Rozalyn 4 Read online

  I turned to walk away with Black following behind me. I still used my boy Black whenever I needed shit done in Dallas. This nigga owed me a thousand damn favors being that his girl’s people was the one that damn near killed Rozalyn. He would always be indebted to me, but lucky for him, I wasn't that type of dude.

  I still paid him for his services mainly because I knew, in due time, I would be handling the muthafucka’ that shot her and because, all-in-all, Black was a good dude. The only thing I wanted from him was to bring me the nigga who shot my fucking wife.

  "So, what do you think about what he said?" Black asked.

  "Muthafucka’ is lying, but I'll hear from him with the truth real soon. While I'm waiting on him to do that, I need you to keep a close eye on him. Watch his every move and let me know what's up."

  Black nodded his head and looked over my shoulder at Imran. I took a wad of money out of my pocket and handed it to him before heading to my car. My mind was consumed with so much bullshit that it was hard to determine what I wanted to sort out first.

  No lie. No matter what was going on, I couldn't get my wife off my mind and this whole J.B. situation. Her and all this revenge fucking was getting on my damn nerves. Had it not been for the fact that I can't stand to see her with another man, I would've let that ass go.

  I won't act like I've done nothing wrong because I've done plenty, but Rozalyn knew what it was from jump. Money, the status, the street fame; it all came with the territory. I'm gonna fuck other chicks, but as long as I took care of home, none of that even matters. None of it was supposed to matter. Rozalyn was expected to respect the game, but instead she had the shit all twisted up and fucked up my head in the process.

  I lit up a Newport, rested my head against the seat of my car, and silently thought about everything Rozalyn and I had gone through. Trying to remember a moment when we were just happy. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of shit but all the tragic moments, all the fighting, the cheating, none of the happy times. We needed more of those damn memories.

  ***

  After leaving Dallas, I flew back to Miami where I had a meeting with Rico and his dad, Reynaldo. They were who I hooked up with once Dmitri and his pops dropped me and decided to do business with that psycho Marvin or Messiah; whatever the hell his name was. Rico and his pops ran a pretty tight-knit cartel out of Mexico and had a few states in the U.S.

  Nothing major, that is, until I came along. I already had major shit popping off in Atlanta and Miami, so it was nothing to maintain control while I copped from a new connect. Since I'd been living in Houston, I'd set up things there and was working my way over to Dallas.

  Once Dallas was up and running, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and on and on until I controlled the whole Southern half of the U.S. Nothing on this magnitude had ever been done by a black man other than when the BMF ran shit. But I was determined to make it happen and do it better than they did.

  It wasn't even about the money for me anymore. It was about the power and knowing that I was the true definition of a boss.

  "What's up my friend? You good?" Rico asked as he walked onto the deck of the hotel room where I’d been waiting.

  "Yeah. Got a lil' situation that came up but everything is everything," I said and shook Rico's hand.

  "Oh yeah? Is there something I can help you with?"

  "I don't know. I kinda wanted to handle it myself but I guess I have enough on my plate," I exhaled. "My moms and lil' sister were attacked a few days ago and someone was adamant about me no longer doing business with Imran."

  "The cat that you've been supplying in Dallas, right?" Rico asked as he fired up a cigar.

  "Right," I nodded my head. "He called me as soon as I landed and said his uncles were responsible. They supposedly got some shit going on and started up this Black Mafia…"

  "Black Mafia?" Rico questioned as he burst into laughter. "What? Another set of motherfuckers trying to copy those BMF cats? Yeah right."

  "I don't know, but I think this shit is personal rather than business. The main dude, Dom doesn't want me dealing with his nephew because I fucked his wife. I would fuck the bitch again but I promised the wife I'd be good."

  Rico laughed and nodded his head. I fired up a cigarette and took a sip from the glass of Hennessy.

  "So what do you want to happen? I do not and cannot afford to have anything come in between what we have going here. If you fuck this up…"

  "Don't threaten me, Rico. I wanna fuck with his money, fuck his family. Stop his cash flow, take his legs from underneath him. Anything that brings him money… stop it.”

