2013

Chapter 1

Kyle Cole sat in his new, spacious, and lonely condo, thinking about the one thing he had been trying so desperately to forget – Tamia Santiago.

It had been four months since she decided to leave him, the life they shared, but the pain he still felt made the breakup feel like it had just happened yesterday.

When she packed up and left she didn’t even have the decency to tell him she was leaving to his face. Instead, she wrote him a short and sweet letter and took nothing but the clothes on her back before he made it home in the morning like he told her he would.

Since she had been gone all of their communication was brief. When he was finally able to get a hold of her thanks to a number he got through her old bank job, he had called her twice to check up on her and how she was doing. She had retired from the street life and was no longer getting financial support from anyone else so she was finding out just how tough life really was. He had never told her that he had a secret stash put away for in case of emergencies, and he had sent more than half of the 60,000 he had saved away to help get her back on her feet. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before he was the man on these streets again, so it didn’t hurt him as much as it should have to lose all of that money.

He grabbed the letter she left him and battled the decision to re-read her words one last time. Her penmanship was impeccable and the letter still smelt like her favorite perfume.

Suddenly, there was a gentle knock at his door. K.Y took it to be one of his boys and decided to just let the knock go unanswered, but then the gentle taps became louder and louder.

“Whatever you have I don’t want it,” he screamed out.

Once he responded and the person on the other side of the door knew he was home their knocks became more incessant.

K.Y finally decided to go to the door to find out who it was. When he looked through the peep hole the woman on the other end looked very familiar, but he just couldn’t remember where he had seen this beautiful woman from before. As much has he did not want company, his curiosity had to figure out who this woman was.

The striking and well-shaped woman immediately walked in the moment he opened the door.

“I’m sorry but do I know you,” K.Y asked. He didn’t even bother to hide his aggravation of this stranger just inviting herself into his home.

“I guess it is a little weird to see me fully clothed,” she chuckled. “The last time we met the only thing you saw me in was my red bottoms,” she said.

“Mrs. Carter,” he asked to make sure that he had correctly identified the name with the face.

“Please just call me Josie. I’m glad I didn’t have to go through the full demonstration to make sure you remembered,” she replied seductively.

The thought of this gorgeous woman standing in his home naked instantly turned K.Y on.

“From the looks of what is going on in those basketball shorts, I guess you wish you would have just waited for the demonstration,” she giggled. “If you play your cards right we might still be able to make that happen.”

K.Y became embarrassed that the woman knew how excited she had just made him. It had been months since he felt the warm embrace of a woman sexually that there was no possible way to be discreet about his current erection.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you here? I met you once two years ago and I never saw you again after that. What made you come check me out now,” he asked.

“You and I share a common interest in a mutual friend. I want her.”

The thought of Tammy instantly caused him to go soft. Although this woman was his type, she could never be the woman that he was still in love with.

“Well as you can see she is no longer here. You’re too late,” he said as he finally took a seat on his comfortable leather lazy boy recliner.

“I gave you some time before I came over here because I expected you to be over her by now but it’s obvious that you are not,” she replied before walking over to his couch and taking a seat herself.

“Well she’s a single woman now, so she’s all yours. I still don’t understand why you would come bothering me for a woman that is no longer mine anymore.”

“Contrary to your belief she is not a single woman and that is exactly why I’m here. When she was here with you she was not a threat to me and my relationship. Now that she is no longer with you, I have a huge problem on my hands.”

K.Y was instantly confused. He had worked desperately for almost a year to get the attention of Tammy and he knew that with the love they had shared there is no way she would just run off and be with someone else already.

“Look lady, I have no idea what you’re talking about and I don’t care to find out about your problems. Now if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you would get out of my house.”

“Aw. I know going through a breakup is not easy, but if you were smart enough you would have figured out by now that she was not only a problem for me,” she said. “I really thought you would have figured out by now the kind of person you had been dealing with all of this time.”

“I don’t know what your issue is with her and I don’t care to know. If you insist on staying in my house than the least you can do is show the woman some respect. The moment you try to play her again you are out of here,” he said firmly.

