by Tee Jae
Strickler spoke up breaking my train of thought. “One thing I know Brooklyn, is if you linger too long you will allow your heart to take over your mind. I know you are hurting but let’s get this important business out the way.” I nodded my head, temporarily numbing myself from the pain. “Now first things first, the 3 businesses that you guys have are legit and with your income you can afford every bit of luxury you guys have, so your home and possessions are safe.” I stared up at our massive home,
“I’m going to sell it,” I blurted out. Strickler silently dismissed what I said, assuming I was speaking out of anger. My home is very beautiful and it’s my dream home where him and his young beautiful wife Lisa have visited many times for meetings and dinner. Little did he know all my dreams were now nightmares,
“Now Chris’s father, Johnny Red Issac, owed Felipe Ortiz a debt and if Chris didn’t marry his daughter and give her two kids, Felipe would have wiped out his entire family.” I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing right now. Why wouldn’t Gator just tell me… I’m the most understanding person.
Strickler continued, “Now Gator has been trying to remove himself from the Ortiz family completely, so he started shopping around elsewhere, if you get my drift,” he said while looking at me over the rim of his glasses.
I smiled at his attempt of hood talk. “I get it, Dan.”
He smiled back at me then continued, “Ok. Well he received product on consignment and he was scheduled to make the drop off and pay the supplier next week. That’s where you’ll step in, if Chris doesn’t make bail, then you are going to have to make the drop on his behalf.”
Ok, now I was heated. Here I was again holding him down while there was another bitch out there carrying his last name and raising his kids. “It’s really simple, Brooklyn, you make the drop and then you can figure things out with Chris.”
I rolled my eyes at his last statement, while he pulled out a manila folder, “I dug up everything I possibly could on this guy, so you don’t go there blindsided. He’s from Miami and is well known in the south. From what I’m told, he and his two brothers are very ruthless, nothing to play with.” I grabbed the folder from him and closed it up.
I stood up while he gathered his briefcase and walked him back through my home. The smell of breakfast hit my nostrils.
“Sophia’s here! Would you like to join me for breakfast?” I asked Strickler
“No thanks, I have to get back home to Lisa,” he said walking toward the front door that was being replaced by Garages, Doors, and More; That damn Sophia always knew what to do. She never asked any questions, even though she was aware of our lifestyle, she was as loyal as they came, I thought to myself.
“Please, give Lisa my love,” I told Strickler seeing him out the doorway. Once I made it into the kitchen and Sophia laid eyes on me, she placed her spatula down on the counter and walked around the breakfast bar pulling me in for a hug while I broke down crying in her arms.
Chapter 2
Gator
“55, 56, 57…” I aggressively did my push-ups on the cold cement floor of my holding cell, with the hurt on Brooklyn’s face etched in my mind. I’ve been locked up less than 36 hours and not being in control of the situation around me, was fucking with my mental but I would never let these pigs know it.
I smiled as I thought back to when I first met Brooklyn. She was a sophomore walking home from school; she would always pass her fine ass on the block that my father had me work on night and day. Usually, she would be with her loud mouth best friend, Kassidy, but today she was by herself. I watched as she bent the corner coming my way, she had on some black skinny leg Levis that made her butt look like it belonged more to a 25-year-old than a teenager, a black Air Jordan shirt, with the latest black Space Jam Jordan’s. Brooklyn had that good, natural curly, shit that she always wore up in a messy bun on top of her head. Her large, gold hoop, earrings with her name on the inside were dangling from her ear. Nigga couldn’t lie, she was fresher than a motherfucker.
“Say lil mama,” she looked back and rolled her eyes.
“My name not lil mama,” she snaked her neck sassily.
“Damn, no need for the attitude, a nigga just wanted to ask you a question that’s all.” I pulled myself off the wall while telling my right-hand man, Blue, to watch the block.
“Yes, I already have a man! No, I don’t want any new friends! And I see you looking so let me just say, my ass ain’t up for grabs neither!” she hollered over her shoulder and kept walking.
