“Okay, I got you,” Asha said as she read back the order to her customer.
She grabbed her duffle bag and prepared the order that was requested. Asha didn’t want anyone coming to their house, so she always met the customers somewhere or made drop offs.
“Aye, I need a favor,” Quincy requested.
“What’s up?” Asha asked.
“I need you to bring me to the gas station and to get my bike,” Quincy replied.
He was out with a few of his boys the night before and his bike stopped on him when he was on his way home. Asha had to come to his rescue, but he left his bike parked in a strip mall that wasn’t too far from where he’d stopped.
“You need to go get your damn car. That raggedly ass bike is gonna kill you,” Asha fussed.
“I wish I could get my shit. Kelly is still on her bullshit though,” Quincy replied.
“Fuck her. That bitch better be lucky that she’s your wife,” Asha fumed.
“Play dumb if you want to. You better not try to play with my wife and I mean that shit,” Quincy warned.
“I’m not trying to do nothing to her stupid ass. Like I just said, she better be happy that she’s your wife and the mother of my nephews,” Asha repeated.
“She don’t have to be happy for shit. Stop acting like we weren’t wrong. I fucked another bitch in my house and you knew about the shit,” Quincy acknowledged.
“Whatever,” Asha said, rolling her eyes.
Her brothers had her spoiled and she hated whenever they chastised her about anything. Quincy loved his wife to death. He wasn’t about to let Asha play with her like she’d done to his other brother’s girlfriends. She went too far at times and he wasn’t having it. Kelly was Asha’s favorite sister-in-law at one time, but she couldn’t stand her ass anymore. She didn’t care if she was wrong or not, she didn’t appreciate Kelly putting her hands on her.
“Let’s go,” Quincy ordered as she grabbed her duffel bag and followed him outside.
Asha took her brother to the gas station to fill up his gas can. They went to where his bike was parked and Quincy filled up his tank. Asha was pissed that he kept his gas can in the trunk of her car because she hated the smell. Once she was done with him, Asha headed to the hair salon to make her some quick cash. When she pulled up, there was nowhere to park. Asha pulled in on the side of the building behind another car and quickly hopped out.
Asha was all smiles when she walked into the shop, until she saw Demi and Lacey standing there talking to one of the stylists. Asha remembered being a bloated, fat pig when she was pregnant with Cam’s son, but Demi looked flawless. Her smooth chocolate skin glowed like a night light and she hadn’t gained any weight. Her stomach was huge, but that was the biggest thing on her body. Demi looked like she’d just gotten a fresh sew-in and was about to get it styled. When their eyes connected, Asha felt smaller than an ant. There she was, selling hair for a living, while Demi was a successful attorney. Still, Asha held her head high and walked over to the stylist who she was there to meet. None of the women knew her and Demi’s history, so she had no reason to be embarrassed.
“It’s almost that time Demi!” another stylist yelled from across the room.
“Yes, and I can’t wait,” Demi replied as she eased down in the chair to get her hair curled.
“I know Cam can’t wait,” Demi’s stylist chimed in.
“He’s excited, but not more than his mama. She’s gonna be the babysitter when we go back to work,” Demi replied.
“They might as well start working on another one. CJ is gonna be my auntie’s baby,” Lacey said, making Asha snap her neck around to face her.
Cam and his bitch had gone entirely too far with their bullshit. Asha had been calling her baby CJ since she found out she was having a boy. Apparently, Cam and Demi had adopted the same nickname too. Asha wanted to cry as she listened to them talk back and forth like she wasn’t standing there. Once her business was handled and she’d been paid for her products, Asha rushed out the door, tears stinging her eyes with every step. She jumped in her car and held her head back to keep the liquid pain from sliding down her face. Her first mind told her to go back inside and stomp that baby right from Demi’s stomach.
