by Rose, J. L
“How much she paying you?” Raul asked, ignoring Dante’s question. “I’ll pay you $80,000 to change your mind if you take your boy and leave.”
“$80,000 not enough, Raul,” Dante replied. “Make it $100,000 and I’ll think about it.”
“That’s no problem,” Raul told him. “I got the money inside the safe in my bedroom. You can have it.”
Nodding his head slowly, Dante climbed from his high chair and nodded toward the hallway leading to the bedroom. “Lead the way!”
They followed Raul to the back of the apartment and into his nicely furnished bedroom. Dante stood at the foot of the bed as Raul opened the closet, stepped inside, and bent down reaching for something.
Dante was holding a Glock in each hand as Raul returned from the closet carrying a mid-size safe. He saw the surprised look on Raul’s face upon seeing both bangers in his hands.
“Just open the safe, Raul.”
Doing as he was told, Raul used the key he had tied onto the side of the safe. He then opened the door and looked over at Dante.
“I offered and you agreed to $100,000,” Raul stated, as he stared at Dante.
“I tell you what,” Dante told him, nodding his head over to the window. “Stand over there.”
“Man, you can relax.”
“I don’t like repeating myself, Raul,” Dante told him, staring a moment until Raul moved over and stood in front of the window.
Dante walked over to the safe and looked inside, seeing the chrome .25 automatic taped to the inside of the safe’s walls. He smirked and looked over at Raul. Then he focused on the money inside the safe.
“Alright, Raul,” Dante said, looking toward Raul who was staring back at him. “I ain’t gonna kill you.”
“What you gonna do with me…?”
Dante spoke up again, cutting off Raul. “Since I promised not to kill you, I want you to open up the window behind you and jump out of it.”
Dante watched the expression on Raul’s face and then said, “You can either die that way or die like your lady did. Either way, yo ass gonna die today. Decide now!”
* * *
Alinna stood at Harmony’s bedside at Parkway Hospital, watching her girl sleeping after being given drugs for the pain. She turned around to see Tony T walk into the room, followed by Vanessa, Dre, and Amber.
Following Tony T with her eyes as he walked over to Harmony’s beside and seeing the expression on his face as he bent down and kissed Harmony’s soft lips, Alinna looked back over her shoulder at hearing Amber ask, “How the doctor say she doing, Alinna?”
“She’ll be okay!” Alinna told her girl, turning to face Amber and Vanessa while ignoring the look on Dre’s face as he stood staring down at her. She continued, “They was able to get the bullet out but they’re watching to make sure no infection or anything else pops up.”
“What about Raul?” Amber asked. “What are we gonna do about his ass?”
“Dante said he was dealing with Raul,” Vanessa told Amber only for Alinna to speak up angrily, “You know what, Vanessa? I really am getting tired of you and Dante’s this and that. It’s amazing how you all of a sudden got all this fucking faith in his lying ass.”
“You know what bi . . .”
“Andre!” Vanessa said, shooting Dre a look before grabbing Alinna and dragging her out of the hospital room into the hallway.
“Look! If you about to tell me about . . .”
“You know what, Alinna!” Vanessa said, cutting Alinna off, “You keep talking about how sorry and how much of a lie Dante is but if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be where you are right now. Matter of fact, none of us would be where we are if Dante wasn’t out there risking his life doing what he’s doing. I know he messed up with Angela and he knows it but there’s no doubt that Dante loves your ass, Alinna.”
“Fuck Dante!” Alinna said angrily.
“Speaking of Dante,” Amber said, as she and Dre stood behind both Vanessa and Alinna nodding her head up the hallway. “Look who’s coming this way now!”
Turning and looking to see who Amber was talking about, Alinna froze as she watched Dante walking her way, barely noticing Wesley walking next to him.
Dante simply walked right passed Alinna and up to Vanessa as Alinna just stared. Vanessa hugged Dante’s neck. When Alinna saw him kiss Vanessa’s cheek and return her hug, she felt her anger skyrocket at being disrespected.
“What’s up, big bruh?” Vanessa said, smiling up at Dante.
