Long As You Know Who You Belong To 2

  Jessica Watkins Presents

  Long As You Know Who You Belong To 2

  BRI NOREEN

  Copyright © by Bri Noreen. Publisher: Jessica Watkins Presents. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to be printed online, in a newspaper, or magazine.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be assumed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Acknowledgements

  First of all I would like to give praise and honor to God; without him there would be no me and no talent flowing through me. I credit listening to God's voice as the driving force behind my ability to get my first book published and leaping out on faith to make my crazy move to Cali! I could not do this without HIS strength, encouragement and love.

  To my parents, Wendy and Bernard Hubbard, I love you more than words can express. Allowing me to be creative and always having my back no matter what type of crazy situations I landed myself in, has shaped me into the person I am today and I am so grateful to have you all in my life. I know that this move was hard for you to accept but I'm glad that you all supported me and allowed me to attempt to live my dream. Love you.

  To my big head brother, Brandon, thank you for being you! I know we don't say it often but I love you and am proud of the man you are growing up to be (*tear*). I haven't always been the greatest example but now you can see that with God behind you, there is nothing you can't accomplish! Hopefully, you'll be out here soon building your brand as well! I believe in you.

  To my Grandma, Tee-Tee, my extended family, friends and co-workers, I appreciate the impact you've had on my life, big or small. The support that I have behind me is huge and it encourages me to keep going even when I feel like I'm hitting a wall. My friends and co-workers who have read my work have been of great help! Love you all.

  To my besties: Keshia (my bad---Lucky!)---Thank you for welcoming me to Cali with open arms! I appreciate you letting me taking over your couch while I figured my life out! Thank you for being understanding and keeping me encouraged when I was ready to give up. It's been a while since we've been this close, but it feels like we never were apart (ew, I'm getting mushy, let me stop lol). Also to Reese, my writing partner! You have extreme talent and I can't wait for the day when you hit it big! You're dope. Also a HUGE thanks to Ms. Bryant for letting me stay with you all for so long! I appreciate you for putting up with me lol.

  And Jessica, although you get on my nerves sometimes, lol, thank you for being my voice of reason and my wingman. Who would have thought that we would become best friends! LOL We've been through a lot and I appreciate you being there for me all these years. Thank you for lending your couch, car, time and opinions (even the unsolicited ones lol).

  I know I'm leaving friends out but Yazmin, Yusra, Quita, Janay, Tavona, Trebreh, Marcus, Adrian & Bri you all mean so much to me. Even though we don't talk every day, sometimes not even every month, I know that you all support me and for that I am grateful for you being in my life.

  Thank you to the guy that believed in me since the first time I expressed my love of writing. The person who has kept all my writing and has been silently rooting for me all along. Your belief in me and my abilities has never gone unnoticed. I love and appreciate you for encouraging me to do me.

  To my crazy co-workers past and present; Mike, Cathy, Bri (again), Joe, Matt, Erika, Alyssa, Rich, Leon, Glenn, Elece, Tamara, Anthony, Spence, Chris, Dustin, Crystal, Grady and Nick. Thank you for believing in my talent! For my LA peeps, thank you for welcoming me to LA with open arms and getting my butt out of the house to see the city and meet new people. Ya'll are the shit.

  To my publisher thank you for believing in me and my writing. I always wanted to be a published author but felt like my work wasn't good enough to stand up against some of the amazing writers in the urban fiction world. Jessica proved me wrong. Being a part of Jessica Watkins Presents is major and I am so appreciative of the opportunity.

  With that being said...let's get to it!

  Prologue

  Grey

  September 2015

  Labor Day Weekend

  “You ready to do this, ma?” I turned to Blaze and asked.

