The Secret Lives of Baltimore Girls 2

By Katt

Charlie Dixon always yearned for love. For a long time, she gave the saying “looking for love in all the wrong places” its meaning. She thought she had finally found true love, but now she is out for revenge. Charlie is pregnant, and she just found out her baby daddy is married. As far as Charlie is concerned, this cheater has to pay.
Emerson Dayle is a true Instagram influencer and just hooked up with her hometown’s NBA star. She has everything she wants in life and expects to live happily ever after, until a medical scare threatens to end it all.
Mikayla King has murdered her ex-husband, and it looks like she’s going to get away with it—if she can avoid the sexy police detective who’s trying to solve the murder.
These Baltimore girls are carrying secrets and dealing with challenges that could derail even the toughest women.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Urban Books
• Release date: Apr 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781645560302

Book preview

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Prologue

Hello? Mikayla’s weak voice called out.

She had felt no terror in life like the one of waking up with a cloth bag over her head. It was proving hard to recall the past hour of her life. The last thing she remembered was being at the launch of Charlie’s clothing line; the next, she was waking up bound to a chair.

Mikayla? I–is that you?

Charlie. Mikayla sighed, recognizing her friend’s voice. What’s happening? I can’t see or move.

Me either, Charlie said. Is this some sort of sick joke? I–I can’t remember anything.

H–hey, what’s going on? A third voice joined the conversation.

It was a little drowsy, but Mikayla would know her good friend’s voice anywhere.

Emerson?

Yes. Emerson sounded a little more awake this time. Why am I tied to a chair, and what is this over my head? It smells terrible. Charlie, is this your idea of a joke?

It wasn’t me. I swear! Charlie exclaimed. I don’t know what’s going on.

The hairs on the back of Mikayla’s neck were standing up, and there was a chill going down her spine. She could hear Emerson and Charlie going back and forth, but she could hear someone else breathing in the room behind her—directly behind her. She sucked in her breath and held it, hoping that whatever was happening was just a prank gone too far. But when she felt pressure on her temple and heard the sound of a gun cocking, she knew it wasn’t a prank.

Give me one good reason not to kill you right now. A deep baritone voice erupted in the darkness.

Who was that? Charlie asked. Was that a gun I just heard?

Yes. He has it to my head, Mikayla said in a barely audible whisper.

Listen, whoever you are, I have a lot of money. I can give you whatever it is that you want. You don’t have to hurt anybody here today, Emerson said, trying to reason with him.

Ain’t this something. The crazy bitch is trying to bribe me, the man said crudely. I don’t want your money. What I want only she can give to me. Isn’t that right, Mikayla?

Mikayla tried to steady her breathing. She would recognize the way he spat her name anywhere. Damian?

In the flesh, he said.

But why? I did everything you asked!

Damian, as in your crazy-ass brother Damian? Emerson asked with slight panic in her voice. He’s the one who put these things over our faces?

Damian pulled the bag off Emerson’s head. Maybe the bags were a little over the top. I just didn’t want you waking up on our way here.

Here? Where are we? Mikayla asked.

Let me help you out, he said and took the bag from over her head.

Mikayla blinked quickly as she tried to adjust to the light in the room, and when she focused, she was taken aback. They were in her house, in her basement, tied to the chairs that went to her new stained wood table. She tried to wiggle her wrists, but they were wrapped tight.

The women looked at each other, sitting in a circle, still dressed in their evening attire with frightened expressions on their faces. Mikayla tried to reach out to give her friends a hug, but she couldn’t. Her hands were bound to the chair.

Charlie’s face went from scared to angry as the reality of the situation set in. What the fuck do you think you’re doing? she asked. My fiancé is going to throw you back in jail, you greasy motherfucker!

You talk a good game, Charlie, but I think you forgot that you’re the one tied to a chair, and I’m the one with the gun. Damian smirked and shook his pistol at her. Also, nobody knows where you are. They think the three of you went to celebrate.

