Soul Ties, page 18
“Not only did I warn you about that him, but so did Quan. We were supposed to be family before anything, Nina. It was like you said fuck us after you had Nasim. You disregarded the fact that he could indeed be my son, and you isolated yourself from your family. That shit wack as hell. The nigga was never solid like that, Nina, and you should have peeped game.”
Nina wiped her tears as her heart ached. A part of her wanted to refute his words and ask about the times he had hurt her, about the fact that he had a baby on her, but she didn’t. Chance had every right to feel indignant. Nina had not only broken Chance’s heart, but she wounded his pride. Both would need time to heal.
“I know I fucked up. I’m standing here admitting that. So what? I just want my man back.” Nina slid closer to Chance and placed both of her hands in his. “I want us.” Her big brown eyes searched deeply into Chance’s, hoping to find any hint that he felt the same way she did.
“What if Nasim turns out to not be mine? Then what, ma?” Chance kissed both of Nina’s hands. “You’re not ready for us, Nina. I know you haven’t tied up your shit with Yasin. I may not like the cat, but you still owe him an explanation.” Chance moved a strand of hair out of Nina’s face. “You’re an amazing woman, shorty. Make sure that nigga knows you’re leaving his life. Life is too short, on some real shit. At the end of the day, you know my feelings for you will never change. Men will always try to win your affection because it’s just something about you and your love. It’s up to you to decide who’s worth it.”
“So, what are you saying?” Nina could tell Chance was a little blowed because he was talking in riddles and shit. His intellect was one of the things Nina fell in love with, but that wasn’t what she needed right now. Right now, she needed the truth, raw and uncut.
“I’m saying live your life, Nina. What’s meant to be already is, so if we are meant to be after everything that’s happened, it will happen. We don’t have to force nothing. We can see other people and live our lives.”
Nina scoffed and shook her head. She didn’t need time to date other men or find herself. She had known what she wanted since she was 15 years old. Yes, the road they’d been traveling had been rocky, but Nina didn’t want to ride this rollercoaster of life with anybody else. Yet, she had to respect his request. The roles were reversed three years ago. Chance gave Nina the decision to choose between him and Yasin. Now, he requested the same level of grace.
“I respect that. I can’t be surprised, right?” Her voice shook as she held back tears. She shifted toward the opposite direction and crossed her arms.
“I’m going to set you up in your own condo in a couple of days. I own one right down the hall, so you don’t have to stray that far from Charlene. She’s clutch, right?”
Nina nodded. “I like her.” She wondered why Chance wanted to keep her so close. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t because of Charlene. Chance isn’t ready to let me go, Nina thought. That alone was enough to give her hope.
* * *
The two women sat outside Vice City Bean, a local coffee shop off North Miami Avenue. They were waiting for one more person to arrive before they could get into the details of the reason for their meeting. The redhead sitting on the far-left side bounced her leg and tapped her long nails against the table anxiously. Her signature long, wavy tresses were now styled into a short bob.
“Where is this bitch, man?” she asked irritably.
“Will you stop bouncing your fucking leg like that? You’re making me nervous,” the dark-skinned beauty hissed under her breath. She looked around to make sure no one else noticed her friend’s shifty behavior.
“Na, it’s bad enough we agreed to do this shit. I feel dirty as hell.” The girl scratched both arms, swiveling her head to survey her surroundings.
Naomi cut her eyes at her friend. She couldn’t believe Tiana was scared after they had talked about this a thousand times over. “T, this is the only way we can get revenge. We haven’t been successful on our own. It’s the only way.” Naomi put on her best convincing tone.
Tiana nodded reluctantly, but she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. No good was going to come out of what they were about to do, but she pushed the apprehensive thoughts to the back of her mind.
