by King, Deja
You think I was some shit before, but you ain’t seen shit yet. I can promise you that.” Paris voice was as cold as ice.
“Paris, you’s a clown fo’real. That shit you pulled was foul as fuck. And if I ever see you in the streets bitch, on my Daddy’s fresh tombstone, I’ma drag you up and down the block. You better hope I don’t see you. Bum ass bitch!” Semaj said sternly. She’d been waiting to get word to her sick-in-the-head-ass.
Paris responded with a ridiculing laugh, then stopped with a quick flip. “Bitch, fight? You may try but there’s no beating guns, baby doll. I’m too gangster to be fighting you, corny ass bitch. You already know with me it’s gunplay.”
“So what you gon’ shoot me? You that mad, ma? I mean, you got want you wanted. What more can I do for you?” Semaj asked in confusion.
“This shit has gotten deeper. And only way out of this is if you tell Vega you don’t wanna be with him anymore.” Paris didn’t give a fuck about exposing her hand. She was done disguising her character. They didn’t make chicks like her, and she was one of the realest bitches to ever do it. Crazy but there was nothing fake about her.
Is this bitch a stalker? Semaj asked herself as she removed the phone from her ear and stared at it baffled. “I don’t know what kinda shit you be on, you insane ass girl, but let me tell you something. What me and my nigga share is something unbreakable. There’s nothing you can say or tell him about me that he don’t already know. So whatever you thought you were going to do just isn’t gonna work, bottom-line,” she said fuming. “Sick ass bitch. Quit calling my phone and you stay the fuck away from me and mines, or I will personally kill your ass!”
Paris went into an abundance of laughter. “Everybody know you ain’t no killer so fall back, Semaj!”
“Try me and it’s gon’ be a homicide. Don’t let the pretty face and small waist fool you. ‘Cause I’ma protect what’s mine,” Semaj barked honestly.
“Consider yourself dead, bitch.”
Semaj’s phone indicated that the call had ended. She plopped down on the bed replaying her phone call with Paris. Semaj talked big on the phone but in actuality she knew Paris was demonic and capable of ending a human life and not thinking twice about it. But she knew that Vega could hold his own, and he would never allow anyone to bring her harm. In relief, the words from Tupac came to mind: “I ain’t no killa but don’t push me!” And believe it or not, Semaj had it in her. Being a murderer ran through her bloodline.
Semaj called Vega on the phone and told him everything that had happened. When she mentioned Paris’s name, a mental picture came to him. Once they put two and two together, it all became clear to the both of them. “Damn, that bitch that psyched, ma? Should’ve known, though, because her swag was crazy ‘hood and her sister swag was light and way corny.” Vega filled her in on their dealings along with her sister’s. He told Semaj not to worry about her. His exact words were, “For her own sake she better not move stupidly because just like a nigga, that bitch can be bodied too.”
His words were genuine and Semaj was already aware that Vega would go to the end of the world for her. The threats Paris made didn’t bother her much. What had her mind boggled was how her life was so damn connected and entwined to way too many people.
“Nathan, come on! Your auntie is gonna kill us! You always late!” Semaj yelled giggly as she stared at her face in the mirror. It had cleared up tremendously, although a thin line above her brow from the impact of the pistol was not going away. Semaj had learned to accept that the scar was a battle wound.
“I’m ready. That’s you. Don’t game,” he replied.
Semaj chuckled as she slipped into her navy Gucci cardigan and clasped the straps together on her flat leather ankle boots.
It was a routine that they did at the end of every month. He, Micah and now Semaj came along and met at his Aunt Pam’s house for a catered dinner. It kept the operation in order and their innermost circle aware of what was going on in the streets. Three months had passed since Semaj had moved to Baltimore, and business for Vega couldn’t have been better. Semaj brought an incredible balance to his life.
When she came down the steps Vega couldn’t help but stare at his woman’s intriguing walk and the way her deep denim jeans hugged her ample ass and wrapped around her wide hips, appearing thicker than usual. He loved when she wore her hair bone-straight with the part down the middle. It turned him completely on as if he had never seen her before. He grabbed her jacket from the closet and held it out so that she could ease into it and then they headed out.
