Cameron 4 Page 2

All of a sudden, Jude stepped back inside the bedroom. The aggravation was evident on his face as he walked past Cameron to answer his phone. Jude was so preoccupied with everything going on that he didn’t even notice the call was from a private number.

  “Hello?” Jude answered with irritability in his tone.

  No response.

  “Hello?!”

  Cameron stood by with the ivory sheet wrapped around her naked body.

  “Yo? Hello?” Jude barked into the mouthpiece.

  CLICK!

  The mysterious caller disconnected the call.

  “The fuck?” Jude said, staring at the home screen on his cell.

  The screeching sound of a car skirting off caused Cam and Jude to race toward the bedroom window. A silver Toyota Camry burned rubber as it disappeared around the corner, leaving behind a thin gust of smoke.

  ***

  Aso and Lana cruised through Midtown with Jay Z and Rick Ross’ “Fuck With Me You Know I Got It” on full blast. One would’ve assumed Lana was on her way to a photo-shoot by the way she was caking on makeup in the passenger seat when in all actuality they were just on their way to lunch.

  Since work kept Aso preoccupied for most days, he tried to devote a little quality time to Lana every now and then.

  Aso reached over and lowered the volume. “Aye, why you puttin’ all that bullshit on ya face when we just goin’ out to eat?”

  Lana sucked her teeth but kept her gaze locked on her compact mirror. She was so sick and tired of his ass, and the only reason she stayed with him was because he spoiled her. Little he did know, she was sexing someone else while he was busy making money.

  “Don’t tell me you turned my song down just to start some shit,” Lana said.

  Aso shook his head. He and Lana fought like cats and dogs but he loved her black ass. “I think my peoples finna move out here,” he said, changing the subject. “They up in Ohio right now.”

  Lana applied a thick coat of MAC’s nude lipstick. “And? What the fuck does that have to do with me?” For her to come from a wealthy background Lana could be ghetto as hell at times. The fact that Aso also spoiled her didn’t help much either.

  “’Cuz they’re more than likely gonna be stayin’ in the townhome. And I told you ‘bout that mouth. I’ma stop warnin’ ya ass and just start slappin’ you in yo’ shit.”

  Lana brushed his meaningless threat off. “But that’s where my parents stay when they come in town,” she complained. “How’re you just going to move someone else in their place?”

  Aso tore his eyes off the road long enough to look at his girl like she was crazy. “Lana, you barely like them mothafuckas. Shit, it wasn’t even that long ago when you were talkin’ ‘bout havin’ ‘em killed for an inheritance. Now you give a fuck where they stay when they come in town?”

  Lana shrugged as if having her dear old parents murdered wasn’t a big deal. She’d sell her soul to the devil for a pair of red bottoms.

  “Look, if my peoples decide not to come down then—” Aso’s sentence was cut off by the sound of his iPhone ringing. He answered immediately after seeing Jude’s name flash across the screen. “Damn, bruh. That was quick. You made ya decision that fast?”

  “Man, it ain’t shit but trouble for me out here,” Jude said. “Whatever you got, count me in.”

  ***

  Four days after the window incident, Cameron sat in the tall unkempt grassy area in front of her parents’ flat headstones. It was a sunny day, peaking in at a beautiful 79 degrees. There were plenty other things Cameron could’ve enjoyed doing that day, but instead she chose to pull the weeds from around their headstones while having a one-sided conversation with nothing but their hollow shells resting underneath the earth.

  “Jude wants to move to Atlanta…,” she said to no one in particular. She picked a few pieces of grass off her gray maxi dress. “I’m not really feeling it…but it’s not like there’s really much going on here…” Cameron paused. “I don’t know…sometimes I wish I had ya’ll here to guide me—tell me what to do when I have no idea what decision is right.”

  A slight breeze blew through her blonde Pixie cut. It was a lot cuter now that it had been styled, and was reminiscent of Barbadian singer, Rihanna’s short haircut.

