Black Friday:

Book : Beyond and Within

by Cheryl S. Ntumy, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

All it takes is one murder to change a million lives, and that's exactly what happens to Kasheef Williams on a cold, black Friday. After a reunion with an old friend goes wrong in a Long Island night club, Kasheef is forced to protect himself by any means necessary. The only problem is that prying eyes see everything. Those eyes belong to Alija Bell. After walking in on a situation she was never meant to see, she runs; but Kasheef sees her face, and he tells her that it's best for her to get temporary amnesia. Afraid for her life and the safety of her daughter, she keeps her mouth shut, but when a tape of the murder surfaces, the only face that's visible is Alijas. Now the police are looking for their eyewitness, and Kasheef has to get to Alija before her day comes to testify against him in court. In this dramatic, hood savvy tale, things aren't always as they seem. Somebody holds the ticket to the jury's verdict. Lies and truth collide. Everyone has a different angle, but the only question is, who has the most influence over Kasheef's fate?

Release date: February 1, 2012

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 336

Sample

Six Months Earlier

Norelle looked at the clock and the more time that passed, the more irritated she became. It was already one in the morning and Kasheef still hadn’t come home. She folded the clothes that she had spread out on her bed and packed them neatly inside her Louis Vuitton tote. This nigga knows we’ve got to catch a plane tomorrow morning. He should’ve been back. He’s so unreliable. All I need is one weekend. One weekend when it is just about me. He can’t even give me that, she thought to herself. She was anxious for her sorority reunion. It had been six years since she’d seen any of her sorority sisters and when she’d gotten the invitation to go on a reunion cruise with them she was ecstatic. She knew that everyone would be there, along with their significant others, so she made sure she told Kasheef way in advance so that he could put her on his schedule. Having a man as fine as Kasheef was a plus. His dark, prominent features, sleepy bedroom eyes, and amazing physique were every woman’s fantasy. He was even taller than she was, which was definitely a perk. Usually, most men who had been blessed with his type of features had also been cursed financially. Fine men were always the maintenance men, or the construction workers you admired in passing. Kasheef, however, was the total package. He had pockets as deep as the Pacific Ocean, and he was willing to fulfill all of her material desires. This in itself gave her bragging rights. His looks and charm, along with the many diamonds he had blessed her with was sure to make her the envy of all of her old friends. Not to mention the semi-successful modeling career she had. There was one person in particular that she was excited about running into; her best friend Carmen. They were close and Carmen had been like a sister to her during their time at Spelman. Like so many others, they had promised to never lose touch after graduation, but life interjected, and intimate conversations everyday became occasional courtesy calls. She couldn’t wait to see her and she couldn’t wait for Carmen to meet Kasheef. He wasn’t perfect, but he was hers and Norelle couldn’t wait to show him off. If the nigga make it, she thought angrily as she watched the clock strike 1:30. He’s not even packed yet. Carmen pulled his luggage out of the closet and tossed it onto the bed as she threw his drawers and socks inside. She was trying to give Kasheef the benefit of the doubt, but once 2:00 A.M. found her bed still empty she couldn’t help but pick up the phone. He better answer my call.

“Why’d you want to meet up here in Queens? We always do business at your spot in Long Island,” Ahmad slurred as he stared around the crowded night club and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The atmosphere was loud and boisterous. It was definitely not the environment to be talking money. The club was popping as young men and women entered, dressed in their best attire.

Kasheef looked at the man in front of him, studying him intensely for a few seconds before he replied, “I felt like switching things up. This is my club. Wires can’t pick up a signal in here.”

“What you think I’m wired up fam?”

“I don’t know fam . . . are you?” Kasheef responded as he stared Ahmad directly in the eyes, trying to sense any form of deception. He was not the type to play games or beat around the bush. If he had suspicions about a person he put them on the table. It was important for him to have thorough people around him. Real men respected his bluntness, because they knew the game and followed the same rules that he did.

“Yo, Sheef you ill’n right now son. I’ve been copping my weight from you for years fam, don’t insult me,” Ahmad stated seriously.

Kasheef had done business with Ahmad for the past two years and they had never encountered any problems. Ahmad always had his money on time and it was always on point. He knew that he was wrong for doubting his man, but Kasheef would rather be safe than sorry. In this game there wasn’t any room for error. Ahmad had caught a little one year bid behind an illegal gun charge; and Kasheef thought that it was a bit odd that, upon his release, Ahmad was back in the streets full force, attempting to cop his normal order of forty bricks. Kasheef would have preferred for Ahmad to be more cautious and lay low for a couple months before delving back into the game, but he was a grown man and Kasheef wasn’t into schooling niggas. He kept to himself so that his name would never pop out on federal radar. He had to make sure Ahmad had not switched sides.