The woman instantly began laughing so hard that you could see tears falling from her eyes. “Please stop. You’re jokes are so amusing. I can’t handle it anymore,” she replied while trying to catch her breath from laughing. “I understand that love is blind and you are young, but you can’t possibly be as stupid as you are making yourself appear at this moment.” Josie took a few moments to pull herself together before she was able to continue. “I really do not mean to be so rude, but I guess I assumed I would be walking into a whole different situation. The woman that you are clearly still in love with is not who you think she is at all. She played me, but she undoubtedly played the hell out of you.”

“How the hell do you figure that? You don’t know a damn thing about me.”

“I do know that when you two met you were running shit down here in Orlando. Now look at you, instead of being out to get your revenge you are moping around foolishly in this apartment.”

“Look we all have to take a loss to be a boss. I took some losses but things are not over for me. She didn’t leave me high and dry. I understand why things wouldn’t have worked out. She wanted to go legit and who am I to stop her.”

“Please don’t cause me to start cracking up in here. That girl hasn’t been legit in years and there is no turning back for her now. You’ve been doing your thing all this time, so do you honestly think you could ever be 100% legit ever again?”

“No I don’t, but she and I are two different people. That’s the reason why we couldn’t be together. I love this game and I can never give it up. She’s been in the street life all of her life and now she’s tired of it. She doesn’t want to lose anyone else she loves to these streets so she made the decision to go her separate way.”

“Wow! I always knew that girl was a good ass actress, but I had no idea just how good she was. She hasn’t been in the streets all of her life. She grew up in the suburbs for crying out loud.”

“I don’t believe you and a single thing you’re saying. I knew that woman for over a year and a half and she let me get to know her in ways that she didn’t even let her family get to know. I don’t want to get nasty with you, but I will if I have to. Please excuse yourself before I get to that point.”

“In your eyes she was a huge time drug dealer, but did you ever see her handle the product herself? Besides the sale she did with me, did you ever see her make that kind of money that fast ever again?”

K.Y didn’t want to believe a single thing this woman was saying. It took him so long to get to know her and he knew the kind of woman that Tamia was.  She seemed legit and there was no way he could allow this woman to drag her name through the mud any longer.

 “Get the fuck out. You don’t know what you’re even talking about. You come in my house dressed like the whore you are and you just couldn’t wait for Tamia to leave so you could try to sew your oats over here too.”

“Please don’t flatter yourself. I’ll get out, but you know deep down there is a part of you that is curious to find out if what I’m saying is true. Put on your shirt and shoes and come with me.”

K.Y had enough of taking orders from people and Tamia was the only woman he ever allowed to tell him what to do.

“I’m not doing shit unless you learn how to talk to me properly. You came over here so you must need my help for whatever you’re trying to do. Learn some respect and how to talk to a man when you’re dealing with me. Now ask me nicely,” he said sternly.

“The last time I met you I couldn’t get you to say a word. I have to admit that this side of you is rather is sexy,” she said while running her hands down her thick thighs. “Can you please get ready and come with me,” she asked nicely.

“That’s better. Go to your car and wait for me; I’ll be down in 10 minutes.”

“I don’t have that kind of time so if you’re coming with me then you need to come now.”

“What the hell did I just say to you? Take your ass down stairs and wait. If you can’t wait then leave. If you leave then forget you know me and my address and never bring your ass over here again.”

For a year and half, K.Y had been used to taking orders in the relationship, so it felt good to be in charge of everything again.

“I’ll be right in front of the building. Please do not take too long because we are on a time limit and I don’t want you to miss your shot at a chance of the truth,” she said sounding very sincere.

K.Y didn’t need 10 minutes but he didn’t want to let her feel like she had any control over him. He put on his shirt, jeans, a light jacket to protect him from the brisk January air and shoes and grabbed his piece before locking up and heading downstairs. Just as she said she would, Josie sat right in front of the building in her all black 2013 Audi S6

K.Y couldn’t lie that this chick was fine, but he didn’t like the way she was dealing with him. She had to be at least 5’5 without her heels on. She had a beautiful light honey complexion, but was built like a video model so it left him to wonder what her ethnicity was. Her caramel brown hair was long and flowed all the way down to the middle of her back. Her hands were the only sign that this woman was a little bit older, but she still looked better than most women half of her age.

“If she’s so bad then what do you want with her, and how long have you supposedly known all of this,” he asked once he was settled into the vehicle.

