Chapter 2
Ice helped Jared chill the juice and the sodas for Jayla’s birthday party. It was his last day in L.A. and he didn’t know when he was coming back. He was making sure that Donte and Jared came up to Oakland for the next meeting. L.A. was cool and all but it was nothing like his hometown.
“Damn how many friends Jayla got?” Ice asked, chuckling.
“That little girl knows everybody like her damn mama,” Jared said.
All of the guys helped set up for the party in the backyard while the woman were in the house doing the rest. Jasmine decorated the house, Mariah made the gift bags, Kaylen was upstairs getting Jayla dressed, Shanice set up the game tables, and Cheyenne made sure that everything was set in its place.
“Happy birthday Lala!” Kaylen said as she combed Jayla’s hair on her bed.
“Thank you TT,” Jayla said.
“I hope that you have fun for your birthday. Your mommy and daddy made sure to make it extra special for you.”
“It’s all pretty and pink just the way I like it,” she cooed.
Kaylen giggled, as she made sure that Jayla was fresh for her party. Jasmine and Jared went all out for her outfit. Jayla was only turning four so Kaylen could only imagine what her sweet sixteen would be like. Her nieces and nephews made her want a baby more and more everyday. When she had a miscarriage she was young and couldn’t imagine being anyone’s mom, but now she felt like it would be different this time.
After the party was set up and the guests started to arrive Kaylen took Jayla outside. For it to be a four year olds princess party it sure was turnt up. Jasmine and Jared had a D.J. that kept everyone on their toes and the food that was served was delicious. The entire time Kaylen tried to avoid Ice as best as she could but she knew she was looking very childish. She didn’t say a word to him but inside she wanted to. Ice was looking real sexy in his Robin jeans and button up shirt on his feet was a pair of fresh white and gold Balenciaga’s. All of the guys were sitting around a table in a corner playing dominos. Kaylen walked over to the table and stood in between Jared and Donte. She greeted everyone at the table except Ice and he wasn’t feeling that at all.
“I’m not gonna stay long today I have a date tonight before I head out in the morning,” Ice said lying looking directly in Kaylen’s eyes as he played dominos.
Kaylen low-key felt jealous to know that his mind wasn’t on her anymore but she wasn’t tripping and wasn’t going to let it show. She was going to play his game right along with him. She felt the tension at the table since everyone knew that there was a little something between her and Ice.
“When are you gonna bring her around the family Ice?” Kaylen sarcastically said.
“Shit real soon she might be the one,” he said brushing her off this time.
Kaylen nodded her and left from the table and went back to where the women were. She plumped down in one of the chairs and crossed her arms across her chest. All of the ladies were talking shit amongst their selves and noticed Kaylen’s little tantrum.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jasmine asked.
“Fuck Ice!” Kaylen said.
“Damn what did he do to you?” Cheyenne asked.
“Well he’s going on a date knowing that—” Kaylen started to say but Mariah cut her off mid sentence.
“He’s going on a date and your petty ass is jealous.”
“I’m not jealous,” she shifted in her seat and rolled her eyes.
“Bitch yes you are I told you Kay to stop playing with that man. If you wanted to keep ignoring him he wasn’t going to keep chasing you much longer and was going to ignore you next,” Jasmine said.
“Girl don’t nobody want Ice’s ass,” Kaylen tried to play it off.
Everyone at the table gave her a side eye. Kaylen was a true spoiled brat and even though she knew that all of this time she kept Ice at an arm and leg distance she expected him to always be there waiting on her. Now that the tables turned she didn’t like it. The party continued and everyone enjoyed their selves especially the children. Kaylen kept her eyes on Ice the whole night. She caught him staring at her a few times but she tried to play it off. Kaylen was getting tired and it was only four in the afternoon so she was going to go in one of the guest bedrooms to relax for a minute before she came back outside. When she was walking up the stairs Ice stopped her.
“So you’re just gonna keep ignoring me?” Ice’s baritone voice startled her.
“I’m not ignoring you.”
“You know what bothers me the most about you? I actually liked yo’ ass and I don’t ever give any regards to a bitch’s feelings but you are something else. You want this perfect ass relationship and for a nigga to treat you right and when I try you push me away. They don’t call me Ice for nothing baby,” Ice said.
Something about the tone of Ice’s voice sent goose bumps to Kaylen. She already knew there was more to Ice than what she knew about him but from here on out she was going to keep an extra eye on him. He didn’t seem like anything to play with and she hoped that he wasn’t crazy like Alonzo. She liked crazy but not psychotic.
“Are you trynna threaten me or some shit?” she asked.
“Take it however you want.”
“Well I don’t take threats lightly.”
“And what the fuck are you gonna do? I’m not one of these little ass niggas you are used to fucking with. They let you get away with talking to them like dogs and I’ll fuck yo’ ass up!”
