The Conglomerate: A Luxorious Tale (26 page)

             
“Girl, I told God that if he stops the room from spinning for five minutes I would never ever drink again.” Joey took a seat and was instantly repulsed by the foods that she normally adored. Occupying the center of the table was a chilled seafood platter of king crab legs, prawns, oysters, and clams next to a pitcher of Cote De Provence Rosé Sangria. Joey covered her mouth and swallowed hard to keep from dry heaving.

A waiter appeared and asked Joey, “
Would you like for me to pour you a glass of sangria?”

             
“No! I need a ginger ale and saltine crackers.”

             
“That shit is not going to help,” Kisa jumped in and took over. “Bring her a Bloody Mary, that will cure your hangover. And can you bring me a lobster thermidor please?”

             
“Yes,” the waiter replied and turned his attention to Joey. “Would you like to place your order also?”

             
“Yeah I need to get something on my stomach,” she scanned the menu. “Let me get the Vegetable Pissaladiere, my stomach can’t take any seafood right now.”

             
The old friends kicked it about their children, reminisced a little, and made plans to attend the upcoming fall fashion week in New York. After two Bloody Mary’s, some ginger ale, and food; Joey felt anew so she moved on to the topic that she was there to discuss. Joey disclosed everything to Kisa from finding Evan passed out in front of the L-Room to Evan revealing her former life as a robber.

             
Kisa was floored by what she’d heard. “I knew that Evan had some shit with her. Back in the day when we used to make little moves when she’d come through with the cocaine, I’d wonder if we got popped would she hold up or would she rat. Evan has that selfish type of energy sometimes. You couldn’t have told me in a thousand years that this bitch was robbing niggas.”

             
“Zay had a feeling that dude she was with back then was robbing or they both were robbing.”

             
“What did he say when you told him that you found out she was robbing?”

             
“I haven’t told him yet.”

             
“Wait a minute- wait a minute, you haven’t told him?”

             
“Kane, honest to God I was going to tell him the night that I found out, but then we fell out over a text message some bitch sent him. Then Dawhar attacked me and plus I really didn’t want to say anything until Evan found out who was stalking her and if they was the person that killed Petey.”

             
“From what you told me there is no question that the shooting at the L is tied to Evan’s bullshit. Everyone around her is at risk until this shit gets resolved. That is so crazy that you haven’t told Zay though. He could’ve had this shit handled.”

             
“You’re right,” Joey sighed. “I can’t even argue with you.” Joey looked left and did a double take when she saw Cee speed walking toward her.

             
“Hey Kane,” Cee bent over out of breath.

             
“What’s up Cee? Why are you breathing so hard?”

             
Holding up her palm, Cee took a few moments to catch her breath. “I ran all the way from the valet stand at the front of the Fontainebleau to back here.”

             
“Why?” Joey asked.

             
“Because, your husband is not too far behind me and he is on fire. I have never seen him this mad before. I mean his whole aura is red right now.”

             
“Mad for what?”

             
“From what I could make out on the other side of the door he was hollering about a robbery, his cousin was shot, your name and Evan’s.”

             
Taking a deep breath, Joey exhaled, “Oh my God it’s always some shit.”

Looking in her phone, Kisa picked up a pen, and wrote on a napkin. She folded the p
aper and slid it across the table. “This is a number for my people. She’s good at tracking people.” Kisa stood, leaned across the table, and whispered in Joey’s ear, “The murder game is her thing too.”

             
“Uh oh,” Cee said. “Here he comes.”

             
A visibly angry Zay was headed straight at them. He didn’t acknowledge anyone. He grabbed Joey’s arm, “The fuck is up yo.” Joey yanked her arm from his grasp.

              “Don’t curse at me like that.”

             
“Don’t do that,” he warned. “I’m so heated right now I can barely contain myself. Unless you want to be embarrassed in ways that you never been, I advise you to get your ass up so that we can leave.”

Knowing he meant every word that he said, Joey got
up, quickly hugged Kisa good bye and left the restaurant.

             
The walk from La Cote to the front of the Fontainebleau was a bit lengthy to begin, but at that time it felt endless for Joey. Not a word was exchanged between the trio until they reached the valet area. Jason was waiting in a chauffeured Mercedes S600. Joey followed Cee to the 600 and was about to get in when Zay yelled out, “Ayo you riding with me.” He got into 2013 ice blue Lamborghini Aventador with cream interior. It belonged to a luxury vehicle rental company that his yachting business partnered with to provide vehicles to his yacht renters. Zay had borrowed the Lambo for a romantic excursion he’d planned to take Joey on later in the day. Those plans were out the window now.

             
Guiding the car out the lot Zay said, “Make me understand why three of my stash spots got hit last night. My cousin was shot and nearly bled to death and the cock sucka who did it is screaming you and shiesty ass Evan owe him money!”

             
Perplexed Joey shrugged. “I don’t know why anybody would say that I owe them anything. I don’t have anything to do with that shit!”

             
“What shit Joey?” Zay roared, shifting gears increasing the car’s speed.

             
“I meant to tell you this a long time ago,” Joey began nervously, “but then we fought about the text message, Dawhar attacked me, and I kinda wanted to wait until Evan found out.”

             
“Yo,” he yelled. “Stop talking in fucking circles and tell me what the hell is going on.”

