“That was an accident.”
My head tilted theatrically. “So, you ‘accidentally’ fucked her raw?”
His dumb ass didn’t have a smart comeback for that. He just laughed.
His crazy ass had been better been glad that I loved him. There was something diabolical and twisted about our relationship that I just couldn’t get enough of.
But Damo had been royally messing up. None of this had been part of the plan, and it was starting to look like we had lost control for good.
When I found out that my boyfriend had a baby with some side chick, I fell into the arms of Damo. That was a year ago. I loved his swag, style and hustle. He didn’t love his hustle, however. Even though he was getting money, he wanted to get it on another level. That’s when he came up with the plan to break up Ross and Vegas’ organization so that he could link up with one of them and then eventually get rid of the one that was left and wind up being the connect. But his attempts to get close to Ross failed miserably when he was fucking Divine. That young ass girl was so up Damo’s ass that her only focus was on trying to be under him. She wasn’t trying to hear anything else Damo was talking about.
Then he got her pregnant, and she found out about Treasure. So, that was a wrap.
“You were supposed to be getting close to Ross, not getting Divine pregnant!”
“Okay, and? Baby, damn! It was a mistake. I got this, though. Is their little boy band broken up or not?”
“Yeah, you did manage to do that, but you still haven’t gotten to the connect. You still fucking with the middleman, when the plan was to get to their connect so that we can take this shit over.”
“I’m getting there.”
“How? Treasure is done with you. You don’ scared her hoe ass into being faithful-“
“I was trying to get her to start back fucking with me so that we could make this shit happen.”
My eyes rolled as I went on, “Well, that was a fucking fail. Then you pissed Vegas off. Now he not even fucking with you.”
All of this had been going so well at first. It surprised the hell out of me that Divine and Treasure had no idea that they were fucking the same dude. It was amazing how some good dick could convince a woman to keep secrets from her loved ones. But I guess Damo and I had gotten too cocky because now it had all blown up in our face and he had no way in.
“And now you shooting at Vegas and shit. What the fuck was that supposed to do?”
“Show that motherfucker not to play me.”
“Because he checked you for shooting at Ross? You sound stupid.”
“Stupid?”
“Yea, stupid!” Just then my phone vibrated. I looked down and was surprised when I saw the text message from Vegas that read: You at home?
I smiled from ear-to-ear. Damo and I had originally planned for both of us to try to infiltrate Ross and Vegas’ organization, but my attempts to get to Vegas had failed…well, maybe until now, I guess, because he had finally hit me up. I had always only been able to get to Vegas by sneaking in conversations when we were all partying. I had given him my number, but he’d never used it. And he had never given me his, no matter how much I tried to get close to him.
But now, he had finally reached out to me.
Game on!
My anger instantly subsided. I had been riding with Damo all this time because I wanted my baby to have everything he wanted. I also wanted to live the Queen Pen lifestyle while being at his side. But sometimes it took a woman to do a man’s job.
“You know what?” I asked Damo with a smile. “I got this.”
His eyebrow rose. “How?”
“Because…” I smiled. “Vegas just texted me and asked me if I was home.”
An evil grin slid across Damo’s face. “Word?” I could see his mouth salivating with the possibilities.
“Yeah. So, get out,” I told him as I stood to go freshen up. “It’s my turn to do this.”
26
Mello
“Daddy, pleeeease? I want my tableeeet.”
“Oh my God, TJ!” I snapped. “We’re goin’! Chill, man.”
Paris looked at me strangely as I sped through the city back towards my pop’s crib. She had been looking at me like that since we left Sunshine’s birthday party a few hours ago. I had had a fucked up attitude ever since. Everything was fucking with me: how extra Paris had been, where my friendship with Heaven had ended up, how beautiful she was, and how much I loved her, despite everything telling me that I shouldn’t. I hated this shit. I couldn’t take seeing Heaven again. Not this soon. But TJ was steady whining about this fucking tablet. He wouldn’t even just let me get him a new one in the morning once we were back in Florida. He wanted it tonight and I knew if I wanted any peace, I had to go get it.