“Everything good, lil sis?” Dante answered, as he released Vanessa. He then embraced Amber and dapped up with his boy Dre. “So, what’s up with my girl, Harmony? How she doing?”
“If you wasn’t out running behind the next bitch, you would know,” Alinna said, watching Dante cut his eyes back at her.
“Come on, Dante!” Vanessa said, grabbing his hand and shooting Alinna a nasty look. “Let’s go see Harmony.”
Sucking her teeth as she watched Vanessa lead Dante into Harmony’s hospital room, Alinna ignored the look that Dre shot her as she followed Amber into the room.
Once inside the hospital room, both Tony T and Dante embraced each other while Wesley and Tony T dapped. Vanessa explained to Dante what the doctor had said about Harmony’s health. Dante stood affectionately rubbing the side of Harmony’s face.
“She wouldn’t be lying there if you would have taken care of Raul like you said you would and not chase behind that bitch, Angela,” Alinna said nastily, causing everybody in the room to stare at her.
“Alinna, you know what . . .”
“Naw!” Dante spoke up, cutting off Vanessa as he stood staring at Alinna. “She right. I should have handled Raul when I said I would but I can’t change what’s already happened. I know it’ll never happen again, though. That’s my word.”
“Your word ain’t shit, nigga!” Alinna told him.
“Vanessa!” Amber cried, stepping towards her girl, who was moving towards Alinna.
“Oh! So what, you gonna fight me over Dante now, Vanessa?” Alinna asked, staring at Vanessa in surprise.
“Look!” Amber spoke up again. “What we need to figure out is how we gonna be able to deal with Raul ass. Y’all not fighting each other.”
“De blood clot boy no problem no more,” Wesley spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
“How you figure that, baby?” Amber asked her man.
“Me brethren killed the rude boy,” Wesley answered, smiling over at Dante.
“Wait a minute!” Amber said, looking to Dante. “When you kill Raul, Dante?”
“Wesley!” Dante called out to the dread. “Turn on the news.”
“What’s going on, fam?” Dre asked Dante, as Wesley turned on the television.
Dante nodded his head toward the TV, as Channel 7 News reported a possible homicide turned suicide at the West Palm High Rise apartment building, leaving three bodies found dead inside an apartment rented out to a Gina Ortez. Dante then waited until the news reporter said Raul Martinez’s name as among the deceased. He then looked at Alinna asking, “You happy now?”
Alinna looked from the television to Dante’s eyes, as he stood staring at her. However, she never got the chance to respond as Dante turned to Vanessa and asked to speak with her for a few minutes.
Alinna watched both Vanessa and Dante leave the room into the hallway. She looked at Dre who asked, “You still got some fucked up shit to say about my brother or is you happy now?”
* * *
“What’s up, big bruh?” Vanessa asked, as she and Dante walked up the hallway.
“I need you to promise me something, Nessa,” Dante told her, turning his head and looking at her.
“What’s up, Dante? Just ask it.” Vanessa told him, taking his hand inside hers as they walked side by side.
Stopping in front of the elevator, and turning to face Vanessa, Dante said, “Look, lil sis. I really don’t wanna keep dealing with Alinna and the bullshit but I need you to take D.J. ov
er to see his sister, Mya, at Angela’s place. She already knows you’re going to be coming by.”
“You serious, Dante?”
“Yeah!”
“Wait a minute!” Vanessa said, gripping Dante’s hand tighter. “Why can’t you take D.J. to see his sister?”
“I told you before that I leaving town soon, Nessa.”
“But you coming back, right?”
Slowly smiling as he reached out and brushed Vanessa’s hair back from her face, Dante said, “I’ll always come if you need me, baby sis. Just promise me you got me on this.”
Nodding her head, Vanessa accepted the kiss to the forehead from Dante and then stood watching him turn and walk onto the elevator just as two nurses were stepping off. She smiled as she watched both nurses nearly break their necks turning back to check out Dante before the elevator door closed shut.
Shaking her head as she turned around, Vanessa started walking back towards Harmony’s room. She started to wonder how she had allowed herself to develop feelings and allow Dante into her heart when at first she couldn’t stand his ass.
