White Lines III (7 page)

“What you got on?” Baron asked. He sat on the edge of his bed. He was relaxed and comfortable at home after a long day grinding. Despite his previous misfortune in the game, he was still putting in a little work. Gillian kept him under her thumb, though. Still, he managed to carve out a good life for himself. As their father's firstborn, Baron had inherited much. His mother, too, as Doug Nobles' first wife, was a very wealthy woman. And despite their wealth, Baron had a thing for the game. He had been raised in it for as long as he could remember, groomed to be his father's heir apparent. After his shooting and all the time it took to recover, he had unwillingly relinquished control to his sister. Now, whenever he walked into a room—his leg injury had resulted in an odd limp that Baron somehow made cool—he still garnered respect, though not the kind he felt he truly deserved. Baron believed that he belonged on top.

“The kids are here,” Misa reminded him, “so, I'm not wearing nothing sexy tonight. I'm in some shorts and a T-shirt.”

“That's sexy on you,” he said, flirting. “I miss you.” It was true. Baron had a thing for Misa.

“I miss you, too. I'm coming over tomorrow.” She smiled at the thought of it. She needed a physical tune-up. Baron had gotten help for his anger-management problems. He was a changed man to Misa. Despite their past together, the pair were growing more serious as time went by.

“Did you think about what I said?”

“You were serious?” Misa sat up in bed. Baron had suggested that they pack up, move away, and start a family together. Misa wasn't so sure she wanted the very thing she had once desired more than anything in the world.

“Yeah,” he said. “You thought I was playing?”

Misa laughed a little. “Yeah,” she said. “Baron, you're not ready to leave your mother behind.”

“She can come, too, if she wants. But I'm a grown man. I feel like as long as I stay around here, I'll always be my father's son. I'm living in his shadow. I feel like it's time for me to get away from here and be my own man.”

“What about Gillian?” Misa asked.

“What about her?” Baron laid back across his bed. “My sister don't need nobody but herself. She has everything under control. Let's see if she can keep it going without me.”

Misa wasn't sure she believed him. Baron and his sister had a complicated relationship. They loved each other one minute, and hated each other the next. Still, Misa wondered if Baron was truly ready to walk away from the game and all the notoriety that came with it.

“Okay, well … I'll think about it some more and let you know tomorrow when I come over.” Misa clicked off the light and lay in the darkness.

“Shane starts school soon,” Baron reminded her. Since Misa's trial, he had bonded with the kid. “We could go somewhere with a good school district and all that. And then we can start working on a new baby.”

Misa's smile lit up the dark room. “I can't believe this is you, Baron. You're like a completely different guy since…” Misa's voice trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“Since I damn near died!” Baron said. “I feel different. I want to get out of here.” He closed his eyes and imagined the new life he wanted. “Call me tomorrow, and let me know what time you're ready. I'll pick you up.”

Misa could hardly wait to see him. “Good night, baby.”

“Good night.”

 

5

BLOWN

Acapulco, Mexico

Marisol's heart sank as soon as she caught sight of her daughter. Sunny looked strung out for the first time in her life. Her face was drawn, and her already slim frame now looked gaunt and frail. Sunny avoided her mother's gaze as she was led into the room. She felt sick to her stomach and fought back the bile rising in her throat.

Marisol had arrived in Mexico that morning with her son Reuben in tow. They had met with the prison officials and paid the exorbitant price to free Sunny from prison. The exchange had been quick and easy, but the wait for Sunny's release had been a long one. Marisol had paced nervously while the guards went to retrieve Sunny and her belongings. She told herself that she would hold it together when Sunny got there, that she would not cry or fall apart. But nothing had prepared her for seeing her daughter this way, clearly broken by her ordeal.

Tears pooled in Marisol's eyes and she cried out, “
Mija!
” Sunny ran to her mother, and the two women wept as they embraced.

Reuben wiped tears from his own eyes as he stood to greet his sister. Sunny had clearly lost control. Reuben hugged her tightly, feeling her bones through her clothes. He held her face in his hands and shook his head. “You're a mess.”

