Cheaper to Keep Her Part 3 (16 page)

“It was a square shaped package, about ten inches long and about four inches wide. And it was wrapped up in multiple layers of grey electrical tape.”

“I can’t tell you anything about that. Are you sure you saw him take something from underneath my drawer?”

“Yes. While I was hiding inside your closet I was able to see him through the slanted wooden plates on your door. So when he came into the bedroom I got a clear view of him removing the last drawer from the dresser and after he got it completely out, he turned the drawer upside down, took the package that was taped to the bottom of it and then he shoved the drawer back in it’s place.”

Wow you sure saw a lot. I commented.

Yeah I did. And what really peaked my interest was the fact that immediately after he got the package in his hands, he shoved it down into in jeans. And then he tried to cover it up with his t-shirt.

“Well, if you know all of this then why are you asking me questions? I mean, it seems like you already have all the answers.”

“You're absolutely right. But I need you to confirm what I just witnessed. So, you're saying you have no knowledge of what could've been inside of that package?”

“Yeah, that's exactly what I am saying. Bishop doesn't tell me anything.”

“He didn’t tell you about that drop you made to Manuel’s house, but as it turned out, you were trafficking drugs.” he replied sarcastically.

“Okay. So, you got a point. But again, he doesn’t tell me anything. I know you heard him when he told me to tell Torch to meet him at the spot. He didn’t give me any more information than that. Oh but he did give me his new cell phone number.”

“Where is it? Give it to me.” he demanded.

“It’s 973-555-1212.”

“Hold, up! You’re saying it too fast. Say it again, but this time say it slow.” he instructed me after he pulled an ink pen and a business card from the inside of his jacket pocket.

I recited Bishop’s new cell phone number to Sean. And when he was done writing it down, he stuck both the pen and the business card back into his jacket pocket. “Do you know how many guns he has?” Sean wanted to know.

“Of course not. Since I’ve been in his company I’ve only seen him with one gun.”

“What kind was it?”

“I don’t know.” I lied. I couldn’t let him know that I knew anything about guns. I wanted to play the naïve role as much as possible. It was bad enough that he knew about my dilemma back in Virginia. So, to add more fuel to the fire would take my criminal resume to higher height and that wasn’t cool.

Sean gave me an expression like he knew I was lying to him. And quiet as kept, I was. But that was a lie, among others, that I intended to take to my grave. Agent Sean had already had me under lock and key with this investigation so this was some information I had to keep close to my heart. Yes, I knew Bishop stashed his dope in my bedroom but I refused to tell Sean about it. After Sean served the indictments on Bishop and his crew, I planned to rob Bishop for everything I could get my hands on, and that included his the dope packages he stashed in the apartment. I vowed to take back everything I lost in all the relationships I had in the past. I was going to make Bishop pay for all the niggas who dogged me out. Now I knew that my actions weren’t fair, but guess what? Life wasn’t fair either.

Agent Sean wasn’t too please with the answers I had given him. But it didn’t matter to me. I knew how to play his dumb ass to the left when I needed to. He wasn’t all that hard like he portrayed to be. So, that’s exactly what I did. But before he left the apartment, he instructed me to be out of the house by ten o’clock in the morning because his team would be by to install the wiretaps. “Stay gone for at least two hours. And make sure Bishop is with you. We can’t have another episode like we did earlier.” he said.

I thought I needed to get some rest after Agent Sean and Bishop left the apartment but I was wrong. I don't know if it was my conscience for my intuition telling me that I needed to keep one eye open and the other eye closed.

