White Lines III

by Tracy Brown

  “We’ve been through it all, Jada. We had some good times and some bad. We wasted a lot of time that we can never get back again. Now that I have you back, I’m never letting you go again. I’m never gonna take what we have for granted.” His gaze was direct and so was his delivery. “I promise to love you, and protect you, and respect you until the day I die. I’ll take care of you and the kids until we get so old that the kids have to take care of both of us.”

  Jada laughed through the joyful tears that puddled in her eyes.

  “I’ll do my best to remember to put the toilet seat down after I’m done.”

  The reverend and all of the guests were smiling and chuckling as they listened to Born’s impromptu vows. It was spontaneous, romantic, and the sweetest thing any of them had ever witnessed.

  “I’ll buy you flowers just because you deserve it. I’ll never keep any secrets from you. Unless it’s to surprise you, ’cause I know how much you love surprises.” He squeezed her hands tightly.

  “I’ll never cheat on you.” Born’s expression was serious as he said it. He knew that his recent dalliance with Anisa had hurt Jada terribly. “I’ll never cause you pain again. And I’ll never leave you. I’ll be the husband you deserve—the husband you always deserved.” He started to get emotional, but manned up quickly. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of our kids. We’re a family, and I promise to always put my family first—before anything or anybody else. I swear I’ll make you happy. Always. So help me God.” Born brought Jada’s hands to his lips and kissed each one. The pastor handed him Jada’s platinum-and-diamond wedding band, and Born placed it on her finger.

  Ava, Miss Ingrid, and Marisol dabbed at the tears in their eyes, but Jada didn’t bother to control hers. Joyful tears spilled forth, until Born reached forward and gently wiped them away with his handkerchief. Jada’s heart nearly burst with all of the love she had inside.

  The reverend turned to her. “Would you like to say your own vows, too?” he asked.

  Jada nodded. “I don’t think I can talk without crying, but I’ll try.” She looked at Born, and her smile widened. “I love you,” she said. “God blessed me when he sent you into my life … into me and Sheldon’s life.” She took a deep breath. “You’ve been so patient with me. From the very beginning, you’ve been my best friend. You treat me better than I treat myself at times.” Her gaze lowered, Jada choked back a sob. “I don’t know why you love me, but I’m so glad that you do. You know everything there is to know about me, and still…” She looked at him again. “You love me.” She shook her head at the magnitude of that. “And, my God, Born, I love you, too. I love you so much.”

  She took another deep breath. “I promise to keep you happy forever. I will respect you, honor you, and take care of you all the days of my life. I’ll never hurt you again. When things get hard, I won’t run. I swear.” She smiled at him. “I won’t complain when you spend Sundays watching football all day.”

  “Yeah, right,” Sheldon said, louder than he meant to. Still, everybody laughed.

  Jada’s smile was wide as she continued. “I won’t complain when you talk with your mouth full. I love you for who you are, for who you’ve helped me become. And I will never let anyone or anything ever come between us again. I love you.” She took Born’s matching wedding band and placed it on his finger.

  The minister spoke again, blessing their union. He pronounced them man and wife at last, and Jada rushed into Born’s open arms. They kissed and held each other close. Born forgot about everyone else present as he looked into Jada’s eyes and kissed her over and over. Jada was weak with joy.

  They turned and faced their loved ones at last, and were surrounded by hugs and kisses all around. In that moment, though neither of them knew it at the time, they were both having similar thoughts. It was as if Sunny and Dorian were there in spirit, surrounding them with love, and blessing their friends as they began their lives together as husband and wife.

  EPILOGUE

  Gillian sat in the small office with her mother and her attorney—an associate of Maury’s—as the agents grilled her relentlessly.

  “I’m telling you what I know,” Gillian said, sincerely. “Frankie came by the restaurant on Thanksgiving. I was surprised to see him, since we hadn’t spoken to each other in months. He was upset.”

  “Very upset,” Mayra interjected. “He insisted that he needed to speak with Gillian right away. So she sat with him at one of the tables in the corner.”

  Agent Payne watched the women closely, glancing at his notes periodically to see if they would switch up any of the details of the last sighting of his star witness.

  “You said that he asked you to leave town with him. Did he say where he was going?” Payne asked.

  Gillian shook her head. “No. Honestly, it didn’t seem like he really knew where he was going. He just kept saying that we could disappear; that the case against him was serious and he couldn’t stay here and stand trial. I reminded him that his daughter is here, and she needs him. He just said that he would find a way to see her, but he had to get away. I told him that I couldn’t just up and leave. I’ve got the restaurant, my home, my family here. I told him that he was crazy. So he left. And I haven’t heard from him since.”

  Gillian dabbed at the corner of her eye with a tissue. “My God, I hope he’s okay. I didn’t really think he would just up and leave like that.”

  Mayra stroked her back, comfortingly.

  “My daughter is very upset. She loved Frankie very much. They broke up years ago because he wouldn’t get out of that life. She warned him that things would get out of hand if he kept living like that, but he didn’t listen. And now look!”