  “Sometimes I’m not always sure what’s right and what’s wrong. Sometimes I don’t know what the best decision to make is…and honestly it hurts and stresses me the hell out sometimes. It’s frustrating. Life is like a maze, you know? You gotta go through the right passages to make it out okay. But it’s so easy to make a wrong turn.” Tears formed in Cameron’s brown eyes. She wiped them away before they could fall and forced a smile. “I guess I gotta bump my head a couple times before I get it right, huh?” Cameron wanted to believe she could hear her mother laughing with her, and although that was impossible the thought was comforting.

  Cameron looked in the direction of the parking lot. Jude and Justin were waiting inside the truck so that she could have her moment of solitude.

  “At first I was angry,” she continued. “I was angry at ya’ll for dying. I was angry that you left me all alone in this cold, cruel world. I was angry at having to be moved from group home to group home…I was just…angry. I felt alone,” Cameron confessed. “I wanted that affection—I needed the love I felt I never got.” Tears spilled over her lower lids but she didn’t bother wiping them away that time. “I thought Silk, and stripping, and money could fill that void…but it didn’t. It only made it worse.” Cameron smiled. “But luckily my superman came to save me. And since he didn’t give up on me I can’t give up on him. I can’t give up on us.” She kissed two fingers and placed them on each of her parents’ headstones. “I love ya’ll. Watch over me and continue to guide me…’cuz I really need it.”

  ***

  One week later, they packed their belongings inside of a 26 foot rental truck and made the eleven hour drive to Georgia. Initially, Cameron was skeptical about the speedy, impulsive move. However, Jude set her at ease by assuring her that his cousin had a job for him that offered great “benefits”. Cameron had no idea about the specifics, and the details were even a little sketchy to Jude but he wasn’t really sweating it. He’d done everything from slinging dope to insurance fraud. He was desperate and would do whatever it took to take care of his family.

  3

  Jude, Cameron, and Justin left Cleveland, Ohio at approximately 5 a.m., and didn’t make it to Atlanta, Georgia until 6:30 p.m. The ride was smooth up until they got on 75 and got caught in the rush hour traffic.

  By the time they pulled up to a gorgeous 3 bedroom 2 ½ bathroom townhome located in Midtown, they were tired, their muscles were stiff, and they were hungry. On top of that, Justin’s fussiness had given Cameron a headache. Not accustomed to being in a car for long he practically cried the whole ride there. He’d fallen asleep for twenty minutes only to wake back up and resume.

  Seeing the beautiful townhome was enough to make Cameron temporarily forget about all her problems. She cheered up instantly when she how lovely the neighborhood was. Atlanta was definitely a sight to see. The Georgia aired even smelled different.

  Jude parked the massive moving truck along the curb and hopped out to greet the tall, slender guy standing at the foot of a home’s staircase. At first glance he reminded Cameron of Young Money rapper, Tyga. Based on their strong resemblance anyone could tell that he and Jude were related.

  Justin whined in Cameron’s embrace. “Ssh. Please calm down for mommy. You want me to take you to Chuck E. Cheese still, right?” she asked, trying to pacify with kiddie entertainment.

  “No!” Justin cried, violently shaking his little head. Yes and no seemed to be the only words in his vocabulary. Cameron and Jude had spoiled him so much that he was borderline bratty. Nearly two years old, Justin was proving to be a handful especially for a new mother.

  Jude and Aso dapped each other up before embracing each other in a brotherly hug. Jude was a student at OSU in Columbus, Ohio
the last time they saw each other. During that time Jude was only working as a salesman at Jerrell’s car lot, and selling green here and there to his fellow students.

  “What’s good with you, man? A nigga done got swole out here I see,” Aso joked before playfully jabbing Jude’s peck. His prison muscles bulged through the fitted t-shirt.

  Just then Cameron stepped out the truck with Justin in tow.

  Jude chuckled. “Shit, just maintainin’. Been hittin’ that good ole gym as a stress reliever,” he said. “How ya brother doin’ tho?”

  “He straight,” Aso answered. “Nigga still on the run after that shootin’ in Cleveland and shit. He been layin’ low tho, keepin’ himself preoccupied with work.”

  Jude wondered what Aso meant exactly by work, but he decided to hold his questions for later. Besides, Cameron and his son were making their way over towards them.

