Chapter: 8
Trina.
Nina and I stepped out of the Miami airport and got hit with the afternoon heat. I had just came back from Cancun early this morning when she came knocking on my door telling me that the deal started today and that it was time for me to go to Miami. Just to make sure I don’t skip out on her, she’s escorting me to my hotel room and keeping top security on me at all times.
Having the security makes this entire ordeal a lot less stressful. If something goes wrong while I’m escorting they’ll be right there to keep me safe. I’m still a little hesitant about this entire thing, but I really just want Nina off my back at this point.
We made it to the hotel and I placed my luggage by the door as she made sure to close all the curtains and blinds to be on the safe side. The hotel wasn’t five star; it had a bed and a bathroom on the side with a television and a dresser.
“You could’ve at least let me stay at the Hilton,” I mumbled, pulling my luggage towards the bed.
Nina turned around and crossed her arms over her chest, “you’re lucky I’m letting you live, be grateful.”
I rolled my eyes, “when the hell do I get to go back home?”
“Whenever you finish meeting all the clients,” she replied taking a seat on the chair near the window. “Now to make sure you’re still good at this, we’re going to do a test run okay? Tonight my brother will be having a meeting with somebody and he needs you to sit at the dinner with him, can you do that?”
I nodded my head, “yeah, whatever.”
“Good,” she cheesed while standing up. “Someone will be up here with your outfit for the night and then you can get ready. And make sure you cover up those bruises on your face, looks like someone beat you up.”
I watched as she left out the room and threw myself back on the bed. My body was sore from fighting with Tavi and the last thing I wanna do is accompany a bunch of perverts for the next week or so.
All I could think about is Marco, and I hate it. Just thinking about how he’s enjoying a trip with someone else, other than me makes me mad. Before when Marco used to deal with other girls, I was so unbothered by it. Now that he’s dealing with Tavi, it seems like all these unwanted and unrecognizable feelings are coming out. I guess it’s the thought of losing him and him throwing me away in the wind, is what makes me so angry. This is when I need to start controlling my emotions.
A knock came to the door and picked me up out of my thoughts. I grabbed the door and an Asian woman was standing in front of me with my skimpy outfit for the night. I took the dress and heels from her and slammed the door in her face.
I threw the closes on the bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. Nina came to pick me up so early that I didn’t get to sleep besides on my plane ride. So, once I got out the shower I decided to take a nap to power myself up for the night.
_______
Shayne.
Addison took her fingers and tried to open my eyes as I layed on the couch trying to sleep. Once she got my eyes open she blew in it causing me to jerk my head back. I finally opened my eyes and looked at her standing above me.
“What?” I mumbled.
“I think someone is at the door,” she whispered.
I ran my hands down my face and stood up. I walked out of the living room and opened the door to see Tracy standing there. I stepped aside to let her in as Addison attacked her with a hug.
I forgot I even invited her over to pick up the girls so that I could handle business out of town. She looked over at me when she was done greeting Addison.
“What’s wrong?” She questioned.
I shrugged my shoulders, “nothin’.”
She slowly nodded her head and looked around at the unfamiliar place. She’s been to the other mansion a few times, but she’s never been to the side house that I’m now staying at.
“You guys moved?” She asked as Addison walking into the living room to retrieve her things.
I shook my head, “I did, but Tavi still lives at the old place.”
“So you two aren’t together anymore?”
“Nope.” She side eyed me to signal to tell her what happened. “I cheated.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head, “that’s all it takes.”
I sighed and nodded. I’m not open to talking to my mom. Since she came back into my life all we’ve been doing is having typical conversations. Never have I ever asked for advice or asked for her assistance. It’s not something I’m up for doing at this point.
“Well are you sorry? Do you want her back?”
I nodded, “yeah, but she ain’t havin’ it.”
Tracy sighed as she shifted her weight, “there are a few type of women in this world. There are those that can only take so much before they just don’t wanna do it anymore. Those that know exactly when to draw the line, and those that have been through too much and just don’t wanna take a walk down that same road. From my knowledge and from what Tavi tells me about her previous relationship, I’d say she’s the one that doesn’t wanna make the same mistake again.”
