by T. Styles
“Nigga, you killed my cousin and threw him outside the building like he was trash. Ain’t shit I want to hear from you but the sound of blood gushing out your body.”
Randy looked down at the floor and then at the Bakers. All of them had guns aimed at him. “Who set this up?” He looked at Farah. “Because I know she’s not smart enough to come up with this.”
“The who’s and why’s are not important anymore.” Willie Gregory stepped into the hallway and approached his only son. It was obvious, if it wasn’t before, that he hated his only child.
“Dad, you doing me like this? I mean, I know we haven’t had the best relationship, but I would have never thought you’d stoop so low.”
Willie stepped closer. He wanted him to see that there was nothing he could say to get him to change his mind. He loathed him like a lifetime enemy. When he was close enough, he whispered so that only he could hear his voice. “I told you to stay away. That’s all you had to do. Instead you let that bitch bring you out of your hole. What a fool.”
Randy tried to stop the tears from pouring down. “You can’t do this. I know you can’t.” He beat his chest. “I’m your own blood.”
“Then I guess you don’t know me very well, do you?” With that, Willie raised his hand and bullets flew into Randy’s chest cavity and out of the flesh on his back.
“Wait!” Slade yelled, but it was too late. Willie promised to give him to Slade so that he could avenge his cousin, but he had other plans.
“Sorry, Slade,” Willie said, looking back at him. “I got caught up in the moment.”
With Randy’s dead body at his feet, Willie walked up to him and spit in his face. “Weak-ass nigga. I can’t believe you was actually my son.” He laughed, looking at Slade. “I guess it don’t matter no more now, does it?” He looked back at him. “What’s done is done, and it suits me just fine.”
“It may be done, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. We were scheduled to meet someone here today, but Farah called and told us Randy got information about it and decided to meet us here.” He looked at her. “It’s a good thing that she did.”
“I don’t know who you were meeting, but you scored big time on this one. Be grateful. One of your biggest enemies is gone. And since I killed him myself, it should prove where my loyalty lies. Right?”
Slade observed the expression on his face. He always knew Willie couldn’t be trusted, but killing his own son made him pure evil. At some point he was going to have to sever ties with him, or suffer the same fate as Randy.
After killing Randy, Willie walked into his house. Soft music played in the air, and he smiled slightly. At first he didn’t want her in his home, but after learning how bad the Bakers wanted her, he decided he could humor her for a little while. Besides, the longer she went missing, the longer the Baker Boys would be in town.
He threw his jacket over the edge of the sofa and approached Eleanor at the stove in the kitchen. From behind her, being in his house reminded him of old times, when he was cheating on his wife with her. It was before the dope and before he went to prison. “What you cooking? Smells good.”
She turned around and smiled. “Your favorite. Sweet spaghetti and meatballs.” She turned off the eyes of the stove. “Thanks for letting me stay here.” She wiped her hand on the towel. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking me in. It’s the only place I feel safe.”
“I know.” He smiled slyly.
“I don’t know how I’m going to do it yet, Willie, but I’ll find a way to repay you.”
“I know you will.” He reached into his pocket and handed her a bag of dope. “In the meantime, go take care of yourself. And when you’re finished, drop to your knees and give me a little dessert.”
She accepted the bag and grinned. “You got it, daddy.”
Chapter 38
Nadia Gibson
“. . . you fucking with the wrong person.”
Nadia strutted into the precinct, high off coke and ready to do everything in her power to put Farah Cotton underneath the jail. Once inside, she was surprised at all of the strange expressions from her coworkers. Each person she walked by had the look of knowing something she didn’t, and to say this bothered her would be an understatement.
She walked to her desk and threw her purse and car keys on top of it. When she saw her boss’s straight face, she grew nervous. He left his house before she did, and apparently knew something she didn’t. “What the fuck is up with you?” She turned around and looked at everyone. “And why is everyone acting so strangely?”
He laughed and placed his hand on her shoulder. “So you really don’t know, do you?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I did.” She pushed his hand off of her. “Now stop fucking around and tell me what’s going on. You’re scaring the hell out of me.” She looked at her coworkers again. All of the deceitful things she did in the dark put her on edge.
“How about I show you?” He handed her a sheet of paper.
She snatched it out of his hand and sat down. Before reading it, she gave him one last suspicious glare. Then she submerged herself into the sheet, hoping to find answers. When she finally saw what was written, she was startled. She’d had visions of how this moment would play out, and she never thought it would go down like this. The document floated out of her hand and fell to the floor. “What . . . I . . . I don’t understand.”
He picked up the sheet. “It’s easy to see why you don’t understand.” He laughed. “I didn’t either, but essentially you’re getting what you wanted. If anything, you need to be celebrating. This is a career case.”
“I know.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “I wanted this for the longest, but how did it happen? I mean, she swore before God and all His angels that she had nothing to do with Amico Glasser’s disappearance. So what changed now?”
“I don’t know, Gibson. What I do know is that she’s saying something different now.”
“Where is she?” She looked up at him. “I don’t trust this, and I have to see her.”
