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Authors: Treasure Hernandez

BOOK: A King is Born
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Chapter Eleven
T
asha sat on the hotel bed counting the money she had taken from the stash spot, while Halleigh took a shower behind the closed bathroom door. They had agreed to split the money down the middle, so that each of them could have a chance at making an exit out of the city. But Tasha figured that she was entitled to that little bit of extra paper for putting her ass on the line to help Halleigh in the first place. She hurriedly stashed a stack of bills into her bag before Halleigh got out.
She heard the shower stop and then zipped up the duffel bag and sat across the room from it. Halleigh came out of the bathroom, her body wrapped in a towel. Tasha put her hand on her mouth as she looked at Halleigh's pregnant stomach. She was still small, but her slightly protruding stomach was a clear indication that she was with child.
Tasha gave Halleigh a half-smile. “Wow, you're really about to be somebody's mother, huh?”
“Yeah, I know, right?” Halleigh replied with a slight laugh. “I still can't believe it myself.” She looked down at her stomach. “I don't do that well taking care of me. How in the hell am I going to take care of a baby?”
Though Halleigh tried to make light of the situation, Tasha knew her concern was real. Tasha was skeptical of Halleigh's mothering skills because she knew how truly weak Halleigh was without Malek. Never the type of woman to go out and accomplish things on her own, Halleigh had always depended on someone else. It was almost like she had banked on being Malek's NBA trophy wife, and when those dreams fell through, she was left on stuck. She went from depending on Malek to Manolo to Mimi to finally depending on Tasha. It was a never-ending cycle of bullshit. Tasha couldn't believe that after all these years, after all Halleigh had been through, she still wasn't self-sufficient or independent. Tasha shook her head in disbelief and sent a quick prayer up to God for Halleigh's child.
With a soft-ass father like Malek and a lost soul like Halleigh for a mother, that baby is going to be all fucked in the game
, she thought. “Are you ready for all of that?” Tasha asked.
“Is anybody? I know I'm young, but I can't see myself not having this baby. Malek and I are always drifting in and out of each other's lives. This was one thing that fate couldn't change. I'll always have a piece of him with me through this baby. This baby is Malek and me. I'm scared as hell, but I know it's going to be worth it.”
“Are you sure, Halleigh?” Tasha asked again, just for good measure.
“Yeah, I said I'm sure!” Halleigh screamed back, becoming agitated by Tasha's doubt.
“Okay, okay.” Tasha could see that her line of questioning was getting to Halleigh, so she changed the subject. “Are you okay? You might want to go to the hospital to make sure your baby is okay. Did they do anything to you?”
“I'm fine, Tasha. Mitch brought a doctor over to check on me and make sure I was okay. Right now I'm just trying to find Malek. I have to get to him before something bad happens. I just have a gut feeling that something isn't right with him. I tried to call him three times when we first got here, but his phone went straight to voicemail,” she said in a worried tone. “Have you heard anything? I mean, you must have heard something. How did you know where to find me, or that I was even being held hostage in the first place?”
“I haven't heard anything. I haven't really been in the mix like that either. I knew about what happened to you because Keesha was at the club putting your shit all out in the streets, bragging about how Mitch had taken you.”
“The club? What were you doing at the club?”
Tasha didn't speak. She just put her head down, ashamed that her life seemed to be a never-ending cycle of bullshit too. Seemed as though both Halleigh and her had come full circle.
“You're back at the club?” Halleigh asked, surprised, reading the expression on Tasha's face. That was the last place she expected Tasha to return to, and the one place Tasha had vowed she never would.
But, hey, shit happens. Life happens
.
“What? Everybody can't live the high life like you and Malek, Halleigh! Any chance I had of being happy Malek took away from me when he killed my brother. Just like he is all you have, Maury was all I had. So, yeah, I'm back at the club.” Tasha shook her head in disgust. “Damn it, Halleigh! You have no idea. You live in this shallow little Malek bubble. You need to wake up. That boy ain't a fucking saint. You and him sit up on a high horse and look down on the rest of the city like you're gods. That's why Mitch took you, Halleigh, because of him. And that's why he is in so much shit.”
