False

by U. E. Wynn

  ~~~~

  They were alone in the hotel room. The same hotel room their affair began in and the same one they continued it in. The same room Brandon used to fuck Terry senseless, all the while forcing useful information out of her. The same room he made untrue promises of loyalty and affection as he plotted and made moves to tear down his brothers empire.

  Although the bits and pieces of information she fed him helped, she was beginning to lose her usefulness. She has been up under him so often with her legs spread that she wasn’t home enough to hear any details from Malik about his business.

  That was when he decided that he didn’t need her anymore. Not for information, at least. In fact, he came to realize that outside of fucking, she was just in the way. Basically, she was starting to piss him off.

  Like tonight. He was supposed to be watching a house in the city that he suspected was where Malik had moved his headquarters. Instead, he was stuck in the hotel with her. He didn’t even know why he accepted her invitation. Of course you do. It was your dick that made the decision.

  “Tonight’s get together was kind of unplanned, don’t you think?” he asked, circling the glass of wine he held as he fixed her with a hard look.

  “Well, I didn’t know how to tell you,” she smiled, fidgeting in her chair. “And I wanted it to be to your face instead of over the phone.” It was plain to see that she was making a conscious effort to look comfortable.

  “Tell me what?” he asked, already expecting the worst.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Silence.

  The words still echoed in his ears, the voice getting sharper each time it played in his mind. Louder and sharper until he couldn’t take it anymore and he crushed the glass in his hand. The shards pierced his skin and small drops of blood mixed with the wine as it fell on the clean table cloth.

  “What did you say?”

  She didn’t seem too bothered by his reaction. On the contrary, she looked rather happy. Did she even notice the glass shattering in his hand?

  “I said I’m pregnant,” she repeated, the smile on her face growing wider. “Aren’t you happy? You’re gonna be a daddy!”

  It sounded so stupid. Brandon Baker, father of a child that was created while fucking his brother’s woman. It was so stupid in fact that the only reaction he had was to burst into laughter. He threw his head back and let out a loud peal. A maniacal sound that seemed more of a howl than a laugh. And it frightened her.

  “How do you even know it’s mine?” he asked, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

  “You're the only one I’ve had sex with these past months,” she said, simply. “Malik has been too busy with his work. You already know this Brandon.”

  “You told me you were on the pill,” Brandon accused, angrily.

  “I know, but I stopped taking them,” she said softly. “I thought...”

  “You fuckin’ bitch,” he snapped, cutting her off. “You really thought it would’ve been a good idea? Ya really thought I would’ve been happy about this, huh?”

  “I just—”

  “I just… I just…” he mocked her. “You just what? You thought I wanted a kid with you? After a few months of fucking? Dumb ass whore,” he said, shaking his head in disgust.

  Terry was shaking. The happiness she felt just a few minutes ago turned into despair, and the despair into anger. Her fist violently met the table, the glass shards clinking softly at the impact.

  “You fucking bastard!” she yelled. “You fucking low life coward!”

  She reached for the wine bottle and aimed it at his head, but he was faster. He grabbed her wrist, his fingers digging painfully into her flesh as he took the bottle and threw it away.

  “I hate you!” she shouted, and spit in his face.

  He felt the liquid dripping from his face. With a calm motion, he took a napkin and wiped it off as if it had been nothing. He then yanked her close to him and shoved it into her mouth.

  “Get the fuck out of my room,” he hissed through his teeth, forcing her back. He then pulled her towards the door and threw her out as if she had only been a rag.

  All the air left her lungs in a painful whoosh as she hit the wall behind her in the hallway. The heel of her shoe broke and she fell to the floor. She covered her face and began to sob uncontrollably.

  Brandon was standing in the doorway, staring at her with an amused look on his face.

  “Can’t wait to see how you deal with this shit,” he laughed, examining the cuts on his hand. “I imagine my bro won’t be so happy about this.”

  Terry didn’t say anything.

  “Can you imagine?” he continued. He loved twisting the knife in the wound. “He saw you as some fuckin’ goddess fallen from the Heavens to earth. And what are you? Just a dirty whore who cheated on him with his own brother. And guess what? You’ll be the only one held accountable for it.”

  And, with one last chuckle, he went back inside his room, locking the door behind him. After seeing to his hand, he made sure everything was in order before he left. When he opened the door to leave, she was nowhere to be found.

  ~~~~

  Terry looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, black lines of eyeliner were smeared on her cheeks. Her hair was a fucking mess. It was sticking up in every direction and making her look like a crazy woman.

  She stared into her reflection’s eyes and saw… nothing. She was numb. She couldn’t feel anything anymore. It was like she had been sedated. No, that was not the right word. Zombie worked better for her situation. She was a zombie. A shadow of the woman she was just a few hours ago.

  Taking a deep breath, she washed her face, cleaning every trace of makeup off her skin before applying a fresh layer. She had to look as if nothing happened when she got back home. She couldn’t let Malik suspect anything.

