by Keon Smith
“Boy, don’t be callin’ my friend no bitch. She ain’t do nothin’ to you. You don’t see me going around disrespecting your friends, do you? So don’t disrespect mine.”
“Damn, why you getting all sentimental with me? You act like you don’t call her a bitch all the time,” Montega replied.
“That’s my girlfriend. I can call her anything I want, and she knows it don’t mean shit, but you seem to be rising up on her shit list. Now, her cousin, Crystal, has her car, and mine is in the shop, so I need yours. You ain’t doing nothing anyway but hustling like you always do.”
Montega huffed, knowing he couldn’t deny her even if he wanted to. “Aight, shorty, just give me a few minutes, and I’ll be over there. I gotta stop down 7th and Huntington to pick up some tree. I need to wake up.”
“You need to stop smoking. That’s why you so retarded now.”
It ain’t the weed that got me like this. It’s these niggas.
After getting off the phone, he jumped in the Impala and peeled out.
As Shug drove around the city in a brand-new, white, 2005 Rolls Royce Phantom, followed by his entourage of young gunners in the black Range Rover Sport, his intention was to stop at a restaurant downtown, but instead, he ended up riding through South Philly to show off his prized possession. On the passenger side, Tee-Tee sat in boredom, twirling her finger around in her hair. She was tired of the same old shit every time she got with Shug. There were never any exciting trips out of the country, no surprises, no compliments on her attire, not even roses like he used to send to her. Now it was simple—ride around to show her off, fuck her, and drop her off.
Before she could say anything, Shug turned down the T.I. Urban Legend album. “Let me ask you a question while I got you here,” he said, deep in thought.
“Who was that dude you was talkin’ to that night in the club a few weeks back?”
Tee-Tee’s heart began to thud. “What are you talking about?” she asked, trying to buy herself time to think.
“You know what I’m talkin’ ’bout. Kev said his shorty seen you rappin’ with some dude, and Gee said the same thing. Gee said he never seen dude before. Now you gonna sit here and lie to me? Who was he?” Shug demanded as his volume went up.
“Shareek, it’s not that serious. It was just some guy tryna talk to me. I told him that I had a dude. He respected it and walked off. If your friends are so concerned about what I do, then maybe they should make their presence known instead of hiding in the shadows all the time. I’m sure they would see that there’s nothing going on.”
Shug backslapped her in the face with his free hand, causing the Phantom to swerve a bit on the road. Tee-Tee’s head bounced off the window. Shug shouted, “Bitch, stop fuckin’ lying!”
“I’m not lying, Shug!” Tee-Tee shouted back with tears.
He grabbed her hair and yanked her head toward him. “You fuckin’ whore. You think I’m fuckin’ stupid? Gee said y’all was talking for a minute, and you was givin’ cuz some rhythm. Now, who the fuck was he?” he asked again as he pulled up to the block where Kev was flagging them down. Shug mugged Tee-Tee in the head. “I’ll deal with your ass later,” he said, stopping when he got to Kev.
Tee-Tee had to use every ounce of strength inside her not to cry, even though the tears were there. She felt so embarrassed. This was the fourth time Shug had put his hands on her. She instantly knew that she and Montega had to cut their relationship short before shit got ugly. Shug was nobody to play with. As she tried to fix herself up, Shug rolled down his window.
“What’s up?” he asked with a mean mug. Kev saw that he wasn’t wearing his glasses, which he almost always did. His lazy eye looked even heavier than before, and his eyes were red.
“Yo, we got problems. Dumb ass Homie-Time got booked last night with the same gun we used to smoke that Silent King dude at the club,” Kev informed him.
Shug looked over his shoulder at Tee-Tee, making sure she wasn’t being nosy, before turning back to his man. “How the fuck did he get booked, cuz? I just seen his ass at the Crab House last night.”