“She’s in a holding cell in the back.” He placed the sheet back in the folder. “Why?”
Nadia stood up and rushed toward the back where they kept the prisoners. She passed cell after cell, until she was staring directly in Farah’s face. The first thing she noticed was that she didn’t look anything like a woman in fear for her freedom. “What are you doing here, Farah? Why the change of heart?”
Farah stood up and walked toward the bars. “I’d think you’d be happy to see me, Nadia. After all, you’ve been on a mission to ruin my life for the longest, and it looks like you succeeded.” She looked around, “Doesn’t it?”
“I asked you a question,” Nadia said seriously. “What the fuck is up?”
Farah chuckled. “Wow, you don’t even know when you’ve won, do you? I realized that you are so much smarter than me and that I must surrender. You truly are a great cop, Nadia. I’m sure they’ll give you an award for this and everything.” Nadia stepped closer to the bars and Farah did also. “Smile, Nadia Gibson, you finally got what you wanted: me behind bars.”
“Why would you sign a confession, Farah? Just be straight with me and tell me the truth.”
“Because you wanted me to.”
Nadia frowned. “Because I wanted you to? What the fuck are you talking about?”
Suddenly Farah’s disposition moved from cocky to bashful. It was as if she were playing up for an audience. “You told me that if I didn’t admit to knowing something about Amico’s disappearance, you would hurt me. I’m afraid for my life, so I admitted to something I didn’t do.”
The little hairs on the back of Nadia’s neck rose. “I didn’t say I would hurt you, Farah! If anything I said you need to confess and stop hurting other people!”
“But you did blackmail me, Nadia. You said you would hurt me if I didn’t turn myself in, and since you roll with killers, I was afraid for my life.”
Nadia stepped so close to Fa
rah, she could feel her warm breath on her nose. “What are you trying to do?”
“I know everything about you,” Farah whispered into her face. Her breath tickled her eyelashes. “And you know nothing about me. You have no clue what I’m capable of. But guess what? You’re getting ready to find out.”
“I don’t know what you got planned.” Nadia pointed in her face. “But you fucking with the wrong person.”
“If I was fucking with the wrong person you wouldn’t be a worthy adversary.” Farah giggled. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m waiting for the perfect time for everything to blow up in your face.”
Nadia laughed loosely even though she was petrified. “I’m not even worried about this shit, because nobody will believe anything you say.” She tried to speak louder so anyone listening could take notes. “I’m a decorated officer and you’re a coldblooded murderer. We’re two totally different people.”
“If you truly feel that way, why are you trying to prove it to me?” Farah paused. “I will give you a little tip, you got something white on your nose.” Nadia rubbed her nose so hard it reddened.
When she was done, Farah was in stitches laughing so hard. “You see, Officer, I got your number, and soon everyone else will too. When I’m done with you, you’ll wish you never saw me.”
Chapter 39
Nadia Gibson
“I’m in the process of losing everything!”
Nadia Gibson was on her sofa after snorting as much cocaine as she could breathe into her nostrils in one sitting. She couldn’t believe her life had actually turned into diarrhea in a matter of weeks. One moment she was a decorated officer who brought down the DC Vampire, also known as Farah Cotton, and the next minute she was being investigated for blackmailing Farah.
Not only was she about to lose her job, but also, thanks to the pictures Farah obtained of her copping cocaine, courtesy of a private investigator, she was facing drug charges. In the end, Farah was released from jail after staying only two nights, and vindicated of all charges. Farah was right when she said she wasn’t to be fucked with, because somehow she was also able to get her hands on the video that showed Chloe with Amico Glasser in the movie theater together, as opposed to her. In the end, Farah’s confession looked like it came from a drug addicted officer who was on the take.
She was stretched out on the sofa, considering her fucked-up life, when her phone rang. When she saw it was Beverly Glasser, she immediately grew irritated. In her opinion, had it not been for Beverly’s insistence that Farah was responsible for Amico’s disappearance, things may not have been so bad.
She picked up the phone. “What do you want, Beverly? I really don’t feel like it right now.”
“Well, I’m sorry to hear all of that, but I need to know what’s going on with Farah. I heard they released her the other day. Can you tell me why? She wasn’t in jail for even a month.”
“Beverly, that’s not something I can help you with. And like I said, I don’t feel like it right now.” She turned on her back and looked up at the ceiling.
“Fuck you mean, you don’t feel like it?” She paused. “This bitch killed my son, and I want justice! The justice you promised me!”
Nadia placed the call on speaker and threw the handset on her stomach. “She didn’t do it, Beverly. Her and this high-powered attorney she hired made me look ridiculous in court! You’ve had it in for her for the longest, and I guess you were wrong.”
Beverly started laughing. “Wait . . . you’re claiming that I’m the one who was after her? I told you from the start that Lesa was the person my son was last seen with. He said it when he sent the last text message from his phone.”
“Well, her name is not Lesa. It’s Chloe, who, as you know, is dead. Apparently she lied to your son and gave him the wrong name. Perhaps she had ill intentions the entire time. One will never know. I do know this: we were wrong about it being Farah, and it’s all your fault.”