Once they arrived at Aunt Pam’s, Micah had already arrived and was at the table. They took their seats and after Aunt Pam sat the food out they all dug in. They ate, chatted and drank champagne while discussing business, laughing and joking over the Caribbean cuisine as evening turned into late night. Semaj had fit right into his crew seamlessly and they had all embraced her into their family with open arms.
Before Semaj would have considered herself ‘hood rich, but with her royalties coming in she had to admit that it was more to life than just being a ghetto girl from the streets. Life was bigger than the ‘hood life, and though her man was a drug dealer and still earning ‘hood riches, she promised him that she would help him legitimize his paper. Learning so much from Quasim, Semaj used what he’d taught her and instilled it in Vega. She just wasn’t a hustler’s woman that all the chicks wanted to become. She was a business-minded woman that brought something to the table this go-around.
Vega had been through many women and none of them had urged him to go legit. Their only concerns were getting money from him. But his Semaj was showing him another side of life, and no one could compare to her. She completed him in a way that no one could fill. She made him whole and made him want to become a better man.
Their feelings were mutual. Initially Semaj believed that she needed Vega to help heal her heart because Quasim had been the love of her life, but now she realized the love she shared with Vega was different but just as strong. Vega was her other half… she was his best half. He brought iridescent to what could have been a black and white world for her, and she thanked God every second she could. They had given each other the best three months of their lives. Instead of being treated like a spoiled child, she was his best friend and sometimes sworn enemy in their harmless bouts. With Vega, Semaj didn’t feel obligated to be submissive and would curse him out, and they’d battle like foes and he’d still love her in the next moment. She wasn’t a pushover whatsoever, speaking her mind without hesitation, and the bond they had was unique and one transcending the average, boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
“Man, the new shit you got in Auntie… something crazy,” Micah said amped. “Dope fiends sayin’ we should start calling that shit Pam’s magic,” he joked.
“You’s a fool nephew,” Aunt Pam replied with a chuckle. She knew they did have a potent product. She had been selling cocaine since the late eighties and had an out of state plug that had a direct line connected to a Dominican drug family. When her nephew, Vega came aboard she went from moving ounces to pushing keys of coke a month. Business had been great. It was like Vega was born to hustle and gained them clientele and territory in no time. They hadn’t looked back since.
“Oh, nigga, I almost forgot to tell you,” Micah said. “This nigga with New York plates came through asking about you.”
His street instincts kicked in as he took in the information he was receiving. He didn’t like shit like this at all. “Looking for me how?” “Yeah man. Dude was on some reckless, flashy shit in a 760
joint talking out the side of his neck. Like offering niggas in the ‘hood them racks if they show ‘im where you be or rest ya head, nigga. Talkin’
‘bout he try’na link up with you for some business matters. Li’l goonies wasn’t having that shit and about six niggas pulled out that ratchet and start busting at the nigga.”
“Word?” Vega asked.
“Nigga got away though. Bet he wo
n’t come back around Bodymore inquiring though. Nigga better stay in New York wit’ that shit.”
“I don’t know who this nigga is but it sounds serious. We all gotta keep our ear to the streets and see if this nigga still asking around. We need to find out as much as possible. Tell niggas if they see anything funny coming through on the block dead it immediately. It’s too much money out here for me to be worried about some hatin’ ass jack niggas.”
“I feel that. And I’ma make sure we nip this bullshit in the bud a sap.”
Everyone nodded, signifying that this minor problem had to get deaded before it got out of hand.
“It was nice seeing you guys,” Semaj said as she hugged everyone before she and Vega took off and headed home.
As soon as they arrived to their crib, Semaj stripped from her clothes and retired to her cozy bed. She was stuffed from her food intake, and not even a minute later she had fallen asleep.
