by Cydney Rax
He’d let her sleep on it and would contact her later. If she was still blocking him, he’d just show up again at her apartment. With flowers, candy, and kisses.
With his mind made up, Rashad texted Lily Tangaro. He typed:
LT, I know this sounds crazy but I’ve changed my mind about divorce. Call it off. Talk later ...
Rashad also typed a reminder in his phone. It read: Call Nicky. He set it for 7 a.m. the next morning. And he couldn’t wait until he got a chance to talk to her again.
Around the same time, Kiara experienced lots of anxiety about the things that had gone down. She hated how Nicole intruded upon her home. And she despised Rashad for making Nicole think that she wanted to reconcile with him. Kiara hated being lied on. And she spent a few restless nights trying to figure out how to handle her ex and his new wife. So when she decided to take Jazz to the park the last Friday afternoon in April, she was eager to get out in the sun and enjoy some fresh air. She pushed the stroller and listened to some music on her headphones. Her walk was pleasant. As time went on she realized she had journeyed a quarter of a mile. The sun was shining brightly, and due to the blazing heat, it wasn’t long before little Jazzy fell asleep. Good. That gave Kiara time to think.
As she ventured down the jogging trail, she noticed a man who looked vaguely familiar. She stared at his slight build, light skin, and dark hair. Then it hit her. That was the guy she’d seen on the sex tape. The one in which Nicole Greene was recorded having sex on her backyard patio. Kiara found out later that the guy was Ajalon Cantu. Rashad told her the entire story about who the man was. He angrily revealed that Ajalon had even worked for him at one time, but he did so under a different name.
Kiara was going to walk past the guy and not think any more about it. But she abruptly stopped.
She caught his eye.
“Hello,” Kiara said. “Are you Ajalon?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Your ex-girlfriend, Nicole, works for me.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes.”
“You’re Kiara?”
“Oh, wow. You know my name?”
“And much more.”
Kiara was intrigued. “Got a moment?”
“I sure do.”
She and Ajalon began to walk and talk. He seemed like a cool dude. He spilled his story, his background, and let her know that he wasn’t doing too well in Houston.
“Truthfully, ma’am, the job market has been up and down, here and there.”
“I see. So you need money, right?”
“You hiring?” he asked jokingly.
“Not in my department, no. But I’m sure there’s something you can do to make a living.”
“I am good at many things,” he told her. They stood there, swapping horror stories.
“I haven’t always walked a straight path, but it’s made me the man that I am today.”
“No one gets it right all the time, Ajalon. You aren’t alone.”
After a while, talking to Kiara felt easy and unstrained. There was something about her that made him want to tell her things he thought she needed to hear.
“My ex-girlfriend doesn’t tell the whole truth, for the whole truth would destroy her imaginary perfect world. Nicole loves to call me a criminal. But she doesn’t have a perfect history, either.”
“Are you serious, Ajalon?” Kiara asked. “Before I hired her, the background check came back clean. Are you sure?”
“Yes. I was there. Ms. Kiara, I am ashamed to admit this, but years ago, I was what they call a drug bunny. If you wanted it, my job was to make sure and get it. And one time, when I couldn’t do a job myself, she agreed to deliver a package of white girl for me.”
“White girl?”
“Heroin. It was the good shit. She told me not to tell her what was in the package. But she knew it wasn’t a bag of groceries.”
“I’ll bet. Because if it was some food, knowing her she would’ve opened up that bag.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway, she helped me out one time when I was sick and confined. And this person I was dealing with threatened to slice off my balls and mail them to my parents in Brooklyn if I didn’t have his three pounds of white girl, which was valued at a little over one rack.”
“One rack?”
“Ten Gs.”
“Oh. Go on.”
“I told my girl that I needed her more than I ever did. That it was a matter of life or death. I told her, ‘Nicolette, if you love someone, sometimes you must do things that you do not understand or like, and I need you to take this package. I need you to go see a man. They call him Rat because he’s big, black, short, and fat. Anyway, here is his address. Go to him and give Rat exactly what he wants. And he will hand you something. And you are to bring it back to me. Never ask me what it is, and I won’t have to involve you. But if we get married, then you would never have to testify against me and vice versa.’”
“Jesus! How did she respond?”
“She flat-out told me that she couldn’t do it. She was scared that this type of ‘shady activity,’ as she called it, could mess up her college studies. It was almost December. She needed to prepare for finals. She complained and bitched. She questioned why she was involved with me.”
“But obviously she did it anyway?”
“She made up a million excuses. But my ride or die went and got in the car and she drove away. I was sick and felt even sicker until the day she got back. She handed to me what Rat gave to her. And I never asked her to do such a thing ever again. But when I got arrested later on, the only thing her eyes spoke to me the first time she came to see me behind bars was, Do not tell what I did. Leave me out of it.”
“Nicole left you hanging, Ajalon? That doesn’t sound like ride or die.”
