Chapter 4
“Thank you,” Raven smiled at the woman that delivered the Instacart groceries for her recovery house. She carried the bags to the kitchen, so that the cook could prepare the last meals for the day.
The women that stayed in Raven’s recovery house paid a pretty penny to be there, and she made sure to provide five-star hotel type service.
Her housekeepers were very thorough. The women that recovered from cosmetic surgery bled and leaked all kinds of bodily fluids.
Some of them threw up; it could get nasty in there fast, so Raven had two housekeeping staff for the day and two for the night.
Laundry was done often, rooms were kept immaculate, and three meals a day were served to the women.
They didn’t have to do anything but just be there.
Of course, they could bring in their own snacks, but Raven provided those as well.
There was always a nurse in the house, and massage therapists came daily to give the women lymphatic massages.
For an extra fee, Raven even had people that would come in and give IV drips for general hydration and assistance with healing.
In her office, Raven prepared to shut her computer down and leave for the day.
She had to give herself a pat on the back for remaining in boss bitch mode and handling her business even though she wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry or fuck some shit up.
Xander had her all the way messed up, but her bag came first. She spent too many long hours putting in work and suffering from lack of sleep to get her recovery house under way to let her business slack because of a no-good ass man.
Picture that. But now, she was done with work for the day, and Xander’s ass had to see her.
Raven drove home like a bat flying out of hell.
He wasn’t there when she got there, but he didn’t have to be.
Her phone went off for the hundredth time that day, and she ignored it while storming in the house to pack his shit.
Now that the video was all over social media, she knew that her friends and family would want the tea, and she wasn’t in the mood to spill it.
All Raven kept seeing was her hoe ass nigga smiling up in that video like it was the happiest day of his life.
Why not just tell her? Why not voluntarily pack his shit and leave?
Raven was hurt beyond words meaning this shit wasn’t forgivable. His baby mammy could have his dog ass.
Raven grabbed trash bags and started tossing Xander’s clothes and shoes inside.
He had a lot of things, but she also had a lot of bags and if she ran out, she’d go get more.
He paid the bills, but she wasn’t broke.
And she wasn’t the one that cheated, so she wasn’t leaving.
They were only renting the house, but it was her home.
He could go move in with that bitch. Initially, she was going to leave but fuck that.
He was leaving. Being that he was a drug dealer with no legal income it was her name that was on the lease.
He didn’t even get mail there. He let everything go to his mother’s house.
Xander never wanted the police to be able to track down where he lay his head, so he rarely put his name on anything but when he had to, he used his mother’s address.
Xander let out a dejected sigh when he pulled into the driveway and saw Raven’s car.
He knew his ass was in big trouble. He loved her, and he wanted to be with her.
But he also wanted a child. He was damn near thirty, and he was tired of waiting.
With the life he lived there were no guarantees that he would live to be old and gray.
Xander didn’t want to keep putting off having kids because Raven kept miscarrying.
He hated to hurt her, but if she couldn’t accept his daughter, then he’d just go be with his baby mama.
It wasn’t until a car pulled up behind him that he realized he just might never get to see his daughter’s face.
Xander broke out into a mean sweat when he saw Diric and Amar emerge from the car.
He already knew that he couldn’t hide from Canyon forever.
He had literally been playing with fire while trying to get the money up to give back to Canyon and truthfully, he could have if he wasn’t trying to do too much.
When Vivian started bleeding early in the pregnancy, he became afraid that another one of his babies would be lost. He didn’t want her stressing or working, so he took over her bills.
Then, she wanted a lavish ass gender reveal.
Not to mention, his mom lost her rent money gambling, and he kept her from getting evicted.
Xander made good money, but he had a lot on his plate, and he panicked.
He now had a child to prepare for so when his money was short and he couldn’t afford his usual amount of weight, rather than scaling down, he made a dumb ass decision.
One that would probably cost him his life, but $3,500 was peanuts to a man like Canyon.
Just maybe he would spare his life and let him pay him the money that he owed.
Diric yanked his car door open. “Get yo’ bitch ass out the car.”
Xander was really panicking. All he had to his name was $4,000, but they could take it. “I have the money in my pocket right now. Swear to God. I’m sorry.”
Diric pressed his Glock into Xander’s stomach. “Nigga get ya dumb ass in that car over there before we pop your ass right here,” Diric growled through clenched teeth.
Xander did as he asked because he had nothing to lose.
He was sure they were taking him to Canyon but even if he didn’t go willingly, it wouldn’t stop him from dying.
He should have never tried Canyon in the first place, but he also should have never allowed Canyon’s people to locate him.
He should have approached Canyon like a man, apologized, and paid his debt off.
Just then, his life might be spared. He had done all that lying, sneaking, and cheating, to have a child and would never get to see her face. Shit was crazy.
Amar’s phone rang as Xander was walking to the car.
He answered it and seconds later, he was holding one finger up signaling for Diric to hold up.
He listened a bit longer then, he ended the call.
“It’s your lucky day, nigga.” He looked over at Diric.
“Canyon has an emergency. “Let’s just kill this nigga and be out.”
Both Glocks that the men possessed had silencers on them.
As Xander’s eyes widened with fear, each man let off multiple shots penetrating his body with bullet after bullet.
When they were satisfied, they left. Xander lay on the ground bleeding while inside the house, Raven continued to gather all of his things, oblivious to what was going on outside.
After she had filled four bags, she dragged them to the living room.
He didn’t even have to come in and get his belongings, he could get them off the porch.
She had yanked the door open and was about to toss the bags out when she saw Xander lying on the ground in a pool of blood, and her knees buckled.
Yohana sat in the coffee shop slightly nervous.
