Lover's Island, page 18
“I do too.” Nyimah took Sunni’s hand in hers. “But he’s always with us, in our hearts. I feel him and our child every day. He just wants us to live our lives with no regrets. For so long, I didn’t. But now I’m going to live. I’m going to allow myself to love, really love.”
“He a good nigga?” Sunni asked, referring to Nyimah’s baby’s father.
“The best nigga.” She laughed lightly, her brown cheeks becoming rosy, as she thought of Cree. “He reminds me of your brother. I know you’ll like him.”
“I ’on’t doubt it.” Sunni stood and rubbed his hands together, pushing the memories of his brother to the back of his mind. “I’m happy you’re here, sis. Whatever you need, I’ll help however I can,” he vowed.
“I appreciate it.”
“I got a few moves to make, but I’ll be stopping by to check in on you. Tomorrow we’ll go get you a new phone,” he stated.
“No rush on that. I just want time to myself for a few days. Handle your business, bro. I’m good. Thank you again. I love you.”
Sunni bent down to kiss Nyimah’s forehead. “I love you too. I’ll be back soon.”
* * *
Nyimah turned her gaze upward, then placed her hand over her eyes to block out the sunlight. The ten-story skyscraper taunted her. She stood frozen at its front doors, mustering the courage she needed to enter.
“You want me to come in with you?” asked Gianna, Sunni’s business partner. “Your brother asked me to be here, so it’s the least I could do.” Her locks danced around her slender face as she shrugged her shoulders. A nose ring adorned each of her nostrils. A gold stud on the left side and a gold hoop on the right. Gi, as she liked to be called, was small in stature but had the slim, thick look going for herself.
“Sure.” Nyimah smiled to herself, watching the sun shine on Gianna’s mahogany complexion enough to catch her blushing. “Just business partners, huh?” Nyimah knew the look in Gianna’s eyes all too well. She’d fallen.
Gianna bit her bottom lip bashfully and diverted her gaze to her six-inch heels. “I won’t say anything.”
Finally, Nyimah reached for the double doors and pulled one of them open, then entered Wells Fargo, with Gianna following closely behind.
“Hi. I have an appointment with Sharon Williams,” Nyimah informed the receptionist.
The receptionist nodded and swiftly glided her fingers across the keyboard. “You may have a seat. I’ve checked you in. Mrs. Williams will be with you shortly.”
“Thank you.” Nyimah and Gianna settled on a couch in the waiting area.
Nyimah said, “So, you and Sunni . . . ?”
Gianna chuckled and shook her head. “No, we’re just friends. Business and pleasure don’t mix well in my experience. Besides, he has a lot to figure out in his own life before he pursues anything new.”
“True. I just want to make sure he’s happy and has the right people surrounding him. These streets are just getting worse.” The streets were the reason she was sitting in this Wells Fargo lobby. She had lost Asun to the streets and had seen so many other souls lost to them over the years. That wasn’t the life she wanted for Sunni.
“Stubborn, but he’s the smartest person I know. If anyone can make it out, it’ll be him.”
I said the same thing about Asun, Nyimah thought solemnly.
“Nyimah Deveraux,” called a middle-aged black woman dressed in beige slacks and a purple blouse.
Nyimah waved, snapping out of her daze, stood, and walked over to meet the woman.
“Hello. I’m Sharon. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She held out her hand for Nyimah to shake. “We can chat in my office while we wait for your safety-deposit box key.” Sharon motioned for Nyimah to follow her. When they reached a door with a golden plaque on it that read SHARON WILLIAMS, SENIOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR, Sharon opened it, then stepped aside for Nyimah to enter.
An assorted bouquet of flowers sat on Sharon’s desk. Nyimah admired it as she lowered herself into the plush chair in front of the desk. “Nice flowers,” Nyimah commented, watching Sharon round the desk before taking her seat.
“I’m glad you like them. They’re for you,” Sharon said, tapping a stack of papers together on the desk.
“For me?” Nyimah asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You probably have a lot of questions. Let me start by saying I’m sorry for your loss. Asun was an amazing, intelligent young man. He spoke a lot about you. He loved you so much.” Sharon paused and allowed her words to settle on Nyimah. “Asun had clear instructions in place in the event of his death. He requested that you receive everything.”
