Rozalyn 5 Read online

  They each grabbed hold of one of my legs, not wanting to let me go in case something was about to happen. Sadly they were used to the drama and had the instinct to protect their family already in them at such an early age.

  "My name is Rico. I've been trying to get in contact with your husband, but to no avail. It seems as though he owes me some money, and since I can't collect from him, I came to collect from you," he said as he turned around to face me. His gaze ran over my body and his eyes dripped with lust as he brought them back up to my face.

  "No one else is here," I heard someone say from behind me.

  I peered over my shoulder to see someone coming inside of the house. He had Black in front of him with a gun pointed to his head. This headache wasn't going to get better any time soon.

  Chapter 2

  Latoya

  You Should've known better

  You Should've known better than to think I would leave

  You should've known better than to doubt me

  It don't matter if you're up, matter if you're down

  Either way I'm gonna be around

  You should've known that I would stay by your side

  ~Monica~

  This house was just too damn big for me. I hated living here by my damn self and missed having Taron around. My mother lived here with me, but she was all the way on the other side of the house and I hardly ever saw her. Most times her fiancé Jerry would keep her so occupied that I often forgot that she was even here.

  Keymani kept me busy most times, but whenever she was asleep or off into her cartoons, I really felt the loneliness of not having someone to hold me a night, or someone to cook for and cater to.

  Inheriting Keylan's fortune was nice, but I swear most times I wish I could go back to what I once was. I didn't mind working for mine at all. At least then, I was able to get a decent nigga to look my way. Now, niggas was so suspect that it was hard to consider anything serious with them. It seemed like I would forever be lonely. Year after year it was the same shit with these looney tune ass dudes.

  I pulled my shirt down over my little stomach and glanced at it in the full size mirror. I was only three months along and still had a long ways to go. I'm sure Taron thought I was lying to him about being pregnant, but I wasn't. I really was pregnant yet again with his child.

  It wasn't a trap scheme or no shit like that, although I did stop taking my birth control. Even then, I wasn't trying to get pregnant with his child. He never wanted to use condoms, and as he wasn't worried about it, then neither was I.

  The pregnancy just happened; pretty much coming out of nowhere. Of course when I found out I was elated and actually believed that Taron would leave Journey for me. I mean we already had one child together, and all he did was complain about her.

  He claimed he loved that girl, but I knew differently. He loved me. I mean; a man wouldn't spend so much of his time with a woman if he didn't care about her. I wish he had just been man enough to admit that to Journey back then.

  "Don't you have an appointment in like thirty minutes Toya," my mama Tanya said with Keymani holding onto her leg.

  "Yes, and if I don't hurry I'm gonna be late."

  "Your ass always waiting until the last minute to get dressed."

  "I know, but this damn morning sickness didn't wanna quit today. I just got out of bed like twenty minutes ago," I said as I shook my head.

  "Okay, well we're gonna take Keymani down to the park in a few. The weather feels so nice."

  "Alright, by mama. Gimme kiss Key baby."

  I leaned over and kissed Keymani and rushed to get my shoes on. I had a very important meeting downtown and if I didn't hurry I would be late. I knew that with it being the summer, the traffic was more than thick with everybody trying to hit the beach or do a little shopping on the Ave. I grabbed my keys and my purse and hurried out of the house.

  ***

  I walked into Levi & Portman law office and told the secretary that I was here for my 2:00 appointment. I took a seat in the waiting area and fiddled with my thumbs. This was the third lawyer that I'd dealt with in the past two months, and the previous two didn’t seem to understand how serious I was about getting Taron out of prison.

  He didn't belong there. I needed him to be here for me, Keymani, and for our new baby when it came. Not only that, no matter how much I wanted to forget about the whole thing—I knew he was having a hard time dealing with the death of Journey. Jail was not the place for someone to grieve. He was depressed and sad all the time and just needed to get out of that place, and I was gonna make it happen.

  I had to admit that I had so much regret for my part in what had led to Journey's suicide. I should've never came at her like how I did and wished that I could turn back the hands of times. My ass could be so evil and vindictive at times that I don't realize how brutal the consequences of my actions can be until it's just too late.

  Taron couldn't completely blame me in this though. This shit wasn't entirely my fault. He had to know that he was just as much as responsible as I was. He laid up with me and constantly told me that he was gonna be with me. He always expressed how much he loved me, so I was only acting on the emotion that he stirred up within me.

  I had my heart into our relationship when honestly I was nothing more than his sidepiece. True enough, I should've played my role, but it doesn't excuse the fact that he made me feel more than just a jump off. He could've just fucked me from time to time instead of pretending to love me if he really didn’t.

  If he had done that and kept it true to himself and me, then who knows where we would be right now. Just maybe Journey would still be here. Lord knows that I never wanted that to happen to her.

  "Latoya Daniels, Mr. Portman will see you in his office now," the thin framed secretary said.

  I got up and followed her down the long hallway that led to a huge corner office in the back of the building. She led me inside, and I took a seat in one of the comfy leather chairs that sat in front of Mr. Portman's desk.

