The Trophy Wife (10 page)

“What's that?” Fatboy asked as the weed took its effect on him.

“Surprise,” he said in a low tone.

Just then Fatboy felt cold steel pressed to the back of his head. It was Kalil standing outside of his driver's-side door. Fatboy's heart dropped as he realized he had been set up.

Peanut smiled as he saw the instant change in Fatboy's face. He then spat in Fatboy's face when he thought about what he'd done to Kalil's little girl. After Kalil had told him what Fatboy had done, Peanut was down for whatever. He hopped out the car and looked over at Kalil pressing his gun to Fatboy's head.

“Thanks, lil' man,” Kalil said through his clenched teeth.

“No doubt. I had to pretend I liked that fat fuck!” Peanut walked over to Kalil and prepared to get in the front seat.

Kalil couldn't fathom the thought of letting Fatboy get away. Fucking his chick was one thing, but he had crossed the line when he had touched Jada. So he turned back around and devised a plan to catch Fatboy slipping, and it worked like a charm.

Kalil focused his attention on Fatboy and struck him across the face with his gun. “Move over, bitch-ass nigga!” Kalil grabbed Fatboy's collar and shoved him over to the passenger-side seat.

With his gun still pointed at Fatboy, he slid in and sat directly behind him, and Peanut slid into the driver's side and pulled off.

Kalil wanted to blow Fatboy's brains out right then, but he remained patient. Almost.

Whack! Whack!
He hit Fatboy in the back of his head with the butt of the gun, causing blood to gush out.

“Fuck!” Fatboy screamed as he held the back of his head. Blood trickled down his fingers and onto his all-white interior. “Yo, chill, man. I'm sorry, man!” Fatboy said as he came to the realization of life coming to an end.

“How could you touch my daughter? How?” Kalil yelled. He reached around and punched Fatboy on the brim of his nose.

“Aghh!” Fatboy grabbed his nose. All the wrong he had done began to eat at his conscience. He knew that touching on Jada was wrong, but he couldn't help it. His uncontrollable urge got the better of him.

Tears formed in Kalil's eyes as he thought about his daughter and how her innocence was stripped away by the fat bastard that sat in front of him. He wanted to send the hollow-tip bullet directly into the back of Fatboy's head, but he had to wait until Peanut pulled up to a low-key spot.

Kalil choked Fatboy from behind and whispered in his ear, “Today you meet yo' maker.”

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry,” Fatboy managed to squeal out as Kalil cut off his oxygen supply.

Peanut pulled up to Central Park, where the morning joggers were doing their daily workout. He put the car in park and watched as Fatboy began to slip out of consciousness from Kalil choking him. He waited for the joggers to pass by and began to wipe down the door handles on the car. He didn't want Kalil's or his fingerprints to be left behind. He then jumped out of the car and into Quinn's, who was waiting for them there.

Kalil had everything mapped out and had called Quinn to tell him that he knew where Fatboy was. Quinn immediately jumped out of bed with his one-night stand and hurried over.

“Yo, Kalil, I—”

A single shot rang out before Fatboy could even finish his sentence. Kalil had let off a slug into the back of his dome, splattering his brains on the front dash and windows. The front window appeared as if it had red tint, because of all of the blood.

Fatboy's lifeless body slumped in the seat. Kalil slid out the driver's-side door and into Quinn's car, his adrenaline pumping as he stared at the bloodstained window and at Fatboy's dead body. A sense of redemption overcame him as he rested his head on Quinn's headrest.

Peanut passed him his bandanna, and Kalil wiped off the murder weapon and tossed it out the window. And a huge burden was lifted off of Kalil's heart as Quinn pulled off.

 

 

Kalil hopped out of Quinn's car and walked over to the construction site. He was an hour late for work and knew that his boss would be angry with him.
What can I tell this mu'fucka?
Kalil asked himself as he walked onto the site.

“Yo, Kareem, or whatever your fucking name is, you're late!” his boss said as he was loading a truck with cement bricks.

“I know. I can explain though. My—”

“I don't give a fuck why you're late. Drop off your fucking hard hat and get the fuck off my property. You're fired!” he yelled, not even bothering to look at Kalil.