Once we pulled onto my father’s block, I saw his ride pulling out of the driveway. Heaven’s new Lexus was still in the driveway, though.
“Aye….um...” Paris was staring at me questionably, so I knew what I was about to say wasn’t going to go over well at all. “Why don’t you go to the airport without me?”
Her face scrunched up. “Huh?”
“I need to holla at Heaven. Just go to the airport. She’ll drop me off.”
“What?”
Yeah, I knew that wasn’t going to go over well.
I grabbed the door handle. It was crazy how I was so eager to get the fuck out of that car and get to her. “Look, I need to talk to her about my father—”
“Mello, you sound—”
“Just do it! Fuuuck!” I snapped. Gawd damn, she was irritating!
She and TJ looked at me like I was a fucking monster. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. But I knew she was going to keep arguing with me so I just got out.
Luckily, Paris was sliding into the driver’s seat. She was still wearing a fucked up scowl. I bent down and told her through the driver’s seat, “I’m right behind you. I promise.”
“Okay,” she said lowly.
I could tell by the look in Paris’ eyes that she knew it was some bullshit in the game. But my need for Heaven was way stronger than I knew. I walked away from Paris and my son and jogged up the driveway. I heard the rental pull off fast as I heard music coming from the backyard faintly.
♫ But I don't wanna give up
Baby, I just want you to get up
Lately I've been a little fed up
Wish you would just focus on
Me
Can you focus on me?
Baby, can you focus on me?
Me
Me
Can you focus on me?
Baby, can you focus on me? ♫
I followed the angelic voice of H.E.R into the backyard where I found Heaven in a lawn chair. Music was flowing from her cell phone. She was staring off into space with tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t hear me as I walked up on her. She didn’t even know I was there until I was standing over her. She looked up slowly and nonchalantly as if she’d been expecting to see Ross. But when she saw me, she froze.
When I told her, “He’s gone. I just saw him leave,” she relaxed a little. But she still just stared at me as if she didn’t know what to say.
But I did. “I love you.”
We both were now frozen as my words lingered in the air.
When she just continued to stare up at me with those wide eyes, I sat down in front of her on the lawn chair and told her again, “I love you.”
She broke down. Her tears were no longer silent. “Please don’t do this to me.”
“Why? Because you can’t leave him?” I reached into my pocket. “Now, you can,” I said as I forced a wad of money into her hand. “I got you. I can take care of you. Now tell me no.”
I looked at her, daring her to say no. Fuck the rules. Ross didn’t deserve our loyalty.
“I can’t,” she cried.
“Why not? You love him?”
“No,” she confessed.
“Who do you love?” Her eyes fell to her hands
, but I pulled them away. I wasn’t about to let her talk herself out of leaving him this time. “Tell me who you love.”
She watched me with tear-soaked eyes. I was waiting for my answer, but what she did was show me her love instead. She grabbed my face gently and kissed me. I slipped my hands on her waist and pulled her so close to me that I could feel as her nipples hardened to stone while I took her mouth.
Reluctantly, I pulled away. The guilt was eating at me. I loved her enough to tell her everything. I couldn’t let her do something without her knowing the truth about Angel. “I gotta tell you something.”
She saw the seriousness in my face and sighed. “Don’t.”
“It’s import—”
“If it’s gonna fuck up this moment, then tell me later.”
I gave her what she wanted, which was me. Besides, as much as I wanted to tell her the truth, I didn’t want anything to mess up this moment either.
She brought my mouth back to hers, and I let her. We kissed so passionately that I just knew I was going to take her body right there on that lawn chair. Fuck that flight back to Florida. If Heaven was rocking with me, then I was staying right here in the midst of the bullshit with her.
This was perfect - this moment, her- it was all perfect and worth all of the drama… until Ross’ voice suddenly shot through the air, “What the fuck is going on?!”