“You’re right fam, I’m on some other shit. You know with all these niggas bumping they gums like bitches you can’t be too careful,” Kasheef said hesitantly as he relaxed some and leaned back in the booth with his shot glass extended in the air.

“No doubt,” Ahmad responded with a half smile. He raised his glass as well and tapped it against Kasheef’s. “Now that you got your panties out of a bunch—about this business—”

The ringing of the Kasheef’s phone stopped Ahmad in midsentence as he looked at the caller ID, noticing it was Norelle. He put up his finger to signal for Ahmad to put his conversation on hold and then picked up the call. “What’s good?”

“You tell me Sheef. I thought you would be home by now,” Norelle stated. She tried to keep her tone in check because she knew that Kasheef did not appreciate disrespect, but even in her best attempt her attitude was apparent. This nigga want a whole lot of respect for somebody who keeps playing me to the left. When he starts keeping respectful hours maybe I’ll hold my tongue a little bit more, she thought angrily.

“I’m handling this business right now. I’ll be there,” he replied vaguely.

“Babe, you know we have to catch a plane tomorrow. You’re not even packed.” Her voice went from angry to desperate. Norelle was high maintenance and a very dependent woman. She hated to be kept waiting. It made her feel unimportant.

“Yeah, I said I’ll be there. Give me a minute,” he stated in a disengaged tone.

Kasheef smirked as he watched Ahmad pull the arm of a young woman passing by their table. He peeped her from head to toe and licked his lips as his eyes focused on her apple shaped behind.

“‘Sheef?” Norelle whined into the phone, knowing he wasn’t paying attention to her.

“I’m here,” he answered in irritation and focused his attention back on his call.

“Where are you anyway? You in the club?” she asked heatedly.

Unwilling to hear her bitching, he ended the call quickly. “Don’t wait up ma. I’ll be there after I handle this business. Don’t worry about your reunion. I’ll be packed and ready by the time you wake up.” Before she could protest, he put the dial tone to her ear and closed his cell.

Ahmad was kicking game to his company so Kasheef decided to lay low and let his man enjoy his freedom. He called one of the waitresses over and ordered a round of drinks.

“What you drinking on ma?” Kasheef asked the girl that Ahmad was with.

“Call me Alija,” she said with a dazzling smile. Her golden soft M·A·C lip gloss glistened and her perfectly straight teeth were enticing to Kasheef. The fact that she looked him directly in the eye was a turn on for him. She wasn’t shy and had the confidence of a supermodel.

“Okay Alija, what you drinking?” he repeated as he returned her stare. He had to admit the girl was gorgeous. Her almond colored skin and jet black hair complimented her chinky hazel eyes. Her body was flawless in the Juicy Couture she was rocking. She was dressed casually, yet he still found her sexy. She did not have to show it all in order to catch his eye. He was attracted and curious as to the hidden treasure that lied beneath the expensive fabric of her clothes. He had to remind himself of the real woman he had at home in Norelle, just to break her stare. He allowed Ahmad to chill out and kept the drinks coming all night to show his boy a good homecoming. He made sure that he didn’t get to tipsy, remembering the business that was still left unattended. The night came to a close around four in the morning as the party goers began to vacate the club.

“It was nice to meet you both. I had a good time,” Alija said as she stood up from the table. “Call me,” she said to Ahmad. She gave him a sexy wink before she left and Kasheef could not stop his eyes from following her backside as she sashayed away from the table.

Kasheef and Ahmad waited until the club cleared out before they ascended the steps to the loft office above. “I see you doing you again,” Kasheef stated as he sat down in his leather office chair.

Ahmad laughed drunkenly and wobbled a little bit as he approached a chair.

“You good baby?” Kasheef asked, noticing Ahmad’s lack of balance.

“I’m a’ight baby boy. I’m good ... trying to get this money nah mean?” Ahmad replied, a little too loudly.