I tucked my hands into my pants pockets, “I know, and I should’ve thought about that shit before I messed up.”
“I really love you two together, but I wouldn’t want you two together if you’re hurting each other. I just hope that when the next girl comes around you play your cards right.”
I took in a sharp breath at those words. To hear her talk about me being with someone else other than Tavi, to even think about it, makes me regret all this shit. I regret fucking up, but I regret ever starting up with Tavi for it to only end a year later, it was a waste of time, and as much as I want her back I know it just won’t be the same.
My look on this entire situation, mostly her rejecting me is completely different now. I tired and I swore I was gonna keep trying but I just don’t have the energy to do so. I just hope she’s happy where she’s at and we can move forward and be parents.
“So where’s Aubree?” She cheesed.
“Upstairs, lemme go get her.” I replied. I jogged up the steps and walked into the master bedroom and grabbed Aubree from off the middle of the bed. I walked back down the stairs with her and placed her in her car seat so that she could leave with Tracy.
Addison came back into the foyer with her things and Aubree’s baby bag. After picking them up from Tavi’s mom’s house yesterday we spent the entire day here just chilling but now it’s time for me to get to work on some shit that Chris and all the others clearly can’t do from Mexico.
“Are you ready Addison?” Tracy asked.
She nodded her head and looked up at me, “are you gonna be lonely now?”
I chuckled, “yeah, but ima be waiting for you to get back.”
“Okay, I’ll be back soon, I promise. I love you.” She grabbed on to Tracy’s free hand and headed out the door.
“I love you too,” I replied while closing the door once they got into the car safely.
I jogged up the stairs and took a shower to get ready for my flight in a few hours, so that I can meet with an old connect. It’s been a long time since I’ve talked to him and his product is what got us sitting on the top. Now that I’m out of jail it’s time to get him back in our ring to keep the business moving just how my dad used to have it.
<>
I walked into the restaurant and immediately saw the connect, Nino, sitting at a table by himself. I made my way over towards him and sat across from him at the table. He looked up from his phone and nodded his head at my presence.
“Early. That’s what I like.” He looked around for a waitress and she came over and took his order while I simply had water.
When he dismissed her from the table, he crossed his hands on the table top ready to get down to business. Out of all the people I’ve ever worked with I’d say Nino is the most efficient in what he do and he’s always on top of his game, something that I learned to do the hard way.
“Last time I saw you, I said you’d be near my level and from what I’m hearing that’s exactly what’s going on.” He cheesed, starting the conversation off. “Not only that but you did most of it from prison.”
I nodded my head, “wit’ the help of others.”
“Sounds like you got some loyal people on your side. Now, I have this product coming in from Cuba, some of the purest, and I need someone to buy it from me. I’m playing the middle man right now, so are you down?”
I sighed, “I’m not into selling to the customers. I’m doing business to business these days. I came to you so that I, myself, could become the middle man in this case.”
Another king pin from Jamaica is willing to pay me two million dollars to get the product from Cuba without dealing with their government. Buying the product from Nino and selling it to the other king pin will build my commission. I’ll be making double of what I’m spending to get the actual product and delivering it.
Nino side eyed me, “you really are growing aren’t you?”
“I gotta family to feed too,” I replied. “I give you five hundred thousand right now and you send me the product in the usual delivery.”
All in all, I was running a scheme on Nino; he’d only get half a million while I’m getting two million. It’s a cutthroat business and there’s no such thing as friends around here. You do what you have to do in order to survive and keep it moving.
Before Nino could speak a waitress walked over with my water and Nino’s vodka. When the waitress walked away his eyes shot in the direction of the door and I turned around to catch a glimpse of who or what he was looking at.
I turned back around when I saw just a normal girl, who looked like an escort walk into the restaurant. I did a double take and saw that it was Trina dressed like someone’s prostitute headed our way.
I watched with big eyes as she came over to the table and took a seat next to Nino without looking up from her phone. Nino cheesed at her as I waited for her to pick up her head and recognize me.
