Nia Bailey was a drug lord who served as the main antagonist for season 2 of In the Dark. She was portrayed by Nicki Micheaux.
Background[]
Nia Bailey was a drug lord in Chicago and had been for many years. Nia was good at avoiding arrest as she posed as a businesswoman. She had many associates who were loyal to her such as Samantha Rogers and Vincent Davis both of whom she would task with "handling people". She would get her supplies from Mateo, who was a drug lord from Guadalajara Mexico. Nia was very close to her brother, Darnell James who she also had selling drugs for her.
One day a Detective Dean Riley came knocking at her door. He would ask her questions about a liquor store shooting that was committed by one of her rivals. Nia would deny any involvement in this. She would then ask Dean how he was doing. Dean is unsure what to make of that question and Nia would reveal to him that she knows about the car crash that claimed his wife's life and caused his daughter to be blind. Nia would make Dean an offer. Be an informant for her and she would help pay the bills from the hospital. Dean accepted this deal. Dean would always go to a train station locker where Nia would leave him tips and vice versa.
One day, Nia would be arrested on charges of racketeering. This was because one of her guys, Max Parish, who through his food truck would launder money for Nia flipped when he was caught by Detective Sarah Barnes (Although no one knew it was him). Even in jail, Nia still was able to keep her business running through her people.
Season 1[]
During Mommy Issues, Darnell would visit Nia in prison. The family member, Tyson Parker is missing. Darnell would tell Nia that everything is alright but there is one problem, Tyson's friend Murphy Mason is also looking for him and she could stumble across certain things that could be bad for them.
During The Feels, Darnell would visit Nia who tells him that he is short of 15K. Darnell would assure Nia that he has this handled. Nia would then bring up Max, who is seeing Murphy. Nia tells Darnell that she can't have anyone poking around at her business as she waits for trial. She tells Darnell to take care of it which he tells her he will. Nia then tells Darnell that she is giving Wesley a few more blocks to sell dope on try him out. Darnell told Nia that this is a bad idea because Wesley is a loose cannon and that he does not take things seriously. Nia would defend Wesley, saying that he is a good soldier who is moving major product. Nia would then tell Darnell to step it up on all fronts before leaving.
In The One That Got Away, Tyson is found dead, and Darnell would visit Nia to tell her that Wesley did it. Nia would tell Darnell that she will handle it but in actually does nothing as she does not believe Darnell especially because this information came from Murphy. Murphy would later have Wesley arrested but Nia would have her guys pay for Wesley's bail. Nia also provided Wesley with information on who sent him to jail in the first place. Wesley would go to kill Murphy, but he is accidently killed.
In Deal or No Deal, Darnell would visit Nia, but she is worried because this is a surprise visit. Darnell tells her that nothing bad has happened. He asks Nia if he can do more in her drug operation. Nia asked Darnell why he wants to do this, and Darnell explains that he needs to be in this as he has given up a lot. Nia aggresses to this and tasked Darnell with handling a drop night.
In Bait and Switch, Nia would find out that Max was the one who snitched on her. She would have her guy; Vincent goes to Max with the goal of killing him. However, Vincent is not successful.
In I Woke Up Like This, Max goes into hiding and without his witness testimony, Nia is released from prison. A guard would open the gates for Nia. Nia walks on the rain dampened street with a steely expression.
In Rollin' with the Homies, Nia would come meet Murphy at the bar that she is known to hang out in. Being blind and having not met Nia Murphy does not know it is her at first until Nia hints to her who she is. When Murphy figures it out Nia would tell Murphy that she didn't have anyone of her guys kill Tyson as he was one her own. Nia then tells Murphy that she had been causing some trouble in her business and warns her to stay out of it. Before Nia leaves, she tells Murphy to not mention this meeting to her cop friends and then she wishes her a happy birthday.
Nia would have Vincent arrange a meeting with Detective Dean Riley to see if Murphy might be a problem.
Nia would later meet with Detective Dean Riley in a parking garage who informs her that Murphy won't be of any trouble. However, neither of them knew that they were being watched by Dean's partner Jules Becker. Detective Becker didn't see Dean's face but see his gun holster, so she knows that however Nia was talking too was a cop.
In It's Always Been You, Nia and Dean would meet again. Nia would start the conversation by asking about Dean's daughter Chole. Dean would tell Nia that Chole was boing good. Nia would then ask Dean what is going on. Dean would tell her in a very anxious tone that his partner Jules Becker is on to them and has information on her that could put her away for a very long time. Nia would thank Dean for the tip and would ask him if he wants some metaloph. However, Dean is far too distracted in his own thoughts as he knows what Nia is going to do to his partner.
Nia would have her most loyal enforcer Sam carry out the hit. Sam would kill Detective Becker in her apartment by injecting an unknown substance into her head which kills her. Sam would then make it like a suicide by placing bottles and pills on Detective Becker's table.