Removing his clothes, Vega stared at his lady attentively and noticed the slight bulge in her stomach. He noticed that it hadn’t been there three months ago. He got excited at the thought of being a father for the first time. He remembered her saying she’d missed her menstrual. Being that her periods had been irregular since her youth, they both brushed off the notion. Sliding in beside her, Vega held her in his arms and he slightly rubbed her stomach in small circles until the comfort of her warm body soothed him into a slumber.
Chapter 23
Semaj looked around the upscale boutique that she and Vega owned and smiled in accomplishment. She promised to legitimize his money and that’s exactly what she had been doing for the past several months. And like Vega had assumed, Semaj was pregnant. She was now six months and he couldn’t wait for his little man to rock with him. Semaj happily took the news in stride and was elated that she’d have two men around to boss around.
The whole ordeal in New York had seemed like a lifetime ago, and Semaj was on a new level. She was more than comfortable and satisfied. Vega was showing her the sort of happiness she never knew existed. Their personalities were one in the same. They both were outgoing and outspoken. Instead of letting a man change her, Semaj had allowed her and the man to change each other. Although he stayed out a lot, Semaj knew he was out hustling and taking care of business, and she understood that because he was always considerate and made time for her. She loved her Vega and Vega loved his Semaj. Nonetheless, the two complemented each other in a way that only they could.
Receiving her residuals, Semaj was smart with her money, a trait she’d learned from Quasim, and took the money to open up a couple small businesses so the dirty money was washed. Her and Vega were a team and even though he was absent from her life for so long, he was her first in everything so that love never wavered. Semaj felt like the luckiest girl in the world. She was having her first child with her first love, her first kiss, the man she had given herself to first, and their love was one for the history books.
Excited about the grand opening of their new upscale seafood restaurant, Semaj turned to her salesgirl. “I appreciate you depositing the money in the night drop box for me. I really gotta make it over to the grand opening and I’m already late.”
“Girl, you’re fine,” her employee waved her off as she straightened up the store.
Semaj grabbed her keys, oversized handbag and headed out of the building. She pulled her phone from her purse and saw that she’d had text messages from Vega. While fumbling through her belongings, she dialed him up.
“What up, baby? Where you at? It’s almost eight and you still ain’t here,” he said eagerly.
“I’m on my way, baby. Don’t start without me, Vega.”
“You know I’ll never do that. C’mon though. We waiting on you. Love you,” he said before ending the call.
Throwing her phone back in her shoulder bag, she pressed the unlock button on her key chain as she walked across the graveled parking lot. She slid into her car and pulled out into Baltimore’s night traffic.
Turning her music up a few notches, she allowed Trina to fill the interior of her car as she made it over to the restaurant. The lyrics to the song “Always” seemed to fit her current mood in life. She was blessed to be moving in a positive direction, and although some of the things thrown at her would have made an average chick lose their wits, Semaj was still standing. This life I live is something crazy. But I guess life wouldn’t be life if she wasn’t a bitch.
Her thoughts kept her company the entire ride to her newest endeavor. When she arrived, Semaj was surprised at the amount of people who’d showed up to show them love on that cold winter night. After reading the sign “The Lobster House”, Semaj didn’t know why but suddenly her stomach began to form jittery butterflies. She shook it off as she hugged a few people who recognized her, and made her way over to Vega who was speaking with one of their investors. Local news stations were on the scene, and after the couple cut the red ribbon, they admitted themselves inside. Everything was in good order and the two couldn’t be more pleased.
The soaring dining room was exquisite to say the least. From how the floor-to-ceiling ivory drapes hung, to the massive crystal chandelier and the elaborate fittings made the art deco establishment look amazing. It was like living in a dream.
After eating their first meal at their swanky restaurant, Semaj had found herself getting sick and a migraine hit her that seemed to come out of nowhere. Vega had noticed the ill look on her face, and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “You okay? You don’t look too good. Our li’l mans a’ight?”
“Yeah, the baby is good. I’m just getting hot.” Semaj picked up a napkin to fan herself. “Maybe I need to go home. It’s almost time to go anyway.”
