My heart thundered in my chest. Jesus! How much more was I going to have to deal with in the next forty-eight hours? I couldn’t deal with anymore bullshit.
“Will you marry me?”
I looked at him, confusion etched on my face. I could have sworn that we had already discussed this. Judging from the huge rock on my finger, I was sure we had. “I thought we were engaged?”
His smile illuminated his face. Damn, ‘Zay was sexy. “Yeah, we are. What I’m asking is will you marry me sooner rather than later?”
I swallowed the spoonful of grits I had just shoveled in my mouth. “How soon are we talking?”
“I was thinking July, so about three and half months from now.” My face must have mirrored the shock that welled up inside me because he chuckled and laced my fingers through his. He kissed my knuckles and sighed. “If this whole situation has taught me anything, it’s that life is not promised. A person could be here today then gone tomorrow. I don’t want to waste another second not being bound to you in the most spiritual and legal way possible.” Sighing, he rubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t want to get into too many details, but I did some shit last night that might come back to bite the both of us in the ass. Once we’re married we won’t have to testify against each other if it comes down to it.”
My mind was swirling. What in the world was ‘Zay talking about? If Blue had gotten him mixed up in some shit I was going to kill him! Too much was going on right now to think clearly, but that was the way life went. You made decisions on the fly and hoped to God that things turned out well. Three months? Could I plan a wedding that quickly? I guess I didn’t have a choice.
“Yeah, I’ll marry you, ‘Zay.”
He leaned over to kiss me briefly on the lips and I deepened it. I needed it. I needed to feel something other than fear and desperation. Lips still connected, Isaiah lifted me out of my seat and placed me in his lap. His large hands slid underneath my short shorts.
My entire body ignited from his touch and I moaned deeply. ‘Zay’s skilled hands had me out of my shorts and his pants around his ankles in no time. He slipped inside me and I came on contact.
The friction, the heat of his body against mine set me on a whirlwind of love and lust. A kaleidoscope of colors burst in front of my closed eyes. Up and down I rode my soon-to-be husband. It felt so good, so right. No man had ever loved me as completely, as thoroughly as Isaiah. I pried my mouth from his and screamed at the top of my lungs. The pressure was so great that if I didn’t vocalize it my head would have exploded. Passion thundered and orgasm rained from the both of us until we were limp with satisfaction.
Isaiah regained his strength faster than I regained mine and brought our connected bodies upstairs. With my body astride his, still intimately connected, I fell into a peaceful sleep. The warmth of his body and the shelter of his love kept the nightmares at bay.
Chapter 56
BLUE
While Cedric was helping Robin pack, Tyler, Pierre, and I were putting things in motion for the next morning. Ty’s little buddy had flipped on Dean. Pierre had gathered piles of information on Dean by hacking into his personal accounts. That incriminating evidence had been anonymously delivered to the authorities.
According to one of my contacts shit was going down at the local police station. They were rushing to pull a raid on Dean’s condo the next morning. It always surprised me that Dean lived and did business in the same place. I guess he figured he was so untouchable that he could live in an all glass building handling some of the biggest drug deals that go down in the city and nothing would happen. He was wrong.
The only thing left to do was pin Sherry’s murder on Dean. That wouldn’t be too hard to do since she was buried in his makeshift graveyard. Plus, the way the bullet went through her chin was the same angle another person would have used if they had been pointing the gun at her. The difficult part was getting the evidence in his possession. It wasn’t as if I could just walk up to him and hand him the scrubbed gun and shell casings. I had to get slick.
I glanced at P and I knew he would handle the technical aspect of everything. He was hunched over his laptop in my motel room, his fingers dancing over the keys and creating a staccato rhythm. Somehow he had finagled a way to send emails to one of Dean’s associates using Dean’s IP address. These emails would allude to the fact that the gun was buried in Dean’s mom’s backyard. Technology was a motherfucker.
