B00BNB54RE EBOK (17 page)

              It took Angelique about an hour to pack her clothes and personal belongings. She agreed to go to rehab, so she only packed enough clothes for a month or two. After she was finished, I put her things in my truck and she left in her Jag. She made sure to grab an 8x10 picture of Khari off the wall to take with her. I planned to drop off her clothes at the facility in the morning. I still didn’t know which one I was sending her, but wherever it was would be expensive.

             
Another nigga would have thrown her coke head ass out on the porch and let the door knob hit her in the spinal cord, but I couldn’t do that. I may have been cruel and hard on niggas, but it was a different story when it came to Angelique and Dallas. I truly loved both of them equally. People might say that loving two people the same is impossible, but how the fuck did they know. I know what I felt and who I felt it for, but don’t get it twisted. Just because you love somebody doesn’t mean you have to be with them.

             
Dallas stayed after Angelique left. She wanted the chance to talk to me on a serious note and I didn’t protest it. I wanted to talk to her too and to be honest…I really missed her. I felt a sense of relief when she agreed to come over. I wasn’t sure she would forgive me for setting her up, but I hoped she would. I wasn’t trying to buy her forgiveness with the lawyer, the flowers, or the retail spot, but I was trying to do something nice after I’d done something mean. Broke niggas in the dog house buy cards, candy and shit like that. Rich niggas like me copped property, but it was all in the same spirit.

             
After we finally ate the Chinese food, Dallas and

I relaxed in the living room with a bottle of Tequila and a full pack of cigarettes…just like old times.

She poured two shots. “I wanna make a toast.” She raised her glass. “Here’s to love and the crazy shit it makes us do.”

I chuckled.
“Hell yeah.” I clinked my glass with hers.

I threw the drink back and swallowed hard. I felt the burn travel down my throat and spread out in my chest. I needed that drink, shit I needed several drinks.

“Thank you for comin’ over today and stayin’ with me tonight. I really didn’t know she was gonna show up. I wasn’t tryin’ to start no drama between you and her.” I poured my second shot.

“Well you’re welcome
and you may not have known she would show up, but I knew it. A woman can always sniff out another woman. It’s like we have a sixth sense when a bitch is lurkin’.” She grabbed a lime off the tray.

I started to say something
, but she cut me off and rested her small palm on my thigh. The skimpy bathing suit was gone, replaced by a casual running suit. However, in true Dallas Mitchell form, the jacket was unzipped at the top, revealing her cleavage and the pants were extra tight around the hips.

“I know what you’re about to say
, so let me say somethin’. I can tell you regret what you did jus’ as much as I regret what I did. We all make mistakes. That’s why when Khalil called me and told me him and Roman were tryin’ to kill you behind me, I told that nigga he better not touch you! Shit, I would’ve started shootin’ up the next family reunion. Anyway, I know you love Angelique Tyce and I know you love me. You can’t jus’ stop lovin’ somebody jus’ cuz they fuck you over. The heart doesn’t work like that.

I can see you’re hurtin
g no matter how much you try to hide it. All I wanna do is be here for you in whatever way you need or want me to be. I’ve always looked out for you.” She shrugged her shoulders. “My methods may have been childish and misguided, but my intentions were pure. I believe in my heart that you and I are supposed to be together. I know it, I feel it and I want it, but I understand the place and space you’re in right now. That’s why I’m offering myself to you as a friend. I jus’ don’t want you to push me away again. I’m a strong woman, but my lil heart can’t take any more rejection from you.” Her eyes softened up.

             
Dallas put her free hand on my chest and leaned her face into mine. She paused with her mouth just inches away from my lips as she gave me a chance to back up. When I made no such move; she sighed deeply and attacked my lips in a smooth, deep and deliberate motion. She rubbed the back of my head and I cupped her neck in my hand as we kissed in a slow and passionate way. We were eye to eye and then we switched sides with her leaning to the right and me leaning to the right. Her tongue tasted like sweet Tequila as she licked my lips from corner to corner.