Nino directed his attention towards me, “this is another profitable business. I can import a few working girls to you by tomorrow morning from Russia that will bring in millions.”
I shook my head while keeping my eyes locked on Trina. “I ain’t in to that shit. I got two daughters, and I’d kill someone if they ever did some shit like that to them.”
By the time I was done talking Trina picked her head, recognizing my voice. Her eyes grew big and she looked like she was just as shocked to see me as I was to see her. Nino caught on to her surprise and looked back and forth between us.
“You two know each other?”
“I…I…,” she stuttered trying to get her train of thought out. She finally calmed down and stood up, “I’m sorry I have to go.”
She grabbed her clutch from off the table and headed towards the exit as I thought about getting out of my seat and following after her. I looked over at Nino confused as he wore the same look on his face. I knew he was into the entire smuggling girls in, and Trina was from Africa, but was she one of his girls?
“I’m guessing you ran into her before, she stays in Atlanta.” He tried to assume the situation, but it was way more to it then he thought.
I nodded my head, leaving the topic where it’s at. “Yeah, that’s it.”
“Now, back to the situation at hand; you give me five hundred thousand for the product and I deliver it to you within’ the next three business days, is that fair?”
I beamed with joy, “yeah, sounds like a plan.”
“Nice doing business with you again, Shayne, I hope by the next time I see you, you’ll be the next black Pablo Escobar.” He joked.
I chuckled, “something like that. Now um, can you tell me where Trina went?”
He shrugged his shoulders, “probably back to her hotel room around the block. She’s in for it tonight.”
I looked at him confused and caught on to what he was saying. I’m no expert when it comes to smuggling women, but when they work for someone they follow the rules. She got up and left and that can only mean one thing.
I stood from my seat and threw a twenty dollar bill on the table, “I’ll let you know when I get the delivery.”
Nino nodded his head and snapped his finger in the air for the waitress. I pushed my chair in and walked out of the restaurant and searched on my phone for the nearest hotel, which was around the block like Nino had said.
I got into my Lincoln town car and told the driver to take me to the hotel. When we got outside the run down hotel, I got out and made my way into the dirty lobby with a mask over my face so the cameras wouldn’t see me. The receptionist was sitting behind the counter on the phone talking in Arabic.
“Yo,” I interrupted his conversation. “I need your help.”
He told the person on the other end to hold on and looked me up and down, “doesn’t it look like I’m having conversation right now?” He spoke smartly in his broken English.
I pulled up my shirt a little so that he could see the glock on my waist band, “does it look like I have time for games?”
He started to panic, “what can I help you with today, sir?”
“I need to know what room a girl is staying in. She got on a red dress, black heels, long brown—,”
“Room two thirteen,” he nodded his head vigorously. “Would you like key, sir?”
I shook my head and head for the elevator. I made it to her floor and walked upon her door and didn’t hear a sound on the other end. I knocked and heard shuffling coming towards the door.
Trina swung the door open and when she saw my face she tried to close it back. I pushed it open and made my way into the hotel room taking off my mask. She back away from me as I just looked at her confused.
“Shayne, I…,”
“What’s goin’ on?” I questioned.
She sighed, “it’s Nina, she made me escort her brother for a meeting, but I didn’t know he was going to be meeting you.”
“This is why she’s out to get you? Cause you’re her property?” I continued to ask.
She nodded her head, “I have to buy myself out of this and my way out is building her business all over again or paying her a lot of money that I don’t have.”
“Why ain’t you tell me? You know I could’ve easily given you the cash.”
“Because this is not your problem, it’s mine.”
“The minute you had my son it became my problem. Now, how much you owe her?”
She sat down on the bed and shrugged, “she never told me, but it’s a lot. I’m so sorry you had to find out this way. I just—,”
She was interrupted by a knock at the door. I looked towards the door as she stood to her feet. I signaled for her to get the door but she just shook her head. I pulled my gun from out of my waist band and looked out the peephole to see Nina at the door. I unlatched the lock and opened the door with my gun pointed directly at her.
