Beautiful Liar (17 page)

Cairo re-initiated the kiss with a greater
sense of urgency. He felt a burning desire to be with her, so he
began to pull off her shirt. But when he noticed her kiss tasted
salty, he looked up and saw that she was crying. “What’s
wrong?”

“I can’t do this, I’m sorry. I’m just not
ready yet.”

“No, I’m sorry,” he responded, re-adjusting
her shirt. “You don’t have any reason to be apologizing.”

“Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’ll never get mad at you for something like
that. That’ll only happen when you are ready, and not until.
Okay?”

This brought more tears to her eyes, and they
hugged until they fell asleep that way.

Wendy stood in the foye
r of Misty’s
new house, looking up at the lofty ceiling. “I love this house, but
do you think it was a good idea to move in with him so
quickly?”

“I told you he got this for me. He has his
own house.”

Wendy laughed. “You must’ve put it on him
really good.”

“Do you listen to anything I tell you? I’ve
never been with him. We’re only friends.”

“It seems odd he would buy you a house and
not be getting none. Especially with the scoop I got on him,” she
said, matter-of-factly.

“Wendy, Cairo told me all about how he used
to be. Show me a man without a past, and I bet he won’t be over
eighteen.”

“I ain’t hating on him or nothing, it’s just
hard for me to believe that playboy millionaire—or ex-playboy, is
doing something for nothing.”

“Whatever! He’s not Jesus; you don’t have to
believe him.”

“Don’t get me wrong, his transformation isn’t
impossible. But, why all of a sudden? Why you? Because you are
famous, so to speak?”

Misty sat on a cardboard box filled with
clothes and contemplated whether or not she should expose Cairo’s
loss. She wasn’t worried about Wendy repeating it; it just made her
feel as if she would be betraying him. She wasn’t the type to draw
the first blood.

At the same time, she knew that her
success--in general--had a lot to do with Wendy’s insight. So, she
rewarded her friend with the story of Cairo’s loss.

“Okay, let me ask you something. Put yourself
in Cairo’s shoes. You’re handsome, right, with the world on your
shoulders. What is the one thing that money can’t buy you?”

Wendy gave that some deep thought before
saying, “Love.”

“Right. Cairo used to think every woman who
he dealt with was after his money, so he treated them
terribly…”

She went on to tell Wendy what had
transpired. Wendy found herself wiping tears away at the end of the
tale. “That’s so sad. And that’s definitely something to change
for.”

“I’m guessing he’s worse off than I am,
because he blames himself for what happened. He has been mentally
torturing himself since it happened.”

“Do you remember how my grandma used to say
that God put people in our lives for certain reason?”

“You might think I’m lying, but Cairo and I
were just talking about that the other day.”

“Y’all are each other’s blessings, so you
better capitalize on that.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

“Hey, man.” Ray said, concentrating on a way to
shoot the two ball without scratching. “How much did you say you
drop on that house?”

“Something light.”

“Ain’t nothing light about a three bedroom
house in Buckhead. You must be about to move in with her.”

“Nah, I’m staying here. I got that for her.
Shoot, man!”

“Two ball, side pocket.”

The ball grazed the corner of the pocket and
rolled to the middle of the table. “Damn! Quit talking to me!”

Cairo started laughing. “You’re the one doing
all the talking. You might not get another shot this whole
game.”

“You’ll miss. I bet you miss.”

As soon as Cairo was about to take his shot,
Ray suddenly started talking again. “Do you love her? Or is it just
lust?”

“How can it be lust when I haven’t been with
her?”

“Wait! Wait a minute! You bought her a house,
and you haven’t hit!”

“Yep. I’m going to the corner pocket. Twelve
ball.”

“You’re going to be mad as hell if the sex
ain’t hitting on nothing. I know I would.”

Cairo sank the ball. “I doubt it. Our
relationship ain’t built on that. Plus, you heard what Andre 3000
said, ‘Sex is much better when there’s feeling involved.’”

“You really feeling her, huh?”

“Yeah, man, she’s a beautiful person. Inside
out.”