There was sharp knock on the door and all three of us shared a look before I stood to answer the door. My hand gripped the handle of the gun in my waist tightly as I glanced through the peephole. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it was Ced. Quickly, I opened the door and let him in. A goofy smile basked his face and I rolled my eyes. I didn’t have time to deal with another love struck friend. Pierre gave Ced a knowing look and Ty grunted in frustration. It looked like he and I were the only ones who looked forward to a cold and lonely bed when this was over.
Three hours later, we were shrouded in darkness as we made our way through the suburban streets. Pure and undiluted adrenaline pumped through my veins as I turned the lights off on my rental a block from our destination. This was how it always was for me when I was doing something illegal. It was a mixture of danger and excitement. The only time I ever felt anything close to this was when I was having sex with the right woman. Bringing my thoughts back to the present, I sent a quick prayer up to the Lord and braced myself for what was to come.
In rush of synchronized movements, our shadowy figures jumped out of the vehicle. The block was quiet just the way I liked it. There wasn’t a soul in sight that could identify us later. We rushed to the house with Pierre and Cedric going towards the back and Ty and I through the front. Though it was the middle of the night, we couldn’t take a chance of Dean’s mother waking up. She had to be dealt with.
Ty quickly picked the lock and we entered swiftly. We stayed low to the ground and crept up the stairs. The last door on the right was cracked open and the soft glow of a night light illuminated our path. We slipped into the room and closed the door behind us. Ty shut the heavy drapes that covered the windows, blocking out the night time sky. I looked at the woman that had helped make Ray’s life a living hell.
Brianna Smith was a bitch of major proportions. She may have appeared to be the loving, doting mother but you know what they say about appearances. In Brianna’s eyes Raven was never good enough.
She did everything in her power to ruin the marriage between Dean and Ray. She begged Dean not to give up dealing. She put other women in his path. She constantly planted seeds of doubt in Dean’s head about having a baby with Ray. Dean was his own man and made his own decisions but when it came to his mother he was still a little boy. He was her baby, her youngest child. She wasn’t ready to let go and he wasn’t ready to get off of her titty. In the end, it was Raven who suffered.
I would be lying if said I wouldn’t garner some pleasure from what I was about to do to her. A chloroform soaked rag was pressed into my hand. I stood over the bitch and covered her mouth and nose. Her panicked filled eyes flew open. Her hands gripped my forearms, her nails digging into my skin through my hoodie. I stared deep into her eyes and instinctively knew when recognition hit her. She fought harder. She held her breath. I had to give it to her; she wasn’t going down without a fight. Her will was strong but mine was stronger. Hot air caressed my palm through the cloth and I knew that she had exhaled. I leaned into her and right before she passed out I whispered, “Tell your son that Blue did this to you.”
A lone tear escaped her right eye and her body went limp. Ty peered out the window and saw that Pierre and Ced were done burying the gun and shell casing from Sherry’s murder. We made our way down the stairs to the den.
Inside the wall, behind a painting, was a safe. Only Dean’s closest people knew about it and even fewer knew the code. To Dean I was family.
I knew the code. I quickly unlocked it and slipped in all the damning evidence that would put Dean away for a long time. Documents upon documents detailing everything from off shore accounts in Dean’s name to the bribing of government officials. If we were going to take Dean down we needed to make sure that those who had the power to get him off were taken out of the picture.
I closed the safe and made sure everything was the way we had found it before we left the house. All four of us hopped in the car and made our way towards downtown. It was four in the morning and the raid would go down in about two hours.
We stopped at a fast food spot and grabbed some food for the show. I took a page out of Robin’s book and invited the press to the main event. This was going to shake Chicago to its dirty political core. I couldn’t help but laugh. Two of my sisters had affected the political realm of Illinois in less than five months. First Robin and Princeton and now Raven and Dean.