“What’s everything? I assumed everything was stolen the night of his murder.”
Sharon slid the stack of papers across the desk to Nyimah. “Asun invested a lot of his money. His stock portfolio alone is worth over a half a million dollars. Sunni has been overseeing the assets, but Asun left everything to you. Thanks to his stock portfolio—in addition to the contents of Asun’s safety-deposit box and the funds from his accounts—you’re a very rich woman.”
Nyimah chuckled in disbelief. She was at a loss for words. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
“I asked the same question. The simplest answer is he wanted to enjoy whatever time he had with you without worrying you too much. In keeping with his request, I promised I’d have flowers delivered to you the day we met. He insisted that I wait for you to reach out to me. I’m glad you finally did.”
“Wow . . . I don’t know what to say. Asun always liked to be a step ahead of everyone else.”
“Well, he made the right moves. Shall we proceed with a withdrawal?” Sharon said, standing.
Half an hour later, Nyimah walked out of Wells Fargo over a million dollars richer. Beyond the grave, Asun had ensured she’d be straight forever, and Nyimah appreciated it. She now had enough to start a new life for herself.
* * *
Aida swayed her hips to the beat of the reggae music as she stocked the shelves in the shop with new products. Their monthly shipment had arrived earlier, and Aida was slowly unpacking it all. Boxes and packs of wigs were sprawled across the floor. Without Nyimah here to assist, it was taking her longer than normal to organize the mess. Thankfully, no clients were scheduled for the remainder of the day.
Her mind drifted to her friend. Nyimah leaving Rocky Mount was bittersweet. She was finally free from Jabari’s grasp, but she had to give up the business, which she had put years of hard work into. There were so many loyal clients she was putting in her rearview. Aida knew Nyimah would rebuild her empire no matter where the wind blew her. She had learned the art of hustling from the best—Asun. Aida missed Nyimah already, but she trusted that they’d reunite when the time was right.
“Shit!” Aida exclaimed after tripping over a box and hitting her toe against the wall. She hopped on one leg for a few seconds before walking into the office. “These damn slides,” she mumbled. The platform Chanel slides on her feet were stylish but uncomfortable as hell.
Aida picked up her iPhone from the desk and dialed Nyimah’s number. She hoped she had replaced her phone by now. Aida just wanted to make sure she was okay. I’d be ready to dip out if it were me too, Aida thought. After the drama that had unfolded a week ago, Aida would want to go off the grid, too, if she were in Nyimah’s position. To cool off. To regroup.
“The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected or is no longer in service. Please try—” Aida ended the call and bit the bottom of her lip, thinking about where Nyimah could be. When they had said their goodbyes, Nyimah hadn’t told her where she was going or if she planned on keeping the baby for sure. The chime above the shop’s front door snapped Aida out of her thoughts. She sucked her teeth and wondered who had decided to show up uninvited.
“What the fuck you doing here?” Aida spat when she marched out of the office and found Jabari snooping through Nyimah’s station. The nigga had a lot of nerve to show his face after the stunt he had pulled.
Jabari smirked and pulled up his Purple jeans at the waist. The overwhelming smell of alcohol seeped from his pores. Aida turned her nose up in disgust. “Fuck you mean? I paid for this shit. It’d be mine if I wanted it,” he said, plucking the bottles of shampoo from the shelf.
Rolling her eyes, Aida moved to her desk, never taking her eyes off Jabari. “Yet Nyimah left this place to me. This my shit now, and yo’ ass ain’t welcome here,” she shot back. Whatever intimidation tactics Jabari had up his sleeve wouldn’t work on her. Aida knew Jabari’s bark was bigger than his bite.
“You can have it. I know you probably need the income. I just want to know where Nyimah is,” Jabari responded.
Aida laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “Even if I knew where Nyimah is, I’d mop the entire ocean before I told your dirty ass where. I ’on’t have nothing to tell you but get the fuck out my face.”
