“I told you not to show up.”
I shrugged and pulled off. My hands were so unsteady as I made the drive back. It was late, and I couldn’t believe they just let me walk away. After we made it back into town, I dropped her off and headed home. The house was quiet as I walked in. I expected my nanny to be up cleaning, because that’s what she did in the middle of the night. I slipped my heels off and walked further in the house. Sitting in the dark was Rico.
“Where you been?”
“Out to the club. Why?”
“With who?”
“My friend. What’s this twenty-one fucking questions?”
Rico sat back in the chair and crossed his legs. Nigga was studying me like a book, but one thing about me, I knew how to compose myself. I was a real bitch who was taught how to finesse by my mama. That’s how I got his ass to marry me.
“You think I don’t know what you’re doing. I see you, Zhane. I hate for this marriage to be a problem,” he said, tilting his head.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Make sure you keep your nose clean. I would hate for you not to make it back home safe. It’s dangerous out there. That’s why I hated that you wanted to come back to this place.”
Now his threats never scared me. Not like Whodie’s did. Rico was sweet but very strict, and that was understandable being what he went through at a young age. Rico and I met in Texas. I had run away from here, trying to get a fresh start. I started dancing at a club that he owned. It didn’t take long for him to start inviting me to his office. Things started out with just conversation, then went to dates, and the rest is history. He immediately noticed my stomach getting bigger and demanded that I leave the club.
Rico kept close tabs on me. Tracking my car, having access to cameras so he can watch what I was doing, and controlling the allowance he would give. Rico also had to run a background check on everyone I hung out with. It was getting annoying, but worth it when I got what I wanted.
Once I had my son, Rico and I got married. It wasn’t until we were married that I realized he was born not far from where I was from. It was like destiny had brought us together. He treated my son like his, and I was spoiled with anything I wanted. Year two came along, and things started getting rocky. He was staying out late and then lying saying he fell asleep at the club. One thing I wasn’t about to do was stick around. I had access to all the nigga money, so I got what I needed for me and my son and left. Rico was sick.
He would call and text me, begging me to come back. The only way I took him back was if he brought me back home and bought me a house with my name on the deed. Rico did just that. As easy as that was, I had my own agenda when I got here. Now that my plan didn’t work out in my favor, I had to look my husband in the face and lie. I lied because I wasn’t willing to lose what I had with him and Whodie was somewhere in love with another bitch. I wasn’t expecting him to force a paternity test. He was a street nigga. They usually go all in or do nothing at all for their seeds. He had a few facts right about me though; the 239 Boyz used to have a field day with me. There was no telling who the daddy was. All I wanted was Whodie.
CHAPTER 19: WHODIE
I hadn’t said much to anyone. Besides being a supportive boyfriend, I had become distant. Knowing that Zhane was able to put a tracker on my truck under my nose didn’t sit well with me. I was always the hunter, and she made me feel like the prey. Some shit I just had to do in silence. Everyone didn’t need to know my every move. The more niggas knew, the more I had to watch my back. I had enough of that to do as is, didn’t need the extra, and I didn’t need Adore clocking my every move at the moment.
For days, I sat on the information I got from her tag number that night. The tag was tied to a property way outside the city, the kind of place you don’t just end up at unless you’ve got money or you’re connected to somebody who does. Zhane’s ass ain’t never had money like that. She was a decent stripper when she did dance, but not good enough to buy the property her truck was connected to. The names on the property were Ricardo and Zhane Castillo. Not once had that bitch worn a ring around me. When she popped her ass up on the block, no ring. When her ass was at the clinic for the testing, no ring.
By the time I got to the property, I was already tucked off far enough to see everything without being seen. The house sat backbehind a gate. Whoever or whatever Zhane had done to get this house couldn’t know the real her. Since she had been back in town, she’d been trying to jump on my dick. I had to block her on my Instagram page because she was sending me all types of shit. Then, after the test came back that the little boy wasn’t mine, she still wanted to send text messages. If Adore had found the shit she was sending, my head would’ve been knocked the fuck off. The house was expensive and equipped with cameras.
For a while, nothing was going on, then the door pops open, and there she is, dressed in designer and running her mouth on her phone. Today, out of all days, I could see the bitch ring shining from across the street.
“Bitch really tried to play me,” I said.
I sat up as soon as I saw a tall male figure walk out of the house with the little boy in his arms. His hat was low, and the little boy was hiding his face.
“Ohhhh, you still a dirty bitch.”
I watched them all get in her truck and leave. All I could do was sit there for a minute because why the fuck she felt the need to come cause havoc in my relationship and she knew for a fact the boy wasn’t mine. After a brief moment to get my mind right, I pulled off.
Hollow was still holding Adore hostage at his place, and I wasn’t about to keep riding back and forth, so I headed to my condo, surprised to see Adore there when I opened the door.
“Where have you been?” She looked me up and down.
I walked up to her and placed a kiss on her lips.
“I was out,” I said, slipping my shoes and shirt off.
“I’ve been here a few hours just to see if you were going to pop up with a bitch.”
I laughed, “Now, why would I do that?”
“Maybe because I haven’t seen you in a few days.”