  We had just pulled up to the grand re-opening of Clappers, which I now owned and Kimani managed. I had relocated the strip club to the same block where South Beach was and had also opened a late night eatery, After Midnight, which was sandwiched right between the two clubs. We had nicknamed the street Summers Row because I literally owned the entire block. I was making so much money as the connect that it was beginning to get hard to clean it all, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad problem to have. Not only were my businesses thriving, but Blaze had held a nigga down for real. She was my right hand, my rock, and my backbone. And even though I had to fuck with Nakami’s crazy ass to get her, I was grateful to have a woman like her in my life at any cost.

  “Ready like Freddy, baby.”

  I laughed lightly at her silly ass and pecked her on the cheek. I tapped on the door, and the driver opened it. I hopped out the back of the black Escalade to a barrage of lights and camera flashes. A year ago, the city of LA had no idea about the kid from the Midwest that had come to claim Cali as his own. Now my name rang bells in many circles, and the paparazzi swarmed my ass like I was a dancing-ass, singing-ass, Chris Brown-ass nigga. I loved it. Dressed in a pair of coated black jeans, a crisp black button down, a navy John Varvatos blazer, and a leather snapback sitting backwards on my fresh twisted dreads, I was clean as fuck. The Cole Haan dress boots, platinum chain set with two carat diamonds, and the princess cut diamonds in my earlobe told the tale of a classy street nigga. I shouldn’t have to remind you…I’m a fashion nigga.

  I reached for Blaze, and she eased out of the whip. She looked stunning in the soft peach-colored pantsuit that she was wearing with no bra. The suit had been tailored to her body, and it skimmed every beautiful curve she possessed. Her burgundy hair was long and bone straight, and her pretty pedicured feet were showcased in the beige Tom Ford sandals I had surprised her with this morning. Blaze glanced at me with a shy smile and stopped me before I began to walk over to the red carpet.

  “I love you, baby. Don’t ever forget that.” She leaned in and kissed me softly, and a nigga’s heart fluttered like a mothafucking butterfly. She had me so gone. All those lovey-dovey, flowery-ass romantic feelings were taking hold of a nigga, and I didn’t even care. The lady on my arm meant the world to me, and I never wanted to fight the things I was feeling for her even if they were foreign to me. I was proud to love a woman like her.

  “I love you too, boo.” I grabbed on her juicy ass, and she giggled.

  Leading the way and flanked by my personal bodyguards, we walked over to the red carpet and posed for pictures and talked to a few news outlets that were there. Everyone from the local news to the social media gossip sites were on deck trying to holla at ya boy. And they wanted to know Blaze too. Her establishment had been named one of the top ten salons in LA recently, and she was planning to open a day spa in a few months. My baby was a boss, and we were the dopest power couple in the state. Fuck all them Hollywood couples! What my baby and I had was real. Blaze and I finished up on the red carpet and headed toward the door. I grabbed her hand to lead her over the threshold right before chaos erupted.

  Tat! Tat! Tat! Tat! Tat! Tat! Tat! Tat! The horrifying blast of lead being fired into the air surrounded us, piercing into the jovial sound
s of a night of celebration. The gunshots were quick and deafening. It reminded me of loud taps of steel against concrete from back in the days.

  Shots rang off, and people scattered like roaches. My bodyguards swung around and started firing in the direction of the shots, and instinctively I pulled my gun from the back of my pants and started to aim, pushing Blaze behind me, but I paused briefly when I felt her hand grip mine. Slightly distracted by the screams that filled the air as people rushed away from the scene, I tried to look around and determine where the shots had come from. More shots rang out, closer this time and I quickly looked over at Blaze to make sure she was good. The horror that was etched on her face told me otherwise.

  “B, what’s wrong?”

  “Grey! You’ve been shot!” Tears were escaping from her eyes at rapid speed as I tried to comprehend what she was talking about.

  Her eyes traveled downwards and my gaze followed hers to a spot right above my waist. Fuck! My adrenaline must have kicked in quickly because I hadn’t even felt the pain of the bullet piercing my stomach. But as soon as I laid eyes on my wound, my legs started to give out from under me, and I collapsed to the ground.

