Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
She cried and laughed at the same time, too. Chasity was seemingly joking about the dresses, but at the same time, she meant what she said. She didn’t play when it came to fashion. She always wanted to look her best when out and about, especially for Honey’s wedding.
I love you, Chasity… Hang on. I’m on my way!
…Ten minutes later at the Wilde household…
I was going to wait and do this when she went back to L.A. next month to visit her family and friends, but this is as good a time as any…
“Hello, yes, this is Syrus White.” Archer twirled a white card around and around between his fingers. “I have been called to an important, last-minute business meeting. I contacted you earlier about a Mr. Nasser Al Shamrani, and Mohamed Taaeb, and wanted to know if you received my package?”
“Hello, Mr. White. Yes, I did,” came the thickly accented voice. “I was waiting for your call. I have the address right here.”
Archer heard the ruffling of papers as he waited. Long money brought short solutions. The man’s address was unlisted, and he kept a low profile, but where there was a will, there was a way. Where there was greed, there was always someone to pay.
“The property owner is no longer located in New Jersey. I do have a new location, however. The address is the Capitol Apartments. He’s in Unit 47. It’s located at 776 6th Avenue, in Manhattan… zip code10001.”
“Thank you. It’s been nice doin’ business with you.”
“My pleasure, Mr. White.”
Archer hung up the phone and grabbed his laptop. He booked the next flight out of Denver to New York. This motherfucker may have forgotten, but now that he knew about it, he would not…
A couple of hours later he sat on the opposite end of the Denver airport at his gate, knowing that his baby was boarding her plane right then. He smirked at the notion. He rotated his Baoding balls in his palm and sipped on a Sprite while waiting to board first class. He hadn’t been to New York in over five years, but this was no pleasure trip.
His baby sent him a text message to let him know they were about to take off, suspending his thoughts. He smiled as he read it then typed, “I love you,” to which she responded in kind. He asked her to give his best wishes to Chasity.
Not too much later, he was on his own plane, drinking a glass of wine and looking out the window at the clouds. He finished his beverage, adjusted his seat, and dreamt of bullets flying. Far more relaxing than counting sheep…
Honey entered the hospital, now fairly composed, at least on the outside. She found her way to the lobby, not caring that her clothing was wrinkled from sleeping in the Uber on the way over to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. After asking where Chasity’s room was, she headed to the nearest elevator. She’d had no idea she’d be back in L.A. so soon; she just wished it was under better circumstances.
Upon arriving at the floor, she studied a map of the hospital, made a mental note, and headed in the correct direction. She was practically galloping now, her coat swinging wildly with each step. Once she neared Chasity’s room, she paused—not daring to enter.
She could hear the medical equipment, the occasional sound of a cart being pushed, or a hushed voice from a nurse or patient. Other than that, it was eerily quiet. She took another deep breath and forced herself to enter the room, terrified she might see her companion at death’s door. There, in the bed, lay her best friend. Chasity. The television was on, muted, and the woman’s eyes were closed. She’d lost quite a bit of weight since the last time she’d seen her.
Honey placed her hand on Chasity’s and the woman’s eyes fluttered, then opened. Tears rose unbidden to her eyes and poured down her face like some faucet on full blast. Honey cried out, leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around the woman, squeezing her tight.
“Honey, get off me. You’re getting me all wet! Unless you’re a good-looking man turning me on, I would prefer you not to do that!” Chasity yelled, laughing at the same time at her degenerate sense of humor.
Honey burst out laughing too, but she hurt like mad inside.
“Goodness!” Chasity shook her head as she looked her up and down. “You look terrible!”
“Do I?” Honey stood straight, patting her tears with the back of her hand.
“Now, listen. I had a blood clot, baby, but the medication they gave me for it is working. I can’t believe you jumped on a plane, Honey! Shouldn’t you be jumping on James, instead?” she chided, then began coughing.
“Chasity, stop making jokes to try and distract me. It wasn’t just some little blood clot. You were having trouble breathing, and your sister said at one point they couldn’t even get a pulse!” Chasity rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth.