Page 51 of Still Yours

After Diego killed Dexz’s father, he sent his wife to California for his mother. His wife was born and raised in Harlem. She worked at the local high school and was Dexz’s English teacher. She lived a double life with Diego, so she was forced to do something she didn’t want to do. She always saw so much potential in Dexz and didn’t have the balls to kill him.

She snuck into the house while Dexz was gone and killed his mother in cold blood, thinking Diego would still let her live since she killed who she really came for. Diego didn’t like her decision, so he killed his wife and moved on with his life until he got word that Dexz was back in New York. He felt like not killing Dexz was a chapter still open in his life. Now he wanted to close it by taking him down.

“Yeah, I know, but what does that have to do with me?” Lunden asked, breaking the silence.

“A lot. You said you needed more money in our last meeting, so I got you. Give me an address, and I'll triple up in money tonight. All I need is an address, and your hands are clean.”

“An address, huh? Now why would you think I’ll just give my nigga’s address out like that?” he challenged Diego.

“Because you’ve betrayed him this long, taking my money and passing it off to him, so I don’t see why I can’t get an address for a little more.”

Lunden huffed and then chuckled as he went into deep thought.

Ever since Dexz had come home, the city was raving over him, and Lunden felt like he ran the streets of Harlem. Now it was like his friend started everything, even though he'd done all the work with Burner. Not to mention, he hated the way Pretti fell into Dexz’s arms effortlessly behind his back.

When he saw that change in her, he knew he had lost his brother and fiancée. He had hatred deep in his heart for his partner in crime and had no sympathy for anything that was going on in his personal life. He felt like Dexz was disrespectful and cocky, and he was showing him firsthand that he wasn’t loyal when Pretti was involved.

If I can get this nigga off the streets, the city would be mine again, and I can get Pretti back. This is an easy setup that I can’t pass up.

He stroked his chin hairs.

“Give me a piece of paper, papi,” Lunden said, making up his mind.

“You got it. I’ll get your money and your paper.”

Diego rushed out of the room and came back with a Louis Vuitton duffle bag and a sticky note. Lunden wrote down the address to Dexz’s condo, and then they switched duffle bags. Lunden opened the bag of money and smiled.

“It’s one hundred grand.”

“A’ight, I'm going to get out of here. I have a party to attend. If I find out you put my name in this shit, Diego, I'm coming after you. You know I don't give a fuck about your status. I ain't no weak nigga, I'll take you out,” Lunden said sternly.

“You got my word, amigo. I'll see you in two weeks for a re-up.”

They shook hands, and Lunden left out with his money and his girl, feeling exquisite. He went in knowing he'd make sixty grand and left with one hundred. He didn't care that he earned the money setting up Dexz, and he wasn’t giving him his cut. All he cared about was himself moving forward.

“We're out of here, ladies. I'm ready to get drunk and fuck on y'all. Snort some more of that shit for me and get loose. Happy New Year to me,” Lunden said as he started his car and drove to his next destination to party.

$$$$

THE FOLLOWING MORNING

Lunden woke up bright and early with liquor still in his system and a wandering mind. For some reason, he couldn’t sleep. He had gone out with his girls and had a nasty threesome when they got home, but he couldn’t get Pretti and Dexz off his mind. He saw them hugging at the 90s party. It was the first time he saw them in public, letting the world know they were together, and it irritated his soul. It was a Sunday, and he knew her shop wouldn’t be open until two in the afternoon, so he got her spare key that he stole and drove to her place of business.

Lunden parked in the back of the shop and made his way in through the back door. He stepped inside the cold shop and turned off the alarm before it went off. Then he went down the hall and found her office. The door was wide open, so he stepped in and walked over to her desk. Her laptop was open and unlocked. She didn’t have a code on her work computer because she always left it open for Storm.

Lunden went in and wasted no time going through everything. When he went to her surveillance, and the timestamps of the saved videos dated back to the day after Dexz got out, he was ready to body somebody. He watched Dexz and Pretti have sex in her chair and saw a few make-out sessions. He watched each video over and over, which only made him more upset.

“I’m going to kill this bitch,” Lunden mumbled under his breath while grinding his teeth. He knew they were fucking nowadays, but she lied about fucking him when he got out of jail, so he considered that cheating when he was faithful.

“Boy, what the fuck are you doing in my office?” Pretti said when she walked in. She had gotten a call from her parking lot security letting her know Lunden had let himself in, so she raced over to her shop to see why he was there after hours.

Without warning, Lunden stood up full of rage. He charged over to her and pushed her against the wall with his forearm so hard that Pretti started seeing stars.

“Bitch, you cheated on me with that nigga when he first got out? I should fucking kill you!” he shouted in her face.

“I wasn’t in love with you anymore, Lunden. I’ve always loved Dexz, but I stopped loving you before he got home. You’ve always treated me like shit, so it was bound to happen anyway, even if Dexz wasn’t in the picture!” Pretti cried out as he continued to have a hold on her neck.

“Bitch, I did everything for you since day one, and I’ve never cheated on you. I’m the one that molded you into who you are today. Not that nigga, Dexz. He was locked up while I was out here taking care of you. You want to know why I always talked to you the way I did? Because you were always stupid and naïve, and I was trying to help you!” He punched her in the nose so hard that she thought it was broken. He took his arm from her neck, and she fell to the floor crying in pain as she held her nose.