Heart of the Hustle

by A'zayler

  “Why would he bring us out here just to do this?” Snow questioned.

  “Girl, your father has been missing you so much, he’d do anything to get you here. I’m not surprised at all. This was the perfect reason to get and keep you here. Mack’s old ass ain’t slick.” Zulema chuckled, but neither Snow nor Angel found anything funny about that.

  “He could have kept his invitation if we were coming to be mistreated,” Angel responded, and Snow agreed.

  “I agree, but like I said, don’t worry about him. Y’all just get all the rest y’all need. Make plans, arrangements, whatever you both came here to do, get it done. And you” she pointed at Snow—“you must be pregnant again?”

  Snow’s crying stopped then. She probably looked like a deer caught in headlights as she stared at her mother in shock. “What? Why you say that?”

  “The look on your face just answered my question, but I asked because you’re crying. I can count on one hand how many times you’ve cried since you’ve been an adult.” She was smiling. “Does my best friend know we’re about to be grandmas?”

  Angel smiled and shook his head. “No, ma’am. She just told me on the way over here, or you know I already would have told her.”

  Zulema stood from her chair. “Well, consider it done. I’m about to go call her right now.”

  “Please don’t say it in front of Daddy,” Snow begged.

  “Oh, damn. You’re right. I guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow when he leaves for the distribution center. This is something I have to call and tell her. I can’t send this tea through a text message.”

  Snow sniggled. “My business should not be classified as tea, Mommy.”

  “As old as me and Empress are, anything that we don’t do ourselves is tea.”

  Angel’s laughter brought about Zulema’s as well. They laughed with her mother for a little while longer, giving her details on the pregnancy before Angel wheeled her down the hallway toward her old room. When they got there, it was clean and decorated with new linen. Other than that, everything else was still the same.

  Angel closed the door behind them and looked around. “I remember when I used to have to sneak in here just to see you.”

  Snow sat in her wheelchair staring at him with a large smile on her face. “You ain’t lying. We used to be pulling out all of the stops to sneak you up in here. Just to fall asleep for an hour and be right back out before it was time to get up for school.”

  “Those were the good old days.” He laughed. “Couldn’t nobody tell me I wasn’t sexing you like a grown man back then.”

  Snow’s giggles turned into full-blown gales as she laughed hardily. “Man, what! Just like I thought I was getting dicked down. Little did I know that dick down would have my ass running around here trying to hide a baby from my parents.”

  Angel’s eyes stopped roaming the room and landed back on her. “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.”

  She twisted her mouth to the side while scratching her head. “It was my own fault. I should have told you. I just didn’t want to ruin your dreams, ya know?”

  He nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “You know something? I want you to be a doctor.”

  Angel’s eyebrows raised in question. “Where did that come from?”

  “I can just tell by the way you take care of me that you have a passion for it, and I want you to do something that makes you happy.” She looked around her room. “Running this show makes me happy, but not you.”

  “Well, if I’m a doctor and you’re my wife, don’t you think it would be kind of wrong for you to still be out here slanging dope? On top of that, where would your happiness come from?”

  “You make me happy, Angel. I don’t ever have to sell another ounce of cocaine in my life as long as I have you with me every day.”

  “You’re serious?” Angel asked her.

  Snow nodded, because she was. She had never been more serious in her life. Drugs and the cartel had been her entire life. She was actually ready for something new. Angel made her feel like she could have more than just a swift blade and an aggressive trigger finger. Lately, all of the things she’d grown up thinking made her happy really didn’t anymore.

  “I think my father was right,” Snow said.

  Angel was standing in front of her with his hands tucked in his pockets. “About?”

  Snow’s eyes felt heavy as she looked at him. “Being unfocused.”

  Angel sucked his teeth and walked over to her. “Don’t you do this. Do not let him get inside your head, Emelia.”

