“You want to go around again?” Tre asked Mia when he saw that they were back at the starting point.
“Man, we already went around two times,” Mia complained.
“And we’re going around again, so let’s go,” Tre ordered.
“Tre I’m tired. It feels like I’m carrying around fifty extra pounds on swollen feet,” Mia replied.
“Stop whining and start walking. Fucking around with you and my daughter ain’t gon’ never come out,” Tre fussed.
Mia sucked her teeth and started walking without saying anything else. Tre laughed because she was walking faster than she was before. Her faster stride was now fueled by anger, but it was all good with him. Being pregnant had Mia’s attitude changing at the drop of a dime. She was just smiling and talking to him a few minutes earlier. Now she was trying to stomp a hole through the pavement because she was pissed. Tre walked a little faster to keep up with her, all the while thinking that his daughter would be here in no time if she kept going at that rate.
Chapter 23
It took a week of begging and kissing up, but Rainey was finally able to get her car back from her mother. Nicole could be a bitch when she wanted to be, and Rainey knew not to go too far with her. She didn’t care how grown she was. Her mother wouldn’t hesitate to pop her in the mouth if she felt like it was needed. She hated having to be in the same car with Carter all the time, especially because she knew that he didn’t like her. He was always saying that she complained too much, but Rainey had valid reasons to speak her mind. When Chase told her that some shit popped off, he wasn’t lying. The Backpage advertising services that they used had been compromised, and they were afraid to use it. One of their other brothers said that an undercover detective had been calling setting up appointments, and a few of his girls went to jail as a result. That happened back in Mississippi, but Chase and Carter were still being extra careful. Rainey was pissed when they had her and London standing in front of the store across the street from the motel. She felt like a prostitute for real, but Chase was all about his money. A few of their regular clients still had his phone number, but he was trying to lure in some new prospects. London really didn’t mind, but Rainey felt like a cheap two dollar whore.
“I think one of our regular customers called Chase just now. He told him to be here in thirty minutes,” London said when she walked over to them.
That was music to Rainey’s ears because she was tired of standing outside looking like she was on display. Carter had a few of his girls already set up with clients while he went somewhere with one of their brothers. Chase had already collected the money for him, so he didn’t have to worry about getting paid. Rainey smiled when she saw Chase walking over to where she was, but her smile faded when she realized that he was on the phone. Chase was an entirely different person when he was on the phone with his girlfriend, and Rainey knew that’s who he was talking to at the moment.
“How much do you need baby?’ Chase asked in a voice that Rainey didn’t even recognize.
He was so sensitive and sweet when he talked to her. It made her sick to her stomach every time that she had to hear it. He was motioning with his hands for Rainey and London to follow him across the street to the motel, and they did so with no questions asked.
“Now what?” Rainey asked loud enough for the person on the phone to hear.
Chase looked at her and frowned, but she shrugged and rolled her eyes like she really didn’t care how he felt. London nudged her, sending a silent warning for her to chill out, but Rainey wasn’t worried about her either.
“Okay, give me a few minutes and I’ll go to the store up the street and wire it to you,” Chase promised before disconnecting his call.
“Why did you tell us to come over here if we don’t have any customers?” Rainey snapped.
“Your flip ass mouth is really starting to piss me off. You need to learn how to shut the fuck up sometimes,” Chase yelled.
“Do you want us to go freshen up or something Chase?” London asked trying to stop an argument from starting between the two of them.
“Yeah,” he answered. “I got somebody coming through in a minute. I have to make a run once they get here, but I won’t be too long.”
“Okay, let’s go Rainey,” London said while pulling her friend along.
Rainey followed her, but snatched away as soon as they were behind the closed door.
“Stop pulling on me,” Rainey ordered.
“Girl you need to chill out. You’re going to say the wrong thing one day and Chase is going to snap on your ass,” London warned.
“Girl fuck Chase! That nigga got us in here fucking for dollars while he’s sending all of the money home to his bitch,” Rainey fumed.