Their thoughts were interrupted as a beautiful, shapely, brown-skinned woman approached the table they were seated at. “Hello, ladies. Thanks for agreeing to meet me.” She was dressed down in a two-piece suit that accented her curvaceous frame. “As I informed you over the phone, my name is Angela Tyson, and I am a detective and federal agent. I work alongside the DEA and sometimes even the CIA. We’ve been building this case against the syndicate of drug dealers for almost three years now. We’ve failed in our previous attempts to bring charges against Yasin Amos. I don’t know if you’re aware or not, but there’s a whole drug operation being run out of Puerto Rico by these men.” Agent Tyson placed five pictures in front of the women. They shuffled through the photos, only recognizing two out of the five men in front of them.
“That’s Yasin, and that’s Chance McKnight,” Naomi stated matter-of-factly as she pointed the two men out. Tiana rolled her eyes and remained silent. She wasn’t feeling this at all.
Agent Tyson smiled and removed the pictures from their hands. “Correct. In the other pictures, we have Nikko Ramirez, Cassidy Arrington, and Ty’Quan Mason. These men are big time. If they were just some petty drug dealers, they wouldn’t be such a thorn in my ass.” She sighed. “But these men move more weight than a fucking dump truck. Out of every dollar made on the East Coast, they are taking home twenty-five cents of it. This makes them a threat for the federal government. This time, however, they won’t get off so easily.”
“How are you so sure of that?” Tiana interrupted. She couldn’t speak on Cassidy or Nikko, but she knew firsthand how conscientiously Chance and Quan ran their operation. She doubted that this woman had the power to bring them down.
Agent Tyson leaned in so only the two of them could hear her next words. “One of our own has infiltrated their inner circle. We are very confident this time,” she whispered before pausing. “And with your help, we can put these bastards behind bars for the rest of their lives. If you are willing to help.”
Tiana used this opportunity to speak before Naomi did. “What’s in it for us?” she asked, rolling her neck and leaning across the table.
Agent Tyson looked Tiana directly in her eyes and pulled out another photograph. It was of baby Chase being held at the park by Nina. “How do you feel about another woman raising your son? A woman who’s living the life that you should be living?”
The sight made Tiana’s blood boil. It was true that Tiana hated Nina, but she never would have made a good mother anyway. Agent Tyson sensed that the picture wasn’t enough to move Tiana, so she went into her manila folder and pulled out one more photo. It was a picture of their deceased best friend, Kiki.
“I know what Yasin did to her. I want justice for her just as much as you do,” Agent Tyson lied. All she cared about was winning this case. To be black and a young woman, a case like this was all she needed to reach her pinnacle. She planned on being the chief of her department, a feat that had never been accomplished by a black woman. Nailing this case would ensure her ascent toward the promotion she dreamed of.
“We’re in.” Naomi spoke up, slapping her hand on the table.
Tiana cut her eyes at her friend and sucked her teeth but said nothing. They were violating the ultimate rules of the streets: no snitching. As much as she wanted revenge on Yasin, a part of her screamed out that Chance didn’t deserve to be collateral damage. But it was already too late. They were in bed with the pigs.
* * *
The next few weeks were spent getting Nina settled into her place. The boys spent a lot of time there. Chase expressed his admiration for Nina every day. She cared for him with the same tender love she showed Nasim. Chance also had to do a little kissing up to Yasmine. After Yasmine saw Nina move out and received the Chance experience, everything between the two of them was copacetic.
Lyrics from J. Cole’s new album, KOD, serenaded the luxury vehicle as Chance made his way to the airport. He was picking up his right hand, Quan. He would be coming to Miami for a combination of business and pleasure. Nikko, who was Quan’s second cousin, was having a birthday celebration at his mansion. Invitations were extended to everyone in their circle, including a plus one. It’d been a few months since Chance parlayed with his best friend. A celebration amongst them was long overdue.
“What’s good, my nigga?” Chance exclaimed as he exited the car to help Quan with his luggage. He pulled Quan into a brotherly embrace. “I see you shinin’ and all that!” Chance admired Quan’s Audemar Piguet bezel engraved with VVS stones. He knew the bustdown cost his mans a pretty penny. “I see Charlotte treating you well.”
