might have been wanted for murder. If anything Chyna told her about Jasmine being in her and Rene’s apartment that day was true, then she knew, without a doubt, that she was a prime suspect. Chyna said that if she hadn’t shown up at her door before Rene that day, Jasmine would have executed her plans to tell Rene who she was and how she and Sand had been together. What Sand had once believed to be a lie, was now starting to feel like the truth. Maybe Chyna did prevent her from being found out. Maybe she did take care of her problem for her. But none of it mattered anymore because she and Rene were done.
While Sand was forced to fathom the unpredictable, she still had to deal with the current situation that had escalated from all of this. She was hauling around half a million dollars that she was sure belonged to Chyna. And that was the least of her worries because no matter how hard she tried, Rene still managed to squeeze into her mental space, pushing aside all of the above, and provoking those ill thoughts Sand found herself having of her. Like at this moment, she wanted to find Rene, strangle the hell out of her and demand to know if she meant to hurt her the way she had. That’s all she wanted, all she felt she deserved—a fucking explanation.
Sand would have taken a bullet for Rene at the drop of a dime. She would have done just about anything to keep her out of harm’s way. But with all that security and protection she was providing for Rene, she should have been making sure her own shit was guarded because now she was the one feeling like she’d been shot in the heart. And once again, Deja was ready to save her.
Sand knew that she should have felt bad for fucking Deja, but the truth was, she didn’t. Instead, she wanted to believe that she was getting revenge on what Rene had done to her, but deep down, she was only fooling herself. Rene had stepped out and gotten pregnant and there wasn’t shit she could do that would top that.
“So you’re cool?” Deja asked, repeating what Sand had just told her. She twisted her mouth. She knew Sand was lying when she answered so quickly. She wasn’t cool, not at all. There was something bothering her since the moment she walked through her door and Deja could see it all over her face. “Sand, I want to ask you something and it’s up to you if you want to answer,” Deja said, turning fully over and onto her right side. She pulled the bed sheets close to her chest, the smell of their sex still clinging to them.
Sand nodded, then turned only her head to face Deja. “Shoot for it, ma.” Deja was nervous all over again, but she had to fight it. This was the moment she’d been waiting for. She tried not to think about it, but it kept tugging at her, pulling her away from what she knew was the truth. Sand was innocent. But she needed to validate that by hearing it from her own mouth. She readied herself for what she was about to say. Her voice fell hoarse before she could get the words to come out. She cleared her throat. “Have you killed anybody?”
Sand’s heart stopped. She didn’t see that one coming. “Come on now, Deja.” She reached for her hand. “I know you really don’t know a whole lot about me,” she said, watching Deja’s eyes lose their attention and then find their way back, “but, I’m not a killer.” She sensed a whirlwind of doubt from Deja. “I’m telling you the truth.” She used her index finger to gently lift Deja’s chin. “You gotta believe me, ma. I didn’t kill that girl.” She took another breather. “Please don’t tell me you think I did that shit?”
With watering eyes, Deja said, “I want to believe you. I’ve just been hearing things, and then that day I went and picked you up from that bar ... and the cops pulling us over. I mean, what was that all about?”
Sand had to think back. “Deja, those weren’t cops. I mean, they weren’t real cops.”
Deja gave Sand a mixed expression. “What do you mean? I saw them, they were right there,” she began easing her hands back down to her side.
Sand raised completely up. “You saw them put me in a car and drive the hell away. If they were real cops, do you think I’d be sitting here beside you right now? Naw, ’cause I’d be in somebody’s jail cell!”
Deja shook her head. She knew what she saw and she saw it with her own two eyes.
“Look, ma. I’m telling you that I was set up.” Sand hopped up off the bed and stood to her feet, stepping into her jeans.
“Set up? By who?” Deja was trying her best to grasp every bit of what she was hearing.
Sand sat back down on the edge of the bed. She picked up the bag that would explain everything that was going on in a way that she couldn’t. She was about to prove to Deja exactly what type of people she was dealing with, along with the danger they were capable of causing. “I’m gon’ show you something.” She began unzipping the bag.
Deja waited expressionless. Suddenly, Sand looked nauseous. Deja didn’t know what to think but from what she could make out, whatever was supposed to have been inside that bag, was missing.
Sand broke out in a sweat as she pulled out the blanket Deja had given Ty to sleep with, the marble orbs that decorated Deja’s bar and cocktail table, and a short scribbled note from Ty.
I can’t go back to that house. I’m sorry, Sand. I need this money to get out of town. Nothing personal.
Ty
Sand dropped the letter to the floor, snatched open the guest room door and found exactly what she knew she’d find—an empty room.
Deja chased behind her, dragging the sheet along with her. “What’s going on? And where did your friend go?” she asked, looking around for Ty.
“Shit!” Sand shouted, ready to put a hole in the wall. “I can’t believe this shit! That bitch just ran off with all the money.”
