by Charae Lewis
“Ma, have you thought about our next move?” Cadence asked.
“We don’t need a next move. We’re going to press charges and put his funky ass in jail.”
Cadence bit her bottom lip. She didn’t have a good feeling about the entire scheme. “I don’t know, Ma. I think we may have gone overboard.”
Carlotta cut her eyes at her daughter. “Don’t bitch up, Cadence. You were down with it last night. Now you're up in here acting all scared and shit. You know I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Yeah, but Dinero is crazy. There's no telling how he’s going to get us back.”
“He ain't shit. Besides, your uncle Ken is ready for his ass. You know he’s with that biker club.”
Cadence rolled her eyes at her mother’s words. “Ma, do you know how much power Dinero has? That biker club won’t be able to compete with him and his family.”
“Listen, all you need to do is chill out. You let me worry about Dinero and his family. This ain't my first rodeo, girl. I've been doing this shit for years.”
“We should’ve just gone back to Mississippi,” Cadence mumbled.
“For what? There’s nothing down there for us. I'm not about to be run outta Milwaukee again. Fuck Dinero, his daddy, and his entire family. Those mothafuckas don’t scare me,” Carlotta yelled with spittle coming out of her mouth.”
Cadence shook her head and then headed to the bathroom. She slammed the door and sat on the toilet. Once again, she had let her mother put her into a sticky situation. When she last saw Dinero, Cadence was pissed that he’d threatened her again. She was only in Milwaukee to visit her sick grandmother. She hadn't planned to stay long until she informed her mother about her encounter with Dinero.
Cadence was pissed because Dinero was acting like she was the only cause for his marital demise. He had willingly participated in an affair with her. She didn’t make him fuck her. Yes, she was the one who had initiated the confrontation between him and Asia, but he was at fault too. When Carlotta presented the idea to get Dinero locked up, Cadence was all for it. It wasn’t until they went to the police station that she began to have second thoughts. It was too late to back out then, though, so she reluctantly continued with their plan.
She knew that Dinero would not take this lightly. His motto was an eye for an eye. So she knew that he would be coming for her and her mother. Cadence suggested that they go hide out at her aunt Cherry’s house since Dinero had no idea where she lived. She wasn’t prepared for the wrath that was to come for her and Carlotta. And she prayed that their plot would work in their favor.
****
“So tell me what's up with you and your ex?” Trystan requested.
Asia and Trystan were sharing lunch at the office. He had come in for a meeting with his publicist and suggested that they have a lunch date. Asia had never gone into detail about her marriage to Dinero with Trystan. The only thing that Trystan knew was that he was her ex. He noticed that she never volunteered information about Dinero and most times, he didn’t press the issue. Since that night at the strip club, he couldn’t help but notice the stares that Dinero was giving Asia. Trystan had a feeling that there was more to their story than Asia was willing to admit.
“Nothing’s up,” she answered dryly.
“Come on, Asia. Don’t jack to me. Tell me the real.”
Asia looked him in the eye and then deeply sighed. “He’s my ex-husband.”
“Husband?” he yelled incredulously.
“Yes, husband. We were married for six months. I demanded a divorce when I found out that he had cheated on me. End of story.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were married? That’s an important part to leave out. Don’t you think?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t think it was relevant to our situation. I could see if we were a couple, but we’re not, so I never said anything.”
“I mean, I get that, but that’s not something you keep on the hush, though. I've told you everything about me.”
“Yeah, because I made you. Don’t act like you were upfront with me about your relationship with Danica.”
Trystan nodded. “That’s true, but I was still honest. So does he want you back or something? I mean ol’ boy was looking at you like you owed him something.”
“Yes, but I don’t want to go there with him again. My heart is not there anymore,” she lied.
Trystan looked at her intensely, trying to see if there was some truth in her words. Her face was stone, and he couldn’t decipher if she was being honest with him or not. So he decided to pry some more.
“So you don’t have any feelings for him anymore?”
“Why did you ask me that?” Asia asked, giving him a weird expression.
“Because I wanna know. Why didn’t you just answer the question?”
“Because I don’t understand why you're quizzing me about Dinero.”
“I need to know that you're over him. Like you said to me, I don’t wanna have to compete for you.”
“Well, you're not.” She took a sip of her water.
“It just seems like your mood changed after that talk y’all had in the hallway. Did he say something to you that hurt your feelings?”
“No, Trystan.”
“Are you sure?”
Asia gave him a knowing look. “Yes. Can we please change the subject?”
“Yeah…a’ight.”
Trystan could tell by Asia’s uneasy disposition that she was hiding something from him. He couldn’t help but think that she still harbored feelings for Dinero. Why else would she become so defensive when he brought up their situation? Suddenly, he got a text on his phone from Danica.
Danica: I need to talk to you.
Trystan: When?
Danica: ASAP
Trystan: Give me a minute.
Trystan wondered what Danica needed to talk about. She never insisted on speaking to him right away. He looked up at Asia who was still nibbling on her food. He hated to leave their date, but he needed to see why Danica had to see him right away.