Ice was built from a different cloth. He didn’t roll with too many niggas and he kept his personal life private. He made it very hard person to open up and he was cold with his trigger finger. He got the name Ice from being so cold hearted. He learned to detach his feelings and that’s why he always stayed three steps ahead of the game. You were bound to lose anytime you came for Ice.
“Fuck whose ass up Ice? I don’t give a fuck!” Kaylen pointed her fingers all in his face.
In one swift motion he had her hemmed up against the stairs lying on her back. She saw the seriousness in his eyes and knew he wasn’t playing any kind of games. He wasn’t choking her or applying pressure he just wanted her to see that if she didn’t cooperate with him it’ll be his foot up her ass.
“You don’t give a fuck about what?” he laughed.
“Don’t play me like I’m one of your bitches!” she yelled.
“I was trynna make you my main bitch. She gets treated better,” he cockily said.
He realized that that when you step to Kaylen you got to be a dog ass nigga for her to even acknowledge your presence. When you come to her as a man with your shit together she runs over you. Now that he had her full attention he put her up on game that all of that slick shit that be coming out of her mouth needs to come to and end because he had no problem shutting her ass up again.
Chapter 3
It was five in the morning and Ice was already on the road driving back to Oakland. He was always an early person. A lot of people found it crazy how he barely slept but to Ice it was normal. His mentality was if you snooze you lose so that’s why he was always grinding. There was always another nigga waiting to knock him off and he wasn’t going to allow that to happen. From L.A. to Oakland it was about a six hour drive but he didn’t mind. He could have always caught a flight and Jared offered to let him use his private jet whenever he came back and forth from the cities but Ice declined. Being alone in his car was his private time that he never really had. Ice always had someone around him so when he finally got the chance to be alone and reflect on his life he took it.
Growing up Ice didn’t live with a silver spoon in his mouth. He lived in the slums of Sobrante Park. Many nights he would share a bed with his many sisters and brothers along with roaches and rats. His mom didn’t have it all but she made sure she busted her ass off for him and his siblings. When he grew older his struggle was his motivation to hustle. He promised himself that he would never starve again. He cringed as he thought about the many nights he went to sleep starving because his mom couldn’t feed their family.
The only was is up from here,
he thought.
Ice’s love life was all over the place. The person he is now is calm and laid back because he calmed down from running the streets with the Oakland hood rats. He was so terrible back in the day. He literally had a different woman every night of the week. He didn’t care about any of their feelings. Money was his main focus then after that it would have to be pussy. Ice was used to flashy hoes, strippers, threesomes and all. He never had just one person to call his.
Where he was at in his life right now he wanted a wife and a family. He was tired of just running the streets and not having anyone to come home to. He wasn’t trying to get married the next day or anything but he wanted something solid. Usually he was a good judge of character and when he met Kaylen he saw her whole in her eyes. He knew her struggle, hustle, and her heart in just a short period of time. Kaylen wasn’t everything she pretended to be. She was vulnerable and wanted love but because she never had real love she couldn’t understand where Ice was coming from. Ice really did want to go further and see what could possibly turn out with Kaylen but he knew she wasn’t ready because of the games she played.
Ice loves his women with confidence. He needed her to stay on her toes and trust that when he’s out in the streets don’t blow up his phone to check what bitches is around if you plan on calling make sure to call to see if he’s safe, alive, or even if he’s hungry. He just wanted a woman and not a bitch that he could fuck on. Everything he wanted in a wife he felt like Kaylen had it but she just didn’t know it. He was never the one to sit and wait on anyone but he did for Kaylen. For the most part he pushed her to the side and he planned to keep it pushing. He knew from last night at the party she was jealous and in her feelings. That’s what he wanted out of her and now that he got what he asked for he planned on continuing to fuck with her head a little more.
Ice was halfway home when his phone rang. He saw it was Kaylen and he didn’t even like talking to her. She tried to play him to the side and when he did it to her she didn’t like it. He answered to see what she wanted.
“Wassup bruh?” Ice purposely said.
Kaylen removed the phone from her ear to make sure that she called the right number. She didn’t understand why he said ‘bruh’ and not her name.
“Ice?” she asked.
“Yeah what’s good?”
“Umm hey.”
“Did you need something?” he asked.
He honestly was having a kick out of fucking with her. He knew she was thrown off track when he answered. He did little shit like that to keep her guessing. He knew that she thought that he was always going to be chasing after her but he promised her that she was going to understand why his name was Ice.
“No I just called to see how your date went last night.”
“Man she was sexy as fuck. I took her back to my hotel and broke her back in,” he rubbed it in her face even though it was a lie.
Kaylen knew it was a bad idea in the first place to even call him but she still did. She didn’t want to hear what he did with his bitch. She was now way past jealous. Ice was sexy as fuck and he was bossed up so she should have known he wouldn’t have been playing her games with her for so long.