“I’ve known her for years and we haven’t always seen eye to eye. We ran in a similar circle a few years ago so it made doing business impossible at one point. We agreed to make a truce three years ago which is why I didn’t think anything of it the time she came by my business. She knew that if anyone could help her get rid of her product fast it would be me.”

“I still don’t understand what your problem with her is.”

“My children’s father and I dated for 9 years. I really thought that we were going to get married, but then Tammy came along. He and I had been separated for a really long time and they had already had a bit of a history. They began spending more time together and he began spending less time at home with me and the children. I really thought he would just get over our issues and things would go back to normal but you can’t always help who you love. I thought helping her out would get her out of my life for good and instead it helped solidify her position in his life,” her voice began to crack and it became obvious that she was holding back tears. “She lied to me and to you just get what she wanted. Why do they get to have it all while we live alone with the pain?”

K.Y sat silently for the rest of the car ride. He couldn’t believe everything that she was saying, and it was beginning to be a little over whelming.

After driving for what felt like forever they finally pulled in front of a building that he knew all too well.

“How is bringing me to Tammy’s old apartment really helping to prove your point? I’ve been here plenty of times already and this place is not new to me. It would only surprise me to find out that she was still living here when she told me she moved back home.”

“Please just follow me. I promise if you go upstairs with an open mind you will find out soon enough that she isn’t as trust worthy as she led you to believe.”

They walked up the two flights of stairs to the third floor apartment that K.Y had been to many times before. Josie took her car keys, and to his surprise opened up the apartment door that once belonged to the women he loved.

They walked inside and everything that he remembered was in its exact place.

“I don’t get it. I thought she got rid of this place when we moved in together.”

“This place was never hers to give up. I allowed her to stay here for about a year almost two years ago. She paid me rent and I let her have free reign of the place because I was always out of town on business.”

Why would she lie to me about where she lived? he thought to himself.

Josie walked over to the large chair by the window that he and Tammy had countless intimate conversations. She lit a spliff and made herself comfy on the leather chair.

“She lied to me about where she lived and I don’t understand why, but this still doesn’t prove your point about her being a terrible person.”

“Why would she need to lie to the man she loved about the place she called home. You guys loved each other right? So wouldn’t you need to know where to be able to locate your woman if she was ever in some sort of danger or trouble?

“I get where you are going with this, but her father also made sure that she was taken care of.”

Josie sat up and looked at K.Y with a puzzled look on her face. “Now I wonder how a dead man can manage to take such good care of his little girl from his grave.”

“He’s not dead. I know that for a fact “Delino Santiago died years ago,” she said as she walked over to her computer table. She dug through a few files before finally finding the document she was looking for. She handed him an obituary that seemed to prove everything that she was saying about Tammy’s father. Josie handed him another photo that showed Mr. Santiago in his casket with Tammy at the podium next to it.

“She talked to him every week. I even heard a few of their conversations because she would talk to him on speaker phone. One of his employees were down here taking care of

“He promised him that four and a half years ago while Mr. Santiago was on his death bed. I had no idea why their bond was so close, but I always tried to be understanding to it hoping that he would see that no matter what I would love him and would be there.”

“This doesn’t make sense. He made it seem like this man was still alive.”              

“That only means that she is cocky and disrespectful as hell. I can promise you that they have been involved together for at least 5 years. I used to have a picture of the two of them together at his funeral before I learned that they were an item and destroyed the image. He would call her sweet pet names. He would call her things that he has never called me. He even had her in his phone as My Queen,” she said without even trying to hide her pain.

“I really thought he wasn’t capable of knowing what love is. He had a really rough upbringing, so I just accepted the love I thought he was showing me. I figured he just didn’t know any better, but he treats her better than anyone else.”

K.Y paced back and forth while he tried to go over all of the information that Josie had just given him. “You’re a hating bitch and you haven’t shown me anything that really verifies anything you’ve said. I never met her father so I don’t know what the man looks like and this could be fake,” he said throwing the obituary back at her. “Now hurry up and take me home before I snap and say something I’m going to regret.”

Josie got up from her chair and walked over to the clearly hurt K.Y.

