by Shan
“What the fuck you lie for?” I asked Cuba as she stared at me through the mirror.
“What the hell are you doing in here? Where’s Khi?” she asked as she walked over to the sink. “And lie about what?”
“So, you still gonna act like you don’t know me?” I told her as I walked over and stood closely behind her. I sucked my teeth as I removed my hands from my pockets and ran one hand across her back. She arched her back as she continued to stare at me through the mirror. “I don’t scare you?”
“No, but your brother does, and we both know he scares you too. Your face is proof,” she shot back, and I gritted my teeth before wrapping my arm around her throat.
I pulled her roughly into my chest and squeezed her tighter. “Now that I think about it, you and Alaska really do look alike. What she tell you about me?” I asked her, and she shook her head. I squeezed her tighter, but the knock at the door forced me to release her. I backed away from her and continued to stare her down through the mirror. “You ain’t slick. I got you now. You’ll see me later.”
I turned around and unlocked the door, and when I pulled it open, Tramell stood on the other side. I could see in his eyes that he knew I was up to something, and he had come to look out for me. When I looked to my left, Khi was coming around the corner in search of his bitch.
“Y’all seen Cuba?” Khi asked, and I bumped him as I walked past him. I loosened my tie before I pulled it off and threw it on the floor. Before rounding the corner, I glanced back at Khi and sucked my teeth when I saw that nigga kissing the bitch in her mouth. Placing my hands in my pockets, I knew I was gonna have to handle Khi’s bitch sooner rather than later.
* * *
I pulled into the apartment building where I had lived with Taylana and saw her pink Maserati parked in its usual spot. I pulled my car on the side of hers and placed it in park. Before going inside, I sat back in my seat and rolled up a blunt. I was starting to feel like fuck everything. I didn’t have shit to lose. The only reason why I kept going anyway after all the shit I had been through was because of my li’l dude, but the more and more reality set in that he wasn’t mine, the less I felt like fighting. It wasn’t like nobody was gonna miss me any damn way. My brothers hated me, and I hated them niggas too. Fuck ’em! I treated Amber so bad when she was the only bitch that would put up with my shit, but she had finally given up on me. Shit, fuck her too! I ain’t have nobody, a muthafuckin’ loner out here, and I hoped that none of them bitches that turned their backs on me showed up to my funeral with no fake-ass tears. They wasn’t concerned about me while I was here, so they bet not be concerned when I was gone. I just really ain’t care about shit no more.
I shook my head as I puffed on the hay and looked up toward the ceiling of my car. Somehow, I allowed all this shit to happen to me. I allowed things to spiral out of control. I fucked up everything I touched, and I damaged every person that tried to help me and love me. I really loved what I had with Taylana, but emotions always fucked up a good situation. It had always been that way. Muthafuckas could never just let shit flow and let the pieces fall where they may. Emotions would always get involved and rock the boat. It was something that Khi had always tried to teach me, and I had never really understood that shit until just recently. Now that I looked back on everything, emotions had always been the cause of every fucked-up situation I caused. Shit, I had to admit that I was one emotional-ass nigga, but it was too late to correct shit now. I just ain’t care anymore.
I hopped out the car and threw the blunt down on the ground. I headed up to the apartment, took my key out, and unlocked the door. Once I walked inside, I shook my head and took a deep breath. Taylana had slow music playing on the stereo and had walked out of the room dressed in a sexy-ass negligee. I placed my hands into my pockets, and my jaw twitched as I watched her sexily walk over to me like she hadn’t just snitched on a nigga earlier. I looked down at her when she wrapped her arms around me and smiled.
“I almost got scared that you wasn’t going to come,” Taylana said, and I frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”
“What the fuck are you doing? I’m not about to fuck you. I came here so we can talk and get an understanding.”
She dropped her hands to her sides and let out a deep breath. I was waiting on her to say the wrong muthafuckin’ thing to me. I had already reached the point of no return with shorty. All that running off at the mouth, stepping out of pocket, and using her brother as a power card was really pissing me the fuck off. This ho had really thought she had a nigga wrapped around her finger and scared, but I wasn’t Khi or KaeDee. Them niggas was willing to play bitch about losing that money, but I wasn’t gonna do it. Fuck that and fuck her.
