Chi-Town Bosses & the Women That Love Em 2

by Anna Black

  When the police came, they did their job and went for prints and shit. A couple of hours later, they were gone, assuring us that they would do an investigation and go have a chat with Trina. When Gabby asked him to explain why they just couldn’t arrest her, he gave her the short version of having the legal evidence to take her in, but they’d question her for now.

  She looked at me, and her eyes begged me to do something, but I said, “Thank you, officer, we will wait to hear back from you.” He nodded, walked out the door, and then I told Malice to do whatever to secure her place until we could get back and go through whatever she could salvage. I knew she’d move in with me. And even though I knew Trina’s ass would be on the streets until the cops had enough evidence to arrest her, I’d be paying her ass a visit. I helped my baby in the car and held her. I just let her sob. I continued to apologize and tell her that I’d replace everything she had lost. I knew nothing I said was sufficient enough, but I had planned to make up for everything she lost due to hurricane Trina. I assured her for the final time that Trina would no longer be an issue. I got her back to my place, and after I made sure she was napping, I went into my home office and made a call.

  “What in the fuck is up with you, man?” Bash said.

  “I’m living, man, just living.”

  “It’s been more than a long time,” he said.

  “Well, the phone does work both ways,” I reminded him.

  “Tru dat, tru dat, my nigga. What can I do for you? I’m sure you are not calling just to chat.”

  “You are and have always been a wise man,” I kidded.

  “Indeed. What the fuck do you need?”

  “Shit, I may need a bloody fuckin’ Mary,” I said. That was code for toe tag a bitch.

  “Shit that rough?”

  “Hell yeah!”

  “Well, you know I got you on anything you need. Just come by my restaurant, and I’ll get you that drink.”

  “Today, around four?”

  “I’m there,” he said.

  “Cool,” I said and ended the call. Bash and I went way back, and we had been good friends since our teens. I dabbled in illegal sells, but no heavy lifting. I knew the dollar may have been high, but if after a conversation with Trina’s ass didn’t solve my problem, I knew someone who could.

  When Gabby woke from her nap, we had a late lunch, and she reminded me that we’d have to go by her place that weekend just to make sure she had the things she needed for school. I didn’t think going back to her place so soon would be a good idea, but she insisted that she wanted to get the disaster over with and behind her. Since she had finally agreed to move in with me, she decided she’d rent it out. She said she’d offer it to Chas first before she looked at strangers. I just basically agreed with whatever she wanted because I wanted Gabby happy, and I’d do whatever it took to make that happen.

  When I was ready to head out to talk to Bash and then pay Trina a visit, Gabby insisted she go, but I didn’t need her to be anywhere near the conversation I’d have with Bash. Neither did I mention I’d be paying Trina a visit. I had already invited her girls over to keep Gabby occupied while I was gone, and just as I was about to argue that she stay home, the doorbell rang. I thanked God that her girls were right on time. I let them in, and they walked in with bottles and cheer. She gave me a look, but I kissed her bye and hurried out the door.

  13

  Trina

  I woke up and looked at the clock, and it was a little after eleven. I grabbed my phone, and there wasn’t anything from Gutta.

  “Shit,” I grumbled. “Maybe they haven’t seen my work yet,” I said and got up. I went to the bathroom to relieve my bladder, and after I washed my face and hands, I headed to the kitchen. I grabbed a glass and went for the orange juice. After I filled my glass halfway, I went for my phone again to call Gutta. And again, straight to voicemail.

  “What the fuck, man. What does she have that I don’t?” I quizzed, but then laughed. “Nappy ass hair, and a fat ass stomach,” I kidded, laughing at that basic bitch. It was that bitch birthday, and I still looked better than her ass last night. I wore the hell out of that dress, my hair was slain and face beat, but Gutta barely got a chance to lay his eyes on me because of her. “Fuck, Gutta, just call me, baby. We can work our shit out, and I’ll take you back, baby,” I whined and then went to shower.