  She’d made up her mind about her situation. She was going to tell Malik that she was pregnant with his child and hope he would be too excited to realize that it was technically impossible. Especially since they hadn’t had sex in months except for that one night a couple of months ago when he came home half drunk. Although the whole ordeal was over before it started, she hoped it would be enough to convince him.

  Luckily for her, there was no one home when she arrived. Now she could take a few more minutes to gather together her thoughts. An hour had passed by when she finally heard the door open. Instantly her heart started racing.

  “Babe?” she heard Maliks’ voice from downstairs. “You home?”

  She ran down the stairs and threw herself in his arms. He hugged her back, a mix of surprise and worry on his face.

  “Baby, what happened? What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed.

  She looked up at him, cupping his face and planting a soft kiss on his lips before telling him.

  “You’re gonna be a father.”

  His eyes widened, but his expression was totally different from his brother’s when the same words were spoken to him. He looked genuinely happy and she breathed out in relief. He bought it.

  “Are you serious?” he asked, a big grin on his handsome face. “How… When did you… Oh, god, this is so great!”

  “This morning. I felt kinda bad, so I suspected something like this. Well, I went to buy a pregnancy test and it came out positive! Aren’t you excited?”

  “I am!” he exclaimed, kissing her over and over again. He gently rubbed her belly, looking at her with tears in his eyes. “I’m gonna be a daddy! Me! Ma’s gonna go crazy when I tell her. We should throw a party and invite her and my bro too.”

  “No!” she shrieked. “I mean,” she coughed, fixing her voice. “You really think that would be a good idea? Your brother is a cop, after all. I don’t trust him enough to be around your buddies without causing trouble.”

  Malik nodded, agreeing with her. It might make his boys nervous.

  “You’re right. I’ll just invite my mom then, how’s that?”

  “Bette
r,” she smiled. “Much better.”

  CHAPTER 13

  The party had been going for a few hours and was now in full swing. He let his eyes roam around the house, taking note of a few close friends and some relatives the family stayed in contact with. He didn’t want to throw the party in his house, seeing as it was riddled with guns and drugs, so he chose his mother’s house instead. Despite everything she knew about his friends, Gloria found them to be good people and she always enjoyed their company.

  Everything would have been perfect if Brandon would have been there. Unfortunately, he had called at the last minute saying he had to work and couldn’t get out of it. Malik didn't know if it was true or not, but he couldn't find fault in him not being there. A man’s gotta work, right?

  Just then, Malik turned and smiled over at his mother. She was hovering over Terry making sure she didn't want or need anything. She had been so ecstatic when they told her they were having a baby. This would be her first grandchild and she couldn’t wait to jump into her role of being a Grandma.

  Terry glanced over at Malik and they shared a private moment of fulfillment when their eyes met. She knew that Malik loved her and she loved him as well. If she could convince him to leave the game sooner than later and move to another area, she could try to avoid running into Brandon. It would lower the risk of him ever telling Malik about their affair and that he was the father of her child. She would do whatever it takes to protect her baby and her relationship with Malik. I won't fuck up again.

  Malik made a funny face at Terry and she laughed. He was about to make his way over to her when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He gave Terry a wink and then went into the only room in the house that nobody was allowed in – his old bedroom. By the time Malik locked the door, the phone stopped vibrating. He stared down at the glowing screen, the odd sequence of numbers unfamiliar to him. The phone began vibrating again, and he took a moment before answering.

  “Yeah,” he called out cautiously. He knew his phone couldn’t be getting tapped because he never kept them long enough for the police to get a lock on it.

  From the other side, a familiar voice greeted him. He could feel his heartbeats slowing down, knowing it was someone he knew. But why was he calling from another number?

  “M—M—Malik, my f—friend,” Drake’s stammering voice called out to him. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought he was scared. Instead, his little speech impairment made him grin as always. “I h—have some imp—p—ortant stuff to t—tell you, man.”

  “What you got for me Drake?” he asked, making the man get to the point.

  “I found out who’s b—b—been fuckin’ wi—with your business, man.”

  “Go on,” Malik hissed through his teeth. He had waited for this moment for so long. Gruesome images unveiled themselves before his eyes, each depicting a painful way he would deal with the man who had been fucking with his empire.

  “It’s b—been the p—police all this time m—man!” the other man stuttered, a slight note of nervousness in his voice. “L—look man, I really have t—t—to go, but I have ev—everything you n—n—need to know. You know w—where to find me.”

  And without another word, he ended the call.

  Malik began to smile. He had been waiting for this particular piece of information for almost a year now and finally hearing it, made him happy. Although he would need more details and information, he was happy knowing he’d finally caught a break.

  After pushing the phone back in his pocket, Malik dug in his other pocket and pulled out a plastic package. It was small, but filled to the bursting point with white powder. It was more than a few grams of coke and It would be his token of appreciation to Drake.

  The man had been working for him for the past few years and had never let him down. He was a cocaine addict, among other things, but he has been loyal to him from day one. Malik had been lucky to catch Drake when he just started as a rookie. Unfortunately, he was a cop with a habit. After a few free grams of coke, he had accepted the agreement from Malik to offer information regarding the police and other dealers, in return for a nice fix.

