by Kia
“Where? Don’t forget we still ain’t cool.”
“Girl, you was just sucking on my dick.” He looked me up and down as smoke came out of his nose.
“I’m not the same woman I was three hours ago,” I said with much confidence. I even held my nose high.
He smirked. “Put some clothes on and ride with a nigga.”
“Where we going?” I asked.
“Just come on.”
Chapter Nineteen
Milo
“Where them young niggas go?” Pinky asked me as she walked into the trap.
“Back to where they came from,” I said.
“It’s mighty quiet around here. I knew something was up. But what’s up? Wanna go out today?” she asked as she sat next to me on the couch.
“I already went out with Divine the other day.”
She rolled her eyes. “You sure have been spending extra time with that bitch.”
“Why she a bitch today?”
“She taking my best friend. You ain’t even been home.”
“Shit, who else gonna watch the trap?” I asked.
“You can always find something else to do.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but we can figure it out for sure. I don’t like this either. It isn’t safe,” she said as she pulled out some ice cream from a plastic bag.
“So what’s been up with you and Glory? You dead ass in an open relationship with this nigga.” I laughed.
She rolled her eyes. “Not like you think. I guess we just… um—”
“Sharing that nigga. That’s what y’all doing.”
“Whatever. But you ain’t got a man, right? As a matter of fact, ain’t you sharing Kipp with Neiman too?” she asked.
“Kipp a lil’ issue and that’s it. Nothing serious.”
“Whatever.”
Knock Knock Knock
“I got it,” I said as I grabbed my strap and checked the peep hole. It was someone I’d never seen before.
“Whats up?” I asked as I stood there looking confused. It was more than likely a customer, but I had to be sure.
“I need an ounce,” the man said.
“You strapped?” I asked.
“Nah, ma.” He laughed.
I finally opened the door and frisked him while Pinky made sure no one else was outside.
“I’ll get it,” Pinky said as she walked to the back.
“Damn, how y’all gonna make money, and y’all scared to open the door for niggas?” the young man asked.
He seemed to stand at 5’11”, pale dark skin, a fresh cut, and nice bone structures in his face. His teeth looked like J Cole’s teeth, but he was still straight.
“It’s just how it is around here. I mean, it’s just us,” I said.
“Just y’all here? Can I sit down?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure, so he just sat down anyway.
“Sure, have a seat,” I said sarcastically.
“Here it is,” Pinky said handing it to me.
“How much?” he asked. I told him the price. “Damn, prices went up for an ounce or some shit?”
“It’s been like that. Where you been?” I asked.
“I been locked up the last few years, so shit, I ain’t know,” he said as he paid me and walked to the door. “Let me piss real quick,” he said as a last thought.
Before I could say no, he was already walking to the back.
“Who the fuck is this nigga?” Pinky asked when she peeped the look on my face.
“I don’t know.” I waited by the door until he came out.
“Damn, you for real, huh?” he asked when he came out the bathroom and saw me standing there with my strap.
“As ever,” I said as I followed him to the door.
“What’s your name, though? You cute.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s Milo, and I don’t fuck with clients.”
“And what’s your name?” Pinky asked as she folded her hands and tapped her feet.
“Oh, me? I’m Adrian. But they call me AJ.”
Chapter Twenty
Divine
“I’m only here for the free food,” I said to Ali as I put my purse down and sat in the chair that he’d just pulled out for me.
He laughed. “Sure.”
“I’m serious,” I seriously lied.
“Well, whatever the reason, I’m just happy that you decided to join me.”
After meeting with him and Glory earlier, Ali contacted me and invited to an upscale restaurant called A Fish Called Avalon. As much as I wanted to catch ghost, I decided to come. It was something about Ali that I liked. It’s like, he let me do things on my time, and didn’t rush me into spending time with him. He didn’t rush me at all.
“Hello, I will be your waitress for the day. Are you two ready to order food and drinks or just drinks for now?” she asked, looking at Ali and I.
Ali looked over at me.
“Just white wine for now,” I said.
“And for you?” she asked Ali.
“I’ll get whatever the lady gets.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back with your drinks,” she said as she pranced away.
I would definitely be leaving a tip. Just for her being so energetic and taking pride in her job. Often, waitresses didn’t get enough credit.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he said as he placed the menu to the side.
“You look well too,” I said, trying to avoid the steep eye contact that he was giving me.
Ali was so fine, like an African King. Tall, dark and handsome is what most would describe him ass.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked.
“Nothing. Why would you ask that shit?”
He laughed. “Calm down. I only said that because of the fit that you threw earlier.”
“Oh, man, it’s so much. I don’t wanna bother you with my luggage.”
“Try me.”
“I’m okay.”
He paused before speaking. “You know, Divine, I’ve noticed things about you.”
“Like what?”