We pulled up across the street from Dean’s condo. The glass and steel structure gleamed in the early morning light. We all stepped outside and leaned against the car while sipping our coffees and eating our breakfast sandwiches. The sky was a pretty blue and fluffy white clouds dotted it. Yep, it was going to be a beautiful day.
Black van after black van pulled up in front of the building and police surrounded the building. News crews lined the streets. I knew the same thing was happening over at Brianna’s. In a coordinated fashion, the officers entered the building. It was beautiful really. It was like a watching a well-choreographed ballet. Silence then commotion broke out. It could be heard from the open windows on Dean’s floor.
Minutes later a handcuffed Dean and a woman, clothed only in slippers, cutoffs, and a jacket, were escorted out of the building. In an effort to embarrass Dean, the officers left him outside in the open with only two officers surrounding him for the press to photograph and the public to ridicule. Helicopters flew overhead, reporters were cackling into microphones, and spectators were watching in awe as box after box of evidence was brought out of the building. I smiled at Pierre. He had done his job and done it well.
A few days ago, P had planted all of it in Dean’s house. The doormen knew him so it was easy to get inside. Dean was sloppy. He thought he was invincible. He never dreamed that anybody would come back after he disowned them and he never dreamed that anyone would orchestrate his demise. He thought wrong.
From our spot on the street we had an unobstructed view of the circus and Dean. Anger, embarrassment, and bewilderment played across his face. A sense of joy and relief filled my body.
The police chief came out of the building and stood in front of the array of cameras. “Today is a good day for the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. Thanks to a group of concerned citizens, we were able to trace the majority of the state’s drug crime to this man, Dean Smith. Not only has Mr. Smith been the leader of major drug ring for years, but his connection with certain government officials has allowed him to prosper while our communities suffer. I am proud to be a part of this apprehending of Mr. Smith. That is all for now, thank you.”
The reporters all started talking at once while the officers dragged Dean to the car. As if he felt our eyes on him he turned towards us and stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes graced all four of us but lingered on me the longest.
Betrayal leapt into his eyes when he saw P, confusion when he saw Cedric, and anger when he laid his eyes on Ty but when he saw me it was an emotion that none of us expected. Fear. Pure, cold fear danced in his eyes and he dealt with it the only way he knew how…by lashing out.
“BLUE!!! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, BLUE!!! I’M GOING TO KILLYOU!”
Smiling, I turned and got into the car.
“YOU HEAR ME? I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, MOTHERFUCKER?”
Leaning against the leather seats, I chuckled. “Not if I kill you first, motherfucker. Not if I kill you first.”
Chapter 57
RAVEN
I was going to kill Pierre! He left late last night to meet up with Blue and took my car. Now, I was running late to meet Dean and he still wasn’t back. Tired of waiting for his behind to show up, I called a cab and waited.
Forty-five minutes later, I was riding down Dean’s street. Traffic was worse than usual. What else was new for a Saturday in Chicago? As we inched closer to the building I learned the reason to the abundance of traffic. There were news cameras everywhere. Something had happened. Which wasn’t surprising since this was Chicago and shit always seemed to go down.
I cursed softly. How in the hell was I supposed to get into the building with media everywhere? If Pierre saw me on the news creeping into Dean’s building then I would never hear the end of it.
I contemplated having the driver pull around to the back of the building when the flashing lights of police cars caught my attention. In front of the cameras and next to the police chief was Dean in handcuffs. My mouth dried up and my pulse raced.
I paid the driver and jumped out of the car. I pushed my way through the crowd and was able to hear the only part of the chief’s speech. I stood there stunned as I heard the chief say that they were pressing charges on Dean. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The epitome of evil was finally being exorcised from my life. I had never felt so happy.
The police were leading Dean away when something in my direction caught his attention. I prayed to God that he hadn’t seen me. Anger enflamed his eyes and I thought I was done for.
“BLUE!!! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, BLUE!!! I’M GOING TO KILLYOU!”