“Mmm that’s nice,” she awkwardly said.
“Yeah I don’t know if I’m coming to your grand opening but if I do I’m bringing her sexy ass.”
“No no no your bitches aren’t allowed in my shop Ice!” she yelled into the phone.
“She ain’t did shit to you so why can’t my date come with me?”
“Because I said so!”
“Why you want me as your date?” he asked. She felt slighted already so she wasn’t going to let him know that she really did want him to be on her arm for that night.
“Boy please don’t nobody want your ass,” she curved him.
“Yeah aight, me and my date will be there.”
“Ice I’m not playing with you she can’t come.”
“You’re a little kid,” Ice huffed.
“Excuse me?” she asked offended.
“How are you gonna say no that my bitch can’t come? It’s a grand opening to your business I’m bringing you a potential customer I’ma need you to focus on your money and not who I’m fucking,” he said putting her back in her place.
“I’m always about my money it has nothing to do with who you’re fucking she’s just not invited,” she understood what he said. Even though he was right she still didn’t want his bitch there.
“Yeah aight just say you’re jealous,” he shook his head.
“Jealous of what?”
“Nothing you’re right Kaylen, I’ll get at you later,” he hung up on her before she said anything else.
Kaylen was always on some bullshit and he didn’t have time for it. Either she was down for him or not and it was that simple. He didn’t want her to be perfect he just needed her to try and to keep it real. His mind needed to be on his money because when he got back to town he had a mission he needed to handle first. Ice had the city on his payroll and found out that one of his young workers was snitching to the Feds.
Snitching was a no go for Ice. He lived by loyalty. If he had to cut off one finger to save his hand then so be it. Ice had everything set up already. His best worker was Lloyd and he had Malik waiting on him. Everyone was waiting for Ice to touchdown so that they could handle Malik’s snitching ass accordingly. He would be the one with the biggest loyalty tattoo but is ratting it up to the Feds. Nothing can past through the Bay Area without coming to Ice’s doorsteps first.
Hours later Ice pulled up in front of his headquarters and parked his car underground. He made sure that security alerted Lloyd that he finally made it and it was time to put the plan in motion. Ice made sure that all of his guns were fully loaded then he strapped it back on him. He walked into the office where Malik was counting money with a money machine not knowing what was about to happen.
“Wassup boss?” Malik said.
“Wassup Malik.”
“You ready to go handle business?” Lloyd said standing up cocking his gun back.
“Yes but Malik is taking your place today. He need to step up and get dirty,” Ice said.
“Hell yeah let’s go,” Malik said jumping up.
Ice’s trigger finger was itching badly. Everything about Malik was making him mad. He fed Malik when he didn’t have a cent to his name. He taught him how to make money and put him on. Then he turns around and rat him out to the Feds. No snitch means there’s not a case.
“Aye Malik go grab me a pair of gloves from the storage,” Ice said and watched as Malik turned around to go do what he said.
Malik walked down the hall to where the storage room was and was stopped by one of the securities. Everyone except Malik knew what it was and what was about to happen. Ice told everybody to be cool and to act normal. When the security let Malik into the storage he searched around for a pair of gloves. Usually there was always guns and other weapons in there but this time Ice made sure that it was cleared out if Malik was smart enough to fight back.
“There’s no gloves in here Malik,” he heard Ice’s voice echo in the room, “it’s just me and you.”
“Wh-wh-what are you talking about?” Malik asked.
“I took you off of the streets. I fed you and your baby. I put you on. I taught you this game and then you tried to take me out? Disloyal bitches like you don’t deserve to live,” Ice calmly said.
“Who’s disloyal?”
Malik knew he got caught up. He was getting ready to face life in prison if he didn’t start talking. The Feds told him that they didn’t really want him it was Ice that they wanted and if Malik didn’t start talking he was going to serve Ice’s time for him. Malik did what he had to do but in the back of his head he knew it was coming eventually but not this soon. He had a daughter to raise and he was only thinking about being there for her so it overruled where his loyalty should have been.
“You, bitch ass nigga,” Ice said drawing back delivering a blow straight to Malik’s jaw.
Ice was a man of his word and prided himself on trust and loyalty. If you had neither to offer then you didn’t need to be around Ice. It made Ice madder that Malik continued to deny the accusations. Malik was taking his ass whooping like a man though.
“Loyalty over everything,” Ice said shoving his Desert Eagle in Malik’s mouth and pulling the trigger.
“Sam and Westin come get this rat out of my place!” Ice yelled for his security guards to make sure that Malik burned to ashes.
Ice walked out of the storage room and washed his hands. He was drained and wanted to finally head home but he had business to handle. He never gave anyone the position to step up for too long because that’s how niggas got comfortable.