  Humming O.T. Genasis, I’m In Love With The Coco, he left the room. Making sure no one saw him, he left out of the house through the back door. The party was important, sure. But so was his business. He had to go talk to Drake and he had to do it right now before he got high and disappeared.

  ~~~~

  Drake woke up to the sound of several loud bangs on his door. God fuckin’ damn it! The doorbell button was there for a fuckin’ reason.

  He got up and scratched his ass, wondering who the fuck was bothering him at that hour of the night. If it was that bum from the corner store again asking for money he’d put a bullet in his dumbass head.

  With rising anger, he peered through the keyhole and saw a rather huge man standing in front of his door. He was about to pussy out and step away quietly when he heard the voice on the other side.

  “Nigga, you gonna open the door or what?”

  Shit. Shit, shit, shit! What was Malik doing there at that hour? Sure, he called him to give him the info, but he wasn’t actually expecting the man to show up like that in the middle of the fuckin’ night.

  “Yeah, man,” he said as he opened the door and Malik stepped in, larger than life. Drake felt a chill ease down his spine. This was one mother fucker he didn’t ever want to go up against. Gun or no gun.

  “Wassup with you coming by at this hour, man? I was having a really nice dream.”

  “What happened to the stutter?” Malik asked, raising his eyebrow. His voice was like steel.

  Drake coughed and then smiled. “Yeah, that shit is just for show. I always make my calls to you from a public booth,” he shrugged. “I made a habit out of doing that shit outside just in case I was being watched or followed.”

  “Phone booth?” This punk little fucker better not be trying to set me up. Malik looked around the small living room, making sure they were alone.

  “Yeah, it’s like the only one left around here. Its by the movie theatre so they keep it for emergencies.” When he saw Malik looking around, he swallowed hard knowing he had to reassure him. “We’re alone.”

  Malik looked down at Drake and frowned. “So you don’t stutter? What other shit you been lying about?” he asked as he walked over and opened a door that was closed, checking inside.

  “Nothing Malik. I swear. And it wasn’t lying. I was just making sure to cover my tracks you know. I’m a cop man and I need to keep my job. It’s the only way I can pay for my son’s daycare expenses.”

  After Malik was satisfied they were alone, he walked back over to Drake.

  “Don’t make me nervous Drake. That’s how people get hurt or end up missing. You feel me?”

  Drake nodded. “Yeah, I got it. It’s all for my protection, man,” he said, a shadow of a grin crossing his face. “You never know who might be following you. And with the shit I know, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was someone at my door right now,” he said, gesturing for Malik to take a seat in the small living room.

  Malik took a seat in one of the high backed chairs across from Drake. He could feel the steel of his Nine pressing into his stomach, but he took the pain. He needed to be on point. Just in case.

  “You told me the police is behind all this shit,” he began. “But can you tell me who exactly is leading the operations? I fuckin’ paid every boss that works there so they’d keep their dirty fuckin’ noses outta my shit.”

  Drake shook his head.

  “Nah, man. I’m not trusted enough in there just yet to know that kinda shit, but I do know that the guy is not new. Just think about it. A rookie wouldn’t have even dared to do such shit. Too scared for that, ya dig?”

  “Makes sense,” Malik nodded. “Does anyone else know, though?”

  “Nah. I heard that it’s some hard nose cop that got a promotion after making a shit load of arrest. They say the boss put him in charge of a special unit.
The guy now has a team of go getters, but they don’t say nothing about them or the guy himself. They keep their shit secret for fear of leaks and what not,” he laughed at his irony. It was a pathetic bellow that turned into an ugly coughing fit. “Anyway,” he continued after the coughing stopped, “I heard some people saying that there is no actual boss or team, and its regular police officers that’s running down on you, but I know a bit of the truth.”

  “And what’s that?” Malik asked, leaning forward.

  “I know for sure that there is a guy that leads the special unit and the team members are forbidden by contract to talk about him. I tried questioning some of the detectives, but none of them would talk to me.”

  “So basically,” Malik sighed, “what you told me is pretty much useless.”

  Drake smirked. It was the smirk of a man who knew more than he showed.

  “The thing is,” he continued. “I was speaking to the wrong fuckin’ people, man. I just needed to find a weak link. There’s a guy at the precinct that is maybe jealous of this team leader guy or angry at the jobs he’s given. I don’t know. What I do know is that the smallest things upsets him. And he’s a bit of a drinker.”

  Malik’s eyes widened. If the previous minute marked the moment he’d lost hope, this one brought it back doubled. He looked at the man in front of him. A twenty-something police officer with a cocaine addiction. It wasn't known to no one but him, and he had promised to keep his secret. It was a shame too, because Drake was incredibly intelligent. He just couldn’t beat his habit. But could he be trusted?

  For a brief second, he felt a pang of fear creeping into his heart. How could he be so sure that Drake wouldn’t turn against him and team up with the so-called good guys? He reached down into his pocket and felt the small bag of coke he hid there. That was the exact reason Drake Moore would stay loyal to him. He needed his fix and Malik had the best shit out on the streets.