When Vanessa walked back in Harmony’s hospital room the others were having a discussion. She stepped over beside Dre and leaned into his side only to hear Alinna ask, “Where the hell Dante ass at?”
Rolling her eyes, Vanessa answered, “Dante left, Alinna. He went to handle something.”
“Handle what?”
“His business, Alinna. Damn!” Vanessa answered with an attitude. She continued, “Also, I’m taking my nephew and A.J. out this weekend to spend time with them. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Whatever, Vanessa!” Alinna replied, rolling her eyes at her. She turned back to the others and they continued their discussion.
* * *
After the issue resolved with Raul Martinez, Dante spent the next two days getting things ready for the trip that he, Tony T, and Dre were making to Phoenix. He wanted to out things with the nigga Victor Fayman who was pushing some major weight in Arizona.
Dante was surprised to see Vanessa climbing out of the front passenger seat with his son in her arms. He allowed a small smile to show as he stood and watched Vanessa walk up the yard and onto the porch in front of him.
“Hey, big bruh!” Vanessa said, as she leaned into Dante, wrapping her free left arm around his neck and kissing him while they hugged.
“What’s up, lil sis?” Dante replied, taking his son from Vanessa once she released him. “Why didn’t you tell me you was coming with Dre and Tony T?”
“Because it wasn’t planned,” Vanessa answered, smiling as she stood watching Dante playing with both his kids. It was only the second time she saw him smile since she had known him. “I just found out that you, Dre, and Tony T were leaving for Arizona from here. I figured this was a good time to really get to meet this Angela chick who Alinna hates so much.”
Dante didn’t respond. Instead, he turned a little towards the front door and tapped loudly so Angela could hear from inside the house. Dante then kissed both his kids foreheads.
Turning his attention back to the front of the house, he saw both Dre and Tony T packing bags inside the Ford Explorer they had rented under a false name. Dante looked back over his shoulder as he saw Angela step out of the doorway.
“Hey, Papi! What’s the …who is she?” Angela asked, after noticing the tall woman on her front porch.
“Angela. This my sister, Vanessa!” He then introduced Angela to Vanessa as Mya’s mother.
“So, you’re the Angela I’ve been hearing about, huh?” Vanessa said, looking over the baby mother of her brother’s daughter. She was surprised at how pretty the female was but then she thought about how pretty Alinna was and how good Dante was always looking which made her realize she really wasn’t all that surprised.
“Vanessa Green!” Angela said, looking Vanessa over slowly. “I recognized the name.”
“You would since you a detective now. A new captain with the help of my brother,” Vanessa replied with a slight attitude. She looked at Dante after hearing him say her name, meeting his eyes as he stared at her over the head of his son.
Sighing deeply, Vanessa looked back at Angela and apologized, “Sorry! I’m not used to dealing with the police.”
“It’s okay!” Angela replied. “You can relax. I’m on your side, Vanessa.”
“That’s what Dante tells me,” Vanessa said in response, just as both Dre and Tony T walked up.
“Hi, Andre,” Angela spoke, smiling at Dre.
“What’s up, Angela?” Dre asked, nodding his head at Angela as he caught the look Vanessa shot back at him over her shoulder.
“What’s up, fellas? We ready?” Dante asked as he handed Vanessa his daughter and then gave D.J. over to Angela.
We good, Play Boy?” Tony T answered, pulling his cell phone out and staring down at the screen.
Dante turned to Angela and kissed her on the lips and his son’s head. Then he kissed Vanessa’s cheek and the top of Mya’s head before walking off. Both Dre and Tony T followed behind him.
Dante climbed inside the passenger front seat of the Ford Explorer, as Tony T climbed inside the back seat. Dre walked around to the driver’s seat. Dante glanced out the window, seeing both Vanessa and Angela stepping inside the house as Dre began asking about Victor Fayman.
“It’s a lil party that’s supposed to be jumping off at some night club named Royalty,” Dante told Dre. Pulling out his Black & Mild’s, he continued, “From what I found out, this clown Victor supposed to be having his 30th birthday party at this club.”
“When this party supposed to be?” Dre asked, glancing over to Dante from the road.
