“Hey, baby,” she said, happy.
She jumped in Jacob’s arms, knocking the black duffel bag out of his arms. They shared a long, passionate kiss before he laid her on the bed.
“Did you miss me?” he asked, taking his skirt off and revealing his vanilla six-pack and muscular arms. He was happy to be in her presence alone. He hadn’t even had a chance to go home to change after leaving the police station.
“Yes.” She lifted up and started unbuttoning his belt buckle. “I hope that bitch didn’t hurt my popsicle,” she said, referring to hard wood that stood at attention in her face.
“Bella can’t do it like you do!”
“I know!”
She took him in her mouth and gave him what he’d been missing—a deep-throat massage. He had a nice-size wood and she was able to fit every inch of him in her mouth. After he released his seed down her throat, she kissed on his thighs and up his stomach.
They showered together afterwards and cuddled in the bed. They had been having a long-distance friendship since Jacob was put on the team undercover. Due to their schedules, they weren’t able to see each other often, which made them lonely. Plus, they’d wanted to keep their love connection out of the public eye.
Jacob grabbed the black bag off the floor and got back into the bed. Nikki had been waiting for this moment. All her hard work was about to pay off.
“Um, yes, baby! What do you have for momma?”
“Just what you want!” He pulled out stacks of money, throwing them on the bed.
“How much did we get this time?”
“A million! I didn’t care this time, baby! I was being greedy.”
Usually, he’d get a small amount so it wouldn’t be noticeable, but he knew this time, they were involved with a billion-dollar company and a million wouldn’t hurt. They were hurting for money due to taxes and bills. He felt relieved having tax-free money!
“Damn, baby, you went in! I’m not even mad. As hard as we’ve worked, we deserve it!”
“Plus, the money is insured so it isn’t like they’re going without. We are!”
They divided the money and made love the rest of the night. Nikki was ready to leave town and spend time with her family, but she had to handle business at work first.
. . . 20
‘A baby is born every minute and another life is released into heaven. I can’t thank God enough for Lena Doll Smith! When I stare into her grey eyes, I see pure beauty. She’s the splitting image of Ray’s mother. Her tiny fingers—I can’t stop kissing them. She reminds me so much of Junior when he was born. Junior is beyond excited to be a big brother. He kisses on her all day long and watches her while she’s asleep.
‘Everyone can’t get enough of her. They help out so much and I appreciate it so much. Only thing missing is Ray. Tears continue to fall every day since I came home from the hospital three days ago. I haven’t heard from Ray and it’s killing me inside, but I know I have to stay strong for our children. He told me if he wasn't home three days after the job to open the safe. My mind is all over the place because I expected him to be here.’
~ ~
Chyna sat in the rocking chair in her room, rocking Lena to sleep after her feeding. Her next move was on her mind. The television was on the news channel. The reporter came on with some disturbing news.
“An unidentified body was found beaten severely two days ago in an abandoned field in New Jersey. If anyone has any leads or knows anything, please call the tips hotline. Anything could help solve this case and put a name on the unclaimed body. Thank you for listening. I’m Wendy Fox coming to you live.”
Chyna was curious, hoping it wasn’t Ray. At this point, Bella could be up to anything, especially after she’d called Chyna’s phone the day she had Lena.
~ ~
Chyna was tired after giving birth and the only thing she wanted was to hear Ray’s voice to make sure he was okay. It was killing her on the inside. The nurse had just served Chyna lunch, which she didn’t eat. She wasn’t too keen on hospital food. Even though she wasn’t in labor long, Lena had still taken a lot of energy out of her. Her phone started ringing and it was a number she didn’t recognize.
“Hello,” Chyna answered sleepily.
“Wassup? You drop that load yet, bitch?”
Chyna sat up in the bed to make sure she was hearing clearly. “Excuse me? Come again?”
“You heard me. And to keep from guessing, this is Bella!”
“Okaaay . . . and you’re calling my phone for what?”
“To get straight to the point, Ray is mine so don’t expect him! Find somebody else to take care of your kids!’
“Bitch, you have some nerve calling this number! I couldn’t care less what you or the next bitch has to say about Ray and definitely about me! If you feel you can steal him, hats off to you and the next, ’cause he wasn’t mines to begin with! So please don’t call my phone any more with this bullshit, and tell that nigga kudos to the both of y’all! Now get the fuck off my line!” Chyna ended the call, not giving her a chance to respond.
“What’s wrong and who was that?” Ray’Sha asked.
Their mothers had stepped out and Chyna was relieved. She didn’t need her mother all up in the business.
“That bitch! The baby’s out and I’m ready to make a trip!”
“What bitch, girl? Either way, you know I’m rolling!”
“Bella. She had the nerve to call.”
~ ~
Ever since that phone call, Chyna’s blood had been boiling. Something in her heart told her this wasn’t right! After laying Lena down, she grabbed the safe out the closet. The anticipation to open it had built up for so long, she’d begun to wonder every day what was in it. She went through her phone to get the combination and entered it. Her mouth dropped as she pulled the one-hundred-dollar bills out. It was too much to count. She unfolded the piece of paper and read it.
