A LaLa Land Addiction (2 page)

She wrapped her lips around the pipe and sparked the flame, but before she could apply it and melt the rock down—

Knock! Knock! Knock!

She didn't even hide the pipe this time. Noah was blowing her private party. She put the top latch on the door and opened it only slightly. “I told you, I'm not—”

She stopped midsentence when she saw Iman standing on the other side.

“Open this door before I knock it down,” he said sternly. He had never spoken to her with such anger in his voice.
Does he know what I did to Cinco?
she thought, fear seizing her heart.

“Bleu,” he said. She looked at him with teary eyes. He didn't need to say anything more. The authority in his voice let her know that he was coming inside the room one way or another. She unhooked the latch and he came inside. Bleu looked back at the bed ashamed.

“No, ma, no,” he whispered as he swiped his hands over his face, overwhelmed. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her over to the pipe. “This is what you want?” he asked harshly, shaking her. “I give you everything, I love you, I protect you, and you go back to this? You want this shit that bad?” He was shouting and squeezing her upper arm harder than he meant to, but he was livid. He could tell that she hadn't smoked yet, but had he shown up even a minute later he knew that she would have.

“I wasn't going to—”

“You lying to me now?” he asked, not even trying to hear her lies. Iman didn't even know why he was so invested in Bleu. She was young, strung out, and more trouble than she was worth, but he loved her. He loved the shit out of her and it was breaking his heart to see that she was so weak.

She cried.

He grabbed the crack pipe and the lighter, setting up a blast for her. “Go ahead. Smoke it. You want it so bad. Smoke the shit,” he said. “Let me know right now what it's going to be like, ma, because I'm not beat for this shit. You can have this shit or you can have me, but you can't have both. So what's it going to be?” he asked as he held out the pipe. “Smoke it!” he shouted.

Bleu wanted to inhale the smoke so badly that her lips tingled. Her eyes glazed over as if she were hypnotized. Iman could see the demon of addiction riding her, urging her. He could see the devil dancing in the reflection of the flame in her eyes and his stomach was in knots. This beautiful girl with so much potential was lost. She was gone. Addicted to the type of orgasm that he couldn't provide. He was all but crying as his heart clenched inside of his chest and his eyes misted.
Damn.
What had Bleu done to him to make him even care so much? Her detriment would be agonizing to him. He was about to give up hope when Bleu knocked the pipe out of his hands. She sobbed as relief flooded him.

“Come here,” he whispered as she fell into his arms. She crumpled in his embrace, her knees buckling as he slowly lowered himself to the floor.

“It's okay, ma,” he whispered as he kissed the top of her head while rocking her back and forth. “It's okay. I'm going to help you. I promise. Everything will be okay.”

Iman didn't even know if he believed his own words. A part of him wanted to let this young, wild girl fly free. He had been in the game long enough to know that he couldn't trust a girl like Bleu. She would be loyal to her addiction before all else, but he loved her and he couldn't just let her self-destruct.

 

2

Naomi sat curbside in the midnight Range Rover eyeing the door in anticipation. She didn't know when or how it had happened, but she loved the hit out of Noah. Their relationship started out as a partnership … a hustle … a means to an end, but what started out as friendly had quickly transformed into something more. Like a flame their bond had ignited at a rapid pace and now he had her feeling things she had never experienced before. She hated how butterflies danced in her stomach whenever he was around and how her brain seemed to freeze whenever he asked her a question. He was the first man to hold her attention beyond the bedroom. She knew men were dogs. They strayed from one female to the next so easily that she had vowed never to trust them, but with Noah it was different. He had her head gone off the idea of what they could become together and, although she knew that he was still a man, she wanted him to be different from all the rest. When she saw him emerge from the airport she smiled. Hopping out of the car, she ran up to him in excitement and pounced on him, wrapping her legs around his waist as he greeted her warmly.

“You missed a nigga, huh?” he asked as he carried her effortlessly while nuzzling his face in the groove of her neck. He inhaled her scent as he gave her a quick kiss. The feel of his lips on her anywhere always set her on fire.