“He don’t have us doing anything. We’re doing this because we need the money or did you forget? You are unemployed now, so this is your only source of income. I’m not about to let you ruin this for me. I’ve saved up enough money to get my apartment, and now I’m working to furnish it,” London replied.
“Whatever. You can be a fool if you want to, but I’m not the one.”
“I was a fool when I was fucking for free. At least I’m getting paid to give it up now. You’re just heated because you caught feelings for that nigga, and he don’t feel the same way. As much as I fuck Carter I’m not confusing that with love. I know he got a few baby mamas in Mississippi and probably a few here too.”
“Whatever,” Rainey snapped as she grabbed her cosmetic bag and walked into the bathroom.
She hated to admit it, but London was right. She had fallen hard for Chase and the feelings were not mutual. He never told her that it was anything more than sex, but his actions sometimes showed her otherwise. Either way it went she was stuck in her situation for the time being. Chase provided some much needed income and Rainey couldn’t just walk away from that right now.
***
“Michelle be ready to peel out as soon as I get back to the car,” Paige instructed her sister-in-law.
“I got you, just keep the door open and I’ll be ready,” Michelle promised.
Paige had been calling Carter for the past week, but he kept blowing her off. He owed her another five hundred dollars from the last time that she worked for him, and he was refusing to pay. He usually paid up every night, but he ended up sending his mother some money, and he promised to have it for her the next night. At first he was telling her that they would hook up soon, but the night before he flat out told her that she wasn’t getting shit from him. Of course, Paige wasn’t having that. She got with Michelle and together they planned to put in work. She knew that Carter’s car was his pride and joy, and she was about to take that away from him. Paige had a baseball bat and a small canister of gasoline ready to do some damage. Once she did that, she planned to alert the police of his and Chase’s suspicious activity in hopes of getting them arrested. If her plan worked like she wanted it to then, London and Rainey would be going down too. Paige still had it in for them, and they had it coming too. She was happy that her rent was paid up for a few months, and she had some money saved. If not, she would be homeless and living with her brother once again.
“I don’t see his car out here,” Paige said as she scanned the parking lot for Carter’s car.
He usually parked in the same spot, but he obviously wasn’t there at the moment. Or maybe he was there, and Chase was driving his car like he did sometimes.
“What do you want to do now?” Michelle asked. “We can come back later, or we can wait until another time. It’s isolated out here, so today would have been perfect.”
“I know, that’s why I wanted to come kind of late. He’s usually here all night,” Paige replied while still looking around.
“Let’s just go. Maybe we can come back tomorrow night,” Michelle suggested as she made a U-turn in the parking lot.
Paige was kind of aggravated that she couldn’t accomplish what she’s set out to do, but it was out of her hands for now.
&
nbsp; “Wait!” Paige yelled causing Michelle to stomp on her brakes.
“Girl don’t scream like that while I’m driving.”
“My bad, but I need you to turn around. That looks like that bitch Rainey’s car over there,” Paige said.
“Girl where?” Michelle asked excitedly.
She lived for drama, and she was ready to see some action. Michelle turned around and haded towards the Maxima that Paige had just pointed out to her. She pulled up on the side of it while Paige got out to make sure it was the right car.
“Yeah, that’s her car. I see that Landry bumper sticker on the back,” Paige confirmed.
“Go handle your business then. You might not be able to get Carter, but getting that bitch is just as good,” Michelle instigated.
She didn’t have to tell Paige twice, though. She grabbed the wooden baseball bat and walked up to Rainey’s car. She didn’t think twice before she swung the bat and busted out the back window. The alarm sounded, but Paige wasn’t done. She poured some of the gasoline from her canister all over the area where the back window used to be. When Paige lit the match, Rainey and London came running out of the room just in time to see Rainey’s car go up in flames.
“You crazy bitch!” Rainey yelled to Paige’s departing back as she ran and hopped in the car with Michelle.