“Remember, she was almost graduating. She had come too far to blow it on a reckless road trip to see some guy named Rat. She counted up the cost and had a change of heart. She could have said no, but she said yes, and she did me a big favor. Because, as you can see, I still have my balls.”
“Alrighty then. I guess that is ride or die.”
“I guess.”
“But do you feel she should have served time, too?”
Ajalon held his words for a long time before releasing them.
“I-I never completed my college studies. I dropped out of classes and withdrew from school. And she always felt like that was a bad decision. She felt I was hurting my future, our future. She felt like I rebelled against her good advice when she was trying to help me stay on a straighter path.”
“Amazing what you can learn about a person from someone else who really knows them.”
“Yes. I know her in ways that you don’t.”
“Like how?”
“Recently, she asked me to kill Rashad. And she gave me some money to do the job.”
Kiara stopped walking. “Why would she do that?”
“Because he’s hurt her. She wants him dead.”
“Oh shit. Are you serious? I don’t know that I want to hear this.”
“I’m sorry. It’s the truth. I cannot keep it inside any longer.”
Kiara felt dizzy with surprise. “And so the plot to kill my husband—my ex-husband—it’s totally her idea?”
“She’s the mastermind. She gave me the what, when, and how. I already knew the why.”
“If this has anything to do with her thinking I want him back, she’s wrong. What a waste. Because Rashad knows that I would never remarry him. So it’s like he deceived Nicole by telling her we were getting back together. I guess he played on her weaknesses.”
“And I think he underestimated your strength.”
Kiara thought about the hell Rashad had put her through. She, too, wanted him to feel her pain in the same way that he had given her pain.
“How much is Nicole paying you?” she asked.
“Twenty-five hundred total. But the hit man that I found will earn way more than me. I’m just the middle man.”
“Um, don’t think I’m crazy, but may I pat you down, please?”
“May you what?”
“You’re not recording this conversation, are you, Ajalon?”
“No.”
“May I see your cell phone?”
“Sure.”
Ajalon handed over his phone. Kiara asked him to type in his passcode and unlock the phone. She reviewed his most recent texts and call log. She politely asked him to open the voice recorder. She looked at the previous recordings. None of his log of recordings had been done on that day or during the short time they’d been talking.
“Okay, Ajalon. It doesn’t seem like you are trying to act sheisty with me.”
“But you saw me and approached me first, remember?”
“Right. Sorry.” She paused and looked around to make sure they were alone. “I will double the amount if you do it for me.”
“Do it, as in—?”
She nodded.
“You’ll pay me five Gs?”
“I will.”
“But why would you want to do that when she’s already paid me?”
“I dunno. Maybe it’s because I’d get to pay my ex back for all the shit he put me through. He’s lied to me, lied on me, made me look like an idiot. And the crap he’s done to me started many years ago and he’s still putting me through hell.”
Ajalon gave Kiara’s proposal a little more thought. He was almost out of food and other basic necessities. Plus, the other day he received a threatening letter from the electric company due to non-payment. He nodded at Kiara, then said, “I’m in.”
Kiara exhaled. She couldn’t believe what she’d just asked this man to do. She patted down Ajalon one more time. She returned his cell phone to him. She made sure he had no pen and no paper on him.
She told him what she wanted done.
He agreed to her terms.
They shook hands and she promised to be in touch.
“Don’t tell a soul,” she told him.
“Your secret is my secret,” he said. “I have way more to lose than you.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I do.”
He turned around to leave and she instantly stopped him. “Ajalon, I-I’ve never done anything even remotely close to this. I’m actually quite scared. I’m no saint, but this type of thing is so not me.”
“What are you saying?”
“I-I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want you to go through with it.”
“You what?”
Unable to help herself, Kiara broke down. She sobbed and tried to muffle the awful sounds by covering her mouth with both hands.
“I’ve been going through a lot . . . and it’s kind of getting to me. But I can’t get with this. I just can’t.”
Kiara continued to cry. Ajalon felt so bad. The lady seemed like a nice woman. She was angry, but definitely not a cold-blooded killer.
She sniffled and pulled herself together. But when she saw Jazzy stirring in her sleep, it brought Kiara to fresh tears.
“Can we please sit down for a second?”
“Sure, Kiara.”
“You don’t know me very well, Ajalon, but right now I can’t help but question why I would allow myself to even go there. How could I even allow myself to—”
“You were angry.”
“Angry, yes. Crazy, no! I just contemplated doing something that Nicole would do.”
“Are you sure you’ve changed your mind?”
“Definitely! I hate the stupid shit that Rashad does, but this is the wrong way to go. I mean, who in this world hasn’t done wrong? Would death be the payment for all of us who’ve messed up? Me? You?”
“Not all of us, ma’am. But some people do deserve to die for what their evil ways. That’s just how it is.”
She regretted ever stopping to talk to Ajalon, and she hoped to God that she could trust him. “Look, Ajalon. Let’s forget the whole thing. I had a horrible moment and that’s all it was. I-I really hope that you never mention this to anyone. In fact, I-I still think I should pay you. But what if I give you the money, but you tell someone anyway?”