“You know I did,” she replied. He placed her on her feet and gave her backside a light squeeze as he pulled her into him, kissing her as he pressed her against the truck.

“I don't even know what you do to me,” she whispered. “I feel like a fucking schoolgirl around you.”

“That's a bad thing?” he asked as he pulled back and looked down at her, staring at her.

“It could be. When niggas get ahold of my heart they tend to break it,” she said as she crossed her arms and stared off to the side to avoid eye contact with him.

“Good thing I ain't that type of nigga then. I'm a man, Naomi, and I'm not into playing games. If I'm ever not into this anymore I'll let you know, but you don't ever have to worry about another lady stepping to you over what's yours. I'm not embarrassing you out here,” he said.

“So you're saying you're mine?” she asked, lips pursed sexily as a faint smile graced her face. They had never defined what it was they were doing.

“I'm just saying you don't have to worry,” Noah replied.

She didn't miss how he didn't want to put a label on things, but she dismissed it. “Hmm-hmm,” she replied. “That's what they all say.”

She slid out of his reach and walked around to the driver's side. They drove away without breaching the subject, each of them consumed by their own thoughts.

“So business was a'ight in L.A.?” she asked, changing the subject to erase the awkward vibe that had fallen between them.

Noah cleared his throat. “Yeah, it was good,” he replied vaguely. Naomi was oblivious to the real reason he had abruptly hopped a flight to the West Coast.

“Just good?” she asked with a bent brow. It wasn't like him to keep her out of the loop where business was concerned. “That's all?”

“Nothing to talk about yet. Just a quick trip. I was in and out. If something comes of it, I'll put you up on game,” he replied. He didn't know why he didn't tell Naomi about Bleu. A part of him knew that Naomi was just a consolation prize. Sure, he was feeling her. But she was meant to be queen to another man, one who would appreciate her more. Noah could never put Naomi first because Bleu would always trump her. Even halfway across the country, Noah felt loyal to Bleu. Whenever she needed him he would come, and he didn't want to worry Naomi by explaining the complexity of his bond with another woman.

Naomi pulled up to her apartment and cut the ignition before replying, “Okay.” She could sniff out a lie like a bloodhound could prey and an uneasiness filled her gut. It wasn't worth pressing the issue, however. She was a firm believer that what was done in the dark always came to light, so instead of nagging she opened the door and hopped out of the car. He didn't miss the slamming of her door, however.

“Naomi!” he called after her as he climbed out. She turned, but before she could respond the red, white, and blue lights pulling up distracted her.

“Against the car!” an officer shouted as he immediately came off his hip with a 9mm handgun.

“What the fuck is all this?” Noah asked. His tone was calm as he raised his hands, palms out, revealing that he was unarmed.

“What are you doing?!” Naomi asked, concern and fear lacing her tone as she stalked over to the officer.

A second officer emerged from the car, stopping her. “Ma'am, have a seat on the curb and put your hands behind your head where I can see them,” he said.

“I'm not doing shit! Why are you arresting him?” she screamed. “He didn't do shit!”

“You want me to arrest you, too?” the officer asked. “Huh? Sit down and put your hands behind your head.”

Naomi pulled out her cell phone and began recording. “Fuck you. I haven't done anything. I don't have to do shit. I'm recording every second of this.”

“Naomi, chill. It's all right. Just come bond me out,” Noah said as he bit his inner cheek to stop his temper from flaring.

“Put the phone down!” the second officer ordered, this time much harsher as he snatched the device from her hand and manhandled her to the ground. “I gave you an opportunity to sit down and stay out of it. Now you're going downtown too!”

“Ow! You're hurting me!” Naomi shouted as he forced her onto the ground and put a hard knee in her back as he cuffed her.

Naomi's cheek was pressed against the concrete and her heart almost pumped out of her chest as she half-expected to be shot in the back. She watched as the police forced Noah's tall frame into the back of a police car. The officer who had taken him turned to the one apprehending her and said, “Cut her loose. We don't need her.”

“Bitch has a chip on her shoulder,” the second officer stated as if he was ready to fulfill a personal vendetta against her.

“Cu-u-ut her loose. Less paperwork.”