“Talk. I’m listening,” Taylana said with attitude.
“Yeah, I hope you are listening. Take your ass back to Miami, get rid of that baby, and leave me the fuck alone. I don’t fuck with you. I got a family already, and I don’t want one with you, okay? Stop calling me from all these different numbers, stop texting me, and go the fuck away and leave me alone,” I said, doing my best to keep my hands in my pockets as I rocked back and forth.
“So, you just gonna play me like that? Fuck me? Fuck our baby? You never really loved me, did you, Dae?”
“I told your dumb ass that I didn’t, and you wanted to believe otherwise. You let all that shit that was reeling in your head bring us to this point. You should’ve left well enough alone. Now, it is what it is.”
“No, because I knew you was a lying-ass, no-good-ass nigga. I knew you was lying about that bitch. That’s why I sent her that message. That’s who you got the family with, huh? I knew she wasn’t telling you to come home if you all really didn’t share a home together. Does she know that I’m pregnant?”
“No, and she’s not going to know, because you’re gonna take your ass on and get rid of it.”
“I’m gonna tell her. I’m gonna tell Tamar. I’m gonna tell every muthafuckin’ body that will listen to how fucked up you did me. You could’ve been straight up with me, but no, you wanted to lead me on. So, since you think it’s funny to come along and fuck with me, fuck with my head and my heart, then I’m gonna do you the same,” Taylana said.
I quickly pulled my hands out of my pockets and punched her in the face. She flew backward onto the floor and threw her hands up to catch her leaking nose. I slowly walked over to her and began to kick her over and over again. She was able to roll over onto her stomach, and she tried to crawl away, but I got down on the floor with her and wrapped an arm around her neck. Blood dripped from her nose and onto my hand as I covered her nose and mouth. She grunted and squirmed underneath me as I held on, trying to suffocate this bitch.
“Talk too fuckin’ much. Look like I’m scared of your brother, bitch, huh? I let you use that shit against me long enough because of my fam and for the sake of my pockets, but fuck all that shit, and fuck you!” I yelled and could feel my veins protruding through my skin as I held on until she no longer moved underneath me. I dropped her, and her face bounced against the carpet as I stood to my feet and pulled the pistol from my back. I took a silencer from my pocket and screwed it onto the tip of my gun. I wanted to make sure her ass was dead, so I aimed for her head, ready to pull the trigger, when a knock at the door and twisting of the doorknob stopped me.
“Lana! Lana! It’s Rozalyn. Tamar sent me over here to check on you. Open up, girl,” I heard Rozalyn, who I knew to be Tamar’s wife, yell from the outside.
I glanced over my shoulder and then back down at Taylana’s lifeless body as I tucked my pistol and headed to the back of the apartment. I entered the bedroom I’d once shared with Taylana and grabbed anything that could tie back to me. Once I was done, I pulled up the bedroom window, climbed out, and crept to my car. I watched as Rozalyn pulled out her phone and looked around, until her eyes fell on me. I didn’t think she recognized me, but I guess I would know sooner or later if she did. Fuck it.
Chapter 21
KaeDee
I sat inside of my office, downing a glass of Cognac, when my little brother Khi walked in. Stress lines were all over his face, as I was sure they were on mine as well. I slid a glass across my desk, and he grabbed it and walked over to the mini bar. It was nine o’clock in the morning, and I had been there all night. I skipped out on the black tie affair, and I was sure that was why Khi was there, to see what was going with his boy. I wasn’t answering my phone or messages and had let the shit go dead after so long. I just got tired of everybody. Deonna had been reaching out to me every few minutes, begging me to hear her out, and Khi was constantly on my shit with bullshit from Dae.
