When Loyalty Dies, So Does Love

by D. Brown-Newton

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

While growing up in New York, Tasha always knew she could do anything with her childhood friends Jai and Ursula by her side. Now she’s finding out that with more money comes more problems. Her friendship is tested when the drama of lies, deceit, and murder unfolds, and her relationship with the love of her life, Rellz, is also threatened when they find themselves keeping secrets from each other. When the bond that the three friends always shared is damaged, Tasha is forced to play her hand. She is faced with betrayal among friends, family, and the man who claims to love her. Tasha is in rare form as she has to come out of character to prove she is not to be crossed. Will her friendships and her relationship survive, or will Tasha realize that when loyalty dies, so does love? Get ready to take a crazy ride with these friends and lovers to find out if love can truly conquer all.

Release date: September 26, 2017

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 400

Sample

As I was waiting on Tasha to come out, I saw this bitch, Rena, coming over toward me. I was hoping the bitch got a clue and kept walking past me, because she knew that if I was out here in the hood, I was waiting on Tasha. That meant she shouldn’t even step to a nigga, but this simple bitch didn’t understand this.

Just like I thought she would, Rena walked her ass right over to me. She knew Tasha was visiting her mother and would be sure to see any interaction, but she didn’t care, because she believed I was just as much her man as I was Tasha’s man. I kept telling the bitch otherwise, but like I said, she was a simple bitch.

“Hey, Rellz, baby. Will I see you tonight?” she asked with a smirk on her face.

“Rena, go on with that disrespectful bullshit. How many times I got to tell you, don’t fucking come at me when you see me out here? You know a nigga is waiting on Tasha, so why you all up in my face?”

“Oh, so it’s like that? Every time you get around this bitch, you talk reckless, but your ass wasn’t saying that shit last night, nigga.”

I clenched my jaw tight, trying to control my anger. I was getting sick of Rena trying to play me like I was some chump and this shit was a game. Just as I was about to slap some act right into her ass, Tasha came out of nowhere and grabbed her by her hair. Tasha started punching her in the head and anywhere else her punches would land. Tasha didn’t care; she wasn’t letting up until Rena went down, and that was when Tasha started stomping her. Even though Rena was on the ground, she tried to hold her own, but she was no match. Tasha was fierce with the hands. She grew up with brothers, who taught her how to handle herself in the hood.

Turk got up off the car when he saw I wasn’t even attempting to break them up. He pulled Tasha off Rena, but he had a hard time holding Tasha back. She was feisty as hell. Damn right I didn’t move. I had told that bitch to bounce, and Turk should have let that bitch get stomped the fuck out.

“Maybe now your ass can get some act right, you dumb bitch,” I yelled at that bitch. I was mad hyped. I wanted Tasha to see that I didn’t initiate anything, that I was not the reason for Rena being there, but that thought was short lived, as I turned around just in time to see Tasha coming at me to give me the same beat down she had given Rena. Turk grabbed her from behind again.

“You nasty son of a bitch! Why you keep fucking with these bird bitches? Keep those dusty bitches in check,” Tasha shouted at me.

“Yo, Tash, chill the fuck out,” I yelled back.

“Fuck you, nigga,” Tasha replied. “Turk, get the fuck off me! Go grab that dusty nigga.”

I was pissed that Rena had fucked up my plans. Tasha and I were supposed to have a date night once I handled some business. I knew Tasha was going to continue to show her ass, trying to fuck me up, but then her mom came to the door and called her inside, so it was a wrap for tonight. We all knew her mom hadn’t been feeling my ass in no shape or form, so I was sure she hated my ass now.

We had just left Tasha’s mom’s house, and once we were in the car, I felt the need to speak my mind. Rellz’s shit was getting out of hand: he had my girl out here playing herself.

“Tasha, why do you continue to put up with Rellz’s ass? He’s getting more disrespectful by the day. It’s like he don’t give a fuck about you.”

