The Conglomerate: A Luxorious Tale

by Santiago, Danielle

  Jason tapped on the driver’s window, “You good bruh?”

  Staring straight ahead, Zay nodded his head up and down.

  Jason looked over at Joey then back at Zay, “we’re going to go ahead and get on the jet.”

  “We’ll be on there in a minute,” Zay said breaking his silence. Walking away Jason wondered, how in the hell did sis-in-law get tied up in this shit?

  Zay looked over at Joey and calmly stated, “You whack and you just as shady as Evan is. That’s the real reason you didn’t tell me about this bullshit.”

  “I just told you why I didn’t tell you at first.”

  “Because a bitch texted me. You gon’ ride with that excuse?”

  “It ain’t no excuse it’s the truth.”

  “I don’t care if you caught me fucking a hoe in our bed!” he exclaimed thunderously. “You don’t keep no shit like this from me! That’s how I know it’s more to this story than you’re telling and that’s why you didn’t tell me a long time ago.”

  “There is nothing that I’m not telling you,” Joey screamed with tears spilling from her eyes.

  “Why is this muhfucka saying you owe him?”

  “I don’t know!” she shouted.

  “What the fuck ever you lying ass bitch!”

  Anger over came Joey, “I’m a liar? I’m grimy? Fuck you Zay! This morning I was the best wife in the world when you were drunk! Now my word don’t mean shit? Go fuck yourself.” she got out the car.

  Zay hurried out and shot around to the front of the car and got in her face. Snarling less than an inch from her face he said, “Because you’re my wife, I haven’t wrapped my hands around your throat and choked your ass out. Isaac, my aunt’s only child, almost died! The money and the work that was taken I have to replace! All because of some dumb shit you silly ass hoes did.”

  “On my kids I swear to you Zay,” she pleaded. “I don’t have anything to do with this.”

  Zay knew whenever Joey swore on their kids she was telling the absolute truth. Though he felt a twinge of relief that she didn’t have anything to do with Evan’s mess, he was still vexed that Joey hadn’t told him what she’d learned about Evan.

  “Okay so maybe you didn’t have anything to do with it, but you still kept something so serious from me and look what happened.”

  “I’m not wearing the blame for this,” Joey spat, “this shit comes with the game! If it hadn’t been this muthafucka that’s stalking Evan it would have been a stick-up kid. If you can’t take the bad consequences get out the game.”

  “Get out the game!” he exploded. “I was on my way out the game, but now I’m stuck in it another year all because of your hard-headed ass!”

  “Because of me how?”

  “You don’t listen! I told you ten years ago that Evan wasn’t straight. You didn’t listen. I told you that Dawhar was lusting after you and you didn’t listen,” he mushed her forehead with his index finger. “You took the nigga in your office and he beat ya ass trying to take ya pussy.”

  The tears poured faster and harder as she tried to figure out how he could bring up one of the most painful experiences of her life and throw it in her face so callously.

  “I had to deal with Dawhar because of you,” he shoved his finger against her forehead again, “you never listen.”

  “What do you mean you dealt with him?” Joey whined.

  This ain’t for her, he reminded himself. But she needs to know how what she does affects more than her. Leaning close to Joey’s ear he said, “I killed him and the only way I could do it right was to get help from Asaad. Now, I owe him another year of moving heroine.” He walked away then came back. “Before you ever tell me to get out the game again, remember you’re the reason that I can’t. You simple minded bitch.”

  ***

  After landing in Charlotte, Jason and Zay got into a waiting black Suburban driven by Donavan. They took off to check on Isaac— he was in the ICU at Carolina’s medical center. From there, Zay wanted to access the losses from the robberies. Joey and Cee got into Joey’s Range Rover which had been parked at the small private airport. Joey started the car, yanked into gear, and sped out the lot.

  “What about the bags?” Cee asked Joey.

  “They’re going to deliver them to my house,” Joey replied. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying during the entire flight.

  “You didn’t say a word on the jet. Can you tell me what’s going on now?” Cee asked genuinely concern.