Kasheef felt his phone vibrate and he picked it up, noticing Norelle’s name on the ID. He sent her to voice mail and sighed. The fact that she wasn’t asleep let him know that she was up just waiting for him to walk through the door. He knew that there would be hell to pay when he arrived home. The longer he stayed out, the higher Norelle’s temperature would rise. When he finally did step foot inside their door, she would be ready to blow. He shook his head in regret because he knew that he was only adding fuel to the fire by ignoring her call. He needed to wrap up his business so that he could hurry to the crib. He didn’t want beef with Norelle because he knew that it would take a couple shopping sprees to make her happy again. It was in his best interest to wrap up the night. It would save him a couple thousand dollars in the end.

Alija walked through the crowd in the parking lot as she made her way to her car. Her girls had all found men to kick it with after the club, but she was exhausted and also had a child to go home to. She switched her way to the car and stopped midway once she realized she’d forgotten her clutch purse. She’d set it down when she was entertaining Ahmad and Kasheef. “Damn it!” she yelled as she took off her stiletto pumps and held them in her hand as she went back into the club. It was completely empty when she stepped inside so she quickly made her way back to the table. “Okay, where is my purse?” she mumbled tiredly. “Damn it!” Noticing that a light was shining from the second level, she made her way upstairs to see who was still in the club. She hoped that there was a manager still working so that she could see if someone had turned in her belongings. Unaware of what she was stepping into, she peeked her head around the corner and into the room.

“So how many you need?” Kasheef asked Ahmad as he walked to his wall safe and began to put in the combination.

Ahmad stood up on wobbly legs. “Yo, fam it was jumping in this mu’fucka tonight,” he said in slurred speech. As he spoke he stepped closer to Kasheef. Kasheef noticed his man was wild’n. Ahmad had never been the boisterous, show boating type, but tonight he was in rare form. He dismissed Ahmad’s unusual behavior. He knew that Ahmad had been locked up for a year. If you added that with the fact that he was a little twisted from the nonstop flow of liquor it was understandable how Ahmad could be acting out of his usual calm demeanor.

Kasheef laughed lightly and opened the safe. “I hear you fam. How many you want though? Let’s finish this so I can break out.” When he turned around he was staring down the barrel of a 9 mm.

“All of em’! Clear that mu’fuckin’ safe out nigga!” Ahmad yelled perfectly coherent, as he pressed the pistol to Kasheef’s dome at point blank range.

Kasheef’s blood boiled as he ice grilled the man before him. He instantly regretted that he hadn’t followed his first mind. “I see you sobered up,” he remarked with venom.

“I see you slipping fam. Don’t take this personally though baby. It’s all in the game nigga, so just be easy and empty out that safe.”

Kasheef nodded his head and reached into the safe and began removing bricks of heroine slowly, one by one. “You had to do it like this fam?” Kasheef said without emotion, vying for time as he frantically put the clip in the unloaded gun inside his safe. He knew that it was almost impossible to do with one hand and when Ahmad clocked him upside his temple with his weapon, he knew that he was close to death.

“You think I’m stupid fam?” Ahmad yelled as he cocked his gun and fired a warning shot into the air. “Let me see them hands!”

Kasheef heard someone gasp at the door and when Ahmad averted his eyes Kasheef took his shot. In one swift motion he reached inside the safe, loaded his pistol, and blasted off without hesitation.

Boom!

The blast from the gun resounded loudly throughout the building, bouncing from wall to wall until it met with Alija’s ears. Shocked and in terror her eyes grew big as she silently regretted witnessing something that she was never meant to see. Her eyes met Kasheef’s. She stared at him, he stared at her; in distress, they both waited to gauge the other’s reaction.

Run Alija! Move before this nigga kills you too!

When the words finally registered in her brain, Alija took off. Instinctively, she descended the steps two at a time with her shoes in hand. The gunshot had been so loud that it felt like bells were going off in her ears. “Oh shit ... oh shit,” she whispered as she felt herself becoming nauseous. Vomit tickled the back of her throat as she tried her hardest to hold it down before it erupted.

“Yo!” Kasheef yelled after her as he ran up on her and grabbed her elbow. She fought him viciously, slapping and kicking for her life.

“No! Let me go! You killed him!” she gasped as she tried her hardest to free herself from his hold. “Please ... please I won’t tell. I swear to God!” Their struggle ensued, but when Alija finally snatched her arm away from him she lost her bearings and the long fall down the remainder of the stairs introduced her face to the hard cement floor. She felt the pain that echoed throughout her limbs, but she couldn’t afford to let it slow her down. Frantically, she attempted to stand. Before she could get off of the ground, Kasheef had descended the steps and blocked her path to safety.

“Calm the fuck down!” he growled menacingly as he grabbed her by both shoulders and shook her until sh. . .