  “Mama, don’t,” Gillian protested.

  “No, Gigi; there’s no point in pretending anymore. He’s a fugitive.”

  “We’re still trying to determine if that’s the case,” Agent Payne insisted. “Right now we’re piecing together his movements on the last day anyone saw him. His ex-wife tells us that he spent the day with their family, and then left after dessert. We know that he came to see you after that.”

  “You only know that because my client told your investigators that. She’s been very forthcoming and candid. But this has been a very long day, and she is clearly overwhelmed. She’s told you everything she knows. Can we wrap this up?” Robert Nestlebaum was no Maury, but he came damn close.

  Agent Payne didn’t look too pleased, but he threw up his hands in surrender. “Sure. Listen … it’s just that Frankie hasn’t been home, hasn’t checked in anywhere in the past four days. No trace of his car or his cell phone. His mother hasn’t heard from him. We’re concerned that he may have met with some type of foul play.”

  Gillian frowned. “Why would anybody want to hurt Frankie?” she asked.

  Agent Payne looked over at his colleagues. They knew that Frankie was a government informant, but that fact hadn’t been made public.

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out Ms. Nobles.” Payne stood, signaling the end of their questioning. Gillian, her mother, and her attorney stood as well. “If we have any more questions, we’ll give you a call.”

  Gillian nodded. “Please let me know as soon as you know something. I’ll be worried sick about him until I know where he is.”

  Agent Payne agreed. “Will do, ma’am. Thank you for your time.”

  He watched the three of them as they left, something in his gut telling him that Frankie hadn’t made it out of town. He believed that Frankie was dead.

  “Back to fucking square one.” He slammed his fist on the table and sat back in his chair, frustrated.

  Meanwhile, as Gillian exited the building with her mother and her attorney, she continued to play the part of the concerned friend. On her face was an expression of worry and concern. But in her mind, she was thankful to Biggs for a job well-fucking done.

  Once in the car, Nestlebaum filled them in on what they could expect next. “Without him, they don’t ha
ve much of a case. As long as he doesn’t show up anytime soon, it’s safe to say that their case is significantly weaker against everybody.”

  Gillian smiled for the first time all day. “Now, that’s good news.”

  * * *

  In the months that followed, the majority of the charges against Grant, the Douglas brothers, Tremaine, and Reuben were dropped. With no informant to implicate them, the feds’ case was all but done. A few of the charges stuck, particularly those for weapons and drug possession. When the dust settled, Grant’s case was dismissed for lack of evidence, but he was still released from his job in the D.A.’s office on the grounds of illegal drug possession for the pills they’d found in his home. He went into a court-mandated rehab facility and emerged thirty days later a free man. Sunny’s brother Reuben, and Dorian’s brothers Patrick and Christian were each sentenced to two years in prison for the drugs and guns found in their homes at the time of their arrests.

  Zion was hit the hardest. The pills and gun found during the search of his home didn’t bode well with the judge. He was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison. Olivia kept a stiff upper lip as she continued to take her clothing line to the top of the industry. But inside, she was crushed. She would always love Zion, and without him she felt a void that no other man could fill. She focused on taking her fashion career to the next level, determined to give Adiva a positive role model to emulate as she grew older.

  Frankie’s body was never recovered, and rumors abounded about what had become of him. Some imagined that he had fled to avoid prosecution. Others wondered if Frankie had met with a more unfortunate fate. Camille, for one, was convinced that Frankie was dead. Nothing else could explain his sudden disappearance from Bria’s life. It was tough on Bria. It took months before she stopped asking for him. Camille and Eli did their best to compensate for Frankie’s absence. And as the weeks turned into months and the reality set in that Frankie was never coming back, Eli proposed to Camille.

  “Let me be the man in your life, and the father figure in Bria’s,” he asked. “Marry me.”

  With tears streaming down her face, Camille said yes. She had never expected to marry again after having such a tumultuous union with Frankie. But when she said “I do” to Eli on August 4, she entered into a marriage unlike the one she’d endured previously. Eli was patient, kind, gentle, and attentive to both Camille and Bria. Their love provided the perfect atmosphere for her to grow up a happy and healthy young girl in the absence of her father.

  Born, Jada, and their sons were officially a family now. Although Ethan was still a bit leery of Sheldon, they had managed to squeeze some normalcy out of what had once been an insane existence.

  Anisa was none too thrilled with Born and Jada’s marriage. Out of spite, she had threatened to move to California with Ethan. Anisa’s parents had purchased a home in Anaheim, and she determined that since Born no longer wanted to be in her life, she may as well move to the west coast and start over. She was angry that Born had married Jada without warning. By the time Anisa found out about it, there was nothing she could do to stop it. Angry and jilted, she began to pack hers and Ethan’s bags for the trip to Cali. But Born’s mother, Miss Ingrid, had gone to talk with Anisa. Always one to keep it real, Miss Ingrid had pulled no punches.