”I know this is a lot of information, and your love for her makes everything I’m telling you hard to believe, but I need you to trust me.” She grabbed his arm and led him over to the same chair she was just sitting in. She flirtatiously pushed him into the set then sat on top of him.

“I don’t have any reason to lie to you. I could tell that you loved her from that one meeting we had, and I really thought she felt the same way because you were the first person in her personal camp that I ever met.

I’ve heard a lot of things about you from doing my research, and I know that you don’t deserve the treatment you got. I know you’ve already been through a lot, and it wasn’t fair of her to do that to you. I just need you to be patient with me and I promise you that I can show you better than I can tell you. A man like you deserves so much more than you received and you should at least know the truth about the woman that deceived you into falling in love with her.”

Something about her tone and the way she was touching him gave him so much comfort. It had been so long since he held a woman for anything other than just sex. As much as he wanted to doubt everything this woman had just said, he had also questioned her why he never got the chance to meet the number one man in her life. In fact, it had been the start of a few arguments.

**********

“It just doesn’t make sense to me is what I’m getting at! You say you love me and you’re wearing the ring I gave you, so why can’t I meet the man? I wanted to do things the proper way by asking for your hand in marriage before purposing to you but you wouldn’t even let me do that,” he yelled out to her.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you’re screaming at, but you better lower your tone before I really get upset. You asked a simple question and I provided a simple answer – no!

You just have to trust me that it’s just not a good idea. If I were just one of your birds that you were used to that would have worked, but you’ll honestly be doing way more harm than good,” Tammy replied.

“I’m going to have to meet him eventually so I don’t get why I can’t do it ahead of time. I’m a grown ass man and I can handle anything that some guy throws at me.”

“That’s really cute, but I promise you that you have no idea who you are dealing with. If my old man was just some regular guy than I would have set this meeting up a long time ago, but I can promise you that he’s not. I love him, and I refuse to be defiant on his wishes. I know he wouldn’t want me to get married, so he would stop it if he knew. It’s just that easy.”

“So then what are you going to tell him once it actually happens?”          

“If we get married he would have no choice but to accept it. He and I are a lot alike in certain ways. Once we’ve made up our minds and followed through with something we understand that there is no point in trying to persuade the other person into our personal views. If I go to him an unmarried woman he is going to see to it that it stays that way. When I was little, my father used to tell me that all men were dogs and not to be foolish enough to fall for their lies. It’s a miracle I’m even considering walking down the aisle and being a bride despite all I’ve seen and heard. Please don’t push it any further. You asked a question and I gave you an answer. Now please leave me the hell alone.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

**********

Josie handed him the spliff that she had been smoking and offered him something to drink.

“Nah shawty I don’t think that will be a good idea. I really just need a clear mind to sort through all of this. Part of me believes some of what you’re saying, but there is a huge part of me that feels like that woman was nothing but honest to me. We never hid anything from each other no matter how much the truth would hurt. That’s the shit I liked the most about shawty. She kept everything a hundred since day one.”

“So you mean to tell me that you never once questioned any of those several robberies you experienced while dealing with her. From what I heard about you in the streets that shit was so uncommon before that chick came around. You never once believed that she might have been the one setting you up all along?”

“I never once thought that. I got involved in this shit early, and she proved to me that I didn’t know the game as well as I thought I did. Thanks to her I started making some real big power moves, and a lot of my business deals were smarter than they had ever been. She taught me how to rule my camp with an iron fist and even warned me ahead of time that big results would come with big consequences. Once I started really making things happen I already knew I was going to have to deal with some haters.

Before her I had taken losses, but she taught me how to bounce back. There were plenty of times I had thought about getting revenge on a few people, and she actually helped me follow through on a few. Then, there were certain situations when she showed me the value of just charging it to the game. You win some and you lose some, but the object of the game is to come out on top and alive.

Some battles just weren’t worth fighting because I realized the risks that were involved. That woman helped me out way too much for me to really believe that she would have been setting me up at all. She was about her money and so was I; we were a team.

Why would she have a hand in the downfall of our empire together?”

Josie was hesitant to begin speaking. It was obvious to anyone that heard him talk about Tee that he had clearly placed her on a pedestal. She placed her arm around his neck, and used the other hand to caress his chest. “You’re right about her being about her money, but I’m sad to say that the team she was trying to build an empire with was not with you. Unfortunately, you were just a pawn who got caught up in her game of trying to make it to the top. I’ve watched her hustle and manipulate situations and people before, but I just never thought she would do something as sneaky as this.