Ray seemed to be deep in thought; Cairo
noticed because the room became too quiet. “What are you thinking
about?”

“You my partner, so I got to keep it G with
you. Know what I’m talking about?”

“Go ‘head.”

“It’s safe to say that she feels the same way
about you, right?”

“The exact same way.”

“If that’s the case, then why do she…is still
wearing that ring from that other nigga? It’s like she’s stuck on
him or something.”

Cairo sank two more balls before he addressed
the question. “She still wears it because it represents the bond
they shared. I have to respect that.”

“So, what if you go over there and he’s in
the living room, lounging on your shit? I bet you won’t be
respecting that ‘bond’ shit then.”

“For one, that’s her house. And for two,
that's not going to happen.”

“What makes you so sure of that? You ain’t
hit it yet, it’s not like you got her on smash. Plus, she has her
own money, she doesn’t necessarily need you.”

“You’re right, she doesn’t. But dude will
never be in there, because he passed away six months before I met
her.”

“For real?! How did dude die?”

“I really don’t feel comfortable telling you
her business.”

“Come on, man!” he said, holding his arms
out. “You know I ain’t going to say shit.”

“Just like you didn’t tell Misty and her
friend my business at the club that night?”

“Ah, man! That’s different.”

Cairo stood up straight. “What’s so different
about it?”

“’Cause I knew that I was lifting a burden
off you. This shit right here is different. Can’t no good come out
of me repeating it. Know what I’m talking about?”

Cairo gave Ray’s words some thought. He knew
that if he could trust anyone outside of his father, he could trust
Ray. At least he would like to think that. He had never had to
trust him with a secret, because he would have cared less in the
past about who he exposed.

Yet, Misty was someone who he held close at
heart. It was obvious Ray knew this, so he didn’t believe Ray would
sabotage their relationship if he learnt of her woes.

“This is between me and your right?”

“Hell yeah! I know what it is.”

Cairo took a deep breath and told him
everything leading up to Ty’s death in Misty’s arms.

“Damn! I’m surprised she got back from that.
I probably would’ve been on medication and everything else.”

“Yeah, she’s handling it well. That’s why I
respect her so much. She did something constructive with her grief
and turned it into a best-selling novel. The average chick would
have probably started smoking crack or something.”

“Yeah, she did that. That’s how you know
she’s not after your money.”

He waved Ray off. “Man, I don’t think like
that anymore. A person can only get what somebody gives them. Eight
ball, corner pocket.”

Ray was in awe of Cairo’s new perspective on
life that he never saw the ball disappear into the pocket.

“
What the fuck
do you mean that you’re
going to sell my shit if I don’t come home?” JJ asked his
girlfriend, Regina, over the phone.

“Because I’m struggling to feed our son,
while you’re down there playing ‘Magnum P.I.’ or some shit.”

“Who in the fuck are you talking to like
that? I’m Damu, woman!”

“I don’t give a shit about that nonsense, JJ,
so quit throwing it up in my face. Mack told me that you really
ain’t no Blood, so cut it out! You’re forty-five years old!”

“I don’t give a fuck what Mack said. He…he
don’t know all the Bloods on the block. I know that I’m at O.G.
status.”

“A guy offered me a thousand dollars for your
car,” she said changing the subject. “And it’ll really help out
around here. I already owe my mother two hundred dollars.”

“Two cent! I thought I told you not to ask
her for shit else!”

“I didn’t have a choice. You wanted us to
starve?”

JJ wiped his head with a red bandanna.
“No.”

“A’ight then.”

“But my O.G. gave me that car.”

“Boy, stop it! Clarence gave you that
car!”

“Clarence is Damu,” he said weakly.

“Boy…JJ! Listen to me. Right now, that car is
our meal ticket, literally. It’s either that, or you bring your ass
home. At this moment, I really don’t care which one. Me and my
babies are going to eat more than baloney sandwiches tonight.”

“What about Tracey, Regina? My favorite
niece.”

“Tracey is gone, JJ. You have to worry about
the living. We’re starving here!” A few seconds passed before
Regina continued. “So, what’s it going to be?”

“Can I call you back and let you know
later?”