Sunny nodded, tearfully. “I know.” She looked at him seriously and spoke over the lump in her throat. “Reuben, I have to get the fuck out of this country. Now!”

He felt her urgency, and knew that there was probably more to the story than they already knew. He didn't need to hear anything more. “Let's go.”

He grabbed her luggage, while Marisol grabbed Sunny's hand. They hurried through the doors that the guards held open for them, Sunny's heart racing the whole time. She said a silent prayer of thanks that she was finally free. But she wouldn't feel relieved until her plane was in the air. She half expected someone to rush in at any moment and announce that they had discovered the dead body of the man she killed. As they rushed to the airport, she promised God that if He got her out of this mess, she would never get high again.

*   *   *

Frankie watched Angelle strolling toward him and couldn't resist the urge to leer. Angelle had a body that wouldn't quit. The two of them had known one another since they were kids and had gotten closer over the years. Frankie and his deceased brother had been cool with Angelle's older brother, who was serving a lengthy federal prison sentence. In his absence, Angelle had stepped up and proven to be an asset to the team. That is, until now.

Frankie had called her and asked her to meet him at the corner of Fifty-Seventh Street and Fifth Avenue so that they could discuss the crew's recent decision to sever ties with Angelle and the doctors she worked for. Even in the sea of people out shopping and sightseeing on the busy stretch of Midtown Manhattan, Angelle was easy to spot. She smiled when she saw him and greeted Frankie with a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

“What's up, Frankie B?”

“Nah, the question is, what's up with you?” Frankie frowned slightly. “Why do I have to hear from other people that your office is under investigation? Why didn't I hear that directly from you?”

Angelle shook her head. “Cuz I ain't even know about it, that's why.” She gestured animatedly with her hands as she spoke. “Dr. Tatum got greedy. Instead of being happy with all the money we've been making off prescriptions with your crew, he decided to get involved with steroids and all that type of shit. He had been doing that for a while with no problems. But he fucked around and gave steroids and HGH to a bodybuilder who had a heart transplant … it was a mess. The guy died. I had no clue about any of this until Zion called to tell me that y'all wasn't dealing with us anymore. He said that Grant let him know about the investigation.”

Frankie frowned at her. “Zion called you? Since when do you talk to him?” Frankie had always been the middleman in the business Angelle did with the crew.

Angelle nodded. “Yeah, he called me yesterday. He was on some real bullshit. But that shit with Dr. Tatum and the steroids … that shouldn't matter. Nobody knows nothing about the prescription pills we've been moving. I work with the brother-in-law directly on that, and he's not on nobody's radar.”

“The whole damn office is under investigation, Angelle. You can't be sure that they don't know about the pills, too.”

She shrugged. “I hear you, Frankie. I know you're in a tough position. But to tell you the truth, it's been all good even without y'all. It's not like the operation shut down just cuz Gillian said so. I'm still making money. Good money. So it is what it is.”

Frankie looked at her sidelong. He knew that Gillian had overreacted. It sounded like Angelle's situation may have been overblown. “Come walk with me to Niketown.” Frankie nodded toward the flagship sneaker store. “Let's talk and see if we can figure something out.”

Angelle adjusted her Louis bag on her shoulder and walked alongside Frankie gladly.

*   *   *

Born felt like he was experiencing a bad case of déjà vu. Years ago, he had done the same thing that he was doing now—attempting to assuage his longing for Jada by spending time with Anisa. This time, though, he intended to be up front about what was going on. He sat on a stool in Anisa's kitchen, as she packed a lunch for Ethan to take to school. Their son was upstairs getting dressed, and Born seized the opportunity to clear the air.

“I want to talk to you,” he said.

Anisa paused and looked at him. “About what?”

“Us. What we're doing.” Born searched for the right way to begin.

Anisa saved him the trouble. “You mean you want to let me know that we're not back together.” She shrugged. “I know that, Born. I'm not dumb.”

He was caught off guard. He hadn't expected that. “I never called you dumb.”

She retrieved a juice box from the refrigerator and stuck it in Ethan's lunch bag. “It would be dumb to think that you and I can just snap our fingers and go back to being a couple. I know that you're still not over Jada.”

