by J. L Rose
“I’m serious, Dante,” Angela admitted. “I’m four to six weeks pregnant.”
“Four to six weeks?” Dante replied, staring over at Angela, doing quick math inside his head and coming back with one month and two weeks, which would mean she got pregnant right before Alinna. “Ain’t this a bitch?”
Pulling inside the motel parking lot, Angela parked and turned facing Dante. “Dante listen, I know we started things all wrong, but I want that to change. I’m up for a promotion for my lieutenant bars in another week. I don’t want you to worry about anything, and I’m going to make sure that you have nothing to worry about. Just promise me you’ll be there for me and our child.”
Shaking his head, Dante ran his left hand over his face, and then said, “Angela look, if this really my shorty you’re supposedly carrying, I’ma take care of mines, but understand that this same Alinna chick you asking me about is my first priority, that’s not going to change.”
Upset at what she was hearing, but smiling at having her own plans for Dante and herself, Angela leaned over to him, kissing his ear, and then licking the rim of his ears with her left hand moving over between his legs and gripping his manhood. She said, “Just make sure you take care of us and I’m happy.”
Hearing Angela’s words but really not paying them much attention, Dante sat thinking about Alinna and the child they were having together.
* * *
Pissed off while lying in their new queen-sized bed that she picked out for them while Vanessa and the other sat downstairs in the den watching some movie they ordered on Netflix, Alinna looked over at her cell phone wanting to call Dante, but refused herself for some reason she couldn’t explain.
“Fuck him,” Alinna said, climbing out of the bed and started toward the door just as Dante walked through causing her to stop mid step.
Staring at Dante as he walked to the closet and stood pulling off his shirt, Alinna spoke first seeing that he wasn’t going to say anything. “So you not gonna say nothing Dante? You just going to walk in here and not tell me where you been?”
“Not right now Alinna,” Dante told her, walking naked to their bathroom, leaving his clothes in front of the closet.
Sucking her teeth, Alinna stormed off behind Dante while entering the bathroom just as he was stepping inside the standing shower.
Stripping naked without a thought, Alinna walked over to the glass shower door snatching it open stepping inside to find Dante facing the wall with his forehead laid against the wall while the water beat down on his back.
“What now Alinna?” Dante asked from his position facing the wall still.
Stepping up behind him only to jump back at feeling how cold the water was that was spraying from the showerhead, Alinna quickly turned on the hot water then turned Dante to face her, reaching up taking his face in both her hands forcing him to look back at her. “Baby, what’s wrong? This isn’t about Wesley is it? Something else is bothering you.”
“It’s nothing Alinna,” Dante told her, turning away from her only for her to force him back around.
“Dante, don’t start lying to me, tell me what’s wrong. I can see it on your face and your eyes. Tell me you’re upset, what is it?”
Holding Alinna’s eyes a few minutes, Dante asked out of the blue, “Do you trust me?”
“What?” Alinna asked shocked and surprised. “What type of fucking question is that, Dante?”
“Just answer the question, Alinna,” Dante told her in a calm voice that had Alinna staring at him in an odd way.
“Dante you know I trust you. I love you tell me what’s going on,” Alinna told him beginning to worry now.
“Just know that no matter what ever happens in the future, I’m only for you and our shorty,” Dante told her dropping his hand to her stomach. “I love you Alinna, I swear.”
Unable to say anything else, Dante kissed her. Alinna allowed him to pick her up wrapping her arms and legs around him, feeling him position his manhood at the entrance of her womanhood she cried out while kissing him feeling Dante slid up inside her.
* * *
Lying in bed with Dante, his head laid on her chest while he slept, Alinna laid rubbing his hair wondering what happened to Dante, why he was acting so weird and talking the way he was while they was in the shower.
Thinking and still trying to put together everything inside her head, Alinna found herself thinking back over the past few months since she and Dante began seeing each other intimately, noticing a few things more she thought back.