“Wait, I really need this job. I had an emergency.” Kalil followed his boss around, trying to get him to talk to him.

“You're fired! I do not need anyone slowing us down. Time is money
, brutha,”
the Italian said as he brushed past Kalil.

Kalil got the picture and threw his hard hat at the man and walked off.
Fuck this shit, man! I don't need this. I ain't cut out for this. I'm a hustler, and that's what I do!
Kalil's mind began to race. He knew that he'd made a bad judgment call by going after Fatboy and causing himself to be late. But he had to handle the situation with Fatboy. For Jada.

Kalil headed to the subway and headed home. He had a phone call to make. He was about to get back in the game, where he'd be his own boss. The thought of June popped in his head, and he knew that he would be trying to make some moves. Kalil was about to get on his hustle.

“Okay, you are all set, young lady. You will be sore for a few days, but you should be fine.” The doctor walked over to Jake and shook his hand.

“Thanks for coming through, Doc. If she needs you, I will give you a call.”

The doctor left the room, and fear took over London's body as Jake stood over her.

“I'm sorry, London. I just get so angry all the time. I do love you, though. I don't want to lose you.”

“I love you too,” she responded, afraid that he would harm her.

“Do you need anything?”

It was obvious that he was feeling guilty about the way he had acted the night before and he was trying hard to make things up to her.

“I just need to get to the dance school,” she told him as she attempted to get up.

“That can wait for a couple days. You need to rest. In a few days you can go back. I have a surprise for you.” Jake pulled out a small box.

London already knew what it was. Jake would always shower her with expensive gifts after he would beat her. He opened the box and displayed the five-karat diamond cross that hung on a thin platinum chain.

“Thank you, Jake,” London said, a phony smile plastered on her face. She grimaced because of her swollen jaw, but tried her hardest to hide her discomfort.

London turned on her side as a tear ran down her cheek. She needed to see Kalil. She had to see him. He was the only person who made her feel safe.
After last night, I don't know what he is capable of. That is the worst that it has ever been, and I'm not willing to risk my life by being with him anymore. The first chance I get, I am leaving. I can wait a couple days, but when I do get out of this house, I'm never coming back.

 

 

Days passed and London still hadn't gotten the chance to speak with Kalil. She hadn't been able to contact him since the day she last saw him. Her husband had been extra suspicious of her. Things between her and Jake only worsened. He had told her that he had to keep her trained, and it seemed as though the beatings came more often and without provocation. The blows that he inflicted on her left bruises that were deep red, and it hurt her badly to even touch them. The physical abuse had become too much for her to bear. She was broken mentally, spiritually, and physically. The only thing that kept her sane was the thought of Kalil.

She swore that as soon as she got the chance to call him that she would leave with him.

Jake controlled every aspect of her life. He didn't allow her to have her own bank account, so she had no money. She didn't have any family in the States, so Jake was her only family. She felt like a slave in her own skin, and it was breaking her down. The only time Jake let her leave the house was to teach dance, and the only reason he agreed to that was because he beat her unconscious one time and that was his way of apologizing.

She was tired of living her life in fear and she desperately wanted out. She hadn't been allowed out of the house, and when her husband wasn't home he locked all of the doors and windows with a key that only he possessed. She felt like a prisoner in her own home. She was like a dog that Jake had trained to fear him.

London searched frantically for the piece of paper with Kalil's phone number. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she pulled her panty drawer from the dresser and looked underneath, where she had it safely taped.
Oh my God, it's not here. I know I put it here,
she thought to herself as she got on her hands and knees to make sure that the paper hadn't fallen to the floor.
Where is it? I have to get out of here,
she thought as tears began to surface and flow freely.

She tore her room up looking for Kalil's telephone number, but she knew that she had only hidden it in one place.
He found it. Oh my God, he found it,
she thought as tears of trepidation seized her.

She needed Kalil now more than ever. All she wanted to do was be with him. He had shown her a happiness that she had never felt before and she yearned to feel that way again with him. She didn't know how or when, but the first opportunity she got to run away, she was going to take it.

