I assumed Bishop bought my answer because he seemed a little more relaxed now than he did when we started the conversation. If he were one of those people who could read a person’s body language and could detect if they were lying or not, he would have failed miserably. I called him a dummy underneath my breath and then I turned my attention back towards the TV. Apparently he wasn’t done speaking to me because he chimed right back, “You know I’m going to need you to bring Duke to me right?”
For a moment there it seemed like Bishop spoke a different language. I mean, I heard him quite clearly but I couldn’t quite wrap my thoughts around his question. Is he on drugs or something? Does he think I was stupid enough to let him use me as bait? Duke was a very dangerous man and he had a lot of insane men that worked for him. Does he think that I would risk my life to serve Duke on a platter to him? Okay, granted Duke railroaded me and had me arrested for some shit I had nothing to do with, which is enough to kill him over. And Duke also made the call to have Neeko killed so I kind of felt sorry for Bishop, but I realized in jail that I was there all by my lonesome. No one came to my rescue so I figured that my best bet was to stay in my own lane because at this point he couldn’t provide me a safe house like the police could. So I wasn’t about to make any deals with him. No way.
“I take it you’re not feeling what I’m saying right now,” he commented.
“It’s not that,” I began to lie. “I’m just trying to gather my thoughts. I mean, I just got out of jail for something I didn’t have a thing to do with. So, you know I’m angry as hell. But I figure if I’m going to make Duke pay for all the shit he’s taken me through, then I’m going to have to play my cards right. I can’t afford to fuck up like I did the last time.”
“Why don’t you let me do all the thinking, then we’ll both come out on top.”
“The last time I let someone else do the thinking for me, I got crossed up. I can’t let that happen again.” I stood my ground. But Bishop possessed this air of influence. He even looked convincing to the point where I wanted to believe that he’d handle my situation. But then I figured that the last time I judged a book by its cover I got railroaded. So I had to be strong-minded with the notion that it was best to keep myself guarded. This world we lived in was cold and infested with heartless people. No one gave a fuck about Lynise. Not even my family or Diamond, whom I thought was my best friend. With the way things were looking right now, I figured I could pretend as if I was down with all that rah-rah bullshit Bishop was talking, but I was going to do things my own way. It’s about Lynise now. Fuck the world and everything on it.
I allowed to Bishop to layout his plan for Duke. I could tell he wanted Duke dead but he was very careful about saying the actual words. All he kept saying was that he wanted Duke to pay for Neeko’s murder. And then he sketched out a scenario about how he’d love to catch Duke coming out of his house late at night and kidnap his ass. He didn’t say exactly what he’d do to him but when I looked in Bishop’s eyes, I could see death as clear as day. I knew then that once he got his hands on Duke, that Duke would die very slowly. The thought of it was like music to my ears.
After Bishop said what he had to say, he got up from the bed and stepped out of the hotel room. When the door closed behind him I sat there and became very suspicious. I mean, he didn’t utter a word about what he was about to do. He had just gotten up and literally walked out of the room. I had gotten paranoid for a second, but when I heard his voice, I knew he stepped out of the room to make a call. Without hesitation, I eased up from where I was sitting and tiptoed to the door so I could hear his conversation. When I reached the door I placed my right ear against it. I held my breath because in my mind I felt as if I was making a lot of noise and I didn’t want to bring any unwarranted attention to myself.
“Did you make the call like I asked you to do earlier?” I heard him say to whoever was on the other end of the phone.
“What did he say?” his questions continued. “Nah, tell him he’s gonna have to do better than that. I got a lot riding on this and I ain’t gonna let nobody fuck that up for me. So call him back and tell him I said that if he ain’t going to come correct then there’s nothing else to say.” He stopped talking and everything went silent. I could hear the frustration in his tone. He was not at all happy about whatever he was discussing. I figured if he found me standing next to the door eavesdropping on his phone call, then who knows what he would have done to me. I wasn’t about to find out how powerful his wrath was. So I eased my way back from the door and sat my nosy ass back down on the chair. Thank God for a woman’s intuition because as soon as I sat back down he grabbed a hold of the doorknob and opened the door.
He looked directly at me as he held his Blackberry pressed against his ear. The way he stared at me made me feel uneasy. I guess he sensed that I might have been eavesdropping on his conversation, but when he noticed I was sitting in the same spot he backed himself back out the door and closed it.
Right after he closed the door, I let out a long sigh. And I thanked my lucky stars that I went with my first gut to sit my ass back down. If I hadn’t, I couldn’t tell you what he would’ve said or done.
Before he reentered the room I heard him tell the caller that he wanted to hear from them by the end of the day. Then he said, “And if you ain’t got my money right by the time I get back there then you’re going to have some problems too.”
