Still The Baddest Bitch Read online

  “Quentin, Precious is just getting to know you again, so let that shit play out before you start trying to bring Maya up in here.”

  “Maya is her sister. Precious has every right to get to know her, too.”

  “Cut the bullshit. You know damn well Precious and Maya have never had no type of sister relationship. You’re trying to use Precious’ memory loss to ignite a link between them and frankly, I don’t like it. Precious loathes Maya and just because she can’t remember that shit don’t mean it still ain’t true.”

  “Man, you a damn walking hypocrite.”

  “What are you talkin’ ‘bout?”

  “Before Precious lost her memory, she was in love with two men and neither one of them were you. So, if we’re to go by what you’re saying regarding Maya, then Precious needs to be out of your house and go back to either Lorenzo or Supreme. Because we both know that before her accident, she wasn’t checking for you.”

  “I want the two of you stop,” I said, walking into the living room. I had heard enough and I didn’t want this shit escalating any further.

  “Precious, how much of the conversation did you hear?”

  “Enough to know your conversation needed to end. Nico, I appreciate you trying to protect me, but I want to meet everybody that had an impact in my life. Like the doctor said, we don’t know who might trigger my memory coming back.”

  “But you hate Maya.”

  “She used to hate Maya,” Quentin said, frowning at Nico, before turning his attention to me. “Maybe this will be a blessing to both of you. Precious, because you can no longer remember the bad blood between you and your sister, you might finally be open to working on building a relationship.”

  “You’ve always been so determined for them to bond. Maybe you need to just let that shit go.”

  “Nico, they share the same blood. They family. Of course I want my two daughters to bond, what father wouldn’t? Plus, Maya has changed. She deserves a second chance and maybe now Precious will give it to her. Will you do that?”

  “Yes, I will. My mother’s gone. I don’t have a lot of family. I want to get to know my sister.”

  “Thank you,” Quentin said, before coming over and giving me a hug. “This means the world to me. Before I leave this earth, I want my girls to share a solid connection.”

  “Nothing like seeing father and daughter embracing.”

  “Genesis, I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  “The maid let me in. I guess with all the commotion going on in here, nobody heard the doorbell.”

  “Yeah, things were a bit heated,” Nico commented, still annoyed.

  “Hopefully you all got everything resolved. Precious, you seem more and more like yourself each time I come. I can see that fire in your eyes again.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. It’s good to see, too. Out of all your great qualities, your fiery personality is one of my favorites.”

  “Mine, too,” Quentin smiled.

  “I think we all can agree we appreciate that fire in Precious, but Genesis, I’m sure you didn’t come all the way to Jersey to tell us that,” Nico shrugged, unable to let go of the bad mood his disagreement with Quentin put him in.

  “You’re right. I’m actually here because we’ve made some movement tracking Ashley down.”

  “Who is Ashley?” I noticed all three men look at each other, but nobody was answering my question. “Who the fuck is Ashley, and don’t ignore my question.”

  “We think she knows who ordered the hit at the warehouse.”

  “You mean the warehouse where I almost died,” I snapped. “And all of you are standing there like you don’t want to include me in what the fuck is going on. That’s not gonna happen. I want to be kept in the loop with all this shit. Whoever is responsible will answer to me. Are we clear?”

  “Precious, I just think…”

  “I’m not asking you to think,” I said, cutting Nico off. I’m telling you that I will play a major role in bringing down everybody that was responsible for what happened to me. So, Genesis, tell me more.”

  “Amir had a wiretap put on Emory’s phone.”

  “Who is Emory? I need to be caught up on all these people.”

  “Emory is the brother of Aaliyah’s boyfriend Dale.”

  “Our daughter has a boyfriend and we’re taping his brother’s phone. This is complicated and getting very interesting. I see you all have been keeping me in the dark about a lot of things.”

  “Precious, I’ll fill you in on all the details later on. Genesis, just tell us about Ashley,” Nico said.

  “Ashley has a brother that lives in L.A., and supposedly, when she left New York, she might have gone to stay with him. I got the address and I’m leaving tomorrow to go track her down, before Emory or his brother can get to her.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Nico said.

  “So am I and I don’t want to hear a word from any of you. I’m going and that’s final.”

  “The jet is taking off at nine in the morning. I’ll see you both there. Don’t be late,” Genesis, said, before leaving.

  “Pretty girl, you be careful on this trip. Call me if you need me. When you get back, I want us to have dinner with Maya. Okay?”

  “Okay, and thank you,” I said, giving Quentin a kiss on the cheek.

  “Genesis, hold up. I need to speak to you,” Quentin said, catching up to Genesis, as they both left out.

  “Why are you standing over there with an attitude?” I asked Nico, who was staring out of the vast windows that had a skyline view of NYC. Both hands were in his pockets and he still seemed to be pissed off.

  “I need to tell you something before we go to L.A., tomorrow.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “The woman Ashley we’re looking for.”