 

 

Kalil was eager to get in contact with June. He had called him a couple days ago to see if he was trying to do business, but he had gotten his voice mail. He was awaiting the return phone call. He knew that business with June was going to put him back on top, where he was supposed to be.

“Yo, you sure you know this nigga?” Quinn looked at his cousin with a serious expression on his face.

Kalil sensed a little bit of jealously from Quinn. He knew that Quinn wouldn't be too fond of the fact that he was doing business with someone other than him. “Yeah, from what I know, my man is good. Besides, this is a one time flip. One last run and I'm out,” he explained.

I've been asking this mu'fucka to get back in the game since he got out, and he been telling me no. Now he jumping at the opportunity to do business with this D.C. cat,
Quinn thought silently. There was a bit of jealousy in his heart, but he wasn't going to stop Kalil's hustle. That was his family, and he knew that he was doing what he had to do.

“Let me know if you need to put me on.”

“I think I'm gon' do this one solo, fam, but you know I'm gon' look out for you afterward. You been holding me down since I got out the joint. You ain't showed me shade even once, and you welcomed me to your car, crib, clothes, whatever I needed to get by. I appreciate that, and I'm gon' look out for you. This is about to be both of our paydays, trust me.”

“It's about time you took your throne back anyway, show these niggas who the king of New York is.”

“Nah, man, it ain't even like that. I'm doing this so that I can blow this fucking city. As soon as I get off parole, I'm gon' take Jada and London and get out of here.”

“London? Damn, cuz, you feeling ol' girl like that? Didn't you say chick was married?”

“Yeah, man, but I'm feeling shorty, and her situation ain't what you think it is. She a different type of woman. She with me even though I ain't got shit to offer her. When I'm with her, she makes me feel like a man . . . her man, like she's proud to be with me, son.”

Quinn smirked and shook his head from side to side. “Damn, she got you out here caking it,” he joked.

“Nah, fam, it ain't like that. She just built for me, and Jada love her, so I can't lose. I just got to get this money so I can take care of my daughter and her.”

“I hear you, yo.”

Kalil knew that the type of money he was about to come into could change his life for the better. He definitely planned on investing in a business so that he could flip his money the legal way, and he wanted to start a family with London and provide Jada with the best of everything that money could buy. All he needed was for June to hit him back so that he could get the ball rolling.

He decided to go and pick up his daughter. He hadn't discussed his plans of taking Jada away with Destiny, and he knew that he would need her permission before he did. He took the 6 train to 125th and walked the remaining distance to Destiny's home in Harlem. He told himself to be cool when he saw his baby mama. He still hadn't forgiven her for what she had allowed to go down with Fatboy.

He got out the car and walked into Destiny's house. He didn't bother to knock, since he was the one who had purchased it for her in the first place.

Kalil snuck up on Jada, who was in the kitchen standing on top of one of the dining chairs, trying to reach for something on top of the refrigerator, and scooped her in his arms. “Boo!” he shouted loudly as he picked her up and lifted her above his shoulders.

“Daddy! You scared me,” she said as she held onto the top of his head.

He put her down. “Where's your moms?”

“She in her bedroom,” Jada responded as she climbed back onto the chair.

Kalil patted her lightly on the bottom. “Get down before you hurt yourself. What you reaching for, anyway?”

“The Fruity Pebbles. I'm hungry.”

Kalil grabbed the box of cereal off the top of the refrigerator and set it on the countertop. He then opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a gallon of milk. He checked the date and noticed that it was expired. He looked to see what else Destiny had to eat, but the refrigerator was bare. “You ain't eaten all day?” he asked his daughter.

She shook her head no.

I'm gon' fuck Destiny's ass up. Fuck is wrong with her?
“Go watch cartoons, baby girl. I'll take you out to eat in a minute.”

He walked down the hallway and found Destiny's room door slightly cracked, her room trashed. Kalil had to hold his breath just to stop himself from gagging at the funky scent of stank pussy and dirty laundry. He'd never known Destiny to be trifling. She had definitely changed since the days that she was his wifey.

