Carmen had already weighed all of her options. She knew exactly what was at stake, yet she was willing to take the risk. A career without advancement was equivalent to having no career at all so she was about to take her chances. With a victory from this case she would skyrocket to the top. Everything was about to blow up for her. Her career would be at an all time high. Salary. Ego. Benefits. The sky would be the limit. She would be her own boss.
“I’ve thought about all of that already Norelle,” Carmen said. “Honestly, this is Kasheef’s only shot at freedom. I know what I’m doing. You leave the law up to me and I’ll make sure that your man comes home for good.”
That’s what I’m afraid of,
Norelle cursed silently. “Well where is ’Sheef now?” she asked with a sigh.
“He’s still locked up in Rikers,” Carmen responded. She frowned and continued. “Why haven’t you bonded him out yet Norelle? He doesn’t look good. I mean he’s not physically ill or hurt, but when I look at him I can see the burden on his face. It seems like he is carrying the world on his shoulders. He really needs to be home, you know?”
“Yeah, I know Carm. I’m trying my best to come up with the money. Twenty stacks does not come easy these days. I should have the rest of the money by the end of the week. I planned on getting him out then,” she lied as she rolled her eyes. “But listen how far away are you from the city? We can do lunch or something.”
“I’m not close at all. I just left Rikers and I have some things I need to look into when I get back. I’m going to have to take a rain check.”
Norelle bust a U-turn and headed toward Carmen’s office. “Okay, well I’ll call you later.” She disconnected the call and threw her cell phone in her lap out of frustration. “Ughh!” she yelled as she hit the steering wheel repeatedly.
Fifteen minutes later, Norelle found herself pulling up in front of Carmen’s workplace. She walked into her office as if she belonged and found that no one was sitting at the secretary’s desk in front of Carmen’s office. She let herself in and walked over to Carmen’s desk. Her hands shook as she ruffled through the many papers and manila file folders that were scattered on top of the desk. She tried to hurry so that she could get in and out undetected.
“Where is it? Where is it?” she mumbled impatiently. She finally located Kasheef’s case folder. She thumbed through it, quickly reading some of the details of the case. She located the name of the witness in the case.
Alija Bell,
she read as she went over a brief bio on the girl.
Now all I have to do is find you.
She continued to rummage through the papers until she found a piece of paper with Alija’s address on it. It was for a motel and she figured it had to be what she was looking for.
I think I might pay this bitch Alija a visit myself,
she thought as she recopied the address on a piece of paper. She was just about to leave the office when she heard voices outside of the door. She saw the doorknob turn.
Oh shit,
she thought as she ducked underneath the desk and pulled her knees close to her body so that she would fit. Her heartbeat was erratic and her nerves shot as she tried not to breathe too loudly.
“I’d like to view the case file on Mr. Williams’ case,” she heard a male voice say.
“Sure, no problem. I’m sure Ms. Rose left it somewhere on her desk,” a feminine voice replied and sat down in the chair. Norelle flinched as she tried to avoid contact with the woman’s legs which were inches from touching her. She scooted as far into the small space as she could and closed her eyes, praying that they wouldn’t find her. Norelle’s eyes shot open in dismay when a pungent smell wafted up her nostrils. She almost threw up in her mouth when she noticed that the smell was coming from in between the legs of the seated woman.
This is what I get for trying to snoop,
she thought disgustedly as she took in as little air as possible. She felt like she was choking on rotten fish.
God please let her find this damn file before I die underneath this mu’fucka.
“Oh, here it is!” the woman announced and then the legs and deathly smell disappeared. Norelle waited until she heard the door open and close before she burst from underneath the desk, gasping for air. She was sure to return everything to its original condition then she snuck out of the office undetected, with a frown on her face.
“Mommy is gonna get us out of here baby girl,” Alija said as she fed Nahla the bottle and watched TV. She was watching the local news to make sure that she was on point with what was going on in Kasheef’s case. There had been coverage on it at least twice a day and she felt like she needed to be involved of every aspect. She was attempting to swindle a very dangerous man and she wanted to make sure she was aware of the circumstances surrounding the situation. She was nervous and had been waiting on a visit from Kasheef’s legal defense. When day turned to night she feared that maybe she had asked for too much money.