“Shayne, what are you doing here?” She questioned.
I grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her into the room. I kept my gun pointed at her as she looked from me to Trina. She knew Trina had my son and the fact that she threatened her and him makes this situation a lot worse for her.
“Give me one reason to not leave you slumped in this room?” I questioned her.
She held her hands in the air and started to back away from me, “because she owes me and you’ll never see the light of day again.”
I chuckled, “your brother? Nino? I can make one phone call right now and that fat motherfucker will be done.”
She gave me a daring look as I pulled my phone from out of my pocket. I dialed my dope boy’s number that I brought on this trip with me, that was keeping a close eye on Nino. He picked up on the first ring.
“I’m on him, wassup?”
I had him on speaker so that Nina could hear. I cocked my eyebrow up to signal that I wasn’t playing and if she wanted war, then that’s what she’ll get. Trina stood on the other side of the room just watching and waiting for everything to go down.
“Shayne, I’m your lawyer.” She chuckled, “one phone call and your back in prison.”
I was contemplating between telling my dope boy to shoot Nino and to kill Nina myself just to get rid of both the problems but all together I need both of them around. Nina was my lawyer and her brother was my connect, someone who is about to bring me two million dollars within the next couple of days.
“She’s lying!” Trina yelled. “The papers are gone; you can’t go back to jail. Even if you admitted to her that you did it she can’t say anything because it’s attorney client privilege.”
Nina laughed, “there’s one more copy out there floating around. Trina don’t push your luck, you’re alive because I’m allowing you to be. If you kill me, my husband will report you, and he’ll report Trina to immigration and get her sent right back to the AfricanVillage she came from. Make your decision and make it wisely.”
“Whatchu want?” I questioned.
“Three million by next week or you’ll be in jail and she’ll be deported.” Nina placed her hands down with my gun still pointing at her.
I hung up the phone on my dope boy and cocked my gun back making her place her hands in the air again. “Listen bitch, if there’s any problems you and everyone in your family is done. Got it? Don’t think I’m afraid to use these bullets.”
She slowly nodded her head and put her hands back down to her aside again. I signaled for Trina to come here and she slowly walked towards me. I tucked my gun into my waist band and pulled out my mask.
I grabbed onto Trina and walked towards the door leaving Nina in the hotel room. Once I opened the door I stopped in my tracks and swiftly grabbed my gun from my waist and pointed it at Nina and fired one shot going straight into her brain.
“Two million? Bitch thought I was dumb.” I tucked my gun back into my jeans and threw my mask over my head before leaving out the door. I dragged Trina behind me to make it look like she was leaving unwillingly just in case they pull the tapes from the hallway and rule her as a suspect.
We left out the back of the hotel and made it around the building and got into my town car. Trina had her luggage with her to leave no trace that she was ever in the hotel room, something that we don’t need right now.
I pulled out my phone and called up my dope boy.
“End him.” I spoke into the phone when he picked up and hung up right after.
Although I was about to get new product from Nino, I was gonna have to just live with finding someone new, which shouldn’t be hard. Nina being dead all I need is her brother running around trying to find out who did it.
I looked over at Trina as she squirmed in her seat, “calm down.”
“How can I calm down?” She whispered yelled, “it’s over for you and me. She just—,”
I covered her mouth with my hands and signaled towards the driver. Now that I’m out free on a murder charge, I was gonna be as cautious and paranoid as possible. It’s the only way to keep myself out of jail. Not only that, but I think every thing through before actually doing it.
We made it back to the hotel I was staying at and I took her up to my room to calm her down before the flight back to Atlanta. She paced the floor mumbling in French under her breath about different things that I couldn’t comprehend.
“What’s the problem?” I questioned.
She stopped moving and looked over at me like I was crazy, “the problem is that she just told you she had papers proving that you should be in jail and not only that but she threatened to send me back to Ethiopia. Who’s gonna take care or Harlem if both of his parents are not around?”
“Look she said her husband got the papers, when we get back to Atlanta you’re gonna take me to her crib and I’ll handle the rest from there. I won’t let anything happen so just calm down, a’ight?”
