Dirty Bonds: The FULL BOOK: Part 1&2 of Dirty Bonds Series (Extra Sneak Peek included)

by B. M. Hardin

  The ceremony began and the preacher asked for the rings. Reese smiled as she copied the preacher’s words, reciting them to Judge Fitch. The Judge was crying uncontrollably. He was doing the all out, ugly cry; you know the kind that you only do when you’re by yourself. Before that day I hadn’t noticed how old he was starting to look. His age was definitely starting to show. It was now his turn to repeat after the preacher but soon he expressed himself in his own words.

  “I have loved you since the very first time I saw you. A life without us is unimaginable. I would do anything in this world to keep you happy. I would do anything I had to make sure that you stayed apart of my world…forever,” he said to her, causing Reese and I both sob even more. Though it was sweet and all, we both knew that he had meant exactly what he had said, considering what had happened with his ex-wife and all.

  The couple placed the rings on each other’s hands, kissed, jumped the broom, and just like that, they were Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lee Fitch.

  Despite how emotional it had made me, the wedding had also made me somewhat excited about the secret marriage that Kareem and I had planned. Everyone deserved to have someone to love them…including me. I had been through so much and maybe this rushed marriage wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  After we had taken a million and one wedding photos, it was time to head to the reception.

  Kareem joined me in the hallway and we all made our way outside.

  As soon as I walked through the double doors I saw him…

  Devon.

  He was appropriately dressed for a wedding so I figured that he had probably been there the whole time. I was surprised that he had even remembered the date. I was offended that he would show up to Reese’s wedding…and not for Shanay’s funeral. That’s when I needed him the most.

  I studied him as though he was a complete stranger. I hadn’t talked to him or seen him in months. My heart was beating fast and I was so nervous that I had started to sweat. I had almost forgotten that Kareem was standing beside me until I followed the gaze of Devon. I don’t know why I assumed that Devon would see Kareem and decide to go about his business, but that surely isn’t what was about to happen. I was sure of that.

  Devon headed toward us and I was unsure of what to say or what to do.

  “Trina, can I talk to you for a minute?” Devon called out to me.

  The sound of his voice was like music to my ears.

  Oh how I missed him. I thought that I was over him but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was so lost in my thoughts that I couldn’t manage to respond, but there was no need to.

  “Kareem…its over,” I heard Devon say.

  What?

  Instinctively, I looked over at Kareem who was staring right at Devon. He had a sort of sly smirk on his face.

  What the hell is going on here? Here we go with some more bullshit.

  “Trina, I need to talk to you,” Devon continued but Kareem still said nothing.

  I was so confused, but I didn’t let that stop me from speaking up.

  “Wait a minute, y’all know each other?” I asked becoming angry.

  Both men were quiet as if they were trying to figure out which one of them was going to tell me the truth. They both stared at each other as if they wanted to start fighting but something inside of them wouldn’t allow them to.

  After a while, I could tell that Kareem had no plans of filling in the blanks so of course that meant Devon had to.

  “Kareem is my brother,” Devon confessed.

  What the fuck!

  Chapter Fourteen

  I was at a loss for words. But I wasn’t the one that needed to be doing much talking. Someone had better start explaining before I start tearing some shit up!

  I felt like all eyes were on me. I looked back at the bride and groom, who were looking on to see what was going to happen next.

  I turned my attention back to Kareem and Devon.

  What the fuck did he mean they were brothers?

  “Well, not my blood brother…we married sisters. But we have been like brothers since day one. I tried to tell you like a hundred times but I didn’t know how. It wasn’t supposed to get dis’ far man. It was a set up---kinda’. I wanted to see if you would cheat on me and offer him one of yo’ little dirty bonds and shit and you did. Dat’ night, you were sleep and he called me from jail. He asked me to come post his bail and I told him about my new woman dat’ could get him off. Why you think I was already awake when you took the phone call from him? Anyway, he was supposed to just let me know if you tried to sleep with him or if you offered him a contract but his greedy, back stabbin’ ass started fuckin’ you behind my back,” Devon said looking directly at Kareem, who still wasn’t saying anything.