“Des, wake up.” Kalil tapped her shoulder. He pulled back the covers, and what he saw hurt his heart. Destiny's badly burned lips were still wrapped around the blackened crack pipe that she gripped in her hand.

His heart dropped to his stomach as he sat down on Destiny's bed. He hadn't even noticed that she had developed a crack habit.
How the fuck did I miss this?
Even though they weren't together, he still didn't want to see her like this.

“Des, baby, wake up.” Kalil lifted her head and rested it in his lap. He felt as if somehow this was his fault.
I should've been here for her,
he thought as he watched her stir out of her sleep.

She opened her eyes and sat up frantically when she saw Kalil looking down at her. She immediately jumped out of bed and started swinging. “Don't touch my baby! You sick bastard! Why'd you touch my daughter?”

“Destiny, chill out!” Kalil screamed as he grabbed her and bear-hugged her tightly to prevent her from swinging at him.

“Fatboy, why'd you touch my daughter? I should kill you, you fat, nasty bastard!” she screamed as she cried frantically and her knees went weak. She would have fallen to the floor if it hadn't been for Kalil standing behind her, holding onto her tightly.

“Ssh, Des, it's me. It's Kalil,” he whispered in her ear. A single tear slipped down his cheek for the woman he used to love. He'd watched Destiny grow up from a little hot girl chasing ballers on the corner to his baby mother and he still had love for her. He didn't want her to end up like this. “Shh! It's all right. Everything's cool. Just calm down,” he stated as she cried in his arms.

He picked her up and took her into the bathroom. He ran her a bath and then washed her as continuous tears graced her face.

“I'm sorry, Kalil. I'm sorry for everything. You tried to tell me about Fatboy—”

“Des, look at what you let that nigga do to you. You were so worried about him that you stopped taking care of our daughter. She was supposed to come first. Even in his grave he got a hold on you. You feel so guilty because of what he did to Jada that you smoking crack. What? You a junkie now?”

“I can't help it.”

“Shut that shit up, Destiny. You can help it. You know I can't let Jada be around this, right?”

“Kalil, please don't take her away from me,” Destiny begged.

Kalil shook his head from side to side. “I have to, Destiny. I can't let my daughter come up in this environment. In your heart you know that it's the best thing for all of us right now. I've been gone for too long. Let me be a father to my daughter. We'll work on you getting better, and I'll never stop you from seeing Jada, but I can't let her live with you. I have to keep her safe. I never told you this, but I feel guilty too. If I had been in Jada's life, then Fatboy would've never had the opportunity to put his hands on her. He wouldn't have had the opportunity to get his hands on my woman, for that matter. I fucked up when I got sent upstate. Now I've got to make this right.”

Kalil lifted her from the bathtub and wrapped a towel around her body. “Now it's time for you to take responsibility for your actions and be a woman, okay?”

For the first time since he was released, Destiny didn't argue back. She nodded her head in agreement. “I love you,” she whispered as she held her head down to her chest.

Kalil lifted her head with his finger. “Des, you are the mother of my child. I'll always have love for you, but it's not like that anymore.”

Kalil escorted Destiny to the hospital and checked her into a rehabilitation center, and with Destiny's blessing he left with his daughter.

As he headed back to Quinn's his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID and smiled when he saw June's name flash on the screen. His restless wait was brought to an end. He answered, “What's good, fam?”

“You, baby! I've been trying to get at you, my nigga. I need to discuss something with you. You ready to handle that?”

Kalil knew that June was talking about business and he was more than ready to get his paper right. “Yeah, I'm wit' it. When can we link up?”

“The sooner the better.”

“How many you need?” Kalil knew that it really didn't matter. All he had to do was make one phone call and he would be blessed with the bricks.

“We'll talk. Meet me at Central Park by the pink in two hours.”

Kalil snapped his cell phone shut and scooped Jada into his arms. “Life gon' be much better for us, I promise,” he stated as he headed back toward Quinn's.

 

 

“I'm telling you. If you supply the bricks, my man is willing to pay thirty-five a joint.” June rubbed his hands together. He and Kalil had met up at the park to discuss business.