  “Shit!” Blaze cursed as she fumbled with her phone. “Yes, there’s been a shooting at 16455 Hollywood Boulevard. A man has been shot. Please hurry! There’s a lot of blood!” she screamed. “Go find out who the fuck did this shit!” she yelled at my bodyguards. They took off in opposite directions, leaving Blaze and me alone on the street.

  My mind was boggled. None of this shit made sense. Who the fuck was coming for me? As far as I knew, all of my people were caked up and happy with how business was being run. I had no known enemies, but it was hard to believe that this was a random shooting. The shots that had rang out seemed far away, and if that was the case, how the fuck did I get hit? A million and one things ran through my mind. I looked over at Blaze, and although she had tears rolling down her face, she seemed calm. She was mumbling something over and over, but I couldn’t make out what it was. I reached out for her hand, and she gripped mine tightly as we waited for the ambulance to come.

  It seemed like I’d been waiting hours for the fucking cavalry to arrive, and I was thanking God that the wound hadn’t been somewhere more fatal or a nigga might not have made it fuckin’ around with these muhfuckas! I saw two pairs of feet approaching me and could only assume they were the paramedics. The male bombarded Blaze with questions before they hoisted my body onto the stretcher and the female that helped hoist me onto the stretcher strapped me in. My eyes started to close as my body grew weaker, and I could feel myself being loaded into the ambulance. I tried to listen for Blaze’s voice, but all I heard was the two paramedics talking.

  “Let’s fucking go! She can only hold off the real ambulance for so long! Shit!” the male voice screamed.

  The real ambulance? What the fuck? I tried to move, but I felt the sting of a needle in my arm, and my body started to numb.

  “Damn, that shit low-key made me horny. The thought of his lingering death has me on the edge of a fire-ass orgasm.” The female spoke with amusement in her voice.

  I knew I had to have been dreaming at that point. There was no fucking way that what I was experiencing was real. I willed myself to wake up from the nightmare I was living, but I couldn’t move a muscle. I couldn’t do shit but lie there and listen to them go over their plans. The woman spoke again and fury filled the veins in my body. In that moment I knew that I had fucked up big time. I recognized that voice as it had been tattooed in my brain and burned in my memory. The sound of that voice was like a thousand daggers to the heart. As the voice grew weaker, I realized that I was fading. There was nothing I could do but to welcome the fate that karma had in store for me. My last thought before everything went dark was that the bitch I had left to burn had risen from the dead and had come to drag me to hell with her.

  Rewind…

  Nakami

  April 2015

  It’d been a week since that horrific day that I met my new self in the mirror. Since then, I had sank into a deep depression. I was mentally and physically drained from everything I had been through and couldn’t stand the sight of myself. Although the nurse had tried to feed me, I couldn’t keep any food down, and I all I wanted to do was sleep the pain away. I hated feeling sorry for myself, but I couldn’t believe that I was gone. I mean, I was physically still alive and breathing, but the body and the face that belonged to me no longer existed. I was but a mangled piece of crumpled flesh whose life had been stripped away for no good reason. I knew that I had fucked up some material things of his, but did I really deserve to die behind it? I know, I know. What about Blu? Yeah well, what about that bitch? She had slept with the man I had given my heart to and conceived a baby, so I wasn’t the least bit sorry for my actions. She had to go.

  But never in a million years would I have believed that Grey would turn on me…over that bitch? He had actually left me to burn to death in that house because I’d killed his mistress and their illegitimate child. And let’s not forget about him killing the only other person in my life. My father. The same man that had taken him in like a son and treated him like family. How could I have fallen in love with a man who was so cruel? A tear dropped my from eye as I recounted the events that had led me here.

  “It doesn’t help to sulk in a pool of your own sorrows,” a voice boomed.