Nia would be informed by her other enforcer Vincent that two of Murphy's friends: Jess Damon and Felix Bell (who also work at Guiding Hope) have found Nia's drug money that Max had on him when he ran from Vincent. Vincent asked Nia if he should take it from them, but Nia would decide to let them have it.
After both Murphy and Dean would get into a car accident Nia would visit Murphy in the hospital. Murphy would be panicked and swore to Nia that she will find a way to pay it back, but Nia tells her not to worry about it as she will let Murphy, and her friends keep it as an investment. Nia explains to Murphy that with Max gone she has no front to store her drug money in but now she has a new one Guiding Hope. Before leaving Nia would give Murphy an orange locker key and walks off as Murphy asks her what she just gave her.
Season 2[]
In It's All About the Benjamin, Detective Dean Riley would call Nia, but she tells Dean that she knows that he was the one who killed Tyson and that he lied to her about it. Nia tells Dean that their relationship was based on trust but no that that trust has been broken they don't have a relationship anymore. Dean would bring up Chole to Nia telling her that he is all that Chole has. Nia however does not care and hangs up on Dean as Sam enters the car with two cups of coffee. Sam would give Nia one of the cups and asked her if she was good. Nia told her that they just lost their guy on the inside and Sam would ask Nia how much he knows. Sam would suggest taking him out but Nia refuses telling her that it's not worth it. Nia also tells her it's because if they kill Dean that the cops might look at her. Sam would look out the window and shake her head. Nia would ask Sam what was bothering her, and Sam would voice her concerns about Nia using Guiding Hope as a new front. Nia tells Sam that there are no other options and that while she was locked away, her rival Josiah took everything on one of her blocks. Sam would tell Nia that without Dean providing them information they have no idea if Murphy and her friends would flip on them. Nia would assure Sam that those kids are not that stupid and if they do think about rating them out, she is sure that Sam could handle it. Nia then tells Sam to give her the coffee lid which she does.
Murphy and her friends, Jess Damon and Felix Bell would try to give Nia back her money by giving it to her inside a backpack, but Nia does not accept it. Sam would go to Guiding Hope and give the group the money back and when they tried to argue Sam would pull a gun on them. With this the group would no longer try to argue.
During Cross My Heart and Hope to Lie, Nia would have Darnell come to Sunrise Cleaners. Nia would pour a cup of tea for Darnell as he asks her how business has been. Nia tells her that she is doing alright as she has just found another front but does not tell Darnell anything else since he was so close with Max. Nia would ask Darnell if he had seen Max around, but Darnell tells Nia that he hasn't.
Nia would ask Darnell why he wanted to meet her so late. Darnell told her that he found out that the person who killed Tyson was a cop and the same one that had been working for her. Nia tells him that his knows and that she had cut all ties with Dean Railey. Darnell would ask Nia is she was going to "take care of him" but Nia tells him that she can't as he is back on the force and that she already had his partner killed so if he were to die in the same manner too then the cops would find out about her. This would surprise Darnell because Detective Juler Becker was his girlfriend. Darnell would keep his composure as asks Nia for a break. Nia would grant Darnell not only aa break but out of the gang life completely this but only if he were to find Max and kill him. Darnell is not sure about this which surprises Nia as Max also tried to put him away. She tells Darnell that getting out is not cheap and Darnell would agree to take out Max for her.
Darnell would come back to Nia and tells her that it's all done. With this Nia tells Darnell that he can go. However, Darnell didn't kill Max as he still saw him as a good friend and only told him to never come back to Chicago.
In Deal Me In, Nia would find out by Sam that Max is alive and in prison which means that Darnell lied to her. She tells Sam to bring Darnell to her office and Sam does just that. Nia told Darnell how much of a liability, he is to her and would reveal to Darnell that she knew that Jules Becker was his girlfriend but had her killed anyway. Nia tells Darnell that she had to have Jules killed as she was on to them. Darnell asked Nia what she wanted from him and Nia told him that she wants him to do his old job again. Nia tells Darnell to show her were his loyalty stands, and Darnell would agree. Nia would pat Darnell's shoulder before passing herself a drink. Nia told Darnell that she knew him all his life and that she would hate to lose him.
In prison Max would be stabbed by another inmate who was ordered to do it by Nia as revenge for snitching on her.
Nia would hold a meeting in her office. Sam would explain that Josiah guys took over one of their corners. Sam would also tell Nia that Josiah is trying make a deal with Mateo for more supplies. Nia tells everyone in the room that she will send him a message. She would Sam to take out one of his guys, but Darnell would offer to carry out the hit. Nia decided to let Darnell prove himself although Sam does not like it. Nia would tell Darnell to get it done. Nia would tell everyone to go which they do. Sam would glare at Nia for a bit before leaving the room. Just as Vincent is about to walk off Nia tells him that she has something he needs to do for her, which is assault Felix to make sure that he never steals from Nia again.