“I don't care what he did to anybody else. I only know how he treats me. I have to find him.” Halleigh rubbed her stomach. “For both of us.”
Halleigh could hardly sleep. The next day, she was going to go back to their home, even though Tasha didn't think it was a good idea. Halleigh couldn't wait. All that night, she lay restlessly as she thought of Malek, praying over and over in her head,
God, please keep him safe.
Halleigh didn't know if Mitch's threats were real, but she wouldn't put anything past him. One minute he was talking sweet in her ear, all the while disrespecting Malek, who was supposedly his business partner and friend. The next minute, he was snatching her from her peaceful home and turning her world upside down. She knew that the only person she could ever trust one hundred percent was Malek.
Not even her own mother had been worthy of it or had earned it. She knew Sharina was the real problem in it all. She had started a cycle of hurt and pain for Halleigh.
Halleigh desperately wanted off the roller-coaster ride of violence and drama, but there seemed to be no way out. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of her predicament. Everything she had done in her past was now affecting her present and would undoubtedly affect her future.
I'm a fucking mess,
she thought.
My life is like a bad soap opera
. Her silent tears transformed to audible anguish. She hoped that Tasha was asleep and couldn't hear her muffled cries.
Halleigh knew that Tasha disliked Malek, and as bad as she wished she could repair her and Tasha's friendship, as long as she stayed focused on Malek, that wouldn't happen. Still, Halleigh had to make the effort. Tasha had saved her, after all.
Besides that, Halleigh really did have love for Tasha, who had helped her through so many hard times, although frankly, those were times she'd rather forget. She couldn't change the circumstances under which they met.
She was Manolo's bottom bitch. Her job was to keep me there,
Halleigh thought. She couldn't help but think that if Mimi and Tasha had been up front with her in the first place about what she was getting herself into when they took her in, she would have never chosen to stay with Manolo and gotten sucked into his web of manipulation and fear. There was no doubt in Halleigh's mind that she and Tasha would have never crossed paths if she had never gotten caught up in the streets.
Over the years, Halleigh had become a product of the hood, but deep down on the inside, she wasn't built like Tasha. They were not the same type of women, never had been, and Halleigh was just now realizing that.
What type of woman would want to see another woman go through what I did ? Was she ever really my friend ? Yeah, she helped me kick heroin, but she was one of the many reasons why I felt like I needed the drug in the first place. Tash is my girl, but Malek is my man. He has never done me dirty. He's overlooked all of my flaws just to be with me, and he doesn't look down on me. He's the only person I've ever cared about that hasn't disappointed me, so if I have to make the choice, it will always be him.
Chapter Twelve
M
alek sat in his hotel room and counted the money, which was scattered all over the bed. He looked at his bloodstained clothes and kept seeing visions of Scratch struggling for his life just before taking his last breath. Although Scratch was older and an ex-fiend, he had courage, and Malek respected and admired Scratch's heart. He was loyal to Halleigh and the reason Malek had gotten enough money to get his woman back from Mitch.
Once Malek finished counting, he realized he'd gotten just over what he owed for the ransom. He loaded up the big duffel bag with a half-million dollars and headed to see Mitch. Something in his stomach told him things were going to end badly for everyone involved. There didn't seem to be a winner in any of it. At the end, even if he got Halleigh back and was left standing, he would still be in trouble. It seemed like he was going from one problem to the next without any resolution.
He exited the room with the money and headed over to Mitch's trap spot to make the switch, exhaustion plaguing his body and mind. He tried to push the thought out of his mind that Mitch, after realizing he'd been involved in the robbery of his stash spot and the murder of his sister, would retaliate by killing Halleigh.