“Lady, you just heard me tell you that Nicole already paid me to find someone to kill your ex. What’s stopping you from going to the police yourself?”
“Okay then. Let’s look at it like this. If you tell on me, I guess I’d tell on you.”
“That sounds like a threat.”
“I don’t want it to sound that way. But I’m scared. Really scared. The entire thing just sucks. Even if Nicole wants you to do the job, I can’t forget that’s my kids’ father. So please, Ajalon, please don’t do it. Return Nicole’s money. And I will pay you not to hurt him.”
Ajalon was shocked. This scenario was feeling stranger and stranger. He wondered if it was all a setup. Perhaps an unbelievable plot masterminded by Nicole. He wasn’t sure about anything anymore. He felt sick to his stomach, and he’d never imagined that coming to Texas would bring more trouble his way. And he had no idea what to do about it.
Chapter 16
Every other Friday, Rashad and Jerry had a strict routine. Together they’d take a drive over to the warehouse and pick up some raw materials that would be needed for the next construction job. But on the evening of Friday, April 28, something came up at the last minute. Jerry wouldn’t be able to make the trip.
“I hate to do this to you, Boss Man.” Jerry had placed a quick call to Rashad. “Once again, something’s going on with my grands. They are running a fever. Can’t take any chances. So I gotta go.”
“Damn, Jerry, this really puts me out.”
“I know. I was supposed to drive over to the warehouse with you.”
“I guess I can do it alone. You go on ahead and take care of your business. Hope everything works out with the grandkids.”
“Thanks, Rashad. I appreciate this.”
“No problem.”
“See you in the morning.”
“Yeah, ’bye, Jerry.”
Rashad hung up. He went to his desk and logged on to his computer to pull a report of the materials that he needed to pick up. It was getting late. Nearly nine o’clock. The new project would begin at seven or eight the next morning.
He made a list and headed out to the Eason & Son van. As he started driving, he made a mental note to try to call Nicole again. Or maybe he could surprise her with a friendly visit. He just wanted to make things right again between the two of them.
After a twenty-minute drive, Rashad arrived at the warehouse location. A two-story building with very few windows, it was sandwiched between two other businesses. A furniture warehouse was on the right, and a gas station was on the left.
The floodlight that normally illuminated the warehouse’s entrance was not working.
“I need to let the owners know they gotta get that fixed. I’ll call ’em first thing tomorrow,” he said. “One more damn thing to remember.”
Rashad put a reminder on his calendar, then exited the van. He left the floodlights on so he could see his way into the building. With the driver’s-side door still open, Rashad walked to the rear of the van; he opened one of the double doors and retrieved the dolly.
He wheeled the dolly to the garage and punched in a four-digit code; the door squeaked as it opened.
Rashad laughed to himself. “Damn garage needs some WD-40. More shit to remember. This is ridiculous.”
He went inside and left the door partially ajar, thinking his task would take only a few minutes.
Rashad went into the building that he’d been inside a hundred times before. It was old, dusty, and dilapidated.
He proceeded inside and headed to the big load of weldable rebar, steel mesh, lumber, and materials needed to pour concrete. Eason & Son had been contracted to build a five-car detached garage for a house out in the Woodlands and he was excited to do the job.
He piled up a few pieces of lumber and loaded them on the dolly. He then was in the middle of picking up some rebar wh
en he felt a presence behind him. He assumed it was Jerry and figured he had changed his mind.
Without turning his back, he said, “Hey, Jerry. Glad you could make it.”
A metal object smacked the back of his head.
Rashad turned around.
A strange man was glaring at him.
Rashad’s eyes enlarged. He raised his hands.
“Get on your knees.”
Rashad fell to his knees. His lips trembled. His eyes stayed on the gun as he gasped for breath. After a beat, he finally found his voice. For ten to fifteen minutes, he pleaded for his life. But it did no good.
* * *
A loud bang sounded.
His eyes opened wider but looked at nothing.
The salty taste of blood filled his entire mouth.
Rashad quivered as globs of blood and pink chunks of his brain exploded from his head. Rashad took one final breath. Then he entered into eternal darkness, where no one could hear the screams that burst from his soul.
* * *
It was 3:45 a.m., the wee hours of the next morning. Nicole woke up in a cold sweat. Her pajamas clung to her skin. She’d have to wake up in only a few hours because Emmy was about to start attending a new day-care center.
Last night was Emmy’s final time being cared for by Nadia. Nicole had invited the nanny over so she could play with her daughter once more. Having a nanny was a luxury that Nicole could no longer afford. “If it wasn’t for Rashad, Emmy would still have a nanny. But now my daughter has to be dropped off at a fucking twenty-four-hour day care. The staff is too young and inexperienced. But what else can I do?”
* * *
She fought hard to go back to sleep. When she woke up at seven, she showered then prepared breakfast for herself and Emmy. She wanted to turn on the news, but was too afraid. Every time her phone beeped, she jumped. But it was just game notifications. No texts. No calls.