  “What about her?”

  “She was my fiancé.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Up until the day you were shot. Even after that.”

  “What! You were engaged to the woman that had something to do with me almost getting killed. You and Genesis also getting shot and let’s not forget about some of our workers that were killed during the shootout.”

  “Yo, don’t you think I know that shit. I had no idea that the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with was a fuckin’ snake ass traitor.”

  “You wanted to spend the rest of your life with her?”

  “Yeah, that’s what being engaged and getting married usually means.”

  “Fuck you, you smartass sonofabitch. I guess I just thought I was the only woman you had ever wanted to spend the rest of your life with.”

  “Believe it or not, I had a fuckin’ life after you. Did you expect for me to wait for you forever? Even after your marriage ended with Supreme, you still didn’t come back to me. Instead, you started some bullshit affair with Lorenzo, who also happened to be one of my business partners. But what Precious wants, Precious has to have, no matter who it hurts. Developing into a grown woman didn’t even make you become less self-centered.”

  “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel, Nico,” I said folding my arms. “I guess we weren’t on the best of terms before I got shot.”

  “We were actually finally getting to a good place again, but it took some time. As much as I always wanted you back, I could deal with you being with Supreme. I came to accept you chose him and the two of you belonged together, but then when it came out that you were having an affair with Lorenzo,” Nico turned away and there was a long pause before he continued, “for a very long time I was angry with you.”

  “It sounds like you still are.”

  “I think I’m more so angry with myself.”

  “Why?”

  “Because after all the bullshit, I never stopped loving you and there were many times I wan
ted to, but you were it for me.”

  “What about this Ashley woman?”

  Nico sat down on the couch, before answering. He was silent, as if getting his thoughts together. “Ashley seemed almost too good to be true and that’s because she was. All of the traits that made me drawn to her were the ones just like yours. That’s because our daughter had been unwittingly used to train her for that very purpose. So, I never fell in love with Ashley. I fell in love with the idea of her being you.”

  “You don’t need a carbon copy of me anymore. I’m yours, if you still want me.”

  “I never stopped wanting you, but what’s going to happen when your memory comes back? Right now, you think you’re in love with me, but that will change.”

  “Honestly, I don’t even want to consider that. Of course I would love to remember the things in my past, but not if that means giving up you. I don’t want my heart to stop loving you, because it feels so right to me. My mind, body, and soul only yearn for you, and it’s the most amazing feeling. I feel like a teenager all over again. I still remember the first time we made love. I keep playing it over and over in my head, but I want to create new memories. Can we start now?”

  “Are you sure you’re ready for that? I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

  “I want you to take advantage of me,” I laughed. “Seriously, I need to feel you inside of me again,” I said, softly kissing his right earlobe. I remembered it was one of Nico’s hot spots. “It’s the only way I’m going to feel truly alive,” I whispered in his ear.

  “Say no more.” Nico lifted me up and carried me upstairs. We had been sleeping in separate bedrooms, but when he laid me down on his bed, I knew this would be where I’d stay for good.

  Nico kept staring directly in my eyes the entire time he was undressing me. It was as if he was penetrating my soul. I leaned up from the bed to kiss him, but he shook his head as if to say no.

  “Why won’t you kiss me?”

  “I just want to stare at you for a moment. I’ve wanted you for so long. I never believed we would be together like this again. I need to know it’s real,” Nico said, as his fingers caressed every inch of my body. Then he raised my legs, kissing the inside of my thighs, before his tongue licked me from the very front to the very back of my wet pussy. I held on to the silk sheets as my body was in complete ecstasy. I felt like my cherry was being popped for the very first time.

  Once Nico slid inside of me, I wrapped my legs around him, wanting to feel every inch of his manhood. He still felt just as good as the very first time we made love. I was finally back home where I belonged and I welcomed it.

  Aaliyah

  “It looks like your boyfriend was telling the truth,” Amir mocked.

  “You sound disheartened. Did you want Dale to be responsible for what happened to my mother?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Yeah, but your tone did. What I’m most surprised about is that Emory wasn’t involved, either.”

  “Yeah, you’ve heard all of Emory’s phone conversations for the last few weeks and we got nothing. He certainly feels just as duped by that Tori chick as you do.”

  “Yep, but I’m fuckin’ pissed that we weren’t able to go to L.A.. We were the ones that got the information about Tori’s brother. Plus, I want that trick to pay for lying to me. I believed her when she said Emory put her up to seducing my father, but it was all lies. She knew we didn’t like each other and used that to her advantage.”

  “True or maybe blaming Emory was the better option.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe she wanted to come clean and try to protect Nico, but was too afraid to tell you who she was really working for.”

  “But Emory isn’t somebody to fuck with. He can be extremely lethal. If what you’re thinking is true, then whoever this other person is must be some sort of monster.”

  “The only way we’re going to find out is by talking to Tori.”

  “Exactly. So, are you coming with me or not?”

