Love is Blind (G Street Chronicles Presents)

by Nicole Jackson

  “Let me go!” she struggled against him.

  His mind was racing. He wanted her to hurt as badly as she’d hurt him, so he shoved her away and went for the Lexus. He snatched the backdoor open and started removing Little Carmelo from his car seat.

  “What are you doing?” she asked him as she tried to pull him away from the truck.

  “Move,” he shoved her down to the ground.

  “No!” she hopped back up. By then he had removed her son and was now getting her daughter. “You are not taking them!” she cried as she swung at his back.

  He now had both kids who were wailing at the top of their lungs. “Bitch, you and that nigga go have your own kids!” he spat as he made his way back to his car.

  Necole was desperate and the love for her kids overruled her fear. She jumped on his back. Carmelo had incredible strength. He still managed to open the door and put the kids in his car. He threw Necole to the ground again after closing the car door.

  “Give me my kids!” she screamed as she struggled to her feet and tried to get to the car.

  He then pushed her hard into the concrete where she bumped her head. “Stupid bitch!” he lashed as he jumped into the car and pulled off.

  Necole scrambled to her feet only to catch a glimpse of the car exiting the lot. “Nooo!” she cried out as his tires burned rubber.

  “Are you okay?” an older white lady questioned from her car.

  Necole just looked at her as her vision became clouded with tears. Her ringing cell broke her out of her trance. Her hands trembled as she removed the phone from her pocket. “Hellooo,” she answered shakily.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Mark questioned.

  “He just…he just…he just took my babies,” she cried.

  “Who?! Who took the kids?!”

  “Car…Car…Carmelo,” she sobbed.

  “Fuck! Where you at?”

  “I’m at the Shell around the corner from home.”

  “Damn. Stay right there. I’m on my way.”

  Mark broke the speed limit getting to Necole. When he pulled into the lot, she was talking to the police. He hopped out of the car and walked over to her side.

  “I don’t give a fuck!” she shouted at the police.

  “Hey, calm down, ma’am,” the white officer warned her.

  “What’s going on, baby?” he asked her. He wanted to ask her why she’d call the police in the first place. They didn’t need the law to handle Carmelo. His four-four could do some major damage control.

  “They’re saying that I have to go to court to get my kids back,” Necole fumed.

  “Ma’am, like we said…this is a family court matter. As long as he’s the biological father, we can’t do anything to him,” the officer explained.

  Mark nodded. “That’s alright, officer. Thank ya’ll for ya’ll’s time,” he said as he pulled Necole away.

  She yanked away from him. “Why did you do that?”

  “‘Cause we don’t need them in our business. I’ma handle that nigga,” he gritted.

  “And just how are you going to do that?” she asked with her hands on her hips.

  “You’ll see. Come on, get in the car and follow me home.”

  * * * * *

  Mark called up a few of his boys and they all headed to Brenda’s house. As much as Necole hated Carmelo at the moment, she was praying for the most peaceful resolution.

  “Mark, at least let me talk to them first,” she pleaded as they pulled in front of Brenda’s home.

  Mark nodded. “Alright, call that nigga.”

  Necole took a deep breath before calling Brenda. “Hello.”

  “Hey, Necole,” Brenda said upbeat.

  “Hey. Are my kids in there with you?”

  “Umm, yeah.”

  “Okay, is your son there?”

  “Yeah, he’s here. What’s going on?” Brenda asked suspiciously.

  “Carmelo snatched my kids from me at the gas station.”

  “He did?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s fucked up, Necole. But I really think that you need to come over here so that we can all sit down and talk.”

  “No disrespect, Ms. Brenda…but I don’t want to talk. I just want my babies.”

  “But Necole, now I need you to think about this. They are his kids too.”

  “They’re his kids, alright. They’re so much his fucking kids that I can’t remember the last time he’s bought them a damn thing. He’s so much of their dad that he can’t stay sober long enough to be around them. Carmelo has done nothing for my children and now you guys want to claim that he has rights?”

  “Necole, I just…” Brenda got out.

