Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 (The Saga Continues) Read online

  that he probably was behind, and instead of playing the role of the grieving husband, he was hanging

  around with this worthless bitch. I didn’t know whether to admire the set of bal s on Duke, or be

  appal ed. Regardless, I stil wanted his bitch ass dead and six feet under.

  “That nigga gotta be sel ing drugs because you can’t cop a whip like that with a regular job.” T.J.

  commented as we both witnessed Diamond close the passenger side door of Duke’s car. “Every

  time that nigga pick her up or drop her off niggas around here be gritting on him. He don’t ever get

  out of the car when he come out here, so don’t nobody knows how he look. That nigga, Craig, from

  building four said if he ever catch homeboy outside his whip, he gon’ rob his ass and take his car for

  a joy ride.”

  “How often does he come out here?” I wanted to know.

  “He comes out here almost every day. If he ain’t picking her up, he’s dropping her off.”

  “Did you see him pick her up today?” I continued to question T.J. If he tel s me that Duke did in fact

  pick her up today, then she had to be in the car with him when he rode by the club tonight.

  “Nah, I been out here al day and this is my first time seeing that car today,” he replied.

  Instead of dril ing T.J. with more questions, I turned off the ignition and stepped out of the truck.

  When I planted both of my feet on the ground I immediately became nervous. T.J. looked at me like I

  was crazy. “Whatcha getting ready to step to her?” he asked.

  The fact that T.J. had reminded me about what I was about to do, made me want to stop and

  think of another way to approach this situation. Don’t get me wrong, Diamond wasn’t your typical

  Laila Ali. She wouldn’t step on a sour grape in a fruit fight. She was one of those bitches that would

  talk shit to you but when you step to her she’d back down every single time. So I wasn’t worried

  about her throwing her fists up. I was more worried that she’d cal him and tel Duke where I was. I

  was sure with his connections he knew I was out of jail. His ass had everyone from bail bondsmen,

  prosecutors and city councilmen on his payrol . But what he didn’t know was where I was.

  T.J. chuckled. “Don’t beat her ass too bad,” he said. I looked back at him with uncertainty, even

  though I knew she was no match for me. I tried to come up with a quick plan on how I would approach

  her. She had about two hundred feet from the parking lot to her apartment. If I wanted to get to her

  before she had time to get into her apartment and close the door, then I needed to sprint across the

  street right now. But when I tried to lift one foot up from the ground, it seemed impossible. I don’t know

  if I was in shock or what. But I knew that something wasn’t quite right with me.

  “Why you just standing there? I thought you wanted to run up on her, so you can get your dough?”

  I wanted to answer T.J. but my heart was beating louder than I thought.

  “You better get over there before she get to her apartment,” he warned me. It was like TJ was

  coaching me into doing something I knew wouldn’t have a good outcome. With al the feelings I had

  harboring in my heart for Diamond, I knew if I came within two feet of her, I would seriously do some

  damage to her. Who knows, I’d probably catch a murder charge when it was al said and done. And

  then I wil be right back in jail and I wouldn’t be getting out.

  “Screw her. She ain’t worth it. I’l catch up with her grimy ass later,” I final y said and then I realized I

  was able to move my feet again. I chuckled to myself. “God has a funny way of working things out,” I

  uttered quietly.

  “Whatcha say?” T.J. blurted out.

  “I'm talking to myself,” I told him and then I turned around and got back into the truck.

  When I started the truck up and revved the engine, T.J. leaned towards the driver side window and

  said, “Want me to shout her ass out whenever I see her coming outside again and tel her that you

  were looking for?”

  “No. Don't tel that bitch shit!”

  “Good. ’Cause I real y don't like the bitch anyway. She got smart with me a couple of months ago

  and she think I forgot al about it.”

  “That’s just how she is. She doesn’t fuck with anyone who she can’t benefit from. But trust me,

  her fucking days are numbered. I just wish I would’ve known you didn’t fuck with her like that, because

  I wouldve gotten you and one of your homeboys to run up in her spot to get al my shit I left in there

  before I got bagged up by the police. That is, if the bitch hasn’t gotten rid of it herself.”

  “Boy, I would’ve loved to break into her shit. Me and my boys haven’t done that shit in a long time.

  So it would have been funny as hel ,” T.J. expressed as he smiled.

  I let out a long sigh. “Glad to know. So I guess I’l hit you up later. As a matter of fact, give me a

  number.”

  “You got something to write with?” HE asked me.

  “Wait, hold up,” I told him as I searched in the armrest of the truck for an ink pen. When I found one

  I also grabbed a business card Bishop must’ve taken from someone prior to him coming to Virginia.

  The business card was from a chick by the name of Karen Wheeler, who happened to be a

  mortgage broker from Newark, New Jersey. From the looks of her photograph, she was a very

  attractive woman. Too bad she wouldn’t be talking to him anymore.

  Immediately after I scanned the front of the business card, I flipped it over and began to write

  down T.J.’s cel phone number. After I was done I assured him that I would be giving him a cal .