Focusing on Dante as he shifted positions wrapping his arm around her middle squeezing her tight then loosening his hold, Alinna bent her head down enough to kiss the top of his head then whispered, “What are you keeping from me, Dante?”
Chapter 15
Continuing to deal with Dante and his mood swings and noticing the odd times he needed to disappear for long stretches of hours, Alinna gave up on asking him where he’s been or what he was doing, instead making decisions of her own.
Around the fifth month of her pregnancy, Alinna got an answer to what she wanted to know about Dante’s whereabouts for those long hours he was away after receiving a phone call from Amber a few hours after Dante left.
“Yeah Amber, where are you?”
“Alinna look, I want you to sit down before I tell you where I’m at.”
“Amber don’t play with me, where the hell are you?”
“Alinna think about the…”
“Amber if I ask you again I promise after I deal with Dante and his shit, I will deal with you and your bullshit, now tell me, where is my man?”
Listening to Amber tell her what she was hearing, Alinna wasn’t sure how she found the bed, but she was barely aware that she actually was sitting down and tears were running down her face.
After hanging up with Amber, Alinna wasn’t sure how long she sat at the foot of the bed in deep thought when Dante walked in their bedroom.
Following him with her eyes as Dante moved around the bedroom not saying anything to her but mumbling to himself, Alinna grew tired of waiting and said, “Dante where the fuck have you been and I swear if you lie to me I will fuck you up this day. Answer me nigga.”
Glancing over to Alinna as he headed towards their bathroom, Dante answered, saying back over his shoulder to Alinna, “Handling business, Alinna.”
Standing to her feet before she realized that she even moved, Alinna stormed into the bathroom behind Dante catching him standing in front of the toilet pissing, she swung punching Dante directly in the mouth.
“Muthafucka, I told you not to lie to me,” Dante heard Alinna yell after getting past the fact she punched him in the mouth, feeling blood as it ran down his bottom lip.
Licking his lip Dante finished pissing, flushed the toilet, walked over to wash his hands, while ignoring the blood he saw dripping into the sink.
Drying off his hand’s once he was done, Dante left the bathroom with Alinna still yelling and trailing him, unsure of what the fuck she was saying as he walked over to the dresser grabbing his burner, keys, and cell phone.
“Dante where the fuck you going now?” Alinna yelled grabbing Dante arm.
Looking back to Alinna meeting her eyes directly, Dante wasn’t sure what the hell he said that caused Alinna to release her hold on him, but he simply walked out of the room and left the house.
* * *
Leaving the house in the Altima, really not going anywhere but driving around thinking, Dante was deep in thought when he pulled up to a red light besides a dark blue Impala recognizing the Chevy. He hit the car horn then lowered his window just as the passenger side window of the Impala slid down.
“Fuck you doing around this part of town?” Dante asked yelling from his car over to Vegas in the Impala.
“A lil business I was handling. What’s good though, gangster? Where ya headed?”
“Get something to eat real quickly.” Dante moved up just as the light changed to green.
“I’ma slide with ya. I’ll follow you,” Vegas told Dante, then let the window up.
Really not in the mood to be kicking it with anybody, Dante let it go and decided to pull inside the KFC on the left.
* * *
Worried that she may have went too far with putting her hand’s on Dante, remembering the look on this face when he told her to let him go before he left the house, Alinna sat on the bed calling Dante’s cell phone, but getting nothing but his voicemail.
Close to screaming after getting Dante’s voicemail again, Alinna hung up and was just about to dial the number back when her cell phone rang back.
Watching as Amber called, Alinna answered, “Please tell me you’re still following Dante, Amber.”
“He’s at the KFC, but you’re not going to believe what I gotta tell you.”
“What now”
“First, I found out who the bitch was that Dante was with, but that’s half of what’s important. What’s important is the bitch is either fucking with Dante’s ex-boy, Vegas or something else is going down because when Dante left her house I waited a few minutes and guess who I saw pull up? Vegas’ ass.”