“The dickhead was tryna sell the jawn out in New York; now he’s at Riker’s Island, bitchin’. It’s only a matter of time before those ballistics get back and match the gun to the shooting,” Kev said, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Well, he gotta take the case. That’s on him. Ain’t nobody tell him to go sell no gun. Fuck’s wrong with him? We got the crash dummies to do that. What he worried about selling a gun for with as much money as he making? You see what I mean about these dumb ass dudes? This is why you gotta be hard on ’em. This is why you got to put a leash around they fucking necks and walk ’em. They’re like sheep. They can’t think for themselves, so you gotta think for ’em.”
He glanced over at Tee-Tee again and said, “Bitches too.”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” Kev added. “I got that address you were looking for. I talked to her a few hours ago. She still over in Jersey.”
Shug rubbed his thick beard as he pondered his next move. Looking over at Tee-Tee again, he said, “We gonna have to do this another time, shorty. Business comes first. Kev, have one of your young bols drop this bitch off at her crib, and come with me.” He unlocked his door to let her out of the Phantom.
Tee-Tee rolled her eyes then got out. Her light-skinned complexion bore a thick, red handprint from where Shug had hit her. Eyes from all around her watched with a shocked look. People began to whisper. Some even snickered under their breaths, knowing that Shug had put his foot down again. She really lost a lot of love for him after that. Although she couldn’t choose a side, she decided that some payback would make her feel better. One thing for sure, and two things for certain; there was nothing worse than a woman scorned. And Shug would realize that.
Payback
“First I’m gonna get my money’s worth out of her…”
MILLION-DOLLAR MIKE
INSIDE THE CHEVY IMPALA SS…
Breezy and Kia drove across the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Montega’s tinted-out car, swerving in and out of traffic. They had just dropped him off on Blakemore Street and were trying to beat the five-o’clock rush hour.
“This car is fast as shit,” Breezy said, admiring the black leather interior while jerking the steering wheel from left-to-right. The suspension bounced from side-to-side and the engine vibrated the interior. “Where did your brother get it from?”
“Girl, slow the hell down ‘fore you get us both killed. It’s bad enough I’m lettin’ you drive his car. If he knew it was you behind the wheel, he’d have a fucking fit,” Kia said.
“Fuck him, with his smart-ass mouth. He gets on my damn nerves with that nonchalant attitude of his, like he that bol. He ain’t nobody. I would hate to see him with some real money—gonna call me out my name like I did something to him. He better worry about that whore he sleepin’ with.”
“You two always at it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think y’all liked each other,” Kia said, suspiciously eyeing her girlfriend.
“Ha! Imagine that. I wish I would mess with someone from around topside. Besides, your brother ain’t my type,” Breezy acknowledged.
“And what’s not your type?” Kia asked, a little offended.
“You know, guys that are in a rush to die or get locked up. Don’t tell me that’s not where he’s headed if he don’t cut his bullshit out. Oh, and did I mention he likes to fuck whores?”
Kia ignored Breezy’s insult. “Anyway, where are we going?”
“To that bitch’s house. Where else?” Breezy asked while switching lanes. “I followed Kevin a few days ago, and I think it was to her house. That’s why I needed to use a different car.”
“Who is she? That Spanish chick you was about to beat up a while back?”
“Yup,” Breezy admitted while applying more pressure to the gas pedal with her foot.
Kia curled up her lip.
“This time, there ain’t gonna be nobody to sav
e her ass,” Breezy said. “I’ma teach this hoe to keep her hands to herself and find her own man. God, it’s hot as hell in here with all this black leather. Why the fuck! Don’t these windows roll down?”
“I don’t know, but why don’t you just turn the air conditioner on? That’s the smart thing to do,” Kia replied, punching different buttons on the middle panel.
Once they arrived in Cherry Hill where the woman lived, Breezy parked across the street. It was a nice, quiet setting with modest houses and large front lawns split in half by concrete pathways that led from the sidewalk to the front porch. The girl that she was looking for had an indoor-porch. Breezy grabbed her mace and started to get out. “Wait, Bree, look,” Kia said, pointing to the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead that pulled up across the street from where they were parked.
When Shug and Kev got out, she quickly ducked. “Kia get down, girl, before they see us,” Breezy whispered.