Chance had handed the throne to Quan once he made plans to move to Atlanta with Nina. His empire back in NC ran like a well-oiled engine with no hiccups. The meticulousness of his operation was like no other drug dealer around. Chance ran shit like a Fortune 500 company. Everybody had a part that was well-defined. A shooter never tried to play the part of a dealer, and the dealer never had to shoot unless necessary. There were no blurred lines. You either played your part or got dealt with.
“A nigga can’t complain. I learned beside the best.” Quan thumbed his nostrils as he looked down at his fit. He was chilling in an Essentials tracksuit and a pair of limited-edition Jordans were on his feet. His blinging wrist was what set him apart from an average hustler. The average nigga couldn’t afford half the shit he rocked, let alone what he carried in his luggage.
“No doubt, money. Let’s ride.”
The men loaded luggage into the Maserati and hopped in. Chance already had a spliff rolled and ready for his mans.
“The best that Miami has to offer.” Chance smirked as he handed the blunt to Quan.
Quan laughed as he sparked the blunt. “This what life like in Miami, huh? A nigga gets catered to and shit? I could get used to this.”
“I told you, nigga. That’s why you need to move here. All the money we make here makes that money in Charlotte look like chump change.” Chance had been throwing hints to Quan about moving to Miami for months now. He missed hustling alongside Quan. They were like two pieces of the same puzzle. Together, they were a formidable force. No one could outsmart Chance, and no one could outshoot Quan. Chance wanted to run it up one more time with his best friend.
Quan rubbed his chin hair as he thought about Chance’s words. The idea sounded tempting, but he was the king in Charlotte now. That was something money couldn’t buy. For years, he had chosen to remain in the shadows of their operation and allowed Chance to amass his own notoriety in the streets. Quan wanted to be known for more than his gun play. He wanted to be remembered as a hood legend.
“I’m good for now, fam.” Quan passed the blunt to Chance. “How your li’l shorty doing?” he asked, referring to Yasmine.
Chance hit the blunt and exhaled. “Yasmine, she good man. I had to spend some racks and spend a li’l more time with her ’cause her ass been on edge ever since Nina showed up.” Chance shrugged and passed the blunt to Quan.
“Wait, what?” Quan laughed a little before taking a pull of the blunt. “Fuck you mean, since Nina showed up? You can’t casually mention that and shit, nigga.”
Chance laughed, remembering he hadn’t even told Quan about Nina showing up a month ago. His laughs turned into coughing from the Kush smoke. “Yo, my nigga, I thought I told you. Nina and Nasim been in Miami for like a month now. She left that nigga Yasin.”
Damn, Quan thought. He hadn’t seen or heard from Nina in years, since the birth of Nasim, to be exact. “And he let her up and leave with his son? Fuck happened?”
“That’s where shit gets interesting. Nasim may be mine. We should have the results back from the DNA test any day now.” Chance shook his head. He’d been anxious the last few days, awaiting the test results. Either way it came out, Chance would be a little hurt. If Nasim wasn’t his, he’d be hurt because he always wanted a child with Nina. If Nasim was his, he’d be hurt because he had missed the first years of life. Not only that, but Nasim already had a father in his mind. It would only confuse the little boy.
“That’s wiiiiild,” Quan said as he hit the blunt. He couldn’t wait to see Nina so they could chop it up. “It’s always some shit with sis,” he joked, but it was true. There wasn’t much wrong she could do in Quan’s eyes, though.
* * *
Nina sat at the foot of her bed with a letter in her hand. She’d been sitting in the same position for the last thirty minutes. The letter contained the DNA results. Her MacBook Air sat on the bed beside her. On FaceTime was her best friend, Miami, there for moral support. Even though Miami was on a jet headed to the city of Miami, she wouldn’t dare let her girl go through this alone. Nina was so thankful that God led Miami into her life because she’d never had a friend like her before. They clicked instantly and had been tight ever since the first day they met.
“I’m so scared, Miami.”
“I know mami, but you have to open it.” Miami spoke into the camera. Cassidy was next to her, sleeping, so she wasn’t worried about him overhearing their conversation. “No matter the results, Nasim knows he’s loved, and Chance will still love you, too. Nothing can ever change that.” Miami was one of the few people who knew the story of Nina and Chance’s love. Nina had confided in her because she knew her secrets would never leave Miami’s mouth. Their love story touched Miami so much that she advocated for them getting back together.