“What happen?”
“The bitch and Vegas just stood outside talking by his car. But guess what, she’s pregnant, Alinna.”
Quiet for a moment praying that Dante wasn’t the father of whoever this other bitch was, Alinna broke her silence. “Amber, get Dante’s ass home. Go inside that KFC and tell him to get his ass home now.”
* * *
“So what the hell are you doing on this side of town?” Vegas asked Dante once they sat down across from one another on the left side of KFC, overlooking the parking lot.
“Handling a little something as well,” Dante answered as he pulled a chicken breast from the box. “What’s good with you though? I ain’t heard from you in a lil minute though.”
“Just tryna live, my nigga,” Vegas answered, and then asked, “Yo what’s up with Alinna? You still kicking it with shorty?”
“Why the fuck you worried about it, nigga?” Amber said with much attitude as she walked up on the table with Dante and Vegas.
“What the fuck you doing here Amber?” Dante asked, surprised to see her.
“You slipping Dante,” Amber told him shooting Vegas a nasty look, and then looking back to Dante, she said, “Dante you need to get home. Alinna called me and she needs you home now.”
“What’s up?” Dante asked as he was standing from his seat.
“I’m not sure but we need to go,” Amber told him grabbing Dante’s arm pulling him away from the table.
Jogging out to his car as Amber ran and jumped in her Acura, Dante got his car door opened and got inside and then pulled out his cell phone. Turning on his cell phone as he was back out of the parking lot and driving away, Dante cursed under his breath seeing 11 missed calls.
Making it back to the house in under seven minutes, Dante swung the Altima in the driveway and around the front of the house, parking in the back of Dre’s Avalanche.
Hopping out of his car, Dante caught a glimpse of Amber parking the Acura. Dante jogged up to the front door, snatching open the door.
“Alinna!” Dante yelled as he rushed into the house, yelling her name as Dre and Vanessa rushed out of the den and rose hurried from the kitchen to see what was going on.
“Yo fam, what’s up?” Dante heard Dre call out as he was already running up the stairs.
“Dee, what’s up braw?” Tony T asked as he rushed out in the hallway with his burner in hand, as Dante flew up the stairs on the top level.
Ignoring Tony T catching a glimpse of Harmony rushing out of her bedroom while putting on her shirt, Dante ran to his own bedroom with Alinna sitting on the bed smoking a joint with the T.V running.
Looking around the bedroom seeing nothing but smelling the weed in the air, Dante sat down one of his Glocks he didn’t remember pulling out, asking Alinna, “What the hell is going on? And what the hell are you fucking doing?”
Allowing Dante to snatch the joint from her hand, Alinna sat watching him smash out the joint then turn angrily facing her she smoke first, “Who the fuck is the pregnant bitch that you’ve been seeing behind my back, Dante?”
Caught off guard by her question, Dante looked to the bedroom door after hearing it close. He looked back to Alinna, seeing the expression on her face. “Alinna it’s …”
“Dante, if you lie to me right now I promise you I will put you in the hospital,” Alinna interrupted, picking up her .380 from beside her left thigh and laying it on top of her lap while staring at Dante the whole time.
Ignoring the gun, Dante backed up against the wall and folded his arm across his chest staring back at Alinna. “Her name is Angela Perez.”
“Is she pregnant from you?”
“Yes.”
“So you cheated on me?” Alinna asked as tears of hurt and anger broke free.
“No, I didn’t cheat on you,” Dante replied, as he remained leaning against the wall staring at Alinna. “I met Angela before you and we never began seeing each other like that.”
“Just tell me the truth Dante, do you love her? Please don’t lie,” Alinna begged him.
Laughing at hearing Alinna’s question and seeing the look on her face at his laughing, Dante finally got out, “I wouldn’t use the love word, and what I feel for her in the same sentence shorty, believe me, and it’s not the same.”