Immediately after, the door opened while he simultaneously stuffed his phone into his front pocket. I didn’t say one word to him. I pretended as if he wasn’t there and continued to look at TV. He took a seat back on the bed. I could still see him staring at me though my peripheral vision. I started to ask him if there was a problem, but I decided against it for fear he might say something I didn’t want to hear. So I damn near bit my tongue to keep me from opening my mouth. But finally he said something, so I was able to let go of the urge.
“How well do you know Katrina?” he asked.
I was thrown for a loop when he asked me that question. I mean, why would he ask me something like that? I really didn’t know Katrina at all. She hardly ever showed up at the club. She was more behind the scenes. Now we knew she was in the picture, she just wouldn’t make herself seen. So, I turned towards him and told him the truth. And after I told him how she’d only come to the club maybe once or twice a month, he gave me a weird look.
“What would she be doing when she did come around?” he questioned.
“Nothing unusual. She would take inventory of the liquor and beer, check the sales tape from my register and then she’d go back to the back office where Neeko was.”
“Have you ever seen her steal money from him?” he blurted out. I swear I had no idea he was about to throw that power ball at me. And I really didn’t expect for him to give me that sinister look either. I was starting to feel uncomfortable all over again. But I held on to my cool and pretended I could handle whatever he threw my way.
“No, I’ve never seen her take anything from him. I mean, if she did, she must’ve done it while she was in his office. But out in the opening where everybody could see her, nope, I didn’t see her lift a finger.”
Bishop looked away from me and focused his attention on the TV. I knew he wasn’t interested in the show that was airing because his body language spoke volumes. Two minutes later, he turned his attention back to me. I thought at one point he was about to say something but his mouth didn’t open. I felt uncomfortable with him sitting there looking at me and had nothing to say. So I got up the gumption to say something on my own. I had to clear the air if nothing else. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“Don’t I look okay?” he reserved the question.
I thought for a second because I heard the sarcasm reeking from his tone. I had no idea where this conversation was going but I knew it was going somewhere. If I wanted to stay on his good side then I felt it would be best to handle him with kid gloves.
“You appear to be fine. But I cou
ld be wrong,” I replied and then I hunched my shoulders. I didn’t want to come across to Bishop that I was some smartass chick with a chip on her shoulders. I knew I was in his world. And I knew I couldn’t call any shots. So I did what any woman would do in a situation like mine: I kissed his ass and got what I could get while the getting was good.
“Look Lynise, I’m gonna be straight up with you. I came here to help bury my brother, Neeko. Now I know who put the hit out on my brother, but I need to know who fired the shot that killed him and I need to find out what’s going on with Katrina.”
Surprised by his comment, I said, “I’m confused. What’s wrong with Katrina?”
Bishop took a deep breath and said, “I’ve had a chance to look at the books from the club and the numbers are off like a muthafucka!”
“Did you approach her with it?”
“Yeah, I did. But she’s not giving me the answers that I need.”
I shook my head in disbelief and said, “Now I can’t tell you who actually killed Neeko because I was behind bars. And I can’t tell you if I saw Katrina stealing money from the club. But I will say that I heard Neeko fussing a few times about money was coming up short.”
“Who was he talking to when he said that?”
“He was talking to Katrina. But she brushed him off and told him he needed to stop drinking so much because it’s messing with his head. And that’s about it.”
Bishop fell silent once again. I wished I had more information for him but I didn’t. I honestly never saw Katrina take anything from the club. And if she did, she damn sure did a hell of a job hiding it. “So, how do you plan to find out if she was stealing money from him?” I asked.
“Don’t worry because I’ve got it all figured out.”
The coldness in his tone gave me the chills all over.
Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 Unique
My Pussy Is All I Got-Chapter Three
One hour passed while Bishop and I sat in the hotel room and watched TV.
I grew tired of sitting around and wanted to take a shower. I wanted so badly to get out of my clothes but not having a change of clothing posed a problem. So I looked at Bishop and asked him if he’d lend me a few dollars so I could run across the street to Pembroke Mall to get a few things. “How much do you think you’ll need?” he asked me.
I thought for a second but I couldn’t come to an appropriate amount to ask him for. I’d only known him for about two hours so for me to ask him for a specific dollar amount would be insane. I told him I didn’t know. Then I said, “Why don’t you walk with me over to the mall. That way I could pick out what I need and then you could pay for it.”
Bishop smiled at me and his response was, “And what am I going to get in return?”
“What do you mean by that?” I blurted. Was he insinuating that I fuck him for the things I needed from the mall? I mean, if that’s what he wanted, then he’d have to do more than just buy me a pair of panties with a fucking shirt and pair of pants. He’d have to put me in a fucking house like Duke’s slimy ass did. And he’d have to put me in something better than that BMW X6 I was driving too. I know I haven’t always lived in an upscale apartment building with a doorman and wore all the latest labels, but I did have a chance to experience it. So I couldn’t accept anything else.
Finally, Bishop smiled at me and said, “I’m just pulling your leg, sweetheart. Come on, let’s go. I need to go over there to pick up a pair of black dress socks.”
