Green Eyed Monster

by Ashley Antoinette

  “Good morning, ma,” he greeted.

  She inhaled his scent and gave him a smile as she snuggled closer, getting tangled in his strong embrace while her head rested on his shoulder.

  “Good morning,” she replied.

  It felt so good to be in his presence again. Indie had a soothing spirit, and being wrapped up in his rapture was the sweetest thing on earth. Loving a man made a woman complete, but loving Indie made YaYa feel as if she had been divinely favored. No other woman knew what it was like to feel the type of connection that she shared with this man. Theirs was a unique love, and she had lost it so many times before that she cherished every second that she was with him.

  “I’m ready to take you home. I know Sky misses you,” Indie said. “I’m ready to settle down, ma, stop taking so many risks. This game is for the young at heart, especially the way that we play it. I have a plan to expand, to grow into something bigger than selling drugs can ever get us. I’m going to take my last and go legit. It’ll be different. Life will be . . . regular, but we’ll have everything we need. I promise you, ma, I’m going to crawl up out of this hole. I just need you to ride with me while I’m on the bottom the same way you did when I was on top. I used to give you fifty racks to go shopping. Blow that in a night at the craps table. Those days have temporarily passed us by. I’ve got a couple dollars left to my name, but I’m not trying to touch the streets. I can’t deal with the risks of that life anymore. I just want to be a man and provide safety and security for you . . . for Skylar.”

  Indie was saying all the right things, making plans to do all the right things, but it was all at the wrong time. YaYa didn’t know how to break the news of Zya’s proposition to him. She should have been jumping for joy at Indie’s progress. He had grown before her very eyes. A man who once would have never given up the game was now willing to walk away for his family. She couldn’t ask for a more noble man, but now she was about to throw their plan off course once again.

  “What’s a couple dollars?” she asked.

  “Two hundred thousand dollars,” he said.

  “It has never been about the money for me, Indie. I love you for everything but the money, but I also know that the lifestyle that you lead, that we are used to leading, we can’t maintain with that. Zya wants to plug me,” she blurted out.

  Indie sat up in the bed and looked at her, unsure if he had heard her correctly. “Since when you speak that language?” he asked, confused.

  “She saved my life. She needs a partner in the States. I agreed because I feel like I owe her,” YaYa said.

  “You owe her?” Indie scoffed with a firm grimace as he sat up. “Did she tell you that? I can speak to her, YaYa. You don’t owe anybody anything. I’ve done enough square business with Zya in the past for her to understand that this isn’t for you. Do you know what you’re getting yourself into, ma? ’Cause you couldn’t handle one grimy bitch that was gunning for your head. What happens when you’ve got fifty snake-ass niggas coming at you? Because they gonna test you. You’re going to look like a fish in a shark tank.”

  “That’s why I need you. I can be the brain; I can’t be the muscle,” she answered. “I need you to say yes to this. If you don’t want me to do it, then I’ll walk away. I’ll come home. I’ll play wifey, but I know you though, Indie. Two hundred thousand dollars to a man like you is like chump change. You’ll eventually go back to the game anyway. Zya’s putting us back on, babe, and it gives me the power to touch the bitch that ruined my life once and for all. With money comes—”

  “Power,” Indie finished. He scoffed and shook his head. “I can tell you’ve been taking lessons at the school of Zya,” he remarked. He wiped both hands over his face then rested his back against the headboard.

  “Zya’s a different breed, YaYa. She makes the game look easy. It’s not, especially for a woman,” he said.

  “I know that. I’m not naïve. I know what I’m saying sounds crazy, but it’s something I have to do,” YaYa replied.

  “It sounds like you have your mind made up, but I can’t step into this with you though, YaYa. After embarrassing the feds, they would just love to catch me up in some shit like this. They already have the noose around my neck. They’re just waiting for the opportunity to kick the chair from beneath my feet. I’d just put a spotlight on you.”