Jabari sneered at her and nodded, thumbing his nostril. Aida’s reckless mouth ate at his reserve. “Your friend stole from me. A lot of fucking money. You heard?” he growled, taking a step closer to the desk. “I just want my bread back. Nothing more.”
“I don’t know nothing about any money or where Nyimah is,” she replied unenthusiastically while shrugging her shoulders. Aida already knew about the quarter of a million dollars Nyimah had lifted from Jabari’s safe. Frankly, that amount didn’t even start to compensate Nyimah for all the pain he had put her through. It didn’t even make a dent in the bill. “I can’t help you.”
“Bitch, you better find out!” Jabari yelled, bringing his fists down on the desk. All his patience went out the window. The money Nyimah had stolen was the money Jabari owed his plug. He got fronted bricks on consignment. Without that bread, and with only thirty thousand in his bank account, Jabari was in a fucked-up predicament.
“Or what?” Aida snapped, scrambling from around the desk. She stood only five foot two, but she had always possessed the heart of a lion. If Jabari thought he scared her, he was dumber than she thought. “Nigga, I’ll have my baby daddy pull up and air this bitch out!” she shouted.
The two were too engaged in their argument to notice the two men slip into the salon. Cree fingered his goatee with one hand, while the other rested in his pants pocket. He didn’t like the scene he had walked in on. Pierre stood to the right of Cree, his locks swinging at his shoulders. Pierre smiled as he watched Aida mimic having a gun in her hand, then pointing it toward the man in front of her. The littlest person in the room with the biggest spirit. Pierre loved Aida’s fiery nature.
Li’l baby got heart, he thought.
Jabari kissed his teeth. He didn’t need any more trouble finding him. With the plug calling his line, Jabari had enough problems to worry about. “I know how y’all bitches is. You probably in on the shit with her ho ass. Birds of a feather flock together, huh? When you talk to Nyimah, tell her I’m looking for her,” Jabari spat and then kicked a box over before turning on his heels.
In an instant, Cree’s hands were wrapped around Jabari’s throat, and he was slamming Jabari’s body into the wall. Hearing this man speak about Nyimah with such a low regard had sent him into a blind rage. Something told him that this man was the reason behind Nyimah’s sudden disappearance. “Fuck was that?” Cree snarled.
Aida’s eyes widened in surprise as she jumped out of the way of the altercation. Cree was the last person she had expected to see. She thought Nyimah would’ve at least spoken to him. She turned her eyes to Pierre and blushed as their gazes locked. Memories of their escapades in Vegas flashed before her. She licked her lips and shot him a quick smile. Seeing Pierre made her realize how much she had missed him. “What the fuck?” she mouthed to him.
He shrugged and nodded in Cree’s direction.
“Cree!” Aida shouted. She watched Jabari scratch and squirm against Cree’s tight grasp. As much as Aida would’ve enjoyed it, she didn’t need Jabari dying in the shop at Cree’s hands. “He’s going to kill him!” she shouted to Pierre.
Pierre sucked his teeth. “Nah he ain’t.” The scene amused Pierre.
Cree lifted Jabari inches off his feet with one hand before releasing his grip. He kneeled next to Jabari after his body had dropped to the floor. A few seconds more and Jabari would’ve passed out. “Don’t ever disrespect Nyimah’s name and think you’ll get away with it. That’s me now,” Cree spat before standing to his feet.
Jabari coughed and rubbed his neck, gasping for air. He assumed this was the mystery man from Vegas and the father of the baby Nyimah was carrying. If he’d had a gun on him, he wouldn’t have hesitated to empty his clip on the two strangers. However, it was two against one, and he knew this was a losing battle on his end.
“You can have Nyimah,” Jabari barked as he managed to get to his feet. He glanced at Aida. She was standing beside the other dude, with her arms crossed. They looked too comfortable together in his eyes. These bitches ain’t shit. Probably fucking off together, he thought, glowering.
“I ’on’t need your permission on that.” Cree’s brows furrowed as he narrowed his eyes in Jabari’s direction. He didn’t understand why the nigga was still standing in front of him. Every time the man mentioned Nyimah’s name, he put his life further at risk.