Whatever you’re planning to do, you won’t get away with it. Charlie tried to say it with confidence, but her shaky voice gave her away.

"What is it that I’m trying to get away with, Charlie? Damian asked and walked up on her. He leaned his face so close to hers that when she turned her head, his lips brushed against her cheek. Why don’t you just ask what you really want to know?"

Are... are you going to kill us?

Well, that depends on Mikayla, Damian said and smiled at his sister. If she’s willing to cooperate, I’m willing to let all of you walk out of here with your lives.

Cooperate with what? Emerson asked and looked at Mikayla. What is he talking about?

He wants me to tell the truth, Mikayla whispered.

Tell the truth about what? Emerson furrowed her brow at her friend.

Damian left Charlie, knelt in front of Mikayla, and smiled sinisterly in her face.

Yeah, tell the truth about what, Mikayla? he mocked.

Why now? Mikayla asked, ignoring the question. After all this time, why now? I’ve done everything you asked me to do. You and Jewel were supposed to be out of my life!

We were family, Mikayla. Or at least I thought we were. You took me from my mother’s home and put me in the position to go to jail. Do you know what it feels like to have nobody care about you?

I kept money on your books.

That doesn’t make up for the fact that you weren’t there. You turned your back on me. The only person who was there for me was Mama. After all the damage that you caused, the truth still refuses to come from your lips, Damian said, stepping back and pointing his gun at her. One thing I learned when I was locked down is that sometimes you have to apologize to yourself for something somebody else did. This isn’t going to be one of those times. I think shooting one of your fingers off will be the perfect motivation.

Emerson and Charlie screamed as Damian’s finger got tighter around the trigger.

Right before a shot rang out, the door to the basement opened. Mikayla had forgotten she’d told Charles, her soon-to-be-ex-husband, he could come by after the event to grab some of his things. Mikayla had never been so happy to see him.

There was a shocked expression on his face as he saw the scene taking place. He stepped off the last stair and looked at the gun in Damian’s hand.

Charles, call the police! My brother is trying to kill me! Mikayla cried.

Damian turned his gaze to Charles, who shook his head.

Damian, I told you to make sure she was dead before I got here and to make it look like a burglar did it, Charles said, sending Mikayla’s heart to her stomach. And what the hell are her friends doing here? Now we have to kill them all.

Charles... Mikayla’s voice faded.

She took in his appearance and saw that he was dressed in work attire. His tailored suit was fitted over his new gym body, and his diamond cufflinks flashed whenever he moved. He glowered down at her like she was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen in his life.

Don’t look at me like that. I hate you, and you know that, he told her. With you gone, not only will I get my house and my girls back, but there’s also the five hundred thousand life insurance policy I get if you die.

Emerson started to scream at the top of her lungs, and to shut her up, Damian backhanded her so hard he busted her lip.

Beating up women. Is that the kind of man you are? Mikayla spat.

I’ll do something better. You failed at saving your friends, so now you get to watch them die, Damian said. He cocked his gun and pointed it at Emerson’s bleeding face. Three. Two—

Okay! I’ll tell the truth, Mikayla screamed through her tears. I’ll tell the truth. I did it!

"Did what?"

I killed him. I’m the one who killed him!

Killed who, Kay Kay? Charlie asked in a tone barely above a whisper.

Our foster father, Mikayla said, sobbing. The murder Damian went to jail for. I’m the one who pulled the trigger. I’m so sorry. We were so young. I didn’t think they would sentence you to all that time. You gave up your life for me.

Finally. That’s the first time you’ve been real with yourself in years, isn’t it, sis? I did all that time for a crime I didn’t even do, and you couldn’t even visit me. And you keep taking from me. I should have snapped your neck the moment I saw you when I first got out, but I didn’t. That was my mistake.

I said what you wanted me to say. Now, can’t you just let us go? Like you said you would.

I’m happy that you finally admitted what you did to me. I just wanted to see if you would tell the truth. But I’m not here for that. I’m here because you have something I want. Where is it?

