Chapter 18 Zhane
I had no idea what the fuck I was doing here. My childhood friend and I had followed Whodie’s location all day. He rarely drove his truck, and had I known that the day I put the tracker on his truck, I would’ve waited. Weeks had gone by since the blood test came back that my son wasn’t his.
“Zhane, where the fuck you got us at? This is some rich ass shit. Look at that big ass house,” my friend said.
“Bitch, shut up and act like you’ve seen some nice shit before,” I told her.
Honestly, she hadn’t. Her ass was still staying in a broken-down apartment on the east side where we grew up.
“Girl, I ain’t never seen no shit like this. Do niggas even live out here?”
As soon as she said that, Adore popped out the front door in a bonnet, some booty shorts, and a sports bra.
If I wasn’t paying attention, I would’ve missed her.
The damn hedges around the house only gave you a small opening from the road.
Now that I knew she was here, I knew why Whodie’s truck location was at this spot.
“Sit here. I’ll be right back,” I told my friend.
I hopped out of the car right as Adore was walking back in the house. I hit the doorbell, not knowing what or who else besides her was behind the door. To my surprise, she answered.
“What the fuck you doing here? Better yet, how the fuck you get out here?” Adore asked.
It wasn’t any of her business.
“Is Whodie here?”
Adore looked behind her, and there his fine ass was. Standing behind her like she was a queen or some shit.
“Fuck she doin’ here?” He asked.
“I asked the bitch the same thing. She said she wanted to see you.”
“Zhane, please get the fuck on before I cause a scene and I ain’t really tryin’ to go there at this man’s house.”
Man’s house? So this wasn’t their shit?
“Why the fuck y’all got my door wide the fuck open this time of mornin’?” Another male voice said.
When Adore pushed the door open further, another fine ass man stood there with no shirt.
“And who the fuck is this?”
“One of Whodie’s old bitches that don’t know how to let go,” Adore said.
“Oh, bitch, I know how to let go. We just got unfinished business that doesn’t concern you.”
“Bitch, he is my business,” she stepped closer, but Whodie pulled her back.
This was laughable. Adore talked big shit, but always had Whodie to protect her.
“Bitch, you got bigger fish to fry than me. You need to tighten up, ma ma.”
“Fuck that supposed to mean?” Whodie asked.
“I ain’t the one you should worry about. Don’t you got a Fed case? Ain’t your spots getting hit?”
“Ohhh, so you’re saying you know something?” Adore said.
Before I could respond, Whodie yanked me by my shirt into the house and threw me on the floor. For a brief minute, I admired the foyer before I looked up at all three of them. Whodie kneeled and gripped my jaw so tight that I could taste blood.
“What the fuck you kno’?” He asked.
I violently shook my head.
“Let that hoe’s jaw go so she can speak. Bitch pullin’ up at my shit,” the other dude said.
Whodie released my jaws and stood up.
“What do you know?” Adore asked.
“Nothing! The streets just be talking, that’s all. I don’t know anything besides what I said,” I told them.
“Talkin’ like what? I need a name,” Adore said.
“I don’t have a name. Just a bunch of niggas at the club saying y’all being watched.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Adore asked.
“It’s the truth,” I snapped. “You’re not the only one moving shit in this city. People talk,” I said, rolling my eyes at her.
“How you found out where I stay?” The dude asked.
I looked from him to Adore and then Whodie. When I didn’t answer quickly, he pulled a gun from under the table and put it to my head.
“A tracker on Whodie’s truck!” I yelled.
“Stop yellin’ in my house before you wake my son and wife up. Get the fuck up and take me to the tracker.”
He yanked me up, but didn’t remove the gun from being pointed at me.
“Go!” he waved for me to walk out the door and show him.
I pulled my phone out and followed the tracker to one of the garages that was down.
“Can’t believe this hoe put a tracker on my muthafuckin’ truck,” Whodie said as the garage door came up.
I slowly walked to the back of the truck and knelt toward the back bumper to retrieve the tracker.
Before I could drop it in Whodie’s hand, Adore slapped me dead in the face.
If this little bitch wasn’t surrounded by these men and had this gun in my face, I would’ve shown her ass what a girl from my neck of the woods could do to her.
Whodie stepped to me, not leaving much room for me to move.
“I want you to leave from ‘round this muthafucka. If I ever see yo’ face again, I’ll make sure you go on a fuckin’ missin’ person report.”
I didn’t hesitate. As soon as he stepped back, I hauled ass down the long ass driveway to my truck parked on the other side of the street. Whodie would make good on his word. Hell, he was known for that, but to threaten me felt personal. The second I got in the car, my friend turned towards me.
“What happened?”
“Nothing,” I said, fixing my hair and checking my face.
“Girl, your face is red as hell. What they do?”
I rolled my eyes and started my truck.
“Nothing! They just mad as fuck and that’s it,” I lied.
“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.