 She used the fact that you were young and inexperienced to her benefit. She fell in love with you which made it hard for you to assume that she had a hand in any of the things that were going on around you. A real ride or die would have held you down until the very end. That woman bounced the moment things became too tough, so there was no way she was really down for you. She knew you were a part of this kind of lifestyle the moment she met you and she continued to deal with you. Then after your organization is built up and takes your largest loss ever she bounces. You can’t be that in love that you can’t clearly see that she had a hand in your downfall.”

He handed her back the spliff and laid his head on her large breasts.

“I know that it looks bad, but she was good to me and that is how I’ll always remember her.”

“I just have a hard time believing that any woman, even Tammy, could look you in those beautiful eyes and end your relationship when you had already experienced so many large losses in your life.”

“She didn’t,” he replied. “She left me a long letter and was gone before I had a chance to tell her she was making a mistake. She said she knew if she said it to my face she wouldn’t be able to go through with it and she also knew I wouldn’t let her go without a real fight. I know how she is though and she already made up her mind and went through with her decision so now there is no point in fighting. I just have to love her from afar.”

“How dare she? She couldn’t even give you a chance to try to win her heart back, but she expects you to believe that she actually loved you.  The time that you two shared wasn’t even worth the decency to say goodbye to your face. Wow!

At least she has the decency to leave and stay gone. It would be a problem if she was still calling or accepting your calls.”

K.Y lifted his head off of her chest and sat straight up.

“I take it by your reaction that there is some kind of communication. Well at least you’re smart enough not to give her any money if she asks for it or tell her how much you have.”

His silence and uneasiness confirmed to her that he was doing the exact opposite.

“This is even worst then I thought. Kyle you have to accept the facts; she set you up. She taught you more of the game than she was supposed to and realizes that with the information she gave you it is possible for you to bounce back on your feet. She is smart enough to distance herself but wise enough not to cut you off so that she can come back around and hit you up whenever you get back on your feet again. I can’t believe how conniving she is.”

K.Y instantly thought back to their last conversation. Tammy was grateful for the money she sent him, but she almost seemed angry that he had withheld so much money and information from her.

**********

“Kyle Cole where the hell did you get that kind of money to be able to send it to me,” she asked him.

“It doesn’t matter baby. You needed it and I had it. You know what’s mine is yours too.” He replied meaning every word of it.

“I just don’t get it. I only needed a few dollars to make it through the month I really didn’t need over $30,000. What doesn’t make sense to me is that either you are back on and started making big moves again or you were holding back some big secrets from me when we were together. What’s up? Which one is it?”

K.Y was a little nervous to respond because he didn’t expect her to react like this. “I had a few dollars put away and I dipped into it so that you and I could be straight. I know how you feel about me being back in these streets, but I don’t know any other way to survive. I was willing to try to learn with you but you bounced so now I’m just going to go back to what I know.”

“How do you forget to tell your woman that you have that kind of money stashed somewhere? I can get 5 or 10 stacks because that’s something light, but you had enough to send me 30 stacks and still have money in your pocket. That’s part of the reason why we are not together now. It’s not just about you being in these streets, but once I stopped worrying about me and started worrying about us, you started keeping secrets,” she replied.

“I appreciate the money and the help you’ve been giving me all of this time, but I should have known taking your call was a mistake. It’s hard enough to try to piece my life together and move on without finding out that it’s going to be so easy for you to make moves and move on without me. I guess I always felt needed when we were together, and this just kind of showed me that you didn’t need me as much as I thought you did.”

“I never needed you shawty. I love you and there is a big difference. That love makes me want to keep you around. I’m always going to be grateful for the help and information that you’ve given me, but I’m confident in my ability to bounce back.”

“I never doubted your ability to bounce back. I know you’ll be back on your feet in no time. They forgot about you on those Pine Hills streets and it’s time that you remind them what you’re capable of and who they’re dealing with. Even though we can’t be together like that, I will always be here and be around to talk to you.”

“Maybe when I’m back on it will convince you enough to come back home where you belong.”

