“Does that mean I’ll walk?” he asked.
“She is the key to the prosecution’s case. Without her the murder charge won’t have much to stand on. If she keeps up her end of the bargain, I believe we’ll win. The judge may even throw out the case against you.”
“What is our end of the bargain?” he asked.
“She wants $200,000 and we only have forty-eight hours to respond,” Carmen said.
“Make it happen,” Kasheef said. He stood from the table. “Thanks for everything Carmen.”
“Don’t thank me yet. This is far from over, but things are looking better for us,” she said with a smile.
Kasheef returned her smile and then walked out of the room. By the time he got back to his cell it was recreation time. He immediately got in line for the phone. After a short wait he placed a call to his man.
“Yo, Stick!” he said once he was connected.
“Oh shit, I know this ain’t who I think it is. What’s good fam? How you holding up in there?” Stick asked.
“I’m good baby. Listen, I need you to come through with that bail money for ya’ boy. It’s twenty stacks, but you know I’m good for it. I’m just having a little trouble catching up with my chick, nah mean?’ Kasheef stated.
“No doubt fam, I’ll be there first thing tomorrow. I saw your girl pushing a new whip the other day. She showing shade now that you caught the case?” Stick asked, already knowing the answer to his question. He wasn’t one to categorize all females into the same category, but bitches like Norelle never stuck around when the heat blazed. When things are good, champagne is flowing and money is long; they were happy, but as soon as it was time for their loyalty to be tested they ran dry. He had never cared for Norelle and could see through her gold-digging tactics, but out of respect for Kasheef he kept his mouth closed and showed her love. Now her true colors were bleeding through her cheap visage and Stick felt bad for his mans for falling into her trap. Many a nigga had been left broke behind some woman who had stuck them for their paper and gotten ghost when they were supposedly doing a bid with their man.
“Yeah, the shady bitch thinks she slick, but I got it under control,” Kasheef said calmly. “Just make sure you come through a’ight?”
“Yeah, I got you.”
“One.” Kasheef said and then ended the phone call. Kasheef grinned to himself. He couldn’t wait to hit the streets. He knew that he would have to lay low so he wouldn’t be able to get at Norelle the way that he wanted to, but he was definitely going to see her. He had something else in mind for her however, something that she would never see coming. He also needed to settle a score with Alija Bell. He would pay her a visit too just to be sure about what the terms of their agreement really were.
Carmen placed a call to Norelle to inform her on the latest developments of the case.
“Norelle, I have some good news for you,” Carmen stated as soon as her friend picked up her cell.
“What? You sound excited. What is it?” Norelle asked eagerly.
“I think your man is going to win his case. At first I was worried because the evidence against him was so concrete,” Carmen stated.
“Well what the hell changed?” Norelle asked, coming off more harshly then she intended to. She needed Kasheef to be found guilty. She had already fucked him over. It was too late for her to turn back. She had lied to him and had already begun spending his money. She knew that her disloyalty was not something that Kasheef would be willing to forgive and although she had never seen his violent side, she did not doubt his gangster. She knew exactly what he was capable of and did not underestimate his ruthlessness. His hood status in New Yitty had been what had attracted her to him, besides the money, in the first place. Money. Power. Respect. To Lil’ Kim it’s the key to life ... To Norelle it was the key to her heart and the treasure between her thighs, but those were qualities that Kasheef could not hold onto behind bars and because of his downfall Norelle had changed her locks. At one point Kasheef had it all and she had wanted a piece of the pie, but she knew that she had bitten the hand that fed her. Now she had to find a way to keep his ass locked up. Why this bitch got to be so damn good at her job? Norelle asked herself.
“The only witness in the case offered to recant her testimony,” Carmen stated.
“She did what?” Norelle asked. “How did this come about?”
“The girl wants money, what else?” Carmen scoffed. “I talked it over with Kasheef and he thinks it’s a good idea so we are going to go for it.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea Carm,” Norelle said trying to plant seeds of doubt and uncertainty in her girl’s mind. “I mean I love Kasheef and I want him out of jail more than anyone, but isn’t this illegal. Couldn’t he get in more trouble for this? Better yet what about your law career. You could be disbarred!”
Carmen had already weighed all of her options. She knew exactly what was at stake, yet she was willing to take the risk. A career without advancement was equivalent to having no career at all so she was about to take her chances. With a victory from this case she would skyrocket to the top. Everything was about to blow up for her. Her career would be at an all time high. Salary. Ego. Benefits. The sky would be the limit. She would be her own boss.
“I’ve thought about all of that already Norelle,” Carmen said. “Honestly, this is Kasheef’s only shot at freedom. I know what I’m doing. You leave the law up to me and I’ll make sure that your man comes home for good.”
That’s what I’m afraid of, Norelle cursed silently. “Well where is ’Sheef now?” she asked with a sigh.
