by Mikal Malone
And I was going to get her.
I was putting on some fresh socks because the floor was wet due to everyone coming in from outside. 88 walked into the room and standing next to the door said, “So there’s nothing I can say to convince you to lay here. And to let me and them dudes handle this?”
I smiled.
He walked deeper inside. “I’m serious, Mercedes. Fall back on this one. You don’t have to go to every war.”
I sighed and touched the side of the bed next to me. “Sit down.” He walked in and flopped down on the mattress. “I don’t want you to save me, 88. That’s not what we’re about.”
He shook his head. “What is it about powerful women?”
“I’m confused.”
“If I said nothing and let you deal with all of this alone you wouldn’t have any respect for me. You’d probably call me a punk behind my back and even tell your friends about how I didn’t offer to help you. To fight for you.”
I rolled my eyes.
“But since I’m genuinely concerned about you and what you going through you look at me like I’m irritating,” he continued. “I want to know right now what you want me to do, Mercedes. No more games. Let’s put it all on the line while we still can.”
“Why are you doing this now, 88? Seriously.”
“Because I want a fucking answer.” He pointed at me. “I want you to be real with me and since you like to do things under pressure what better time than now?”
I stood up, walked across the room and leaned against the wall. “I told Jackson about us today. I called him and told him how I felt.”
“Did you tell him about me?”
“No…I couldn’t break his heart. But I think he knows.”
88 smiled but removed it quickly. “Well what he say?”
I sighed. “He begged me not to make any decisions right now.”
He frowned. “And how do you feel about that?”
“88, I love you. I didn’t want to say it like this. With everything going on but I do and it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. Since Derrick really. I didn’t even feel like this with Jackson.”
Looking at him he was a carbon copy of Cameron when we first got together, even his age. Except in this scenario I was six years older and not as confident. Every part of me wanted to let go and experience life with him but what if he left me after I gave him my heart?
He got up and walked toward me. “Don’t think too much about it, Mercedes.” He put his arms around my waist and looked into my eyes. “I’m only six years younger and you’re the only woman I desire.” He paused. “I can already see your mind giving you all the reasons why it won’t work. I’m just asking you to consider a few on how it will.”
“It’s easier said than done.”
“I know.”
I sighed. “You gonna hurt me.”
“Even if I do, that’s life.”
I walked away. “That’s not what I wanted to hear.”
“So you prefer lies?”
I looked away. “You too blunt. Sometimes a girl wants a lie or two.” I smiled. “It makes her feel better.”
“But I’m not dealing with a girl. I chose a woman.”
I grinned and felt guilty when I thought about what my sister must be going through in apartment #745. Here she was fighting for her life and I was falling deeper in love. “You do know this is the wrong time right? I can’t help but say it again.”
“What else we doing? We can’t make a move until the time Yvette chose. And since you’re going with us I would be fucked up if something happened to you and I didn’t get a chance to tell you how I feel, Mercedes. It’s now or never. I just wish you’d let me and the fellas go alone. ‘Vette too.”
“You made a lot of good points earlier.” I paused. “About the kind of woman I am. I do like a man who’s not afraid to fight when need be. But just like I’m attracted to a certain type of man you’re attracted to a certain woman too.”
“What that mean?”
“88, if I was sitting home hitting up your phone every five minutes you wouldn’t give me the time of day. You’d be bored out of your mind with our relationship.”
“You crazy! I would love that shit.”
“You would love it now…with me being who I am. But if I met you like that you wouldn’t be attracted to me. Men love women who are inaccessible. Not available.” I kissed him on the lips. “At the end of the day we both love danger. So let’s bust our guns and explore that part of our personality…together.”
“Hey guys, sorry to bother you,” Dukes said entering the room. “Rocky wants to see you in Carissa’s room. It’s about Fresh.”
Fresh was barely breathing when we walked into the room and I knew it was a matter of minutes before he died. It wasn’t until that time that I realized 88 and Fresh were really close. It was in the painful expression on his face as he stood near Fresh’s bedside.
Me, Yvette, Rocky, Heavy and Dukes stood in the background. It seemed like we were eavesdropping on the end of a good friendship. While Vance and Scott remained armed at the front door in the living room in case anybody had a mind to pay us a visit.
Ryan thank God was still sleep.
“He won’t make it long,” Rocky said wiping her hand on a bloody rag. “I did all I could to stop the bleeding. But…but…”
I saw tears rolling down her face and knew she felt personally responsible for his fate. I guess when we first asked her to help Fresh nobody thought about how she would feel if Fresh didn’t make it, which we all knew was a firm possibility the moment we saw his body.
She was a registered nurse not a doctor.
“Let’s leave 88 and Fresh alone,” I suggested. “They need privacy.”
Everybody walked out of the room and I was following until Fresh called my name with a painful breath. I walked up to him. “Yes, Fresh…what do you need?”
“The girl, Rocky, she’s gonna take this hard,” Fresh said in a light voice. “Kept saying how sorry she was that she couldn’t save me. Whatever you can do for her I’ll appreciate, Mercedes. It’s a dying man’s last wish.”