  "Does that include your guy Imran?"

  "He's cut off. I'll find somebody else to take over that side of town. Don't worry about that."

  "No problem. I'll get somebody on it right away. Now since we’re asking for favors…" Rico paused and took another puff from his cigar. I rolled my eyes ‘cause I knew he had only offered to help me so that his request would easily be obliged. "Donald is working with the Feds. He’s supposedly been under investigation for the last three years which means…"

  "I'm under investigation too," I concluded. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

  "We need him handled Tamar. My father and I have worked hard to get where we are today and I know that you’re a big part of making all of this happen. I cannot let anything come in between what we have planned. With or without you…"

  "Rico! Don't fuckin’ threaten me!" I yelled. He knew like I knew that I didn't take threats lightly. I didn't give a fuck what kind of business venture we had going. I would murk this nigga and deal with the consequences later.

  "Just handle him, Tae! And handle him quickly!"

  I flicked my cigarette and headed to leave when Rico stopped me.

  "And this guy DeAngelo we discussed the last time we met."

  I turned on my heels and looked at Rico to be sure I was clear on what he was about to say.

  "It's time to start making examples of niggers-Excuse me....of cowards like him. So I'll let you handle it the best way you see fit. He stole from the wrong motherfucker."

  "It would be nice if you’d step back and let me handle all of this the best way I see fit. He should’ve been handled a long time ago. You do your part and I'ma do mine," I said and walked away with a lot of weight on my shoulders.

  Imran's Uncle Dom had fucked with my family. Donald was talking with the feds, and some small time Dallas hustler named DeAngelo that we tried to put on, had decided he wanted to pull a hoe move and take shit that wasn’t his. I'd gotten so used to sitting back and handing out orders, but now it appears as though it’s time to put both feet back in the game. Full force. Time for me to put in that work.

  5 ROZALYN

  “Tamar!” I yelled, the moment I walked into the house.

  Damn near a week ago this nigga dropped his damn baby off with me and haven’t said a word to me. What the fuck did he think this shit was? How in the hell was he gonna drop a child off that wasn’t even fuckin’ mine and then have the nerve to be out-of-pocket for damn near a week?

  I understand his mama and sister were attacked, but the least he could’ve done was fucking called me or picked up one of my damn calls. I could’ve killed this damn child by now and he wouldn’t have even known, but then again, I guess he knew my ass wasn’t that damn stupid.

  I hated to bitch about keeping Trina but damn she wasn’t mine and she was gonna take some getting used to. At this point, I don’t give a fuck if I sound childish either. I couldn’t stand that bitch Kari and looking at her child, her damn daughter, made me sick to my damn stomach. That crazy bitch had been a thorn in my side from the first time I found out about her.

  She fucked up a lot of shit in my relationship and had it not been for her, a lot of events that took place most likely would’ve never happened. I was so glad that bitch was serving
time behind bars right now, but hell it wasn’t permanent. Soon, she would be out and I’d be back to dealing with that hoe again. Looney-ass bitch. I thought as I sat Trina’s car seat on the couch.

  I crashed down on the sofa and took a few moments to catch my breath. I had been ripping and running all over the damn place with three overly active little boys and caring for a little baby. I was as tired as ever and wished that Tamar wasn’t being so damn stubborn.

  This paternity shit with J.B. was going to run a hole deeper in our relationship if Tamar allowed it to. I knew that was the only reason he’d been ignoring me; shit like this made me regret being truthful with him. He wondered why I always hide things from him and could never just be straight-up.

  I felt like I was about to have a nervous breakdown, and he wasn’t even here to console, talk to me, or any of that. Situations like these were the reason why I always ended up in the arms of another man.

  “That ain’t me no more,” I sighed and looked over at Trina.