As Malek drove through the city streets, his mind was not on vengeance, but it was on his entire life's struggles. Feeling defeated, he took a deep breath and hoped to God Mitch hadn't got wind of the robberies. He had to move quickly and get Halleigh before Mitch found out.
Once he arrived at his destination, he hopped out of his car, duffel bags full of money in hand. He approached the trap house that Mitch told him he would be at. As Malek approached the row house, he took a deep breath. Two young guns who once worked under Malek stood guard at the door. They couldn't have been any older than fifteen or sixteen.
When Malek approached, they couldn't even look him in the eyes. They just looked past him and opened the door for him to enter. Malek looked at each boy in the face and made sure they felt his animosity. If they ever crossed paths again under any circumstances, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions.
Malek slid past them and entered the house, which was full of hustlers. It seemed like Mitch had called all of Flint in to witness the drop-off. Once again, Mitch was determined to prove to everybody that he was the boss.
Malek's showing up let Mitch know that he had no idea Halleigh had escaped. Now he really felt on top of the world. Mitch wanted the whole organization to see Malek broke-down. He smiled as he saw Malek enter. “Check him,” Mitch ordered as he stood from the table he was sitting at.
Three henchmen ran up on Malek and began to search him. Malek clenched his jaws as he lifted his arms, the bag still clutched tightly in his hands.
“He's clean,” one of the men said as they walked away from him.
“You got my money?” Mitch gave Malek a menacing smile.
“Yeah, I got it,” Malek said aloud, but in his mind he thought,
I got
your
money literally, nigga.
He dropped the bag and kicked it toward Mitch. “It's all there. Now, where is Halleigh?” Malek demanded through his clenched teeth.
Mitch unzipped the bag and flipped through the money. “Damn, my nigga! You actually got the money, huh—a fucking half a million dollars in just a few days. You must really love that bitch.”
Malek wanted to lunge at Mitch for the disrespectful comment, but he had to hold his tongue and keep his cool, at least until he had Halleigh back in his possession. But after that, no telling. The joke would be on Mitch anyway, once he found out he was getting paid with his own money. He took a couple of deep breaths. “Where is Halleigh?”
Mitch remained silent as he flipped through the money and took his time before answering Malek. “Where is Halleigh?” Mitch asked himself out loud, trying to be sarcastic. “She might be at a spot on the South Side, or maybe she's inside one of my spots in the projects.” Mitch lit a cigar filled with weed.
Malek's fist involuntarily balled up, and he was heaving, his chest going up and down. His temperature was rising, and he wouldn't be able to contain himself much longer. Mitch was trying to play him, and he didn't have the patience to play games, not after all he'd been through.
“Look at this nigga . . . about to cry like a little bitch!” Mitch said.
The whole room burst into laughter at the comment, except for Malek, Halleigh's safety being the only thing on his mind at that point.
Laugh now, cry later,
Malek thought as he anticipated getting his girl back and then going after Mitch for revenge. He hated leaving his gun inside his car, but he knew Mitch's boys would have patted him down and taken it from him.
Mitch walked over to Malek and stood eye to eye with him. He was so close, their toes were touching. It was an intense, silent moment as the two men stared each other down. What had once been love between brothers was now hatred. Mitch's jealousy had led them to this point. Neither of them had any sign of retreat in their eyes.
Mitch was the first to move. He pulled out an all-black .45 and raised it to Malek's face. “Open yo' mouth,” he ordered and then rested the barrel on Malek's lips.
Malek tightened his lips, looking Mitch in the eyes.
“If you want to see Halleigh again, you should do as I ask. Now, let me try this again. Open yo' mouth!” Mitch yelled.
Malek's pride was diminishing by the second, but the shame was worth Halleigh's life. He reluctantly opened his mouth.
