Authors: Tracy Brown
Twisted (15 page)
Nina couldn't stop her tears from falling. She felt a toxic mixture of hurt, rage, and vengeance. Ishmael was going to pay for breaking her heart. “It was no fucking misunderstanding. He told me that so that I would think he was talking to Robin to try to help you find Celeste. But he was really fucking Robin. And Celeste, too.”
Rah-lo's jaw clenched immediately. “What are you talking about?”
“Ishmael is a liar! I found Celeste's number in his phone
and he's been talking to her all this time. All this time he was pretending to be your friend and pretending to be my man and he was playing both of us.”
and he's been talking to her all this time. All this time he was pretending to be your friend and pretending to be my man and he was playing both of us.”
Rah-lo seethed but said nothing.
Nina continued, “I went through his phone and found her number. And when I checked the call history, he had talked to her on the phone the other night for over an hour. Did you know that?”
Rah-lo thought back on his earlier conversation with Ishmael. Not once had he mentioned speaking to Celeste. “Nah,” Rah-lo said calmly. “I didn't know that at all.”
Nina was satisfied. Misery loves company. “I figured you should know what kind of friend he really is.”
Rah-lo's mind was reeling. He couldn't believe that Ishmael would betray him like that. “How long has he been in touch with Celeste?” Rah-lo asked.
“I don't know. For all I know he could've been in touch with her all along, since the day she left.”
Nina sounded terribly hurt and Rah-lo wanted to believe that that was why she had made this all up. “Let me get the number he dialed. How do you know it was Celeste?” Rah-lo asked, still giving Ish the benefit of the doubt.
“Call for yourself. If she doesn't pick up, you'll hear her say her whole name on the voice mail. Four-oh-four ⦔ Nina recited the number, which she'd memorized.
Rah-lo didn't need to write it down. He committed it to
memory easily and said, “Aiight, Nina. Try to calm down and I'll call you back.”
memory easily and said, “Aiight, Nina. Try to calm down and I'll call you back.”
When he hung up the phone, he dialed the number and waited for the answering machine to come on. Instead, a sultry female voice answered, “Hello?”
Rah-lo's voice got caught in his throat. He would recognize that melodic voice anywhere.
“Hello?” Celeste repeated.
“Celeste,” he said, his worst fears confirmed. “It's Rah-lo.”
Celeste felt her knees go weak and wondered what the hell was going on. Had Ishmael given Rah-lo her number? Damn! “Rah-lo? How did you get my number?”
Rah-lo felt his heart racing in his chest. “Did you ask Ishmael the same question when he called you?”
Celeste didn't know what to say. She held the phone in silence.
Rah-lo didn't know where to begin, so he struggled to find the words. “I'm not with Asia anymore, Celeste. I left her.” He hoped that would be music to Celeste's ears.
“Ishmael already told me that. Congratulations,” Celeste said flatly. She figured her conversation with Ishmael had been nothing more than a cleverly disguised precursor to this conversation. “What? Are you on your way down here with Ishmael? Y'all planned this whole thing?”
Rah-lo gripped the phone so tightly that he thought it might snap in half. “He's on his way down there?”
Celeste was confused. She had assumed when he called
that he had gotten her number from Ishmael, that Rah-lo and Ishmael had planned the whole thing. “How did you get my number if you didn't get it from Ishmael?” she asked.
that he had gotten her number from Ishmael, that Rah-lo and Ishmael had planned the whole thing. “How did you get my number if you didn't get it from Ishmael?” she asked.
“Nina gave it to me. She found it in his phone. So I'm curious about how he got your number. How long have you been talking to him? You're telling me he's on his way down there to see you?”
Celeste could hear the irritation in Rah-lo's voice and she knew him well enough to know that he was heated. She still couldn't believe that she was speaking to him after four long years. “I just spoke to him for the first time the other day,” she said. Celeste could sense drama on the horizon.
Rah-lo said, “I don't understand. All of a sudden I got my boy's wifey calling me accusing him of betraying me ⦠and betraying her, too. And now you're telling me that he just called you out of the blue and now he's coming all the way to Atlanta to see you? What's up with that?”
Celeste was confused herself. She wondered what the hell had happened between Rah-lo and Ishmael to cause them to keep such secrets from each other. And how the hell had Nina gotten involved? “Rah-lo, I don't know what's going on,” Celeste said. “All I know is that it's early in the morning on my day off and I'm sleepy. I'm not a morning person.”
He smiled. She never had been a morning person. He couldn't believe that she was right there on the other end of the phone. He sighed and closed his eyes. “Damn, baby girl,” he said. “It's good to hear your voice.” Celeste said nothing
in response. Rah-lo forged ahead. “I miss you. I never stopped missing you since the day you left.”
in response. Rah-lo forged ahead. “I miss you. I never stopped missing you since the day you left.”
Celeste hated herself for being so glad to hear those words. She shook her head as if to shake the feeling off. “I-I can't talk right now,” she stammered, and hung up the phone abruptly. “Shit!” she hissed to herself. She couldn't believe he had her number! Rah-lo's voice echoed in her ear, causing her to feel elated and mortified at the same time. She missed him, tooâin her heart she did. Her mind was telling her to change her number and forget all about him. It was too late and she had come too far. She grabbed her iPod and her car keys and decided to head to the gym to blow off some steam. She needed to clear her head. Too much was happening all at once.
Meanwhile, Rah-lo headed out to find the man whom he had once considered his friend. Ishmael was a dead man. Rah-lo got behind the wheel of his car and dialed Ishmael's number. He had to find out where Ishmael was.
“Whattup, son?” Ishmael answered.
Rah-lo's face was twisted into a menacing grimace. “What's with this âson' shit all of a sudden, Ish? You been sounding kinda sure of yourself lately.”
Ishmael frowned. “What are you talking about?” He sensed hostility coming from his friend and wondered if he had found out about the side deal Ishmael had cut with Cito. “What's the problem?”
“Where you at, Ish? I need to meet with you right now.”
Ishmael was in his secret apartment, but he wasn't about
to divulge his whereabouts to Rah-lo until he could figure out why he sounded so upset. “I'll come meet you on Staten Island,” Ishmael said. “Where you at?”
to divulge his whereabouts to Rah-lo until he could figure out why he sounded so upset. “I'll come meet you on Staten Island,” Ishmael said. “Where you at?”
Rah-lo was furious. “Meet me at my house on Howard Avenue. Don't keep me waiting,
son.
” Ishmael could hear the sarcasm in Rah-lo's voice. The next thing Ishmael heard was a dial tone, signaling that Rah-lo had hung up on him.
son.
” Ishmael could hear the sarcasm in Rah-lo's voice. The next thing Ishmael heard was a dial tone, signaling that Rah-lo had hung up on him.
Ishmael threw some clothes on and headed out to Staten Island. The twenty-minute drive felt like it took days, as Ish wondered what the hell Rah-lo's problem was. Ishmael finally arrived at Rah-lo's sprawling second home and parked his car. He pulled his gun out of the glove compartment and put it in his waistband, just in case Rah-lo got crazy. Ishmael had to admit to himself that he felt nervous as he approached the doorway. He rang the bell and waited.
Rah-lo answered within moments. He opened the door and ushered Ishmael inside without a word. He stood in Rah-lo's foyer waiting for him to tell him what this was all about. Rah-lo got right to the point as he stood and faced Ishmael with only feet separating the two friends.
“You betrayed me, Ishmael. After all these years of me thinking that you were like a brother to me, you fucking played me.”
Ishmael frowned, confused. Rah-lo obviously knew something and Ishmael decided to address the issue head-on. “What, nigga, you mad about Cito?”
Now Rah-lo was the one who frowned. “Cito? What the fuck happened with Cito?”
Ishmael cursed himself for making an incorrect assumption. Thinking Rah-lo had found him out, Ishmael had spoken too soon. But it was too late to turn back now. “Aiight, listen,” he said. “The last time you picked up the money from the workers, it was short. And you know it was short. I don't know if
you
shorted me or if the workers shorted both of us. And, honestly, with all the bullshit you're dealing with from Asia right now, I didn't feel like bothering you with my problems. But I got bills to pay, son. I got moves I gotta make and I can't afford to have a slow week. So I went to Cito and got some work of my own.”
you
shorted me or if the workers shorted both of us. And, honestly, with all the bullshit you're dealing with from Asia right now, I didn't feel like bothering you with my problems. But I got bills to pay, son. I got moves I gotta make and I can't afford to have a slow week. So I went to Cito and got some work of my own.”
Rah-lo stared at his friend for a long time. “You cutting me out of some money now?” Rah-lo demanded, becoming angrier by the minute.