  She was a very pretty girl, light skinned, with a head full of hair, and looking like every bit of her daddy. I had to admit it wasn’t the fact that she wasn’t mine that I didn’t want her here, it was more so my being jealous. I’d always wanted a daughter and knowing that another woman had given my husband what I wanted to give him, hurt me really bad.

  Karma is a bitch, though. A mean-ass, ugly bitch that didn’t have no mercy on the hearts. She straight clowned me with this one. Regardless of how I felt though, I would never mistreat her. She didn’t deserve that. Besides, Tamar didn’t mistreat the twins.

  I sighed once again and flipped through all the mail that had come in the past couple of days. Most of it was bills, but a big yellow envelope with my name plastered across the front, stuck out, immediately catching my attention. With the exception of the huge envelope, I placed everything else in my hand to the side.

  As quickly as possible, I tore it open and threw my left hand over my chest. Just seeing the legal mumbo-jumbo had me frazzled and unsure of what I was about to read. Seeing the heading Jamison Bennett vs. Rozalyn Andrews, damn near caused my heart to leap from the crevices of my chest. J.B. was taking this thing all the way. He wasn’t taking no for an answer.

  I knew ignoring him and sending him to Tamar wasn’t going to suffice but I never thought he was going to take the shit this far.

  “Damn! This says I have to be in court next week,” I huffed. “They want me to bring my damn boys to fucking Atlanta just to take a damn DNA test.” Jesus, he wasn’t playing around. I just talked to him last week, and he already got papers and a court date. I thought.

  I tossed the papers on the coffee table and looked over at Trina before grabbing my purse and making my way outside. I needed something to calm my damn nerves. Therefore, I took a seat in a lawn chair, pulled out a piece of a blunt, lit the tip of it before bringing it to my mouth, and took a huge toke.

  Then I pulled my cell phone out to give J.B. a call. This nigga needed to get it through his head that the twins were Tamar’s no matter what the test said; so he needed to just walk the fuck away. This shit was going to get real ugly and I didn’t want my kids caught up in the middle.

  “So you send me court papers to come all the way to fucking Atlanta, J.B.?” I said the moment he answered.

  “Rozalyn, this is your muthafuckin’ fault. I’ve been trying to get this shit done for the longest. I tried to come to you but you left me no choice!” J.B. yelled into the phone.

  “So you know Tae isn’t going to go for this. He’s not gonna let me come to Atlanta, let alone bring our boys down there. Anyway, Tae has been taking care of Zyir and Zavier since day one. Even if they are yours, he ain’t gon’ just let you come in here and take them away from him.”

  “Baby girl when you gon’ realize your husband don’t scare me? He didn’t scare me when I was banging your guts out and the nigga damn sure don’t scare me now! Just make sure you show up in fuckin’ court so we can get this shit over with. Stupid ass bitch!”

  “Nigga…” I started to cuss his ass back out. Instead I just hung up the phone and tossed it in my purse. Man I swear, I will forever regret the day I messed with J.B., the day he showed up on the doorstep of Tamar’s old boss, and the day he got me up out my panties with just a few pleasantries and a good fuckin’ game.

  I took a huge toke from the blunt and thought back to that very day.

  “Tamar please fucking call me! Your son is out of pampers and he down to his last damn bottle!”

  I yelled into the phone before slamming it down on the cabinet. I searched through every cabinet in the big ass kitchen and instantly became frustrated. I don’t know why I thought I would find some baby formula in this house that belonged to a man that didn’t even have kids. Dmitri didn’t have shit in these damn cabinets but alcohol and junk, neither of which I could feed my baby.

  I hadn’t spoken to Tamar since the day I told him the things that P.J. did to me over in Beijing and he walked out on me without so much as a consoling word. I’ve called him numerous times but have yet to receive a response. I couldn’t believe he was so mad that he didn’t care if his son had pampers and milk.

  Should’ve known that his hearing the details of me being raped on a daily basis wasn’t something he was gonna take well. That’s why I’d chosen not to say a word about it. I wanted to keep my mouth shut and hold it all in but he kept pushing me. Pressed me to the point where I felt getting everything out was for the best; I guess I was wrong.