“It better be before five. That guy is coming
to get the car then.”

“Don’t have no Niggas in that apartment!”

“You lost your say-so when you stopped
contributing to the bills.”

“I’m not playing with you, Regina! I’m
Damu!”

“Five o’clock, JJ. Bye!”

The phone went dead, and JJ redialed her
number. He got a busy signal twice before he aborted his efforts to
answer the knock at his door.

He crept to the peephole and was relieved to
see that it was Vicky. “Girl, you had me amped like shit knocking
like that. I was about to do some shit that would’ve been talked
about for years.”

She squeezed by him, and he stuck his head
out of the door and looked both ways.

“I’m sorry. I just been so frustrated since
our last plain failed,” Vicky explained.

“Don’t remind me,” he retorted, shutting the
door. “This whole shit is getting frustrating. I’m about ready to
call it quits.”

“I’m more ready to get some closure while we
still can.”

This got JJ’s attention. “What do you mean,
‘while we still can’?”

“You know. Before the police come at us.”

“And how would they know to come at us? I
thought that you said he was a G, like me.”

“He always gave me the impression that he
wouldn’t put the police in his affairs. You see how he dropped our
assault charges. But he did call me like a week ago, insinuating
that he would go to the police if we didn’t chill out.”

JJ jumped out of his seat in panic mode. “Why
you just telling me this? Them people might’ve followed you
here!”

She watched him go to the window and peeked
out. “A’int nobody follow me here, boy! Sit your ass down!”

“How do you know that for sure? Them people
be putting tracking devices on cars and shit. That’s how they got
my O.G. back in the day.”

“Enough with the dramatic shit. Cairo knows
where I stay, so if he would’ve put the police on me, I would’ve
been gotten locked up by now.”

JJ looked at her in suspicious. “Maybe you’ve
already been arrested. What they offer you, immunity?”

“Come on, JJ! You’re bugging the fuck out
again!”

“No, Victoria!” he cried out grabbing his
head dramatically. “I’m your family, for God sakes! How are you
going to let them people come between us? You know I’m a Blood.
They’re going to hit me with the RICO!”

Vicky waited until he finished performing
before she defended herself. “I have not been arrested. Even if I
had, I wouldn't have told on you or Ra. And, for the record, the
state doesn’t have a RICO law.”

This seemed to calm JJ down some. He poured
two drinks and offered her one.

“That’s great, because I wasn’t trying to be
on the History Channel for running my set from prison. That’s how
Hoover got jacked off. Huh.” She declined the drink, so he drank
both of them.

“So, what brings you to the Red side of
town?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you was
saying. You know, about your conception of getting revenge.”

“You’re talking about money-wise?”

“Hell no! Fuck his money, I don’t want that
anymore. I want to kill his ass.”

He paused with the glass at his lips. “Even
with them people watching you?”

“Ain’t nobody watching me! Why do you keep
saying that shit for, JJ?”

“Why you keep saying my name loud like that?
You wired?”

“Come on, JJ. Quit trying to play my
face.”

“How am I trying to play your face? You act
like you don’t get down like that.”

“I don’t! I’ve never in my whole life
snitched on anybody!”

“Bull to the shit. You told momma when I
first started drinking.”

“Man, that’s different.”

“I don’t know how. Snitching is
snitching.”

“You know what?” she asked, getting up and
going to the door. “Fuck you. I don’t need your help, you fake-ass
Blood.”

The force of the door slamming caused an
empty E & J bottle to fall off the top shelf. JJ didn’t bother
to clean the glass up. He picked up his cell phone and called
Regina.

“Hello?”

“Hey, I’m on my way home. I just ate the
dude’s food.”

“Ate whose food, JJ? What are you talking
about?”

“That means I just killed the nigga I’ve been
looking for. His brains are everywhere.”

“JJ, you better get your ass back up here
before you end up in prison!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be on the first bus there.
Don’t sell my shit!”

“
Hello. This is Katerine
Gladdins from
over here at Isness Publishing. Is this Brenâe Reems I’m speaking
with?”

“Yes, this is,” Misty replied. “Is there a
problem with my books?”