Vegas
Princess’ smile spread across her face as I stood in the doorway. It was as if she could see the hurt in my eyes and she was satisfied knowing that I had come to her.
She silently moved out of the way and let me in. I walked in feeling as heavy as I had when I walked out of me and Treasure’s crib. I could feel Princess watching me as I entered her crib and flopped down on the couch. I was holding a bottle of Remy by the neck. I had been drinking straight from that motherfucker for the past two hours. I could hardly feel the liquor, though. I was drunk with anger, not alcohol.
Paris sat down next to me, wearing the same smirk on her face.
“You were right,” I admitted to her.
She was only able to hold a haughty smile for so long while looking at the hurt in my eyes. It slowly slipped away and sympathy replaced it.
She shook her head, saying, “I told you she was fucking him.”
She had. Princess had been telling me for the last couple months that she felt like Damo and Treasure were fucking. She claimed it was just her woman’s intuition that had told her. She claimed she was just telling me to look out for me because she liked me so much that she didn’t want to see me get played. Her liking me so much was why I figured it was a lie. I loved my woman that much not to listen to the next bitch. I loved her that much. I was ready to marry Treasure and give her the world, but she had made me look like a fucking fool. Not only that, but she had put a rift between me and my right hand that had damn near gotten us killed because she wanted to give that pussy up to the next motherfucka.
“You’re better than that. You deserve so much more.” Her hand was sliding up my thigh, so I knew she wanted to show me exactly what I deserved. She started loosening my belt. For the first time, I didn’t stop her. Princess had only thrown that pussy at me subliminally, but I shut her done every time. In the two years since she had been mine, I had never touched another woman beside Treasure. Never.
But as I felt Princess’ warm, wet mouth around my span of steel, that shit was about to change.
Heaven
Before I could say anything, Ross charged Mello. He had seemingly taken flight as he soared towards Mello. Mello had no time to react really. Before he could do anything, Ross’ body collided with his. The force of their bodies’ vigorous contact caused the lawn chair to topple over. I was tossed to the concrete patio underneath it.
I quickly jumped up and tried to pull them apart.
“Ross, no! Please?!” I begged. “Stop!”
Hearing my voice only made his anger intensify. He stood up over Mello and kicked him so violently in the stomach that I felt it.
“Arrrgh!” Mello held his stomach, rocking back and forth on the ground.
Then Ross bent down, grabbed Mello’s head and smashed it into the ground.
“Ahhhh!” I screamed at a high pitch as Mello fell unconscious.
I ran towards Mello, but Ross was right there between us. His fist stopped me as it connected with my nose, causing a stinging pain to paralyze me. I was in a daze so I had no sense to fight back. I could feel him tossing me brutally around the patio. I also felt my body crashing into things. Ross’ feet were connecting brutally with different parts of my body.
A gunshot brought me out of my daze. I hoped that it had killed Ross because I suddenly stopped feeling his blows. But as my eyes opened and focused, I saw Divine standing in the patio doorway lowering a gun down from the air and pointing it at Ross.
I jumped to my feet, feeling both the null and stinging pains of every blow Ross had landed on my body. Blood was running down my face from my nose and I could taste it as it seeped into my mouth.
“Divine, put it down!”
She wasn’t looking at me. She was glaring at Ross. He wasn’t afraid at all. He was looking at her as if she were a joke. But when he stepped towards her, she proved that she wasn’t a fucking game.
Pow!
She fired another warning shot that barely missed his side.
“Divine!” I shouted.
“I’m sick of this motherfucker putting his hands on you,” she said through gritted teeth as a tear streamed down the side of her face.
“I got it, Divine.” We all suddenly looked at Mello, whom we hadn’t noticed had come to. He was now standing behind Ross pointing his piece at his head. “Y’all go in the house,” he told me and Divine.
