Soul Ties, page 1
Soul Ties:
A Ghetto Love Story
Wjuanae
www.urbanbooks.net
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Urban Books, LLC
300 Farmingdale Road, N.Y.-Route 109
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Soul Ties: A Ghetto Love Story
Copyright © 2023 Wjuanae
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
ISBN: 978-1-6455-6539-0
ISBN 13: 978-1-64556-539-0
EBOOK ISBN: 978-1-64556-540-6
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and
Dedication
I want to dedicate this book to all my dreamers out there. It is never too late to chase your dreams.
To my mother, I dedicate this book to you for introducing me to my love for urban fiction and reading. You’re one of my biggest motivations when I write. One of these days, real soon if my intuition is correct, I’m going to make sure you never have to work again. You are my superhero.
To my best friend, Taquashe. Thank you for believing in my dream for so many years and always listening to me rant about my characters. You mean more to me than you know!
To my readers, big ups for y’all! You guys have loved this love story of Nina and Chance’s so much that you all literally pushed me to write and keep writing. Look where we are now. I can’t thank you all enough for valuing my craft enough to read it and pay for it. Y’all are literally the best, and I can’t wait to keep these stories coming for you all.
To that person cheering me on from the sideline, thank you. You don’t know how much that random “I’m proud of you” has done for me.
To the haters, I’m still flourishing.
Acknowledgments
To the living angel, whom I had the honor of being taught and coached by, Ms. Gara Bell. Your light influenced many and will continue to. We love you. May you rest in peace. #GetYouAGara
When it came to the game of Chance’s heart, Nina would win every time, no matter the opponent.
Chapter One
Chance and Nina rode through the streets of Charlotte in their drop top Lamborghini, blasting their favorite Ja Rule song. The heated summer winds kissed their skin. The two were the definition of a hood Bonnie and Clyde. Chance met Nina at the tender age of 15, when she used to stay with her abusive, alcoholic father. Even though he was three years older than Nina, Chance couldn’t help but be infatuated by her innocence and beauty. He was a young hustler at the time, a block boy, but he had bigger dreams: he would run Charlotte one day. And indeed, every one of his dreams came true with Nina by his side.
Nina cherished her relationship with Chance. He rescued her from her father’s abuse and had provided for her since that day, showering her with love and his protection. Not once did he have to question her loyalty because she owed him everything, and vice versa. If Chance was sliding on a nigga, Nina would be right by his side, loading his clip. He was her protector, best friend, and lover all wrapped into one. No other man could claim to have ever possessed Nina in the way that Chance could. Many women wished to lock Chance down, but those bragging rights belonged to Nina, and she would physically defend her position if needed.
“We out the game, shorty. We legit. All these years of hustling finally paid off!” Chance reached over with one hand to caress Nina’s cheek. He could barely keep his eyes on the road as Nina’s natural curls blew in the wind. The sun glistened against her brown skin. He was in love with every part of her, down to the beads of sweat that rolled between her breasts.
Nina smiled and intertwined her fingers with Chance’s free hand. She couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived when Chance lived up to the promise he had made to her ten years ago. “I told you, baby. Stay down until you come up, and now we all the way up!”
They were headed to Atlanta with five million dollars in their trunk, ready to start a new life. She turned and stretched to reach for her lip gloss out of her purse that sat in the back seat. “Baby, are we being followed?” Nina noticed a black Tahoe truck behind them on I-85. The car had been trailing behind them since they got out of Charlotte, but she thought nothing of it until now. Out of instinct, Nina placed her hand in her purse and clutched her gold nine millimeter.
Chance glanced at his rearview mirror. “Fuck.” He was so caught up in being out of the game scot-free that he had let his guard down, breaking his cardinal rule. “I’m about to take this exit. Let’s see.” Chance clenched his teeth as his trigger finger started itching. The black Tahoe still trailed behind. “Niggas think they can try me since I’m leaving town. They got me fucked up!” Pulling into the closest gas station, Chance pulled his gun from his waist. “You rocking, bae?”
She kissed his lips. “Until the wheels fall off,” Nina replied fearlessly.
Seconds passed before the Tahoe turned into the gas station. The tint in the window was so dark that Nina didn’t understand how the police didn’t pull the truck. It circled the parking lot until it slowly crept by the gas pump opposite the Lambo. The passenger-side window rolled down, and an AK-47 greeted Chance and Nina.
“What’s up, young bull?” a familiar voice asked.
Nina’s breath caught in her throat, and her stomach dropped as horrific memories flashed before her eyes.
“Hey, baby girl.” Nina’s dad, Nino, greeted her with a devilish smile. The scar that ran from his left eye to the side of his mouth made him appear even more menacing than Nina last remembered.
“Chance, I thought you killed him.” Nina’s voice shook as she stared at the only thing she ever feared in her life.
BLAT BLAT BLAT.
Chance didn’t have a chance to answer before bullets rained down on the Lambo.