  “So what do we do?” she asked.

  “You tell Zya no,” Indie said. “You come home with me and walk away from her offer.”

  “I don’t want to lie to you, Indie, so I’m just going to be honest. I don’t want to tell Zya no,” YaYa replied. “You’re right. I’m weak, but with an alliance with Zya I become strong. I become powerful—powerful enough to touch anyone who has ever wronged me—and I’ve got an itch to scratch with Leah.”

  Indie sighed because no matter how much he tried to protect YaYa, she always seemed to weave a complicated web. At the end of the day, she was going to do what she wanted to. It was clear that she was only running it by him out of respect. She wasn’t seeking his approval.

  “If you’re going to do this then you have to do it my way. There are certain measures you have to take to ensure your safety. You need soldiers—a team of young, loyal, hungry mu’fuckas that will shoot at your command. If you nod your head at a mu’fucka, your shooters should be on point, trigger finger itching and ready whenever, wherever. Then you need a lieutenant to keep everything running smoothly. Yours will be Chase. He’s the only person I would trust you with,” Indie said.

  He continued, “I’ve learned from my past mistakes, so this time you won’t make them. I’ve got an accountant set up in New York that’s waiting to wash my paper. He’ll be getting a lot more money from me than expected. Whatever comes in will be washed and legitimized before we ever spend a dime. I’ll make sure you’re covered on that end.

  “Everyone thinks you’re dead, YaYa. You’ll be safe. You won’t even come under suspicion because technically you no longer exist. You’ll move through the streets like a ghost. Only those who know will know, you understand?”

  “What would I do without you?” she asked as she smiled.

  “You would be a regular girl in a regular world,” he replied. And you would have never gotten tangled up in this mess. You without me is what’s best for you. I’m just too selfish to let you go, he thought.

  Swish.

  Swish.

  Swish.

  YaYa watched in amazement as men weighed and packaged the powder cocaine in the secret caves of Sicily. It was dark, and the tiny makeshift lighting system that hung from the ceiling of the caverns did little to illuminate the place. She had heard stories of miners and hikers being trapped beneath caves that collapsed on top of them, and her paranoia was at an all-time high. Zya seemed at ease, however, as they maneuvered their way through each system, and YaYa followed her lead, despite her growing apprehension.

  An entire factory existed underground, an illegal enterprise. She saw the powder-white cocaine sitting in cellophane packages as they were moved down conveyor belts. Zya had a real-life operation going on, and YaYa had definitely stepped into an intelligent network of the world’s best drug kingpins or, in Zya’s case, queen pin.

  “YaYa, the distribution business is simple. You have a product that niggas put in their rap songs. It’s exclusive, it’s expensive, and very lucrative. You will be my only distributor in the US. Before I dealt with a couple different people that I trusted, Indie being one of them, but when Indie caught his case, I realized that dealing with so many people is risky. I was lucky that it was Indie who got jammed up and not some of the others. Indie stood tall. He’s a real man. Some of the other characters that I dealt with would have sung and danced for the feds just to get out of there.

  “When I saw how good you were at moving weight, I was immediately interested in working with you. Now you will be my only endeavor in the US. You will be the only one with my product. That’s not to say you won’t have competition. You’ll have competitio
n from the Mexicans, the Colombians, the Cubans, but none of them will have a product that is as pure as mine. This is un-stepped on, YaYa, so it will fly as soon as you take it across the border,” Zya said.

  “Have you thought of how you’re going to get it into the States?” Zya asked. “That burden is your responsibility, and of course, if you get caught it’s your consequence to carry. I want us to be clear.”

  “We are,” YaYa replied. “That goes without saying. I want to hire a few girls that I can trust to move the product on international flights.”

  Zya stopped walking and turned to YaYa in shock. “That’s risky,” she commented.