  “I’m not. He really was right. I’m not focused.” She shifted some in her seat. “I haven’t been focused in weeks. It’s like I’m good at the stuff I do because I’ve been doing it for so long, but my heart isn’t in it like it used to be.”

  Angel’s arms rested around his knee caps as he watched her intently. “Where is it?”

  Snow licked her lips while her eyes searched his for the safety she needed to divulge her deepest feelings. “With you.”

  “With me?” Angel questioned, in shock from her revelation.

  She nodded. “Yep, and with you is where I want it to stay.” She looked down at her feet. “With you I feel free. I don’t have to watch my back, I don’t have to worry about money, drugs, shipments, none of that. I can drop my toughness and be Emelia. Being Emelia brings me more joy than being Snow.”

  “But you love Snow.”

  “I do, but I love Emelia even more. Since I was a child, I’ve been trained and molded so much to become Snow that I had no idea who Emelia really was. My father has been grooming me to become a miniature him. Though I’ve accomplished a lot because of it, I’m happier without it.” She gave Angel a weak smile. “Any time you’re around, you bring out the best in me, and I don’t think my father understands that. But you know what? I don’t even care. All I kept thinking in the kitchen when he was being rude to you was that if you rolled me out of this house and took me back to the airport, I’d go willingly.”

  Snow wasn’t sure at first, but once the lone tear drop rolled down Angel’s cheek, she was positive. He was crying.

  “Why are you crying, baby?” she asked him.

  “Because the amount of love I have for you is immeasurable. Every woman that I’ve dealt with always wanted something in return. Whether it was money, cars, the places I took them, even just the sex, it was always something. With you, it’s not like that.” He scooted closer to her and touched her good foot. “You actually make me a better person, and I’ll beat anybody’s ass that thinks they’re going to change that. Including your old-ass daddy.”

  Feminine laughter sounded throughout her room as she released her expressions of happiness. Angel was truly a character.

  “So, what now? Where do we go from here?” Snow asked.

  Angel shrugged. “To take a shower, I assume. I feel dirty for some reason.”

  Snow kicked him with her good leg. “Stop it.”

  His sexy smile made her night brighter as he sat cheesing at her. “I say we make our own story. If that means we stay in the cartel, then we’ll stay. If it means I become a doctor and you’re my gorgeous ass housewife, then that’s fine too.”

  Snow tapped her bottom lip as if she was thinking. “I think I’ll take the latter.”

  “Barefoot and pregnant?”

  She nodded with a large smile on her face. “Barefoot and pregnant, baby.”

  “Now, don’t get me happy and then change your mind on me.” Angel stood up and pushed her chair toward the large bathroom.

  “I’m not. We just have to find a way to make this work.”

  Angel pecked the side of her face. “We will. I promise.”

  Snow didn’t know whether Angel made a lot of promises or not, but what she did know was that she didn’t think he’d break one. So, with a fresh outlook on life, Snow would follow him into their new world. Only time would tell whether or not it was worth it.

  Chapter
Twenty-three

  Blood is thicker than water, but water tastes better

  “I can’t wait to meet you, whoever you are. I’ve waited a long time to be someone’s father, so you’re going to have to be patient with me and all of the love I’m ready to give you.” Angel rubbed Snow’s flat stomach as she slept.

  It was going on three o’clock in the morning, and he still hadn’t been to sleep yet. After the shower he’d taken with Snow, they re-bandaged her wounds with the dressings he’d gotten from the family doctor Zulema had called for her, and climbed into bed. After Angel propped pillows and a few blankets under Snow, she’d fallen right off to sleep.

  He couldn’t blame her. They’d had a long day and an even longer weekend. On top of that, he was sure her body was tired. It had been through more than enough for a woman that early in pregnancy.

  Angel, too, was ecstatic that his baby was still in there baking, even after all of the trouble Snow had been through.

  “You’re tough like your mother, I see.” Angel spoke again. “That’s a good thing. Stay that way, she’s the best person you’ll ever meet.”