When she looked at the car that she was parked behind, she got an even better idea. Demi’s car was the one that Asha had blocked in, but she didn’t pay attention to it at first. The parking sticker that read, “Blaire Law Firm”, was a dead giveaway as to who the car belonged to. Asha looked around before getting out of her car again and walking over to the luxury car. She flipped open the pocket knife that was on her key chain and walked around the car, flattening all four tires. She smiled as she circled the car again, dragging the knife in the paint as she did. Asha then lifted her foot and began to kick the side mirror on the driver’s side until it was hanging by a wire. She did the same with the other mirror, but that one fell completely off. Asha then went into her trunk and grabbed a tire iron. The gas can that her brother had left behind stared back at her, but Asha didn’t have a lighter or a match. She lifted the tire iron high and began to bash Demi’s windows out one by one, causing the alarm to go off.
Asha ran back to her car and sped out of the parking lot, right as Demi and some of the women from the shop rushed out to see what was going on. Asha laughed at their shocked expressions when she looked out of her rearview mirror and saw them standing there. She felt a whole lot better and she was happy that she’d done it. Now, all she had to do was sit back and wait for Cam to call her once again.
***
It took two days, but Asha finally heard from Cam again. He didn’t call her that time, but they exchanged text messages for over an hour. He was pissed about what she’d done to Demi’s car, as if she cared. He wanted to talk to her to get things straight, but he wanted them to meet face to face. Asha was all for that and she spent the entire morning making sure her appearance was on point.
“Are you sure that talking is all that y’all are gonna do? You got all dressed up and shit,” Kenya said as she looked Asha up and down.
Since Kelly was still in her feelings, Kenya had been spending a lot of time at their house with Quincy. She was looking for a relationship and Quincy was chasing his next nut.
“Girl bye, that nigga know what it is. Why we gotta meet up at a hotel to talk? He rented a room and everything. That nigga trying to fuck. His pregnant bitch must not be doing it right,” Asha laughed.
“Don’t get pregnant again heifer,” Kenya joked.
“Him and his bitch don’t want that. They can’t handle me now, so you know they can’t handle me when I’m pregnant,” Asha laughed as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
She sent Cam a text, letting him know that she was on her way to the room. He messaged her back saying that he was already there. Asha was nervous and excited about being with him again, but a part of her knew that they weren’t over for good. Cam had cheated on her more times than she could count. She didn’t know why Demi thought she was so special that it wouldn’t happen to her. When Asha pulled up to the hotel room, she smiled when she saw Cam’s trucked parked in the parking lot. She bypassed the front desk clerk and took the elevator up to his floor. Before knocking on the door, Asha sprayed herself with a little perfume and popped a piece of gum in her mouth. After putting a little more gloss on her lips, Asha knocked on the door and it was opened a few seconds later. Asha had a smile a mile wide until she walked into the room and stood face to face with Demi.
“You’re even dumber than I thought. Did you honestly think that Cam would have rented a room just to talk to your rat ass?” Demi smirked as she took in the shocked expression on Asha’s face.
“Wow. I’m dumb, but you’ve been texting me pretending to be Cam. Are you that threatened by me?” Asha smirked.
She couldn’t believe that she had fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Her first mind told her that something was wrong, but she didn’t listen. Cam wasn’t th
e texting type, but Asha really wanted to believe that it was him. Demi was about ready to pop, so she didn’t see her doing something so stupid. She obviously didn’t care about her unborn child as much she should have to pull such a desperate act. Asha was ready to send another one of Cam’s kids to heaven by beating it out of Demi’s womb.
“Yeah, I got a law degree, but I’m threatened by a bitch who still lives with her mother and sells bundles for a living,” Demi said as she laughed at her own sarcasm.
“Fuck you, bitch! I’ll stomp that ugly ass baby out your stupid ass,” Asha threatened as she walked up to her.
“I would love to see you try,” Imani said as she walked out of the bathroom and joined them.
“I should have known that your scary ass wasn’t alone,” Asha observed.