She shook her head as she pulled away from the curb. “Jai, you know he wasn’t always like this. I don’t know what’s going on with him. I’ve got mad bitches calling my phone, and then, every time I see this bitch Rena, she’s got to let it be known she’s fucking with Rellz. Jai, I’m so sick of this shit. All the money in the world isn’t worth the shit I’ve got to deal with.”

“Come on, baby girl. You wouldn’t be going through this shit if your ass didn’t go and fall in fucking love,” I told her. “You know we’re supposed to get in and get out, but now you’re fucking stuck, and my fucking pockets are lint filled while you’re living the life.”

“Jai, I know you’re fucked up right now, but a bitch looks out for you.”

“That’s just it, Tasha. I’m used to having my own shit, getting at these niggas.”

“Okay, just give me some time. I’m going to fix this.”

“Tasha, it’s been how long? You not trying to leave his ass, let alone set his ass up. Let me out at the corner store. I’ll holla at you later.”

Yes, I was pissed. I was still living in the fucking hood, and she was living hood rich across town. I couldn’t believe this bitch was in love. By falling in love, she had broken the rules. An important rule was to get in and get out. We’d been robbing niggas for that paper for too long for this bitch to get caught up. This nigga Rellz had spit that game and had got my girl stuck on stupid, putting up with his bullshit. True, her ass was living the good life, and he had got her up out of the hood, but all that shit he was putting her through wasn’t worth it. Yeah, he had made her a wifey, but at what cost? We had been getting so much more by doing it my way, and she hadn’t had to worry about fighting this bitch and that bitch over some dude. My motto was “Fuck a man.” I fucked with bitches—always had and always would. There was not a damn thing a man could do for me but come up off those riches.

I got me a bluntville and headed to the crib to see my girl and partner in crime.

If anyone could get my mind right, it was my big-booty redbone, Ursula. I’d been fucking with her since grade school; she was my first piece of pussy. I had always known I was attracted to females, but I had always been afraid to let anyone know. I used to come to class and just stare at her when she wasn’t looking. It was hard not to stare. Even straight chicks couldn’t help but look at her. She was a light-skinned cutie. She had silky red hair, which her mom had always had in one big ponytail, with feather bangs in front, and she had the prettiest brown eyes. At the tender age of fourteen, that girl had been thick in all the right places. I’d been in love.

At school no one had really spoken to me, because I’d been rough around the edges, so I’d had no friends. Most days I hadn’t even wanted to show up at school, but knowing I would see Ursula had kept me going every single day—even the days when I’d had to wear the same outfit. Nothing was going to keep me from seeing her, not even knowing that I was going to get clowned for wearing the same outfit twice in the same week. When a science teacher paired me with Ursula for an upcoming science project, I was sure she would decline, but to my surprise, she just looked at me and smiled a smile that made my body tingle all over. And to make a long story short, Ursula wasn’t as shy as she pretended to be. At our first meeting at her house at the start of our project, she made the first move, and we’d been rocking ever since.

She introduced me to Tasha, and we all became friends. As we got older, we came up with the idea of seducing niggas and robbing them to try to get up out the hood together. The scheme wasn’t new, but it was new to us, so we ran with it. Well, of course, Ursula and Tasha did the seducing, and I did the robbing. We’d been doing the damn thing up until the day Tasha met Rellz.

After I walked in the crib now, I handed Ursula the cigar so she could roll up.

“Did you talk some sense into Tasha’s silly ass about this money?” she asked me.

“Nah, her ass was out there fighting over this nigga again. It looks like we have to go with plan B and get this money the way we know how. We can’t wait on Tasha. We just have to continue to do us until she’s ready to make that move.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Ursula replied. “Baby, let’s blaze this blunt and get our minds right, because you know this is no easy task. Jai, you know I never liked going on no solo shit, but I got you, babe.”