  This was a joke…right?

  “He wasn’t supposed to touch you,” Devon said as if he was about ready to pounce on Kareem and whoop his ass.

  The look on Kareem’s face was almost frightening---almost evil.

  Anger and betrayal were running a race that neither of them were destined to win.

  First Carter and now these two…what the fuck was going on here?

  Kareem and Devon are like brothers? Married sisters? Set me up?

  Huh…no fuck that…What!

  Devon moved closer to me but I moved from within his reach. Kareem still didn’t move or say a word. I looked at him as if I was asking with my eyes whether or not he was going to explain himself or at least say something to me. But he said nothing.

  And to think I was about to run off marry him!

  “I think both of you need to leave…now,” I heard Daddy say from behind me.

  I could feel everyone staring at me, judging me. I just wanted to run and not look back….and that’s exactly what I did.

  I didn’t look up again until, I was on my street. I had run and walked, over five blocks. My heels were in my hand and my bare feet were aching.

  Why was my life such a mess?

  I hadn’t cried, and I wasn’t going to.

  Though I had spent the past few months with Kareem and was even going to marry him, I felt betrayed the most by Devon.

  What right did he have to try and set me up?

  To think that all this time I thought I had been two steps in front of him but really he had always been way ahead of me. I guess, I could see his reasoning behind trying to see if I would put Kareem under contract, since I was supposed to be in a committed relationship with him at the time, but why not tell me before things got out of hand or went too far?

  That was just plain out wrong!

  And Kareem, oh, let’s not even go there. He knew the whole time about Devon and knew that he was just supposed to try me. But I guess he couldn’t simply play by the rules. He just had to have a piece of the pie. Not to mention that he had already come with secrets…referring to the whole Carter incident.

  What the fuck was he thinking?

  I was trying my best to stay calm but I was as furious as hell’s fire. I was tired of being played with!

  Why was God always messing with me?

  God, what did I ever do that was so wrong?

  I was a good person, wasn’t I?

  Did I not deserve a happy ending like everybody else?

  I continued to walk and talk to myself aloud but something in the air caught my attention.

  What is that smell? What is that sound?

  I looked up to see a hundred people, smoke, flames, firemen, the whole nine yards. And guess which condo particularly was up in flames…yep…mine.

  ***

  “Are you okay?” Devon asked.

  Okay, so it’s not what it seems.

  When I arrived home, I found that my condo and both of my cars inside the garage had been set on fire. They were even trying to say that it could have possibly been as a result of me leaving something on but I knew that that was a lie.

  Someone had intentionally set it on fire; hoping that I was inside.

  Not really knowing what to
do, and not wanting to worry my sister on her wedding day anymore than I probably already had…I called Devon.

  I didn’t call Kareem for two reasons. One, though I was about to step out on faith and marry him, seeing Devon, before he opened his mouth, I realized that Kareem would have been only a temporary fix. My love for him was nowhere near or even close to what I felt for Devon. But I also didn’t call Kareem because for some reason, ever since he came into my life, more bad things started to happen. I mean, yes, there were problems and issues before his arrival but things were a hundred times worse since he had been in the picture. It was as if he was some kind of bad luck charm and at the moment I needed all of the luck I could get.

  I had been at Devon’s a few days. My house and my cars could be replaced, that wasn’t my issue. I was more concerned with trying to figure out who this was that wanted me dead so badly. Though there had been many instances, somehow, the fire made things all the more real for me.

  I just didn’t feel safe.

  I didn’t know what to do or who to turn to.

  So, I ended up calling Devon who willingly came to my rescue. But by no means was he out of the dog house or forgiven.

  I had ignored his constant chattering for quite some time. Coming to, I had no idea what he was talking about nor did I care…he owed me answers and I’d be damned if he wasn’t going to give them to me.