“He’s still locked up in Rikers,” Carmen responded. She frowned and continued. “Why haven’t you bonded him out yet Norelle? He doesn’t look good. I mean he’s not physically ill or hurt, but when I look at him I can see the burden on his face. It seems like he is carrying the world on his shoulders. He really needs to be home, you know?”
“Yeah, I know Carm. I’m trying my best to come up with the money. Twenty stacks does not come easy these days. I should have the rest of the money by the end of the week. I planned on getting him out then,” she lied as she rolled her eyes. “But listen how far away are you from the city? We can do lunch or something.”
“I’m not close at all. I just left Rikers and I have some things I need to look into when I get back. I’m going to have to take a rain check.”
Norelle bust a U-turn and headed toward Carmen’s office. “Okay, well I’ll call you later.” She disconnected the call and threw her cell phone in her lap out of frustration. “Ughh!” she yelled as she hit the steering wheel repeatedly.
Fifteen minutes later, Norelle found herself pulling up in front of Carmen’s workplace. She walked into her office as if she belonged and found that no one was sitting at the secretary’s desk in front of Carmen’s office. She let herself in and walked over to Carmen’s desk. Her hands shook as she ruffled through the many papers and manila file folders that were scattered on top of the desk. She tried to hurry so that she could get in and out undetected.
“Where is it? Where is it?” she mumbled impatiently. She finally located Kasheef’s case folder. She thumbed through it, quickly reading some of the details of the case. She located the name of the witness in the case. Alija Bell, she read as she went over a brief bio on the girl. Now all I have to do is find you. She continued to rummage through the papers until she found a piece of paper with Alija’s address on it. It was for a motel and she figured it had to be what she was looking for. I think I might pay this bitch Alija a visit myself, she thought as she recopied the address on a piece of paper. She was just about to leave the office when she heard voices outside of the door. She saw the doorknob turn. Oh shit, she thought as she ducked underneath the desk and pulled her knees close to her body so that she would fit. Her heartbeat was erratic and her nerves shot as she tried not to breathe too loudly.
“I’d like to view the case file on Mr. Williams’ case,” she heard a male voice say.
“Mommy is gonna get us out of here baby girl,” Alija said as she fed Nahla the bottle and watched TV. She was watching the local news to make sure that she was on point with what was going on in Kasheef’s case. There had been coverage on it at least twice a day and she felt like she needed to be involved of every aspect. She was attempting to swindle a very dangerous man and she wanted to make sure she was aware of the circumstances surrounding the situation. She was nervous and had been waiting on a visit from Kasheef’s legal defense. When day turned to night she feared that maybe she had asked for too much money. What if they don’t pay up, she thought anxiously. There was no guarantee that Kasheef would even be interested in taking her up on her offer. Maybe I shouldn’t have given his lawyer my address. What if she gives my info to him? He can just send some of his goons here again to finish me off, she thought. She noticed that her daughter’s bottle was empty. She put the baby over her shoulder and gently patted her back while walking around the room nervously. A car door slammed and she walked to the window to see who was outside. She didn’t recognize the woman so she walked away while still attempting to burp her child.
Knock! Knock!
Alija frowned. She answered the door and stared into the eyes of a woman she didn’t recognize.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Are you Alija Bell?” the woman asked.
“Who are you?” Alija replied as she looked the woman up and down, her arched eyebrows raised in defense.
“My name is Norelle. I’m Kasheef’s girlfriend. Can I come in?” she asked as she shivered from the winter cold.
“No,” Alija replied bluntly and began to close the door.
Norelle stopped the door from closing with her hand and shouted, “I want to pay you to testify against Kasheef!”
Alija’s chin dropped to her chest and her eyes grew wide in surprise. “What?” she asked incredulously. “Did you say against him?”
“Can I come in? Please,” Norelle asked again, this time almost pleading to gain entrance. She needed Alija to send Kasheef away to prison.
Alija moved to the side and allowed Norelle to step into the room. Norelle tried not to turn her nose up at the horrible accommodations.
“You can have a seat,” Alija offered.
I’m not sitting my ass on that filthy chair. As a matter of fact, let me hurry up and get out of here. “No, I won’t be long. I heard about the offer that you made to Kasheef’s lawyer this morning. You see Carmen Rose is my best friend from college, which is why she chose to defend him. The reason why I’m here is because I need for you to testify.”
Alija put her hands on her hips and interjected. “Look, I’ve already told your man’s lawyer what I’m willing to do...”
“I want you to testify against Kasheef!” Norelle blurted out, interrupting Alija.
“What?” Alija asked in confusion. She had thought she had heard the girl wrong the first time, but she wasn’t deaf or dumb.
“Yeah you heard me right. I would like to pay you to tell the jury what you saw that night,” Norelle said.
Alija peered at Norelle. She didn’t know if she could trust her. It was obvious that she had no type of loyalty toward Kasheef. Her ass was probably living nice while he was out and doing good. Now he’s locked up and she’s trying to keep him in, Alija thought in disbelief.