“But what if she gave someone else other than her husband the papers?”
“She already broke the law by giving him papers like that to handle, why would she go further and risk her career by giving it to someone else?”
Nina was sneaky but she was smart. She’d never do anything to get herself disbarred because being an attorney takes her off the radar with her criminal activities. Then there’s the thought that she might have something in her will about me, but again that’s something that would cause her to be under investigation when she made the will. It all ties along with her career and how much she needed it.
“Maybe you’re right,” she mumbled taking a seat on the couch.
I looked over at her as she looked so distraught, scared, and paranoid, and not to mention the bruises on her face that were starting to show from her make-up coming off.
“You straight?” I questioned.
She smiled a little, “yeah I’m fine.”
“So you gon’ tell me about you working for Nina?”
She sighed and looked over at me, “there’s nothing to tell, but that I was a homeless in my country and someone that works for her saved me. They got me into America and she turned me into a working girl. I thought that life would be good here, I mean it is, but I just thought it would be a lot better then this.”
“It is,” I assured her.
She shook her head, “it’s not. My past is my downfall that is haunting my future.”
“Whatchu mean?”
“Since I was fourteen all I knew was sex, even before I came to America, and it seems like that’s all I know now. It’s not an excuse for my behavior, but just thinking about my past, makes me think that no one would want someone as deeply flawed as me so why fix myself?”
“Shit happens,” I sighed, “fix ya’self for my son.”
She pushed some of her hair out of her face and nodded, “yeah, I’ve been trying, but it seems like its all back firing on me. I just don’t know how to exactly fix myself, without fucking up in the process.”
My head soon got clouded with the thoughts of Tavi, something I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about. My situation was similar because I fucked up in the process of fixing myself and it all back fired. I thought that maybe if I would show Tavi that I could do right that she would forget about me ever messing up, but it didn’t work out like that. Now, our relationship is back at square one with no communication and no affiliation.
“Just think about Harlem when all this shit seems impossible,” I informed her. “He’s the only person that should matter to you. Now let’s go so we can catch this flight.”
We gathered her things that she had and left out the hotel and went back to the airport. Our flight back to Atlanta was short and was mainly filled with Trina sleeping and me thinking about any and every thing, something I don’t usually do on a regular basis.
This entire Tavi situation got my thoughts on one hundred and I can’t seem to shake it. I know that eventually I’ll have to get over it for the sake of my kids and for the sake of my sanity and just watch as she moves on.
Once we got to Atlanta I dropped Trina off at her place and followed her directions that took me to Nina’s crib so that I could scoop out the scene and get her husband to give my people what I’m looking for.
I got a call from my dope boy as I parked around the corner from her house, so that I could be around the scene before anything goes down.
“Yo,” I answered the phone.
“What’s the order?” He asked.
“Get him to give you papers with my signature and name on it. When you’re done, set the bitch on fire.” I hung up the phone and started the car and made my way back to the crib to lay low for awhile.
_______
Trina.
I woke up the next morning from my departure from Miami still thinking about the events that happened. Not only was I surprised to see Shayne with Nino, but I was even more surprised when he killed Nina in the hotel room.
I quickly assumed that we were both doomed for a bad outcome. He killed someone that had dirt on the both of us and had someone else that had all the proof. I wasn’t gonna doubt Shayne, but I also wasn’t gonna put my full faith in him. I’m expecting for the worse to happen soon.
I parked my car outside of Marco’s place so that I could collect my miscellaneous items before he comes back from Cancun. My departure from Cancun is another thing I can’t seem to forget, but forgetting wasn’t an option it was mandatory for me to do, and this is the first step into doing so.
Making my way to the door I dug through my purse for the spare key Marco once gave me to his house. Upon walking up to the door it swung open and the last person I was expecting to see was standing in front of my face.
“What are you doing here?” Tavi asked.
I wanted to so bad jump down her throat but I reframed from doing so, “I came here to get some of my things that’s all.”
She looked me up and down and crossed her arms over her chest, “well Marco’s not here right now.”