“I have to make a run. Can I see you later?”
“Yeah, that’s cool.”
“A’ight, I’ll call you later.”
Trystan kissed Asia’s cheek and then left the restaurant. He hopped into his car and made his way to Danica’s place.
****
Asia was so relieved when Trystan dropped the topic of Dinero. She hadn’t told Trystan about him for a reason. He didn’t need to know about her marriage to Dinero. They weren’t even an item, so she felt no need to let him in on her past. Another reason why she didn’t want to discuss Dinero with Trystan was because she didn’t want her true feelings to show. Asia didn’t want Trystan to see that she still loved Dinero.
In fact, Asia tried to avoid talking about Dinero with everyone in her life. She did her best to hide her true feelings and she didn’t want anyone to figure her out. One of the reasons why she had insisted on Dinero staying away was so she could get over him. When Asia didn’t see or speak to him, she felt good. It was when she laid eyes on him that all of the feelings she’d tried to bury would surface. She desperately wanted to get him out of her system completely and move on, but it seemed easier said than done. Asia had to do something because she didn’t want to live the rest of her life with her heart belonging to Dinero.
Chapter Nine
Dinero had just been released from jail, and he was still fuming over his arrest. He had only spent a couple of hours behind bars. He couldn’t wait to catch up with Cadence. She was going to pay for falsely accusing him of assaulting her. When he exited the building, he spotted his father’s Cadillac. Dinero cursed under his breath because he knew Dom wasn’t happy about his arrest. He specifically remembered telling Keith to call one of his brothers, not Dom.
Dinero got inside of the car and looked at his father. Dom gave him a smirk and then shook his head.
“Who called you?” Dinero asked.
“I was with B
ig when Keith called and told him you had been locked up. I decided to come down and bail you out.”
Dinero said nothing as his father pulled off. The two rode off in an uncomfortable silence until Dom broke the ice.
“What happened?”
“She set me up.”
“Are you still dealing with that bitch after I told you not to?”
“Nah, Pops, I don’t fuck with her no more. I saw her a while ago at the bar. I told her to get the fuck out of Milwaukee. That’s the only contact I've had with her recently. I swear, I’ma kill that bitch for lying on me,” Dinero seethed.
“This has her mother written all over it. This is definitely some shady shit that Carlotta would do.”
“Well, I'ma murk her shady ass too. I'm tired of these hoes. This one chick I was messing with busted my windshield out. I can’t catch a fucking break.”
Dom chuckled. “I bet you're regretting a lot of shit right now.”
Dinero pondered his father’s words. He had been full of regret for the last seven months.
“Why don’t you let me handle Cadence and Carlotta?” Dom suggested.
Dinero shook his head. “Nah, Pops, I need to do it on my own. I won’t be at peace knowing I didn’t serve their asses myself.”
“Listen, you have a lot of shit on your plate right now, and I don’t want them to add more charges to your case. Just let your old man handle them. You need to get yourself together and stop fucking with these bum-ass bitches. Chill out right now.”
Dinero had heard him loud and clear, but he wasn’t feeling the plan of not handling Cadence. The craving to smell her blood was prevalent, and he couldn’t ignore the feeling.
“So what are you going to do?” he questioned his father.
“Don’t worry about it. Just let me deal with those two. You need to call a lawyer, so he can get those bogus charges dropped.”
“I am. It’s killing me to let you deal with Cadence. I wanna snap that hoe’s neck right about now.”
“I know but what would it look like if you kill her after she filed domestic abuse charges on you. You’ll be the number one suspect, Dinero. You have to think smart. Whenever you're out, make sure you’re with your brothers or somebody so you can always have an alibi. Always cover your tracks just in case.”
Dinero nodded his head and remained silent. Usually, he would be hard-headed and disregard what his father had just told him. Dinero would find Cadence and her mom and put multiple bullets through their heads. This time, he decided to take Dom’s advice and stay out of it. He was already going through enough and he didn’t need any more drama added to his life.
****
Trystan had just walked into Danica’s apartment. She’d let him have a key months prior. He found her sitting on the couch in the living room surfing the internet. He sat next to her and pulled her ear. She smacked his hand and glared at him.
“I hate when you do that shit,” she complained.
“I know.” He chuckled. “What did you have to tell me?”
She turned to him with a sneaky smile sketched on her face. “I got a job offer.”
“Word?”
“Yes. Do you know how lucky I am to find a job so fast? And especially in my field,” she said excitedly.
“Damn, that’s what's up. I'm proud of you, but you could’ve told me that over the phone.”
“Well, there is a small catch. The job is located down in Texas.”
“Texas?” Trystan spat. “Why all the way there?”
“Well, one of my professor’s referred me to the company’s manager. He put in a good word for me. At first, I didn’t know that the job was in Texas. But I'm cool with it, though.” She shrugged.
“So you’re cool with leaving me?”
“Trystan, your ass is barely here anyway. You're always traveling from city to city. Plus you have Asia, so you shouldn’t really miss me.”