I exhaled. “On everything I hold dear with those words she’ll never have to work another day in her life. Consider it done.”
He smiled and looked at 88. “Make them niggas pay, man. I don’t…I don’t know who…but watch the…the apartments before the Trap. Watch…watch…them closely. It’s…a…”
“Rest, my nigga,” 88 said. “And know I’m going for blood.”
Fresh smiled one last time and closed his eyes forever.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CARISSA
“Let me go and we can put all of this behind us. I promise.”
I’m gonna die.
I’m gonna die and I can’t fix myself to come to terms with it by praying, even though that’s what I need to do.
One minute I was walking down the hall to confront Kliyo since Quinton was supposedly dead and the next I was being pulled inside of the Trap house. Forced to lie to my friends and get them to come here. I knew they were smarter though and knew they would never come alone. Despite my suggestion.
But things were worse than I thought when I moved deeper into the Trap house.
When I finally saw Quinton’s dead body in the bathroom a few feet from where I lie on the bed I could tell from the hole in his head that he hadn’t overdosed. And I knew it was only a matter of time before his corpse would start bringing with it the foul odor of death.
I was about to attempt to take a nap, in the hopes that I could think of a plan to set myself free when the door opened. I knew his name as Wilson because he smacked Grace when he caught her asking me if Heavy really loved Yvette. And if they were gonna make it or not.
As if I knew for sure.
Stupid, bitch!
But I learned a lot after that brief altercation between those two. For starters they were not a complete unit, which meant I could possibly break them up with the right
words. I also learned, by the way Rambler took care of me, that she was worried that when the dust settled and my girls came looking that she would be on the wrong end of the battle, which as of now was true.
“How are you?” Wilson asked with kind eyes settling on me. “The binds aren’t too tight are they?” He closed the door behind himself. “Because we don’t want you uncomfortable.”
The more I looked at him I could tell he was a good person, who probably got roped into this by Grace’s sneaky ass.
I smiled. “I would prefer if they were off.” I sat up and leaned against the headboard, my hands tied in front of me. “You think you can help me with that? I would really appreciate it.”
“Unfortunately they have to stay on but I must admit, I hate seeing you like this.”
“Well then, why are you doing it to me?” I asked. “I know you work for us, Wilson. Why let them drag you into this when you know what the end result will be? War.”
He shrugged and sat next to me. “I’m afraid of them.” He looked at the door and back at me. “My friends.”
“Well who’s in charge?” I asked.
“Kliyo,” he said with wide eyes. “Couldn’t you tell?”
“Not really. I mean, I know him and he would never do all of this. He looked scared sitting in the corner at the table. And it didn’t seem that he was in charge when you slapped that girl for asking me about Yvette and Heavy. “ I paused. “If you’re afraid what was that about?”
“You got me. It’s just that I blame Grace and her friend for all of this. Had they not come in the Trap none of this would be going on. You have to believe me.”
“Prove it. Then let me go, Wilson. Let me go and we can put all of this behind us. I promise.”
“Why would I do that?” he paused. “So your friends can come in here and kill me anyway?” He shook his head from left to right. “I’m afraid we’re well beyond that now and I’ll have to let things play out. Whatever that means.”
I scooted closer to him. “Listen, my friends are vicious but they’re also compromising. If you let me go they’ll understand that you had nothing to do with this. Trust me. It doesn’t have to go much further than what it already has.”
“Is that right?”
I smiled at his innocence. “Yes, if you let me go and I put a word in for you things will be fine and all they want is me to be safe.”
“But what about Quinton? If I let you go they’ll still blame me for him. After all, one of their soldiers is dead. Nobody’s gonna let that ride.”
I shrugged. “Well what happened to him?”
“All I know is that I came in after Heavy told me to pull Grace out of here and he was dead.” He moved closer. “I don’t know what they’re into out there but I promise that I had nothing to do with any of this in the beginning.”
I shook my head. “Let me ask you something else, is Heavy involved?”
His eyes widened. “Heavy? Why…do you think he is capable of this?”
“My friend is kind of green when it comes to him. She’s normally smart about these kinds of things but men always confuse her. Actually my friends Yvette and Mercedes.”
“You seem like you’re smarter than they are.” He grinned. “Seems like you know when people are lying and when they aren’t.”
I smiled. I could already tell he knew me too well. “Yes. I’m a very good judge of character.” I paused. “And because of it I can tell that you are in over your head, Wilson. Release me and I promise that my friends will not hurt you. Or Lil C when he gets in town.”
He frowned and his jaw twitched. Suddenly his mood grew darker and he looked like a different person. “Lil C huh?”
“Yeah…I know people are scared of him but I got him in my pocket just like the rest of them. A lot of people don’t know but him and my daughter had a son together. His name is Ryan. So trust me when I say he listens to me. I’m kind of like his second mother when you think of it.” I swallowed the lump in my throat because I could tell he was minutes away from releasing me. “All you have to do is let me go and—.”