I jogged a little to catch up with her, “Say Brooklyn! Damn hold up,” I said nearing her and grabbed her arm, “slow down, damn, I just wanted to ask you where you got your kicks from. Them shits is tight,” I said admiring her whole body not really giving a fuck about the shoes. She smacked her pretty full lips that had some kind of clear lip gloss on it.
“Nigga, now I know you bullshitting because you got the same shoes on.”
I looked down at my kicks then looked back up at her and we both fell out laughing hysterically. “Alright alright, that was lame as fuck, a nigga trying to get to know you though. Let me take you out!” she turned to walk away.
“I already told you I have a man,” I pulled her back into me. She was so close I could smell her lip gloss, it was Pineapple flavor.
“I don’t give a fuck about that lame,” she pulled away from me and took off walking again.
“You don’t have to give a fuck about him, I do and I’m very loyal to what’s mine,” I let her walk away for good this time. A nigga like me was on the come up; I had so many broads on my dick I wasn’t about to chase someone else’s bitch.
A few weeks went by after that encounter with Brooklyn, and she hadn’t passed back on my block, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
“There goes the broad that played yo dumb ass.” Blue tapped my shoulder laughing.
She was in a rush and her hair looked a mess, she also had shades on but the only problem was the sun was setting. I got up off the milk crate that I was sitting on in front of the building and headed her way.
“Good evening beautiful, where you rushing too?” she didn’t respond, just quickly kept walking. “What’s up with you? What you running from?” I grabbed her, and she jerked away from me tripping and falling on the ground.
“Please, just leave me alone,” she was pulling herself off the ground, I picked up her glasses to give them to her and noticed her eye was swollen and turning black.
“What the fuck happened to you?” I barked. She jumped and grabbed her shades placing them back over her eyes and took off running to her grandmother’s house.
About a week later, I learned from Kassidy that Brooklyn’s boyfriend punched her because another kid at school lied and said he slept with her. Once I got the scoop on this lame ass nigga, named James, Blue and I paid him a little visit and beat his ass to a bloody pulp. He broke up with Brooklyn and she been mines ever since. I pulled myself from my thoughts and got back to the task on hand, which is the reason I’m locked up in this fucking cell and not at home in bed with my woman.
Someone in my circle was a fucking snake and if I find out it’s my jealous ass right hand man, Blue, I will cut that nigga up and spread his body parts throughout the city. Meanwhile, I could only hope and pray Brooklyn will hold me down through this fuck up, but the look in baby girl’s eyes told me different, but I would have to keep faith. “99, 100,” I rose up off the floor, dusting off my hands.
“Issac! Visit!” the pretty Hispanic correction officer banged her baton on the steel bars. “Put a shirt on,” she demanded, looking at me with lust in her eyes. I made a mental note to myself to maybe put her on my payroll for info. Looking at her plump behind, I might even dick her down every once in a while.
Once I entered the visitation room and my eyes landed on Blue, raged filled my body but I had to keep my cool. I was expecting Strickler, ain’t no way my right-hand man would have access to visit me while stil
l in a holding cell. This nigga was turning out to be the snake everyone kept trying to warn me about, including Brooklyn. I decided to play along though, just to see how much of a rat this nigga was.
“Damn big bro,” Blue said standing up, reaching his fist out to dap me up. I pulled my chair out and sat down leaving him hanging.
“What’s good nigga? What the fuck you doing here?” I asked with venom dripping from my voice.
“Shit was crazy, I barely made it out the warehouse myself, but I called up one of my connections to pull some strings for a private visit. How you doing? You holding up?” he asked looking me up and down. It took ever fiber in my body not to reach over and knock his silly ass out.
“Yo connections, huh?” I laughed, masking my anger.
“Yeah, my nigga, I mean what’s with the animosity? I took time out to come and see what our next move’s gone be with these Miami niggas,” running my hand over my face out of frustration. I looked at my best friend since the sandbox days square in the eye.