  Mark was tired of listening to that bullshit. “Man, hang up the phone with that bitch.”

  Necole looked over at him. “Mark.”

  “Don’t Mark me,” he fumed. “Tell that bitch that either she sends the kids outside right now or we coming in. Simple as that.”

  “She ain’t budging, my nigga?” Mark’s friend Coop asked as he cocked back his gun. He and two other dudes were sitting in the backseat, all strapped up.

  Necole quickly hung up her cell. “Wait, wait! Let me go talk to them first.”

  “Man, fuck talking!” Mark spat, ready to bust Carmelo’s head open.

  “Baby, please,” she begged. “Just let me go and talk to them first.”

  Mark stared straight ahead. “You got five minutes.”

  “Okay,” she nodded as she hopped out of his car. She ran to their front door and knocked.

  Brenda opened the door surprised that she was already there. “You were outside?” she asked as she peeked outside and saw several heads in the car in front of her house.

  “Yeah,” Necole said as she stepped inside. “Where are they?”

  Carmelo, who’d been sitting on the couch, stood. “You ain’t taking my kids no where.”

  “Look, Carmelo…just give me my kids.”

  “Your kids? You didn’t make them by yourself!”

  “Whatever. I didn’t come here to argue. Please give me my kids before they have to handle you.”

  “They? Who the fuck is going to handle me?” Carmelo asked as he walked over to the door and snatched it open.

  Necole ran back to Brenda’s room to get her children while Carmelo stepped outside.

  As soon as Mark laid eyes on Carmelo, he jumped out of his car with his gun in tow.

  “You have the audacity to bring your bitch ass here?” Carmelo asked as he stepped to him fearless.

  “Carmelo!” Brenda shouted, knowing that some shit was about to pop off.

  “Nigga fuck you!” Mark seethed as he swung catching Carmelo in the head with the butt of his pistol.

  “No!” Brenda shouted as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes.

  Necole ran out of the house with her crying kids. She came to a halt as she witnessed Mark pistol whipping Carmelo. “Stop!” she screamed.

  Mark had blacked out. He couldn’t stop swinging. He was oblivious to Necole screaming at him. It wasn’t until Coop dragged him off of Carmelo that he snapped out of it.

  “That’s enough, dog. Let’s get out of here before the law gets here,” Coop said as he pulled Mark to the car. “Come on, Necole.”

  Necole stood for a few seconds staring at Carmelo lying on the ground in a pool of blood. “Necole, come on!” Mark shouted.

  As much as she hated it, she still didn’t want to see him in that state. She knew that he wasn’t dead judging by how his chest was heaving up and down. A part of her wanted to help him to his feet.

  “Come on!” Mark shouted again becoming infuriated.

  Necole reluctantly stepped around her kids’ father’s body and hopped into the car with Mark and his boys.

  Chapter 19

  Carmelo stood in the bathroom staring at his reflection in the mirror. He still had a huge gash in his head from Mark’s gun. He wanted to kill that nigga with every fiber of
his being. He shook his head as he thought about Necole. She’d turned her back on him; something he never thought she’d do. With time, his physical wounds would heal; but the damage she’d done to his heart was permanent. He could feel his heart changing. The love he once had for Necole was manifesting into pure hate. He pictured himself being the nigga that stood over her and watched her take her last breath. His cell vibrated in his pocket. He whipped it out.

  “I’m coming,” he said shortly before hanging up.

  Once again he had to put his game face on, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of Newport’s. He grabbed a cigarette and placed it between his lips. He then fished through his pockets to find a small brown bottle that held the magic potion. He unscrewed the top off the bottle and dipped the cigarette.

  He lit the cigarette before taking a drag. “This the shit right here.”

  For a few seconds, he was stuck as he leaned against the bathroom door. Then he slowly gathered his composure. He grabbed his black hooded pullover off the counter and headed out the door.

  * * * * *

  “Yeah, that’s him right there.”

  “Where?” Carmelo asked as he and four other cats sat in a tinted minivan. They were scoping out the next vic.

  “Right there,” Loon pointed out.

  Carmelo checked out the cat they were pointing out. He had never seen the dude a day in his life, but if he had something to take, he was all in.

  “The chain he got on can go for at least twenty stacks,” Loon said as he watched the guy’s every move. Loon was the grimiest of them all. In the past, he’d set up two of his cousins and even his own brother. Carmelo didn’t trust him as far as he could see him, but he needed the money. He was doing badly.

  “Alright, you niggas ready?” Loon questioned as he loaded his gun.

  “Yeah,” they all said simultaneously.

  “Well, let’s do this.”

  * * * * *

  “Mom!” Necole shouted as she walked through her mother’s home. Her mom had recently given her a key and she was just stopping by to check on her.

  “Yeah, I’m in here,” Janet said from her room.

  “Oh,” Necole laughed as she stepped into her mom’s room.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” Janet asked as she rummaged through her closet.

  “I was in the area. I was hanging with Cali,” Necole sighed as she sat on the bed.

  “Really? So, is she going back to Spelman next semester?”

  “Actually she’s staying here and going to U of H.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she says that she misses home.”

  “Hmm. Does that new boyfriend of hers have anything to do with it?”

  Necole laughed. “It might.”

  “You young girls,” Janet shook her head. “What about Corrine?”

  “I don’t know. You know that she’s pregnant?”

  Janet turned around. “No. I didn’t know that.”

  Necole nodded. “Yeah, she’s pregnant by that guy that plays for UT.”

  “Really? Isn’t he going to enter the NFL draft?”

  “Yeah, he has all sorts of agents swarming around his house. He’s about to step into the big leagues. Quiet as kept, I think that Corrine’s mom urged her to get knocked up. The guy actually had a key to their house. Her parents would let him come in any hour of the night. They knew what could happen.”

  “Now that wouldn’t surprise me. Carol slept her way to the top,” Janet laughed, referring to Corrine’s mother.

  Necole giggled. “Mom, you’re so messy.”

  “Well, I learned it from you.”

  “Sure,” Necole rolled her eyes.

  “So…where are the kids? You promised to bring them by the next time you come out here.”

  “I know, I know. They stayed at home with Mark.”

  “Mark, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He sure does love those kids.”

  “Yes, he does,” Necole looked down and fiddled with her fingers.

  “Necole.”

  “Huh?” Necole looked up.

  “What is it? I know you. You have something to tell me, so spit it out.”

  “Umm…” she bit her bottom lip. “First you have to promise not to get upset.”

  Janet studied her daughter. Since Necole had left Carmelo, their relationship had improved tremendously. She’d met Mark and was actually fond of him. However, she didn’t approve of his occupation, but he was a step up from Carmelo. Janet had accepted him as long as he kept Necole happy and took care of her grandkids. She was holding her breath hoping that Necole wasn’t about to break her heart again.

  Janet took a deep breath. “What is it?”

  “Okay. I’m…getting married.”

  “You’re what?” Janet asked excitedly.

  “I’m getting married,” Necole beamed.

  Janet held her chest. “Baby, I am so happy for you. I thought that you were about to tell me that you was pregnant again.”

  Necole bit her bottom lip. “Well…I am.”

  Janet looked at her before flopping down on the bed. “Nicky, why? You are just twenty years old. You guys have your whole lives to have kids.”

  “I know, mom. I wasn’t trying to get pregnant. I won’t say that it was an accident, though. Mark and I knew that I wasn’t on birth control. We knew what could happen. We didn’t talk about it, but I think that we both wanted it to happen.”

  “Umm,” Janet nodded. “So, I take it that Mark’s happy about the baby.”

  “Yes, he is ecstatic.”

  “Is that when he asked you to marry him?”

  “Actually, he asked me before he knew,” Necole smiled. Mark got down on one knee and asked her to marry him at his mama’s birthday party two days before she told him she was pregnant.

  Janet shook her head with a grin. “Well, I will admit that he loves you and he takes care of you. I just hate that you’re spending all of your youth being a mother.”

