Pretty Kings II

by T. Styles

  “So I guess you have no intentions on telling me why you and Denim beefing?”

  “I don’t wanna talk about that, Race.” She threw the drink back and requested another. It came right away. “And I wish you stop asking me. I heard you the first ten times.”

  “You going way too fast these days.” I watched her wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “Let me live. I got my life you got yours.”

  Her phone rang again, and she looked down at it. It had been going off ever since we left the hospital. I didn’t know why but I had a feeling she needed to get drunk to do whatever she had to when she left me, because she said she wasn’t going right home.

  “What’s going on in your world?” She slurred. “You always asking what’s up with me, so let me return the favor. What’s up with you and that mess you got going on at the house?”

  I frowned. “If you mean my relationship it’s not going well.”

  She sipped her martini. “How’s that? I thought shit was moving just like you wanted. You have a man and a bitch in your bed every night even though I don’t see how you do it.”

  “By it do you mean sleep with another woman?”

  “Yeah, I mean where they do that at? You a married woman, Race. And you got a bitch in your bed. You can’t tell me you feel comfortable with that shit. What if they get on some duet shit and cancel the trio? Fun now, heartbreak and nightmare later. I can feel it coming.”

  “I wish they would try and play me,” I said angrily.

  “I’m serious, Race. You have given him the okay to bring this chick into your home. Just be careful.”

  I sighed. “It’s funny you’re bringing this up right now. At first I was with the threesome but lately I’m starting to have second thoughts and I don’t know why.”

  “Then why not stop it? You hold all the cards.”

  “Because I got feelings for both of them.”

  “How do you know you weren’t just lonely, Race? I mean think about it for a second. You didn’t bring that chick into the picture until you thought Ramirez was dead.”

  “See that’s what I’m trying to tell you. It ain’t just happen when he went missing. Me and Ram both were fucking with that chick before he left. It’s just that when he went missing me and Carey went full time. Plus every time I kiss her my pussy gets wet.”

  Bambi downed the rest of her drink, stood up and looked at me. “I don’t like this life for you.” Her phone vibrated and she looked at it, frowned and stuffed it back into her pocket. “I don’t see nothing but trouble for you if you stay in that situation. And trust me, if there is one thing I know, trouble is it.” She walked out of the restaurant leaving me alone.

  Since Bambi had me thinking about my marriage I decided to call Ramirez to see if he wanted to get something to eat and talk about our lives. Ever since he’d been back home we’d been with Carey and there was no time to talk…just the two of us.

  Part of me didn’t want to have a serious conversation about our marriage because I didn’t know what I wanted. Sometimes I felt like Carey was right for me and that being with Ramirez was just a consolation. Then at other times I felt I was doing what I needed to make Ramirez happy by keeping another woman around. I guess I never had a chance to be alone with myself to find out what Race needs.

  I took my phone out of my pocket and called Ramirez. When he answered there was a lot of noise in the background.

  “Aye, Ram.”

  “What’s up, wifey,” he said. “Where you at? I been calling you all day to see if you wanted to have dinner with me later.”

  I smiled. It was nice to know that he wanted to be alone with me.

  “I know, baby. I saw your calls. I’m sorry. With Scarlett having her baby and a few other things that went down, it’s been a long day. I’m free now though. Where do you want to meet?”

  “Meet me at Flemings in Baltimore. I’ll wait for you at the bar until we grab a table. Hurry up though.” I heard a female’s giggle in the background. “Carey with me and all she keeps talking about is what plans she has for us when we get back home. Aye, Race, she got my dick rock hard just thinking about it.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  SCARLETT

  I lay in the hospital room watching Camp hold Master in his arms. I can’t lie, it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed in my life. Even when I gave birth to Samantha, my child with my first husband, I didn’t feel this closeness.

  “You did good, baby,” he said looking over at me before focusing back on Master. “Real good. He’s perfect.”

  “Not sure I had a lot to do with it,” I admitted.

  “How you sound? You carried him for nine months and he’s better than I imagined.” He lifted his tiny hands and then his feet. “Got all his fingers and toes too.” He grinned wider. “Damn, Scarlett. He’s mine. My first son.”

  I laughed. “You act like you didn’t know I was pregnant until now.”

  He looked a little serious. “It’s just really dawning on me. But I have no doubt that you’ll be a good mother.”

  I thought about what he said and then my background. I wasn’t so sure about that. When I was younger my parents left me with my aunt, Nancy Reba. She went by either her first or last name depending upon whom she was talking to.

  She abused me whenever she had a chance. I have an older brother named Matt and she never did him like she did me. She would burn me, hang me over the edge of the balcony and threaten to drop me. Whatever she did she wouldn’t stop until I cried. She also collected voodoo dolls that she would threaten me with. When I said I would tell my parents, she would take stickpins and press them into the doll that was supposed to represent me. I felt like I was in pain even though I knew it was all in my mind. To this day I’m scared of anything involving the occult.

  I was only ten years old and I couldn’t understand why whenever my parents went away they took me to her house.