  “Coming with you where?”

  “Where do you think? L.A.. Are you coming or do you need to get permission from Latreese?”

  “This has nothing to do with Latreese. My father said they would handle it. I think we should respect that.”

  “We won’t interfere. We’ll just be there for backup support. So, are you in?”

  “Yeah, if only to watch over you and make sure you don’t fuck anything up.”

  “Cool. I’ll make our reservations. We’ll take the red-eye. I’ll text you the information.”

  “Alright.”

  “And, Amir, don’t tell your dad we’re coming,” I smiled, before closing the door behind him.

  I headed to my bedroom to start packing my clothes. I was looking forward to this trip. Not only because I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Tori, but also because I hated being in this apartment by myself. My mom was staying with Nico, in Jersey, so it was just me in this massive crib. It was beautiful and in a great location, but it would be better if my mother was here with me. I was tempted to go stay with them in Jersey, but when Supreme and my little brother came to town, I knew it would be awkward for them to have to come to Nico’s house to see me. Plus, I still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of them being together as a couple. My entire life, I never saw them that way. They were always just my parents. As far as I was concerned, my mother belonged with Supreme. As I was getting caught up in my thoughts, I heard the door.

  “That must be Amir again,” I said, tossing my tote bag down and heading to the front door. “Did you forget something, because if you came back to try and convince me not to go on this trip, you’re wasting your time,” I yelled out as I was opening the door. “What tha fuck!” I screamed, seeing a man with a black ski mask on, standing in front of me.

  I quickly tried to slam the door shut, but he was too strong and pushed it back open. I began hauling ass, but the man grabbed my ponytail, yanking my head back. I fell to the floor and I saw him reaching in his pocket for a rag. I could smell the chloroform as he tried to cover my nose. With all my strength, I was clawing at his face, but his strength was overpowering me. I finally maneuvered my legs in a position to knee him right in his dick. I pushed up so hard, not once but twice. I had that nigga howling like a hit dog. In his moment of weakness, I got up and ran to my bedroom. I heard him coming up behind me, but by then I had already retrieved my gun.

  I started busting off shots and it seemed like the assailant literally flew up out of the apartment. I ran after him ready to fire off some more shots, but he had vanished. The motherfucker was hurt. There were traces of blood in the hallway and outside my apartment door. Somebody was after me and I suspected it was the same fucks who almost killed my mother.

  Precious

  “We’ve been to that house three times and nobody has been there. Maybe the information Amir got was wrong or maybe Tori and her brother left, but I think this is a bust,” I said to Nico and Genesis, as we sat in The Blvd restaurant, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, having breakfast.

  “You might be right, Precious. We can send one of our men here to watch the property for a couple of weeks, while we check into other leads.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Let’s do one last visit. If we come up empty, then we’ll proceed like you suggested, Genesis.”

  “Can’t hurt, let’s get out of here.”

  After paying the bill, we headed back out to Beverlywood. When we arrived to the tree-lined street on Monte Mar Drive, nothing had changed. The house appeared to be vacant.

  “There’s nothing here for us to see,” I huffed, frustrated with this entire excursion. Not wanting this trip to be a complete bust, I was hoping to spend time with my son, but Xavier and Supreme had recently arrived on the east coast. That was the main reason I wanted to end t
his trip, because I was anxious to get back home and be with my son, again. I had only seen him a handful of times, since getting out of the hospital and knowing he wasn’t in L.A. right now, made my patience level for this city zero.

  “I agree. There’s no sense in spending anymore time here.”

  “Did either one of you notice that Maserati parked across the street? Is hasn’t been here the last three times we came,” Nico commented.

  “So, what’s your point?”

  “It seems a tad out of place on this street.”

  “There are some very nice homes over here. What do you mean out of place?”

  “Yes a lot of the cars over here are nice, but not that flashy.”

  “Maybe they’re visiting somebody in the neighborhood.”

  “Genesis, drive by that car slowly as we’re leaving.”

  “I doubt anybody is sitting in the car, Nico.”

  “We’re about to find out.”

  Genesis made his way down the street and when we got closer to the Maserati, he began to slow down. “Isn’t this special,” Nico said, rolling down his window.

  “What the hell are the two of you doing here? Aaliyah, does your grandfather know you left town?”

  “Mother, I’m not twelve years old. I don’t have to get permission to leave town.”

  “I thought I told you to let us handle this,” Genesis said to Amir.

  “That was the plan, but Aaliyah had other ideas. I couldn’t let her come to L.A. by herself.”

  “Neither one of you should be here.”

  “I think I should be here when you all talk to Tori. I think I can help get the necessary information from her.”

  “Well, you wasted your time coming. This is our fourth trip to this house and nobody has been there. I’m thinking this is either the wrong address, or the info you all got is suspect.”

  “This is the right address,” Amir insisted. “Maybe somehow Tori got word that we located her at this address, so she and her brother left.”