“Why are you so quick to take on the problems of the world, but not so willing to open up to someone willing to listen?”
“Are you willing to listen?” I asked with a raised brow.
“Yes, Divine. I am.”
I crossed my legs. “What got you so pressed about me?” I asked.
“I wish I knew the exact reason.”
As we experienced a moment of silence, the waitress brought our drinks back and took our food orders. Then there was a brief silence again until I finally spoke.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked.
“Are you really gay?”
“Yes. Why’d you ask?”
“Because I don’t feel it. Tell me,” he said as he took a sip of his wine.
“Tell you what?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable.
“What did the last man do to you?”
“He changed my life and made me a mere mortal again. I guess. That’s what you think, right?” I asked as I also took a sip of my wine.
“Not at all. You said that, not me. I’m not here to assume. That’s why I asked a question.”
“Well, I had two men who made a major impact. One was my ex named Adrian. The other was a guy named Slick, who my cousin is fucking now, by the way.”
“And how do you feel about it?”
“I feel nothing. But she’s so naïve that she’s letting him change her, like he changed me. You saw the way she acted when she came in?” I asked as I thought about the ass whipping that Malina had coming her way.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s been in Dallas, and I’m sure he told her that I advised him to stay away from her.”
“And why did you tell him to stay away?”
“Because that’s how she got kidnapped. Months ago, she told me that Bishop had someone watching Slick because he knew that Malina wouldn’t stay away. And besides tha
t, she’s just on some beef shit for no damn reason.”
“With you?”
“With her damn self.”
“Well, it’s clear that there is a huge misunderstanding. So why not talk to her?” he asked as he checked his phone and put it back on the table.
“She’s dick whipped. There’s no coming back from that right now. She will have to see for herself.”
“I understand,” was all he responded, but I felt the need to continue talking. The way he locked eyes and paid attention to my words, I felt like I was talking to Chola.
“But I don’t want us to fall out over a no good nigga that I don’t even think twice about. When Bishop kidnapped her-”
“Who is this Bishop that you speak of?” he asked, cutting me off.
I laughed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t explain who he was. Bishop is someone who I thought was a friend, but he ended up setting me up, and kidnapped Malina, which you heard about.”
“Oh, okay. Keep going,” he said as he nodded.
“When Bishop kidnapped her, I realized how small any argument was when it came to a life being saved. And she seems to have forgotten that quick,” I said as I began to get sad.
“And you see the bigger picture, right?”
“Exactly.”
“You know, Divine, Glory told me a lot about you. And everyone who is someone knows that you’re the real deal around town. With money comes demons, and they come in all forms. Most of the time, they come in the form of friends and family.”
“Yeah, I know. I keep hearing that,” I said as Chola came to mind once again.
“So what’s next?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Now you see a pattern and the problems. So what are you going to do now? You’re a business woman, and you can’t afford to have negative energies around you.”
“So what do you propose that I do?” I asked as I leaned forward. I was now locked in to everything he was saying. I’d never thought of my situation that way.
“First of all, why are they living there with you if that’s where most of your problems come from? Or why are you there?”
“I’m there because Malina and Neiman will kill each other if I’m not around.”
“That’s not your problem. As a matter of fact, what is your problem?” he asked.
“My problem is someone trying to kill me and he’s still out there.”
“And that’s enough right there,” he said as the waitress brought our food out.
I waited until she left to reply. “But we’ve already lost one cousin, and I don’t want us to lose another one.”
“Who’d you lose? I believe I missed that part.”
“Nyssa. She got caught up in all of this mess and died right in front of us. She was killed.”
“By who?”
“Bishop.”
“So, this Bishop guy seems to be a huge problem,” he said as he took a bite of his fish.
“Was a huge problem. He’s dead now.”
“That’s good, right?” he asked.
“Not really. It’s deeper than you think. And it’s all… family,” I hesitated to say. I was just now starting to see that everyone was right. But how could I leave them in the dark?
“So you see…”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“What did your girlfriend say to do?” he asked.
“She told me to kill them.”
“That’s a little extreme.”
“Chola is extreme.”
“I see. So here’s what I think. I think if you don’t do something soon, your family will be the downfall of you. Also, this is not the right business for you to be in. Why not introduce Glory to Chola and invest your money?”
“I thought about that. But if Glory gets over on Chola, she will get at me for me for introducing them.”
“Why are you friends with a guy that you have doubts about?”
“Same reason I’m on this date. I try to see the good in people until they prove me wrong,” I said as I looked around and noticed that the crowd was becoming scarce.
“Have I given you a bad vibe?” he asked as he put his fork down.
“No, you haven’t. But I am in a relationship, so I shouldn’t be here.”
“But you are…”
“Because I—”
“Want to be here. That’s why,” he said, cutting me off.