W–what? Mikayla asked between sobs.

You know exactly what I’m talking about. You thought I wasn’t going to find out? Now, you have a chance to save your friends. Tell me what you did with it. You have five seconds.

Mikayla’s eyes were on the gun Damian now had pointed at her friend’s chest as he counted down. Her lips opened and closed like she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t get it out. Charlie and Emerson were crying loudly, but that was just background noise to Mikayla.

One, Damian said.

No! Mikayla screamed.

But he didn’t care. That time, Damian didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

The events of the two months leading up to that night flashed before Mikayla’s eyes, and she wondered in the final moments of her life if anything could have been done to lead to a different fate.

Chapter 1

Mikayla

Two Months Earlier

Girls, what did I tell you both about leaving your socks just laying everywhere around the house? Mikayla groaned as she almost walked by a sock wedged between the living room couch and the wall behind it. She didn’t know what in the world her daughters, Zuri and Kai, did when she was upstairs in her room working on her women’s empowerment blog, but she was always finding things in the strangest places. The other day, she’d found socks in the toilet, and of course nobody could tell her what that was about.

Sorry, Mom! Zuri, the oldest daughter, said, rushing down the stairs of their two-story home.

Mikayla didn’t even have to point the sock out for Zuri to know exactly where it was. Mikayla shook her head. She just couldn’t believe how big they’d gotten right before her eyes.

Zuri snatched the sock and exited the living room as quickly as she came. Mikayla was sure she was going to hole herself up in her room and gossip to her best friend on the new cell phone Mikayla had just gotten her.

Almost two years had passed since she’d separated from their father, Charles, and Zuri was now in the sixth grade. Kai was right behind her in the fourth. They’d grown accustomed to a one-parent household, especially since they went to stay with their father every other weekend. It was an arrangement that Mikayla was okay with, especially since communication between her and Charles was kept at a bare minimum. What she wasn’t okay with, however, was the fact that Charles still hadn’t signed the divorce papers. He argued that Mikayla didn’t have anything when she came into the wedding, so she should leave with nothing more than the house and child support. Mikayla’s legal fees were eating away at the money she did have, and she had no choice but to find a way to make some or she would be broke. However, she wanted to do something she wanted to do. She had been an ant under Charles’s thumb for too long, and she was ready to reclaim her identity.

At the time, all she wanted to do was help women who were, or had been, in the same shoes as her. The women in the world who felt helpless and unheard. She wanted to give them a voice. So, she started a blog called The Sisterhood. It was a safe place for women to express themselves and help each other overcome obstacles of being survivors of any kind of abuse. And thank God for her girl Emerson. All it took was a few retweets and IG posts to her hundreds of thousands of followers to get Mikayla on the right start. Before she knew it, The Sisterhood had grown from more than just an online blog. Soon Mikayla was getting booked to give motivational speeches and even go on talk shows.

It all came so fast, but Mikayla had finally found her calling. She wasn’t built to be somebody’s wife and personal masturbation device. She had a place in the world, helping people. Sometimes Damian crossed her mind, and although she hadn’t seen him or her mother recently, she knew they would be back sooner or later. But when she saw her brother again, she hoped that maybe she could help him.

Mikayla put her hands on her hips and gave her clean home a once over to make sure there was nothing else out of place before she, too, disappeared in her room for the evening. The universe had other plans for her, however. As soon as she turned in the direction of the staircase, the doorbell sounded.

It’s almost eight thirty at night, she said, checking the gold watch on her wrist as she headed over to the door. Who could be here?

She peered through the peephole to see who her guest was and smacked her lips before opening the door.

Dang, girl, it took you long enough! Charlie said, bursting through the door with her son in her arms. Here, hold MJ for me, please. I have to pee so bad! I was at the fabric store not too far from here, and I was going to try to make it home, but—

You didn’t make it, Mikayla said, taking MJ from Charlie. Go pee, girl. I’ll keep my nephew company. Isn’t that right, Man? Mikayla called him by his nickname and kissed his chunky cheeks.