  “Devon?”

  “Look, okay so I just wanted to know fo’ sho’ dat’ you were doin’ you on da’ side. Kareem been my main man fo’ years. Hell, he was my best friend. Keeping it one hundred, Diamond, the girl from mall; hell da’ one whose name I---anyway, she is actually his sister’,” Devon explained.

  Huh?

  Wait a minute, wait a minute. This is for real? Diamond is Kareem’s sister…the Diamond that Devon used to fuck around with, the same Diamond who he called out when I was trying to give him head?

  Huh?

  “Like I said, we go way back. I actually met him through her. When we stop fuckin’ around, Kareem and I stayed boys. Hell, we were even together the night at the club that we met both of our ex-wives---Shelia and Kenyatta. We had a double weddin’ and everything. Kareem and I always been from two different sides of da’ track but he was my main man, one hundred grand, but I’ll neva’ forgive him for crossin’ da’ line wit’ you. And he tried to lie about da’ shit at first, but I caught you at his house plenty of times,” Devon said, somewhat in his feelings.

  This was some bullshit! I tried to make sense of it all but it wasn’t easy.

  So, this is what I heard…

  Devon and Kareem were basically best friends that met through Kareem’s sister, Diamond…Bitch. Anyway, when Diamond and Devon didn’t work out, they remained friends and soon met two sisters, who eventually became their wives…now their ex-wives. Devon asked Kareem to see if I was going to try to sleep with him, not knowing that Kareem would actually take me up on my offer. The whole situation caused them to fall out and now we were all involved in one big mess.

  I need a drink!

  I would have never guessed that their ex-wives were sisters. They didn’t look a thing alike. Kareem’s ex-wife was stunning…and all black. Devon’s ex was fair, but she was biracial. Maybe they were half sisters.

  My life just couldn’t get any worse.

  Lord have mercy on my soul. This was just absolutely too much for my mind to handle…and apparently my heart. I felt like I was about to have a heart attack.

  Devon continued to fill me in on the conversations and the falling outs that he had had with Kareem. He said that Kareem said that he loved me. He stated that he hated Kareem for what he had done but even more than that, he hated himself for doing it in the first place. He said that he didn’t mention the pregnancy to Kareem at all because after all it was none of his business and by then he had given up and was just going to let Kareem have me. But he said something inside of him just couldn’t let me go and that he felt if I knew the truth of the situation and the truth about how he felt than I would see that his love had always been for real. He even told me that he was so insecure because Diamond had dogged him out so badly and she was his first love.

  I sat listening to him but I didn’t know what to say. I had ruined friendships, marriages, relationships, lives, all in two plus years; all because someone, Carter, had ruined mine.

  But here, this man, Devon, even now, loved me anyway. And from the looks of it…so did Kareem.

  “Say something,” Devon begged.

  But I didn’t know what to say.

  I was mentally and emotionally drained. At this point, I just didn’t give a fuck anymore.

  “Please,” Devon said and touched my hand. I didn’t move. I just looked at it. I didn’t know what to say or what to do. The ringing of the doorbell startled me and Devon got up to answer the door.

  If only he had checked to see who it was first.

  “Where is she?” I heard Kareem’s voice yell as I turned around.

  Devon and Kareem immediately began to scuffle and I jumped to my feet to jump in between them.

  “Stop it, that’s enough!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  “Why won’t you answer my calls?” Kareem asked me.

  “Why should I?” I asked him sternly.

  Kareem had been calling non-stop the whole time I had been at Devon’s…until I found another place. I could have gone to a hotel or even gone to Reese’s but with Devon, I had to admit that I felt somewhat safe. I didn’t know what or who was against me. Though Devon couldn’t be trusted to the max, I knew that he wouldn’t hurt me and that he wouldn’t let anyone else hurt me either.

  “Yo’ fo’ real…Step!” Devon yelled.

