by Kia
“What the fuck that got to do with me?” I asked.
“When we were leaving, this guy paid us to follow him to some location. Said his brother had died at the hospital, and he needed someone to drive the car back home. That’s it. I swear!” He hopped up and threw his white hands up. Then he went to check on his homie.
“What guy? What’s the address?” Gee asked.
“I don’t know man. He told us to follow him.”
“Well where the fuck is he at?” I asked as I ran low on patience.
“Right there!” he yelled as he pointed at a car in front of mine.
The light had just turned green and the car sped off.
“Move! Get in, Red!” I yelled as I pushed the white kid out the way and hopped inside so I could chase the car down. When Red got inside, I looked over and saw Diamond and Gee getting in the car also.
“Who’s gonna pay us?” the white kid yelled.
“Here!” Red tossed some money out of the car.
“Fuck, where they at?” I asked as I ran the red light with Gee right behind me. He was so close that if I would have pressed my brakes, we all would have crashed and maybe died.
“Right there!” Red yelled as she pointed to my left.
I swerved and got into my left lane. The car sped up.
“Wait a minute…”
“Baby, ain’t that—”
“The car that dumped Emo’s body. Hell yeah,” I finished her sentence as I reached under my seat and pulled out my gun.
“Don’t shoot on this main street, boy! Wait!” she yelled as I drove like a teenager who had two minutes to get home before his curfew.
I looked behind me and saw that Gee had pulled his gun out also. Diamond was looking like she had to vomit.
“Turn right!” Red yelled, bringing my attention back to the car in front of me.
“Shit!” I yelled, almost hitting a Diesel truck, but I made the turn.
“Get them! Get them now!” Red yelled.
Pop!
They swerved the car so I couldn’t shoot them. “Fuck!”
“Give me the gun!” Red yelled as she snatched the gun from me. She let the window down, and was now hanging out the window.
Red was shooting at the tires, trying to make them have a flat. “Shit!” she yelled as she changed positions and tried again.
But this time she didn’t miss. The car was going so fast that when she shot the tire, the whole car flipped over three times and crashed into a parked car.
“Damn!” I yelled as I hit my brakes, barely missing the wrecked car.
I looked behind me and saw that Gee had swerved to my right to avoid hitting me because he damn sure almost did.
“Get back in here! We have to go!” Red yelled after me as I got out the car.
I had to see the face of who was in the car. Shit, these the niggas that tried to kill my brother.
“Who the fuck is this?” I asked as I saw the bloody face of a young dude in the car. I’d never seen him before. Whoever he was, he was dead as mothafucka.
“Ron...” Diamond said as she ran behind me.
“Who is Ron?”
“I’ll tell you later. Get in the car before we all go to jail,” she said as she hopped back into the car with Gee.
“Who is Ron?” I asked Red with a confused look on my face when I got back inside the car.
Chapter Forty-Three
Diamond
“But I thought Ron and Emo were cool though?” Red asked as we all sat at Gee’s large Signature Design dining room table, trying to make sense of that crazy ass shit.
“Shit, I thought they all were cool. I don’t know.”
“But it was more than one nigga that dumped Emo’s body though,” Yazz said as he and Gee chunked back many shots of Vodka.
“So it’s some niggas still out there?” Gee asked.
“Have you talked to Neek?” Yazz asked me. It was uncomfortable talking about Neek in front of Gee, but we needed answers.
“No.”
“Call him now,” Gee said.
I pulled out my phone and called Neek. Luckily, he answered. I put him on speaker and put the phone on the table.
“What’s up?” he said.
“Yo, you know ya homie got shot?” I asked.
“I heard. That’s why I dropped you off and hit the block. I’m hearing Davinchi and his niggas were behind it. That nigga dead, ma. I put that on the set.”
“I think Ron did have something to do with it,” I agreed, but not wanting to give up too much.
“Hang up,” Gee said.
“Huh?” Neek asked.
“Nothing. Let me call you back,” I said before hanging up.
“Ain’t Davinchi your ex?” Yazz asked.
“Yeah. My ex and that’s it. Why?” I asked, kinda sensing where he was going.
“Seems like you should have some answers then,” he hissed.
“Why? Because a man that she don’t even talk to anymore might have something to do with Emo’s attempted murder? Watch your step,” Gee said to Yazz.
“Yeah, Yazz, don’t ever go there again,” Red said with her eyes squinted and a mug on her face.
“Right. I’m tripping. My bad, it’s been a long week. Let’s go, baby,” Yazz said to Red as he stood up and said his goodbyes to Gee. Then he gave me a hug and apologized.
“It’s okay,” I said as I hugged him back.
When they left, Gee waited for me to put Rena in the guest bed and joined me for a shower in his Fleurco walk-in shower with the glass panels.
“Are you okay?” he asked as the water hit my face with him standing behind me, massaging my shoulders.
“No, I’m not okay, Gee. I’m scared. It’s just too much,” I said as I began to cry. My tears blended in with the shower water.
