The Scammer(38)

“Ma, I’m the only one who’s gone away to college. Can’t you and Daddy borrow it from Grandma. Or . . . something. Please, Mom. I owe these people money and they ain’t gonna let up.”

Loren’s mom sighs. “Let me talk to your father. Guess we can figure something out.”

After Loren wraps up her call victoriously, Devonte scribbles out more notes.

“Jordyn, you’re next,” he says.

I sit there, stunned. The fact that Loren could call her parents and ask them for money without suffering the third degree, ridicule, and admonishment . . . the fact that her parents love her so much they’d give her anything, the shirt off their backs if she wanted, while I am unsure my parents will even pick up the phone . . . makes my heart shatter.

I grip the script in my hand, shaking.

Devonte touches my wrist and coos the soft words “What’s wrong, Queen?”

The tears I’ve been holding back come bursting through.

“I can’t ask them. I just can’t!” I sob but quickly straighten, realizing I still have a job to do. “But . . . I want to go with you to Emancipation.”

Devonte wipes the tears away with his thumbs. “I believe you. But everything in this world has a cost.”

“I’ve already given you everything that I have.” I shake my head. “My parents hate me. They won’t understand what we’re trying to do. They don’t have Black pride like we do.”

He takes me in for a moment. “You have three credit cards, right?”

I swallow. I never told anyone that.

“Yes,” I breathe. “But they’re under my parents’ account.”

He tips up my chin with his index finger. “Are you your own woman?”

“What do you mean?”

“Seems like everything you do, you must have your parents’ help with. Sounds like you ain’t an independent thinker, a free spirit. Maybe you’re not ready to be enlightened.”

“I am! You know I am.”

“Then why can’t you open your own credit cards?”

The question is so simple yet feels pivotal.

“My . . . own? Well, I mean I can. It’s just . . . I never have.”

“Then it’s time for you to cut that umbilical cord and make decisions for yourself.” He shyly looks down at his palms. “Unless you’re not ready to be with us.”

Vanessa, Loren, and Kammy stare with curiosity.

Principle number three: Arouse in the other person an eager want.

I don’t want to blow this moment so I dig deeper. “But . . . how will I pay for them?”

“You won’t need to pay, Queen. They can’t do anything if you don’t have the money to pay it back. They can’t arrest you. You’re a student. All they’ll do is send letter after letter, call after call. And we will tell them the truth: that their earthly laws no longer apply to you. It can be complex, that’s why I’m here to guide you through it.”

For the briefest moment, Loren seems bewildered. Maybe the same questions that are running through her mind are running through mine.

Vanessa, standing over us, nods. “Remember how I was telling you Devonte was good with finances? He has a stock portfolio and stuff. He paid for my car in cash.”

I don’t remember her saying that at all.

I wait for someone to ask the obvious question: If he has money, why does he need ours? But no one utters a word.

“Wow,” Kammy says. “Maybe you can help us get cars.”

Devonte doesn’t take his eyes off me, even with Kammy raining compliments. It’s a stare down that I have no plans on winning.

“All you have to do is take your credit cards to the ATM and make a withdrawal,” he says, his voice reassuring. “In fact, since this is the first time you’re doing this, I’ll take you myself.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Also, can’t let you walk around with money. Like I told you, I’m here to protect you. But before we go, let’s fill out an application.”

I look down at my palms. “I’ve never applied for a credit card before. What if they reject me?”

“It’s not like school, Queen. They won’t reject you.”

Devonte helps me fill out the paperwork online. Within thirty minutes, I receive an automatic approval.

“Five thousand. Not bad,” he mumbles. “We’ll wait for the card to arrive before withdrawing the amount.”

“But won’t I have to pay this back eventually? And what about credit scores, stuff like that.”

“Sister, you will be paid in gold and riches. Once we accomplish what we need to, banks will forgive.”

“Really?”

“It’s just a matter of filling out the right paperwork. Trust me, I know how the system works. They’re trying to scare you, but you’re strong. You have a lion’s heart. You can face anything.”





Thirteen




A group of seven girls I’ve never see before sit in the living room, drinking Devonte’s tea, eating up his words like starving kittens.

“Low-vibrational foods are those foods that are lacking life-force energy. Foods that don’t transfer energy and inject life into men, which is your sole purpose. Fasting is a part of our cleansing, our detox, our way to enlightenment, our door to emancipation.”