Chyna babe,
If you’re reading this, I didn’t make it back and it’s not by choice. I’m playing a dirty game, baby. Just know I truly love you and our beautiful children. You’re the only woman I fell for who kept my interest. I could have played the game differently, but you wouldn’t be sitting on $300,000 right now. Take that money and move everybody to Houston, Texas ASAP!!! Today!!! No time to wait. Vin’s baby momma will pick y’all up from the airport. Her number’s at the end of the letter. I love the shit out of you, girl, and everything I do is for you and my children! Remember that, babe, my one and only queen. Now book the next flight. Y’all aren’t safe there.
Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably as she thought the worst. Could Ray be dead? She didn’t want to think about it, but it was scaring her that he’d said he didn’t make it. Or could he be in jail? But he would have called. She read the letter again and her next question was, where did he get the money from? She grabbed her phone, pulled up Southwest and booked the next flight to Houston like he’d told her for everyone. The next flight left later that night. She was on the hunt to find her man!
She showed everyone the letter and Lashan wasn’t pleased. She worried if something had happened to her firstborn. She broke down crying on the living room floor then started to pray. She prayed he was okay and still breathing.
“Lord Jesus, why my child? I can’t take losing another one!”
Tara bent down and hugged her. She was starting to feel emotional and knew it was possible for something like this to happen. She didn’t have any comforting words to say so she just hugged her tightly.
After twenty minutes of praying and crying, everyone started packing, getting ready for their eight o’clock flight.
Tara decided to take a smoke break and went outside to sit on the stairs. She thought about all the arguments she’d had with Ray's family and how they’d been so childish. She started to worry if something really had happened to Ray. If she lost one of her sons, she would lose it! The only thing was her sons had left to live lives of their ow
n and hadn’t turned back since. They hadn’t called either. She started to think maybe she was jealous of the relationship Lashan had with her sons.
She looked out at the beautiful ocean view thinking she was going to miss this place. She wished she could stay and find her a hot man to bring her groove back. She laughed at the thought. A dark, tall figure approached the house and Tara was shocked at who appeared in front of her. She got up to greet him. It didn’t matter how long her children were away, she never wanted to forget their faces!
“Wassup, momma?” he said, reaching out for a hug.
“Hi, baby. Oh my, I never expected to see you here!”
A tear fell from her eyes. She took a step back to fully observe Tone as he stood their looking just like his father.
“Yeah, the whole situation caught me off-guard.”
“How did you know we were here?”
“Through my job. I’ll explain it to you and Chyna at the same time.”
They walked in the house and everyone was in the living room but Chyna. Tara called for Chyna and she walked in holding Lena.
“Oh my! Tone?” she said and walked up to hug him. “This is my older brother Tone everybody.”
They greeted him and shook hands. That put a smile on her face.
“How did you know we were here?”
“I’m a private investigator and Bella hit me up to find you. At the time, I didn’t know it was you until I came to St. Thomas and saw y’all here. I told her y’all were here, but that was before I knew it was you. We have to get out of here.”
“Our bags are already packed, bro, and our flight leaves at eight.”
“Well, let’s go!”
He helped them load their luggage into the shuttle cab when it came. He changed his flight and was lucky to catch a red eye to Atlanta for business. He kissed them bye and they exchanged numbers.
. . . 21
Who would've known, that you'd have to go so suddenly, so fast / How could it be, that our sweet memories would be all, all that we have left? / Now that you're gone, every day I go on (I go on) / But life’s just not the same (life’s just not the same) / I’m so empty inside / And my tears I can't hide / But I’ll try / I'll try to face the pain . . .
Missing You by Brandy, a popular song on the movie Set It Off soundtrack, played through the speakers at Mountain Lion Church. Everyone present had tear-filled eyes and some wore sunglasses to hide their pain. Never would they have imagined a life could be taken in such a vicious way. They knew of the possibility, but they didn’t believe their love one deserved to die with an unrecognizable face. Luckily, dental records were able to be used to identify the body. A closed casket was in order, and after everyone was seated, the preacher stood up to begin his eulogy.
“We’re gathered here today for the homegoing of a beautiful soul who lost her life in a brutal way. First, thank you everyone who came to show your love and respect. This young, talented, smart woman was called home early by our heavenly Father. Nicole May Brown was a cheerful woman who brightened up everyone’s day. She didn’t mind doing for others, whether she was able to or not.”
Nicole’s twin sisters sat on the first row with a box of tissue, holding each other hands. They had admired and looked up to their older sister. Nicole had always been there for them, especially when their mother started using drugs. Her sisters couldn’t believe somebody was so cruel to beat Nicole so badly that she had to have a closed casket. Their mother hadn’t showed up and they hadn’t talked to her since finding out about Nicole’s death. Their mother was still working on getting clean from the drugs when Nicole came back to New Jersey. When she found out about Nicole, everything had changed.