  “Take care of your business Ma.”

  “I wil .”

  T.J. walked away from the truck and then I slowly exited the parking lot. Before I drove away, I

  noticed she turned on the light in the living room and then three seconds later the bedroom light came

  on. I shook my head because I realized that nothing about her had changed. Not even her movement

  throughout her apartment. Like clockwork, she’d always turn on the living room light as soon as she

  walked into the apartment, fol owed by her going straight to her bedroom and turning on the light as

  wel . She was afraid of the dark. She would never sleep without some kind of light around her. Her TV

  ran al night long most of the time. I’ve heard people say that when a person is afraid of the dark,

  that’s because they are the devil. I never believed it until now.

  It was only a matter of time before the fires of hel rain down on her stupid, scary ass.

  Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 Unique

  Where the Fuck Am I Going Now?- Chapter Ten

  I wished like hel I could’ve gotten a chance to beat Diamond’s snitching ass up.

  Luckily for her, I changed my mind and decided to come at her another way. I realized I do a lot of

  things on impulse. I never real y thought things out, which was why things around me always seemed

  to fal apart.

  As I drove away from the old neighborhood it dawned on me that I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t

  go back to the hotel for fear that my life could be in danger. So where in the hel was I going to lay my

  head tonight? One part of me wanted to stick my pride in my pocket and cal my ex-boyfriend Devin.

  Sure he was a self-centered asshole who couldn't keep his dick in his pants. Besides the issues with

  his cheating he was a big liar. I couldn’t count the times that sorry as
s nigga got caught in a whole

  bunch of lies. After a couple of years of his bul shit I final y threw in the towel. Don’t get me wrong,

  Devin was a handsome ass guy. He even had a body to die for, and did I mention how good his fuck

  game was? He had my dumb ass open. I couldn’t see the forest from the trees. Anything he said was

  always written in stone. Self-esteem issues were a huge factor in that relationship.

  So today, I was so glad I could cal him tonight and ask him to let me sleep over and not feel the

  pressures of fucking him to do so. After al , the bastard owed me. And I intended to col ect. I mean, al I

  wanted was a warm bed to sleep in tonight and in the morning I would be gone.

  I wasn’t sure if he had the same number but nothing beats a failure but a try. I pul ed over to a

  service station off Military Highway, because I noticed they had a pay phone outside. Bishop had a lot

  of change in the armrest, so I dug in and grabbed two quarters. It felt foreign for me to be using a pay

  phone. I mean, who done that these days? Everyone I’ve run into had a cel phone, so I couldn’t

  believe that pay phones stil existed. Not to mention, who'd think I would need to use one? I felt real y

  weird.

  After I dialed Devin’s cel phone number I crossed my fingers and hoped that he’d answer my cal

  even though he didn’t recognize the number. He was big on not taking cal s when he didn’t recognize

  the number. I just hoped that this time it would be different. The phone rang four times on my end and

  when it sounded as if it was about to go to his voicemail, I hurried up and disconnected the line. When

  the money fel down into the change tray, I retrieved it and pushed it back into the change slot and

  began to dial his number again.

  “Devin, answer this time,” I said to myself. To no avail, he didn’t pick up the second time. I am a

  firm believer that things happen for a reason, which only meant that it wasn’t meant for me to get in

  touch with him. Instead of cal ing him again, I hung up the phone again and got my ass back into the

  truck.

  I sat there for a moment and tried to figure out what I was going to do next. I thought about

  sleeping in the backseat of the truck. But either God or my gut told me to go back to Katrina’s house. I

  knew this sounded real y insane on my part but I figured if I played on that bitch’s intel igence and

  acted like a distraught chicken with my head cut off, then she may have a little bit of sympathy for me.

  Trust me, I knew how to play the victim role. I even knew how to act like a dumb blonde. Then hoes

  like Katrina would think that you’re naïve and would feel secure around you. My motive right now was

  to get in good with this chick without making her feel suspicious. At the end of the day, I needed to get

  out of the streets and even though I had reservations, I had to help the cops out. And if it took getting

  close to this cutthroat bitch, then so be it.

  Thinking about the horrible death of Bishop began to weigh heavily on my mind. I knew I had only

  known him for less than twenty-four hours, but he made an impact on me in those hours I spent with

  him. For the first time in my life, I shared time with a man who had someone else’s best interest in

  heart besides his own. I had ran into a lot of selfish men in my day, so I couldn’t express enough

  about how sorry I was that he got caught up in al of this mayhem going on in this town behind Duke

  Carrington.

  The thought that Bishop could’ve asked me to walk in the club with him gave me the chil s. I mean,

  if he had I would be dead right now. And the sad part about it was, no one would’ve cared. I raced

  back to Katrina’s house believing that Duke wouldn’t be there because he’d just dropped Diamond

  off at her apartment. And even if he hadn’t dropped Diamond off it would seem too risky for him to

  hang out at Katrina’s house anyway. Since the club exploded, and people died, an investigation had

  to be underway soon and al parties would be scoped out, if not investigated altogether.