Naomi rubbed her wrists as soon as the handcuffs were removed. The way the officer had handled her had Naomi seeing red.

“Run along before you get yourself locked up.” They spoke to her as if she were filth beneath their shoes, only intensifying her temper. She had always been a hothead, and before she could listen to the voice of reason screaming for her to stop she picked up a large rock that decorated the apartment-building landscape and threw it at the back of the squad car.

The sound of glass shattering shocked Naomi as she put her hands over her mouth. She backpedaled as the officers quickly rushed her.

“Now I can collar you for assaulting a police officer.”

The cop bent her wrist so far back she thought it would snap as she was thrown in the back of the squad car next to Noah. Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “You fuck boys don't have anything better to do than to harass us. Hate you fucking pigs,” she said.

“Chill out,” Noah said calmly as he stared out the window. His tone of voice caused her to silence herself immediately. He was brooding, plotting, strategizing in his mind and she could see that her antics had only made things worse.

*   *   *

“I want a lawyer,” Noah said as he found himself on the other side of an interrogation table, staring at who he thought was a plainclothes detective. The last time Noah had been inside this very room he had never walked out.

“You don't need a lawyer, Mr. Langston. This is just two people, talking. My beef isn't with you. I'm looking for Bleu Montclair. My name is Assistant District Attorney Tori Nixon—”

“I want a lawyer,” Noah interrupted, uninterested in the introduction. He wasn't buying her act. He knew that if he was even sitting in front of her he was in trouble. There was no need to play the game of cat and mouse. He wanted a lawyer. He would be mum until he received one. He folded his hands over the table and squared his shoulders as he looked at the black woman sitting across from him.

“Noah, this can be easy or this can be quite difficult. You see, I know that you broke the stipulations of your probation by taking a trip to Los Angeles. I can have you arrested and have you thrown right back in prison. All I'm seeking is information to help bring Bleu back to Flint to testify in an investigation of the murder and armed robbery that she was involved in last year.”

Noah was unmoved. His poker face was strong, but his heart was racing. Behind the cell of a prison wall was the last place he wanted to be. He had known that this was a possible consequence to chasing after Bleu, but when she had called him he felt inclined to check on her. There had been desperation in her voice. He had heard fear in her tone, so he hopped on the first flight smoking to L.A. to find her. Now the D.A. was trying to jam him up, but he couldn't give her what she was asking for. If Bleu stepped foot back into Flint, her life would be in danger. There was a bounty on her head, and as soon as word got out that she had returned every goon in the city would be chasing that payday.

“Lawyer,” was all Noah said as he stared straight ahead, making eye contact with the D.A. to show that there would be no further discussion without his representation in the room.

District Attorney Nixon nodded. “Okay, Mr. Langston. Play hardball,” she said as she stood and walked out of the room.

Noah swiped his hand over his face and let out a sigh of exasperation as he sat waiting impatiently. He didn't know why he took penitentiary risks for Bleu, but whenever it came down to him or her he always sacrificed himself. This time might just be the final nail in his coffin.

*   *   *

“Hello?” Naomi yelled as she sat at the metal table tapping her foot rapidly against the concrete floor. Her nerves were on 10. “I know you fucking hear me! You stupid fucking pig mu'fuckas!” she shouted. She hated this waiting game. She knew that the police were purposefully antagonizing her. She stood, determined, and stalked over to the mirror that she was sure had officers standing on the other side. Her balled fists beat against it as her rant only intensified: “Let me out of here!”

Naomi had been sitting there for hours. From the moment she had stepped foot into the police precinct they had separated her from Noah. Her mind ran wild as she thought of the possibilities. She wondered had she and Noah slipped up somewhere along the way? Had the cops found out about the heroin that Noah had flooded through the prison? Had someone talked? Had she and Noah neglected to cover their tracks? She spun on her heels in frustration as she picked up the chair she had been sitting on. “You want to watch me? Well, I want to watch you too,” she said as she swung the chair against the glass mirror with all her might. The glass splintered, like a windshield in the wintertime, and she picked up the chair again, this time swinging harder. The mirror shattered, revealing the next room as two uniformed officers rushed into her room.