  “Not the way I plan to do it. There is a shoemaker in town, makes custom shoes, designs for the major designers too. I noticed him working the other day when we went shopping. He hollowed out platform high heels. Wouldn’t it be convenient if I filled that hollow space with cocaine? Someone could walk right through security and the X-rays wouldn’t detect a thing,” YaYa answered.

  Zya raised an eyebow and folded her arms over her chest. The game was full of mules who had tried every technique imaginable, but this was a new method that she had never heard of before. Sometimes it took fresh eyes to come up with new ideas. “And you’re sure?”

  “No, but I’m confident enough to do the test run myself,” YaYa said. The thought of taking such a risk made her stomach do somersaults, but she couldn’t expect someone else to do what she wasn’t willing to do herself. She had to do it at least once so that she could see for herself what her team of mules would be up against.

  Zya smiled. “That’s why I like you. We are on the same page. You’re sharp. Our split is sixty-five/thirty-five,” Zya said.

  “Our split is fifty-five/forty-five,” YaYa countered. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could chase them down and swallow them. A lump formed in her throat as she saw Zya stop walking abruptly. What the fuck am I doing? You don’t negotiate with a woman like Zya, she thought nervously.

  Zya turned toward YaYa. No one had ever challenged her before. Most people took what they could get. It wasn’t often that Zya didn’t get her way, and she couldn’t remember a time when she had lost a negotiation.

  “I’m taking the risk, so I need my percentage to be higher,” YaYa stressed, knowing that she would have to split her profits up among her crew, once it was established. Her back began to sweat and the silk material of her shirt began to stick to her skin. She was aware of the risk that she was taking by standing up to Zya and demanding a larger percentage. She was overstepping her boundaries. Zya could pull the deal from beneath her feet for the disrespect. YaYa was on pins and needles on the inside, but her poker face had always been A-1. Zya couldn’t read her.

  “It’s my product. I’m the connect. Without me you wouldn’t even be here,” Zya answered. “I could get any hustler in the world to fill your shoes.”

  “And you just may have to if my needs aren’t met,” YaYa said, playing hardball. She cleared her throat to stop her voice from quivering. “You have loyalty from me. You know that my lips don’t move if I get jammed up. If this thing goes badly, I won’t even remember your name. You can’t say the same for anyone else that you deal with. You said so yourself. Let’s do good business, Zya. The way that I move the product, you will be happy to pay me that percentage.”

  Zya’s eyes narrowed as she pondered YaYa’s words. She analyzed the streetwise girl, looking her up and down.

  “Okay, YaYa. I’ll play your game. Sixty/forty, and that’s my best offer. Consider this a first and a last. I never negotiate with anybody,” Zya said with a smirk. “It seems I created a monster.”

  “I guess you have.” YaYa nodded in agreement, sealing the deal. She sighed in relief as a smile slowly graced her face. Zya turned and continued to walk. As YaYa followed behind her, she felt her confidence grow. She was coming into her own and a new, valuable friendship had just been established.

  Chapter 9

  “Are you sure this is where Chase said to meet him?” Miesha said as she looked around the old power plant. The factory, which had been closed for twenty years, was located thirty miles outside of the inner city. It was like a ghost town as Miesha, Trina, and Sydney rode in silence, peering out of the window.

  “Call him. This shit is freaking me out,” Sydney urged. “There’s nobody out here. I didn’t think anyone ever came out here.”

  Trina pulled out her phone to attempt to call Chase, but to no avail. “No service,” she commented. “Pull up over there.”

  Miesha took Trina’s instructions and parked between the two large industrial buildings. They got out of the car. Headlights in the distance announced Chase’s arrival, and they waited until he pulled up directly next to them.

  “Fuck is this? Why we meeting all the way out here?” Trina asked as soon as he emerged from the car.

  “I’m following instructions just like you. Indie didn’t tell me anything. He just told me where to be and what time to be here,” Chase said nonchalantly as he leaned against the hood of his Range.