             
“The night of the funeral Evan told me that her and Gage were sticking up drug dealers back in the day and not regular ones— king pin type dudes. For a while now she has been getting stalked and she believes that it could be one of the people that she robbed.” For the second time that day, Joey recited what Evan told her.

             
Zay listened silently in gross disbelief for the twenty minute ride. By the time they arrived at Kendall-Tamiami Airport, Joey was finished. He parked the car next to the awaiting ten passenger luxury chartered jet. For five minutes he didn’t speak he just watched as the luggage was loaded onto the jet. Joey could tell by his throbbing jaw muscle that he was thirty-eight hot. She didn’t dare to open her mouth until he indicated that he was ready for her to talk.

             
Jason tapped on the driver’s window, “You good bruh?”

             
Staring straight ahead, Zay nodded his head up and down.

             
Jason looked over at Joey then back at Zay, “we’re going to go ahead and get on the jet.”

             
“We’ll be on there in a minute,” Zay said breaking his silence. Walking away Jason wondered,
how in the hell did sis-in-law get tied up in
this shit?

             
Zay looked over at Joey and calmly stated, “You whack and you just as shady as Evan is. That’s the real reason you didn’t tell me about this bullshit.”

             
“I just told you why I didn’t tell you at first.”

             
“Because a bitch texted me. You gon’ ride with that excuse?”

             
“It ain’t no excuse it’s the truth.”

             
“I don’t care if you caught me fucking a hoe in our bed!” he exclaimed thunderously. “You don’t keep no shit like this from me! That’s how I know it’s more to this story than you’re telling and that’s why you didn’t tell me a long time ago.”

             
“There is nothing that I’m not telling you,” Joey screamed with tears spilling from her eyes.

             
“Why is this muhfucka saying you owe him?”

             
“I don’t know!” she shouted.

             
“What the fuck ever you lying ass bitch!”

Anger over came Joey, “I’m a liar? I’m grimy? Fuck you Zay! This morning I was the best wife in the world when you were drunk! Now my word don’t mean shit? Go fuck yourself.” she got out the car.

              Zay hurried out and shot around to the front of the car and got in her face. Snarling less than an inch from her face he said, “Because you’re my wife, I haven’t wrapped my hands around your throat and choked your ass out. Isaac, my aunt’s only child, almost died! The money and the work that was taken I have to replace! All because of some dumb shit you silly ass hoes did.”

             
“On my kids I swear to you Zay,” she pleaded. “I don’t have anything to do with this.”

             
Zay knew whenever Joey swore on their kids she was telling the absolute truth. Though he felt a twinge of relief that she didn’t have anything to do with Evan’s mess, he was still vexed that Joey hadn’t told him what she’d learned about Evan.

             
“Okay so maybe you didn’t have anything to do with it, but you still kept something so serious from me and look what happened.”

             
“I’m not wearing the blame for this,” Joey spat, “this shit comes with the game! If it hadn’t been this muthafucka that’s stalking Evan it would have been a stick-up kid. If you can’t take the bad consequences get out the game.”

             
“Get out the game!” he exploded. “I was on my way out the game, but now I’m stuck in it another year all because of your hard-headed ass!”

             
“Because of me how?”

             
“You don’t listen! I told you ten years ago that Evan wasn’t straight. You didn’t listen. I told you that Dawhar was lusting after you and you didn’t listen,” he mushed her forehead with his index finger. “You took the nigga in your office and he beat ya ass trying to take ya pussy.”

             
The tears poured faster and harder as she tried to figure out how he could bring up one of the most painful experiences of her life and throw it in her face so callously.

             
“I had to deal with Dawhar because of you,” he shoved his finger against her forehead again, “you never listen.”

             
“What do you mean you
dealt
with him?” Joey whined.

             
This ain’t for her,
he reminded himself.
But she needs to know how what she does affects more than her.
Leaning close to Joey’s ear he said, “I killed him and the only way I could do it right was to get help from Asaad. Now, I owe him another year of moving heroine.” He walked away then came back. “Before you ever tell me to get out the game again, remember you’re the reason that I can’t. You simple minded bitch.”

***

              After landing in Charlotte, Jason and Zay got into a waiting black Suburban driven by Donavan. They took off to check on Isaac— he was in the ICU at Carolina’s medical center.  From there, Zay wanted to access the losses from the robberies. Joey and Cee got into Joey’s Range Rover which had been parked at the small private airport.  Joey started the car, yanked into gear, and sped out the lot.

             
“What about the bags?”  Cee asked Joey.

             
“They’re going to deliver them to my house,” Joey replied.  Her eyes were red and puffy from crying during the entire flight.

             
“You didn’t say a word on the jet. Can you tell me what’s going on now?”  Cee asked genuinely concern.

             
“Our dear best friend and business partner, Evan Dooley, was playing foul when she was attending Clark. Her foul ways have caught up to her.”

             
“What was she doing?”

             
“Evan and Gage were robbing major dealers.”

             
“Shut up! You’re lying.”

             
“No on the real they were.  And now one of them is on her ass.  Evan doesn’t know who it is and because they think I owe them money too, they robbed Zay’s stash houses last night. Stash houses that I didn’t even no existed.”

             
“Wow. That shit don’t even sound real. I can’t even picture Evan’s snooty ass robbing anybody, let alone a drug dealer. When did she tell you this?”