  “Kareem, look, let’s just be done with it okay?” I said to him sincerely.

  He looked at me confused…but he didn’t seem sad.

  “Really, Trina, just like that?” Kareem asked.

  I didn’t know what he wanted from me. I had nothing left to give to him or to anybody.

  “I’m not saying that I’m going to be with Devon either, I doubt it. I’m just saying I don’t want any parts of this situation, anymore,” I said to him hoping that he got the picture.

  Kareem had the look of a mad man on his face but he nodded his head.

  “Okay, but I’m not the only one with secrets,” Kareem said looking dead at Devon.

  What the hell was he talking about now?

  Kareem walked away and didn’t bother to look back. I knew at that very moment that I would never see or hear from him again.

  “What is he talking about Devon?” I asked him immediately.

  “I swear, I don’t know…I told you everything I know,” he said.

  I didn’t believe him but for his sake, he had better been telling the truth…

  ***

  “Hey, how are you doing?” Reese asked me.

  I hadn’t talked to her since the day after her wedding; almost two months ago. I would text her here and there but she knew that I wasn’t in the mood for much conversation. I was too busy trying to figure out the next steps in my life that most of the time I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.

  “I’m doing better, how is Jonah? How is the married life?” I asked.

  “It’s okay. Are you coming over for Christmas?” Reese asked.

  I hadn’t been much in the holiday spirit. I hadn’t left Devon’s house much. I hadn’t celebrated Thanksgiving, I hadn’t talked to Kareem, I hadn’t done a single bond, nor had I looked for a new place. I was depressed and from the looks of it, I would be for quite some time.

  “Yes, I’ll be there. I’ll bring desert,” I agreed.

  I had gotten Devon to drive me to the grocery store to pick up a few sweet treats to take to the Christmas dinner.

  For the most part, things between us were okay.

  We most definitely weren’t in a relationship, of course we weren’t having sex, but we still had some piece of a friendship.

&
nbsp; That was more than I could say about him and Kareem. Neither of us had spoken to him or heard from him. I felt horrible that things had turned out the way that they had but everyone had played their part.

  The grocery store was crowded considering that it was Christmas and it would be closing early. Everyone seemed so happy and so filled with love and cheer. I, on the other hand, still felt terrible. Approaching the check-out line I spotted Sheila, Kareem’s ex-wife. I could spot her and all her beauty from a distance. She was pushing a buggy with the boys inside, headed in our direction. They were smiling and chatting away. They looked so happy. She stopped at the check-out line right beside us and soon she was approached by a man wearing a long brown coat and a scarf.

  “Carter?”

  He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

  “Trina?” he said and stood closer to Shelia.

  Why was he with her?

  Though, it really wasn’t any of my business…it definitely rubbed me the wrong way.

  “Aren’t you Kareem’s ex-wife?” I said to the Shelia woman, being more than direct.

  “Yes… but now I’m Carter’s wife,” she said.

  Huh?

  “But how? Carter…didn’t you have a thing for Kareem?” I said not caring about putting his sexuality on display.

  “This isn’t the time or the place Trina,” Devon said, trying to defuse the situation.

  “Devon, it’s fine. Let her speak,” Carter said.

  What? How did he know Devon’s name?

  “Correction…it was the other way around. When he found out that Sheila and I were fooling around…he actually wanted to join in on the party. For a while it was what it was,” Carter explained using his words carefully being that the boys were within listening distance.

  So Kareem had lied about his sexuality from the start? He was the one that initiated the whole thing…unbelievable!

  “You mean, like a threesome,” I asked in frustration.

  “More or less, like I said…it was what it was. Shelia was my, is my first love. The woman that I told you I had been seeing long before you and I. We never stopped doing what we do, even when she met and married Kareem. She only married him, because she was upset that I married you. But after awhile, and once I was ready to walk away from you…Shelia had to choose…and she chose me, the father of her kids,” Carter finished.