6. Vanya
VANYA
After Tee’s funeral was the perfect time for me to do what I had to do because I was pissed.
If I didn’t have the courage at that moment, I would never have it.
Seeing her in that casket made my heart ache and my blood boil at the same time.
My cousin was gone, and it was all because of Kalim.
Not only was my aunt grieving Tee, she was grieving her son too.
There was no body, but she knew he had to be dead.
I spent a total of six days in the hospital and was going to be out of work for at least a month thanks to Kalim.
I barely had enough saved to live off for more than a month.
On top of that, I damn sure couldn’t go back to the club he owned, so I’d have to find a new club to dance at.
Everything was wrong and nothing was going right.
I tried to tell myself I was lucky to be alive, but how lucky was I to not be able to make any money?
There were financial obstacles in my life long before Kalim entered the picture, but he absolutely contributed to setting me back.
That was one of the reasons I was at his construction company.
Walking slow and wincing from the pain in my thigh.
My adrenaline was pumping, and my stomach felt as if it had sunk into my knees.
If I felt physically ill just from the thought of standing face to face with him then I could only imagine the chaos that would go on inside my nervous system when we actually came face to face.
No matter how nervous I was inside, my outside appeared confident and indifferent.
I had my lies ready and my game face on.
“Hi, may I help you?” a pretty receptionist greeted me with a smile.
“Hi. I need to see Kalim Moore if he’s in today. I don’t have an appointment, but it’s a very urgent matter.”
“Okay, sure. Let me see if he’s available.” The politeness remained in her tone, but I could tell her interest was piqued.
I refused to wear all black to Tee’s funeral, so I was dressed in a white sundress.
With all that I’d been through, getting my hair done was the last thing on my mind, so I wore my real hair slicked back into a sleek bun.
I had on a few pieces of gold jewelry and black sandals adorned my feet.
I didn’t look like a total bum, but I doubted I looked like the kind of woman rich ass Kalim Moore would entertain. Bastard.
Thinking about him made me frown slightly. When the receptionist glanced up at me with the phone to her ear, I forced myself to allow my facial muscles to relax.
“May I have your name ma’am?”
“Adore.” It was the proudest most confident way I’d ever stated my stage name. As I listened to her repeat my name, my stomach churned.
The urge to throw up caused me to swallow hard.
I was really about to blackmail a man that had killed my cousins and almost killed me.
Inwardly, I said a prayer that I wouldn’t forget everything I’d rehearsed in my mind a thousand times.
Whatever I told him had to be believable.
The moment my name fell off her lips, she glanced at me again before standing up.
After hanging the phone up, she gave me another smile. “Right this way.”
I’d never been inside the headquarters of a construction company, but the lobby was impressive.
The floors shone so bright they looked like they’d never been walked on.
The faint scent of lemons wafted into my nostrils and there was all kinds of fancy artwork on the walls.
I followed the curvy receptionist down a long hall and the closer we got to Kalim’s office the more my knees began to buckle.
I was extremely close to turning around and making a beeline for the door.
I had come too far to bitch up, however.
If I wanted to play big girl games, I had to put my big girl panties on and do what I came to do.
Finally, we reached a door. As the receptionist twisted the knob and pushed the door open, I swallowed down a lump that made it feel like a boulder was lodged in my throat.
When I stepped inside the office that was bigger than my bedroom and saw Kalim sitting behind his desk glaring at me, I almost pivoted and ran out of the room.
Anger made me overestimate what I could do.
Seeing Kalim in the flesh made my palms sweat.
Coming face to face with the devil again was enough to cause me to have a panic attack.
The receptionist left us alone. When she pulled the door closed behind her, it sounded ten times louder than it actually was.
Kalim didn’t speak. He continued to stare at me.
Remembering why I was there, I knew the importance of going through with it.
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Clearing my throat, I took a small step forward.
“I almost died. I can’t work, and I would assume since you found out I’m still alive, you want me gone.
I haven’t said anything to anybody. Yet.
That night, I was recording everything. I have the recording of you and Tee arguing along with her saying your name.
The recording was still going when you came in the room, and I called your name.
I’ve already sent that recording to someone and instructed them that if anything at all happens to me even if it’s a car accident, I want that recording sent to the police. ”
Kalim didn’t respond. His facial expression remained stoic, but there was an amused gleam in his eyes. Almost like he was enjoying the shit.
“I want one million dollars. I need $500,000 of that today. I also need to meet you a few times out in public. I want to be seen with you. I’m going to take pictures with you so if anything happens to me, you will be questioned.
Once we’ve been seen together a few times, you give me the other half, and I’ll leave Diamond Cove. ”
Kalim chuckled sarcastically. “You really woke up this morning and decided that blackmailing me was a good idea?”
“I don’t have anything to lose. Thanks to you my cousins are dead.
If I don’t get back to work soon, I’ll be evicted before next month is out.
I don’t have the money to leave and if I stay, I’m sure you’ll finish what you started.
So, yeah, if this is the only way that I can get what I need then fuck it.
I grew up around street niggas. One thing I’m not is a snitch.
I wouldn’t have said anything to anyone, but you tried to kill me anyway.
Fuck you think I’m just supposed to let you have that?
Wait around for you to finish the job? I need money, and I need it today or I’m singing like a bird.
Fuck it. Being broke and dead aren’t too much different.
” The attitude lacing my tone was a direct contrast to how nervous I was.
I was acting real bold, but I was about to shit a brick.
“I’m not leaving a paper trail which that’s exactly what will happen if I wire half a million dollars into your account. I have $300,000 here in cash. I’ll get the rest to you tomorrow.”
“I also want us to take our first picture together.”
“I’m not a social media nigga,” he stated with anger flashing in his orbs.
“Okay well there’s a first time for everything. If anything happens to me, I want people to say we were dating and to send the police your way. I just want to make sure I live and if I don’t then I want the proper person to pay. You already got away with killing Tee and her brother.”
Kalim kissed his teeth. “That slut set me up to be robbed.”
I wasn’t going to stand there and justify what she did or tell him he was wrong when I was sure he’d killed for less.
I couldn’t bring Tee back, but I was trying to stay alive.
Not even me threatening Kalim with evidence I didn’t really have was enough to make me feel secure.
If he wanted me dead, then I was pretty sure he could make it happen.
I just hoped he wouldn’t do it before I had the chance to leave North Carolina.
I was going to Georgia, Florida, or California.
I hadn’t decided yet but staying here was a no no.
With a racing heart, I walked over to Kalim’s desk and rounded it.
A chill ran down my spine as I unlocked my phone and sat on his lap.
Raising my arm, I caught Kalim’s face in the camera, and he looked like he wanted to slap the shit out of me.
I put the photo timer on and smiled. Kalim’s facial muscles relaxed and though he didn’t grin, he didn’t look mad either.
As soon as I’d snapped three pictures, I hopped up like my ass was on fire. My skin was literally crawling.
With a look of disgust on his face, Kalim pushed his chair back and walked over to a door.
When he opened it, I saw a built in safe in the wall.
He punched in the code and removed numerous stacks of money.
When his hands were full, he placed them on the table and went to grab more.
When he had a total of $300,000 he pulled a Louis Vuitton duffel bag from a shelf above the safe and stuffed the money inside.
I was still scared shitless, but the money had my mouth watering.
I’d never been in the same room with that kind of money, and I prayed I’d get to enjoy it before Kalim made me worm food.
I should say fuck us being out in public together and just leave town with the $300,000 that I did have.
I could explain to my mother later and if I spent sparingly, I could make the money last for a good while.
At least a year especially if I went back to work.
I could actually make it last longer than a year.