Darnell would go to Josiah arcade which acts as his front. However, instead of killing anyone Darnell would make a deal with Josiah. He would take her to Nia's stash house and let them take everything. Josaih agrees to this and has several men accompany Darnell. Josiah would also kill one of his men since Darnell told him that Nia was expecting him to kill one of his guys.
The group would go to the stash house only to see police coming in. The group celebrates as they think that the cops will find the stash, but they don't as Murphy warned Nia about the cops coming. In exchange for this information Murphy will have Nia call off the hit on Max and Murphy would also have Nia put all of her drug money in Guiding Hope.
In The Unusual Suspects, Nia would talk in her office to Darnell with Sam present. Darnell would hear from Sam that their drugs were almost seized by the police. Darnell would tell Nia that he took care of that Josiah message which Nia is very happy about. Darnell would ask Nia about the drop later, but Nia told Darnell that she is trying somebody else new. Darnell would leave the room after this.
In The Truth Hurts, Sam would get very jealous that her girlfriend Sterling is spending a lot of time with Jess, as Sterling is working at Guiding Hope as a mole. Sam would force Jess to go to Sunrise Cleaners. She would try to prove to Nia that Jess is going to the cops, but they find nothing on Jess's phone. Nia would dismiss Sam thinking that she just wants payback for Jess sleeping with her girlfriend. However, Nia would find out that Jess does not know about the stash of product that is in Guiding Hope. Nia would tell Sam that if Murphy and Felix don't trust her how are they supposed to. Sam would tell Nia that they just need to find a new front. Nia, however, decides have Jess killed instead something that Sam is at first apprehensive about but does eventually agree with Nia. Nia would break things down to Jess which gets Jess to break down in tears. Just then someone dressed in black would shoot Nia in the chest. Nia would fall down as Sam and Jess duck for cover. Sam would then start shooting back at the man who runs off.
Jess would try to leave only to stop when an injured Nia begs her for help. Jess would reluctantly help Nia as Sam comes back to Nia's office. Jess wants to bring Nia to the hospital but both Nia and Sam say that is not an option. Jess would stop Nia from bleeding by using tape and a cloth. Jess and Sam then take Nia to Guiding Hope. Jess would put a breathing mask on Nia with Sam helping. Jess would ask Sam where the heroin they are hiding is and Sam would tell her. Jess would give Nia the drugs to act as painkiller while she does her best to take the bullet out. Jess manages to save Nia, which makes Sam happy while also making her feel remorseful. Sam would take Nia to Jess's car safely with the help of Darnell.
In The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back, Nia is in her bed still trying to recover from her bullet wound. She tells Sam that this can't happen again. Sam would ask Nia who in Josiah's crew she needs her to take out, however Nia tells Sam not to or else he would be coming for her. Nia tells Sam that they need to get that shipment from Mateo now that Josiah is almost out of product. Nia would then ask Sam to find her another way to bring her product into the prison now that her smuggler, Margaret Paulson was just arrested. Murphy would then call with Sam being the one who picks up. Murphy would tell Sam that they are having problems with getting the drugs out of Guiding Hope, but Sam just tells her to forget about it because they lost their way into the prison.
Nia, Sam and Darnell would try to brainstorm what they should do. Darnell suggests renting a house on the app and move their stuff in for a couple of days and then move on. Nia would think this is a good idea and thanks Darnell. Sam would ask about the transport since that is a lot of moving product that is going around. Darnell tells Sam that this is their best option. Darnell would then ask Nia why they are using Guiding Hope ass a front because the place seems to him like a liability.
Nia would learn from Max that Murphy smuggled drugs by herself into the prison. Nia would ask Sam why Sterling had not told them about this as she is supposed to be there eyes in the place. She would then tell Sam to bring Sterling to her and Sam obliges.
Sam would bring Sterling to Nia, and she asked Sterling why she didn't know what Murphy was doing. Sterling tells Nia that ended things with another person, Jess but Nia does not seem to care and send she off. Nia would then tell Sam to bring her Murphy. Sam would call Murphy while she was on a date and Murphy is forced to cancel her date.
In a hotel room Nia would ask Murphy how she is doing. Murphy tells Nia that she is doing good and asked the same question to Nia. Nia told Murphy that she is alive thanks to Jes. Nia tells Murphy that she hears that she has been smuggling product. Murphy apologies to Nia but Nia tells Murphy that she wants her to keep doing it and also bring her product to the women's prison to. Nia told Murphy that people think it's not a good idea to have Guiding Hope as a stash house, but she says that it's not the dog school she is interested in but Murphy herself as she is good at what she is doing. Nia tells Murphy to be just as loyal to her as she is to her friends. Nia also tells Murphy to be careful of who she trusts as Nia herself learned that hard way that many people are out for themselves.