Instead of saying something sassy to him, I smiled and then I stood to my feet. He stood up right after I did and retrieved the hotel key card from the TV stand. I opened the door of the room and then we both made our exit.
Pembroke Mall was directly across the street from the hotel so it took us approximately five minutes to get there. We made small talk along the way. “Have you ever shopped at this mall?” he started off.
“Not really. The only time I’d come over here was to get take-out from the food court or to pay my cell phone bill at the kiosk. This mall is geared towards young white kids who like to wear that skateboard clothing. They got plenty of white people clothing stores in here. That’s why black people either go to Lynnhaven Mall or Military Circle Mall.”
“Well, if they only have white people stores at this mall then why are we coming here?”
“They got a department store inside the mall called Kohl’s, so I should be able to find me something presentable. I mean, all I need is something to change into after I take me a long hot shower. It could be a ten-dollar sundress for all I care. My main concern is to get out of these clothes I got on my back now. The label on the inside of the clothes don’t matter to me at this point.”
Bishop smiled at me once again and then he reached for the door to enter the mall and opened it.
Right after we entered into the mall we stopped inside of the store called Legends. Legends catered to both black and white people, so I knew I’d fine something either way I looked at it. I sifted through the clothes on the rack while Bishop’s phone began to ring. He took it from the holster and then he looked at the caller ID screen. “It’s Katrina,” he said to me and answered, “Hello.”
He stepped away from me and headed to the entrance of the store. I realized he wanted some privacy so I turned my back to him and pretended to mind my business. I couldn’t hear every word he uttered but I heard enough to know he was getting irritated with her.
“But I thought that they were only charging you ten grand,” he said. I wish I could hear what Katrina was saying in return. “So, why are they asking you for another five grand?” he asked and then he waited for Katrina to respond. “Look Katrina, I understand all of that, but at the end of the day they’re pouring salt in the fucking game. And I don’t like being played.” His conversation continued. “I’m going to need to see something in black and white before I shell out another dime. Neeko had a life insurance policy with Lincoln Life, so that’s who you need to be calling.” And right after he uttered those last few words, he ended his call.
I acted as if I hadn't heard bits and pieces of his conversation by pretending to search through the clothes on the racks. He approached me from behind. “I can’t wait to get through this week so I can head back up north,” he said.
I looked back at him. “I take it you just got rubbed the wrong way.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” he replied and then he switched gears and asked me if I’d found something I’d want to wear? I showed him a couple of shirts along with a couple of pants that complimented the shirts. He gave me the nod of approval so we headed over towards the store clerk. The total came up to one hundred and twenty-two dollars. He acted as if he expected to pay more. I patted him on his shoulder and thanked him.
When we left Legends we stopped in Kohl’s to get me a couple pairs of bra and panties sets. Bishop picked himself up a pair of dress socks and then we left the mall completely. On our way back to the hotel Bishop got yet another call. This time I could tell that it wasn’t Katrina. He slowed his pace down so I could walk ahead of him. The tone of his voice changed too. It was no secret that he was talking to a woman. What she meant to him was a different question altogether. “I just left the mall,” I heard him say. And then he laughed. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want anything out of that mall. I only stopped in there to get a pair of dress socks for the funeral,” he explained.
Telling the woman on the other end of the phone that she wouldn’t want anything from Pembroke Mall only meant that she was a high maintenance chick. Judging from his conversation, I figured she only shopped at places like Barneys’ or Saks’. And the fact that he reminded her about the choice of places she shopped meant that he remembered going on shopping sprees with her.
Meanwhile, during his intimate chat with a woman that was obviously his main squeeze, I noticed we were being followed by a black guy. He looked like an average cat, so it was hard to tell whether or not he was some random stalker or a hit man for Duke. I felt uneas
y and right when I was about to get Bishop’s attention, he suddenly disappeared. One minute he was in plain sight and the next minute he was gone. I started to back track my steps to see if he was lingering around one of the corners, but I changed my mind and continued to do what I came here to do in the first place.
Bishop was in his own world. His conversation with this woman lasted until we got in the lobby area of the hotel. When he realized his window for privacy was about to end, I heard him tell her he loved her too and then he ended the call. We got on the elevator and took it to our floor. As we exited the elevator I smiled at him and said, “It’s good to know that some people are still in love.”
He gave me this cute little look and said, “If you told me you loved me, I’d tell you the same.”
“So, you’re telling me that you tell people you love them even when you don’t mean it?”
He stuck the key card into the door and opened it to let me inside the room. “What is that, a trick question?” he smiled.
I laid my things on the bed and took a seat next to them. “You know it’s not a trick question. So, just answer it. All you’ve got to say is yes or no.”
Bishop stood there in front of me and gave me the cutest smile ever. I was about to fucking melt. He was beginning to turn me on and the crazy part about all of this was that I knew he had someone in his life but I could really care less.
Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 (The Saga Continues) Page 2