  He was a chocolate older man with a salt and pepper beard and huge round brown eyes. He was very handsome and had some huge hands that I could tell he knew how to use.

  "Ms. Daniels thank you for coming. Sorry, I'm running a few minutes behind, but I did have a chance to go over Taron's case with my colleague a few days ago. I think that we will be able to help you," Mr. Portman said in his deep baritone.

  I licked my lips and sat forward in my seat, "No, I don't think you understand. I need to know that you will be able to help me. Thinking just won't cut it for me. I'm willing to pay whatever it is that you require—money is not a factor."

  Mr. Portman cleared his throat and removed his glasses from his face. He took his fingers and pinched the bridge of his nose before he leaned back in his oversized leather chair.

  I watched his facial expression changed a few times before he finally brought his attention back to me. A smirk suddenly appeared on his face, and his eyes narrowed to let me know that what he was about to say was serious.

  I was all ears.

  "I will be honest with you, Ms. Daniels—"

  "Call me Latoya."

  "Latoya, federal cases aren’t easy to try. Normally if the feds come after you then it's because they have built up a case and have some concrete evidence against you. We have a record of 26 wins and 12 losses in federal court so as you can see it can go either way.

  But I will tell you that if I can't get him completely off; I can definitely get him a light sentence. We are the best firm in Miami, and we are the people that you should have working on your husband's case."

  "He's not my husband, but that's what I like to hear; some confidence. So how soon will I see some results? He has yet to go to court, and he tells me that he knows that they keep postponing the date with hopes that he will turn on his brother," I told him as I relaxed a little in my seat.

  "I don't remember reading about a brother in his case file."

  "That's because his brother do
esn't have anything to do with what Taron has been charged with. His brother is allegedly a huge drug lord that the feds want to bring down, but haven't had much success. They know that Taron has information that will assist them, but of course he is refusing to give them anything."

  "I see."

  "Yes, so he's currently sitting in prison without any indication on what's going to happen to him all because he won't snitch."

  "Hmm. Well I'll go down first thing in the morning to talk with Taron and then get my paralegals to research and gather everything I will need to fight this case. I can't say that it will be a quick process, but I will get the ball rolling."

  "Great, so how much do I owe you?"

  "To retain my services and to get things started is going to require a down payment of $125,000. Once I see what I'm working with, I'll let you know of any other cost, but I have to let you know that we could be looking at well over a million dollars once it's all said and done."

  "Not a problem. I'll write you a check now," I reached into my purse and took out my checkbook and a pen when Mr. Portman stopped me.

  "We only take cashier's checks, or credit cards."

  "I will go to the bank and be back in thirty minutes."

  Mr. Portman nodded, and I tossed my checkbook and pen back into my purse. I got up from my chair, satisfied that something was going to happen in Taron's favor. I could feel it and knew that I had made a good decision when I chose Levi & Portman to represent him.

  I didn't care about the cost. The end result was all that mattered, and if I had to go broke to see that Taron was out of the trouble he was in—then I would. Besides it wasn't like it was my money to begin with.

  "So, if he isn't your husband does that mean you're single?" Mr. Portman asked causing me to stop in my tracks. I turned to look at him and caught the flirtatious grin he was shooting in my direction.

  "Yea, you could say that," I told him and cocked my head to side.

  "Well, if it's okay with you, I would love to take you out sometime. Maybe see a movie and get some dinner. My treat. How about it?"

  "I don't know. I mean, is it standard that you mix business with pleasure?"

  "Only when I see something that I truly like and it's not often that I do. So no, it's not standard."

  I laughed, "You have my number. Call me, and we'll talk about it."

  "Sure will."

  I waved good-bye to him and quickly left his office. He might not have been what I would have originally gone for, but maybe that was my problem. Everything I liked seemed to be not working out. Maybe it was time that I tried something different. If Taron didn't get his act together then Mr. Portman seemed like a lovely prospect.

  Chapter 3

  Jamir

  Feels like 100 years

  Pussy ass cracker give a nigga a hundred years

  Have ya mama leavin' out the courtroom in tears

  Crackers don't love to have a nigga breathin' for real

  Take a nigga life from him they don’t know how it feel

  ~Plies~

  I pulled my Gucci shades from my face and unhooked the last two buttons of my suit. Before taking my seat, I took in a sharp breath and let it all back out. The deep brown benches that we sat on were hard as hell and immediately caused some discomfort.

  I did my best to relax, but the nervousness I felt was starting to take over. Out of nowhere, I jumped to my feet and stepped into the middle aisle where I lightly paced the floor. My gaze was to the ground, and my thoughts went through my head slowly as I went over each one of them. I couldn't seem to calm down. I had a feeling that things were gonna go awry.

  It was a bright and early Monday morning, right in the midst of what was looking to be a beautiful summer. I should be out getting money in the sun, but yet I was here dealing with my fucked up family issues.

  My home life was so messed up. To say my shit was dysfunctional was nothing but an understatement. It was more than dysfunctional and far beyond a disastrous. It would more than likely never be the same again, no matter how much time goes by or how many wounds were healed.