What if they don’t pay up,
she thought anxiously. There was no guarantee that Kasheef would even be interested in taking her up on her offer.
Maybe I shouldn’t have given his lawyer my address. What if she gives my info to him? He can just send some of his goons here again to finish me off,
she thought. She noticed that her daughter’s bottle was empty. She put the baby over her shoulder and gently patted her back while walking around the room nervously. A car door slammed and she walked to the window to see who was outside. She didn’t recognize the woman so she walked away while still attempting to burp her child.
Knock! Knock!
Alija frowned. She answered the door and stared into the eyes of a woman she didn’t recognize.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Are you Alija Bell?” the woman asked.
“Who are you?” Alija replied as she looked the woman up and down, her arched eyebrows raised in defense.
“My name is Norelle. I’m Kasheef’s girlfriend. Can I come in?” she asked as she shivered from the winter cold.
“No,” Alija replied bluntly and began to close the door.
Norelle stopped the door from closing with her hand and shouted, “I want to pay you to testify against Kasheef!”
Alija’s chin dropped to her chest and her eyes grew wide in surprise. “What?” she asked incredulously. “Did you say against him?”
“Can I come in? Please,” Norelle asked again, this time almost pleading to gain entrance. She needed Alija to send Kasheef away to prison.
Alija moved to the side and allowed Norelle to step into the room. Norelle tried not to turn her nose up at the horrible accommodations.
“You can have a seat,” Alija offered.
I’m not sitting my ass on that filthy chair. As a matter of fact, let me hurry up and get out of here.
“No, I won’t be long. I heard about the offer that you made to Kasheef’s lawyer this morning. You see Carmen Rose is my best friend from college, which is why she chose to defend him. The reason why I’m here is because I need for you to testify.”
Alija put her hands on her hips and interjected. “Look, I’ve already told your man’s lawyer what I’m willing to do...”
“I want you to testify
against
Kasheef!” Norelle blurted out, interrupting Alija.
“What?” Alija asked in confusion. She had thought she had heard the girl wrong the first time, but she wasn’t deaf or dumb.
“Yeah you heard me right. I would like to pay you to tell the jury what you saw that night,” Norelle said.
Alija peered at Norelle. She didn’t know if she could trust her. It was obvious that she had no type of loyalty toward Kasheef.
Her ass was probably living nice while he was out and doing good. Now he’s locked up and she’s trying to keep him in,
Alija thought in disbelief.
“Why would you want me to send Kasheef to prison?” Alija asked suspiciously. Growing up in the hood she could peep a fake bitch when she saw one and the girl in front of her was as phony as a Chinatown Coach bag. She did not have room to make any mistakes and she had to be extremely careful in the game she was trying to play.
“Look, it’s not in my best interest for Kasheef to beat this case. I never expected him to come home. After he was arrested I ran off with some of his money and stopped accepting his calls from prison. He’s sitting in there waiting on me to bail him out, but he’ll be waiting for awhile if you know what I mean,” Norelle replied frankly.
Alija turned up her face as if Norelle stunk.
This bitch is dirty,
she thought.
It’s fucked up how she’s trying to play him.
Alija was reluctant to deal with Norelle. She figured if she had turned on her own man then she definitely couldn’t be trusted.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Norelle stated. “But I feel like no one can judge me but God. I know it seems bad, but I’m just trying to look out for myself. I can’t think about Kasheef. Shit, he did not think about me! He chose to be in the streets and I know just as well as you that he killed that man. That’s on him. I refuse to suffer behind his bullshit. I can’t do that time with him. I’m not the one to be stressed and making monthly trips to Rikers. That shit is for ugly women who can’t replace their sponsors. Me, I have them lined up around the corner so there is no point for me to stay with Kasheef.”
Alija thought of what Norelle had just said and although she didn’t like the girl, she had no right to judge her.
I guess it doesn’t matter who I get the money from as long as I get it.
“I’m willing to give you $75,000 if you tell the truth on the stand. All you have to do is tell what you saw and Kasheef will go away for at least twenty years,” Norelle stated.