“I’m going to protect you no matter what,” he said as he leaned in and kissed the back of my neck.
“It’s too much going on, Gee. And I have Rena plus my unborn. And then the government is all over your back, giving us extra hell. I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
He turned me around to look at him. The sight if the water dripping down his perfectly sculpted chocolate body made me feel a little warm.
“Do you think for one second that I’m going to let something happen to you, Rena or my child? Huh? Are you crazy?” he pulled me in and wrapped me in his arms.
“I’m just so stressed out,” I said as I exhaled and inhaled again with more tears falling.
“I know, baby. I know. And that’s why I’ve been begging you to talk to me. I don’t want you feeling like this. I’m trying my best to take your pain away. I wish I could wear it just to get it off you.”
“I hope you don’t lose Emo. Seriously,” I said as he stroked my hair. It was getting wet, but I didn’t even care. I felt so safe in his arms. I stood there wishing upon a thousand stars to keep us in this moment forever.
“Emo’s a fighter. I never doubted his strength for one second.”
“You think he gonna make it?”
“I know he is.”
“I love you, Gee.”
“I love you more, Diamond.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Red
When we finally got to Yazz’s place, I locked myself into the bathroom and finally broke down. The price that Yazz paid to marry me was far less than what I was paying to love him. The price of loving a boss was beginning to be a bit much for me. Diamond and I used to be dead broke and on our asses but we weren’t seeing people get killed every other day. I never needed to own a gun until I met Yazz. I’d never been kidnapped until I met his ass.
“Red, are you okay in there?” he asked as he stood outside the door.
I hurriedly wiped my face and put my fake smile back on.
“I’m good, baby,” I said as I fake flushed the toilet and fake washed my hands.
I took a long look in the mirror and then at the tub. Then I shook it off and opened the door for Ya
zz to come in.
He came and stood behind me. We looked in the mirror together as he caressed me from behind. “Why were you crying?”
“I wasn’t,” I lied.
“I heard you.”
“It’s fine. Everything is fine.”
“Come talk to me,” he said as he turned the light off and led me to the bed. Then he pulled me into his lap as I faced him.
“It’s a lot,” I said as I laid on his shoulder.
“Like what?”
“Everything. It’s just so much.”
“What can I do to make you feel better?” he asked.
“It’s not even your fault. Just like… I don’t know. It’s so much shit happening around us.”
“I know, baby, but I’m doing everything in my power to keep you with me. I saw what the world was like without you and it was cold. I don’t want that no more”
“So what do you want?” I asked him.
“I want you. I need you,” he said as he kissed me.
Then all of sudden, his attention faded elsewhere and he broke down. “You miss her. Don’t you?” I asked.
“It’s always just been me and her. Just me and Frizzy. She understood me, and I fucking buried her.”
“But you didn’t kill her.”
“Who did? We don’t even know for sure.”
“But we will find out,” I said as I kissed him.
“And I fucking failed her. I should have been here, Red. Just like I failed you and let Kasha take you. I have to do better as a man. I have to be more like Gee,” he said, putting his head down.
“So this is what it’s all about?” I asked.
“What?”
“You feel like a failure because of the difference between you and Gee?” I asked.
“When we started getting money, we moved the same shit. And now, I’m still hustling because I was dumb. I wasn’t saving, investing, or none of that shit. I’m still out here trying to conduct shit. I’m not stupid, I know that’s the reason Emo got hit. It’s my entire fault. Everything. All of y’all would be better without me.” He started shaking his head.
“Don’t ever say that, Yazz. Baby, I love you so much, and I don’t mind being here for you. I know you need me. I can tell. And I need you too.”
“You need me?” he asked, looking like a damn puppy dog.
“Yes. Yes, I do. I need you.”
“You promise?” he asked me.
“I promise.” I kissed him on the lips and we cuddled the rest of the night and talked. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn’t find it in me. I really felt like this baby is what he needed.
Chapter Forty-Five
Diamond
One week later
“Is that the last bag?” I asked Gee as he got back into the Range. I had finally moved in with Gee and Red moved in with Yazz. Today was the last day to get all of our stuff out. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a good idea. Gee and I got along, but it was different when someone decides to live with a person. You know? What if I don’t like the way he acts when he is hungry? What if I accidently invade his space?
“That’s it. I gave the keys to the landlord since everything is already out,” he said as we drove off.
“What’s going to happen to our old furniture?” I asked.
“I’ve already donated it to Goodwill. Ain’t no use in throwing it away. It was brand new almost.”
“You’re right.”
“Are you ready for this?” he asked.
“For what?”
“To be an adult and with a grown man. You’re about to be a mother of two kids and my wife. All while still being in your early twenties. You ready?”
“Damn, I never thought of it like that.”
“Well I have. And I’m ready for it. I know it will be a struggle, but I’m willing to do that for you,” he said and grabbed my hand.
I smiled at how warm I felt on the inside. He smiled when I smiled. “Man, I’ve been waiting for that,” he said, kissing my hand.