  “Mom, I understand, but look at it like this…I have two little kids. One more isn’t going to change things. Besides, I’m happy with my life. I still get to have fun. In fact, I came by to ask you something.”

  “What?” Janet asked with a raised brow.

  “Could you keep the kids for a week? If you can’t I’ll just have to leave them with Mark’s mom.”

  “No, I can keep them. I’ll just have to leave early to take them to daycare. Now, where are you going?”

  “Mark and I are going to the Caribbeans.”

  Janet happily clasped her hands together. “That’s great, Nicky. When are you guys leaving?”

  “Next week.”

  “Okay, okay. That boy sure does splurge. Is he investing any of that money?”

  “Yeah, mom, he is. We just met with his business partners yesterday.”

  “We? He let you come along?”

  “Yes. He told me that he wanted me to help. That’s when I called up Uncle Tim. He looked over the paperwork for me.”

  “Tim? He didn’t charge you?” Janet asked, knowing how her money-hungry lawyer brother was.

  “Yeah, he only charged five.”

  “Thousand?”

  “No, hundred.”

  “That’s good. But have you been going to school?”

  Necole rolled her eyes. “Yes, mom. I’m still set to graduate on time.”

  “Good. I know how you are, Necole. That boy is over there spoiling you rotten and you could lose focus.”

  “Mom, I won’t. Believe it or not, we have a plan.”

  “Okay, but you should have your own independent plan.”

  “I do. That’s why I’m in school. In two years I’ll have a degree in business management. So, with or without him, I will be successful.”

  Janet nodded. “That’s right, but baby could you at least get on birth control after this one?”

  “Yes, mom. I’ve already decided that,” Necole smiled.

>   * * * * *

  “Are you in pain?”

  Mark sucked his teeth. “I’ma G, mama,” he told Necole as the tattoo artist placed her name on his hand.

  Necole cringed at the sight. She’d heard that getting a tat on the hand was painful. Mark was sitting there getting her name in huge letters covering his entire hand. “If you say so, G.”

  “Now, move. You fucking with my concentration,” he said as he bit his bottom lip.

  Necole laughed hysterically. “Yeah, your ass is trying to play hard. You know this shit is killing you.”

  Loon and a few of his goons were sitting in the tattoo parlor waiting to get tatted up. Since the moment he walked through the door, he’d been eyeing Necole. She was by far the baddest bitch in the vicinity. Her green and black horizontally striped dress clung to her curvaceous body. Her hair was curled in huge Farah Faucet flips that gave her a glamour look. Her green Manolo Blahnik pumps made her legs look mean.

  Loon could tell that Mark had a little paper just judging by his and Necole’s attire. She had a platinum necklace and Jesus piece around her neck, a diamond tennis bracelet on her wrist and diamond studded loop earrings in her ears. Mark wore a long platinum chain with a diamond incrusted piece that read, Fifth Ward Gangsta. He had a platinum Rolex watch on his wrist. He rocked a white Ralph Lauren Polo shirt with a big beige emblem, beige Polo shorts, and Polo beige and white sneakers.

  Loon zoomed in on the keys Necole held in her hand. The Lexus emblem dangling told him plenty. Even while Mark was always a fresh guy, his street swagger was hard to miss. He was definitely in the game and Loon’s mouth salivated as he watched his next lick.

  “I’m done,” the Mexican cat told Mark as he finished his tattoo.

  “Alright, man,” Mark stood and shook his hand. He pulled his slightly sagging shorts up. “You ready, mama?” he asked Necole.

  “Yeah,” she smiled.

  Loon was ready to follow them on the spot, fuck getting another tattoo. As Mark was standing, three other niggas stood as well. They all walked out of the parlor with Mark and Necole. Loon stood back realizing that they were all together. That night wasn’t the time, but once he’d spot a score he wouldn’t stop until he got it. So he made a mental note of the license plate number on the Lexus as they pulled off.

  “Baby, just take us back to my car,” Mark instructed Necole. He’d given her the Lexus as a birthday gift and she’d insisted on driving them all to the tattoo shop.