I bit my bottom lip
and tasted her wetness. “You kiss like you look.” I smiled at her.

She tapped my chin. “Shit, so do you and you look good as hell.” She cleared her throat a bit. “Before I crash into you face again
, I wanna tell you that I like what you’re doin’ for Angelique. I wanna help you. I know you can afford to pay it yourself, but I wanna go half with you on her rehab. Don’t even tell her I’m doin’ it. I jus’ want her to get better.” She pointed her finger at my face. “You better not tell her I said that either!”

I laughed. “My lips are sealed.”

Dallas started to bring her lips in for another landing, but she pulled up at the last second.

“There’s one more thing I’ve been meaning to ask you.” She looked puzzled.

“What’s up?”

“How in the world did you find out she was fucking with Thad?” She turned her hands over. “I was not about to tell you and
have that shit backfire on me, so who told you?”

I didn’t expect that to be the question she asked me. I poured myself my third shot of Patron
, sucked my lime and after my slightly sour face went back to normal, I answered her.

“I have people all over the city that work for me. I pay well to stay informed.”

“Well who informed you?”

I flashed an
easy grin. “Angelique’s assistant manager Trina. I pay her to keep me updated on what’s goin’ on at the club. I only had her do it cuz I wanted to make sure my lady was safe and there wasn’t anything goin’ on that she couldn’t handle. I was lookin’ out for her without her knowing it, but then she called me and told me about Thad. Money well spent I’d say.”

            
 
I stood at Thad’s doorway with my wrath concealed behind a warm and kind face. Once he opened up the door I walked in and took my usual spot on the only couch in the room. He was wearing gray sweats, a T-shirt and some white socks. He hadn’t shaved in days, so his normally smooth face was covered in dark fuzz. He looked like shit compared to how he normally kept himself.

“How you doin
?’” He didn’t move his lips when he talked.

“I’m fine, how are you. Does your jaw hurt?”

“Yeah. I was jus’ about to take some liquid pain medicine. Can you get it for me please?” He pointed to the kitchen.

“Sure. You don’t need to be doin’ all that anyway. You need to rest.” I patted the couch.

“Sit down.”

He took my spot as I stood up. I put his feet on the coffee table next to his trusty coke tray.

“Thank you babe. Can you get me a glass of ice water too?”

“You got it babe.”

I watched him take his feet off the table, stiffly put the straw to his nose and sniff three lines back to back.

“Now I need the codeine to really take the pain away.” He said through wired teeth.

“Coming right up, jus’ give me a sec.”

Once I was in the kitchen I thought about grabbing a knife and stabbing his ass in the top of his shiny head. I got a glass from the cabinet and rejected that idea as I filled it with ice. My mind was racing so fast with
violent images that I knocked the damn ice cream out of the freezer and onto the floor. The carton stayed closed and I sat the glass on the counter so I could pick it up. When my little hands lifted the carton, the light weight told me it was empty. I turned it over to check the expiration date when I felt something roll around. It was too light to be a gun, so I figured it was more coke that he’d put in the freezer to keep fresh.

             
I peeled back the top and to my pleasant surprise it was my favorite flavor of ice cream…cash! I remember Dallas saying how broke Thad was and a light bulb went off in my head. That was all the money that nigga had. I figured Dallas wasn’t about to pay him anymore after our little confrontation, so his five thousand dollar a week job was over.

             
I snatched the purse off my shoulders, grabbed the money out of the ice cream bucket and sat it in my purse right next to my gun. I recalled Tyce telling me to, “Hit a man in his pockets.” and I smiled to myself. That’s just what I intended to do.

             
I walked out to the couch and stood between the table and the couch just to the right of his outstretched legs. He looked up lazily at me and rubbed his stomach.

“Where’s my wate
r?” He touched his dry ass lips.