“Waiting for what?”
“Waiting for you to smile.”
“Really? You’ve been looking at me just waiting on a smile?” I asked, kissing his hand back.
“Yes.”
“Where are we going?” I asked as we made a detour.
“You’ll see.”
“It’s like, I know this isn’t going to be easy, but I’m ready for the ride,” I said, ignoring his previous statement.
“You ever been in love before?” he asked.
“Not like this.”
“How I know that?” he asked.
“Because of this,” I said, pointing at my stomach. I still wasn’t showing.
“Oh yeah? You didn’t do that because it was in our contract?” he asked.
“No, I did it because I had some hope in us by the way you made love to me that night. I felt like you cared.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Go for it,” I said.
“How are you so sure that you love me?”
“Because I can just feel it. I can’t explain. What about you? How do you know you love me?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you later. Let me take this call,” he said.
As he got on the phone, he turned the radio up so I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I hated when he did that.
I turned around to see if Rena was still knocked out. She’d been sleep all day. All of a sudden, I felt my cell phone vibrating. It was Neek texting me and asking why he hadn’t heard from me.
Me: I’ve me busy.
Him: I just wanna see you.
Me: Maybe soon.
Him: What happened?
Me: What do you mean?
Him: You just stopped fucking with a nigga.
Me: It’s a bad time
“Who’s that?” Gee asked.
“Red,” I lied as we pulled into Times Square.
“I’ll get Rena,” he said as he got out and picked Rena up out the back seat. Then he put coins into the meter.
“Thanks,” I said as he opened my door.
“This way.” He led us to the middle digital board and gave Rena to me.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he pulled some paper out.
“You see this?” he asked, flashing the contract in my face.
“Yes,” I said as Rena hugged on my leg really tight.
“No more contracts,” he said as he tore it up into pieces and threw it into the air.
Everyone was looking at us like we were crazy as they walked by.
“Okay, baby, you coulda told me that at home,” I said as I nervously looked at the crowd.
All eyes were suddenly on me. Then Rena pointed to the large digital screen that was in front of us. That’s when I saw that Gee was on one knee. For the first time since I’d been there, the crowd stood still. I put my hands over my face and cried in disbelief. Was he really about to do this?
“You asked me earlier why I loved you. Remember?”
“Yes,” I cried as I nodded my head. One of my hands was over my face as he held the other one in his large hands.
“I love how you make me feel. I love how strong you are. I love the way you love Rena. I even love the look on your face when you tell me that you love me because I can tell you really mean it. I love how you’re having my baby. I love how you put others before yourself. I love how you had the strength to not let me play with your heart and make me work for your love. I love how you’re giving me a chance to make things right. I love how you lied and said you were texting Red when you really were telling Neek that you couldn’t see him anymore. I love how you put my feelings first. I love how you didn’t give up on NYC when things weren’t going as planned with the modeling because we never would have met. I love how you feel when I’m inside of you. I love how you patiently waited for me to finally get over my ex. I love how you’re covering your face because you’re crying. And that’s not even half of the reasons that I love you. Those w
ere some reasons.”
“Oh my God, this is so sweet,” a random woman said as she walked by.
I uncovered my face and looked down as he pulled out a ring.
“Diamond Mason, will you marry me? For real this time…”
I looked around and everyone was quiet. Even Rena looked like she was waiting on my answer. “Yes, Lourdy Achul. Yes, I will marry you,” I cried as he slid the ring on my finger and stood up to hold and kiss me.
The crowd started clapping and roaring in excitement. I looked on the screen and even saw Rena clapping.
Chapter Forty-Six
Yazz
“Are you serious? Awww!” Red yelled. I was on my couch watching TV and she was on the phone gossiping with Diamond.
As she gossiped her life away, I decided to go and check on my brother, Emo. “Baby, I will be back,” I said as I grabbed my keys and popped my head in our bedroom door.
“I wanna go,” she said as she hopped up and threw some pants on.
“I want to be alone with him today.”
“Okay,” she said with her head down, but that damn phone was still pinned to her ear. That’s all she did was talk on the damn phone.
“Are you okay here for a while?” I asked.
“I’m cool, baby.”
“Okay. I will be back later,” I said as I slipped on my loafers and headed out.
I hated that he was way in the Bronx because it took so long to get there. I was honestly thinking about getting him transferred to the city. It was too hot to be having him way in the Bronx. As I was driving, I played the radio. CT was congratulating some man who had just proposed to his woman in Times Square.
“Ha, that’s some shit Gee would do,” I joked to myself.
When I finally got to the hospital, I sat in the car for a while and thought about my life and how I was going to handle my future situations. I really felt like I was a bad omen to everyone in my family. The only one who felt like I hadn’t let them down was Red and that was because she was my girl. I’m sure if Emo could talk, he would say the same thing.
“Hey you,” I heard a voice say as I was exiting my car. I turned around and saw Parish.
“What’s up?” I started to walk toward the entrance.
