Chapter One- Reign

“Five, four, three, two, one.”

 I took a deep breath and whispered into the empty night.

“Happy New Year!”

Finally.

The clock struck midnight.

Time to go.

I took a final pull from the blunt I’d rolled a few minutes earlier, filling my lungs until they burned. I held it there, letting the smoke sit heavy in my chest, then slowly exhaled every bad thought I could muster into the cold air.

New year. New life.

Or at least that was the plan.

I crushed the roach beneath my shoe, grabbed the last of my belongings, and slipped back into the small studio apartment that had been my home for… hell, longer than I cared to admit.

Tonight was the night.

I was starting over.

For real this time.

I had a plan.

Actually… scratch that.

I had no plans.

That was the whole point.

For once in my life, I was free.

For the first time ever, I was focusing on absolutely nothing.

No expectations.

No survival mode.

Just living.

I’d spent most of my twenties in prison, in one fashion or another. Literal and metaphorical.

But that’s a very complicated story for another time.

Now, I want and need simple.

Meet new people.

Travel somewhere unfamiliar.

Maybe allow someone to get close enough to matter.

I’m tired of being alone.

Tired of having no one to talk to.

No one to… you know. Be with.

I’d spent nearly two decades living under an imaginary radar, hiding in plain sight.

Tonight, that ended.

Bank account looking like a phone number?
Check.

New home in a new city?
          Check.

A booming career and business?

Mother-fucking check.

By every measurable standard, I had rebuilt my life.

But dammit…

I was lonely.

My only real “friend” was my agent, Nayomi Reid.

I called her Omi.

And, technically I paid her.

Very well might I add.

She was more family than my actual family had ever been.

Because my real family?

That situation is… complicated, another story for another time.

I have a twin.

Rylie.

We shared a womb. DNA. Face. Clothes at one point.

We never shared a bond.

Not once.

I shuddered just thinking about her.

“No negative thoughts,” I murmured to myself.

“Happy thoughts.”

Speaking of, my Uber should be arriving soon.

I slid my phone down and refreshed the app again.

Still twenty minutes away.

I groaned.

I should’ve listened to my gut and hired a damn car service instead of taking Omi’s advice and calling an Uber.

No reason to spend that much for a twenty-minute drive, she’d said.

Looking back, it’s not like I didn’t have the money.

So why I listened, no idea.

Did I mention I was nervous?

Because I was nervous as hell.

This was my first time flying.

And my last if this went sideways.

My stomach had been doing somersaults since I booked the ticket.

I kept telling myself it was fine.

Millions of people fly every day.

It’s just a couple hours.

Way faster than driving.

Not that I drove anywhere anyway.

I didn’t have anyone to visit.

Except my landlord when rent was due.

The grocery delivery people.

And Dante, the landlord’s son, when something broke.

That was the extent of my social circle. Absolutely no friend to speak of.

Sad.

I slid the screen down again.

The arrival time refreshed.

Twenty minutes changed to one hour and forty-five minutes.

“Ahhhhh, of course,” I groaned.

Perfect.

My flight didn’t leave for another four hours, but every Google search I’d done said the same thing:

Arrive early.

Which meant this driver had already messed up my entire plan.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

My eyes snapped to the door.

Who the hell…

My phone still showed the driver halfway near Rochester and I had very clearly written DO NOT KNOCK in the instructions.

So whoever was pounding on my door?

Definitely wasn’t him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The door practically shook in the frame.

“Shit.”

Before I could even react…

Roscoe started barking.

Loud.

The enormous German Shepherd across the lot howled like the apocalypse had arrived.

Roscoe belonged to Sergio… a nearly deaf Army vet who slept like the dead.

Once Roscoe started barking, there was no stopping him.

And once Sergio woke up?

Well…

Let’s just say the mailman incident still lived rent-free in my mind.

A few years ago Sergio had shot the poor guy because he thought he was stealing packages.

His guns were confiscated after that, but his son in all his glory, took pity on the old man and replaced them with realistic toy ones.

Which sounded cute until you realized those foam bullets hurt like hell at two in the morning.

So yeah.

I sprinted to the door.

I yanked it open.

And immediately wished I hadn’t.

“Can I help you?” I asked. More like whispered.

Though it came out less like a question and more like a, “why the hell are you on my doorstep at one in the morning? Type question.

“Are you Reign Campbell?” the man asked, lowering his raised fist.

“Who’s asking?”

Click.

Clack.

Click.

Clack.

The sound of heels echoed down the pavement behind him.

Slow. Precise.

The man stepped aside, melting into the shadows as the woman approached. By the time her heel touched the first step, he’d practically disappeared.

“I am,” she said smoothly, stopping directly in front of me.