Ross laughed. “Oh, y’all little motherfuckers think y’all run something?” His laugh was menacing as he reached into his back and pulled out his piece as well.
I was weak with panic. “Just stop! All of you, stop!”
“Son, what your weak ass gon’ do with that gun?” he taunted Mello.
“Mello, I got you! I will shoot this motherfucker!” Divine spat.
Ross sneered. “And you better hope you get a good shot off before I manage to put one in this punk bitch.”
“Pleeeeease!” I cried. “Put the gun down, Ross!”
“Fuck y’all!” he barked. “I took care of all you motherfuckers, and this is how you repay me?! My son, Heaven?! You’ve been fucking my son?!”
Divine lost her hold on the gun once she heard that. Her stance got weak and she looked at me in disbelief. I cringed in shame.
“Ross…”—” I started, but I was forced to stop, however, when I saw Mello making a sudden movement out of the corner of my eye. Ross and Divine had seen it too because they both raised their guns. It was as if time stood still. I saw everyone ready to kill one another. I saw my sister approaching them, putting herself in the line of it all, ready to fire one into Ross. I ran into the middle of them all, refusing to allow anyone to die because of me.
But before I could make them hear my plea, a shot rang out.
Pow!
Then…. everything went silent.
Treasure
I couldn’t sit in that house. I needed Vegas, but he wasn’t answering the phone. I had driven by every spot where I thought he would be, but I didn’t find him. So, I gave up. I called Heaven over and over again, but she wasn’t answering. I couldn’t go home, so I was on my way to her house since I knew she was home the last time I had talked to her.
I gasped when I pulled onto Heaven’s block and saw police cars and ambulances surrounding her house.
“Oh my God!” I pressed the gas and sped towards the house. But I could only get so close because the police had a portion of the street barricaded. I threw my car in park and bolted towards the house. The commotion had drawn neighbors out of their houses. I had to push my way through the crowd to get as close to the house as I could.
The house
was illuminated with red and blue lights. I watched in fear as police officers walked back and forth. My fear was magnified to horror when I saw the yellow tape enclosing the backyard.
A scream suddenly left my throat and pierced the air. I now had everybody’s attention. I ran past the blue barricade towards the driveway, but was quickly stopped by a police officer.
“Let me go! Let me go! What happened?! Tell me what—”
I suddenly stopped when I saw Vegas watching me. He was talking to an officer a few feet away from me. I ran towards him. “What happened?!”
He barely looked at me.
“Vegas, please?” I begged. “What happened?”
He grimaced and told me reluctantly. “I’m trying to see myself. I came over here to holla at Ross and all this was happening.”
“Fuck is you doin’ here, motherfucker?!” Ross’ voice suddenly shouted behind us.
I spun around, hoping that Heaven was with him, but she wasn’t. Ross was being escorted out of the house alone by an officer. He charged through the lawn towards Vegas, spewing, “Get the fuck away from my house, bitch!”
“Ross, what happened? Where is Heaven?” I asked.
He didn’t hear me. He just kept spazzing out. “Yo’ bitch ass tried to kill me and you got the nerve to be at my house? Fuck all you snake motherfuckers!!” He was barking like a fucking maniac.
“Ross!” I tried to go to him, but the police officer near me stopped me. I looked at her, pleading, “Please? My best friend is in there. She’s like my sister. Please?” I cried as I zeroed in on the yellow tape behind her. “What happened?” I asked the officer. “Did somebody get killed?”
I didn’t need her answer. I knew that somebody was dead. I knew what yellow tape meant. The officer actually looked so sympathetic for my tears. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly. My eyes begged her for an answer just as I could see paramedics coming out of the backyard. My knees buckled as I saw the black body bag. The officers caught me. I gripped her arms trying to gain my composure. I looked for Ross, hoping to get an answer from him, but both he and Vegas were frozen. Ross’ anger subsided as they both stared unbelievably at the body being carried towards the morgue van.
When the Side Nigga Catch Feelings 1 Page 26