Nina’s ears rang from the impact, and her legs became as heavy as a bag of bricks. Her hands shook uncontrollably, and her heart thumped so hard that she thought it would come out of her chest. It was as if Nina were paralyzed. She couldn’t bring herself to lift her gun and bust back at her dad, the man who was supposed to want to protect her, not bring harm to her. She never understood why the man who gave her life hated her so much.
Shots rang out like a scene from a war movie. Nino’s goon opened fire onto the Lambo, and Chance returned fire with one hand while the other shielded Nina from the bullets coming their way.
“Nina!” Chance’s voice snapped her out of her daze. “I’m hit, ma.”
She heard an agony in his voice that she never heard before. Those words caused her to raise her gun and fire until her clip was empty. She didn’t know if she had hit anyone, but the Tahoe recklessly pulled off in the midst of her shots. An uneasy feeling settled in Nina’s gut. Something deep down inside of her screamed that this was only the beginning.
“Baby . . . Chance . . . are you good?” Nina panicked when she saw blood pouring profusely from his abdomen and right leg. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched the man she loved weakly slide himself to the passenger seat as she got out of the convertible.
“We have to get the fuck out of here!” She revved the engine, and it purred loudly. “Fuck!” Nina realized she didn’t even put the car in drive. Taking a deep breath, she put the car in drive and sped out of the gas station’s parking lot, leaving traces of their tire marks behind.
“Get us out of Charlotte.” Chance managed to speak through his heavy breathing. “I’m not about to die here, Nina. I worked too hard to die in this bitch.” He spat out a mouthful of blood. “You gotta . . . drive.”
Never had she seen her man so weak and vulnerable. “Baby, you won’t make it if I get on the road. I refuse to let you die. Over my fucking dead body! Nah. We not going out like that. Till death do us part, remember?”
Chance fought against the heavy burning sensation in his chest. He watched the blood slowly seep from the bullet wound in his abdomen, and he placed his hand over it, trying to slow the bleeding. The more blood that left his body, the heavier his eyelids felt. Despite the agonizing pain, Chance was still able to smile at his girl’s gangster. “I love your crazy ass.”
Smiling weakly, Nina headed for the nearest hospital. “I love you more.” She dipped through traffic, bypassing slow cars, and ran a few red lights. “You remember our first date, bae?” She glanced over at Chance. His eyes fluttered as he drifted in and out of consciousness. “Stay with me, Chance!” She clapped her hands together. “Don’t fucking die on me! I can’t lose you now. Our baby needs you.”
Nina had wanted to wait until they were settled in Atlanta to give him the big news. She had found out that morning that she was carrying Chance’s chi ld and wanted the delivery of the news to be special, but she never expected their day would end up like this.
Chance could feel his life slowly coming to an end. Memories flashed through his mind like the behind-the-scenes credits at the end of a movie premiere. Even while unconscious, Nina’s words rang clearly through his head. I’m holding on for you baby, he thought, but Nina could not hear him.
Pulling into the emergency entrance wildly, Nina held the horn down until medics came running out. “Help! He’s been shot!” she screamed. Chance barely appeared to be breathing when Nina looked at him.
“Ma’am, can you give us any information on this man?” the paramedic asked as they lifted Chance’s body onto a stretcher.
Nina leaned over, placing her hands on her knees, and dry heaved. She fisted her natural curls and bit on her bottom lip until she felt the salty specks of blood on her tongue. She wanted to break down and cry. She wanted to jump on the stretcher with Chance. Shit, she wanted to be lying right beside him on a stretcher herself.
“Excuse me, miss?”
“I—I don’t know him. I picked him up like that.” Nina backed up slowly and opened the door to the Lamborghini. “Just make sure he makes it.” Nina knew she couldn’t give them her identity because they would ask too many questions. Situations like this brought cops, and Nina and Chance didn’t fuck with the Feds. “I love you, Chance.”
“He’s flatlining!” the nurse screamed as they rushed his body into the hospital.
Banging on the steering wheel, Nina finally let her tears fall. In a matter of an hour, her entire life had been turned upside down. The man she imagined spending the rest of her life with risked his life to save hers once again. Just when she thought of putting her past behind her, Nino had ripped the carpet from under her feet, leaving Nina alone and confused about her next move.
“I’m going to kill him, if that’s the last thing I do. Hang on, Chance baby. I’ll be back for you.” Nina made up her mind that Nino was dead. There wouldn’t be any hits on his head. No drive-by to put him down. Nina would put a bullet through his head herself this time. For Chance.
“Atlanta, here I come.”
But you was my bitch, the one who’d never snitch. Love me when I’m broke or if I’m filthy fucking rich.
Notorious B.I.G.’s lyrics blared from the system. Nina couldn’t stop the tears from falling as she cruised down the highway. Drops of Chance’s blood still stained her Prada T-shirt. She thanked herself for talking Chance into purchasing this particular vehicle with the matte leather interior. The blood dried onto the seats rather than staining it.