  I felt like I was being stretched in three different directions. No doubt I had to be in my brother's corner, but now I had Passion pulling me her way, yet my heart was still with my baby's mom Erica.

  Couldn't believe that things had come to what it had. I had almost lost my brother Justice and here I was for sure about to lose Erica. As much as I wanted to hate her for what she had done, I couldn't.

  She still was the love of my life, and she was the mother of my unborn child. I knew that we would never be together again, but I still didn't want to see her in this position. She was too good of a girl for this prison shit.

  Everybody wanted me to walk away from her after what she'd done, but I honestly felt where she had been coming from. If the shoe had been on the other foot, I would've banged for my brother. Believe that.

  Damn, she looks stressed; I thought as I watched Erica being escorted to the defendant's table. I shook my head as displeasure took its course through my veins. I was disappointed in her because she didn't allow me to handle the situation. She was supposed to trust that I would come to a solution that would work for all of us; something that would've placed her anywhere, but here.

  The courtroom had suddenly fallen quiet as the judge entered from his chambers and took a seat behind the heavily, wide, wooden desk. I tried not to look into Erica's direction, but I couldn't stop my eyes from glazing over her. The jail getup she was wearing didn't suit her at all, and I had never seen her hair look as badly as it did today. I sighed and shot my eyes to the floor.

  "It's gonna be okay, baby. Calm down," Passion whispered to me as she tightened her grip around my hand. I glanced up at her and into her golden brown eyes.

  Passion had been there for me for the last couple of months, and I appreciated every bit of her support. Without her, I knew that I would've gone crazy by now. With Justice almost losing his life and now here today, things had been rough for me.

  Not only that, Tamar was on his death bed and money was getting tight again. I constantly feared that we would end back up in the projects. Everything was just starting to look up for us, but quickly came crashing down.

  Tamar's operation was about to be a powerful one; I could feel it. He had already helped me upgrade my life and promised me that things would get greater later. I only hoped that nigga pulled through and popped up soon. I couldn't go back to nothing. I refused to go back.

  "Okay, will the defendant, please stand up?" the judge ordered.

  Everyone's eyes were suddenly planted on Erica as we all waited for her fate. She slowly stood to her feet, and her baby bump immediately protruded several inches in front of her. The sight of her carrying my unborn in the clown suit caused a tear to form in my eye. I held onto it along with my breath as the judge began to speak.

  "Erica Hinds, you've been charged with attempted murder and felony assault. I've gone over documents from both the prosecution and your attorney including recommendations from the prosecution as well as the counselor's notes.

  With everything that I reviewed, I feel that a sentence of 5 years to be served at the Lockhart Correctional Facility is suitable for the crime that was committed. Your cooperation and time already served will be a factor when you are in front of the parole board, which you will be eligible for in two and half years. If there isn't anything further, thank you counselors, and court is adjourned."

  I shook my head and watched as Erica turned around to face her family with tears streaming down her puffy cheeks. Her mother stood up and reached over the banister to give Erica one last hug before she was whisked away and taken to the women's prison facility.

  For a brief moment, we stared into each other's eyes, and I could see the hurt and the regret she was carrying. I let out a huge sigh, stood to my feet, and stormed out of the courtroom. I needed to get some fresh air and get my thoughts together.

  "Jamir! Jamir wait up!" Passion called a
fter me as I rushed towards the parking lot to my car. "Baby, slow down. My God, I can barely keep up with these damn heels."

  I pulled the door open and dropped down into the seat, quickly cranking the car up. I reached inside the center console, and pulled out a blunt that I wasted no time in lighting and taking a puff from.

  "Damn it, nigga you're gonna leave me. What the hell is wrong with you?" Passion said as she settled into the passenger's seat.

  "What do you mean what's wrong with me? They just gave her five fucking years, Passion," I said stating the fuckin' obvious.

  "Well that's good. Shit she'll be out in two and a half. They should've gave her more."

  "How the fuck is that good? I swear sometimes I don't know about you."

  "Well excuse the fuck out of me Jamir. Who the fuck side is you on? She damn near killed Justice, and you're rooting for them to take it easy on her. What kinda shit is that?"

  "My fucking daughter is going to be born in a damn prison and no matter what Erica did….I still love her. That feeling—it's not going to change."

  Passion folded her arms over her chest and stared out of the window. I pulled out of the space I was parked in and headed towards Passion's home. I was so glad I hadn’t let her ass move in with me when she asked.

  I didn't feel like dealing with her attitude and her jealous ass ways. Shit it was what it was. Erica was the mother of my child and the love I had for would never change for no one—especially not for Passion.

  The whole ride to Passion's house was quiet and long. My thoughts drifted all over the place from my fucked up personal life to my financial situation. It had been a few weeks since I heard anything about Tamar's condition and hadn't been able to get in contact with his wife Rozalyn.

  Every time I spoke with that cat Black, he hardly answered my calls, and whenever he did, he would always brush me off. I was thinking that I should go over to their house sometime this week and find out what was going on.