Alija looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was ten o’clock and Carmen still hadn’t gotten back with her. She figured Norelle’s $75,000 offer would be a good backup plan just in case her other deal fell through.
“Let me think about it for a couple days and I’ll let you know,” Alija replied.
Norelle wrote down her cell phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to Alija. “Call me when you decide,” she said and then walked out of the room.
Alija looked at the number and rolled her eyes as she tossed it onto the dresser. She wasn’t comfortable with Norelle knowing where to find her, but she didn’t have a lot of money to relocate to a different motel and going home was definitely out of the question. She picked up the phone and dialed the office.
“Hi, this is room nine. I’m having some issues with the heater. It’s blowing out cold air. Can I get transferred to the room next door?” she asked. She’d rather be safe than sorry. She had to stay one step ahead of the game.
Chapter Nine
“Williams let’s go! You made bail,” the corrections officer yelled as he opened up Kasheef’s cell. Kasheef couldn’t jump up fast enough. He knew that he would be able to count on Stick. He was his protégé and was confident that Stick’s allegiance to him would not fade just because he was locked up. He checked out of the prison, not even stopping to get his belongings because he didn’t want to stay inside the musty walls a moment longer than he had to.
“She—ef!” Stick shouted as he extended his hand and embraced him quickly in one swift motion.
“Good looking out fam,” Kasheef replied. “You know I got you as soon as we hit New Yitty I’ma hit you with some cash and bless you with a little something for coming through for your boy.”
Kasheef and Stick made the trip back from Rikers as Jay-Z pumped loudly from Stick’s custom subwoofers. Both men nodded their heads simultaneously to the beat of the music and Kasheef rolled down the windows to reintroduce the fresh air to his deprived lungs.
“Nigga, it’s colder than a mu’fucka outside and you got the windows down!” Stick complained.
Kasheef smiled and said, “Yo’, this might be one of the last times I get to smell air outside of the gates, nah mean?”
“Yeah, I feel you fam,” Stick replied. “So it’s not looking good for you? That little slick bitch decided to snitch huh?”
“Yeah, fam. I just wish you could’ve handled that little job for me before she got the chance to talk to anybody,” Kasheef mentioned.
Stick shook his head. “Yo, the way that chick got herself out of that was crazy. She walked right past us and into the arms of the cops, nah mean? But it’s crazy though cuz she ain’t snitch us out, so I was hoping she wouldn’t have snitched you out and just kept her mouth closed.”
“I don’t know. I think I kind of forced her to talk by sending y’all at her,” Kasheef admitted, remembering the message that Carmen had given on behalf of Alija.
“It’s a shame too, cuz shorty had a fat ass,” Stick said while licking his lips. “I would have loved to get up in that.”
Kasheef laughed and replied, “You wild li’l man.”
The long car ride back to New York gave Kasheef time to clear his head. He was livid with Norelle but he knew he had to approach the situation with her very carefully. She knew too much about him and the way he moved. He had introduced her to the streets and she was well aware of how he made his money. Whatever revenge he sought on her, it had to a surprise. If she knew he was out and gunning for her then she would try to hit him first and there was a good chance that her blow may hurt worse than his. He also couldn’t draw any attention to himself right now. Any negative publicity would hurt his case so he couldn’t take the risk of harming her physically. As they entered the city limits Stick looked over at him and asked. “Are you going to the crib?”
Kasheef shook his head and replied, “Nah, I don’t want Norelle to know I’m out yet. Ride by there though so I can peep something.”
As they approached the Long Island apartment community where Norelle resided Kasheef noticed a brand new Lexus sitting in Norelle’s assigned car port. Kasheef smirked and nodded his head as he took in the gleaming black paint of the luxury coupe.
At least the bitch has good taste. I trained her well,
he thought. If Kasheef had been any other man Norelle’s deception may have hurt, but Kasheef never let a woman get too close to his heart. It was one of the many reasons he’d never told Norelle that he loved her. He felt that he could only love something that was unflawed and since no human could ever be perfect he knew that to love someone would only be setting himself up for disappointment. His pride was wounded and his ego bruised, but his heart was intact. No tears, no lumps in the throat, or sharp pains in his stomach ... his emotional state was unfazed. He would still however make sure that Norelle got what was coming to her. He’d make sure of it. His ego would not allow him let it go. “Yo, you try’na make some quick paper?” he asked.