  Instinctively, I jumped, unaware that someone else was in the room. I turned toward the voice and I was immediately embarrassed by my appearance. A fucking mess like myself was not worthy of being in the presence of someone so damn fine. Standing around 6’1”, the man that had entered the room was more than beautiful. His peanut butter skin and light brown eyes were perfect as was his close cropped curly hair. His lips were plump and gave way to a beautiful smile full of straight white teeth. He reminded me of a more muscular version of August Alsina by way of his looks, but the aura that he toted reminded me of Jay Z ; humble yet confident, intelligent yet street and rough but sweet. He lit up the room with his presence.

  Dressed in a Brunello Cucinelli suit in grey and blue and a pair of Tom Ford wingtip dress shoes, he had my unwavering attention. His intense gaze made me shrink underneath the covers, hoping to hide some of the ugliness I knew he was staring at. I felt less than, and it was a feeling that I’d never felt before. I fucking hated this shit!

  “Who are you?” I whispered.

  He took a few steps toward me and then sat on the edge of my bed.

  “Roman,” he said like I was supposed to know who he was.

  “Are you the one…” My voice trailed off. I was disappointed in the meek version of myself I had inadvertently become. I felt so insecure in his presence that I couldn’t even speak up. I cleared my throat and attempted to pull some confidence from my ass, but he spoke first.

  “That pulled you from the fire? Yeah. I did.”

  I stared at him for a moment. "How?”

  “You’re asking the wrong questions.” He smirked. “I got you out and I’m trying to help you recover. That’s what really matters.”

  I didn’t know what to say. So I said the only thing that came to mind. “Thank you.”

  “You’re good. But tell me something. You’ve been here for damn near three months, and I have no idea who you are. What’s your name?”

  I opened my mouth to speak and realized that I didn’t know. No, I didn’t have amnesia, but I was coming to the realization that I was now a body without a face, a person without a family. I wasn’t Nakami Yukimura anymore. I was an empty shell with no place to call home and no one to call family. Who was I really if everything I knew and loved was gone? Roman sensed my hesitation and placed his hand on top of mine. I flinched, not really wanting him to have to touch my burnt skin.

  “It’s cool. You don’t have to tell me. But in due time, you will have to trust me. I have a feeling we need each other. But we’ll talk soon. For now, get your rest.” He let go of my hand and stood up from the b
ed. He stared at me, and I lowered my head in embarrassment.

  “Don’t do that. I know that you’re self-conscious about the way that you look, but you don’t need to be. Not with me. Plus I have the best doctors and plastic surgeons on call that can change that in one snap of my fingers. Just give it time.” Roman smiled and proceeded to walk out the door.

  I didn’t understand. Who was this man, and why had he saved me? Why would we need each other? Why was he willing to do anything for me? Since he had already walked out of the room, I sat and marinated on my questions until I had the chance to talk to him again.

  Roman

  May 2015

  “Nadine, can you get Dr. Loyola on the line for me please? I’ll take it in my office.” I walked past her and into my opulent office and took a seat behind my desk. The office’s remodeling had cost me nearly fifty stacks, but it was well worth it. Outside of my bedroom, it was the room I spent the most time in. I took pride in the modern L-shaped mahogany wood desk and floor to ceiling bookcases lined with books. The room housed a conference table, two modern sofas, and a fully stocked bar with all the amenities. It was lavish and functional and most often my place of solace.

  The phone rang, and I picked it up. “Dr. Loyola, how are you?”

  “Fine, now that I hear your voice,” she cooed.

  I smirked. “This ain’t that type of call, girl. I need a favor.”

  “Anything for you.” The purr of her voice made me have to adjust my pants.

  “I have someone here who needs your help. But it’s not a quick job.”

  Suddenly she turned serious. Doc was serious about her profession, and if she had the opportunity to save a life or impact one in any way with her skills, she took it to heart.

  “How bad is it?”

  “She’s fucked up. I’m not going to lie. She was shot in the thigh and the arm. She also has severe burns that are covering the entire right side of her body.”