  “Do you know how many kids out there would love to have a father in their life? Whether he’s with you or not, nobody can argue that Born is an excellent father. He takes care of you and Ethan financially, and he spends more time with him than most fathers I know. Don’t let your pride cause you do something you’ll regret. If you move Ethan all the way to the other side of the country, who do you think it’s really gonna hurt? Huh? Born has already moved on. He’s happy with Jada, so you might as well get over that. The only person who’ll be hurt by that is my grandson. And I would really hate to see that happen.”

  Anisa had stared at the floor, convicted. Two days later, she had called off the move to California. But she did pack up and move back to Queens, where she had grown up. She no longer wanted to live in the house Born owned, which now felt like an ungratifying second prize in a contest she had once been so desperate to win.

  Born and Jada were glad to see her go. Jada needed no reminders of Born’s trysts, and Born was happy to have a reason to sell the house on Bement Avenue. Ethan came to stay with them every other weekend, and as often in between as Born could manage. They split holidays 50/50, and the absence of Anisa gave them the chance to enjoy their relationship with no outside interference. They were finally beginning to settle into a peaceful family existence for the first time ever. They were ecstatic as they enjoyed their renewed romance, and it showed. They had come through all of the twists and turns of their lives—not unscathed, but certainly not destroyed.

  Gillian’s life as the head of a crime family had come to an end. Baron’s death, the case against the crew, Frankie’s betrayal, and her progression from queenpin to cold-blooded killer had forced her to accept one crucial truth. The drug game would never be the same again. There was no honor among thieves, no integrity to be found in a life that had once been the source of her family’s wealth, power, and prestige. In Gillian’s mind, when her father died, he took with him the last bit of glory that would ever accompany a life of crime. Baron and Frankie were dead. Zion was in jail. Born had settled into a life of domesticity, and Biggs had taken the ticket to freedom she had offered him and never looked back. Gillian found herself feeling lonely and unimportant for the first time ever. And it was ironic that the person she found herself clinging to was her mother, whom she had once reviled.

  Mayra had helped Gillian cover her tracks in the weeks following Frankie’s disappearance. She had been eager to forge a stronger bond with Gillian, and the crew’s troubles had given her the perfect opportunity. Mayra spent less time with Guy London, the man she had been involved with for years. Instead, she and her daughter spent their days shopping, having lunch or dinner dates, getting their nails done, and making up for lost time. Mayra sold Conga, which was the source of understandable angst for her daughter. And now she had opened a new upscale eatery called Monte Cristo, named after a popular cigar from Mayra’s native Cuba. Since Gillian had earned a college degree during the years before her ascension to the Nobles throne, Mayra brought her in as co-owner, and together they took the restaurant to the top. Monte Cristo became so popular among the who’s who of New York City that it garnered rave reviews and became the toast of the town.

  Still, Gillian wondered if her life would ever consist of the astronomical highs that she had enjoyed as a member of the Nobles crime family. Wondered, too, if she would ever find love again. She had no regrets about the blood she had shed to protect those she loved. But, every now and then, she found herself daydreaming about her life in the fast lane, and secretly she wondered if she would ever find fulfillment in the ordinary existence she enjoyed now. While she was grateful to have landed on her feet, free and clear, there still remained a yearning in her heart for the power and the danger that life on the edge had given her. In her heart, she knew it wouldn’t be long before she found some new way to quench her insatiable thirst for what had been taken from her far too soon.

  In the meantime, she made do with what she had, and quietly plotted and planned for the day when she would once again take over the world.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  TRACY BROWN is the Essence bestselling author of White Lines II: Sunny, Aftermath, Snapped, Twisted, White Lines, Criminal Minded, Black, and Dime Piece. She lives in Staten Island, New York. You can sign up for email updates here.

  ALSO BY TRACY BROWN

  Criminal Minded

  White Lines

  Twisted

  Snapped

  Aftermath

  White Lines II: Sunny

  ANTHOLOGIES

  Flirt

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  1. Moment of Truth

  2. Big Dreams

  3. Sleepless Night

  4. Evolution

  5. Blown

  6. Déjà vu

  7. Unforgiven

  8. Heart to Heart

  9. Half Crazy

  10. Intervention

  11. Old News

  12. Slipping

  13. Falling

  14. Checkmate

  15. Bygones

  16. Crossroads

  17. Farewell

  18. Resurrection

  19. Homecoming

  20. Bang! Bang!

  21. Damage Control

  22. Ever After

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Tracy Brown

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  WHITE LINES III: ALL FALLS DOWN. Copyright © 2015 by Tracy Brown. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.stmartins.com

  Cover design by Oceana Garceau

  Cover photographs: woman © KULISH VIKTORIIA / Shutterstock; cocaine lines © GeniusKp / Shutterstock; city © Stephen McCluskey / Shutterstock

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

  Brown, Tracy, 1974–

  White lines III: all falls down / Tracy Brown. First edition.