“All this time I been carrying your ass and looking out for you on these streets, hell treating your family as mines and this how you fucking repay me? YOU FUCKING SNITCH!” I leaped over the table and grabbed him by his neck. He fell back in the chair bringing us both to the ground while trying to fight me off of him but my 6’3 frame and 230lbs outweighed his ass. Four out of uniform officers who had been listening to our whole conversation rushed in and strong armed me off of Blue but not before I ripped his shirt, exposing his wire.
“You snake motherfucker you dead to me!” I hollered trying to break free from the detectives holding me back.
He stood up with blood leaking from his broken nose, staggering, trying to get himself together with a sly grin on his face. “Fuck you motherfucker!!! You never thought I was good enough to run your empire, so I had to humble your ass and show you different. You trusted your bitch more than you trusted me! I been knowing your ass since grade school and you tried to treat me like the help.” I was struggling to get free as they dragged him out of the room.
“Nigga, my bitch ain’t the one up in here wired up!!!” I yelled as the officers cuffed me and led me back to my holding cell. I punched the wall once I made it back inside. I sat at the bottom bunk, nursing my bleeding knuckles as I thought about the countless niggas that tried to warn me about Blue. “FUCK!!!!” I yelled out in frustration. “Guard!” I hollered at the Hispanic correction officer. “I need to make a phone call.” Walking over to the phones, I dialed Brooklyn’s number; hearing her sweet voice on her voicemail filled me with regret. Regret that I wasn’t true to her, along with regret that I didn’t listen to her.
Chapter 3
Brooklyn
“Senorita…” Sophia stood next to my bed that’s been holding me hostage for the last 3 days.
“Go away Sophia,” I flipped over avoiding eye contact. I was too embarrassed to face anyone right now. I knew the streets were talking because Gator’s arrest made the news and I had to power off my phone from the constant text messages and phone calls. I turned every visitor away including my best friend Kassidy, and Strickler.
“Senorita, today is the bail hearing for senor Issac… you must get ready,” she walked around to the large bay windows and hit the button to open them. I winced soon as the daylight hit my eyes; the pounding of my head brought back memories of my long night with Patron.
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, my feet sunk into the plush carpet beneath me. “Sophia, please bring me my morning smoothie!” I hollered right before I sat on the toilet and relieved myself. I admired my bathroom for a second and how we handpicked everything in this house together. The his and hers gold flaked marble sinks were beautiful but every time I looked at every damn thing in this house, I was reminded of Gator. I turned on the shower and slid inside, letting the jets from the warm water awaken my body. Stepping out, I dried myself off and smiled at the Pineapple Mango smoothie that was sitting on my vanity set.
I glanced in the mirror and hardly recognized myself. My long, natural, curly hair was all over my head and my once smooth skin was dry and ashy. My eyes now had bags under them from lack of sleep and endless tears. I brushed my hair and added some curl cream right before I put it in a cute messy bun at the top of my head. I quickly applied a light coat of makeup to cover up the stress that was evident on my face and slipped into my clothes. I settled on a beige calf length pencil skirt with a fitted black top with ruffles down the middle and on the end of my long sleeves. Topping it off with a pair of python Tom Ford naked, strappy heels and the matching handbag doing a once over of myself in the mirror. “Now you look like the bad bitch I know,” I said to myself before heading downstairs.
Pulling up to the federal court house, I quickly parked glancing at the time 9:46 a.m. I took a deep breath trying to settle my nerves. Thoughts of how Gator would feel seeing me after I refused all of his phone calls consumed my mind. I stared out my window at the paparazzi crowding the front of the courthouse. I took a deep breath and opened my door, threw a few quarters in the parking meter and prepared myself for whatever faith Gator was faced with today. I still loved him but, in my mind, I was uncertain of our faith. I walked into the courtroom with my head held high in search of Strickler. I spotted him sitting behind the defense table with Gator and headed their way; they both looked back at me but didn’t acknowledge me. The room was packed with people I’ve never seen before, but nothing could prepare me when I laid my eyes on Gator’s wife and his two kids sitting front row behind him.