  “Anyway,” Jude continued. “I hate to rush but could you help a nigga unload a couple things so we can get settled? We’re tired as all hell after that drive, man.”

  The sun beat down on Jude as they stood outside in front of the townhome. The weather would definitely take some getting used to.

  Aso blew a raspberry and waved him off. “Nigga, fuck all that. I got some people to handle that shit.”

  He turned towards the strung out looking older guys sitting on the next house’s steps and snapped his finger at them. They were nonexistent a few seconds ago. Apparently, Jude had overlooked them. Leave it to Aso to pay some fiends to move in the furniture.

  Like trained pets obeying their master, the addicts scurried towards the Budget truck.

  “Cuz, you think it’s safe havin’ these mothafuckas move our stuff in?” Jude asked as he watched them anxiously get to work.

  Aso placed a hand on Jude’s shoulder and gave him a gold-fanged grin. “Man, they straight. But look, I got somebody you need to meet.”

  Cameron raised an eyebrow in skepticism after hearing the tail end of the conversation. “Who?” she asked.

  Aso extended his hand. “You must be Cameron,” he said, purposely ending the conversation before she heard too much.

  Aso was thoroughly impressed with his cousin’s taste. Cameron was bad as hell. The destroyed high waist jeans she wore hugged her shapely hips, accentuating every curve. Her neon yellow top revealed an ample amount of her toned tummy.

  Damn, she fine than a mothafucka, Aso thought to himself. Jude better keep his eye on this one.

  “I was just tellin’ him that I wanted him to meet my boss,” Aso explained. “We recently got an open position up at my job that I promised him.” He squeezed Jude’s shoulder.

  “Yeah, you remember that whole thing about opportunities? Well this is it,” Jude said. He was still holding back the fact that whatever his “job” was would be illegal. “Just trust me. Aight?”

  Cameron gave Jude a suspicious look. She wanted to berate him for more details and reassurance, but now wasn’t the time or the place. After all, it wasn’t like they weren’t already in Atlanta.

  “Why don’t you go and get settled inside,” Jude told her. His eyes pled with her to just trust him.

  Aso ruffled Justin’s short, curly as he and Cameron walked past. When they were inside and out of earshot, Aso turned his attention back to Jude. “Come on, let’s take a lil’ ride.”

  Jude followed him to his Maserati and climbed into the passenger seat.

  “Aye, don’t scratch or scuff up shit!” Aso yelled to the bootleg movers before hopping in the driver’s side.

  ***

  Cameron carried her son on her hip as she carefully made her way through each and every room in the elegant three-story townhome. The house was much more updated than the one they’d just moved from.

  Cameron’s suspicions were on full alert. Certainly there was some type of stipulation to staying here…or was Aso really that generous? What’s really going, she asked herself.

  “Excuse me, ma’am?” A raspy voice called out. “Where you want us to put this?”

  The overwhelmingly stale scent of mustiness filled the home as two movers struggled to carry the egg white tufted sofa. Their grimy hands were getting dirt prints all over the expensive fabric.

  Wrinkling her nose, Cameron pointed to an area in the sitting room. At the foot of the spacious room was a beautiful two story stone fireplace. The ornate built-ins accentuated the area and added a modern appeal.

  Cameron was in love with the gorgeous property, but she only had one question: How the hell were they going to afford its expenses?

  ***

  “It’s just us now, and I’m finally down here,” Jude said. “Give it to me straight, cuz. What’s good?” He didn’t make an eleven hour drive only to be left in suspense.

  Aso made a left turn on 12th street.

  Jude took in the scenery as he patiently waited for a responsive.

  “Aight, it’s like this. So I’m fuckin’ with this car biz now—and the shit’s actually profitable.”

  “And what exactly do you do?”

  “Steal whips,” Aso said casually.

  Jude tore his gaze away from the tall buildings and looked over at his cousin. For a second he thought he had misheard Aso. “Stealin’ cars?!”

  “Nigga, this shit’s much bigger than just stealin’ cars though,” Aso laughed. “It’s a whole mothafuckin’ operation, bruh. Real intricate.”

  Jude’s interest was piqued. “Oh really?” he asked. “How so?”