Deja didn’t know what the hell was going on. “What money?”
Sand ignored Deja. Her head was spinning. “I’m good as dead,” Sand said to herself but loud enough for Deja to hear.
Deja pouted her lips. “Don’t talk like that.”
“How the fuck am I gonna replace half a million dollars, huh?”
Deja stood with her mouth hung open, feeling as though Nessa may have been right about Sand after all. What kind of mess was she really in?
Ty waited until she could hear Sand and Deja in the midst of making love. She tiptoed into the bedroom, undetected. She eased the heavy bag from right under their noses. She then eased out of the doorway, cracking the door just a little. She tiptoed back into the living room, over by the couch. Quietly, she unzipped the bag. It was all there. Safe and sound. She pulled the pillowcase off the pillow and loaded all the money into it. She took the letter she’d written, folded it, and laid it at the bottom of the bag for them to find later—much later, long after she was gone.
Ty had wrapped every single orb and statue that she spotted, including the six that decorated the bar, inside of the blanket to add weight to the bag. Then just the way she had before, she glided back into the room and placed the bag in its exact spot. She walked out the front door with half a million dollars in a floral pink and green pillowcase. She walked until she came to a Laundromat. She went right inside, took a seat on one of the benches and contemplated her next move. She observed everyone and everything surrounding her. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. After a few minutes, she walked over to the pay phone and pressed 0 for an operator, with the packed pillowcase right beside her.
“I need to make a collect call.”
“Yes and your name?”
“Tylesha.”
“The number you would like to place the call to?” Ty rattled off the phone number.
“Hold please.”
Ty waited patiently for the operator to return to the line. “Ma’am your call has been accepted. You have a good day.” “Hello! Hello! Tylesha, baby is that you?” It was her mother. Ty’s hands shook nervously. She hadn’t spoken to her mother
in months.
“It’s me, mama,” Ty answered painfully.
“Are you all right? Where are you, baby? Please let me come
and get you,” he
r mother pleaded.
“I can’t tell you that right now. But I wanted you to know
that I’m okay. I just needed some time away, that’s all,” Ty spoke
softly into the phone.
“Baby, whatever’s going on with you, we can get through
together. I just want you to come back home. It’s been three
months,” her mother cried. “I can’t … oh God. Just please come
home.” She knew why her daughter ran away. She always knew.
She just didn’t want to accept it. “I believed you,” she admitted
finally. The pain in her voice was still present. “I confronted
him about it and he left.” She stopped to catch her breath. She
couldn’t even bring herself to say her husband’s name. “But he
doesn’t matter because all I want is my baby back home,” she
said through the tears that flowed down her cheeks. Ty sniffed. “Mama, don’t cry. Please.” The tears pooling in
her eyes began to sting. She tried blinking them away only to
encourage their stay. “Mama, don’t.”
“Tylesha, just please come home. I’m begging you. Your
brother has been driving up and down these streets all time of
night and morning looking for you. None of us knew where you
were. You’ve got us all worried sick, including mama. And you
know how your grandmother’s heart condition is.”
Ty was still frozen in disbelief. “Trent’s here?” she managed
to ask.
Her mother choked back her tears before she could resume.
“He was worried to death about you, Tylesha. You could have
been in danger for all we knew. You could have been dead.
Anything.”
“Does he know about Mason?” Ty asked. She was afraid that if
her big brother knew, it would only make the situation worse. “No. He doesn’t know. I don’t think we should—” Ty finished for her. “We won’t tell him.” There was a silent
agreement between them. Ty struggled to keep a dry face
because she didn’t want to attract any attention. “I’m coming
home, mama. Let me just work out a couple of things first,” she
promised her mother, sadness floating in her voice.
“All right, baby.” She sniffed. “Mama loves you.” “I love you too.” Seconds later, the call was disconnecting and
all Ty could hear was a dial tone. She threw the heavy pillowcase
back over her shoulder and walked right out of the Laundromat.
She had to figure out a way to get out of this mess and she only
knew one person who could help her. She just hoped like hell she
hadn’t already screwed up.
“This shit is getting crazy!” Sand yelled.
Deja watched Sand pace back and forth. She didn’t know
what to do to get her to stop, so she just sat on the edge of the
sofa and waited for the storm to pass. Finally, her head fell into
her hands. After listening to Sand fill her in on all that was going
on, she didn’t know what else there was to say or do. All she
knew was that she needed to say something.
“What if we called her and explained what happened?” No
sooner than Deja finished that sentence did she realize what she
had suggested.
“Call? Explain?” Sand drew her entire body back. “Ain’t no
calling and explaining to this bitch. I don’t think you following me,
Deja. When I say Chyna is bad news, she bad news! This ho got the
whole damn city on payroll,” she enlightened. “I already told you
how she set me up. Now she blackmailing me. I make the wrong
move and my ass going down for murder. Ain’t no talking out of
this shit. The only talking she gon’ wanna do is with one of these.”