“Bitch, these windows are tinted black. Superman couldn’t see through ’em, so stop panickin’. Now what the hell are they doin’?”
“I don’t know,” Breezy said, whipping out her phone. “But I’m gonna call Kevin and see—”
Kia snatched the phone from her and set it between the seats. “Are you crazy? Think about what you’re about to do. You’re not supposed to be here. Now, you brought me out to this girl’s house. Let’s see what they’re up to.”
When Kev started to walk up the steps, Shug followed with his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “You sure this the spot?” Shug asked, looking around for any witnesses. The neighborhood was quiet. Cars were parked up and down the block, but there was no sign of anyone.
“Positive,” Kev said before stepping up to knock. “I told you I drove out here before. Look. When I knock on the door, stay to the side until she opens it up because shorty be on some paranoid shit after we let her keep that bread.” Kev knocked.
A minute later, the door opened. Jennifer stood in the doorway, smiling. Before she could say a word, Shug came out of nowhere and landed a hard right hook to her jaw and almost took her head off.
“Oh my God?” Kia said with her hand over her wide-open mouth.
“What happened? I missed it,” Breezy said, cursing herself for trying to reach for her cell phone. Before Kia could respond, tires screeched to a halt as Mike pulled up in his Benz. He double parked next to the black Range Rover and quickly got out. The goons in the Rover did the same. Together, they all headed for the house.
Inside, Shug dragged a screaming Jennifer into the living room, pulling out a custom Taurus 1911 semi-automatic .45. It was a chrome pistol with a pearl white handle and gold trigger. Shug saw none of its beauty as he smacked her over the head several times with it. The loud cracks to her skull were so powerful that Kev turned his head away in discomfort.
“You think you can steal from my family and get away with it, you grimy bitch? Huh?” Shug growled.
Just then, Mike walked through the front door. When he saw Jennifer lying on the floor, he felt no sense of remorse. Shug grabbed her by her hair and made her get on her knees to face Mike.
“Look at him!” he said coldly to the Dominican chick.
“Mike, please. I have your money. I never spent a dime. Please, Michael—”
“Shut up, bitch!” Shug snapped, smacking her to the floor with a backhand.
Jennifer cried hysterically. She was totally confused. When Mike went to jail, Shug was the one who told her that Mike never wanted to see her again because he wasn’t coming home. It was his way of getting into her head and into her panties as well. Afterward, he introduced her to Kev. Even though she believed him, she still kept Mike’s money in a safe place just in case he did get out. Shug, on the other hand, had no idea Mike really loved the broad. He surely didn’t want his cousin to know he busted her ass a little after he got locked up. He had to make his anger look real in the eyes of his cousin, so he continued to pistol whip her. This time, she blacked out.
“What you want to do, Mike?” Shug asked. “I can have my shooter kill this snake right now if you want.”
“Not yet. First, I’m gonna get my money’s worth out of her…” Mike said, unbuttoning his pants. Instantly, he started pissing on her. Warm golden urine splashed Jennifer’s bruised face, washing some of the blood from her battered skin.
Shug looked at Kev with a crooked smile. Kev shook his head in disbelief, while Shug turned back to look at his cousin. “Payback makes my dick hard, cuz,” he said. “I’m after you.”
After waiting in the car for almost an hour, Kia and Breezy watched as Kev was the first to come out of the house. Then came Mike, Shug, and the rest of the guys, all of them cautiously checking their surroundings before getting into their vehicles and speeding off. When Kia saw the smoke coming from the house, her eyes bulged. “Oh my God, Bree, we shouldn’t have come here,” she said as reality set in.
“What? Kia…”
“We should not have come here,” Kia said again. “The house is on fire, and nobody else came out. We gotta get outta here, bitch. Drive! Drive off now!” she shouted.
“Okay, okay, I’m going. Relax.” Breezy quickly started up the engine and peeled out just in time to see the house go up in flames in the rear-view mirror. Although neither wanted to admit it, they had just been witnesses to a murder. And if this was the way Shug and his people operated, then her brother was in serious trouble.
The Battery Pack
“Never turn a hoe into a housewife.”