“I’ma go with you. I’ll just have Aunt Pam and the manager stay back and handle things for us.”
Semaj shook her head. “No, you stay, baby. This your place and you worked hard to get it. I want you to enjoy every second of it,” she said unselfishly.
“Are you sure? ‘Cause I’ll bounce if you want me to. This shit ain’t going nowhere,” he replied concerned about her well-being.
“I’m sure. Stay, Vega. Enjoy your success, baby.”
“Okay since you ain’t feeling good though, I’ma have my people drive you home.” Vega walked Semaj out to the car. He kissed her on the forehead and placed his hand over her stomach. He helped her inside and assured her that he would be home shortly.
Once Semaj arrived home, she was too drained to take a shower and got straight into bed. Getting underneath the crumpled satin sheets, a funny feeling passed over her but she dismissed it and closed her eyes in exhaustion. She was almost asleep when her phone began to buzz. Without looking at her caller ID she answered, assuming it was someone checking to see if she’d made it home.
“Hello?”
“Turn on the local news,” the person on the other end demanded. Instantly she broke out into a clammy sweat. Her heart began to
beat erratically while her hands shook uncontrollably. Reaching over to retrieve the remote from the nightstand, Semaj turned on the local news station.
“This is Becky Johnson reporting live at what was supposed to be the grand opening of an upscale restaurant here in downtown Baltimore, but has turned into a disaster. An explosion has possibly taken the lives of at least a dozen people. You see behind me is the building where the fire officials are on the scene trying their best to snuff out the fire. Police have no leads as to what the cause of this was, but fire marshals believe there was a bomb planted inside the building. If anyone has any information on this blaze, please contact the local authorities. We’ll keep you updated as this tragic story continues.”
Semaj couldn’t find the words to speak as if they had gotten lost in her throat. She just sat in dead silence. She was stunned. She couldn’t believe what her eyes were witnessing. Vega! He was there! How could this be? She knew he couldn’t still be there, but her heart told a story of its own. She dialed Vega’s phone to no prevail. She pr
essed end and dialed his two other phones. Again, she received no answer. She held the phone in her hands and was immobile. Her body couldn’t move. The sound of her phone ringing urged her body to answer. She hoped like hell that it was Vega to tell her that he was okay.
That wasn’t the case though, because as soon as she pressed the icon to speak, Paris voice burst through. “I must say I wish you were in that burning building, but I guess this is even better because I want you to suffer in this world by yourself.” Paris said as her voice kept getting louder. “I told you I was gonna get you bitch. I told you I was the wrong bitch to fuck over and out of all people you should’ve known that.”
“I swear, I put this on everything! I’m going to fucking torture you, bitch! You just better hope for your own sake that Vega is good!” she warned.
“Your threats don’t scare me, Semaj! Remember, it’s me! Paris! And one thing you know that I know, is the real you! And you ain’t gangster at all, mama!”
“Yeah, you right. You ain’t seen gangsta yet, bitch. You gon’ get that toe tag with your name on it fucking with me and mines though,” Semaj promised and disconnected the call as she simultaneously popped up. In a hurry, she threw back on her clothes. I just should’ve told him to come home with me, Semaj chastised herself as she grabbed the chrome .25 that he had insisted she carry. Please let him be okay God.
Racing down the stairs, Semaj tripped as she tried her hardest to land on her knees. Instead she’d fallen flat onto her stomach as her purse and car keys flew from her hands. Excruciating pain shot through her abdomen, and she felt like something had burst inside of her. A feeling of something sticky leaked from her vagina. Her mind raced as she held onto her stomach and without warning, panic hit her and she crumpled up where she lay still unable to move.
Semaj knew she had to get up for her baby’s sake, causing her motherly instincts to kick in. All she had to do was gain enough strength to call for help. Gathering all the will she had within her, she crawled over to her cell phone. As if her hands were in sync with the buzz of her phone, it started to ring. Semaj was in sheer agony and pissed. She didn’t have time for Paris’s games when her child’s life was at stake. On top of that, she still did not know her man’s condition.