When I looked at the alarm clock I noticed that it was a little after 3 AM. Bishop never came back to the apartment, but he called and asked me if Torch ever stopped by. So of course I lied and told him he never showed up. The news definitely hit him like a ton of bricks and caused him to become more aggravated. I could also sense that he was worried too. But what was I supposed to say? That he came by earlier and that he snuck up behind me while I was having a conversation with Agent Sean. And that he heard us talking about me wearing a fucking wire so I could set them up? Yeah, that would be the day I lost all consciousness. And before I knew it, my body would be cut up into tiny little pieces and thrown into an old dumpster. And the crazy part about it was that no one would ever look for me or put out a missing person’s report. My own family wouldn’t even come looking for me. Since I was a child, my relationship with them was screwed up. It seemed like everyone including mom, my dad and even my ex-best friend Diamond had it out for me. And the cats I had in my life weren’t all that good to me either. If they weren’t cheating on me, they were beating my ass. But then, Bishop popped up in my life and acted like he was the best thing since sliced bread. And it turned out that he was a fraud just like everyone else. Who knew that he and I would get together and I would follow him all the way up north to start a new life, only to find out that he was being investigated by the FEDS and that he was about to go to jail for a very long time. So, in the end it didn’t matter that he was an asshole like everyone around me, because he wouldn’t have been any good to me behind bars. I never did the prison visits or the pen pal thing. So, I guessed my life would be just like it always had, Fucked Up As Usual!

I need an exhale moment!

Cheaper to Keep Her part 3 Unique

Taking What’s Mine – Chapter Seventeen

The very next day was the day Agent Sean and his team decided to plant the wiretap inside of the apartment. They left it totally up to me to keep Bishop busy for the next couple of hours. Sean instructed me to leave the apartment around 10 AM, so I called Bishop around eight-thirty and complained to him about a stomach virus I must’ve gotten over night. My plan was to get him to think that I was so sick that I needed him to take me to one of the non-emergency medical centers in the area so I could get treated. When he answered his phone, it sounded like he had just wakened up. “Hello,” he said.

“Are you just now waking up?” I asked.

He yawned through the phone. “Yeah, you know I was up all night trying to handle my business and get in touch with Torch at the same time.”

“What time did you finally get in bed?

“I got in the house a little after 4 AM but I didn't fall asleep until around five.”

“Well what time are you planning to come out the house today?”

“I don't know. Why? What's up?”

“I'm not feeling too good. I feel so nauseous when I stand up for a long time. And when I tried to put something on my stomach it came right back up. I think I need to go to one of these non-emergency medical facilities so they can check me out.”

“Well there's one not too far from where you are. So why don't you get dressed and go.”

“I called you because I was hoping you would take me.”

“Lynise, I am too tired to go anywhere right now. I've only had a couple hours of sleep. So there's no way I'll be able to crawl out of this bed. My body won't let me.”

I sighed heavily. “So you're going back to bed after you hang up with me?”

“That's the plan.”

“Well, I'm too weak to drive myself anywhere. So, I guess I'll wait for you.”

Bishop remained silent for about twenty seconds and then he said, “Get ready. I'll be over there in an hour.”

And before I could acknowledge that I would do as I was instructed, Bishop disconnected our call. I started to take offense to it, but since I knew how tired he was, I left well enough alone.

Before I got dressed I called Sean and informed Sean that the plan to keep Bishop away from the apartment was still a go, but we would be leaving 30 minutes. earlier than the appointed time. “That’s fine,” he said, “just make sure you stay on schedule. We got a lot riding on this wiretap.”

“I know. Don’t worry! I’ll take care of my end.” I assured him.

“Oh did I tell you we confiscated one hundred thousand dollars from Torch’s car?” Agent Sean asked.

My mouth literally fell to the floor. “You have got to be kidding?”

“No, I’m not.” he began to say, “After we towed his vehicle to our garage, I had my team search it inside and out. They found the money hidden inside of a tool box in the trunk of the car.”

“Oh my god! Bishop is going to freak out when he finds out that Torch is missing right along with his money.”

“So, you think that money belongs to Bishop?”

“Of course I do. Torch works for Bishop.”

“Well, Bishop can say goodbye to that money because it belongs to the bureau now.”

I almost got sick to my stomach listening to Sean tell me that they confiscated one hundred grand from Torch and now they owned it. What kind of bullshit is that? What about me? I think I ought to be getting a piece of the action. I am the one putting my life on the line. Shit! I swear, I wished I knew Torch had that money, because I sure would’ve snatched at least half of it for myself. I could’ve done some good shit with that dough. But now the fucking FEDS are probably going to invest that money into some kind of dumb ass tactical training program for their local office, which I find a waste of time and money. But hey, what can I do about it? The damage has been done.