MANIAC
The next morning, Montega lay in the bed, exhausted from another long episode of mind-blowing sex. As Tee-Tee tried to regain her breath, she sat up and braced herself, knowing that what she was about to tell him would change his life for the worst.
“Damn, Tee-Tee, what was that all about?” he asked, amazed by her sudden sex drive.
“Kenny, we have to talk,” she said, fidgeting with her fingers. “There’s something I have to tell you, and you might not like what you hear, but I can assure you, it’s the truth.”
Montega sat up with his elbows pressed to the bed, frowning. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Look. I know I should have told you this last night, but I couldn’t find the words to say it. Well, here it goes. I know who killed your best friend,” she said, watching his face turn to ice.
“What!” he snapped.
“Yesterday, when I was with my boyfriend, I overheard Kev from South Philly telling my dude that he killed someone outside the club. He described him as a Silent King guy,” she revealed, looking at the tattoo on his arm.
“Kev?” Montega replied, trying to figure out where he heard that name from.
“Yeah, Kevin. You know, Breezy’s boyfriend. He said that your friend robbed him on Tasker one night. That’s all I know.”
“What!” Montega jumped out of bed. “Kev killed Razor? He killed my homie? Oh fuck no. I can’t let that ride. He got life fucked up if he think this is over.”
“Kenny, how do you expect to get close to him? You know he has an army of young bols out there. You gotta be smart about it.”
Montega thought about this and dismissed it quickly.
“Check this out, shorty. I got close to him once; I can get close to him again. He ain’t the pope or the president, just a regular nigga like me. Besides, he don’t know me. He won’t even know what hit ’em,” Montega promised as he headed out of her bedroom.
“Kenny, wait!”
“What?” he asked, staring at her on the bed.
“Look. After today we can’t see each other anymore. It’s too dangerous for the both of us. Shug will kill us if he found out that we’ve been foolin’ around like this.”
“Shug?” Montega asked, remembering the name.
This was the first time Tee-Tee ever mentioned her dude’s street name to him. Now that he knew who he was, Montega saw why she was so cautious. “So what? This is it?” he asked, a little calmer.
Tee-Tee nodded. She knew t
hat after Montega did what he did, Shug would certainly retaliate and kill him, and she didn’t want to get caught in the mix. All she wanted was to put a battery in Montega’s back to ensure that he got the job done. Kev had been the reason she had the bruise on the side of her face, and he would pay for it. She knew how much Shug loved him like a brother. This would devastate him. And if she had to kill two birds with one stone by using a man that she had caught feelings for, then so be it.
Better him than me, she thought. “I’m sorry, Kenny, but it has to be this way… at least for now,” she said, frowning.
Montega nodded as his feelings for her started to fade. One thing his mother told him: never allow yourself to fall for a woman too quickly, because she might break your heart in the end. Then you’d be stuck in love with an enemy.
As he walked away, Tee-Tee said, “Wait, Montega, before you go…”
When Montega turned around, she said softly, “You take care of yourself.”
He didn’t respond. He just headed out the door and hit his remote to start the car. The Hemi engine came to life instantly. Sitting four cars away in a silver Nissan Titan, Maniac watched as the brown-skinned bol with the wavy hair and dark shades got into his black Impala and pulled off.
Maniac chuckled to himself. “I told Shug we shoulda tag teamed that bitch, but, no, ‘she a good girl’. Fuck outta here with that shit. You can’t turn a hoe into a housewife, and you damn sure can’t trust ’em no further than you can throw ’em.”
He dialed Shug’s number. When he answered, Maniac said, “Yeah, boss, your suspicions were right. Your little shorty been creepin’, and she got herself a little thug too,” he joked, watching the black car disappear around the corner.
As Montega headed south, he pondered on a way to get Kev without getting killed. He couldn’t believe Razor got murdered over something he and Lil’ Man did. Guilt washed over him. Twenty-thousand dollars may have been the most money he had ever collected at once, but it wasn’t worth the life of his homie. Revenge would never bring him back. However, it would have to ease his pain a bit.