  “Our dear best friend and business partner, Evan Dooley, was playing foul when she was attending Clark. Her foul ways have caught up to her.”

  “What was she doing?”

  “Evan and Gage were robbing major dealers.”

  “Shut up! You’re lying.”

  “No on the real they were. And now one of them is on her ass. Evan doesn’t know who it is and because they think I owe them money too, they robbed Zay’s stash houses last night. Stash houses that I didn’t even no existed.”

  “Wow. That shit don’t even sound real. I can’t even picture Evan’s snooty ass robbing anybody, let alone a drug dealer. When did she tell you this?”

  “The night of Petey’s funeral,” Joey answered steering the truck onto I-277. “I could get past her hiding the robberies from us, but when her past starts affecting the present and us, it’s a problem. Then there’s the night that she called us to that house after her graduation. Do you remember that?”

  “Hell yeah, that’s the night that Gage got killed.”

  “That wasn’t a drug deal, it was a robbery.”

  Goose bumps sprang up all over Cee’s body. “We could’ve been killed if someone would’ve thought we were a part of it.”

  “Exactly.” Arriving at the Luxe Enclave, Joey saw Evan’s car in her assigned space by the L-Room. “She’s here.” With Cee by her side Joey stormed into Evan’s office like a typhoon, only to find that Evan wasn’t there. “Where’s Evan?” Joey asked a passing staff member.

  “She went to a meeting.”

  “In here or the Luxe building.”

  “The meeting is off the property,” a staff member replied walking away.

  “Call her Joey,” Cee urged.

  “No I don’t want her to know I’m back until she gets here.” Joey sat behind Evan’s desk and put her feet up on it.

  ***

  “You didn’t have to walk me in,” Evan’s voice carried down the hallway as she walked toward her office hand in hand with Reza. “I’m only going to send a few emails, grab some files, then I’ll be on my way home.”

  “That’s cool and I can wait. You can ride with me and Rhamel can bring the Jag to tha crib.”

  “If you insist,” Evan crossed her office threshold and flipped the light switch up. “Joey,” she gulped a little startled to find Joey behind her desk and Cee seated in front of it. “I didn’t expect y’all back until later in the week. Is everything ok?”

  “No Bitch,” Joey replied. “Everything is not okay.”

  Reza squeezed Evan’s hand. “Maybe I should wait outside.”

  “Maybe you should stick around,” Joey offered. “Find out who you’re truly dating.”

  Completely crossed and locked in a staring match with Joey, Evan mumbled to Reza. “Go ahead babe I’m sure this won’t take long.”

  “Don’t be so sure about that babe,” Joey spat.

  Reza released her hand and backed out the room. Evan slammed her bag on the middle of her desk.

  “What the hell Joey?”

  “Who is dude?”

  “He’s my dude?”

  Joey looked at Cee. “Did you know Evan had a dude?”

  “Nope must be another secret.” Cee smirked.

  Evan turned to Cee and iced grilled her. With a dramatic roll of the eyes and neck she returned her attention to Joey.

  “Why are you in my office with your feet on my desk being disrespectful?”

  “My husband’s stash houses were robbed last night
.”

  “And what does that have to do with me?”

  “It’s the same person that’s after you and for some odd reason this jackass says that you and I owe him money.”

  “I don’t have a clue as to why they would say you owe them.”

  “Well you better get one,” Joey leapt from the chair, advancing aggressively on Evan. “Instead of going home to get some dick you need to spend your every waking hour finding out who this person is.”

  “Whoa!” Evan threw her palm up to Joey’s face. “You got the right to be mad, but you’re not going to keep disrespecting me.”

  Joey slapped her hand down. Cee jumped between them before Evan could retaliate.

  “The nerve of you,” Joey pointed over Cee at Evan. “All this crazy shit that keeps happening around here falls directly on your shoulders. You better be thanking God I ain’t drag ya ass around this bitch.”

  “Bitch if you was feeling so froggy ya ass shoulda leapt.”