“I didn’t bounce because you’re not on anymore. I bounced because the streets are your first love and I’ll always be second to that. I’m tired of the street life and I just want normalcy. Maybe one day you’ll want the same and if I’m still around and available then we can try to cross that bridge when we get there, but for now we just want and need two different things out of life.”

“I want normalcy too. We can achieve it together. Let’s just do it. I’ll get out for good and I’ll go legit.”

“How can you really expect two broke people to go legit? I’m now a struggling college student and you just sent me most of the money you had put away.”

“I have another 28 stacks put away,” he said. “We can use that money to help build up your business and this time be 100% legit. I’ll get a job, and you can finish school.”

“That sounds cute, and if I really felt like that was attainable I would have suggested that before I left. You have expensive taste and so do I. We’re both young and don’t have to rush into anything. This space can be good for us to work on ourselves and it can help bring us closer together. You build your empire how you want to, and I do the same from my end. If we are meant to be together than that is exactly what will happen in the end.”

“I just don’t get it. I’m doing everything that I think I can to get us to work and it seems like you are giving me every excuse as to why it can’t work.”

“Cut the shit K.Y. These are not excuses. You have always been the dreamer and I have always been the realist of our team. How will we ever be able to survive, much less plan a wedding or family if neither one of us is on our feet? I’m almost finished with school and I am possibly up for a huge promotion, so I have my life together. You want me to believe that at the age of 25 you are going to give up the only hustle that you have ever really known to tag along on my business? I have to see some serious effort from you first. I helped you bring your empire to where it was and all the while I was urging you to do something smart with your money or to at least invest it in a business so you wouldn’t be where you are today. You didn’t do that, and now you’re having to do what you do just to get back on.

 I told you in the very beginning that I thought you were hard headed and the fact that you are where you are now just proves that to me,” she said. “When I took that leap of faith to go with you and make it known to my family, I took the risk of being cut off completely by my old man and that was exactly what happened. I use to have thousands of dollars coming in from him monthly just because I was doing what I was supposed to be doing and I gave all of that up just to be with you all the time. I was determined to make us work which is why I stayed on your ass as much as I did. When you thought I was just nagging I was actually doing my best to make sure that we didn’t end up here. You were stubborn, secretive, and downright sneaky at the end of the relationship, so I left. I need to see some major improvements from you before I can even THINK about getting back with you much less moving my entire life back down to Florida,” she paused and softened her tone before continuing. “You think this is easy on me, but it’s not. I don’t have you and now I’m back home trying to prove myself to my old man and it’s turning out to be much harder than I would have ever expected.

I feel alone most of the time, and the stress of not having the same lifestyle I had before is really pissing me off. It’s hard, but if you want me back you know exactly what you need to do. If I’m not worth it to you than you can just move on and go back to doing what you’ve spent most of your life doing.

The game is not going to be good to you forever which is why it’s always best to leave the bitch while you’re still in her good graces. Whenever you get your life together you know exactly how to reach me,” and without another word she disconnected the call.

**********

Josie took her hand and gently brought Kyle’s head back down to her over endowed breasts.

“It’s not easy to get over a first love, and it’s even harder when you begin to doubt if that person was real to you or if you fell in love with an illusion of who you wanted that person to be,” she said as she used her manicured fingers to caress his ear. I’m at least twice your age and it still pains me to know the horrible truth, but I couldn’t sit back and do nothing while she got away with breaking your heart and continuing the cycle by keeping you on a short leash. I’ve been there with my ex, and it’s clear that he taught her his same tricks because she is now using them on you. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here for you. We can get through this together instead of suffering silently alone,” she said sounding so sincere.

 “Just give me a little time to get together all the proof and evidence you need so that you can see that I’m being for real in everything that I’m saying to you. I know it’s hard to let an hour of information from a stranger change your mind about a love that took you years to build, but I promise you that soon you will see exactly what I’m talking about.

The women you fell in love with is a self-centered, manipulating, egotistical, and conniving woman. She planned for you to fall in love with her so that you would never be able to suspect that she was the reason for your downfall.” 

                                                          Chapter 2

Tamia Santiago was born in the middle of the 80’s which was when crack was being sold and done heavily in the streets she lived on.