“You’re water’s right here muthafucka!”

I pulled out my gun and used the handle to pistol whip his face. He tried to block the blows raining down on him, but one right hook with that heavy handle connected with his broken jaw and he moaned like a wounded cat. He curled up in a ball holding his face while he rocked back and forth.

“What the fuck! What the fuck is wrong with yuuuu!” He gritted his silver laced teeth as spit leaked on the cus
hion.

“I know about your five thousand dollar a week job! I know Dallas paid you to date me! Did I
mean that little to you, or are you just that broke?!”

I’m glad your little bullshit ass career
is over! I wish my man would’ve broken your damn spine instead of your fuckin’ jaw you bitch ass nigga.”

I spit on his sweaty face to punctuate my statement.

“Get out! Get out!” He squawked.

“You ain
’t gotta tell me twice nigga, but please believe I aint leavin’ this bitch empty handed. Oh no, I found your lil’ ice cream niggaaaa!” I patted my purse.

“You bitch!” He glared at me.

“That you don’t wanna fuck with.” I pointed the barrel of my gun at his head.

I backed away from th
e couch in case he tried to get froggy and leap at me.

“You raise up off that couch and I’ll fill your chest full of holes.”

I looked down at his mound of coke. He followed my eyes and a look of complete terror flooded his face. I grabbed the entire tray and continued to back away.

“Put my fuckin’ coke down!” He sat up straight but stayed seated.

“You better keep your ass on that couch.” I warned him.

“Gimme back my shit!” He put his hand out.

“This is my shit!” I corrected him.

“You fuckin’ bitch!” He shrieked.

I aimed my gun at him the whole time as I backed toward the door. He wouldn’t dare move, because he knew I was crazy and I wouldn’t think twice about plugging his ass. Once my back was to the door and he was good twenty feet from me, I jammed the gun in the front of my pants, opened the door and walked back to my car.

“I’m gonna
kill you and your boyfriend bitch! You hear me! I’m gonna kill you and him!” He yelled at the top of his lungs through the wires that weaved in and of his teeth and gums.

I smiled to myself as I rolled down the driveway. I may be going to rehab in the morning
, but I was going get high as a giraffe’s balls and try to forget about my fucked up life.

             
I had no home and no man, but I had the one thing that made me feel better instantly and I planned to numb my pain away just as soon as I got back to my hotel room.

             
Dallas stayed with me over night. Although we slept in the same bed, we didn’t have sex. Despite the fact that I hadn’t felt the heat of a pussy in like forever, I was more than content just lying beside her. I returned to my master bedroom after weeks of sleeping in her old room and my bed was happy to see me.

             
We spent the night feeling the warmth of each other’s naked bodies as the buzz from the Patron carried us into a deep sleep. Shortly after the sun rose we woke up, shared a stinky morning breath peck and got dressed. I had a full day planned for us, but I had to take care of the rehab accommodations for Angelique first. After hours of research, I finally decided on Summit Creek Lodge. It sounded like a bed and breakfast spot, however it was one of the top rated drug treatment facilities in California.

             
The place offered nutritional meals, non-group therapy, swimming pools, work out gyms, but most importantly they had a 76 percent success rate of true rehabilitation. It looked like a place where she could at least reflect on things and get a handle on her life again. The cost of all that treatment was thirty five thousand dollars for three months. Money well spent if it helped her.

             
Dallas and I left my house in the truck and had a whole list of fun shit to do, but first we had to take care of business. I took her by the bank and she grabbed seventeen thousand dollars from her safe deposit box. I already had the cash on me because I just needed to open the safe in my garage. I wired the entire fee to the lodge, but I hadn’t told Angelique yet. I wanted to see if she would call me first. I wanted to see if she really was planning on going. If she truly wanted help, she would reach out to me, but if I hadn’t heard from her by the time the sun went down, I would snatch her ass up and drag her there myself.