“That’s fine, it’s only a few things,” I responded.
She shook her head and stood in the doorway blocking me from coming in. I can understand where her animosity is coming from but I just wasn’t in the mood today to deal with her and her bullshit.
“Look Tavi—,”
“No, look Trina… I can be an evil ass bitch and fuck the shit out of Marco every night just to get back at you, but I’m not that kind of person. I don’t wanna take your happiness away from you the same way you did to me.” She moved away from the door and looked towards the driveway as Marco parked his car. “Marco and I are only friends and I brought him to Mexico with me so that I wouldn’t be by myself. What I’m trying to say is that when he wouldn’t stop talking about you, I realized that he really wants you and I’m sure it’s the same for you. Be happy, I guess one of us deserves to be.”
I watched as she reached into the house and grabbed her purse and walked past me as Marco made his way up the gravel. Before Tavi could walk away I grabbed her arm, making her turn around.
“Shayne is the one that owes you loyalty, not me.” I corrected her.
She nodded, “yeah, but I have a right to be mad at you the same way I’m mad at him. You knew he and I were together and yet you still slept with him. You both were wrong.” She turned towards Marco, “there’s your happiness.”
She snatched from my hold and walked past Marco and down the gravel. She got into her car and backed out of the gates and left the estate. Marco stood in front of me with his hands tucked into his pockets. He just looked me up and down as I did the same. I didn’t really know what to say, but at the same time had so much to say.
“She said you couldn’t stop talking about me,” I mumbled. “That’s kind of hard to believe.”
“It’s true.”
I looked down at my fingers and played with his spare key, “why?”
“Why what?” He questioned.
“Why did you walk away from me?”
He took in a sharp breath, “I just needed some time to think, that’s all.”
I looked up at him as he seemed sincere, but how would I know if he is or not? I guess this is what girls are always talking about, putting your trust into someone, something I’m not used to doing. This seems like how the game works, but I’m just a little too cautious with my feelings to do so.
“You wanna go inside?” He questioned when it started to thunder.
We walked inside and went into the living room to talk. I wasn’t prepared to pour my heart out to him and that’s not what I’m about to do. I’m gonna keep it straight up with him and tell him exactly how I feel and if he gets it then great, if he doesn’t than this’ll be it.
“Marco I’m not used to this, so when I do confusing shit like what happened in Cancun just know it’s because I’ve never been in an actual relationship before. I have a lot of learning to do and after really thinking to myself I think I have…,” I paused and looked over at him as he watched me. “I think I have feelings for you.”
He cracked a smile, “was that hard?”
I gulped and nodded, “yes.”
He chuckled and moved a little closer towards me, “Trina, I didn’t really think I liked you in a way where we could be together, but after you came to Cancun just to fight for me, which was stupid, I really understood that you were down for me. I can tell you’ve never done that for anyone else so I need to take advantage of the fact that someone really wants to be with me and would fight for me.”
“So you’re not fucking Tavi?” I questioned.
“It was once this year and we had something last year. But after being with her all that time I see her as nothing but a friend and I’m willing to cut off that friendship if you’d just be open to being with me.”
I inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath, “you’re serious about this?”
“I am,” he nodded. “I’ve never done this before and neither have you, so why not experience this together?”
“So this is your way of saying you wanna be together?” I asked, just making sure.
He nodded, “yeah, let’s make this work.”
I smiled as he grabbed me by my waist and pulled me closer to him. He kissed my lips gently and pushed some hair out of my face. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his chest just listening to the sound of his heart beat.
For the first time ever I genuinely feel wanted by someone. It took awhile to register but I think he’s really being honest with me and I can’t take this for granted. All I ever wanted was for someone to look past all my flaws and want me for me. Even though he has no clue about my past, which I plan on telling him about, it’s good that he’s willing to be with someone like me who has a big reputation. It’s like he’s giving me a clean slate and I was gonna keep the slate as clean as possible.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I really appreciate it; I’m so tired so I didn’t really revise this too much, so there are a lot of mistakes!
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