Cheaper to Keep Her Part 3 (15 page)

“Alright,” I said. And then I watched him close the door in my face.

I stood by the door of my bedroom to see if I could hear Bishop’s movement. And all the while, I prayed that he wouldn’t go into my walk-in closet.

Several seconds later, I heard Bishop open up one of my dresser drawers so I knew exactly what he was doing. I also knew that Agent Sean could see Bishop from the angle he was hiding in the closet. I just hoped that he wouldn’t blow his cover by jumping out at Bishop once he saw him taking the dope from his stash spot.

But then again, I figured that maybe Sean would see the package and think that it was something else. Or maybe that was some wishful thinking on my part? But whichever way Sean tried to shift this situation, I prayed that he wouldn’t put me smack dab in the middle of it because at the end of the day, I wasn’t going down for any one. No way. Wrong answer.

A couple of minutes passed and I heard Bishop putting my dresser drawer back on the wooden tack and then he pushed it back in. And when I heard him close the drawer completely, I tiptoed away from the bedroom door. I rushed towards the kitchen to avoid from being caught. He’d freak out if he caught me snooping around while he was trying to handle his business. I could see him screaming on me right now and calling me every name in the book. Not only that, he’d probably become leery of my ass too. And I can’t have that. I’ve come along way with this cat. And I’ve got to get compensated before I tell him to kiss my ass.

“Lynise, has anybody been in here?” I heard him yell as he walked back entered into the kitchen. I saw the package of dope tucked underneath his shirt. It was poked just a tab bit around the stomach area.

“No of course not. And what kind of question is that, when I’m the only one who’s been here.” I replied with the sincerest expression I could muster up. I had to admit that he caught me off caught with that question.

“Because I smell a man’s cologne. And it ain’t nothing I’d wear.” he continued.

I stood there in the kitchen with my bottle of water in hand and said, “That’s not cologne you smell. It’s that new Febreze air freshener I bought a couple days ago.” I lied. I crossed my finger and hoped he’d believe me because I didn’t need another episode that happened earlier with Torch.

“Oh a’ight,” he started off, and then he turned his attention to his wristwatch. “Damn, that nigga Torch ain’t got here yet. He knows we gotta make this run in the next hour. So, I wished he’d bring his ass.”

A few minutes later, Bishop took his cell phone from his pocket and began to dial a number. I knew he couldn’t be calling any one other than Torch, being as though they had some important business to handle together. So, I turned my back to Bishop, and gave him his privacy. But, I worried how Bishop would take it when he was not able to contact Torch. I need this thing with Agent Sean and his obsession to bring Bishop and his whole crew down to happen as soon as possible. I’ve got my life riding on this whole thing, so something or someone has to give up the goods before I flip the fuck out.

Immediately after Bishop dialed the phone number he stepped outside and closed the door behind himself. I had no idea if he was about to leave but I knew that he wanted more privacy. And before I could process the next thought that came to my head, I heard a cell phone ringing. The sound was somewhat muffled, but I still heard it. And when I realized that the ringing came from one of the sofa cushions, I almost lost my damn mind.

Torch must’ve dropped his phone while the agents were escorting him out of the apartment. And if Bishop walked back in here and founds out that Torch’s cell phone was indeed in this apartment, there’s no way I’d be able to explain how it got here. So, I sprinted over to the sofa and dug my hands down in between the cushions where the agents had Torch sitting and luckily for me, I located it. My nerves were shot to pieces but I managed to power the phone off just in the nick of time. And as soon as I stuck the phone down inside of my pocket, Bishop walked back into the apartment. “Did I hear a phone ringing in here? He asked. His facial expression looked a bit puzzled. But I held onto my composure and told him that the phone ringing he heard had come from the TV.

By this time I had taken a seat on the sofa. “Damn, well that cell phone sure sounds like Torch’s phone.” He commented and then he locked the front door. I tried to act like I was engrossed into a movie playing on the TV, but it didn’t work. Bishop had more to say. “Why the fuck this nigga ain’t answering his phone? He told me he was only ten fifteen minutes away and that he was on his way here. But I done got here before his ass.”