“Elaria Monroe. I’m here to deliver a message.”

Her eyes scanned my face.

“Are you Reign Campbell?”

I looked her up and down the same way I had her bodyguard, the same way she had me.

However, she was fine as hell.

The kind of fine that looked expensive.

Six-inch leopard print Lorna Dee heels alone probably cost more than my entire wardrobe.

“Yeah,” I said slowly, “that’s me. I’m Reign, how can I help you?”

She extended her hand.

Between her fingers was a black envelope.

My name was written across the front in elegant emerald green ink.

          LaReigna Marie Campbell

I frowned.

“What’s this?”

“For you.”

“From who?”

She smiled. The kind of smile that suggested she already knew how this conversation was going to end.

“Open it,” she said. “Perhaps you’ll find out.”

She held the envelope in the air.

Waiting.

But I didn’t move.

Because the last time a stranger handed me something like that…

…it was a briefcase with half a million dollars inside.

And instructions to disappear.

“Okay,” I said slowly, “but what is it?”

“It’s an envelope,” she replied dryly. “Addressed to you.”

Then she grabbed my hand and placed it inside my palm.

“Take it. Open it. Read it.”

Her fingers released mine. “My job here is officially complete.”

She turned on her heel and started walking away.

Then stopped.

“Oh wait…” she tapped her chin like she’d forgotten something…

“There was something else I was supposed to say.”

Her eyes widened toward the giant shadow now standing beside the Cadillac.

“Raphie,” she called. “What did the old bag say again?”

The man answered immediately.

“Agorna Vied Melians… ma’am.”

“What he said.”

She waved toward the car.

“Let’s go, Raphie. Get me out of this…”

She looked around the alley with mild disgust.

“…place.”

“Wait,” I called after them.

“What did he say? What does that even mean? Who are you people?”

She didn’t stop walking.

“Who we are doesn’t matter, little mouse.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “What matters is what’s inside that envelope.”

Then she smiled again. “And what Raphie said? That was your warning.”

My stomach tightened.

“It means,” she added casually, “open the goddamn envelope.”

Raphie opened the rear door of the black Cadillac and held out a hand for her.

She stepped inside without another word.

Seconds later he climbed into the driver’s seat.

The car pulled away.

And just like that… they were gone.

Leaving me alone in the alley.

With the envelope.

I stared down at it.

LaReigna Marie Campbell.

The emerald ink gleamed faintly under the streetlight.

 

 

 

 

I flipped the envelope over, on the back was a red wax seal. I stared at the seal, recognizing it immediately.

Not like it was something I’d ever forget.

The exact same seal was on the briefcase. And the letter inside with strict instructions to disappear. Both of which were tucked safely inside a locker in a train station back home.

Instructions I had followed to a T.

So what was this?

Now was definitely not the time to find out.

My phone went off, making me jump damn near ten feet in the air.

From the ringtone I knew exactly who it was. Torn between relief and just a tad bit of irritation. I opened the text.

 

Donya- Happy New Years Beautiful, you gonna let me slide through and end my night with my favorite lady?

 

See!

I rolled my eyes.

Donya was an old friend of sorts.

She had good weed and gave good head, but that was the extent of it.

Once upon a time she was my cellmate, and truthfully part of the reason I was where I am today.

Back then my artistic ability turned into a full-blown hustle.

I painted canvases for inmates.

Then guards.

Then people outside the prison who had no clue the artist they were paying was locked behind bars, for murder.

Donya handled the logistics.

She made sure supplies came in.

Paintings went out.

And nobody asked questions. For almost ten years, not even the warden knew who the artist was.

I planned to keep it that way.

I was never big on notoriety.

Let the work speak for itself. That was my goal.

When I was released, I deposited fifty thousand into an account under Donya’s name.

Then I disappeared.

Three years later she got out too.

Ended up in Detroit for reasons I didn’t ask about. Ran into each other at the post office while I was shipping out packages.

Saw my work, recognizing the style immediately.

And somehow… she just stuck around.

Which, now that I think about it, is kind of wild.

Technically she was my longest friend.

One lunch date turned into dinner, by that Friday her head was between my legs.

Pretty much summed up our entire situationship.

Donya was cool, but she honestly wasn’t my type.

I made sure she knew that we weren’t an item of any sorts.

Every.

Single.

Time.

My phone buzzed again.

I sighed and typed a quick response, then stuffed the envelope into my bag.

That would be a problem for later me to handle.

My phone lit up one last time.

A thumbs up emoji.

Classic Donya.

I did another final walkthrough of the apartment.

Don’t judge me.

I just want to make sure everything was exactly how I bought it.

Nothing tying me back here.

Most of my stuff had already been donated.

Furniture.

Clothes.