  Joey reached around Cee and popped her in the jaw with a right. Evan thrusted Cee to the side and clocked Joey in the face with set of two pieces. Blocking the third combo Evan tried to land; Joey elbowed her in the neck, grabbed the back of Evan’s head and rammed her knee into Evan’s face three times. Blood splattered from Evan’s nose and mouth as she dropped to the floor. Joey reared her foot back to kick Evan, but Cee jumped in front of Evan.

  “That’s enough,” Cee screamed. “We too tight for this. Y’all gotta find a better way to get to the bottom of this.” Winded from the light brawl, Joey panted.

  “You don’t even get it Cee. This isn’t just about the robbery. It is about Ev-er-ything that has happened in the last four months. She,” Joey pointed at Evan, “didn’t pass out in front of the L-Room. She got knocked out, that’s why Rhamel is always with her and-”

  “Don’t,” Evan interjected sensing the direction that Joey was going in. “Not like this and no one knows for sure.”

  Cee’s face went blank as it began to dawn on her that her husband’s murder was tied to all of the craziness that Joey was speaking of. Though she’d caught on, Cee needed to hear the words said aloud.

  “What are you saying Joe?”

  “The man didn’t try to burn down your spa or the Luxe building. Only the L-Room.”

  Cee felt her body temperature escalate, the sound of her own heartbeat filled her ears, and her head felt as if it was swelling. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply to try to calm herself, it usually did the trick. Not this time. Cee opened her eyes, all she saw was blood. Glaring at Evan she spewed.

  “You grimy-grimy bottom of the barrel low life selfish bitch. You knew from the start and you didn’t say one fucking word!” she shrilled. “If my kids didn’t have just me I would hop on your ass and beat you ‘til you stop breathing!”

  Wincing in pain Evan stood up, “I’m so sorry Cee I-”

  “I don’t want your pitiful apology. I want my husband! You can’t give him back though. Unless you’re coming to tell me the name of the bastard that killed my Petey, don’t ever in your life speak to me again. You too.” She looked from Evan to Joey. “I’m done here. I don’t want to be friends or business partners with either of you.”

  “What?” Joey squealed. “This is Evan’s mess! I don’t have anything to do with it.”

  “You had an idea and you said nothing. Nothing! Therefore, I have nothing to say to you!” Cee’s word cut into Joey real deep.

  Grabbing one handle of her unzipped yellow Celine Boston bag, she snatched it from Evan’s desk. The contents of the purse flew through the air and her Chanel compact crashed onto the floor, popped open, and an ounce of cocaine dispersed into the air. Evan and Joey both zeroed in on the white powder. Together their eyes traveled up from the cocaine to Cee, who bent down collecting her items.

  How could I not recognize all the signs? Joey asked herself

  Feeling their eyes, Cee looked up as she tossed the last item in her purse.

  “Guess the cats out the bag! And I don’t give a fuck. Take your judgment and shove it up your big asses!”

  ***

  Pulling into the Luxe Enclave parking lot Jason asked Donavan, “Does that look like the dude that stuck y’all?” he pointed to an unfamiliar man standing in front of the L-Room.

  “Nah that ain’t him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah that don’t look nothing like him and the nigga that hit us had nasty scar from his forehead to his chin.”

  “We’re not going to find this faggot that easy. Y’all might have to hit the strip clubs and jewelry stores, find out who’s spending more than usual,” Zay said staring out the passenger window at the man posted in front of the L-Room, there was a familiarity about him.

  “I don’t even think that’s going to work. Whoever this silly nigga is, he’s far from stupid. He had to do his homework to find the stash spots. Evan’s sorry ass is going to tell me every dealer that they ever hit.” Zay opened the passenger door and got out.

  Moving toward the L-Room’s entrance, Zay kept his eye trained on the stranger. Although Donavan didn’t identify him as the robber, in Zay’s mind any new face was suspect. As he got closer, Zay thought, It can’t be.

  “Reza?”

  Reza looked from his phone. “Oh shit, Zay my man! What’s really good my nigga?” Grinning hard he dapped Zay and embraced him.