Trystan nodded his head and then started to laugh. “Oh so this is what this is all about. Now all of a sudden you have a job offer in another state. Get the fuck outta here, Danica.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you play a lot of games. What is this? You want me to choose between you and Asia in order for you to stay in Milwaukee? You're not slick. I peeped your game as soon as you brought up Asia.”
Danica hopped to her feet and planted her hands on her hips. “Man, fuck you! I was just trying to share my good news, hoping that my friend would be happy for me! I don’t know how you’ve made this about you! My life doesn’t stop for you! Even if you wanted me to stay, I would be going any damn way!”
“So when are you leaving?” he asked, annoyed by her words.
“Don’t worry about it. Just get out.”
“Oh, so now I gotta leave because I called you on your shit?”
“You didn’t call me out on anything. I don’t care about you and Asia’s relationship. You’ve made it perfectly clear that you want us to remain friends, and I've accepted that. Now that I'm trying to make a productive move in my life, you're making it all about you.”
Trystan sat there feeling a little guilty. He didn’t even congratulate her or praise her about the job offer. He instantly jumped down her throat, which was wrong. While he was wrong for bringing up the situation, he knew that Danica was only telling him so he could beg her to stay. Trystan had known her for years, so he knew when she was trying to be slick.
“My bad. I shouldn’t have said that. Instead, I should’ve congratulated you.”
Danica rolled her eyes, not moved by his late apology.
“So when are you leaving?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Maybe within the next few months.”
“I guess I’ll have to buy a condo down there then,” he spoke, trying to lighten the mood.
“Nah, you're good. I don’t want you to come visit me.”
Suddenly, Trystan’s attitude returned. “What the fuck? Why are you acting like this? I just apologized to your ass, so lose the fucking attitude.”
“I don’t have to do shit. Don’t talk to me like my name is Asia. You better realize who you're talking to.”
Trystan stood and then grabbed his keys. “Call me when you get your shit together. Oh, and for your information, I don’t have to speak to Asia like this because she knows how to talk to me like a grown-ass woman.”
Trystan walked out of her apartment without saying another word. He didn’t have to deal with Danica’s attitude and he wasn’t going to. For all that he cared, she could take the job in Texas. It wasn’t going to stop his money or his grind. He cranked up his engine and made his way to the studio.
****
Asia was in a deep slumber when she heard a noise. Instantly, she jumped from the bed and grabbed her bat and taser. She stood still before exiting the room. When she heard keys jingling, she tiptoed out of the bedroom. When Asia flicked the light on, she was startled when she saw Aimee with the baby’s carrier.
“Girl, I was about to fry your ass. What the hell are you doing here? It’s like two o’clock in the morning.”
Aimee cut her bloodshot red eyes at Asia. “I'm leaving Big.”
Asia sat the bat and taser on the counter. She walked over and took a sleeping DJ out of his carrier.
“What the hell are you talking about leaving Big? What happened?”
“He’s a fucking liar, and I'm tired of him playing with my emotions.”
Asia walked off and laid the baby in his crib. She’d had a room set up just for him when he came over. She walked back in the living room where Aimee was biting her nails. She sat next her and said, “Now tell me what happened?”
“Okay, so he asked me to marry him, right?”
“Okay… What's wrong with that?”
“Well, you know he’s asked me before, and I said no because I wasn’t ready. Well, this time, I decided to say yes. So then he said before we do this, he needed to come clean about some shit.”
�
�Aw shit,” Asia groaned.
“My heart dropped when he said that. So, he told me that he had been cheating on me with the girl named Toi and he‘d had a fling with her for years. He was cheating on me during our entire relationship. The reason why I'm so pissed about that is because I asked him how long they’d been having an affair, and he said not long,” Aimee explained.
Asia shook her head. “So he was really messing with that broad longer than y’all had been together?”
“Yes, but that’s not all. He told me that the reason he got shot was not because he got robbed, but it was Toi’s husband. I remember Camara telling me that, and I asked him about it. Of course his black ass lied to me. I'm just so tired of him lying. It’s like damn, does he enjoy keeping me out of the loop and hurting me?” Aimee’s tears began to fall.
“Don’t cry, sis,” Asia said and hugged her. “Don’t be sad.”
“I'm done with him. We’ll just have to come up with some type of arrangement for DJ.”
“You don’t mean that, Aimee. You know you love Big.”
“Yeah, but fuck love right now. I can’t trust his word, and if I can’t trust him, then I don’t need to be with him. I'm tired of being loyal to him while he’s not giving me the same.”
“Well, besides that Toi incident, Big has been faithful, right?”
Aimee shrugged. “You never know with him. He’s so fucking sneaky that I wouldn’t know.”
“I think you should just take some time before you make a permanent decision. Big loves you, Aimee. I know that he lied, but you guys have been doing so well.”
“I don’t care. I just don’t wanna be with him anymore.”
Asia knew that her sister was speaking out of anger. She had never seen Aimee so in love, and she knew that it would be hard to let Big go. She liked Big, and hoped that he and Aimee could work things out, especially now that they had a child together.
“So I take it that you’ll be staying here with me?”