  Tamar had walked out and it felt as though I’d lost him forever.

  Tears stained my cheeks as I reached for my cell phone to try his number once again. If I didn't get him, then I would be forced to call someone else.

  "Tamar, please answer the phone...I need...we need you! Please," I cried into the receiver! Once again, my call had gone ignored. Fed up, I slid down onto the kitchen floor and spilled tears everywhere. I cried like a newborn baby longing for her mother. My heart ached and felt as if it had been crushed into pieces.

  My life was supposed to have gotten better once I'd been rescued from Beijing but evidently not.

  Ding! Ding!

  I buried my face in my shirt and dried it as quickly as possible before going to the door. Dmitri was out of town, the maid was off, so no one should have been coming by here. I looked out the blinds and spotted a Lexus truck parked in the driveway.

  "Who is it?" I asked.

  "J.B.!"

  I scrunched my nose up and made sure my face was dry before I cracked the door open. In front of me stood a tall, handsome dude with long, wavy hair that he had tucked into a ponytail. He had to be about 5'8 or 5'9 with a slim but muscular build. His complexion was the color of cinnamon and he had the prettiest set of hazel eyes that I'd ever seen.

  "Can I help you?" I asked noticing his face was becoming more and more familiar by the minute.

  "Yeah, Tae asked me to meet him here today. Is he here?" J.B. said and looked down at the set of ice that adorned his wrist.

  "No, he’s not here."

  "Have any idea when he'll be back?"

  "Why don't you call him and see?" I asked and folded my arms across my chest.

  "My phone is dead," he said holding his phone up in view. I shrugged my shoulders and reached for the doorknob to let him know this conversation was over. "Look, I came all the way from Atlanta to meet with your boy. Can you at least allow me to use the phone? Or charge mine?"

  I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out before I pulled the door completely open and let the stranger in. I knew it was risky but I didn’t see dude coming over here looking for Tamar unless Tamar had actually told him to. Not many people knew we were here anyway.

  I pointed at the closest outlet to the door and proceeded to go back into the kitchen. I wanted to search once more for what I knew wasn’t there...
/>   "Lord please let it be some damn milk in this house…some baby food, or something." I said on the verge of tears. Although I knew it was useless, I picked up the phone one more time to call Tamar. Again straight to voicemail. Even so, I was gonna let my voice be heard no matter how it went unnoticed. "Tae, please fucking call me. How can you continue to ignore me knowing I have your son here! I need some damn milk for him!"

  "Everything good?"

  I jumped at the sound of the visitor coming into the kitchen. I quickly turned around to see him standing near the doorway and wondered who the hell told him it was okay to walk away from the outlet.

  "Your phone charged?" I asked with attitude.

  "Nah, I just put it on there. Give me like thirty minutes and I promise I'll be out your hair."

  "Yeah. Okay," I leaned against the counter and placed my arms over my chest. I needed to feed my son; I needed to go to the store and get some shit for my son and the fact that I couldn't was really pissing me the fuck off.

  "Damn, it's gonna be okay. Don't look so mad," he chuckled. "Look if you need me to take you to the store for your shorty, I don't mind."

  I looked at him then immediately brought my stare to the floor. I didn't know he'd heard me and was kind of embarrassed, but I tried not to let it show.

  "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop but I came to see if you had a bottle of water or something."

  I turned around, went into the refrigerator, and grabbed a bottle of water. Hell, it was all Dmitri did have around here. Bottled water and fuckin' alcohol. I handed him the bottle of water then went back to grab my phone. Wanting to call Tamar again, I knew it would be a waste of time just like all the other hundreds of times I’d called.

  "So you want me to take you to the store or what?" He asked after gulping down half the bottle of water.

  "I don't have any money. Tae didn't leave me with any…he should be here soon though."

  "Well when he gets here, I can just get my money back from him. It's not a big deal. I need to run to the store for some cigars anyway. Couldn't find any corner stores around here; figured you could help me out."