“I can’t believe you’re blaming me for this.” Beverly fired back. “It was you who convinced me after some time that it was Farah instead of Lesa. Now, I’ll be honest. After looking into her eyes, I was a believer too, but that’s after the fact.”
“You say that shit now, but every other day you were coming after me to go at her. Now I’m in the process of losing everything! My life, my job, and even my respect.” She was now laughing so hard that the pinks of her gums were visible. “Not only that, but she was able to get her hands on some pictures of me copping from a drug dealer.”
“So wait, you’re blaming me for your drug habit, too?”
“I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that my life was fine before you came into it.”
“Let me clarify some things, Nadia. Yes, I do want the person who murdered my son arrested, and if I’m wrong for that, sue me. If you are receiving some type of fly back because of your wrong hunch, then blame yourself. You’re the officer, remember? Not me.” She paused. “Now, if that Chloe girl murdered my son before she died, then justice was served because she’s dead too, but if I find out that Farah had even one thing to do with his disappearance, there will be nothing Jesus could do to keep me from her. Regarding your career, I raise my cup to Farah, because at least she did one thing right.”
Nadia knew the moment she saw her boss and ex-lover’s face that something terrible was rolling her way. Still, she pushed herself into his office, despite wanting to run the other way. “I tried to get into your house last night with my key, but you changed the locks.”
“Have a seat, Nadia.”
She could tell immediately the romance was over. “That’s cool.” She gave him a knowing glance. “I’ll remain standing.” She looked around for one indication of what was coming. “You wanted to meet with me?”
He couldn’t look at her at first. “Yes, uh, I need your badge and your gun.”
“So I guess the department doesn’t even want to hear what I have to say about all of this, right?”
“We’ve heard your position already, and the decision has been made. Not to mention the fact that because you harassed Farah Cotton, she and her attorney are suing this department for millions.”
“But don’t you see? That’s why she confessed. If I was really harassing her like she claimed, she would’ve submitted her claim before being arrested. She knew the big money came in only if she turned herself in.”
“It doesn’t matter, Nadia. The evidence is stacked against you. Now, quit wasting time and hand over your badge and gun. The least you could do is go out with some dignity and respect.”
“And if I don’t give you my gun and badge?”
“Then I’ll be forced to have them removed from you.” He looked over her shoulder at two officers in the distance.
Here it was; she’d fucked this nigga more times than not, and yet he stood on the other side of the desk ready to judge her like a stranger. Where was his part in all of this? He fed her cocaine on many nights just to enhance their sex life, and now he was perpetrating the worst fraud by acting like he wasn’t aware of her habit.
“So what’s going to happen to me now?”
“Gibson, that’s not what we’re here to discuss.” He paused. “I need your badge and your gun right now, and I won’t ask you again.”
“You never loved me, did you? You just used me for my body.”
When he didn’t answer, she could feel two people approaching her from behind. Her worst fear was being realized. She was about to be arrested. There was nothing worse than an officer going to prison and having to deal daily with the people they helped put behind bars. She couldn’t see her life going down like this.
In that moment, she made a decision. If she was going to go to prison, she would make it worth her while. She raised her weapon and fired into her superior’s head. His blood, guts, and life splattered out of his body and slapped against the wall. She was immediately pushed forward, and the gun flew out of her hand. Although it wouldn’t change her situation, it did make h
er feel better.
Chapter 40
Farah
“What you trying to do, play some kinky game or something?”
Farah lay on the rug in her apartment with Shadow and Mia as they smoked a blunt and stared up at the ceiling. Everything Mia had planned worked, and Farah could finally move on with her life. “Mia, your plan was the most vicious shit ever!” Farah cheered. “I still don’t know how you came up with it. At first I was worried, but now, damn!”
“I told you to trust me, and luckily for yourself you did,” Mia bragged. “Besides, with Chloe and Mama dead and Daddy in jail, I can’t lose another family member.”
“I’m so glad I’m on your good side, because you’re the most manipulating bitch ever! Even Dr. Martin’s ass disappeared when I was released from jail. Left his practice and everything.” Farah giggled.
“It’s a good thing he left, too, because Grandma acted like she had plans for him if he didn’t,” Mia said.
Farah accepted the blunt from Mia, and they talked about how everything went down. Thanks to her biological father, she was able to pay for an attorney and a private investigator. With a pending lawsuit against the police department, she stood to make millions.
“I will never doubt you again, Mia. Ever,” Farah said honestly. “I don’t know what I would do without you two.” She looked at Shadow. “I don’t know what I would do without both of you.”
“You won’t have to worry about it.” Mia nudged her and sat up. “Oh, before I forget. Somebody named Bones called you. He called a lot when you were in jail.”
“I know. I never told him where I went,” Farah said sadly. She hoped she didn’t burn her bridges with him.
“Well, he said he was coming over to check on you tonight. He found out you’re home.”
“Oh, shit,” she said, covering her mouth.