Mitch jammed his gun inside. “I'ma only say this once—Flint is mine! I advise you get as far away from here as you can. You are dead in Flint. Dead! Jamaica Joe is not here to watch over your soft ass anymore; remember that. I can touch anybody in this mu'fuckin' city; believe that. Now, get the fuck out of my face!” Mitch struck Malek in the temple with the butt of his gun.
Malek dropped to one knee and cradled his throbbing face, blood trickling down.
Mitch stood over him smiling. He loved seeing Malek on his knees; it was pure satisfaction for him. He tossed a piece of paper it at him with the address Halleigh was being held at, as if to say, “Go fetch,” even though Halleigh was no longer there. In fact, he was surprised that Malek showed up at all. He was sure the first thing Halleigh would have done was find her way back to him, but since she didn't, he decided to have a little fun. He was sending Malek on a wild goose chase, just for the hell of it.
He can find the bitch on his own time, but he can still pay me this paper for his disrespect.
Mitch truly had the big head regarding his reign. He was the king of the city, and every man in the city needed to respect it.
Malek picked up the paper and hurried out, maneuvering through Mitch's goons to get out the door. He just wanted to go get his woman. He prayed to God that she was alive and well at the given location. He would deal with his beef with Mitch later, because he knew just as soon as Mitch discovered the real, it was gonna be war for real. All this other stuff would be a chick fight compared to what would go down between the two.
When Malek finally got to the house, he didn't know what to expect on the inside, All he knew was, he wasn't leaving out without Halleigh. He kicked in the front door, and the sound of cracking wood echoed throughout the stash house. He peeked inside the house, his gun in hand, and saw a man shot dead lying on the ground. The living room was in shambles, with overturned furniture and glass from shattered lamps everywhere. Even the TV had been knocked out of the entertainment case. It was obvious that there had been a struggle. His first thought was the struggle involved Halleigh. He just hoped to God she'd been victorious, and was thankful it wasn't her body lying there dead.
Malek immediately panicked. Scanning the room, he noticed the small monitor that displayed another area of the house. He stepped over the man and rushed to the monitor. He examined the screen and saw an empty room with a bed inside. The window had bars on it, and the sheets on the bed were wrinkled. He ran through the house calling out Halleigh's name, desperation evident in his voice.
“Halleigh! Halleigh! Where are you?” he repeated loudly as he continued to rummage through the house. He saw the stairs that led to the basement and immediately shot off the lock and opened the door. He yelled Halleigh's name as he ran down the stairs, hoping to hear his woman's voice at some point.
He reached the basement and looked around and saw nothing. His eyes focused on the bloodstained mattress, and his heart dropped at the sight. He fell to his knees and assumed the worst. “Halleigh!” he yelled as tears began to pour down his face. A hollow feeling in his chest overcame him as he crawled over to the bed. He knew that was Halleigh's blood. He cried his eyes out as he thought about his woman and unborn child.
But his sadness quickly became fury toward Mitch. “Muthafucka!” he yelled. He stood up and began punching the air as if he was punching Mitch in the face. “Son of a bitch knew Halleigh wasn't here and did this to torture me. He killed my baby.” Malek broke down again, dropping to his knees on the mattress.
After a couple of minutes, he stood to his feet and, almost in a daze, walked up stairs, his head hanging low. He was a man possessed, and the only thing on his mind was murder. He was going to make any and everybody involved pay. As a matter of fact, he didn't care if they weren't involved. Anybody who had anything to do with Mitch or Sweets was as good as dead, just like his family.
Knowing the drug game, he was sure Halleigh was in the trunk of somebody's car, or in a dumpster somewhere. Every time he thought about her lying dead, it was like a dart to the heart.
This nigga made me go through all of this. He made me do all of this when he knew he was going to kill her. I should've known. I should've protected her
.
He slowly walked up the stairs, and the first sight he saw was the man lying on the floor. Out of anger, he loaded another bullet in his body for good measure. As tears rolled down his cheek, he exited the stash house on a path of revenge.

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