She was struggling. Even with the money she received for spousal support, it just wasn't enough to afford a place of her own. The plan was to stay with her mom for only a few months, but like New York, the cost of living was real high. She still had college debt and credit card bills to pay, not to mention the payments on her BMW. After six months, just as Tonya was starting to lose faith, she managed to find job as a cashier at a local grocery store. A friend helped her get into a place. She moved into a townhouse not far from her mother. It wasn't what she wanted, but she was thankful. She had a job, her family and her health. But in her heart, she was missing one thing...companionship! She may have been smart, but she had poor taste in men. It had been almost a year since she had even been with a man. But that soon changed when she met Mike, a man who would change her life forever!
Meeting Mr. Wrong...
As a cashier, Tonya met many people throughput her day at work. There was one guy, who was a regular, and she noticed he came through her line almost everyday. Mike was very nice looking, but not really her type. Although he was always dressed nice, she could tell he was a little hood. He had a swag that reminded her of the thugs she grew up around, living in the D. C. projects as a child. The kind of guy she vowed to never get involved with. Whenever he came in, she tried not to make eye contact, but he would just keep staring at her. One day when she was getting off work, she ran into him in the parking lot. And it just so happened that Mike was parked right next to her. As he approached his Mercedes, she smiled and quickly turned her head, but he was already standing next to her car. Wow! He is pretty bold, she thought as she slowly let down her window. He apologized for the intrusion and explained that he kept looking at her because he thought she was a woman he knew. They exchanged pleasantries and by this time she was more relaxed. They continued talking and Mike seized the opportunity to give her his number.
In the following weeks, she couldn't help but think of him often. He had been out of town on business so she hadn't seen him around at work. She located his number and decided to give him a call. As she dialed his number, the phone began to ring and she started to have regrets. Just when she was about to hang up, he answers. Recognizing her voice he says, "Well, hello beautiful!. It's nice to hear from you!" They talked on the phone for hours. He invited her to go grab a bite to eat and she accepted. They agreed to meet at The National Harbor, a popular riverfront development overlooking the Potomac River, just outside of D.C. After dinner, they strolled together on the boardwalk...getting to know each other better. She was very forthcoming. She told him about her life and why she moved back home. He, on the other hand, talked about his businesses, but he left out a few minor details about his type of work...He failed to mention that he was one of the biggest drug dealers in D.C. Over the next few months, they went on several dates together. He wined and dined her, taking her to places she had never been. She was impressed by him, but she was accustomed to being with men who had money. However, he was looking for a trophy wife. He knew she was just the type of woman he wanted in his life, beautiful and vulnerable. He needed a new "trap queen" and Tonya was just the perfect victim!
After dating for several months, Tonya thought she was in love! Mike had already set the trap to catch her. And as fate would have it, she got news that her ex-husband was no longer going to be sending her money. Soon the support that she depended on to help finance her livelihood was no longer available. The money she made as a cashier wasn't going to be enough to pay all her bills. Mike seized the opportunity to help. He offered to move in, reassuring her that she wouldn't have to want for anything. After giving it some thought, Tonya agreed. But she had no idea what she was getting into. He had even convinced her to quit her job. Mike wasted no time moving in and taking over. He bought her new furniture, paid her bills and still continued to take her out on extravagant dates. Everything was going great until one day she came home to find something she never expected to see. As she went down into her basement to wash a load of clothes, she noticed four big plastic bags filled with money. Shocked, she closed the bags and ran back upstairs. Her heart was pounding so fast she thought she was having a heart attack! She didn't know how to approach him yet, so she decided not to mention what she saw. Several weeks passed and she would see another red flag. Mike said he had to go out of town again on business but she noticed the bags in the basement were gone. It didn't take her long to figure out what he was up to, but she was now too scared if she addressed it that she would loose him and the lifestyle she felt she deserved.
One day after Mike left for another business trip, there was a knock at the door. There stood two men in suits. It was the FBI! "Is Michael Williams here?", they asked with serious looks on their faces. She answered no and with her boyfriend out of town, she didn't know what to do. The agents asked if they could search the house. She didn't want to appear guilty. And she thought since the bags were no longer in the basement, she didn't see a reason not to let them in. But somehow they knew exactly what they were looking for. They walked around the house looking for Mike, then headed straight to the basement. She followed them. Soon, another vehicle pulled up and they joined the agents in their search. "What are you looking for?", she asked. Ma'am, we have reason to believe that this is a trap house and we're looking for drugs!", they replied. Shocked, she headed back upstairs to call Mike but his phone was dead. She went back down to tell the officers to leave but by this time, they had already found the drugs which were hidden behind the ceiling tile. "That's not mine!", she yelled. But it was too late. "Ma'am, we're going to have to arrest you for possession and drug trafficking." It was a nightmare! Mike was nowhere to be found and Tonya was left to take the fall. How could he do this to me, she thought.
Taking Her Crown...
The handcuffs were cold and painful. She didn't resist but she was still in shock. As Tonya rode in the back of the police car, her life flashed before her eyes. So many thoughts came to mind. How could I have been so stupid? How did I miss the warning signs about Mike? Why didn't I confront him about the money? What's going to happen to me? What are people going to think? The reality was setting in. She was now being depicted as a "trap queen", and no one believed that she was not involved. How could she not know that her boyfriend was a drug dealer?...Who would believe she didn't know there were ten kilos of cocaine in her basement? She was not going to take the fall so she agreed to cooperate with the district attorney to testify against Mike, who was still at large. She was released on bail and returned to her house. A move that would prove to be a deadly one.
A few days after returning home, Tonya heard a loud noise coming from the basement. Terrified, she called the police, grabbed a knife from kitchen and headed downstairs to see where the noise was coming from. What she found was disturbing. It was someone trying to get into the house. Mike was on the run, but thought the drugs were still in the house. He had sent one of his goons to get the drugs. Mike had found out about her testifying against him and wanted her dead. He wanted to keep her from testifying against him. Afraid for her life, she swung the knife, striking the killer in his throat. Dripping on the walls, blood had gushed out everywhere! She got scared, dropped the weapon and ran upstairs. As she came up the stairs, she was met by another masked man who was holding a gun. Tonya fell to the ground, pleading for her life. But before she could try to run, he shot her in the back of the head twice, killing her instantly. As he was trying to flee the house, he was confronted by the police. "Drop your weapon!", they yelled with guns pointed. He didn't comply and they shot him several times in the chest. When they went to put the handcuffs on him, they removed his mask revealing his identity...It was Mike! They transported him to the hospital, where he later died of his wounds. Tonya fell into a trap of a life that she couldn't escape. Perhaps it was her naivety...Or just her need to be taken care of by rich men. However, she may have made it out of the hood, but it eventually came at a high cost...Her life!
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