Paige flipped her middle finger at her while laughing uncontrollably as they drove away. Rainey wanted to scream as she watched the interior of her car go up in flames. Calling the police was out of the question because Chase and Carter weren’t going for that. There was no way in hell that she could tell her mother what was going on. Nicole was bound to flip out once she saw the damage that was once Rainey’s Maxima. Right them and there Rainey made up her mind to just stay away from home for a while. She knew that Chase wouldn’t mind because that meant more money for him. It was times like these that Rainey wished that she could call upon Mia and Tre for help. She knew that Von would come to her rescue, but that meant him finding out what she had been doing. She was embarrassed enough, so that was a chance that she was not willing to take.
Chapter 24
“Dang Mia, I can’t believe that your five days overdue,” Brandis said as they sat at the dining room table at Von’s house and played cards.
It was Christmas Eve, and her girl was feeling down. Brandis didn’t have anything to do, so she and Duke decided to spend the day with their best friends. Von and Lamar had gone to one of Von’s brother’s house, and Tanya was busy with her workers fulfilling her Christmas orders.
“Girl I can’t believe it either. I’ve been walking every day, sometimes twice a day. I’m so miserable. I have to sleep in the recliner because it feels like I’m smothering when I sleep in the bed. This is a stubborn ass little girl,” Mia fussed.
“I wonder where she gets that from,” Tre mumbled under his breath.
“You shut up Tre. You better enjoy this one because you’ll never get another one,” Mia swore.
“She has to get here first before I can talk about enjoying her,” Tre replied.
“My Goddaughter is getting y’all together, and she’s not even here yet,” Brandis laughed.
“What did the doctor tell you, Mia?” Duke asked.
“I saw him two days ago, and he said that everything was fine. I’m only dilated one centimeter, though. He said that if I don’t have her by my next appointment then he’s going to induce my labor. I heard that shit hurts so I hope not,” Mia answered.
“She might be waiting to come on my birthday,” Tre smiled.
“Nigga you’re crazy if you think I’m carrying this load around until the New Year. Besides, my doctor’s appointment is before that, so he’s going to speed up the process,” Mia replied.
“At least y’all are well prepared for her arrival. I ain’t never seen a baby with so much shit before in my life,” Duke commented.
“Nina probably stole half of it,” Brandis said making everybody laugh.
Nina was showing up with new outfits and other things for the baby just about every day. They knew that she was a professional booster, so there was no doubt about how she got everything. Mia never said anything, though. She just thanked her and left it alone.
“Where are you going?” Tre asked Mia when she got up from the table.
“To the bathroom, where else,” she replied as she wobbled away.
Tre shook his head and laughed at her when she left. Mia’s stomach was huge and she was miserable. He felt so bad most nights because she was barely sleeping while he was getting a full eight hours and then some. She would tell him that she was okay, but he knew that she was lying. He had to buy extra pillows for their bed just so she could sleep in a sitting position. It was too uncomfortable for her to lay flat. Sometimes that still didn’t work. Many nights Tre woke up and found her sleeping in the recliner in the living room. That seems to do the trick, so he didn’t complain about sleeping alone. He was ready for everything to be over with, so that Mia could be comfortable again.
“My poor friend is so miserable,” Brandis said.
“Yeah, sis is going through it,” Duke replied.
“Yep, so I can already see how we’re going to be spending our Christmas. We’ll be right in here eating and sleeping our day away,” Tre replied with a chuckle.
“Maybe not,” Mia replied with a smirk. “My water just broke.”
“Oh shit!” Tre yelled as he jumped up and ran over to her.
He was barking out orders to Brandis and Duke while he tended to Mia. Brandis had her phone up to her ear making calls while Duke ran around and grabbed Mia and the baby’s bags. Tre helped Mia change clothes right before the four of them jumped into his truck and headed straight to the hospital.
***
“Stop me at the next gas station. I need to get me some more scratch off tickets,” Lamar told Von.
“Nigga you won fifty dollars one time and now you think you’re lucky,” Von laughed.
