Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux Latrivia Nelson (best selling autobiographies .txt) 📖

an addiction? Who would have ever thought that he would know something about Ivy’s mother that Ivy didn’t know. He smiled for a moment. Grey didn’t know either. He liked that. It soothed his mind to know that everyone wasn’t against him. Walking to his truck, he took in the fresh air and decided against having a drink that afternoon.

As Sadie grabbed her things off the ground and headed to her car, she thought again about Nicola. He had shown his Achilles heel, but she tried to present a more positive spin on his situation. He could come through it if he wanted to come through it. Evidently, he was consciously fighting; otherwise he wouldn’t have been out there running. He would have been a bar getting loaded. Still, Ivy had chosen to put herself into an awkward situation if he was unsuccessful in his fight and the kids were his. However, there was something about Nicola that gave her confidence in him. She only hoped that her instincts about his character were right.

**

It was nearly midnight when Brooks finally awoke from a much-needed rest after making love to Trina for many hours. Looking at her sleep peacefully beside him, he rolled over and checked his alarm clock. She would never know if he snuck out for a few hours, and even if she did wake up, she would be so satisfied with his earlier performance until she wouldn’t make a fuss about him being gone.

Slipping out of bed, Brooks pushed passed his boxer, Rico, who laid on the floor guarding him loyally. After taking a quick shower, Brooks slipped on a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans and headed anxiously downstairs with his phone already on speed dial to Nicola.

“Yeah,” Nicola said answering finally after a few rings.

“Hey, man. Where are you?”

“Ordering something to eat at the East Way Grill,” Nicola said sitting at the bar watching a few women across the room shoot pool.

“How long are you going to be there?”

“Uhh,” Nicola groaned and looked at his watch. “At least another hour. I’ve been here with Gremier and Big Baby for going on two. Hold on I’ll let you talk to him.” Nicola passed Gremier the phone.

Taurus Gremier was an ex-cop, turned professor of African-American studies at a small Mid-Western college. Thought to be a militant brother because of his long dreads and abundant knowledge of all things African, Gremier was a character well-missed on the Memphis SWAT team. Home to see family for the weekend, Gremier hooked up with Nicola accidentally when they both ended up at the Black Tie.

Big Baby Mike was a local lieutenant that had seen more than a few days on the streets of South Memphis and was now a mouthpiece for officers that used a less attractive but more useful approach to apprehend suspects often referred to as “excessive force.” He too had met his old collogues accidentally in the well-known club.

“Brooks, get your punk ass down here,” Gremier said pulling back his locks.

“I’m on my way. Hell, ya’ll could have called a brother and let him know that you were in town.” Brooks jumped in his truck and pulled eagerly out his garage.

“Well, Nicola said that you were spending time tonight. So, we didn’t want to interrupt you and the Nubian Queen.” Gremier laughed. “You’re still kicking it with Trina, huh? She’s still taking your shit.”

“Yeah, man. But she finally got me. I proposed tonight. No ring. No speech. I just came out with the shit.” Brooks couldn’t help but be proud of his news.

“What?” Gremier was impressed. “Looks like it’s all coming together for you. Well look, bring your ass, and we’ll see you when you get here. Alright.” Hanging up Nicola’s cell phone, Gremier chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Nicola asked hands clasped as he leaned back in the booth.

“Brooks just said that he proposed to Trina.” Gremier passed Nicola back his phone.

“What?” Nicola was in complete shock. “When did this happen?” He took the phone and sat up.

“Tonight, I guess.” Gremier shook his head and ordered another drink.

“He’s on his way down?” Nicola asked taking his hot plate.

“Yeah,” Gremier said noticing the troubled look on Nicola’s face. “What? You’re not happy for him?”

“Fucking ecstatic,” Nicola said sarcastically as he got up and made his way to the restroom. “Watch my food. I’ll be right back.”

**

Across town, while Brooks celebrated his engagement with Nicola and the boys, Caesar and his men piled bags of unmarked money into the back of a black, late model Yukon Denali to make their monthly exchange for drugs from their largest distributor, Miguel Guerra.

Caesar had proven over the years, his reliability and had grown to be trusted by Guerra, the South’s most notorious drug trafficker. The cocaine had just made it through customs compliments of a rogue agent that took a nice cut from every shipment and was waiting to be picked up off a local delivery truck near a warehouse in an industrial district on the edge of town.

“Alright, Hector,” Caesar said handing his little brother the keys. “Don’t make one mistake on this.”

“I won’t,” Hector said grabbing the keys and jumping the driver’s seat of the truck.

“Do you remember everything that I told you?” Caesar asked feeling his gut reject the idea of letting his little brother take the lead on the drop.

“How many times do we have to go over this? You’re my blood! I’m not going to let you down. Trust me.” Hector patted his brother on his shoulder.

“Guerra isn’t someone to have to answer to about his coke. After you make the exchange, call me immediately. I need to know for sure that everything went cool. Alright?”

“Alright,” Hector said listening. “We’ve been over this, man. Look, if you don’t trust me, then why don’t you do it.”

“I do trust you.” Caesar sighed. “I have to keep my face off the streets because Agosto and his boys have their foot so far up my ass, I can’t breathe.