  I threw on some loungewear, and after flopping down on my sofa, I stalked Gutta on my phone for the next couple of hours. He had me blocked on all of his social media, but stupid ass Gabby hadn’t had the damn good sense to block me, and she had no privacy settings. So, I just scrolled through her shit and went through all of the pictures of her and my man. Gutta had never allowed me to post pics of us on social media, but they were all over her damn page. She even posted pictures of her ring. I could have choked on my drink when I saw the enormous ring that Gutta had laced her fucking finger with.

  “The fuck,” I said, enlarging the photo. Engaged, he proposed to her? Six years and I didn’t get girlfriend, but this bitch gets a ring in less than six fucking months.

  My eyes burned, and my heart started to thump hard against my chest. I thought I was having a got’damn heart attack. My ears went deaf as if someone had stuffed cotton balls into them. “You muthafucka! you sorry son of a bitch, muthafucka!” I cried. I continued to scroll through her page, and then I started to click on all the other people that she had tagged. There were so many pictures of her and Gutta. His private ass was suddenly a public figure on her shit, and it hurt so damn bad. “How, and why?!” I cried, and the tears wouldn’t stop. I went over to my wet bar, poured Cîroc into my glass, and drank that shit straight. It was over, and there was no way I’d get him back. That shit brought me to my damn knees. I was on my living room floor balling my eyes out, and then the doorbell chimed. I raced to the door because I hoped it was him, but when I opened the door, there stood two uniformed officers.

  “Trina Nichols?” One officer inquired.

  “Yes,” I said softly as I wiped my eyes.

  “I’m Officer Starks, and this is Officer Wells. We need to ask you a couple of questions.”

  “What about?” I said. I knew why they were there, but they’d have to arrest me before I answered anything.

  “About a Gabrielle Jackson, do you know her?”

  “No, I don’t, why?”

  “We have reason to believe that you broke into her home last night and did quite a bit of damage. We would like to ask you a few questions.”

  “Well, I didn’t, and I don’t know her. Unless you are here to arrest me, we are done,” I said and then slammed the damn door in their faces. I went back to my drink, and then me and my Cîroc hung out on my sofa for the rest of the day as I looked at the pictures of Gutta and Gabby on her page.

  I cried and called, texted him and cried, called and texted him, but still nothing from him. I started to get in my car to go to his house, but I was too damn drunk to move. I dozed off on my sofa, and a couple hours later, I was awakened by the sound of someone coming through my door. The only other person that had a key to my place was Gutta, so I sat up fast and tried to smooth my hair and wipe my face. I wasn’t presentable, but I was so glad he was there. As soon as the door opened, I raced to him and wrapped my arms around him.

  “You’re here, you came for me,” I cried. “I knew you’d come back to me,” I sobbed. It only took a couple of seconds for me to realize that he didn’t embrace me back. I didn’t want to let him go, but I did and then backed away slowly. He shut the door and eyed me like I was a disobedient child that he had come to chastise. I began to tremble.

  “I’m so sorry, baby,” I cried. “I, I, I, I don’t know what came over me, Gutta. I’m so sorry, baby. Please don’t end things this way. What I did wasn’t about us. It was to hurt her and send her running, so I could have you back,” I continued to plead my case. He just stood there looking at me like I was a horrible sight to see. “Please, Gutta, say something. Please tell
me you are here for me?” I just wanted to hear him say that he understood, he felt my pain and that he’d take me back.

  He shook his head and then spoke. “Do you know how fuckin’ crazy you sound right now? Do you really think that I’d come here to make peace with you or say, Trina, baby we are good, and all is forgotten?” he asked. His tone was stern and serious as fuck.

  I knew it was crazy and far-fetched, but I lowered my head and whispered, “Yes.”

  “You know what, Trina, you are seriously delusional if you think I came here for us. There is no fucking us!” he roared. “There was never an us. You were my bed buddy, my biggest fucking fan. And with that, I spoiled your ass, Trina. You were a real estate agent, but since we hooked up, tell me how many fucking houses have you sold since the night we had our very first encounter!” he continued to yell.

  I didn’t dare answer because I knew it was a rhetorical question, but I honestly hadn’t sold many. I’d work, yes, I sold some, but after Gutta, I was no longer on the grind or hustle to sell shit. Within six months, Gutta was paying all of my bills, and not long after that, I no longer had rent because he bought me my condo. Yes, he got it at a bargain, but after Rel and his company worked their magic, my place was as good as new. I pleased him, and he spoiled me. But now the train had pulled into the station, and I just didn’t want to get off.

  “You’re right, baby. I’m not disputing anything that you’re saying and what I did was extra,” I said, but he cut me off.

  “Extra!” he thundered. “Extra! No, Trina. Vandalizing Gabby’s car was extra. Bringing your high yellow ass to the club in the exact same dress she had on was extra. But you broke into her house and destroyed everything, and you think I’d show up here to discuss us. I’m standing here using every fucking muscle in my body not to put my hands on you!” he blasted.

  “Gutta, please,” I tried to plead.

  “No, don’t Gutta me shit, Trina. And I came here tonight to give you a final warning to stay the fuck away from me and my woman,” he ordered. My eyes brimmed with more tears. “What you did was reckless, and you have crossed the line.”

  “Gutta, I love you so much,” I whimpered. He had to know that. He had to hear those words so he could understand.

  “Love? Love? You fucking love me?” he asked.

  “Yes, I do, I do! All I want is a place in your heart, baby, please. I’ll act right. I’ll play my position as number two. I’ll never break the rules again, but tell me that you want me too, Gutta. Six years. You can’t tell me that after six years I’m nothing to you.”

  He laughed. He shook his sexy ass head and laughed in my face. “You are nothing to me, Trina. I’m done sparing your feelings, playing games, and feeling any type of empathy for your pathetic ass. That shit all changed when you started fucking with the one I love, the one that will be forever in my life. There is nothing you can do to change, stop or shut that shit down, so I’m telling you now to stay the fuck away from Gabby and me. Better yet, we won’t even press charges against your stupid ass for what you did because all the damage that you think you’ve done ain’t shit. All you did was move my baby into my house, yes, the house you thought you’d eventually live, in sooner than later, so you did us a favor,” he said. He pulled his keys from his pocket, took my key off, and tossed it onto the coffee table. “We are done, you feel me? This here is my final warning. Stay the fuck away from us,” he deemed and headed towards the door. I couldn’t let him leave me. I couldn’t watch him leave.

  “I’ll kill her ass the next time!” I blurted. That shit just leaped from my lips. He quickly turned around, and before I knew it, Gutta had me pinned to the wall with his hand around my damn neck. He squeezed so tight that I knew he’d kill me.

  “Fucking try it, and see what I do to your ass!” he spewed with venom and let me go with a shove to the floor. He backed away, and the look in his eyes scared the life out of me.

  I loved him, but that night I had to heed his warning because, at that moment, I’d knew he’d kill me. I had never seen that look in the six-plus years I had known him. And that was confirmation that she had won. Even if she were dead and gone, he’d never be mine. I slid back to the wall and accepted my defeat with a bucket of salty tears running down my face as I watched the man I loved, walk out my front door.

  14

  Gabby

  It was a week after we had cleaned up my place and salvaged all that we could. I had to replace a lot of clothes. All the minor repairs that needed to be done, Rel and his crew had patched things up within a couple of days, and the place was ready for Chas to move in. She fought it, but I assured her she didn’t have to pay a penny more than what she was already paying at her old place. She did agree she needed the space, and out of the neighborhood she lived in, so she finally accepted. I was getting settled into Gutta’s place when my sister called.

  “Hey Gracie,” I sang into the phone.

  “Hey, sis, are you busy?”

  “Just putting away somethings, nothing big.”

  “Well, we need to investigate this lil thing yo’ momma, and daddy got going on,” she reminded me. It had been so eventful since the night my car was spray-painted that we really hadn’t discussed our parents much.

  “We do. I mean, I’ve been so wrapped up in the drama with Trina and Gutta, I forgot about our sneaky lil parents.”

  “Well, I’m sitting outside of mother’s house now, and Gemma is on her way. Daddy thinks he’s slick because his CADDY is parked up the street in front of Mrs. Tillman’s house, but I’d recognize that souped-up hunk of junk anywhere.”

  “Why didn’t you call me when you were headed over?”

  “Because I didn’t expect to find daddy’s car on the block, Gabby. And I did call you first but got no answer, and then I called Gemma. She answered, so now I’m calling you back.”

  “Well, I’m on my way,” I said and got off the phone.

  I called Gutta and let him know I’d be headed to my mom’s. We hadn’t traded in my car yet because it was still in the shop, but I was using Gutta’s Land Rover to get back and forth to work and wherever else I needed to go. When I got to my mom’s, my sisters were outside still. When I got out, they got out of Grace’s car.

  “Damn, the house is dark. Maybe they’re not here?”

  “Oh, they are here because all the lights went out about ten minutes ago,” Gemma said.

  “Oh my God, momma and daddy creeping and sneaking around. Gloria Jean got some damn explaining to do,” I said.

  “You damn straight,” Gemma said and headed towards the house like she was the damn oldest and not me.

  “Slow up, Gemma,” I said, and we hurried behind her. We rang the bell and heard nothing. We rang the bell again, and there was no movement. We looked at each other.

  “What should we do?” Grace asked with a look of panic on her face. She was the timid one, not bold at all. Firecracker Gemma took charge.

  “We’re going in,” she said and went for the key in the fake rock in the plant pot.

  “Are you sure?” Grace asked nervously.

  “Look, we’ve called both their damn phones and momma’s house phone with no answer, so we are going in,” Gemma declared, and I agreed.

  “Open the door, Gem,” I encouraged. She stuck the key into the keyhole and turned it. She then stuck the key into the upper lock and then turned it. We pushed the door open slowly, and the alarm began to beep. “Shit,” I said, and Grace quickly keyed in the code. A few short seconds later, my mom and dad were in the hall half-dressed, and my daddy had his gun.

  “The hell!” my mother said.

  “Girls,” Daddy said, just as surprised as our mother.

  “Oh no, you two don’t,” Gemma said.

  “What in the hell is going on here?” I asked.

  My mom grabbed her lace robe and then closed it. “What are you three doing here?”

  My daddy lowered his gun. “Are y’all trying to get killed?”

  “
No, but somebody please explain what you and daddy are doing and how long have y’all been doing it?” I quizzed.

  “Shit,” momma said and turned to walk into the kitchen.

  “Oh no, Gloria Jean, you are not going to just dismiss us on this. And Daddy, seriously, go put on some clothes,” Gemma said. My daddy was in his navy-blue boxers and tank.

  “Y’all can’t walk up in here giving orders,” Daddy said.

  “Boris, stop and go put something on. The girls need an explanation, so we will give them one,” my mother said.

  “Yeah,” Grace finally chimed in.

  “Go put something on while I put on some tea,” my mother said.

  “I need something stronger to hear this,” I said.

  “Well, tea is all you’re getting up in here,” she said and went for the kettle.

  My sisters and I took a seat at the table, and I could tell they were just as curious as I was to hear what our sneaky ass parents had to say. My mother had packed us up and left Boris back when we were kids because my daddy had a drinking problem, a keeping a dick in his pants problem and keeping his hands to himself problem. He broke my mother’s heart over and over again. When she finally left, he got his act together and begged momma to take him back for several years, but she’d never go back to him, so I wondered what was so different now and why would Gloria Jean not tell us that they had rekindled their relationship.

  Soon, the kettle was whistling, and my daddy came back down in some sweats and a Tee. He had on slippers, and it looked as if he was comfortable at my mother's house, so the suspense was driving me crazy. Finally, after the tea was poured and everyone had lemon, sugar, and whatnot, my mother began to speak.