I didn’t wanna hear from nobody until I got my head together. I wasn’t the type to lose my cool for nothing or nobody, but lately, I had really been showing my ass. Luckily, Tyrin Walker wanted me to defend him more than he wanted to press charges against me, so that shit was dead, but that nigga was still alive. Every minute he was breathing was another minute I sat and wondered if he was fucking my wife. I was too arrogant and stubborn to allow her to come back home no matter how much she begged and claimed that she was done fucking him. I didn’t like the fact that she crushed my ego, making me feel like I was just a choice, and once she realized that she’d made the wrong one, she was ready to come home and be a family again. What type of bullshit was that?
“You heard from Dae?” Khi asked as he sat down in front of me.
I sat back in my chair and stared at him in silence while he downed the alcohol. He shook off the burn before he noticed the look I was giving him.
“Man, come on with the bullshit, KaeDee! We fuckin’ brothers. Tramell told me that he snapped on Tamar’s sister last night at the party, and Cuba said that nigga hemmed her up in the bathroom, questioning her about her sister. I need to find this nigga before he does something stupid.”
“Well, find the nigga. He’s not here, and I’m sure his dumb ass has already done something stupid. I can’t believe you would bring Dae in that man’s home knowing that nigga was fucking his sister. When you gonna stop excusing the shit he does and do something about it?” I said and snatched up the bottle of Cognac. I poured myself another glass, got up from my chair, and walked over to the window. I leaned against the window and tried to find peace in the beautiful view.
“Do what? You act like you want me to kill the nigga or something.”
“Shit, why not? He ain’t doing shit but fucking up his life and everybody else’s too. You tap that nigga on his ass and he go harder. Fuck that nigga. I don’t have time to worry about Dae and the shit he’s in. Whatever happens to that nigga happens. He obviously doesn’t care, so I wish the fuck you’d stop if you ain’t gonna do shit about it,” I said, and Khi sighed.
“Something is wrong with Dae, nigga. Can’t you see that shit?”
“Well, get him some help then, Khi. Stop worrying me with that shit.”
“I made a couple of moves last night that’ll have us getting some money out of Atlanta. Tamar said that he’ll put me in contact with the right people, and that is some for-sure paper. I’ve been thinking about just teaching Tramell to run Dae’s spot, and since Cass about to come home, he can take over for me while I head toward Atlanta for a little bit.”
“You just gonna pick up and go to Atlanta by yourself? You don’t know nobody out there,” I told Khi as I turned to face him.
“I’ma get down there and see what’s what, but I’m thinking about taking a few of the goonies with me. I’m just trying to live up to my full potential, baby. You know that.”
“You definitely gonna do that. I ain’t never been worried about that.”
“Just got so much shit going on, and I feel like I need to get away for a minute. Briana came to the house last night asking me for help, and when I got back for the party, she was gone, after I told her not to move. What the fuck, man? Then Selena . . .”
“Briana is gone, bruh. That shit gets harder and harder each time, so I don’t even know why you stressing yourself over shorty. She’s no good. Take care of Skylarr and move on. But what’s up with this shit you was texting me about with Selena?” I said as I walked over to my seat just as my door flew open.
I looked up to see Tyrin Walker walk in like he was ready for war. Khi pulled his pistol and stood up.
“The fuck is going on?” Khi questioned, and I smirked.
“Sorry, Mr. Prince, I tried to stop him. The police are on their way,” my secretary Lisa told me, and I nodded my head.
“This that nigga Tyrin I was telling you about, bruh,” I told him as I stood beside him.
“Where’s Deonna?” Tyrin asked, and I looked at this nigga like he had lost his mind.
“Man, you got a lot of fuckin’ nerve coming through this bitch looking for somebody’s wife. The fuck is you on?” Khi spoke, and I could see his jaw twitching as he stood next to me, his pistol idle by his side. We all had that shit in common: twitching of the jaws, gritting of the teeth, and pocketing of the hands when we felt shit was about to get crazy. My father had always told us to stay cool and never react unless there was no other choice. He said keep our hands in our pockets if we felt like we wouldn’t be able to control them, and never pull a pistol on a nigga unless you was gonna use it. Khi was for sure ready to use it.
“Nah, he good. It’s not his fault the wifey been dick-hopping, but she home now where she supposed to be. You still hanging around town, though. You must be waiting on these hollow tips.”