Towards the end of our call, Agent Sean made me promise that I’d call him before Bishop and I head back to the apartment. And after I gave him my word, we said our goodbyes.

Like clockwork, Bishop was at the apartment geared up and ready to take me to the doctor’s visit. I tried to play the sick role when he walked into the apartment, but sometimes it seemed like I was going a little overboard. He didn't make mention of it, but I could tell that he was anxious to get me there so the visit could be over and done with.

On our way to the car I noticed how deserted the parking lot was. Okay granted, it was a weekday morning and most of the tenants were probably at work, but the neighborhood never looked like a ghost town before. And as Bishop drove out of the neighborhood, I wondered where in the hell were the federal agents hiding out? There was no sign of them, anywhere.

I looked at Bishop and he seemed worried. I knew it had a lot to do with him not being able to get in contact with Torch, so I brought the matter up. “Have you talked to Torch yet?”

“Nah, his phone keeps going to his voicemail.”

“Have you been by his house?”

“Yeah, I went by there twice. And I talked to his wife and she hasn’t heard

from him either.”

“Wow! That’s crazy! She needs to get on the phone and call all of these hospitals around here. He’s got to be in one of them.”

“She already did it and none of them has him in their computer.”

“Has she called all of the jails in the area?”

“Yeah, she called all the precincts in and around Newark. And none of them had any record of him in their system.”

“Well, where in the hell could he be?”

Bishop let out a long sigh. “If I knew, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.”

I turned my attention away from Bishop and watched the scenery from the passenger side window as we passed by. I took into consideration that I wasn’t down south where I was able to see acres of land filled with trees and green grass so the picture I painted in my mind came with thirty story buildings, some with tenants and some abandoned. As I thought about Torch’s conditions, images of him pacing the floor of the holding cell inside of the Federal Building came to my mind instantly. I even pictured him punching the walls with his bare hands as an outlet for the frustration he felt. From what I was told by Sean, Torch would be held in that very cell until the indictments are served and everyone has been picked up. But what if everyone isn’t picked up in the time frame Sean, gave me? Wouldn’t it be unlawful for them to continue to hold Torch without giving him his one phone call?

I had no idea how the court system worked up here in New Jersey, but I knew that shit wouldn’t be tolerated back in Virginia. Most of the cops and agents back in my part of town went by the books for the most part. So, I couldn’t tell you which way this situation would’ve gone. However, I was aware that everyone’s Witness Protection Program was ran the same. If you’re working as a C.I. for the cats in suits, you’re more likely to do whatever became necessary to get their job done. Just know that it comes with consequences, meaning life or death.

To get the heat off me I indirectly pressed the issue about Torch's whereabouts. I had to make Bishop think that I was more concerned about Torch, than being nosey. Have you thought about the possibility that the guys who kidnapped Bria could very well have Torch?

After I asked Bishop the question I looked at him and waited for him to respond.

The first thing I noticed was how the veins in his neck popped up through his skin. And then I noticed how his eyelids kept blinking. I hadn't known Bishop as long as everyone else, but I knew I was pressing some sensitive buttons. So after much thought he said, “Nah, he ain't been kidnapped. Niggas ain't that brave to run up on him. The cats around here know that the niggas who roll with me aren't to be fucked with!”

“Well why was Bria kidnapped? Isn't everyone around here aware that she's your sister?” I pointed out.

Irritated by my constant questions, Bishop snapped. " Look, stop asking me all these motherfucking questions. I'm not in the mood for this shit this morning. So let's drop it.”

“My bad. I was only trying to help.”

“Will help me by keeping your mouth closed.”

Doing as I was told, I literally cut off all communication with Bishop for the rest of the ride to the medical center. It took tooth and nail to get him to bring me to the doctor's office, so God forbid if I got him so angry that he'd drop me off and leave me to fend for myself. Boy, Agent Sean would be livid if Bishop came back to the apartment sooner than expected and in turn forced the technicians to abort their assignment. I knew I wouldn't hear the end of that. My ass would sure be in hot water for that. And that would be too much heat to handle.