  She did a lot of stuff to me but the thing that scared me the most was the huge silver sink in her basement. She used to fill it with cold water and ice cubes. Then she would put this step stool in front of the sink, and make me step on top of it. I begged her not to force me to do it but she never listened. She'd put my head over the sink, climb on the stool and sit on the back of my neck so that my head would stay under water. A few times she had to revive me because I passed out, unable to breathe.

  I guess something deep inside of me thought I’d do the same thing to Master. I didn’t want to hurt my baby but mentally I was not well.

  “I don’t want you fucking with dude no more,” Camp said waking me out of my thoughts.

  I felt like he gave me breath when he said that. There was nothing more I wanted to do than be with my husband. But before I got too excited I wanted to know what he meant exactly. “You talking about Ngozi?”

  “You fucking with anybody else?”

  “No, of course not.” I sat up straight in bed and placed my red hair behind my ear. “I didn’t want to be with him anyway.”

  “Then why do it?”

  “Because I was lonely, Camp. People do dumb things out of loneliness.”

  Camp placed the baby down in the plastic basinet. He paced a little at the foot of my bed. “Scarlett, I want to see if we can be together again. I really mean that. I mean, before I came in here I was going to tell you that I’m going to be a good father but that you and I are over. But then I looked at your face.” He stepped closer. “Your beautiful face and I saw the woman I married in the beginning, before all the pain. So I want to give it a try.”

  I placed my hand over my belly. “By try you mean you won’t go through with the divorce?” I asked hopefully.

  “What do you think?”

  “But I thought you said it was final.”

  “We got problems in this marriage, baby. Serious problems. We got together fast, and we loved hard. Add on top of that the shit we get from people out in the streets when they see a black man with a b
eautiful white woman. What I’m trying to say is that this marriage ain’t easy. But I’m willing to go through all of that for you.”

  “Where do you think we went wrong? We always loved one another but things changed. How come?”

  “I think it was a lot of things. At first it was cool for us to fuck and then fight but after awhile the only thing you did was beef with me. It was like you thought violence was the only way you could express yourself.”

  “You did some things too, Camp.”

  “I know I did; I’m not saying that I didn’t. But every time I made a move you didn’t like, you wanted to hit me in the face. And I wanted to react but that’s not in me to hit a woman.”

  “Well you should’ve hit me back.”

  He laughed. “You have no idea what’s going on in the world do you?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “The moment I react physically based on something you did to me all people would see is the white woman who’s being abused by the black man. I can’t take the risk.”

  “Why is everything always about race? Besides I wouldn’t say anything.”

  “I can’t believe that and even if it were true it’s not the point. What’s up with you and violence anyway? Why do you want me to be that way just to show you love?”

  “You really think I would go to the police crying that my black husband beat me,” I asked in a low voice, also avoiding his question. I did like a little violence at times. I couldn’t deny it. But I would never see him get arrested. “You don’t trust me.”

  “How could I?”

  Tears fell down my face. “Camp, you married a white woman and I love you very much. Unlike some chicks I didn’t go after you for your money. I knew nothing of you or your money when you stepped to me. Remember? And yes we have our shit and I can admit that, but it doesn’t change the fact that my heart is for you. I wish I could get you to see that. I wish I could get you to feel it.”

  He walked closer to me. “You don’t get me to feel it with your words, you show me with your actions.”

  “Whatever I gotta do to make it work I’m with. Just say the word, Camp.”

  “Okay.” He paused. “I want you to tell that nigga you not seeing him no more.” He walked over to our son and brushed his face with the back of his hand. “Then I want us to seek some counseling. If we gonna work we might have to get some help.”

  “Done.”

  I had no problems telling Ngozi’s ass I wasn’t trying to be bothered. After what he did to me it would be my pleasure to end our little thing. Besides, if I had a chance to get back with my husband, that’s what I was going to do. There was nobody in the world who could make me feel like Camp made me feel and I needed him in my life. Forever and always. I know the cards were stacked against us but that just made me want to fight harder. I would die for him. I would kill for him and I would do anything else I could to let him know that I was in his corner.

  “Is there anything else?” I asked hopeful that I could make our marriage work.

  “Yes. I want you to set a meeting up with him. But when you do I’m going to be there. I want to look this nigga in his eyes so he’ll know to stay the fuck away from my wife. So he’ll know how serious I am. “

  I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  I didn’t see that coming.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  SCARLETT

  I was sitting in my room on the bed with the door closed. Bambi and Race were with me and I was trying my best to explain to them what Camp wanted without losing my mind. If he met with Ngozi I wasn’t sure how things would pan out. I never knew Ngozi to be violent outside of what he did to me in the bathroom, but there was something evil about him and I couldn’t put my hand on it.

  “Y’all don’t understand,” I said looking up at them.” Ngozi not gonna take this shit easy. He once told me if he ever got the chance to meet with Camp alone that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. I can’t let them hook up, I just can’t. Especially now. Me and Camp are really trying to make a go of our family.”