Random junk I didn’t need.

All that remained was what mattered to me most.

My drawings.

My canvases.

My sculptures.

Those were the only things I was taking with me.

The little studio tucked behind a back alley would belong to someone else now.

Hopefully it gave them the same peace it gave me.

I grabbed the rest of my bags and headed out the door. Thankfully Donya was on her way.

And I absolutely could not let her see the apartment empty.

I hadn’t told her I was leaving.

Well, I did, kind of.

I hadn’t told her I wasn’t coming back.

She’d lose her mind.

And honestly I couldn’t blame her.

But this had been in motion for a long time.

And if she knew beforehand, she’d have don’t everything in her power to stop me.

I couldn’t have that.

 

When I stepped outside, Roscoe was still barking, so I decided to do one last good deed for the neighborhood.

“Roscoe,” I whispered, dropping down to my knees and tapping the mail slot twice.

The metal clanged loudly.

His barking stopped immediately.

A black nose pushed through the flap.

“There you are,” I said softly. “You’re gonna wake the whole damn neighborhood.”

He sniffed my hand.

Licked it.

I grabbed a treat from the jar outside the door and handed it to him.

“You take care of Sergio, alright? Don’t let him get into anymore trouble.”

Roscoe whimpered.

“You know I’m leaving don’t you?”

Another whimper, then scratching at the door.

“Nosey,” I laughed, patting his nose.

From inside I heard Sergio moving around, “Roscoe? Where you at boy?”

“I’ll see you around big guy,” I whispered. “try not to be such a menace.”

Roscoe barked in response and galloped back toward Sergio.

That was it.

The only other real friend I’d made in the years I’d lived here.

Well…

Except…

Soon as I stepped into the alley, Donya pulled up.

Brandy’s “Sittin up in My Room” blasted through the speakers of her white Honda Civic like she was hosting a private concert.

She double parked.

Blocking traffic.

Completely unbothered by the horns blaring behind her, Donya stepped out the car and slid her arms inside my sweater, pressing against my bare skin.

“Mmmm,” she murmured, “damn you smell good as fuck. Low-key woulda been pissed if you woulda dipped on a nigga without sayin’ goodbye.”

I froze.

“Yeaahh.”

“Yeah my ass,” she said, sucking her teeth.

“You aint think I was gone find out hunh?”

“Nah, not even. I knew you would.”

Donya had an unhealthy obsession with me and what I was doing. Omi called her my stalker. She insisted her popping up in Detroit needed to be investigated.

She didn’t believe in coincidences any more than I did.

It was what it was.

Donya kept me safe. Period. I didn’t need to know how she found me.

“You lucky I like you Skinny.”

She opened the passenger door and handed me fat blunt.

I huffed, “for me?”

“Stop playing with me.” I slid into the passenger seat and lit it immediately.

“Ssss, ahhhhh.”

One thing about me, I’m gone smoke.

Before I go.

On the way there.

More than likely while I’m there, and most definitely after and on the way home.

“So, tell me about this place you headed, what’s it called?” I handed the blunt to her and rolled the window down all the way. She hit it a few times giving me a second to figure out my answer and passed it back,

“Ahh well,” I fiddled with the ends of my hair, I hadn’t expected to see Donya again until, well, ever, “you remember that contest you and Reginhardt entered my painting in back in Huugo?”

“Yea, how could I forget how pissed off you were?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… Whatever…” I rolled my eyes.

The car got quiet for a second before I muttered, “well, I re-entered.”

“Yeah? No shit, how’d it go?”

I took another hit, on exhale I said, “I won, and there’s a ceremony at the end of the year!”

“WORD!” Donya swerved a little, recovering immediately she handed the blunt back to me. “Thas wassup! So, you’re going out there to accept an award and shit?”

“Yea,” I nodded, taking another hit, “Among other things.”

“Liiiiike?” Donya asked, dragging the word out.

She pulled into the parking lot and found a spot tucked just far enough away for me to finish smoking.

I appreciated that, gave me a little more time.

“Like…” I grabbed a half-empty soda can and slid the filter into the opening.

“My own art exhibit.”

She froze.

“In New York.”

Silence.

Then…

“Wow.” She stared at me like she was seeing me for the first time. “Damn, that’s… that’s big Skinny.”

I shrugged, a lousy attempt at trying to play it off.

“It’s something.”

“Nah,” she shook her head slowly, “that’s everything.”

Then quieter… “I’m proud of you.”

I lit the second blunt.

Pulled.

Coughed immediately.

“Shit-.”

“You good?”

I waved her off, still coughing.

“Yeah… yeah I’m good.”

I hit it again, harder this time.

Nerve.

Definitely nerves.

“You flying out tonight?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“How long you gon’ be gone?”