They were headed back home after spending a few hours at Von’s brother’s house playing dominoes. Usually Von would do something special for Christmas since it was his favorite holiday. Aside from putting up his decorations he didn’t have anything planned for this year. He thought for sure that Mia would have had the baby by now, but she was five days overdue. He planned to spend the day with his first granddaughter, but she wasn’t ready to make her grand entrance just yet.
“I win just about every time I play. Most times I just break even, but I’m cool with that too. I rather spend my money on scratch offs than on dope,” Lamar said interrupting Von’s thoughts.
“I know that’s right and I agree. But I thought you said that Nina was coming with us. Where her crazy ass at?” Von asked as he pulled into the gas station.
“She’s at her mama’s house. I’m not even rushing her to come home. She’s on this marriage shit and I ain’t trying to hear it,” Lamar replied.
“Why not?” Von inquired.
“The fuck you mean why not?” Lamar asked looking at him like he was stupid. “The bitch just threatened to kill me three days ago, that’s why not.”
“Man, you know she don’t mean that shit. But seriously, you better stop fucking over her. She just might make good on her threats one day.”
“I didn’t even do shit. I came in from work and she just started bitching about me never spending time with her. I told her to sit her stupid ass down and the bitch pulled a blade on me,” Lamar said shaking his head.
“Damn,” Von replied as he doubled over with laughter.
“You want a beer or something out of here?” Lamar said before he got out of the car.
“No, a bottle of water will do me fine” Von replied.
He watched his friend get out of the car and smiled to himself. Lamar had come a long way and Von was proud of him. He’d been off of the drugs for months and he’d been working every day without fail. He’d picked his weight up and he was looking like the best friend that Von remembered year
s ago. Lamar was determined to do better and Von was determined to help him.
“Man, I appreciate what you’re doing, but you don’t have to handle me with kid’s gloves. I’m good,” Lamar said when he got back in the car.
“What the fuck is you talking about?” Von asked.
“Since when did you stop drinking?”
“Who said that I stopped drinking?” Von questioned.
“I can’t recall the last time that we went to your brother’s house and you didn’t drink at least one beer. As a matter of fact, nobody was drinking now that I think about it,” Lamar observed.
“It ain’t that I’m trying to handle you with kid gloves. I just know that addiction is not something to play with. I applaud you for giving up the drugs and alcohol. I know it’s a daily struggle and I’m not trying to tempt you. I don’t ever want to bring your past demons anywhere around you if I can help it,” Von replied.
“I thank you for that man, but I’m not going back to that shit. It’s bad enough that Mia had to see me at my lowest. I don’t want my granddaughter to ever know that side of me. She’s not even here yet and I want to do better for her already.”
“That’s what’s up,” Von said as he reached over and gave his boy dap.
He started his car and was pulling out of the parking lot until Lamar stopped him.
“Aye, ain’t that Rainey over there? The fuck she doing out here this time of night?” Lamar wondered.
“Where?” Von inquired while scanning the parking lot.
When Lamar pointed her out, Von turned his car around and headed in her direction. There were a few people still hanging around, but that was nothing new. They were in one of the roughest areas in New Orleans East, but Von was unfazed. He turned his car off and hopped out followed by Lamar. Rainey was busy talking to some young nigga, and she didn’t even see them coming.
“What the hell are you doing out here this time of night Rainey?” Von yelled as he walked over to his Goddaughter.
Rainey’s head snapped around in shock once she recognized Von’s voice. When she saw him and Lamar standing there, she felt a mixture of fear and embarrassment. There was no explanation that she could give as to why she was hanging in an area that was a haven for prostitutes. Wearing what she had on wouldn’t help her argument too much if she did. Her low-rise jeans, belly shirt and heavy make-up were a dead giveaway. Von looked like he was hurt while Lamar had an amused, but disgusted look on his face. Rainey couldn’t help, but notice how good Lamar was looking these days, but now was not the time for her to point that out. The potential client that she was talking to walked off as soon as the two frowning men walked up.
Creepin' 3: A New Orleans Love Story Page 17