“Jabari . . . leave,” Aida stated firmly. Reading the room, Aida noticed Pierre didn’t remove his right hand from his waist. She feared that Cree would strangle Jabari at any moment. Just the thought of their altercation unfolding had Aida shaken. Her palms became clammy, and she cleared her scratchy throat. There was a look in Cree’s eyes that she’d never seen before. It was deadly, and she knew Jabari had come close to kissing death.
Jabari flicked the edge of his nostril with his thumb and nodded his head before aggressively pushing his way out the front door of the building.
“Where’s Nyimah?” Cree asked after the front door closed loudly, confirming Jabari’s departure. He spun the pinky ring around his finger and rubbed his goatee with the other.
Aida shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”
Cree turned doubtful eyes Pierre’s way, silently beckoning Pierre to charm the truth out of Aida.
“Look, baby, this nigga pulled me out my sleep to find ya girl. You ain’t gotta play games with us,” Pierre told Aida.
Aida squared her shoulders and faced Pierre. The circumstances that had reunited them put them in an awkward position. With each week that passed, Aida only grew fonder of Pierre. She thought about him and their escapades almost daily. As much as she liked to kick the shit with Pierre, Aida needed to purge her aura of the toxic masculine energy Jabari had unloaded on her. A moment to herself, paired with a blunt, would rejuvenate her. “I don’t play games,” she told Pierre before turning back in Cree’s direction. “Nyimah left about a week ago. She didn’t tell me where she was going, and under the circumstances, I didn’t ask. As long as she’s away from Jabari, I’m good.”
“Circumstances?” Cree said as his nostrils flared. “He hurt her?” Thinking of the man who had just cowered before him putting hands on Nyimah enraged him further. All it would take was him getting an address from Aida, and Jabari would be a memory by nightfall.
“Not physically,” Aida responded despondently. She didn’t want to be the one to divulge the details that had led up to Nyimah and Jabari’s explosive breakup. That right was reserved for Nyimah.
Cree nodded hesitantly, shoving his hands into his pockets. His eyebrows drew closer together as he analyzed Aida’s body language. He searched for any indication of dishonesty. She stood with her shoulders high, which seemed to extend her petite frame by a few inches. “You know . . . I have always liked you, Aida. You’re a real one,” Cree said finally, slowly circling the salon until he landed in front of Nyimah’s station. “But I fucking love your friend.”
His hands wandered over Nyimah’s station. A framed picture of Nyimah and Aida sat on the counter. Cree held it in his hands, briefly admiring Nyimah’s beauty, before he returned his attention to Aida. “I love Nyimah, and I haven’t heard from her. That ain’t us. Should I be worried?”
“No. She learned how to go off the radar when needed from Asun. She told me she would get in touch with both of us when she got settled. I trust that.”
Cree exhaled heavily and swiped his right hand down his face. Aida’s answers did little to ease his anxieties. Cree worried that Nyimah might feel he’d left her to make a life-changing decision on her own. He feared Nyimah mistook his lack of communication for disinterest, when that was the furthest thing from the truth. He had put Sanai’s treatment and healing at the forefront. Her diagnosis had blindsided him, and the only person he wanted to vent to was Nyimah. Cree needed to lay eyes on Nyimah so he could express his excitement for the blessing that God had gifted them with. That opportunity had been stolen from him, but he vowed to make up for that.
“So, she’s safe?” he asked hesitantly.
Aida nodded slowly. Nyimah had informed her that she would be staying with Asun’s brother until she got on her feet. There was no safer place Nyimah could be. “I promise she is.”
Cree licked his lips, then tucked his bottom lip between his teeth and bit down lightly. He didn’t care for the circumstances. He fucked with Aida, but he didn’t know her well enough to put all his trust in her word. Cree valued having control of his affairs and protecting his loved ones, but lately, he wondered if he had failed at that. I have no choice but to take her word.
The vibration of his phone in his pocket captured his attention just then. He pulled out his phone and saw Nova’s name displayed the screen. “Excuse me for a second,” Cree said, holding up his forefinger, as he backed out the front door.
“That nigga a problem?” Pierre questioned, nodding his head toward the front door, which Jabari had left through just minutes ago, as he glided toward Aida.