“Why would you want me to send Kasheef to prison?” Alija asked suspiciously. Growing up in the hood she could peep a fake bitch when she saw one and the girl in front of her was as phony as a Chinatown Coach bag. She did not have room to make any mistakes and she had to be extremely careful in the game she was trying to play.
“Look, it’s not in my best interest for Kasheef to beat this case. I never expected him to come home. After he was arrested I ran off with some of his money and stopped accepting his calls from prison. He’s sitting in there waiting on me to bail him out, but he’ll be waiting for awhile if you know what I mean,” Norelle replied frankly.
Alija turned up her face as if Norelle stunk. This bitch is dirty, she thought. It’s fucked up how she’s trying to play him. Alija was reluctant to deal with Norelle. She figured if she had turned on her own man then she definitely couldn’t be trusted.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Norelle stated. “But I feel like no one can judge me but God. I know it seems bad, but I’m just trying to look out for myself. I can’t think about Kasheef. Shit, he did not think about me! He chose to be in the streets and I know just as well as you that he killed that man. That’s on him. I refuse to suffer behind his bullshit. I can’t do that time with him. I’m not the one to be stressed and making monthly trips to Rikers. That shit is for ugly women who can’t replace their sponsors. Me, I have them lined up around the corner so there is no point for me to stay with Kasheef.”
Alija thought of what Norelle had just said and although she didn’t like the girl, she had no right to judge her. I guess it doesn’t matter who I get the money from as long as I get it.
“I’m willing to give you $75,000 if you tell the truth on the stand. All you have to do is tell what you saw and Kasheef will go away for at least twenty years,” Norelle stated.
Alija looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was ten o’clock and Carmen still hadn’t gotten back with her. She figured Norelle’s $75,000 offer would be a good backup plan just in case her other deal fell through.
“Let me think about it for a couple days and I’ll let you know,” Alija replied.
Norelle wrote down her cell phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Alija. “Call me when you decide,” she said and then walked out of the room.
Alija looked at the number and rolled her eyes as she tossed it onto the dresser. She wasn’t comfortable with Norelle knowing where to find her, but she didn’t have a lot of money to relocate to a different motel and going home was definitely out of the question. She picked up the phone and dialed the office.
“Hi, this is room nine. I’m having some issues with the heater. It’s blowing out cold air. Can I get transferred to the room next door?” she asked. She’d rather be safe than sorry. She had to stay one step ahead of the game.
Chapter Nine
“Williams let’s go! You made bail,” the corrections officer yelled as he opened up Kasheef’s cell. Kasheef couldn’t jump up fast enough. He knew that he would be able to count on Stick. He was his protégé and was confident that Stick’s allegiance to him would not fade just because he was locked up. He checked out of the prison, not even stopping to get his belongings because he didn’t want to stay inside the musty walls a moment longer than he had to.
“She—ef!” Stick shouted as he extended his hand and embraced him quickly in one swift motion.
“Good looking out fam,” Kasheef replied. “You know I got you as soon as we hit New Yitty I’ma hit you with some cash and bless you with a little something for coming through for your boy.”
Kasheef and Stick made the trip back f
rom Rikers as Jay-Z pumped loudly from Stick’s custom subwoofers. Both men nodded their heads simultaneously to the beat of the music and Kasheef rolled down the windows to reintroduce the fresh air to his deprived lungs.
“Nigga, it’s colder than a mu’fucka outside and you got the windows down!” Stick complained.
Kasheef smiled and said, “Yo’, this might be one of the last times I get to smell air outside of the gates, nah mean?”
“Yeah, I feel you fam,” Stick replied. “So it’s not looking good for you? That little slick bitch decided to snitch huh?”
“Yeah, fam. I just wish you could’ve handled that little job for me before she got the chance to talk to anybody,” Kasheef mentioned.
Stick shook his head. “Yo, the way that chick got herself out of that was crazy. She walked right past us and into the arms of the cops, nah mean? But it’s crazy though cuz she ain’t snitch us out, so I was hoping she wouldn’t have snitched you out and just kept her mouth closed.”
“I don’t know. I think I kind of forced her to talk by sending y’all at her,” Kasheef admitted, remembering the message that Carmen had given on behalf of Alija.
“It’s a shame too, cuz shorty had a fat ass,” Stick said while licking his lips. “I would have loved to get up in that.”
Kasheef laughed and replied, “You wild li’l man.”
The long car ride back to New York gave Kasheef time to clear his head. He was livid with Norelle but he knew he had to approach the situation with her very carefully. She knew too much about him and the way he moved. He had introduced her to the streets and she was well aware of how he made his money. Whatever revenge he sought on her, it had to a surprise. If she knew he was out and gunning for her then she would try to hit him first and there was a good chance that her blow may hurt worse than his. He also couldn’t draw any attention to himself right now. Any negative publicity would hurt his case so he couldn’t take the risk of harming her physically. As they entered the city limits Stick looked over at him and asked. “Are you going to the crib?”
Black Friday: Exposed Page 8