Suddenly I felt a stinging sensation across my face that I couldn’t soothe with rubbing it because of how my hands were tied.
It took me a moment to realize he’d slapped me.
Hard.
While laughing hysterically he said, “I’m sorry but I couldn’t take anymore. I had to stop fucking with you when I saw how serious you were about leaving. Talking about you know a nigga’s mind and shit.”
“What you mean?” My face felt hot and I could feel tears coming on.
“Bitches like you make my balls itch. You think you can speak down to a nigga and that every man will fall into your spell. “ He lowered his brow. “Don’t you?”
“No…I…uh...” The words felt loose in my mouth and suddenly I didn’t know what else to say. Where I was so sure I was going home before we spoke now I wondered if I would leave with my life.
Or my dignity.
He laughed louder. “Let me be clear. My cousin started this shit to get the nigga Heavy back. That part is true. Personally I think it was a weak move on her part because I know how he feels about Yvette or whatever.” He paused. “But still, I’m kind of glad Grace made the move.”
“Why?” I asked as my lips trembled. “Since you said you weren’t with this plan in the beginning.”
“The nigga Lil C fucked my bitch last week. I’d been with this girl for a year and he fucked her just because he could. Had her geeking too because he was ‘the boss’ as she put it. Thinking he was all about that slut.”
“Maybe he didn’t know you were with her…maybe he…maybe…”
He frowned. “He knew what he was doing. And he did it because he could. And because of it you gonna do something for me.” He undid his belt and I knew what was about to happen.
He was going to rape me.
“I’m begging you…please don’t do this…please don’t—”
“I’m gonna stop you because you need to understand that there’s nothing you can say or do that will prevent me from busting this nut. But don’t get me wrong…when I’m fuckin’ you if you still wanna say please…no and stop…feel free. It’ll be like music to my ears.”
“Wilson…you don’t have to…no…”
He cut the lights off and had his way with me nonstop against my will for over an hour.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MERCEDES
“You getting soft, Yvette?
It was that time.
We were standing in the living room with our guns fully loaded. Rocky and Dukes sat across from us just looking and for a second I wondered what kind of people they thought we were. Did they think we were greedy because we were willing to risk our entire lives for the pack?
But it was the game we chose and we had to see this thing through.
For the moment anyway.
With Fresh dead neither one of them had any real purpose but I wanted to keep Rocky out the way and safe, especially since Fresh asked me to look out for her. I figured no harm no foul in keeping her with us until this war sorted itself out.
Taking a deep breath I looked at Yvette, Heavy and 88 who held the gun power. Vance and Scott held the Battering Ram and were standing in front of the door waiting.
Yvette looked at all of us and said, “Whatever happens don’t stop busting until we get Carissa back and my coke.”
I nodded. “I’m’ not leaving without my girl, ‘Vette,” I told her. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Me either.”
As I thought about what she said I considered all the times I fought with Carissa. It all seemed dumb and trivial now that her life was in sincere danger. For some reason, even when she threatened to leave the apartment, claiming to need some air, I never really imagined she would be hurt or was in any real danger.
What I wouldn’t give to take that moment back now.
Yvette gazed at Heavy before looking at us. “Let’s move out,
” she continued.
Ready for it all, we opened the door and took the steps down toward the seventh floor. We moved like skilled shooters as we crept up the cold hallway, guns aimed in front of us. I could hear my heartbeat in my eardrums and everything in me said this wouldn’t end well.
But there was no turning back.
We were on a mission.
When we finally reached the door Heavy opened it, aimed out and then peeked out. We all remained still, waiting for the verdict. Were there shooters in the hallway or not? Sweat balls crawled from Heavy’s hairline and along his temples as I watched him.
Now that I thought about it, it was probably dumb to have Heavy tell us if the coast was clear, especially since we couldn’t be sure if he was involved or not.
It’s too late now.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he looked at us and said, “It’s clear. Let’s move out.”
With that we all glided into the hallway with guns pointed outward. Heavy first, 88 second, Yvette third and me last, followed by Vance and Scott with the Battering Ram.
It was then that I realized something else.
On a normal day the seventh floor, like the other floors, would be bustling with kids and people running back and forth down the halls and along the stairwell. But now it was still. I didn’t know if we should be worried or appreciative that we could move so easily without additional eyes.
It was as if the building knew something we didn’t.
Still, we crept down the hallway, barrels pointed toward apartment #745. The same door that held my best friend and our product. My hand trembled as I continued to point my weapon.
There was something else that I didn’t tell my friends.
A secret I held close to me.
It was one of the reasons I came down so hard on Carissa. After today I was leaving the drug business.
Forever.
I’d saved enough money to be done with it all and I wanted Carissa strong for Yvette because she couldn’t do it alone. I told Carissa I blamed her for Kenyetta’s death but that wasn’t the full true story. I was stepping out and she needed to step up. But with her on drugs I knew it would never happen and it angered me even more.