She was beautiful, sitting behind Gator with pride, her hair was pulled back into a sleek bun and the large diamonds in her ear danced off her smooth mocha colored skin. She was dressed to kill in a suede, money green fitted dress that crisscrossed over her plump breasts and fell off her shoulders. I instantly grew jealous as I stole a quick glimpse of her wedding ring that rested on her finger. I couldn’t take it, I turned around quickly and headed to the bathroom before I left the contents of my morning smoothie on the floor in the courtroom.
I gripped the countertop of the sink trying my hardest not to cry. What the fuck is she doing here? How dare Gator and Strickler ignore my presence like that? My gut was hurting from that blow. I closed my eyes tight trying to prevent a tear from slipping out, I heard the bathroom door open, but I was so consumed with my own thoughts I didn’t even open my eyes to see who entered.
“Ahem.” I opened my eyes and stared in the mirror face-to-face with my new unknown enemy. “Breathe bitch,” she sarcastically said with a smirk resting in the corners of her mouth. “Are you ok?” she asked giggling. I tried my hardest not to let this bitch know she was getting under my skin.
“I’m great,” I turned on the faucet to wash my hands.
“Listen, I’m really not here to sugar coat shit, nor are we going to be sister wives. Chris has a thing for hood rats or shall I say, a ride or die? The truth is, honey he’s my husband,” she picked up her hand flashing her enormous diamond making mine feel small. “I let him play long enough but now that he is in trouble, as his wife, I will play my part and stand by his side. So, your services are no longer needed.”
I laughed even though I was nervous as hell inside, “My services are no longer needed?” I frowned. “Bitch please, your marriage is an arrangement! Do you know the definition of an arrangement? Our shit ain’t forced hoe, it’s real! Which means, I have his heart!” I replied even though I wasn’t too sure of the words coming out of my mouth. Since she was standing there quiet, I continued, “I been with that man since I was 17-years-old, I don’t think my services will ever no longer be needed. That man out there in that courtroom is mine! Now on paper, he may belong to you, but he is my man.” I felt like Shirley when she called Barbara. I looked back up in the mirror staring her in the face. She walked up closer to me rolling her eyes and pretended to yawn and be bored with me.
“Let me make this clear, Brooklyn, you are not to show up to anymore of his court dates. Hell
, your name isn’t even on his visitation list. Now, if you want to continue living at 5304 Rocky Mountain Lane and driving those fancy ass cars, you will do as I say.” This bitch knew my damn address, the surprised look on my face couldn’t be hidden.
“That’s right, I know exactly where you live and the only reason you’re not floating in a river somewhere is because I am very aware of your relationship with Chris and I do know he loves you. But honey, love just isn’t enough in this case; besides, you shouldn’t want to be with a man who tells you he can’t have children. You see our beautiful babies in there? They are a product of him and I. Gator missed your fertility appointment on purpose the other day.”
I tried to stop the tears that welled up in my eyes, but I couldn’t. I could’ve slapped myself for letting this bitch see me in such a vulnerable state. Normally I would’ve knocked a bitch silly and mopped the damn floor with her ass for talking to me like that but how can I compete with his wife? She walked towards the door and turned back like she forgot something
“Oh, by the way, I just found out we are expecting our third child.” She rubbed her flat belly before walking out and leaving me to process what she just said.
I can’t believe this nigga aired out my fucking business like that! He told her he missed our fertility appointment. He was pillow talking with this bitch, I was livid. The anger inside of me boiled over as I rushed out of the bathroom to tell Mrs. Issac a piece of my mind but I ran dead smack into her security guard. He blocked me from moving forward while she smiled at me before disappearing behind the doors to the courtroom.
“Ma’am, I can walk you to your car. We could do this the easy way or the hard way, it’s your choice.” I looked up at the buff man dressed in a black two-piece suit and felt defeated as I turned around and headed towards my car.