“Why is what we’re all thinking, but it isn’t our place to question God’s will! Let’s remember this beautiful young woman with good memories. Right now, she’s looking down on us smiling as our guardian angel. Let’s celebrate her homegoing. One day, we will meet again!"
The church doors opened and Nicole’s mother walked in, stumbling. Her sunglass fell off her face and she bent down to pick them up. The usher waiting at the door wasn’t pleased at the fact she was late. She watched her as she embarrassed herself by bending over in her medium-length black skirt and black shirt, trying to pick up the sunglasses to hide her red, bloodshot eyes. After she got back up, she tried to walk into the service, but the usher stopped her so she wouldn’t interrupt the service.
“Hold on, ma’am. I’ll seat you, okay?” she told her nicely to prevent an argument.
“I got this shit! I’m front row, baby! If it wasn’t for me, this funeral wouldn’t be happening!”
The usher’s eyebrows rose as she got nervous. She looked around for someone to help escort her out. She didn’t want the woman causing any more problems. She didn’t know she was Nicole’s mother and she was thinking the woman had had something to do with the murder the way she was talking. The invitation list was short; only family and selected friends had been invited.
The police didn’t have anyone in custody or any leads yet on who had killed Nicole. The last thing they wanted was for the funeral to get shot up. Nicole’s naked body had been found on the side of the highway, badly abused. A woman who was walking had found Nicole’s body and reported it to the police. Nicole’s body had been set out like it was trash. The usher spotted a male usher and waved for him to come her way. He did just that, but Nicole’s mother stopped him.
“Cousin, I’m trying to get to my kids, but this woman’s tripping about me sitting down.”
The male usher, who was her cousin, grabbed her by the hand. “This is Nicole’s mother. I’ll escort her to her seat,” he told the female usher. He knew his cousin well and he was trying to keep down the drama.
“Yeah! We’re family and we stand by each other’s side!” she said, getting smart with the lady.
“Excuse her! I’ve got her, just ignore her. I know she’s been drinking.”
He knew how his cousin was and he knew it wasn’t just liquor that had her eyes bloodshot red. She was back on cocaine. He remembered Nicole telling him she was trying to quit and was doing good. Now the death of her daughter had made her backslide. He said a quick prayer, promising Nicole he’d try to get her back on the right path.
“Okay, Mark,” the female usher said.
He could tell by her face she was irritated by her rude and disrespectful behavior. If only the usher knew what she was really going through, she’d probably understand why she was acting in such way. She’d lost her husband and now her firstborn daughter. He guided Nicole’s mother to the front row where her other two daughters were sitting. Some people started staring, being nosy instead of listening to the speaker. She saw the eyes and ignored their judgment. If they only understood what she was going through, they would understand her pain. She wasn’t supposed to be burying her daughter.
“What the fuck y’all looking at?!” she spoke loudly. “This is my muthafuckin daughter’s day! Some coward-ass pussy took her life.”
“Calm down, cousin. Calm down,” Mark whispered to her, but she wasn't listening. He didn’t understand the pain she was in because he’d never lost a child. The twins looked over and saw it was their mother who had disturbed the speaker. They both got up to help.
~ ~
Fen was in an all-black F150 truck across the street from the church. She was watching the funeral, debating on what she wanted to do next. Her gun lay in her lap as she smoked a blunt. Killing Nicole wasn’t enough. Every day she still hurt inside. If she knew what prison the man who’d shot him was in, she’d try to blow it up and reach out to touch his family. Since she didn’t, her only other choice was Nicole’s family. At this point, she felt like she didn’t have a reason to live. She’d lost her parents in a car accident at a young age. Brian was her only sibling and she didn’t have any children or a husband. What more did she have to live for?
~ ~
“Naw, fuck this shit! My daughter’s DEAD!” She s
tarted crying and fell to her knees. “NICOLE! COME BACK! WHY, LORD? WHY?” she cried.
Mark and the twins bent down to try to help her up. She beat the floor with her fists and continued to scream. “WHY?”
“Mama! Mama!” Jade spoke up, trying to get her attention.
A lot of people had their noses turned up, judging her like they normally did. When she first started using drugs, a lot of her relatives had criticized instead of helping her. They didn’t understand the pain she was going through after losing her husband.
She raised her head up and looked into her daughters’ eyes. They saw the pain in each other’s eyes.
“It’s going to be okay! We’re going to get through this,” Jade told her mother.
“How? How are we?”
Jade wasn’t exactly sure yet or if it was possible, but she knew they had to remain strong. It wasn’t going be an easy task.
She got up off the floor, still crying, and walked slowly to the casket. She wasn’t aware the casket would be closed and started screaming. “WHY’S HER CASKET CLOSED? I WANNA SEE MY BABY GIRL! OPEN IT!"
“We can’t, cousin. We can’t. Please sit down so we can continue.”
“I’m not understanding. I wanna see my baby!”
He led her to the front row and sat her down. The preacher continued the eulogy.
Playing With Fire: Loyalty Demolished Page 18