I kept my eyes glued to the TV. I felt like if I had looked at Bishop long enough he’d know something wasn’t quite right. And every so often, my mind would take me back to the fact that Agent Sean was hiding in my bedroom closet. I asked God a couple of times while Bishop paced the floor back and forth, to make sure he remained still inside of the closet because the devil would surely come out if Bishop had his way.

Finally a commercial aired on TV and by this time Bishop had taken a seat on the other sofa. He looked down at his wristwatch once again and said, “I can’t believe this nigga hasn’t gotten here yet. He knew we had something to do.”

“Who’s supposed to drive?” I asked.

“He is.”

“Well, maybe he stopped to get some gas.” I commented. I was trying to stay neutral in this whole thing. The worst thing I could’ve done to myself was act all paranoid. Bishop would’ve saw through it the minute he sat down on the other sofa.

Bishop looked at his Blackberry once again. “Why the fuck he ain’t answering his phone? He knew what we had to do.”

“What is his phone doing after you call it?” I wondered aloud. I knew when Bishop called it, it went straight to voicemail because I was the one who powered it off, but I had to play the role.

Frustrated, Bishop said, “That shit keeps going straight to voicemail.”

“Maybe his phone went dead.” I offered to say. But my insides were boiling over. I just wanted Bishop to come to the conclusion out that Torch wasn’t coming so he’d get up and leave. I was sweating bullets underneath my armpits. I felt that if Bishop hadn’t hurried up and left the apartment, something else would go wrong.

Bishop sighed. “Yeah, you might be right. But then again, I know how that nigga is, and if I tell him to meet me, he’s going to be there. So, my gut is telling me something ain’t right.”

“Stop overreacting. I told you that he’s probably just getting some gas. So, I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“I understand all of that. But, I gotta be somewhere at a certain time and if he doesn’t hurry up, I’m gonna have to hit the road alone.” Bishop told me.

Thankfully the movie I was watching came back on. And when I turned my focus back on it, Bishop got the hint and went back outside. And as soon as he closed the door behind himself, I let out a sigh of relief. Sorry to say, my exhale moment was short lived because in a matter of fifteen seconds, Bishop was right back in the apartment with me.

“I can’t wait for this nigga another minute. But if he comes here after I’m gone, tell ‘em I got the stuff and to meet me at the spot across town.”

“Is that all you want me to tell him?”

“Yeah, ‘cause after you say that, he’ll know what you’re talking about. Oh and by the way, I got my number changed.”

“When did you do that?”

Bishop stood at the front door. “I got it changed a couple hours ago. So, get your phone and lock me in when you see a 973-555-1212 number.”

I reached for my phone. “When are you going to call me?”

“I’m gonna do it now while I’m walking back to the car.” he replied.

“Okidoki.” I said and then I turned my attention once again towards the TV. I had to pretend that my focus was on the TV so he’d leave as quickly as possible. And guess what? It worked. After Bishop closed the front door, my phone rung and his new cell phone number appeared. I keyed in his name next to it and then I saved it. Immediately after that, stood to my feet and exhaled. There was nothing like having all of that pressure released from my entire body. I swear, if Bishop would’ve stuck around for at least another thirty minutes, there was a huge chance that I could’ve had a heart attack. I knew too much about everything involving Bria’s disappearance, Manuel’s run in with the raid on his spot, Torch being arrested and the indictment that would soon be served on Bishop and the rest of the group, so my cup was full. I’m surprised that I hadn’t had a fucking nervous breakdown. There’s no way a person could know all of what I knew and still have a sane mind. I knew one thing, if I didn’t hurry up and get out of this environment, I may end up creating my own demise.

Constantly looking over my shoulders!

Cheaper to Keep Her part 3 Unique

The Clock is Ticking – Chapter Sixteen

When I felt like Bishop had gone out of the neighborhood, I raced back to my bedroom and flung the closet door open. Agent Sean was standing to his feet when I laid eyes on him. Sweat was popping around the temple area of his head. And he looked kind of flustered so I stepped aside, giving him enough room to exit the closet. “Is he gone?” he immediately asked.