  Two black Lincoln Navigator trucks appeared in the distance, causing the group to focus their attention on the vehicles as they came closer.

  “That’s not Indie’s car,” Trina observed. “And if it is him, who is in the second one?”

  Chase stepped to the forefront and hooked his fingers through his belt loops. He had the .45 holstered at his waist, so no worries rested on his shoulders. “Whoever it is, they don’t want no smoke,” he said calmly.

  The first car approached and cut its lights as it stopped a few yards away from them. Chase didn’t know what to expect when he saw the two Italian men exit and fall into position at the entrances of the buildings.

  “Fuck is this?” he asked as he turned to look at the girls, who were equally puzzled. The mystery was revealed when Indie emerged from the car.

  “Yo, big homie, I was about to set off fireworks in this bitch,” Chase said with a chuckle as he greeted Indie with a handshake and a warm embrace.

  “Next time, you shoot first and ask questions later,” he schooled. “A real nigga got to respect it. Teach a nigga how to announce his arrival. Nobody’s an exception, even me.”

  Chase nodded as he absorbed the knowledge his mentor was kicking.

  “So why we all the way out here, Indie?” Trina asked curiously.

  “And who is that?” Miesha asked as she nodded to the second car.

  “I called you all together out here because I needed to be sure that this was a conversation that was overheard by no one outside of this circle. Conversations in cars, in houses, on cell phones . . . they have a way of turning up in fed transcripts, nah mean? From now on we don’t talk business on the phone or anywhere in a confined space. If you’re at home, run a dishwasher, a washing machine, a garbage disposal. Never talk in a car, and if you dealing with someone you don’t know, shake ’em down before you open your mouth. Once something is said over the wire, it can’t be taken back. Make sure you’re cautious and skeptical of everybody that’s not a part of this team.”

  “I feel you on all of this, Indie, but you talking like we major out here. Since you got locked up everything has been slow,” Trina said.

  “Let’s just say things are about to pick back up,” he replied. “Before I say too much, I have to know that everybody wants to be here. We don’t need any weak links in this chain. Either you’re in or out. If you decide to stay, you’ll see more money than you ever imagined, but with that comes a price. Once you are affiliated, there are no outs. If you get caught up, you will be expected to ride out your sentence, and in return the people you leave on the outside will be taken care of. This isn’t Houston block-hugging anymore. This is major, so I need you to be absolutely sure that this is something you want to be a part of.”

  Indie looked around at the faces of the young ones that he had put on. He had met them all upon relocating to Houston, but they had been some of the most loyal workers he ha
d ever encountered. They were young and easily influenced, but he had molded them well. They were vicious, tenacious, and eager to get their feet wet in the game. They were like predators. They had developed an acquired taste for the fast life. Fast money wasn’t always good money, but they didn’t care. They would rather live enormous and sit at the royal table for a few good years, than be the peasants who fought over the scraps forever. A speech from Indie hadn’t been necessary. They were convinced . . . all except for one.

  “Nothing else needs to be said, duke. If you in it, I’m in it,” Chase answered.

  “If he in it, I’m in it,” Trina said, nodding to Chase.

  Miesha nodded her head. “What she said.”

  All eyes turned to Sydney, who looked like a deer in headlights. “I . . . I . . .” she stammered as if the cat had her tongue. “I don’t know. I just got accepted to college in Atlanta. I was all for making some money on the side, but I’m not cool with this,” she admitted.

  Indie nodded his head. “My driver will take you home,” he said. He opened his hand and motioned her to the car. Little did she know that she was a long way from home. Indie couldn’t allow anyone to jeopardize the setup. He had mistakenly marked her as thorough. If he had known she wouldn’t accept his terms, then he would have never brought her into the fold by inviting her to the meeting.

  “I don’t know him. Can one of you take me?” she asked unsurely, feeling as though she had done something wrong.

  “He’ll take you,” Indie confirmed.