“Unlike you, I’m trying to make sure that my son gets here alive,” Demi smirked, knowing that her comment had sent Asha over the edge.
“You bitch!” Asha fumed as she charged at Demi.
She was never able to get too close to her though. Imani delivered a kick to her gut that knocked the wind out of her and had her gasping for air. Asha stumbled, but she refused to go down. She forgot all about Demi as she started swinging on Imani instead. Asha didn’t know who the other woman was, but she must have owned a karate black belt. Imani was kicking and double kicking like the black female Jackie Chan. Asha had never seen no shit like that in her life other than the movies. Demi was sitting in the chair rubbing her stomach, while Asha was getting her ass kicked all over the room. Her mouth was bloody and it felt like her eyes were swelling. Asha was a decent fighter, but fighting wasn’t what the other woman was doing.
“I think she’s had enough sis,” Demi said, calling Imani off.
“You sure sis? She’s still moving,” Imani said as she kicked Asha in the stomach.
“Oww,” Asha moaned in agony.
“Yeah, I think she gets the point. And the next time you decide to fuck with me, you’ll be behind bars with your other family members fighting charges that you’ve never even heard of. Your grandkids will need lawyers when I finish with your ass,” Demi warned.
“One more time sis. She looks like she’s trying to get up,” Imani said as she did some kind of kick that landed in Asha’s face.
“Bitch, are you trying to kill her?” Demi asked.
“You want me to,” Imani questioned as she looked over at Demi seriously.
“Hell no, jackass. Let’s go. Oh, and thanks for getting my car upgraded Asha. Since you fucked up my other one, my man surprised me with something better. And you might wanna get yourself together and leave. The guests might be arriving to claim their room soon,” Demi said as she and Imani walked out of the room.
Imani’s husband was a manager at the hotel and she called in a favor to a housekeeper that she was cool with. She let Demi and Imani use one of the rooms for a while. The guests weren’t scheduled to check in until later that evening and she assured Imani that she would make sure that the room was ready by then.
“Damn man,” Imani said as they rushed out of the hotel and back to Cam’s truck.
“What’s wrong?” Demi asked.
“I should have taken a picture of my handiwork to show my instructor. He would have been proud to know that I used everything that he taught me,” Imani replied.
“Are you trying to incriminate us Billy Blanks? I let you test your skills out on that hoe since you were dying to get a victim, but it’s over. That bitch just needed to get her ass beat one good time to get her mind right,” Demi replied.
“Bitch thought she was coming to get some dick and walked straight into a kickboxing match,” Imani laughed as she and Demi got into the truck and drove away.
Demi had to erase all the evidence from Cam’s phone before she got busted. Cam sat his phone anywhere and she used it to her advantage. He was at home in a deep sleep, so the timing was perfect. Cam told her not to worry about what happened to the car, especially since he got her another one. Demi just couldn’t let it go down like that. Asha was a damn fool if she thought she was getting away that easily. She had met her match with Demi because she could be just as grimy as she was. Sadly, Asha had to find that out the hard way.
Chapter 41
Kamari dropped his head and sighed as his attorney, Martin, continued to deliver the bad news to him. He’d just assumed that he was being locked up for missing his court date, but he was sadly mistaken. His lawyer had just informed him that he had a whole new charge of conspiracy to go along with it. When Kamari was approached about setting Cam up, he didn’t even have to think about it too hard. Cam was one his biggest problems and he didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for what he’d done. Not to mention, doing the deed got him out of prison, if only for a little while.
“You need to help me help you, Kamari. Now, I don’t know all the details of what happened, but Mr. Blaire is a very smart man. He’s gonna get to the bottom of it with or without you,” Martin advised.
“It’ll have to be without me then. Snitching is what got me in here. I’m not doing the shit to somebody else,” Kamari replied.
“Just tell me who the person was that bonded you out. Who is Maria Ruiz?” his attorney asked.
“I don’t know who she is,” Kamari replied honestly.