Nia would tell Darnell over the phone that she is going to keep everything the way it is. She tells Darnell that Murphy has just found a new way into the prison.
In Codependence Day, Murphy would tell Nia, and that Darnell stole their product from Guiding Hope. This information infuriates Nia who has Sam bring Darnell to her room. Nia would thank Murphy for coming to her as she knows Darnell is a friend of Murphy. Nia will ask Murphy if she wants a brownie. Murphy would accept the brownie as Nie would ask Murphy were she is from. Murphy would tell Nia that she is from Wheeling. Nia told Murphy that the place is very nice. She tells Murphy that she going to replenish what was stolen when her next shipment comes in. Nia will then ask Murphy if she wants tea and Murphy would accept.
Sam would come back with Darnell. Nia would look at Darnell and tells Murphy to head home. When Murphy leaves Nia would bring Darnell to the bedroom. She would tell Darnell to leave Chicago and that she never wants to see him again. When Darnell leaves, Nia would tell Sam to bring her the security camera footage that Sterling had placed in the building to see if Darnell acted with somebody else. Sam would ask Nia what they are going to do with Darnell if he really did work with someone else but Nia yells at her for questioning her methods and orders her to get the tapes.
In How to Succeed in Business Without Really Dying, Murphy tells Nia that the feds know about her shipment and are planning to intercept it at the warehouse. Nia would ask Murphy how she knows this, and Murphy explained that she is sleeping with a guy from the IRS. Murphy tells Nia that she can redirect the shipment to Guiding Hope and then disperse it to her stash house from there. Nia would point out to Murphy that her stash is not going to fit in the safe they have in Guiding Hope, but Murphy tells her that they will just put it in the basement. Nia asked Murphy what she wants for all of this, but Murphy tells Nia that she wants nothing. Murphy told Nia that she is giving her that loyalty she wanted which Nia says she appreciates. Nia would then offer Murphy some steaks and Murphy tells Nia that she wants them well done.
Unbeknownst to Nia, Murphy was planning on taking her drugs and giving them to Josiah in hopes that Nia will either flee the country or be killed by the cartel.
In The Last Dance, Detective Dean Riley would come to Nia. Nia would ask Dean what he would reveal that the DEA, IRS and Chicago PD are closing in on her. Dean would then give her a document on what the authorities have on her. Dean would ask for a cut of the cartel shipment and Nia would agree. Dean also tells her that she needs to get all of her heroin out of Guiding Hop. Nia asked why she should do that as no one is on to it, Dean would then reveal by a recording that Murphy is planning to give all her drugs to Josiah. Nia would be very angered by this and says that she is going to kill Murphy. Nia would go to Vincent and tells him to get everyone to guiding Hope tonight. Nia then tells Dean that when she gets everything back, she will call Dean to give him the money that is owned to him. Before Dean leaves Nia would ask if there were going to be any cops around. Dean tells Nia that it's only going to be his partner, Gene Clemens who is working rogue. Nia would ask Dean if her guys can take him, and Dean gives says yes.
Vincent would call Nia and tells her that they are at Guiding Hope, but all the drugs are gone. Nia would tell Vincent to find Murphy. Vicent would find Murphy, Felix and Max but tell him that they don't have the drugs, a friend of theirs's Ben has them and he is at the bar called The Linsmore. However, when they get to the Linsmore they find Ben lying on the ground, dead having apparently OD'd on Nia's drugs. Just then Nia would come into the bar and said hello to Murphy. Nia would find out that with Ben dead she can't find her drugs. Nia would have Vincent take both Felix and Max to the back of the bar while she "chats" with Murphy. With both of them alone Nia would have Murphy sit on a table as she runs through everything that Murphy did, going behind her back, trying to give all her drugs to Josiah and now having lost all the drugs thanks to their dead junkie friend. Murphy would try to explain to Nia, but Nia would punch Murphy in the face causing her to drop down on the floor while coughing up blood. Nia would then beat Murphy relentlessly. Murphy would try to defend herself, but she is no match for Nia as she continues to beat her up. Nia would then take a break to go to Vincent and asked him for his gun as Max and Felix try to protest. Vincent asked Nia if he can't do it for her, but Nia tells him that she wants to do it herself. Nia would then leave the room and walks slowly to Murphy as she tries to crawl away. Nia points the gun at Murphy and was about to shoot her when Jess shoots her two times in the back using Ben's gun.
Killed Victims []
Unknown amount of people - Killed in unknown ways by Samantha Rogers and Vincent Davis on the orders of Nia Bailey.
Jules Becker - Injected with an unknown substance by Samantha Rogers on the orders of Nia Bailey.
Benjamin Wakefield - Cracked his head on a counter while under the influence of Nia Bailey's drugs.