After we sparked that good shit, I was high and horny. Ursula’s ass was lying on the bed, higher than a fucking kite. Her pretty brown eyes were closed. I leaned over and kissed her lips, and she let out a low moan, letting me know that her ass was ready. I took off my beater, positioned myself between her legs, and started kissing her lips. I slipped her my tongue, let her suck on it just the way I liked. I lifted her shirt over her head, and she wasn’t wearing a bra, giving me easy access to those pretty big jugs of hers. I squeezed her breasts and went to work.

Ursula was moaning loudly as I fingered her while torturing her nipples. I flipped her on her stomach and began tossing her salad. I couldn’t get at it with her running from the tongue, so I put her ass in the doggy-style position and told her ass not to move as my tongue made love to her big ass. I loved how her ass jiggled as she fucked my tongue. I changed up on her ass. I lay on my back and pulled her up so that her pussy was in my face. As she held on to the headboard, I tongue lashed her pussy. She was bucking like a crazy lady as she came hard. Her shit always tasted good; she had some good-ass pussy. She lay down, exhausted, and tried to close her eyes. I slapped her on that big ass of hers to let her know that sleep wasn’t an option.

“Baby, I’m just getting started,” I told her.

“J, come on. Give me a min.”

And that was just how long it took me to strip and strap up. I lubed up my big black ten-inch and fucked her until her ass was begging me to stop. The friction from me banging her ass out and the dildo hitting against my clit had me come hard as she came too. I slid out of her and collapsed on my back. I closed my eyes. I felt relaxed and didn’t have a care in the world besides my baby.

“Turk, we got two more drops to make. After we take this cash to the safe house, I’m done for the night. I can’t hang out at the trap, counting this money, so I hope you good trapping solo tonight. I have to go make this shit right with wifey.”

Turk was the only dude I trusted with my money and my life, so that was why when it came time to do pickups or make drops, we were the only two involved. Don’t get me wrong. I had trap boys that cooked, cut, and bagged, but that was the extent of their duties. I just couldn’t bring myself to trust anyone these days, because every dude in the hood was looking for a quick come up.

We were done by midnight, so Turk dropped me off at my ride. “Be safe, my nigga,” I told him as I got out of his car.

“A’ight, one.”

When I got to the crib, all the lights were out. I walked into the bedroom I shared with Tasha, and she wasn’t there. I knew she was in the guest bedroom, because that was where she always slept when she was upset with me. Lately, she’d been sleeping there a lot. I really had to start doing right by her, because I really didn’t want to lose her. The crazy shit was that when I first got into this drug game, I was nickel-and-diming it as some corner boy, and I said I was going to be king before it was all said and done. Once I got deep in the game, I had runners making that money, while I sat back, collecting and investing, but as time went on, niggas had no respect for the game. They were running around like there weren’t rules to this shit. These punk-ass youngins got in the game and didn’t understand the rules to this shit. No matter how many times you tried to school these young cats, they just weren’t getting it.

It got to the point where I was bodying a different nigga almost every day, so I had to make a decision to get out rich while I still had my life or die trying to be king of the streets. I chose my life. Turk talked me out of getting out of the game completely, so we decided to focus on distribution, instead of being knee-deep in the game. We made sure we had an equal partnership with a few soldiers we trusted to rock with us. Again, Turk was the only man I trust with my life.

I was taught always to respect women. When I first met Tasha, I fell for her almost instantly. Even though my man Turk was feeling her, I couldn’t let him have her, so I made a move first, and the rest was history. Turk and I were brothers, and no one could tell us different, so I knew he didn’t have any ill feelings behind that bitch move I’d made. At first, I treated her like the queen she was. Then all these different females were coming at a nigga left and right, and I lost control and began thinking with the wrong head. That led to me fucking all different types of bitches—cute, ugly, fat, or skinny. It didn’t matter to me. These bitches had me feeling like that dude. But on my word, I was going to make this shit right. I hadn’t told her, but I did love her. I was willing to learn to respect her if it killed me.