  For sure Zay was in a horrible mood, but he and Reza had history. Fifteen years earlier, Reza was Zay’s go-to cocaine supplier. The pair had more than a business relationship, they hung out and traveled together leisurely. They rightfully considered themselves friends.

  Beaming Reza said, “I wondered if you still lived in Charlotte, I was hoping to bump into you.”

  “How long you been out?”

  “Almost seven months. This is crazy running into you here. I thought that I would catch you in the strip club.”

  “I be in there every now and then, but not how I used to be. What you doing in the QC though?”

  “I came down to visit this lil broad I fuck with, waiting for her to get off right now. Yo, I might be staying out here for a while.”

  “Who is she?” Zay asked. “One of the waitresses or a manager?”

  “No, one of the owners, Evan.”

  The mention of Evan’s name ruined Zay’s momentary excitement of seeing an old friend.

  “You fucking with that bitch?”

  “Yeah, is she one of your pieces or something?”

  “Fuck no!” Zay retorted. “My wife, Joey is an owner too.”

  “You got married? Not you playboy. All them hoes you had.”

  “Yeah I had to put my guns on the shelf, but fuck all that right now. Keep ya eyes open around that bitch she ain’t straight.”

  “Sheesh,” Reza whistled. “I know she has a past, hell we all do.”

  Judging by Reza’s tone and body language, Zay felt like that Reza was speaking from experience.

  “What do you know about her past?”

  “Our paths crossed a long time ago and not in a good way.”

  Zay knew that Reza had been robbed years ago by a male-female around the same time that Evan and Gage would’ve been doing their thing. “Hold up Reza, she wasn’t the bitch that set you up?”

  “Yes,” he admitted reluctantly.

  “And now getting down with her? With her? Where the fuck they do that at?”

  “It’s not so black and white with me and Evan. On the inside I converted to Islam, I learned to forgive. Back then she was young and that bullshit nigga she was with had her mind. He was going to kill me and she didn’t let him.”

  “All that sounds good, but you wouldn’t be with her on some revenge type shit playing mind games with her?”

  “Yo Zay, you know me. You know how I get down; if I wanted some get back I would’ve just got it. I don’t play no games.”

  Being that Zay did know Reza to be no nonsense and direct, he accepted his word. For now. Somet
hing just wasn’t right about a man being able to forgive such grave transgression. “Reza just stay on point. Snakes don’t change, they just shed their skin.”

  The L-Room’s double glass doors flew apart capturing the men’s attention. Cee steamed rolled out with Joey at her heel shouting, “Cee wait a minute. Please hear me out.”

  Cee suddenly halted causing Joey to almost run into her back. Spinning around on one heel Cee faced Joey down. “What is it you have to say? What! What! What!” she yelled.

  “I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry and-”

  “Your sorry don’t mean jack shit to me.”

  “But Cee,”

  “Shut up and listen for once! It’s my turn to talk! What you did hurts the worst because you have a husband! Standing here with no doubt in my mind I can tell you if our roles were reversed and Zay had died that night. If I had an inkling,” she held her index and thumb up to Joey’s face pressing them as close together as she could without touching, “the smallest iota about the who, the what, the when, the where, or the why. I would’ve come to you, even if I was ninety-nine point eight percent sure about the who, the what, the when, the where, or the why. So there is nothing you can say to me to rationalize that bullshit you did. I never knew that I would live to see the day that I would say this to you,” Cee paused to make sure she was truly conveying what she felt. “I hate you. I fucking hate you.”

  * * *

  The footage of Joey and Evan fighting played out on a thin sixty-five inch smart television that hung on a honey sickle colored family room wall in the home of John Doe’s girlfriend. Sitting on the edge of a brown suede ottoman, money from the robbery at his feet, John Doe stared at the smart TV with a wide smile plastered across his face. He loved seeing the destruction that he was causing in the women’s lives.

  “Damn Joey fucking Evan up,” he pulled on the blunt. “I didn’t even know her pretty ass could fight.”

  “Oh you think she pretty?” his girlfriend slapped him upside the back of the head.