“God, it’s Nina. I know it’s been a while, and I’m not even sure if you’ll hear me, but I really need you to wrap your arms around Chance. I love that man more than life itself. I don’t know if I can go on without him. Please heal him.” Nina knew she had reached a low point. Praying and going to church wasn’t a part of her lifestyle. To be honest, she couldn’t even remember the last time she prayed. Or could she?
2008
“Nina, where the fuck you at?” Her dad’s voice raged from the front door. Nino was in another one of his moods, and Nina wasn’t trying to be around to see it.
Sitting on the sidewalk with Chance, she wanted to be as far away from her dad as possible. “Do you have somewhere we can go? I hate when he gets like this.” Nina asked while biting at her nail beds.
Chance had been coming to see Nina every day for a few months straight now. Even though she was younger than him, he saw something different in her.
“Yeah, Nina. Let’s go.” Chance knew Nino had a drinking problem, but he never pushed Nina to talk about him. Not until she was ready. “Let me call my man Quan and tell him to watch the block for me.” He pulled out his cellphone and texted Quan.
“You hungry?” Chance asked as they walked to his 2005 Honda Accord.
Nina shrugged. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else. “I could eat.”
“Cool. Let me take you to Red Lobster. I’ve been wanting that for a good minute.” Chance opened the passenger door for Nina and shut it. As he jogged to the driver’s side, he noticed the worry in Nina’s eyes. “What’s wrong, shorty?”
“Look at me. I’m not dressed for Red Lobster, Chance.” Nina frowned. “We can get takeout or something.”
“Takeout?” Chance chuckled and shook his head. “A nigga trying to take you on a first date, and you worried about how you look? You look beautiful without even trying.”
Nina’s cheeks warmed, and she blushed. Chance knew all the right things to do to make Nina feel like she mattered. Like she was valued. “Well, let’s go then, nigga.”
Being with Chance was exactly what Nina needed to take her mind off her life at home. Little did Chance know that Nino was so verbally and physically abusive sometimes that she had no self-esteem. She didn’t think she was pretty, even though people would tell her she was all the time. In the words of her father, Nina was “an ugly little bitch just like her mother.”
Nina’s mother, Jaslynn, was murdered when Nina was just 12 years old. The Philadelphia Police Department never solved the murder case, but Nina had a feeling Nino knew something about it. Jaslynn was the most beautiful woman ever. Her smooth caramel skin, curly jet-black hair, and slender body with all the right dips and curves left many men heartbroken. Nino had her heart, until his drinking and anger problems pushed her away.
Nina remembered her mother bringing around Mike, a new boyfriend, and Nino hated that. His jealousy caused him to beat Mike to death with his bare hands. A few weeks later, Jaslynn was found dead also.
“You want to stop by the mall before I take you home?” Chance asked, snapping her out of her daze.
“Nah, Chance, you’ve spent enough money on me today. I’m good. Anyway, I need to get home before it gets too late.” As much as she hated to go, she knew Nino would fuck her up if she came in after her curfew.
“Bet.” Chance had never met a chick like Nina. Most girls he dealt with wanted him to spend money on them just to chill or smash. Not Nina, though. Matter of fact, she never asked him for anything. His company was enough to keep her satisfied. The fact that Nina never asked for anything made Chance want to give her everything.
“Look, I want you to take this phone and call me if you need me. My number to my second cellphone is the only number programmed in it. I’m just a call away, a’ight?”
Smiling lightly, Nina leaned in to place a soft kiss on Chance’s lips. They were so soft and full. “Thank you, Chance. I’ll see you later.” She blushed as she opened the door to the Honda and ran to her front door. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Chance was still there, waiting for her to enter the house safely, just like she suspected.
Nina unlocked the door and entered the home. She leaned on the door, closed her eyes, and smiled brightly.
SMACK!
“You think I didn’t see that li’l nigga drop you off?” Nino yelled in Nina’s face so close she could smell the alcohol on his breath. “I’m not raising you to be a whore like your mother!”
Nina grabbed her face as tears slipped down it. Nino had never hit her face before. “I’m nobody’s whore!” she boldly yelled in his face. “And neither was my mama! You’re just mad because she left you, you fucking drunk!” Nina spat.
Her words must have struck a nerve because Nino punched Nina in the stomach like she was another nigga off the streets. Doubling over in pain, Nina stumbled and cried out in agony. “You don’t know shit, little girl! Keep talking like that, and I’m going to leave you stanking, just like ya moms!” He kicked her one time for good measure and stormed out of the house.
God please don’t let him come back, she prayed as she lay on the floor, crying out in pain. She hated Nino.
It took all her strength to pull the phone Chance had given her out of her pocket and dial his number. “Chance, he hit me!” She sobbed into the phone.
Enraged, Chance sped to Nina’s house without a second thought. He didn’t have a whole army with him, just his right-hand man, Quan. His heart broke as he saw Nina lying in the same spot she had been in since Nino left.