  Angel kissed the back of Snow’s head as she stirred in her sleep. He lay still, rubbing her arms and back until she stilled again. Once he was sure she was back asleep, he got out of bed. His mouth was dry as all hell, and he needed to grab something to drink from the kitchen.

  In his pajamas, Angel padded up the hall. Not wanting to bump into Mack or anyone else at that hour, he hurried to grab his bottled water and headed back down the hall. On his way, he decided to hit his blunt before going back to bed. The small balcony at the back of the house overlooked the pool and would be the perfect place to sort some things out.

  After darting back into the room quickly and grabbing his blunt, he headed back down the hall. Thanks to Snow, he knew there was no alarm on that door, so he eased out with no problem. Once seated in the plush lawn chair, Angel lit his blunt and inhaled deeply.

  His eyes closed as he exhaled the potent weed. He took a few more puffs before he was able to relax enough to think about what was going on around him, and who could possibly be behind it. Angel looked at his and Snow’s life from every angle and still couldn’t make up one scenario that made sense.

  One puff after the other, he ended up getting himself riled back up versus calmed down. When he couldn’t make sense of any of it, he began to get frustrated. When he got so overwhelmed that he could no longer even think straight, he began to pray.

  Praying always eased his mind. He asked the Lord for a number of things, but the main one was to reveal to him who was behind it all, and to grant him the strength to handle whoever it was.

  “Amen.” He opened his eyes and sat up some so that he could look over the balcony.

  The East estate was almost as big as the DeLucas’. The only thing that separated them was the flowers. Empress didn’t like flowers. She was more of a bricks-and-stones kind of person. Nor did she like sneaky muthafuckas that had to sit outside to talk on the phone.

  Angel’s eyes had just landed on Mack. He was at the bottom deck walking alongside the pool with the phone to his ear. Angel couldn’t really hear what he was saying at first and was straining to hear, but God must have felt like answering his prayers right then, because out of nowhere, Mack began yelling.

  “You said you had this shit under control. You almost killed my fucking daughter, you idiot.”

  Angel’s entire face frowned up, because he knew like hell that he hadn’t just heard Mack involve himself in the shooting.

  “No! No, D’Angelo! You’re a fucking fool. If I could get my hands on you, I’d kill your ass myself.”

  Angel’s body might as well have been a blazing fire right then, as hot as he was. He could literally feel his blood boiling and rushing through his veins as he sat putting two and two together in his head. He knew he’d prayed for the Lord to reveal the truth to him, but he didn’t think it would come that fast, and he most definitely didn’t know it would be his family.

  They were some of the main muthafuckas that screamed loyalty day in and day out, but were plotting on him and Snow behind their backs. That was seriously some fucked-up shit.

  “I wouldn’t go in business with your sloppy ass for nothing!” Mack fired off before continuing his abuse in Spanish.

  Angel wanted so badly to sit there and listen for more information, but he’d had enough. Furthermore, he didn’t want to get caught snooping, so he got up and left. He walked forcefully down the hallway until he reached Snow’s room again.

  She was still in bed sleeping peacefully. Too riled up to join her, Angel paced the floor. He needed to talk to someone, somebody who would be able to help him figure shit out. The only person who could do that was Vinny. Just thinking about his father and how he no longer had the luxury of having simple conversations with him anymore brought Angel to tears.

  Before he knew it, Angel was kneeling on the floor, overcome by emotion. This was all too much, and he wasn’t sure if he could find a way out. He’d always known his brother was jealous of him and wanted the cartel for himself, but he never thought he would stoop to trying to kill him to get it.

  More tears fell as he realized just how blind he’d been all this time. He should have known that something was up. The way D’Angelo acted sometimes was downright ridiculous, but Angel had dismissed it, assuming it was just something siblings went through.

  “Fuck!” he screamed and punched the floor.

