Chapter 18
When I made it to the compound, I saw Kaseem’s truck leaving again. Before coming home, I drove around for a while, tryna get my thoughts together and prepare myself for a talk with him.
I called his phone to ask where he was going now, and he didn’t answer my call. I parked and went into the house.
I was sitting in the office trying to figure out what the hell I was going to say to Kaseem when I noticed the mail had been delivered and was sitting on his desk.
One of the staff must had brought it in and left it.
I wasn't paying attention to it at first. My mind was still at my aunt's house.
Still processing the fact that Kaseem knew about Nariyah now. That everything had exploded.
I was about to organize the bills for him. But then I noticed one of the envelopes had a different address on it.
Zuri Carter.
It was addressed to Zuri but it came to Kaseem by mistake. The mail carrier must have gotten confused with the properties. It happened sometimes, I’m sure.
I should have just set it aside. Should have left it for one of the staff to handle. But something made me pick it up. Something about the return address: "Ancestry.com - DNA Results and Family Connections."
I stared at it for a second.
Zuri had taken a DNA test? That was news to me. That was news to probably everyone. Why would she do that? What family was she trying to connect with? From my knowledge, all she had was her husband and kids.
Although we had made amends, something wouldn’t allow me to fully trust her.
She had held dirt over my head, now this was my time to shine.
I wanted to know, nah.. fuck that… I needed to know what she had going on.
There was a strong feeling that I couldn’t shake.
A feeling that told me she was up to something and that this letter was only supposed to touch her hands.
I opened it.
The letter was formal, professional. It explained that Zuri had taken an ancestry DNA test and that she had a biological match. A son. A blood match confirming parent and child relationship.
My hands started shaking.
There was another letter included. Handwritten this time. The envelope was labeled "Personal Message from DNA Match."
I pulled it out.
"Dear ZC,
My name is Demontae Sullivan. I'm reaching out because the ancestry site connected us as a biological parent and child match. I was given up for adoption when I was a baby and I've spent most of my life not knowing where I came from or why I was given up.
I have questions. A lot of them. I want to know about my family. I want to know about you. I want to understand my story.
The site won't give me your full information, only your initials. But it gave me enough to try to find you. I’m sending them this letter in hopes that they’ll get it to you. If you're willing, I'd like to know more about where I came from. Why you made the choice you did. What my family is like.
I'm not angry. I'm just searching.
You can reach me at 214-555-0147 or [email protected] if you're interested in giving me answers.
Your son,
Demontae Sullivan"
The letter fell from my hand.
No.
No fucking way.
Demontae Sullivan. Brick Boyz. The man who'd been Kaseem's enemy. The man who'd fathered my daughter. The man who Kaseem had just discovered was a rat working with the feds.
Demontae Sullivan was Zuri's son.
My mind was moving so fast it couldn't keep up with itself. This couldn't be real. This had to be a mistake. An error. Some twisted coincidence.
But the letter was right there. His name. His words. His plea to know his biological mother.
Zuri had given up a son.
And that son was the Brick Boyz leader.
Oh my God. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.
Kaseem didn't know. There was no way he knew. His mother had kept this secret just like I'd kept mine. Just like she'd kept so much hidden.
And now Demontae was searching for her. Trying to find answers about his past while also being a fucking menace to the streets. This shit was crazy and unreal.
I picked the letter back up with shaking hands and read it again. Trying to make sense of it. Trying to find some logical explanation that would make this NOT true.
But it was true. The DNA doesn't lie. Ancestry doesn't make mistakes. This was real.
Demontae Sullivan was asking his biological mother to call him.
The same Demontae Sullivan who was Nariyah's father. Who I'd loved when I was seventeen. Who'd killed his foster mother. Who'd become a monster.
The same Demontae Sullivan who Kaseem was at war with.
I stood up and started pacing. My mind was running through everything. Zuri testing her DNA. Demontae looking for his mother. The timing of all of this. The fact that Zuri had been acting strange since I met her ass. The way she'd tested me at the salon. The way she'd said "I know girls like you."
Maybe she knew more than she was saying. Maybe she'd figured out who Demontae was. Maybe she knew her son was her enemy. Or maybe she didn’t know at all. What if she didn’t expect any of this to blow up in her face?
Maybe this letter was about to change everything.
The security system beeped.
I looked up, confused. That alarm only went off when someone was circling the property. Not at the gate. Not approaching the entrance. Just... circling.
I pulled up the security camera feed on my phone.
A white Tesla was driving slowly around the compound perimeter. Going around. Around again. Looking for an entry point.
And inside that Tesla was Mallory. She had the window down and I could now see a clear image of her face.
Kaseem's ex side bitch. The woman he'd thrown away when he snatched me up. The woman who he had made clear that he was done with.
She was circling the compound like she was hunting.
I watched her on the camera, watching her drive slowly past each section of the property. Watching her brake at the main gate. Watching her stare at it like she was trying to figure out how to get through.
She knew this place. I could tell by the way she was moving.
But she didn't know how to get in.
I felt ice water run through my veins.
This bitch had picked the wrong day to show up here. I had so many problems weighing on me, I damn near felt bad for what I was about to do to this bitch.
And I was holding a letter that revealed Kaseem's mother had given up a son who was now at war with my husband.
Everything was falling apart at the same time.
I watched Mallory circle again, her Tesla moving slowly past the fence line. She was on her phone. Talking to someone. Gesturing. Getting frustrated.
She tried the gate code. It didn't work.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
She reversed and circled the property one more time, her frustration evident even through the camera feed. I stood there watching her like I was watching my prey.
Then she parked the Tesla at the far end of the property where the fence was closest to the road. Where the security cameras had less coverage. Where she thought she couldn't be seen.
But I could see her.
And she was getting out of the car.
My hand was still holding the Demontae letter. My mind was still processing the impossibility of it all. Zuri's secret son. Kaseem's biological half-brother. The man Kaseem was supposed to be at war with.
Mallory was now standing at the fence, trying to figure out if she could climb it.
I called Kaseem’s phone again and this time he answered.
“I’ll talk to you when I get home Tattiana. I’m about to pick Zaire up. He’s being released in a few minutes. Now, ain’t the time.” he dismissed me.
“I’m happy for Zaire. But I’m calling to let you know, your whore Mallory is on the property trying to climb the gate.
If she gets over it, I’m going to smoke this bitch.
I’ll see you soon!” I said as I ended the call, and went to his safe.
I didn’t know the combination, but I damn sure was about to figure it out.
I knew he was still mad about what happened at my aunt’s house, but his ass didn’t need to be dry with me.
Today was just full of damn surprises.
Everything I'd kept hidden. Everything Zuri had kept hidden. Everything was about to collide.
I watched Mallory test the gate. Watched her pull at it. Watched her realize she couldn't climb it without getting caught on the barbed wire at the top.
She stood there for a moment, staring at the barrier between her and what she wanted.
Then she pulled out her phone again and made a call.
She was standing there, phone to her ear, staring at the compound like she was supposed to be here.
And I had no idea which bomb was going to explode first. What I did know was that this time, nobody would be able to keep me from fucking this bitch up for popping up to my shit. And yes, now, this was MY SHIT. I was already having a fucked up day and all I needed was a reason.
To Be Continued…