Nina inhaled deeply. She looked down at her shaking hands and closed them into tight fists. “You’re right. Let me stop being scary.” Nina slid her forefinger through the letter, ripping it open. There were a lot of numbers on the front page of the letter that she didn’t understand. She looked toward the bottom of the letter for the results:
The alleged father, Chance McKnight, is not excluded as the biological father of the tested child, Nasim Singleton. Based on testing results obtained from analyses of the DNA loci, the probability of paternity is 99.9998%. This probability of paternity is calculated . . .
Nina read the words aloud and tears started falling. It had to be a miracle. Even though she had suspected Nasim was Chance’s child, she didn’t understand how it was scientifically possible, unless she had never truly miscarried like the doctor proclaimed.
“How is this possible, Mi? I had a miscarriage.”
Miami gave Nina a warm smile. “Sometimes there are no scientific explanation for things, baby. That’s where God steps in. I know it’s a relief to finally really know.” She wiped the tears that brimmed at the corner of her eyes. She loved this for Nina.
Wiping her tears, Nina smiled. “You have no idea . . .” A myriad of emotions brewed within her. A part of her was ecstatic. Another part was relieved. A small part of her felt guilty. How could she explain this to her son? The only father Nasim had known for the last three years was Yasin. Nina prayed that this revelation would be easy to explain to her son.
“Go ahead and handle what you got to, ma. I just wanted to be here with you while you got that important news. I’ll see you in a few hours, okay?”
“Yeah, girl, I appreciate it. Can’t wait until you land because we are popping out this weekend, bitch.” Nina wiped her tears and rolled her neck as she spoke.
Miami lived in New York and Nina lived in Atlanta at the time, so it had been months since they’d linked. They both understood they had lives that included husbands, kids, and businesses to keep up with. Nina missed her Miami, and nothing would fuck up her weekend with her friend.
“Okay!” Miami laughed and blew Nina a kiss before hanging up.
Nina stood up and thought about the upcoming events this weekend. It was a sunny Friday morning. Nikko was turning thirty and had a party planned at Cameo, a local nightclub. Everybody from the team would be in town from across the country. Nina was a little apprehensive about attending knowing Yasin could potentially show up. But, as far as she knew, he wasn’t allowed to leave Atlanta.
You never know, Nina thought.
“Mommy!” Nina heard tiny footsteps running toward her bedroom door. “Someone knocking at the door.”
Chase and Nasim ran into the room. The boys had been playing with their toys until the knock came at the door. Nina always told them to never open the door without her permission.
I wonder who’s at the door. Chance is the only one who knows where I live, and he should still be out handling business, Nina thought.
“Stay here,” Nina instructed the boys. Reaching in her top drawer, Nina swiftly pulled out her nine and carefully concealed it so the boys wouldn’t see it. If it was an unwelcome guest on the other side of the door, Nina wouldn’t be caught lacking. Being a mother had tamed her, but she’d never hesitate to squeeze her trigger when presented with a threat.
Nina reached the front door and looked through the peephole. The person had the hole covered, which only irritated Nina. “Who is it?”
“It’s me,” a female voice replied. It was Miami’s voice.
Nina laughed in relief as she opened the door and lowered her weapon by her side. She hadn’t expected Miami to pop up at her place this early. “Bitch, you almost got blown the fuck away from here!” she joked as she pulled her friend into an embrace.
Miami hugged Nina back as they rocked back and forth. “I’ve missed your crazy ass.” Miami stepped into the condo, looking as fabulous as ever. Like Nina, fashion was a passion of hers, and she stayed dripped in the latest trends. High-waisted, distressed jeans hugged Miami’s curvy body along with a white Dior crop top. On her feet were a pair of white-and-red Balenciaga sneakers. Her curly hair was in a high ponytail. With a bare face, Miami was still effortlessly beautiful.
“You’re looking good, girl. Glowing and shit.” Nina complimented her friend. She knew a glow like that could only come from good loving.