Born stared at her, speechless. He didn't know what to make of her matter-of-factness.

Anisa continued. “We don't have to label this … thing that's happening between us. It is what it is. I'm not the young girl you knocked up years ago.”

Born laughed at that depiction, and Anisa chuckled, too.

“I see the situation clearly. So don't worry.” She turned to place the cutting board in the sink. He checked her out from behind. Anisa always looked good. There had never been any doubt about that. But, she was a handful. Not that Jada wasn't, too. The difference was that Jada had stolen his heart long before Anisa sauntered on the scene.

Still, Born had to admit that Anisa was beautiful, even after all these years. She had grown out her hair, rocking it in its naturally curly state, and her hair looked like a glorious crown on her head. It was wild, full, and free-flowing, and Born thought it looked so sexy. Anisa caught him staring.

“What you looking at?” she demanded, suppressing a smile.

Born grinned, aware that he was caught. “What made you go all Erykah Badu with your hair?”

Anisa laughed, displaying all of her pretty teeth. “I don't know. I just got sick of relaxers, and weaves, and decided to go natural.” She shrugged. Changing her hair had made her feel liberated. “You like it?”

Born nodded. “I do.”

Anisa sipped her tea and winked at him. Even after all these years, no man she ever dated compared to Born. And, she compared them
all
to Born. Truthfully, she thought Jada was stupid for allowing Born to slip away. But, it was clear that that the Bonnie and Clyde team had broken up. Jada had abandoned Born in favor of her son. Anisa didn't blame her. She just found it funny how things worked out after all.

Born listened as Anisa told him all about her new outlook on life and about the classes she was taking at Wagner College. After a few minutes, she caught herself babbling, and felt embarrassed. She was beginning to like having Born around, and she didn't want to scare him off with all of her talking about natural hair and psychology class.

“Want more?” she asked, holding up the kettle.

Born licked his lips. “More what?”

Anisa's smile widened. “Don't start nothing you can't finish.”

Ethan entered the room, interrupting their exchange. He grabbed his lunch bag off the counter and kissed his mother good-bye. “Ready, Dad?”

Born chuckled. “Yup. Let's go.” He rubbed Ethan's head, playfully, as they headed out the door. He glanced back at Anisa, liking what he was feeling. No pressure. Just going with the flow. He could get used to this.

*   *   *

Jada sat in Silver Lake Park, alone with her thoughts for the first time in weeks. A soft breeze blew. The sun shone on her face, and she wished that she could somehow freeze this moment in time.

Sheldon was at home with the tutor who came to their house each day to give him home instruction. The administrators at his school had determined that his unpredictable behavior warranted him sitting out the rest of the school year. A child who was a danger to himself and others couldn't be trusted to function in a traditional classroom setting. With only three weeks left of school, Sheldon had been assigned a teacher—Mr. Baez—who was well versed in Sheldon's brand of dysfunctional behavior. From day one, Mr. Baez had made it clear that he meant business. Sheldon seemed to sense that this guy wasn't worth testing, and during the four hours they spent together each weekday, Sheldon willingly complied with whatever Mr. Baez said. Today, Jada had seized the opportunity to unwind alone during Sheldon's schooling.

She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that she just couldn't seem to shake. Again, she had awakened from a terrible nightmare. In this one, she had the sense that she was alone in a pitch-black room, but a paralyzing fear gripped her anyway. She didn't know how she'd gotten there or how she would get out. The absence of light was one thing. But what really sent her into a state of hysteria was a sound—like a humming noise—that started off low. Then slowly it swelled into a full crescendo of laughter. Sinister, menacing laughter. And it was familiar. It was Jamari.

Fear gripped Jada's throat, preventing her from crying out. She was petrified. She couldn't make out Jamari in the blackness of the room, but there was no mistaking the sound of that voice. She stood pinned by terror in the corner against a wall. The sound got closer. Louder. Within moments, she could feel his hot breath on her face as he stood before her and laughed ominously inches from her. Jada lashed out, swinging wildly, scratching and clawing. And she had awakened from her nightmare that way, tearing at the sheets on her bed as if she were fighting for her life.