“We should get to Phoenix by Thursday and the party supposed to be Saturday night,” Dante answered. He looked back at hearing Tony T call his name.
“Harmony wanna talk to you, bruh!” Tony T told him, handing Dante his cell phone.
Taking the phone, Dante turned back facing front. He placed the phone to his ear and said, “Yeah! What’s up, Harmony?”
“Hey, boo!” Harmony happily said after hearing Dante’s voice. “I just wanted to tell you thanks for the money you left me. Where you get a hundred grand from, boy?”
“Let’s just say it’s an apology for not handling that lil problem when I was supposed to.”
“Tony T told me what you did. Thanks, Dante.”
“No, thank you! We family.”
“I love you, boy.”
“Yeah! Love you too, Harmony,” Dante told her, passing the phone back to Tony T.
Watching his boy while driving the rental, Dre easily noticed the change in his best friend. He also noticed the way that Dante was opening himself up to feel for the others inside the family and Angela since having both his son, D.J., and his daughter, Mya.
“What’s up, family?” Dante asked, while noticing Dre watching him.
Smiling, Dre answered, “Nothing, fam! It ain’t nothing, bruh!”
Chapter 4
Finishing up business for the day after making her last sale, Alinna drove her BMW home while trying to ignore the thoughts of Dante she had been having all day. She was unwilling to admit she actually missed him after not seeing him since Harmony was shot by Raul’s people.
Deep in thought about Dante, she heard a bell-like sound inside her car. Glancing down to see the gas light was on, Alinna cursed and, after looking back at the road, noticed she was passing a BP gas station.
Making a quick left turn, Alinna pulled into the gas station entrance just as a metallic gray Cadillac ATS-V was pulling out of the gas station. She slammed on the brakes too late and ran into the ATS.
“Shit!” Alinna cursed, throwing the BMW into park before jumping out of the car. A tall, clean-shaven, brown-skinned guy climbed out of the ATS yelling, “Muthafucker! What the fuck is wrong with you? Can’t you read?”
Looking at the exit sign that shorty was pointing at, the guy looked back to the short but sexy-as-hell female. He slowly sm
iled and said, “I read pretty good, beautiful. But you may wanna look at the sign again though.”
“What?” Alinna replied, seeing homeboy nodding his head. She looking over at the entrance sign only to freeze at realizing the sign actually said exit. “Shit!”
Smiling still as he slowly looked the female over, he said, “Relax, gorgeous! It was an accident. I’m willing to forget about it if you’ll do two things for me.”
Looking the guy over in his Ralph Lauren navy-blue suit that showed off his nicely muscular body, Alinna noticed the smile on his face. She shook her head wondering where things were about to go. “What exactly is it you want…?”
“Alex!” he finished for Alinna. He then asked, “I was only wondering what your name was? And would you consider having dinner with me this weekend?”
Sighing loudly, Alinna started to reply, only for Alex to speak up again, “I’m not asking for anything more than your name and dinner. Nothing more and nothing less.”
Staring at the guy a moment, Alinna noticed that he was actually cute. She sighed again and said, “My name’s Alinna, Alex.”
Smiling a little more as he walked closer, he held out his hand to Alinna and said, “It’s good meeting you, Alinna. I hope this also means you’ll have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Staring up into his eyes and ignoring the thought of Dante, Alinna heard herself say, “Alright, Alex! We can have dinner this one time.”
* * *
Making it to the house later than she had planned, after talking with the cutie Alex at the BP station, Alinna parked the BMW in the front of the house and headed to the front door. Just then, the door swung open and Vanessa stepped out with D.J. in her arms.
“Where you two going?” Alinna asked Vanessa. She then bent over and kissed D.J.’s cheek, which caused him to smile at her.
“I’m taking my nephew out to eat dinner. Just him and his auntie.”
“What about A.J.?”
“He’s already asleep in Rose’s room. He and me got plans tomorrow,” Vanessa told her. She continued, “Yeah! I talked to Dante, too. They made it to Phoenix and should be hooking up with this Victor guy tomorrow night. He said they should be back by Monday if everything goes right.”