“You know I’m about my paper fam, whatever it is I’m with it,” Stick replied.
“It’s nothing big. Just tail her for a couple days. I need to know what she’s doing,” Kasheef said curiously as he eyed the bedroom window of Norelle’s place.
Stick replied, “Done.”
Kasheef had Stick take him to a stash house that no one knew about. On the outside it looked to be abandoned, but the inside was modern and plush. It was one of several locations where he kept loose money. His major cash was secure in untraceable accounts, but he had hundreds of thousands of dollars that had not yet been washed just laying around the city of New York. He pulled out $250,000 of dirty money. He reimbursed Stick for the bail money and gave him an extra ten stacks just because. He then had Stick drop him off at a car dealership where he quickly dropped $50,000 on a Lincoln Navigator. He then swept the mall for some fresh gear, some personal essentials, and a cell phone. At the end of the night, he checked into the Marriott in Midtown on Lexington and Fifty-first Street. As soon as he walked into the room he removed his clothes and hopped into the shower. He put his hands on the wall in front of him as he dropped his head and let the water caress his body. It had been almost a month since his arrest and he hadn’t showered comfortably in a while. He had never been to jail before this and now that he had been given a taste of what it was like he never wanted to go back. His freedom was something that he had taken for granted and if he was given a second chance he decided that he was going to utilize it by getting out of the dope game. Kasheef had been so accustomed to making fast money that he never got to enjoy it. His life had been a constant paper chase ever since he was a young boy and it took for him to get locked up to realize that it was not how he wanted to live his life. He wanted to enjoy each and everyday as if he would not see another sunrise. He needed to allow himself to feel again. The streets had hardened him and now he thought it was time for a change. He figured that he might open up a few businesses to give back a little bit of all that he had taken away by flooding the streets with heroine for so many years. He was only twenty-nine years old, but he was fourteen years strong in the game. Beginning his career as a hustler at age fifteen he was seasoned and skilled at what he did. Over the years he’d accumulated more than enough money to sit back and enjoy life.
All you’ve got to do is get through this trial.
He closed his eyes and flashes of what happened the night of Ahmad’s murder graced his brain. He could see it clear as day. It was like someone had pressed play to a movie—only this movie wasn’t scripted—it was a true story. He could’ve tried the self defense angle, but that would have been admitting that he’d actually killed a man and he didn’t think that a jury would be able to get past that fact, especially for a man like himself. Kasheef sighed and washed his body, staying underneath the stream of water until it turned cold. He thought of Alija and how afraid she had been the night of Ahmad’s death. He remembered how her body had shivered violently and he shook his head as he recalled how he had let her go home that night when all along he had known he should have killed her.
I’ve got to talk to her,
he thought to himself.
If she is serious about changing her statement, I’ll cash her out tonight.
He picked up his phone and dialed Carmen’s number. He had to find out where Alija was staying.
“Hello?” Carmen answered, her voice filled with a husky sleep.
“Carmen, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Kasheef said as he glanced at the clock. It was a little past midnight.
“Kasheef?” she asked as she sat straight up in her bed.
“Yeah, it’s me. I posted bail earlier today. Look I need the address where I can find Alija,” he said.
“Kasheef listen to me. I don’t think it’s wise that you go there. If anything happens to her you’ll be the first person the police will—”
Kasheef cut her off. “I’m not going to do anything stupid, but I have to talk to her. I need to hear her proposition for myself.” He heard silence fill the space between the phones. “Come on Carmen. I need this. This is my life ma.”
A reluctant sigh filled the phone and Carmen closed her eyes. She knew what might happen if she gave away the information, but the sound of desperation in Kasheef’s voice broke her down. She only hoped and prayed that Kasheef didn’t do anything stupid. “Okay,” she finally relented. “Okay, Kasheef. If you get caught or if anything happens to that girl, you didn’t get her information from me.”