I walked into the guest bedroom. Tasha was sound asleep. “Tasha, baby, wake up. Tasha.” She started to stir lightly as I shook her gently. “Tasha, baby, wake up. I need to talk to you.”

“What, Rellz? Wake up for what? I can’t do this no more. You got my girl looking at me sideways, not understanding why I keep putting up with your bullshit.”

“Fuck that dyke. Why she always up in my business and worried about what the fuck I’m doing? That bitch probably wants you for herself.”

“See? That’s what I mean. What happened to the Rellz that respected females? All I’ve ever done was love you, but that’s not enough for you. Every time I turn around, it’s this bitch or that bitch. I’m tired of looking like a damn fool to everyone. Then you fuck this bitch Rena, and you know she lives down the street from my mother. Are you fucking serious?”

“Listen, baby. I know I said sorry a million times, but I promise I’m done fucking with these hoes. I love you.”

I could tell she was taken aback by me telling her I loved her, because, like I said, I had never said it before. I always knew that I loved her, but being the player that I was, I just couldn’t see myself saying the words—until now. I really felt that she was at that point where she was fed up and ready to leave me. I couldn’t let that happen.

“I love you too, Rellz, and I promise you this will be the last chance you get to make this shit right. I can’t keep doing this with you. You have me disrespecting myself, fighting like I’m some hood rat. And then, today, I’m fighting in front of my mom’s house, with her neighbors watching. She’s yelling at me about leaving you, because she doesn’t understand why I keep letting you do me like this, and my only defense is that I love you. You have to show me that same love, Rellz, or I’m done.”

“I can show you better than I can tell you, Tash.”

“I hope so, Rellz, because I’m tired of this shit.” I kissed her to let her know that I was serious and told her just to be patient with me. I was going to get this shit right because one thing that I did know was that I didn’t want to lose her.

I made love to my baby and put that ass to sleep.

Rellz was the perfect boyfriend for about a good month, before the calls started again. This bitch Rena was playing Facebook games, telling me that she was pregnant and that Rellz was the father. I blocked that bitch, and of course, Rellz, denied it. I knew there was some truth to the bitch’s statement, because this nigga had booked a trip to Las Vegas for just the two of us, talking about, “Come on, babe. Let’s get away from the madness for a few days.” Unbeknownst to his ass, I had already seen the in-box with the e-mails the bitch had sent him. She had told him that if he didn’t come and see her, she was going to make sure she showed up to the house with proof of her pregnancy and show out. It was all good, though. I was going to ride this wave until the water came down. Literally.

When we got to the fucking airport, this nigga Turk and some bitch were waiting on us. I’m telling you, Rellz was really starting to make me hate his ass.

“Rellz, I thought you said it was going to be a getaway for the two of us.”

“Babe, you know I don’t go anywhere without my right hand.”

I pulled my hand from his and stomped off. I didn’t understand why I had even tried with his ass.

“Tasha, why you always got to show out?” he called behind me.

I stopped walking and turned to face him. “I’m not showing out. Every time we go out of town, Turk is with us. I get sick of you bringing him along. This is time we are supposed to spend together, but you always end up spending it with his ass, discussing business or taking care of business. I’m sick of it.”

“Don’t even sweat that, baby girl. It’s me and you. Don’t you see Turk got his shorty with him? Babe, I promise. It’s you and me this whole trip. Watch and see.”

This nigga really thought he got a bitch wrapped around his finger. Yeah, maybe in the beginning, but not anymore. He had shown his true colors too many times for me to continue to be blinded by the bullshit he spoke.

After a long flight and a car ride, we arrived at the hotel Bellagio, and I was in awe. The outside of the hotel was breathtaking, and because we had arrived at night, I got to enjoy a beautiful view of the waterfall. We got to the room, and I loved it. Turk’s room was next door to ours. We all agreed to freshen up and meet at . . .