Telling Alinna everything from the first time Angela pulled him over and making her demands and explaining how they were able to get away with all the murders they had in the city, which was why he was happy they now handle business out of the state, Dante saw and hated the look that Alinna gave him when he admitted to having sex with Angela once after he and Alinna began seeing each other.
“How far along is she, Dante?” Alinna asked him as she was still pissed off, but more with the detective bitch who was impregnated by her man.
“She’s a month and a few weeks ahead of you,” Dante admitted.
“Do you know how she is able to keep up with your whereabouts or how she found out who I was?” Alinna asked him as she moved the .380 from her lap and climbed off the bed walking over to the dresser where Dante left the joint.
“I think she’s having me followed, but I can never spot anyone undercover following me,” Dante told her as he walked over to Alinna, taking the joint from her hand, and receiving a nasty look for it.
Rolling her eyes at him mumbling something in Spanish that Dante didn’t catch, Alinna sat back down on the bed facing him. “She has Vegas following you, Dante.”
“Vegas, what are you talking about?” Dante asked confused at what she was telling him.
Explaining to Dante how she had been having Amber follow him for the past two weeks and how Amber found out about Angela, but also found out that Vegas was also meeting up with Angela right behind him which had to be how she was able to keep up with him whenever he was inside the city, Alinna watched Dante facial expression the whole time.
“That explains why the police bitch was over this way just now,” Dante said once Alinna finished talking. “I caught up with his ass a few blocks from here at the light; he said he was handling some business.”
“I bet he was handling business – police business,” Alinna replied and then asked, “What are we going to do about Angela, Dante?”
“I know you may not want to hear this, but we may need her in the future. She’s getting a promotion and she may be of use for us once things start growing in business, but then she is carrying my shorty,” Dante explained.
“How the fuck you know that it’s your fucking baby?” Alinna yelled angrily from the thought of hearing about somebody else having Dante baby.
Walking from the wall where he was leaning, Dante sat next to Alinna as she was crying with a pissed off expression on her face, Dante wiped her face. Then he said, “Shorty, I know you’re heated but what’s done is done. I’ll get a blood test to make sure, bu
t tell me now what you want to do before we go any further.”
Staring at Dante a few minutes, Alinna sighed deeply as she learned over against him, wrapping her arms saying, “I love you Dante, but please don’t make me kill you for cheating on me with anybody.”
“Relax shorty, I don’t want nobody else,” Dante told her wrapping his arms around her, kissing Alinna on top of her head.
Chapter 16
After Angela and Alinna had their babies – Alinna a boy, while Angela had a little girl, Dante was able to split his time between both his kids after finding out that Mya Blackwell was his actual daughter.
Once Alinna got back in the vibe of things and Angela got back to work, business began picking up to a level where Alinna broke down and gave her girls a different location that Dante, Dre, Tony T, and Wesley ensured was available to them without any problems.
With Amber, Harmony, Vanessa, and Wesley running their new locations, building a crew that ran the trap house only noticing that business was getting bigger and more money and customers were coming in, Dante, Dre, and Tony T went back to work making trips out to West Virginia and Tennessee bringing back home nine bricks of coke, ten pounds of weed, and a little over ten thousand pills.
Stopping by Angela’s house to see Mya one Saturday morning and seeing a dark blue Jeep Cherokee parked in the driveway behind Angela’s car, Dante parked the new matted out black Range Rover that Alinna had bought him.
Climbing from the Range Rover and walking around the front end of the SUV just as his cell phone went off, Dante pulled out his cell phone seeing Alinna calling, he answered, “Yeah baby, what’s up?”
“Where are you?”
“Seeing Mya,” Dante answered as he knocked on the door of Angela’s house. “What’s up?”
“I need you to pick up some medicine for D.J. at the CVS,” Dante heard Alinna tell him just as the front door opened and a Spanish dude walked in through the front door to Angela’s house with Mya in his arms.