I hesitated.

Too long.

She caught it.

“Reign.”

I stared out the window, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. “You dead ass wasn’t gon’ say goodbye?”

“You know I hate goodbyes.”

“Nah,” she cut in, shaking her head, “don’t do that.”

Her tone shifted.

Sharp.

“This the second time you tried to disappear on me.”

“Second?” I frowned.

“Oh you don’t remember Huugo?” she shot back. “You dipped like I didn’t exist.”

“I was released Donya,” I snapped, “what did you want me to do? Ask permission?”

“I wanted something,” she said.

Her voice dropped.

“I thought we was-.”

“You thought wrong.”

The words came out colder than I meant them to. I leaned back, jaw tight. “Donya I’ve told you from day one what this was. I’ve made it clear I don’t have feelings for you in any way. We aren’t together Dee, period. Whatever you think I owe you, that’s not on me.”

Silence filled the car.

Thick.

Heavy.

“Damn,” she sighed, “That’s how you feel?” she asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck because… yeah.

That was how I felt.

Donya had been in love with me since that day she first lay eyes on me. I felt it back then.

In that cell.

It was suffocating then.

It was even more so now.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” I said “but I can’t give you that.”

She laughed.

But there was no humor it.

“Love, Reign.” She looked straight at me. That’s it. That’s all I’m askin for.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I don’t have that to give.”

Her fist slammed against the steering wheel. “You can’t even try?” she snapped.

The silence that followed stretched too long, until she opened the door, got out and slammed the door closed.

Hard.

I sat there for a second.

Then followed her.

She was leaning against the hood, running her hand through her braids.

Frustrated.

Tired.

“I just need to understand,” she said without looking at me.

“What’s on that plane that I can’t give you?”

Her voice cracked slightly. “You know I’d take care of you. I’d protect you.”

I stepped closer.

“Donya… I don’t need protecting.”

I softened… just a little.

“I’m leaving because I want to. Because I finally get to choose something for myself.”

The weed was starting to hit.

My body swayed slightly.

She noticed.

Her expression shifted.

“You feeling’ good, huh?”

A small sad smile.

I bumped her shoulder slightly.

Inside the car, Xscape started playing.

“Ooooh, this my shit,” I muttered, swaying.

Then stopped.

“…sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said.

Then quieter-

“I’m glad your ride aint show up.”

I glanced at her.

She smirked just a little.

“Otherwise I wouldn’t have got to say goodbye.”

“You know I hate goodbyes.”

“Yeah,” she said, “I know.”

A pause.

Then-

“What if I don’t wanna be your friend?”

I froze.

“What if when I look at you… I see more?”

Her eyes met mine.

“What if I feel more?”

My chest tightened. “What if… I want more?”

“Donya…”

“Nah,” she stepped closer, “I’m not done.”

Her voice dropped. “I love you, Skinny.”

There it was. Out in the open.

“I don’t want you to get on that plane.”

I swallowed.

On paper, Donya was everything.

Strong.

Successful.

Loyal.

Successful.

Ride or die.

But…

I felt nothing.

Not like that.

I couldn’t fake it.

“Then as much as I hate to say it Donya, this is goodbye.” The words landed heavy between us.

I turned, her arm wrapped around my waist from behind. Pulling me back.

“I said I love you,” she whispered against my neck.

My breath caught. Then quieter-

“They know who you are.”

My body went still.

Her hand slipped into my pocket, then out again, fast.

“Don’t trust nobody out there Skinny.”

I turned to face her, my heart was pounding now.

“Who is…”

“When everything comes to light Skinny, believe I never intended to fall in love with you. It was kinda difficult not to if I’m being honest. But I did, I do.”

She kissed my forehead. Pulled me into a tight hug.

Then leaned in close…

“Your homegirl aint who she says she is… she works for the-.”

Everything happened at once, a car door opening and closing in the distance, the rhythmic clicks of stilettos, someone said my name, gunshots, and a prick on my neck.

“LaReigna Marie Campbell.”

I froze. Dee had let me go and was both trying to push me behind her and grab the gun she always kept on her. But I was frozen to the spot.  And that gun was still in the glove compartment.

That voice, it felt like an ice cube was sliding slowly down my back, it’d been decades since I heard it. It’d come from the passenger side window of a black SUV that had been parked next to Dee’s car when we pulled up.

Three shots whizz from behind me, but I was too fixed on the red stains now starting to saturate her shirt to turn around and look. Two shots to her chest made her body double back a few steps, it was the one that hit her between her eyes that put her square on her back.

The prick on my neck came from my right, almost immediately I became dizzy, I don’t think Dee’s body had hit the ground just as my own became weightless.

And all I could think about was, that voice…

I know that voice.