He was telling the truth because he really didn’t know who she was. The attorney who came to him about setting Cam up told him that he would handle everything, and he did. Kamari didn’t know who the woman was who bonded him out and he didn’t ask any questions. He was happy as hell and nothing else mattered.
“Do you realize what’s happening here Kamari? These people are offering you up to twenty-five years and that’s only a plea bargain. If you go to trial and lose, it’ll probably double. I can only do so much, but the evidence against you is strong. You were under surveillance for weeks. Not to mention, the video of you planting drugs in somebody else’s car. They don’t give a damn about you being a first-time offender. They’re going to make an example out of you,” his lawyer noted.
“Just make the deal and let me do my time. No need to waste money on going to trial, when we both know that I’m gonna lose.” Kamari shrugged nonchalantly.
“Is that your final answer Kamari? Do you want to think about it some more and get back with me?” Martin asked.
“Nope, I’m good with it. It’s not like I have any other choice,” Kamari replied as he stood to his feet.
Martin shook his head at the stubbornness of his client. He didn’t know what was going on, but he was sure that his employer, Carrington Blaire, was going to find out. He didn’t know how he ended up representing the same man who had set up the grandson of his boss, but Carrington was out for blood. The man who hired him on Kamari’s behalf seemed to be confused by it all too.
As soon as Martin walked out of the prison, Mr. Blaire was standing there waiting on him. He was accompanied by another lawyer in their firm, who was a shark in the courtroom.
“Did he tell you anything?” Carrington asked him.
“No and he wants to take the plea deal,” Martin replied.
“I figured as much, but I might not need him anyway. I found this Maria Ruiz person and I’m going to pay her a visit,” Carrington replied.
“How did you find her?” Martin questioned.
“Old fashioned detective work and a few friends in high places,” Carrington replied.
“Okay, well keep me posted on what’s going on. Let me know if you need my help,” Martin said before walking away.
Carrington and his associate walked away and got into the awaiting town car. He gave the driver the address and they were on their way soon after. Carrington wasn’t familiar with the area, but it seemed as if they were driving forever. They drove deeper into the low-income, poverty stricken areas with most of the houses seeming to be abandoned. The houses that were occupied were barely standing. Carrington noticed that most of the residents in the area seemed to be of Hispanic desce
nt and were mostly women. When the town car stopped in front of a house, Carrington couldn’t believe his eyes. The house had boarded up windows and was slightly tilted, like it would fall over at any minute.
“Are you sure that this is the right address?” Carrington asked his driver.
There was no way in hell that someone who lived in that house could afford to post bail for anyone, no matter how much it was.
“Yes sir,” the man replied while nodding his head.
Carrington looked around a little longer before he got out of the car and walked up the creaking stairs, followed by his employee. There were a few kids on the porch playing as if they didn’t have a care in the world. His heart broke for the dirty little kids who seemed to be happy with their living arrangements. They were talking in their native tongue and he didn’t understand what they were saying. When he knocked on the door, he jumped back when a piece of the wood chipped off and fell at his feet. It took a few minutes, but a middle-aged Hispanic woman opened the door and smiled at them. None of the men spoke Spanish, so they were happy when the woman greeted them with perfect English.
“Can I help you?” she asked with a smile.
“Yes, we’re looking for Maria Ruiz,” Carrington spoke up.
“Yes, I am Maria Ruiz,” she said, wiping the smile from her face. She didn’t know what the men wanted and they didn’t seem to be too happy about being there.
“We need to talk to you about a few things,” Carrington noted.
“Is it my son, Jorge?” the woman asked sadly.
“No, I don’t know your son. I need to ask you some questions about someone else,” Carrington said.
“Okay,” Maria complied.
“A few months ago, you posted bond for a man named Kamari Logan. How do you know him?” Carrington inquired.
“No, I was only doing a favor to get my son out of jail. I didn’t have the money and the man offered to help me,” Maria replied.
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