“What information?” he asked, letting Carmen know he understood.
“She’s at the Motel 6 in Long Island, room nine.”
Kasheef hung up the phone and grabbed his keys and rushed out of the room. He had some unsettled business to handle.
“Nahla? Baby, what’s wrong?” Alija asked as she held her daughter and walked around the room trying to calm her down. Her daughter had been crying all day and she was beginning to worry. What started out as whimpers of discomfort were now screams of pain and Alija couldn’t get Nahla to quiet down. “You can’t be hungry,” Alija said sincerely. “I just fed you.” She checked Nahla’s diaper. “And you’re not wet.”
Whaaa!
Whaaa!
The crying was so loud that Alija’s eyes began to tear up in fear that something was seriously wrong with her daughter. She pulled out a thermometer from her daughter’s diaper bag and checked her temperature. “A hundred degrees?” Alija said in confusion. She put her hand to her baby’s forehead and sure enough Nahla was on fire. “Okay La-La,” Alija cooed calling her daughter by her nickname. “Okay ... we are going to get help right now,” she promised as she slipped her daughter into her winter wear. She didn’t even place her in her car seat, instead she held her daughter against her chest and grabbed the seat with her other hand as she headed out the door.
Whaaa!
The crying was continuing to intensify. “I know sweetheart ... I know. Mommy’s going to make sure everything is okay, don’t cry.” She ran to her car and strapped her daughter inside. She was moving so fast that her hands were shaking. She slammed the back door and ran around to the driver’s door and hopped in, but when she went to turn her car over it wouldn’t start. “No! Not right now! Please start!” she yelled as she hit her steering wheel. After trying for ten minutes straight she decided to call an ambulance. She couldn’t just let her daughter suffer, especially when she didn’t know what was wrong. She jumped out of the car and grabbed Nahla out of the back seat.
Whaaa!
A car pulled up behind her as she fumbled to unlock her motel room and balance Nahla all at the same time.
Whaaa!
“Alija!” she heard a male voice call. She turned around and stared into the face of death himself ... at least to the man who had tried to bring death to her and her child.
Whaaa!
“No!” she screamed as she began to bump her motel room door with her shoulder. She finally got the door open and rushed into the room, but before she could close it Kasheef had muscled his way inside the room.
Whaaa!
“Please ... please don’t hurt me! I won’t ...”
As soon as Kasheef saw the look in Alija’s eyes he instantly felt guilty. He could feel the fear radiating from her body. Her hands were shaking so violently that he was sure she would drop her child.
Whaaa!
“Shh! Shh!” Alija whispered in her baby’s ear as she backed away from Kasheef, putting the bed between them. “Please don’t—”
Kasheef put his hands up. “Calm down ma. I didn’t come here to hurt you,” he said in his most convincing voice.
Whaaa!
“Oh God, Nahla!” Alija cried. She was afraid for her life.
“Listen to me,” Kasheef yelled in frustration. “I didn’t come here to hurt you Alija. I just want to talk.”
Whaaa!
“Yo, she doesn’t sound good. Why is she screaming like that?” Kasheef asked.
Alija was reluctant to answer, but figured that if Kasheef had come to kill her that she would already be dead. “I ... I don’t know. She’s been crying all day and she’s running a temp. I was about to take her to the hospital, but my car ... it won’t start.”
Kasheef approached Alija with his hands still raised in front of him for her comfort. “Give her here,” he said as he took the baby from Alija’s arms.
“No! Please—” Alija begged as she reached for her daughter.
“Look, get her shit together! I’m not about to do shit to you girl! I’ll drive you to a hospital,” he stated firmly with authority.
Whaaa!
Alija nodded and grabbed the diaper bag. She went to her car and pulled out the car seat to transfer it to Kasheef ’s Navigator. Kasheef placed the child inside. “Get in,” he told Alija.
She did as she was told and Kasheef pulled off, burning rubber as he hit his gas in flight of the emergency room. Alija was silent and couldn’t believe that she was inside of Kasheef car. She still didn’t trust him, but he was her only hope of getting Nahla some help. When they arrived at the hospital she jumped out and rushed her daughter inside.