  “First off, Camp ain’t no soft nigga,” Bambi said. “If he’s making a move like this he’s probably already put shit in motion to make sure things are safe for you and him. He’s a Kennedy, Scarlett, and sometimes I think you forget that. So I feel the need to keep telling you. I don’t know what your life was like before you were married into our family but we gangsters.”

  “She’s right,” Race responded. “You’re probably worrying more about this than necessary. If you ask me Camp should’ve stepped to the nigga a long time ago. I’m just happy he’s thinking before making a move. I guess that’s what happens when you have kids.”

  I stood up from the bed and walked toward my dresser. I picked up my gold brush and stroked my hair. “I know we have an army. And I know we can take care of business if need be. But I think Ngozi is a different kind of killer.” From the mirror I looked at Bambi and Race. I could tell I had their attention.

  “What do you mean he’s a different kind of killer?” Bambi asked. “If you ask me there ain’t but one kind.”

  “His family practices voodoo. And I know for a fact that his mother has killed some people who got her wrong. And before she left the hospital after I gave birth to Master she said something in African as she stood over top of my bed. When I asked Ngozi what it was he said it was a prayer that me and him will be together until our dying day.” I placed the brush down and turned around to look at them. “This shit is serious and I wish y’all would understand that.”

  Bambi and Race glanced at one another before breaking out in laughter. Bambi fell out on my bed while Race dropped to the floor. They were holding their stomachs and their designer shoes were up in the air. Where was the humor because I didn’t see it?

  “It’s not funny,” I said angrily. I crossed my arms over my chest. “Stop playing around, y’all.”

  “Yes it is funny, bitch,” Bambi giggled. “I can’t believe you getting all worked up over voodoo. Don’t you know that shit don’t work unless you believe in it? It’s all in the mind.”

  “Nothing works unless you believe in it,” Race added. “And that goes for your marriage too. The only thing you need to be doing right now is finding out what that husband of yours wants and how you can give it to him. Don’t let that black mothafucka take your second chance away. Camp said he wants to work on your marriage so set the meeting up.”

  “You talking about marriage like you respect it.” I said to her. “When you got a man and a bitch in your bed every night.”

  “She’s right about that,” Bambi said.

  “The difference is I’m feeling my situation,” Race responded. “It works for me. But you aren’t feeling yours.”

  “Are you, Race?” Bambi asked. “I mean you say you like your scenario but you don’t look so happy.”

  Race walked over to the chair in my room and sat down. “I’m not talking about me right now anyway.” She looked down. “I’m talking about you.” She looked up at me. “If you ask me the way you acting, Scarlett, you must not want the marriage anymore. If that’s the case just come out and say it.”

  I sighed. “I do but I am scared,” I said.

  “Don’t say that shit again,” Bambi said walking over to me. “You can’t begin to know what scared is unless you’ve seen your friend get blown up in front of you by a landmine.”

  She was right.

  There was a light knocking on my bedroom door. At first I thought it was Camp with Master until I remembered he went to show the baby to some of his family members.

  I got up and walked toward the door. I opened it and I saw Jasmine. She was sitting on the floor playing with a brown wooden box. When I walked in front of her she was stuffing something green in her mouth.

  I looked back in my room and said, “Y’all come here and see this shit.”

  Bambi and Race rushed outside of my room and we all looked at Jasmine. She was eating weed. Just as I said tha
t Denim rushed up the steps. Bradley had just come home after being on the run and they’d been held up in the room fucking. Usually Race or Bambi watched Jasmine but they were with me so the kid was left to fend for herself.

  “Jasmine, what the fuck are you doing with my box?” Denim snatched it out of her hand and picked her up.

  “She’s eating your pack,” Bambi said with an attitude. “That’s what she doing.”

  Denim rolled her eyes, dug into Jasmine’s mouth and pulled the weed strands out. She plucked them on the floor. Me, Race and Bambi looked at one another.

  “I didn’t see her get into my shit,” Denim said with a look of guilt on her face. “Ever since she been on these meds she’s been different. I’m sorry y’all.”

  “Are you sure she’s going to be okay?” Bambi asked.

  “She’s fine. What you need to do is focus on yourself and your own business,” Denim said as she and Jasmine caught the elevator downstairs.

  We all walked back into my room. “That was weird,” I said to them. “She better watch that kid.”

  “Like you better watch yours,” Bambi said giving me the eye.

  “Anyway like I was telling you, Scarlett,” Race said. “You’re a Pretty King, and we aren’t supposed to scare easily. Camp will handle the Ngozi situation like he sees fit.”

  “Then what can I do to help him?” I asked them honestly. “I know I shouldn’t be worried but I am. And to tell you the truth I’m more concerned for Camp than I am for myself.”

  “I asked you before so I’ll ask you again. What do you want us to do? It’s time to decide.” Bambi asked me. “Do you want him dead?”

  I thought hard about it. If they killed him then I wouldn’t have to worry about him popping up again or him hurting Camp. My troubles would be over and I would be free to live my life with my husband and new baby. The murder game sounded good, but something in Camp’s eyes told me that he wanted the opportunity to address the man who had been with his wife. If I had him killed before the meeting, he would probably think I had something to hide.