She flashed the gun she had tucked under her shirt.
“I’m going to help you get out of this. Just calm down and
let’s think for a second.” Deja pointed beside her. “Sit. And please
don’t show me that gun again. I’m terrified of those things,” she
said. She wished like hell that Sand would have never gotten that
gun out of the car because that was the last thing she needed to
have on her.
Sand was furious. She had it in her right mind to hop in any
one of those cars in the driveway and go after Ty. She wanted to
choke the shit out of that bitch. She never should have trusted
the ho. She should have dropped her ass off at the emergency
room and rolled out like she started to do in the first place. Then
none of this would be happening.
Sand finally sat down. Deja placed her hand on top of hers
and began to rub her ever so softly.
“It’s going to work out. I promise, we’ll get through this
together,” Deja said.
Sand listened to her comforting words closely. Deja had included
herself in her drama. Sand pulled her arm away. “No. Listen to me.”
She lifted Deja’s chin. “I need you to keep holding down my club.
You the only one I know I can count on to do that.”
Earlier, right after their first round of sex, Deja brought
Sand up to speed about everything that had happened since they
last saw each other. She told her how she had been overseeing
Sandrene’s and how she tried finding Rene so that she could have
Sand’s car towed to the address on her insurance card. But when
she went over there to the apartment, the new tenant who lived
there informed her that no one had lived there by that name. So
Deja had the car towed to her place. She told Sand about the two
instances she had seen Rene. Once at the barber shop and then
at the gym. She purposely left out the times she had followed
Rene. Just like last night when she had seen Rene with another
woman. The two of them were standing on a railroad track so
close that they were only inches from kissing. Deja realized then
that Rene was having an affair. But she couldn’t bring herself to
deliver more bad news. Sand was dealing with enough. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do,” Deja offered. “How much you say you put up for me?”
“Almost sixty grand,” Deja answered.
“Damn,” Sand practically whispered. The idea she had was
blown out the water. Sixty Gs was a long way off from half a mil.
“I’m fucked. Man, ain’t no other way up out this shit.” She stood
to her feet. “Look, I gotta go. I ain’t gon’ figure shit out sitting
’round here.”
Deja jumped up. “Wait. Where you going? What are you
gon’ do?” Sand brushed past Deja, nearly knocking her back on
her ass. She watched Sand head for the door, then turn around
one last time.
“Look, I’ll call you when I can. Right now, I gotta bounce. Just
handle that business for me.” Sand twisted on her baseball cap. “How are you gonna call? You don’t even have my number,”
Deja shot out.
“That’s why you gon’ give it to me.” Sand patted down her
jeans while Deja scurried around the living room, searching for
pen and paper. Sand double checked for her wallet. “If all else
fails, I know Nessa knows how to get in touch with you.” Deja power-walked over to where Sand stood. “Here. No
need for that. Don’t lose this.”
Sand accepted the piece of paper into her hands along with a
&
nbsp; gold house key. “What’s this for?”
Deja stared up at her and the warmth hovering around them
made her feel something special. “Just in case you need to come
back. For anything,” she added.
Sand folded the paper around the key and slipped it into her
pocket. She’d battle those questions later.
“Sand, I really do—”
Ding, ding, ding.
Sand looked Deja over. “You expectin’ somebody?” Her guards
immediately went up and she placed her hands over her piece. Deja quietly shook her head but her face said otherwise. She
rushed to the door, hoping like hell it wasn’t Toni again. If it was,
how was she going to explain the unexplainable? She hesitantly
tiptoed to the peephole and zoomed in on her visitor. When she got a good look at the blue-blonde spiked hair, black eye, and a figure not far from anorexic, she unlocked and swung open her
door. Sand, right behind her, came lunging forward. “So you think you can fuckin’ play me, ho!” Sand barked.
Her hand went straight for Ty’s left jaw, but Ty weaved in record
time.
Deja pulled Sand back with all her might but Sand was way
too strong for her 147 pounds to compete with. Sand got up
close and personal with Ty.
“What? You wanna hit me? I brought the shit back!” Ty
yelled. She pushed the pillowcase of money into Sand’s chest.
“It’s all there. Count it if you want to.”
Sand snatched the bag, lowering it to her side. She stepped a
foot closer to Ty so that the shit she was about to let loose, didn’t
get mistaken. “I ain’t fucking with you! If any of this money
gone ...”
Deja switched her eyes from Ty then back to Sand. She could
see her nosy neighbors peeking out of their blinds from across the
street. “Let’s go back in the house y’all. You can talk it out in here.”
She opened her door wider but neither of them budged. “Naw. Ain’t nothing to talk about.” Sand gave Ty a hard up
stare, daring her to give her a reason to knock the shit out of her
ass. “I gotta get this shit back to Chyna before it get back to her