“Nah.” Ishmael didn't want to dig himself deeper into the hole that he was already in. “The shit I got going with Cito has nothing to do with you. Me and you still get our money the same. Nothing changed. I just got a lil something going on the side, Rah-lo. It's as simple as that. Like I just explained, I can't afford to have a bad week. This way I got my shit covered and I still got your back with the shit we got going on.”
“I can't believe this shit.” Rah-lo looked at the ceiling in anguish and let out a deep sigh. “First I find out that you're talking to Celeste behind my back. And now I find out that
you got a secret deal with the supplier. You're a fucking snake.”
you got a secret deal with the supplier. You're a fucking snake.”
“What?” Ishmael was stunned. “Celeste?” He wondered how the fuck Rah-lo had found out about that.
“Yeah, muthafucka! Celeste. Nina called me and let me know that you've been talking to her. I didn't believe her, so I called the number she gave me and I spoke to Celeste myself. She told me that you're planning a trip down there.” Rah-lo stepped closer to Ishmael. “So when the fuck was you gonna tell me that you've been talking to Celeste?”
Ish took a step back. Not that he was scared of Rah-lo. Ishmael just needed a second to get his story straight before this confrontation turned physical. “I only called her because I thought you went down there to look for her. Your wife was calling me every five fucking minutes demanding to know where you were. She kept telling me that you went looking for Celeste. So I called her looking for you.”
“How the fuck did you get her number, Ish?”
“I found her on MySpace! I sent her a message and she sent back her number. Rah-lo, Asia said that you went after Celeste. That's the only reason I contacted her. I was only trying to find you so I could tell you that your wife was bugging the fuck out.”
“Why didn't you tell me that you spoke to her when I called you earlier? Huh? If all this shit is on the up-and-up why the fuck didn't you mention that you spoke to my shorty?”
Ishmael had to stifle a laugh. Celeste hadn't been Rah-lo's “shorty” in years. But rather than point that out, Ishmael sighed. “I don't know why. Nina came home and I got distracted. It slipped my mind.”
“Slipped your fuckin' mind, huh? Word? What about you going down there to visit her? Did that shit slip your mind, too?”
“I was just talking shit when I said that!”
“And what about Cito, Ish? What the fuck is going on with you? All this time I thought you was my man and I could trust you. Now you calling Celeste behind my back, keeping secrets with Cito ⦠Tell me something, nigga!”
Ishmael held his hands up in exasperation. “You're taking this shit too far, Rah-lo. Seriously.”
“I gotta hear from your girl that you're having late-night conversations with Celeste? I gotta wonder if the niggas I'm doing business with got larceny in their hearts? Nah! Fuck that.” Rah-lo punched Ishmael in his face, knocking him off balance. Before Ishmael could regain his composure, Rah-lo was on him again, pummeling him in a barrage of punches.
Ishmael charged Rah-lo, knocking him off his feet. Now that he had gotten Rah-lo off of him, Ishmael tried desperately to get the upper hand. But he was no match for Rah-lo, who was still throwing powerful punches at his former friend. They tussled on the floor for several minutes until finally Ishmael scrambled to his feet and threw his hands up to
continue the fight. His gun fell from his waistband onto Rah-lo's hardwood floor, landing with a loud boom.
continue the fight. His gun fell from his waistband onto Rah-lo's hardwood floor, landing with a loud boom.
Rah-lo stood and faced his friend, the gun lying precariously on the floor between them. “You gonna shoot me, Ish?” Rah-lo demanded, his chest heaving.
Ishmael stared Rah-lo down. He didn't want to fight his friend, much less shoot him. “Rah-lo, you got this shit all twisted,” Ishmael said.
Rah-lo shook his head and bent down and picked up Ishmael's gun. He handed it to Ishmael and, cautiously, he took it from Rah-lo. He looked Ishmael dead in his eyes. “Get out of my fucking house. Take your deal with Cito and run with it. I'm not fucking with you no more. I can't trust you.”
Ishmael felt terrible because he knew how bad this all looked. “Rah-loâ”
Rah-lo shook his head and looked at Ishmael seriously to demonstrate that their conversation was over. He gestured toward the door and hoped for Ishmael's sake that he followed his orders and left Rah-lo alone. “You can't say shit to me. You betrayed me. Leave, Ish.”
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