  “Angel?” Snow stirred in the bed, trying to sit up. “Baby, where are you? What’s wrong?” she asked as she lay on her back in the middle of the bed, still propped up on pillows.

  Angel cleared his throat the best he could. “I’m fine, sweet girl. Just go back to sleep.”

  “No, you’re not. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Angel’s tears resurfaced as he tried his hardest to get himself together. It was so hard trying to hold it all in that he ended up wailing a little louder than he’d wanted to. The anger, the pain, the fear, the uncertainty, the stress—everything that had been weighing him down for months—poured out onto the floor.

  “Angel, baby, please come here and let me see you. I need to know that you’re all right,” she begged, now in tears herself.

  When Angel noticed that she too was crying, he got up from the floor and went to her. In no way, shape, or form did he think he was ready to tell her what he’d just heard, but he didn’t want to leave her up there scared either.

  “I’m cool, Emelia. I just got a little overwhelmed thinking about my father. I wanted to call him so bad just now but couldn’t because I don’t know whether he’s having a good day or a bad one.” Angel sniffed again. “Vinny was my best fucking friend. I don’t know what to do without him.”

  Snow used her good arm to pull his head to her and rub it in comfort. Angel lay with his face cradled in her neck, crying his eyes out.

  “It’ll be okay, baby. If it makes you feel better, I’m here for you,” Snow said.

  Angel wrapped his arm around her stomach. “It does make me feel better.” He closed his eyes and sniffed away the snot threatening to drip out of his nose. “I’m ready to go home, Emelia.”

  “We can go tomorrow.”

  He nodded but didn’t respond verbally. Angel was so exhausted with everything going on with him right then he couldn’t fathom having to figure out what needed to be done on his own. In the back of his mind, he knew what he was about to do wasn’t the right thing to do at the moment, but she’d find out eventually.

  “Snow?” Her name reluctantly fell from his lips.

  “Yes, baby?”

  “D’Angelo was behind the shooting.”

  Her hand stopped stroking his back. “What?” Her voice grew so cold he could feel the ice dripping from her words. “How do you know?”

  Angel sat up and took a deep breath, because here was the hard part. He touched the side of her face while softening his eyes at her.

  “How do you
know?” she asked again, this time much colder than she’d asked the first time. “And stop rubbing me.” She swatted his hand from the side of her face.

  “I went outside to smoke my blunt and heard your daddy fussing at him about almost getting you killed.”

  If at all possible, Angel could see the fire burning in her eyes. The dark irises were blazing with an intensity Angel had never seen before.

  “Calm down.” He went back to touching her face.

  She swatted his hand. “Stop touching me.” She looked off into the distance. “Are you sure that’s what you heard?”

  Angel nodded.

  “Okay.” She nodded.

  “Okay?” Angel questioned.

  “Yes. Okay.” She lay back and closed her eyes.

  “Okay what, Emelia? What are you thinking?”

  She turned to him. “What do you mean what am I thinking? I’m thinking about what has to be done.”

  Angel looked at her in confusion. How did she know what had to be done that fast, and he didn’t? “What needs to be done?”

  She looked at him with a coolness that sounded so deadly it made him shiver. “They have to die.”

  “Die?” Angel clarified in confusion.

  “Yes. I’m going to kill them.”

  Angel didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. He could understand her thought process, because that’s what they’d been taught. Any signs of disloyalty resulted in death. Although Angel had never seen the actual retribution, he’d heard about it enough times to believe that Snow wasn’t joking around.

  The early morning air in the room grew cooler as the two of them lay in complete silence, lost in their own thoughts. Angel looked at Snow every so often, but every time he did, her face was expressionless and void of any emotion. He wasn’t quite sure what she was thinking, but he was sure he had an idea.

  The whole situation was pure torture, and he couldn’t wait for it to all be over. The following hours ticked by a lot slower than what he’d hoped for, but when daylight finally hit and it was time to get out of bed, he did. Snow, on the other hand, was still lying perfectly still, staring at the ceiling.