  Final y, when I pul ed up to her house I noticed another car in the driveway and there were a few

  lights on in the house. I was somewhat hesitant to proceed to her house because of the other car

  being there. After I realized the 2010 Audi belonged to Neeko, I let out a sigh of relief.

  I parked Bishop’s SUV alongside the curve in front of the house. Katrina must’ve heard the engine

  from the truck because right before I turned it off and pul ed the key from the ignition, she peeked

  through the blinds in her bedroom window. I was sure I scared her by pul ing up in this truck, so to put

  her at ease I got out so she could see that was I was alone. I couldn’t say how she was feeling, nor

  could I tel you what was going through her mind, but I do know she wasn't prepared for what I was

  about to throw her way. I put on an expression of pure exhaustion. I knew I had to be dramatic so I

  rushed up to the front door and rung the doorbel frantical y. It took Katrina longer to get to the door

  than I expected. General y, when someone is ringing your doorbel or banging on your door

  hysterical y, then you'd be in a rush to find out what was causing this person to act like that. Not

  Katrina though. Whatever she was doing that prolonged her from answering the door was obviously

  more important. I just hoped that she wasn’t making a phone cal to Duke. If she were, then I knew I

  wouldn’t leave here alive tonight.

  Before she answered the door I said a quick prayer. I knew only God would be able to protect me

  from al of this mess that was going on.

  “What's the matter, are you al right?” she asked immediately after she let me into her house.

  I tried to produce some fake tears but I couldn't. So I became a little more dramatic and said,

  “Katrina, Bishop is dead.”

  Katrina acted like she was surprised. Right then and there I knew that this bitch was a heartless

  ass snake. It appeared to me that she didn't think Bishop told me he was meeting her at the fucking

  club. So I played the dumb role just to see where she wanted to take it.

  After she close the front door she led me into her kitchen and had me sit down in one of the

  kitchen chairs. “Katrina,” I uttered, “Bishop asked me to take a ride with him to the club so he can meet

  someone. And as soon as he went inside the whole place went up in flames.”

  “What? I am not understanding you,” Katrina replied, sounding confused as she stood up next to

  me. She placed her hand over her heart and said, “You’re saying Magic City went up in flames?”

  “Yes. That's what I am saying. And it didn't blow up until Bishop and some other lady went inside.

  ”

  “How do you know Bishop went inside?” she probed me for answers.

  “Because I watched him from the truck,” I told her.

  “Oh my God!” she said and started pacing around in the kitchen. “This can't be. My heart can't

  keep taking al of this. First, it was Neeko. And now it’s Bishop and the club.”

  “What are we going to do?” I asked her. I wanted to get in her head and get as much information

  out of her as I possibly could. I figured as long as I played sil y, then she’d give up the goods.

  “I don't know,” Katrina replied as she continued to pace the kitchen floor. I watched her body

  movement closely. If Bishop hadn't hipped me to what was going on and how sneaky she had

  become, then I would be
clueless as hel . She could’ve pul ed the wool over my eyes and I would not

  have noticed.

  “We got to do something,” I added. “We gotta cal the police and tel them that Bishop was one of

  the people who died in the fire. And that Duke was behind al of it.”

  “No. No. No. That wouldn’t be a good idea,” Katrina replied. Her whole facial expression changed.

  She acted as if just the mention of the name Duke spooked her.

  “Wel then, what are we going to do? We can’t just sit here and act like it didn't happen,” I

  protested. I wanted to test her out and see what I needed to do to press her buttons.

  “You got to give me a minute to take al of this in. Right now, I can't think straight. I mean, I need to

  sit down and col ect my thoughts.” She took a seat in the chair next to me. I watched her bury her

  face in her hands. She stayed in that position for about ninety seconds. And when she lifted her head

  she seemed as if she was in a fucking daze. And for the first time, she looked like she was real y sad

  by this whole ordeal. Tears were literal y fal ing from her eyes. I swear I couldn't detect whether this

  bitch was faking or not.

  I reached over and rubbed her shoulder. I had to pretend that I cared. “It’s going to be al right,” I

  told her. Truthful y, I didn’t even know if I believed that shit. Hel , I didn’t know what was what at that

  moment. Was this bitch that good of an actress or was she genuine and real y felt bad that first

  Neeko, and now Bishop was possibly dead.

  She shook her head at me. “Lynise you just don't understand.”

  “I do understand,” I tried to assure her as I continued to rub her shoulder.

  She snatched away from me abruptly and jumped up from the chair. She scared the shit out of

  me. “No you don’t!” she snapped.

  At that moment, I knew she had come to the end of her rope and she was holding on for dear life.

  She looked like a woman running from an abusive husband. And I could tel that she wanted to confide

  in me, but was hesitant because she didn't know if she could trust me or not.

  If you want to know the truth, she was the bitch that couldn’t be trusted.

  When you run into a person who has problems with trusting others it’s because they’ve been hurt