He was the cutest toddler with his caramel complexion and deep dimples. He was the perfect mixture of Charlie and her boyfriend, Mason. His eyes were wide like Charlie’s, and he had eyelashes so long they could make a woman jealous. He smiled at Mikayla before resting his head on her chest.

Oh, my baby is tired. Poor baby, and your mama got you out and about, she cooed down at him and ran her hands tenderly over his soft curls.

Zuri! Mikayla called out.

Yes, Mommy? Zuri said when she came back down the stairs. Her eyes lit up when she saw who was in her mother’s arms. MJ!

Here, take his coat off and carry him upstairs with you and your sister so I can chat with Auntie Charlie for a bit, okay?

Okay, Zuri said and whisked MJ back upstairs with her.

When they were gone, Mikayla went into the kitchen and poured two glasses of wine. She placed them down on the high-top dining room table and sat down, waiting for her friend.

She’d just taken a sip from her glass when Charlie rounded the hallway corner. She draped her burnt orange peacoat over the back of her chair at the table and sat down across from Mikayla. She was glowing, and the sight of it made Mikayla more than happy. She, Charlie, and Emerson tried to hit the gym together twice a week so all of their bodies looked good, but there was something else making Charlie look so great. Love. It was apparent by the way she walked that Mason was making her a happy woman.

Mikayla was glad that the two of them could live their happily ever after in peace. She had to admit it was weird at first seeing the two of them together—especially since Mason was Emerson’s ex-husband and they had been together for so long. But just like everything else, it was simply another hurdle to get over. It took Emerson some time to fully come around to the idea, but now she and MJ were almost inseparable.

"Whew, girl! I had to go bad!" Charlie said, fanning herself.

Obviously. Especially since you’re popping up like this on a school night, Mikayla responded with a raised eyebrow.

Girl, who are you fooling? Those girls do not be ’sleep by nobody’s nine o’clock.

And how would you know?

Because Zuri called me last night at ten and asked me for my Netflix password, Charlie answered matter-of factly, then realized she’d said too much. I mean, that might not have been Zuri.

Uh-huh! Mikayla said with a laugh. Now I know I’m going to have to confiscate phones at bedtime.

Don’t do that to my baby, Charlie said, giggling. You’re going to get my titi privileges taken away.

Titi privileges?

Yeah, you know when your nieces come and tell you stuff that they can’t tell their mom, Charlie said with a shrug. So that we can, of course, tell their mom later.

Good save, Mikayla said, lifting her glass.

Always. Charlie lifted her glass too, and they both took a few sips of wine.

Have you talked to Em? Charlie asked.

Not since this morning. Why?

No reason. I’ve just been calling her since earlier, and she hasn’t answered the phone.

Oh, really? That’s weird, Mikayla said and looked away quickly.

The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Charlie, who pointed her finger at Mikayla’s face. You know something!

I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Like hell you don’t. Spill it! Charlie coaxed.

She asked me not to say anything.

Under the pretenses that you would tell me anyway so that she wouldn’t have to tell me.

What? Mikayla made a face at her friend’s logic.

Come onnnnn, Kay Kay! Wait! Charlie’s mouth formed an O, and she gasped. She got a man, didn’t she?

Mikayla’s smile said it all, and Charlie screamed.

Oh my God! She has a man? And she felt like she couldn’t tell me?

In all fairness, the only reason I found out was because I ran into the two of them at the grocery store.

They’re grocery shopping together? Charlie asked incredulously. Oh, this is serious then.

That’s what I said! Mikayla explained, feeling herself growing excited. She finally had someone to talk about this exciting news. "And girl, he’s fine."

I heard the hell out of that. It’s about time since, well . . .

Since you stole her man? Mikayla joked and instantly saw Charlie get tense. "Girl, I am just playing with you. We both know that Emerson and Mason were done way before you two got together. But still, it’s nice to see her finally jump