  Aso fired up a joint and took an aggressive pull before handing it to his younger cousin.

  “Really though?” Jude chuckled, taking the tightly rolled joint.

  “A nigga like me don’t smoke blunts so I keep dem joints in rotation,” Aso joked, reciting one of Wiz Khalifa’s verses. “Anyway the shit’s like this…My boss runs this million dollar car theft ring. He’s like a fence for the stolen property. He gets the orders and sends us to look for the cars. Sometimes we get multiple orders—which is why we could use some extra hands.”

  Jude toked on the joint a few times and handed it back to Aso. “Car theft ring?” he repeated skeptically. “I ain’t never heard of no shit like that. How does it work?”

  Aso sucked the loud into his lungs and then expelled it through his nostrils. The inside of his Maserati GranCabrio quickly became a gas chamber as the two men touched the sky.

  “There’s levels to this shit, man,” Aso told him. “You got us—the members—what they call us—we steal the cars and shit. You gon’ meet my patnah, Vado tonight too, by the way. And then you got the runners. They’re the niggas who transport the vehicles. The ones who move the inventory around a lil’, you know…keep the police detection down. And then you got the mufuckas who broker the cars and change the VINs. I’m sayin’ bruh, this shit’s big. We ship cars overseas to all types of got damn countries. But our main connect’s in West Africa.”

  Jude’s wispy eyebrows furrowed from confusion. “West Africa?!”

  “Shit, hell yeah. West Africa’s a big market for stolen cars. The demand for black market wheels is high as hell, bruh.”

  Jude tried to absorb as much info as he could while the greenery soothed him. “Damn,” was all he could say. The weed had him stuck. “Cam would flip if she knew what was up.”

  Aso fired up a second joint. “Man, she ain’t gotta know shit,” he said, passing the L to Jude.

  4

  The sun was just beginning to set when Ericka brought her Toyota Camry to a slow creep on Jude and Cameron’s street. Instead of seeing their Audi Q7 there was a burgundy 2011 Buick Lacrosse parked in their driveway. The second thing she noticed was that the bay window she’d broken had been replaced.

  Ericka lowered the volume to Rihanna’s “Diamonds” as she brought her car to a slow stop. She always put on her girl Rih whenever she prepared to turn up. The Barbadian bad girl empowered her in a sense.

  Since Ericka’s release, she’d gone right back to her old ways even though s
he promised correction officers, her lawyers, counselors—and even the judge—that she’d change. Femme-fatale was an understatement. Ericka Matthews put Jennifer Jason Leigh in “Single White Female” to shame. Jude was the object of her affection, and she wouldn’t stop until she got back what she felt was rightfully hers.

  Snatching the gears into park, Ericka stepped out the car. Her long butter pecan colored legs were the first thing to grab a man’s attention. That was obvious when the realtor standing in Jude’s front lawn broke his neck to look at her. He was a white, short chubby guy with thick framed glasses.

  Ericka sashayed over towards him, immediately noticing the For Rent sign in his hand. She gripped her shoulder bag and tried to appear as sane as possible. With her angelic looks and sweet smile, no one would ever suspect her of being deranged.

  Ericka’s light skin tone hinted that she was obviously biracial. She had pouty pink lips, beautiful gray eyes, and curly sandy brown hair.

  “Good evening,” Ericka greeted in a sugary voice. “I was just coming to surprise my brother by stopping by,” she lied. “Don’t tell me they moved?”

  The realtor pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Moved out last night,” he told her.

  Ericka tried to mask her anger, but she felt her complexion slowly turning bright red. She’d stayed away a few weeks to let the window incident die down only to come back and discover that they’d moved.

  “I know Jude’s punk ass wasn’t that scared of a little brick through his window,” she muttered.

  “Excuse me?” the realtor asked in puzzlement.

  Ericka forced an artificial smile. “Oh nothing,” she quickly said. She stepped closer to him in hopes that her sweet fragrance would entice him. “Look, I just came back home from the Air Force and I haven’t been keeping in touch as much I should’ve been,” she explained. “Is there any way you can help me out by giving me their new address?”