“When you moved us up here I never thought I would be living like a fucking peasant,” Tamia’s mom, Mariana Santiago, screamed out to Tamia’s father, Delino, in her thick Spanish accent. “You said you gave all of this drug dealer shit up back home and it’s obvious that you never did.

I just had our second baby and she doesn’t even recognize who you are when you come around. You spend every minute of every day on these rat infested streets and leave us here to care for ourselves. I’m sick and tired of living like this and if you can’t give us the life you promised us then I want to go back home. When I leave my kids are coming with me.”

“Tee is a newborn and she is not going to remember these times,” Delino Santiago, Tammy’s father, responded in his thick island accent. “I’m just going to get the team together out here and then I’ll be more available for the family.

“Cut the shit. I heard it when I was back home in Honduras, I followed you back to the Cayman Islands, and I was even patient enough to handle the household alone while you set up your team in Jamaica. I’m almost thirty and I never expected to be living my life like this. I’m sick of this shit!”

Delino Santiago was a business man, but before he was anything he was also a smart man. As much as he wanted to put his family in a comfortable home like the villas they just moved from, he knew it would bring too much heat his way, and he wanted to stay off of the radar. Although he had his family living in one of the roughest spots in Dorchester, Massachusetts, he always made sure that they were well protected.

“Give me a year and I promise you that things won’t be like this,” Lino said softening his tone.

“I’ve given you the best years of my life Lino and this is where I am today. You’re out all hours of the night doing God knows what with only God knows who, and I’m here taking care of a family and trying to protect our newborn from these fucking roaches. I can’t do this anymore Lino and I refuse to do it for another second.”

“Well what the fuck do you think you’re going to get out here huh? Who the hell do you think is going to be able to provide to you the shit I have throughout the years? Look at you! You haven’t worked since I met you and it’s because I take care of everything for you.

You better watch your mouth and realize who the fuck you’re speaking to before I get angry,” he said as his temperament completely changed. The thunderous sound of his voice caused the young infant to wake up screaming.

Instead of immediately going to tend to her daughter like she normally would have, the sight of a bug on the wall, his words, and the fact that he woke the baby up once she was finally asleep threw Mariana into a rage.

“Get angry then motherfucker because I have had enough of you and all of your shit! You think cause you pay a few raggedy bills that you have the right to talk to me anyway you want to? It’s about time that I let you know that those days will be over if you don’t learn to fucking respect-,” before she was able to finish her statement Delino slapped her with all of his might. Mariana’s small 5’1’’ frame was no match for Lino who was 6’3 and 250 pounds of pure muscle.

“Shut up bitch! Let me explain something to you. I can do what the fuck I want because I am the man of this house.”

Regardless of how raggedy this place is do you have any idea how many other bitches would KILL to be in the position that you’re in,” he asked as he stood over the frail young woman.

“I’m going to give you two options and you better choose wisely. Being the generous man that I am, I will let you leave here with the clothes on your back, if that is what you choose, or you can pack a bag and I’ll take you back home for a vacation for a week and we can act like this never happened. You have until I make it home from this run to have your answer.

You just better make sure that my children don’t leave this house until I get back or no matter what you choose you will regret not listening to my orders,” he said before he slammed the door shut to their tiny apartment.

As much as Mariana wanted to pack her bags and leave with her children, she knew it wouldn’t be wise to do it. Delino had a lot of pull no matter where he was, and she knew that no matter what she always had eyes on her.

She always loved the added security because she knew that what Delino did was dangerous, but it was times like this that made her feel like a prisoner in her own home.

With no other options, she made the decision to pack her bags to head back to her country for a little vacation.

“Tamia Santiago I don’t ever want you to allow a man to put you through what I have to go through just to survive,” Mariana spoke to her infant child as if she could understand. “You’re a queen and you deserve to be treated and respected like one. I will make sure that you know and understand that if it’s the last thing that I do on this Earth.”

I really hope you all enjoyed it because I have such a blast writing it! Don't forget, I'm going to have another snippet for you all that will be available in my upcoming project Sex & the Strong Women Who Get Weak Over It. I swear, we are working as quickly as possible to get this project out to you guys ASAP. I can't wait for you guys to get a chance to see how brilliant my co-author on this project, Adriana Blair, is. I promise you all are in for a treat. I'll keep you posted!