Tyrin gritted and stepped forward, causing Khi to pop the safety and put the gun to his head.
“Tell your goonie to stand down, nigga. You can’t handle your own problems. You see I’m outchea by myself. You caught me last time, but give me a fair one,” Tyrin said, and I scoffed.
“Goonie? Try brother, nigga, and you keep talking that slick shit and watch how quick your body drop. He don’t handle shit but that muthafuckin’ courtroom, and I promise you, nigga, he’ll get me off for murking your ass. Now, fall the fuck back and get Deonna off your mind. Let me find out you couldn’t do that,” Khi told him and stepped back. He tucked his pistol and crossed his arms over his chest just as the police stepped inside.
“He was just leaving, officers,” I told them as I walked behind my desk and grabbed my drink. I took a seat and could see that Khi was reeling in anger. His hands shook as he crossed them behind his back and waited for Tyrin to leave my office.
“Yeah, you’ll see me later, KaeDee,” Tyrin said, and I nodded.
“Guarantee you’ll see me first,” Khi shot back. “Don’t come to regret your decisions, nigga.”
“Khi,” I called out, and I watched as he released a breath and stepped back.
As soon as Tyrin left my office, the officers stood behind to make sure everything was cool, and then left Khi and me alone again.
“Aye, I’m out. I’ma handle that, though. Don’t even worry about it.” Khi nodded as he slammed his glass down on my desk after finishing his drink. It broke into pieces as he turned around and then exited my office.
Me: Why the fuck is this nigga coming up here looking for you, Deonna?
Send
Deonna: I told you that he crazy and won’t leave me alone. I haven’t talked to him, but he still keeps bothering. He keeps saying that he’s not going to let me get away this time. Idk what to do. I’m scared to leave my hotel room. Tyrin has always been crazy but never anything like this. I know I’m not your problem anymore, but maybe you can send some men to where I’m staying. I’m at the Westin downtown.
Me: Just meet me at the house. We need to talk. Be there after grabbing Chanel from my mom’s.
Send.
Deonna: Okay. See you soon . . . love you
* * *
Ding dong! Ding dong!
I pulled the door open to see Deonna standing on the other side wearing a navy blazer, a low-cut, cream-colored bloused underneath that showed off her cleavage, and tight-fitting skinny jeans, with Gucci pumps on her feet. I hadn’
t really paid her much mind since parting ways with her, but looking at her now had me loving the thickness the baby was already giving to her. I couldn’t stop the lust I felt as I stepped to the side and allowed her to come inside. After sitting in my office overnight and reeling in my thoughts, I felt like maybe Deonna deserved that second chance she was asking for. Truthfully, I missed her, and I didn’t want her out there running around too long thinking a nigga wasn’t going to take her back and then another nigga grabbed her up.
I was mad as hell still and hurting behind this shit, but my mind was made up that I wanted my family, so I would I have to get over my hurt and anger with Deonna back at home where she belonged. I walked over to the bar area with Deonna following behind me. I grabbed a glass and a bottle of white and poured her some. I then grabbed me a shot glass and filled it partway with some Cognac.
“Have you had any since being pregnant?” I asked Deonna.
“I’ve had a glass. I don’t wanna be like I was with Chanel and relying on it more often than I should when I was stressed. I had one glass. It was too good, and I had to pull myself away to keep from getting another one,” Deonna said with a laugh.
“Is this thing really over with that you and that nigga, Deonna?” I asked her.
She looked at me and desperately shook her head yes. She took a sip of her drink, and I watched as tears fell from her eyes and hit the rim of the glass.
“I’m sorry. I was stupid. Really fuckin’ stupid. For some reason, I told myself that because I left Tyrin because of what he did for a living, and then I got with you and you were doing the same thing, maybe I wasn’t fair to him. Maybe I should try to see if he and I could continue from where we left off and see if that was something that I wanted to do . . . and then make a choice on who I really wanted to be with. I made you a choice when you are so much more than that. I never loved that man. I only loved the fun that I had with him and the fact that I was able to feel free, but when I think about what I have with you, I know that I never really knew what love was until I met you.”