I exhaled. “Oh my God! Yes, he’s gone. But it feels like I’m about to have a fucking panic attack.”

Sean grabbed me by the hand and led me to my bed. “Take a seat. And breathe in and out a few times and you’ll be alright.” he instructed me.

I took a seat and did the breathing exercises for a minute or so and realized that I had felt just a little bit better. And while I continued his method to calm myself down, he pulled out his cell phone and made a call. “Hey Amy is he gone?”

“Yes, we’re following him now. And we can tell that he’s definitely in a hurry.” I heard the female caller. The volume on Sean’s Blackberry was up very high.

“Well, if he gets way ahead of you, just fall back. Remember we can’t afford to bring any attention to ourselves. He’s already expressed that he believes that we’re on to him, so again just be careful. And if there’s a chance that you lose him, then it’s fine. Just come back to the apartment building and get back to your post.”

“Okay. Got it.” I heard her say and they ended their call.

“I just got word that Bishop is long gone. So, let’s get back on track before he decides that he wants to come back.” Sean insisted.

He stood over me while I sat on the edge of my bed in deep thought. I was still trying to calm down my nerves. My mental state was in disarray. But that didn’t’ matter to Sean.

“Come one Lynise, the clock is ticking.” he uttered from his lips, giving me a look of frustration.

The pressure was coming down upon me once again. But I stood my ground. “Sean I told you I wasn't putting that wire back on me. Now if you want to arrest me and get me for obstructing justice, then do it, because right now I don't know if I'm coming or going.”

Sean stood there for a moment. I could tell he was feeling irritated, but at this point I could care less. There was nothing he could do to me that hadn't already been done. Having lived in Virginia all my damn life, I’d been introduced to everything underneath the sun from getting my ass whipped by disrespectful ass niggas to doing time in jail behind some shit that had nothing to do with me. So nothing and I mean nothing Agent Sean does to me is going to penetrate this hard skin I have.

“I'll be right back.” he said and then he left the room.

I had no idea what he was about to do so I waited for him to come back into my room after he'd concocted another one of his dumb ass plans. “Hey Amy,” I heard him say, and that's when I figured out he had gotten the female agent back on the phone. I could tell he had gone into the bathroom, because I would hear the acoustics echoing after every word he uttered, “do you think we can get a couple of the techs to come out to this apartment and set up a couple wiretaps?”

I couldn't hear Amy's response this time so I waited for Sean to give me the verdict. “Okay. Well call the office and put in a work order. We need this thing done like yesterday.” Sean expressed.

Once again the load was lifted from my shoulders. But there's no telling how long that feeling would last. It seemed like every other minute Sean had some bullshit story up his sleeve.

After Sean made his phone call he came back in the room and gave me some bogus spiel. I listened to him harp on the fact that he was doing me a favor by putting wiretaps in the apartment. He could have talked to me until he was blue in the face, but I would've continued to stand my ground about not wearing that stupid wire.

In the end I got what I wanted and he got what he wanted, so it was a win-win for the both of us. And the only person, who lost out, was Torch. I knew by now he was spitting fire while he was stuck in that one-man cell. And to know that it was all because of me, I knew he'd give every penny he had in his stash to get his hands on me. I never wanted to imagine what they would do to me if they knew I was no longer on their side. It's a scary thought when you're in a dark place and there's no one around to help you. So to stay alive, I now realized that I needed to stay one step ahead of the FEDS and one step ahead of Bishop because the clock was ticking.

While Agent Sean was on his way out of the apartment, he stopped in the middle of the living room floor and then he turned back around to face my bedroom. I was still sitting on the edge of my bed. But I could see him from where I was. And when he began to head back down the hallway towards me, I tried to build up a mental wall, because I had a huge feeling that he was about to come out of his mouth sideways. I took a deep breath and braced for whatever he threw at me.

“Before I forget, tell me what was inside of that electrical taped package Bishop took from underneath your bottom drawer?”

I knew Sean was going to come out of left field when he opened his mouth. I also knew that he would question me about what Bishop was doing when he came into the bedroom and closed the door. I actually thought he was going to ask me this shit sooner than he did.

“How did it look?” I asked, trying to play naïve.