She didn’t know much about Canyon except he was the man to see if one wanted heroin.
He was a man that was on the level that her Uncle Morris had been.
Yohana didn’t know what to expect, but she hoped that things went smoothly.
It was her plans to cop twenty pounds get off those, cop twenty more, then take that money and be okay.
She knew plenty of people, and she could get a job.
Her sister was a real estate broker and had offered her $25 an hour to be her receptionist. She also suggested that Yohana get into real estate herself.
The real estate class would take her roughly two months.
What her sister was offering to pay her was generous, but her mortgage alone was more than she would bring home after taxes.
She needed fast money, and she had buyers that she could get to take a good portion of the heroin she bought off her hands as soon as she got it.
Yohana knew that it was foolish of her to risk her freedom especially when her son had just lost his father but all her life, she’d seen how fast a nigga could shake back off dope money.
Fast money period, but she didn’t know how to scam.
Even though her body was sick, she was too old to strip, and she damn sure wasn’t gon’ sell no pussy.
Yohana was borrowing the money to get the pounds from Kari’s college fund.
She had plans to sell Zone’s Escalade, but he was being a bitch about giving her the title.
That would replace most of what she used from the college fund.
Once that was completely put back, she wanted to pay off her house.
Her home was in her mother’s name so when the Feds got Zone, they didn’t touch it.
Had it been in her name, she would have had to prove that she got the funds to buy the house through legal means.
Something Jade couldn’t do, and that’s why she lost her house.
Zone knew just like she did that most didn’t beat the Feds.
Still, he tried which meant money got wasted on lawyers.
She would be willing to bet that he left his mother a large sum of money while she was robbing Peter to pay Paul.
It didn’t matter though. She was going to get them back where they needed to be.
A man that stood about six feet even with skin so dark and rich it looked like if you bit him, it would hurt your teeth entered the coffee shop, and Yohana found herself holding her breath.
He was fine as fuck! He had the prettiest skin.
Skin that made her want to reach out and touch it.
Baby looked like he would melt in the sun.
Got damn he was everything. The short sleeved white shirt he wore showcased his muscular arms, and he either worked out at home or the gym, but he definitely put work into his body.
His hair was like silk. The three diamond encrusted Cuban link chains draped around his neck were the first sign of his wealth.
The limited-edition Richard Millie watch on his wrist spoke volumes as well.
His jeans weren’t tight, but he wasn’t sagging either.
His clothes hugged his frame like he was a grown ass man.
His eyes darted around the shop then landed on her.
She had told him that she’d be wearing a black and yellow dress, and this woman had on just that.
Canyon had to admit that shorty was captivating.
Her dress was a baggy loose-fitting sweater like dress.
It came all the way down to her feet, and it was black with yellow print on it.
On her feet were black strappy heels that showcased white toes, her yellow and black purse sat atop the table.
Her hair was up in a bun, and she screamed classy as fuck.
As he neared her, the fragrance that she wore infiltrated his nostrils, and he peeped the diamond and gold watch on her wrist.
“Yohana?” he asked hoping that it was her.
“Yes. Canyon, I presume?”
“That’s me.”
His interest was very piqued. He already knew her story, but a woman as fine as her should have been set for life if her nigga went away.
Her husband had dropped the ball big time.
He glanced down at her hand and peeped that she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.
Canyon sat down across from her. “Before we get down to business, what would you like me to order you? If we’re going to use this place of business for our meeting, we might as well buy something.
” He refrained from mentioning that he owned the shop.
“Umm I’ll take a blueberry muffin and some passionfruit tea. Thank you.”
Canyon placed their order and brought the items back over to the table.
As soon as he sat down, Yohana got down to business.
“Not sure if the correct information was relayed to you, but I’m looking to buy twenty pounds.
My husband was recently jammed up, and I don’t have anything to fall back on.
I’m not trying to be a long-term customer.
I want to cop twenty bricks two separate times, and then I should be good. ”
Canyon studied her. She seemed mature. She didn’t look like a slouch.
He wasn’t even going to ask why she didn’t have money put up for a rainy day.
That wasn’t his business. All he had to do was be comfortable with the fact that she wasn’t an informant and take the money that she was offering. “Your husband know you doing this?”
“I don’t have anything to do with my husband. He snitched on my uncle, and I don’t take too kindly to that.”
Canyon continued to observe her. She didn’t appear to be lying. “And if you get caught with twenty bricks, you prepared to do that time?”
“I don’t plan on getting caught. I know it’s a reality, but the majority of my clientele will be family, and they wouldn’t do that to me.
My uncle put my husband on, on the strength of me.
He begged my uncle for work, and he wasn’t built for it.
My uncle should have never been mentioned.
I was raised around thorough niggas, and that ratting shit isn’t in my blood.
In the event I get caught, it will be unfortunate for my son, but I wouldn’t fold.
I just have to do everything in my power not to get caught. ”
Canyon gave a slight head nod. He could respect it. She was gorgeous but for her sake, he prayed she was being truthful and that she wasn’t just a good actor. Her beauty wouldn’t save her if she crossed him. “You have the money?”
She nodded. “In the car.”
“You give me the bread, and I tell you where to meet my people to get the product. You’ll have it in the next thirty minutes.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Canyon got up, and she gathered her things before they walked outside.
She popped the trunk on her car, and passed him the money that was in a small black gym bag.
He gave her the address to get her drugs from and walked back over to his Jaguar.
Once he got inside the car, he realized that he didn’t tell her that he only sold heroin one week out of the month.
Canyon didn’t sweat it though because he had a feeling that if Yohana called him for more work, no matter when it was, he would serve her.