“Well, I guess you’re right.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Malina
The next morning…
“It’s about time,” I said to AJ as he walked up to me at our designated meet up spot.
“Man, I don’t know how to work this GPS shit on no damn iPhone 6. How many iPhones they gonna make anyway?” he asked as we walked around the market, pretending to shop.
While I was in Dallas, I had a little chat with a DA over some evidence that I got from Bishop. The only proof that they had of AJ killing Kenny and ’nem was video footage of him leaving out the back of the warehouse that the bodies were linked to. And he took the fall to show that he was loyal to his shady ass brother. Well, Bishops attention hungry ass recorded him killing the three young niggas and I took it right to the D.A. And AJ was presumed to be at wrong place at the wrong time. He was nowhere in camera view when Bishop killed them, so it was no way they could link him to it. So they had to let him go immediately. The longer they kept him, the more they would catch slack for wrongly convicting a black man.
“So, did you peep the trap house that I sent you to? That’s where Divine be,” I said.
His flight landed one day ago, and I had him in a hotel. I also gave him a phone, money for an Uber and the address to where Divine hangs out. He was furious at how Divine had left him in prison and cut all communication. It pissed him off even more when he found out that she had all the bread in the world. This is what I wanted… to ruin her life like she was trying to ruin mine.
“Yeah, but it was just two big booty hoes in there. I peeped the whole house out, and Divine was nowhere to be found.”
“She watching how she moves now.”
“So, how in the hell am I supposed to find her?”
“I’ll give you the address to our spot.”
He smiled. “Say no more.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Milo
“You’re just going to leave the furniture here?” I asked Divine as me, her and Ali moved the last bag to the back of a rented SUV truck that Ali hooked up for us.
“Yeah, I don’t want to bring no extra attention,” she said as Ali shut the back of the trunk.
“Do Malina and Neiman know where you’re moving to?” I asked.
“No, and I would like it to stay that way. I don’t want anyone to know where I live. If anyone wants to meet me, it will have to be in public,” she said as we all hopped into the SUV to head to her new condo in Ft Lauderdale. She was about to be ducked off for real.
“How’s everything going at the trap?” Ali asked as he pulled off.
I sighed. “I honestly don’t want to do that anymore. I’m always so scared to let people in, and I end up not making any money.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say anything? I’m looking for a car salesman at one of my dealerships. Preferably a woman.”
“Really? How much do you pay?”
“The base pay is sixteen dollars an hour. But you also get a great amount of commission because I have endless business at my dealerships.”
“You better jump on that,” Divine said.
“I am. Believe me. So when do I need to apply?” I asked.
“Just come in the morning and I will have you fill out paper work and get you started with training.”
“Wow, thanks so much, Ali. Or should I thank Divine?” I joked.
“Why?” She asked.
“Girl, he sweet on you. So he’s helping me.”
He laughed as he looked into the rearview. “That’s one of the reasons, but nah, you cool. A
nd I hate to see a woman stuck in the predicament that you’re in. Safety is extremely important to me, and I assure your safety at any of my establishment. I have security.”
“Thank you. Can’t wait,” I said.
Then he and Divine engaged in small talk. I honestly didn’t know Ali was this cool of a guy.
Chapter Twenty-Three
AJ
Later that night…
“The bitch thinks I’m here to get my girl back. Dumb ass,” I said to Percy as we sat on the couch of his hotel suite and smoked a blunt.
“That’s what I’m saying. Malina just dick sprung off that nigga Slick, so she got some kinda complex with Divine.”
“That’s a good thing, though. The more isolated Divine is, the more vulnerable she is,” I said. But the look on his face told me different. “Right?”
“Nah, fam. That bitch got soldiers now. It’s hard to get to her.”
“I know. In public. But I got her address here and a spare key.”
“Swear to God,” he said as he leaned up in excitement and passed me the blunt.
“I swear. She a sitting duck.”
“Word up,” he said as he smiled.
My phone started to ring. It was Malina.
“Yo?”
“Go to the condo now. She should be there,” Malina said before hanging up.
“Who was that?” Percy asked when he peeped the smile on my face.
“Malina. She say Divine should be at the crib now,” I said before he grabbed his keys and led me to his broke down rental.
“Man, this ’bout to be the easiest come up ever. I know Divine got them bricks. She been poppin’ big shit since she been on to her connect,” Percy said as I put the address into my phone then handed it to him.
“If not, Chola will pay big money to get her bitch back,” I said as my smile turned into a frown.
Fuck Divine and whatever she was going through. What type of bitch leave her nigga when he gets locked up? I could see if she was broke, but the bitch out here getting to the gwap and ain’t sent me shit. Had me sitting in prison with my stomach touching my back and shit. Who the hell she thought she was? So now, I was ’bout to take that bitch for every fucking thing she had. Then I was going to kill her, just like I gave Percy the okay to have Bishop killed.