Blue, I thought to myself. I turned in the direction he was looking and saw Blue, Cedric, Ty, and Pierre leaned against a car. The sly smile on Blue’s face sent a chill through my body. There was more to his being here than watching Dean fall.
“YOU HEAR ME? I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, MOTHERFUCKER?”
Blue got in the car and they drove in the direction of the interstate. I hailed a cab and made my way back to the house in Plainfield since it was closer than Pierre’s. I tried calling Blue, Pierre, Ty, and Cedric, but no one was picking up their phones. I had an uneasy feeling about their involvement with Dean, but unfortunately I would have to wait for answers.
As soon as we pulled up to the house I used to share with Dean in Plainfield the uneasy feeling I had turned into panic. An unmarked police vehicle was waiting outside for me. Two tall detectives were leaned against it. I knew I should have contacted my lawyer immediately but I was tired, emotional, angry, and pregnant. I wanted this nightmare to finally end.
I paid the cabbie and walked towards the officers, my stomach churning all the way. “Good morning, gentlemen. How can I help you?”
“I’m Detective Johnson and this is my partner Detective Holstand. Are you Raven Smith?” I nodded. “I assume you know that your husband, Dean Smith, has been arrested this morning on a battery of charges.”
“Yes, I am aware that my soon-to-be ex-husband was arrested.”
Johnson’s left eyebrow inched up at the mention of Dean being my ex-husband. “Well, you must know that we have some questions for you. If you’d like to come with us to the station so we can make it official that would be much appreciated.”
I took a brief moment to think about it. Like I really had a choice. I hopped in the back of the police car and texted Sparrow what was going on. I knew my parents and their lawyers would meet me at the station.
I had never been in trouble in my life, had never been to a police station but here I was in an interrogation room with my lawyer on my left all because of Dean. Naw, I couldn’t blame it all on him. I knew what I was getting myself into when I married his ass. The detectives sat across from us behind the wooden table. An orangey-yellow light bathed the small space in a hellish glow. A manila folder stuffed with papers sat between us.
Holstand rubbed his large hands down his face and sighed. “Mrs. Smith, I’m going to get straight to the point.
Your husband tells us that you orchestrated this entire thing. Yeah, you’re the pretty mastermind behind Chicago’s drug game. In fact, he called us last week saying you were going to meet some Colombians across the country. Yeah, we were planning to meet you out there with our friends the DEA.”
My head snapped up. What the fuck was he talking about? Before I could ask, my lawyer spoke up. “This is all very entertaining but unless you have an arrest warrant then my client and I are leaving.”
“We don’t have a warrant but we do have a few questions. One, were you the financer behind Dean’s illicit activities? Two, were you aware of the criminal activities taking place?”
Again, I didn’t have to answer. “My client is not and has never been the financer of any illicit activities. She was married to Mr. Smith. So, what was her money became his as soon as they said their marriage vows. Mrs. Smith was not aware of any criminal dealings of her husband. I’m sure you know that any and all evidence was found away from their family home in Plainfield. I’m sure you are also aware that an informant named Dean as the brains behind the operation. You are also aware that my client filed for divorce from her husband months ago and has since moved on. Since we answered your questions and you are lacking a warrant, my client and I are leaving.”
An hour later, I was once again being dropped off by a cab to my home in Plainfield. Four cars were parked outside and I knew my family was there. I only had words for one.
I walked into the house and straight to Blue. My palm connected with his face swiftly. I reached back again to slap the shit out him when Pierre caught my wrist.
He brought me to his chest and my curses and screams were muffled by his shirt. Pierre dragged me upstairs and I could hear heavy footsteps following behind us. A door opened, closed, and locked and Pierre released me.
As soon as I was free I pounced. “Blue what the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
I tried to reach him again but Cedric blocked me.
“Ray, you need to calm down. You’re pregnant. I need to tell you some things but I need you to promise me that you will stay calm.”