Pitbulls In a Skirt 4

by Mikal Malone

  At moments like this, I blame Lavelle for being a bad man, boyfriend and father. Had he not took Thick’s side, and chose money over our family, I wouldn’t be going through this shit alone. Persia is way out of hand right now, and if he was in the picture, I have a feeling it wouldn’t be that way. She needs a father’s love. She needs her family.

  When I finally make it to the address on the piece of paper, I notice it’s a set of office buildings. I get out, walk to the building, and then the suite. I knock on the closed door and Karen says, “It’s open.”

  When I plod inside I see Persia and Karen sitting on the other end of a long brown table. I sit down in the seat next to the door, and look at Persia. She’s wearing a pink long dress, with a massive white bow in front of it. I wonder why they dress her so juvenile, and more importantly why she allows them too.

  “Why are we here?” I look at Persia and then Karen. “I thought we agreed to meet in the compound.” They are sitting across the table like mother and daughter, and I feel like the deadbeat father who is allowed supervised visitation.

  “Things have changed,” Karen says with the red book in front of her.

  “The nigga at the door told me that shit already,” I say. “I mean did I do something wrong?”

  Silence.

  “Persia, is something wrong?” I ask her. “Is the baby okay?” I eye her huge stomach.

  “I’m fine,” Persia says rolling her eyes. “How is Mercedes? The only person in the world you care about.”

  I frown. “Persia, what is going on? I told you before that I won’t allow Mercedes to come in the middle of our relationship. I also spoke to her the other day and explained that it was wrong for her to taunt you. If she does it again, I’m done with her all together, but we shouldn’t allow her to come in between our relationship.”

  “Taunt me?” Persia giggles. “What that word mean?”

  “Carissa, how do you like the arrangement I set up for you?” Karen interrupts.

  I sigh. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Haven’t I done all that I could, to make sure that you and your daughter maintain a relationship?”

  “Haven’t you also taken my money?”

  Karen sits back in the chair and frowns at me. “It’s important that you understand that my kindness shouldn’t be taken for a weakness.”

  “I just want the relationship with my daughter you promised. I don’t want any trouble.”

  “What about your friends? Do they feel the same way?”

  “Of course. They know how important it is for me to have a bond with Persia. I’ve expressed it to them in great detail. Trust me, you don’t have to worry about my friends.” I receive a text message in the middle of my plea. “Give me a second,” I raise my index finger, “I have to check on this.”

  I pull my cell out of my purse. There’s a message from C. It reads:

  My man told me a few suits have been around Tyland and Emerald. We might have to put things on hold.

  My head feels like it tightens. One of my biggest fears, and also one of the reasons I wanted to get out of the drug game, was that sooner than later we would all be given indictments. And now it’s a possibility that it may happen. This fake meeting can wait. I have to get up with my girls like yesterday.

  CHAPTER 19

  PERSIA

  After the meeting, Persia decided to sneak into Karen’s office. Ever since she first laid eyes on the red book, she had been obsessed with finding out what was inside of it. Anything she could pull to use Karen as her weapon she was willing to do. Since she knew the key was in the desk, she retrieved it and hustled toward the chest against the wall.

  When the chest was open, she pulled the book out, and looked at the door. With little time to spare, she sat on the floor to go through the pages. She knew this move could not only get her in trouble with the Klan if she was caught, but also killed. That didn’t stop her. She was use to living dangerously.

  The moment she flipped the book open, the office door opened. Nervous, she farted on the floorboards as she waited for her fate. When Oscar walked inside, she immediately started crying. She figured with him she could take the sympathy route, being as though he liked her so much.

  “Please don’t tell on me, Oscar.” She stood up and rubbed her pregnant belly. “I just wanted to see what was in the book. I know it was wrong.”

  Oscar walked up to her, and rubbed her face with the back of his hand. “Calm down, Persia.” He pressed his glasses against his nose. “You’re going to mess around and have that baby before it’s time.”

  “I can’t calm down. I know this is wrong,” she looked down at the book, “but I let my curiosity get the better of me. I know you’re angry at me but please don’t tell your mother or the other members of the Klan. I’m begging you.”

  Oscar looked down at her. She looked so vulnerable, and so sneaky that he was immediately turned on. From the first day that he saw her face, when Tamir brought her into the Klan, he wanted to have her. Besides, Tamir was the leader and he always got first dibs on the women, Oscar wanted it to be his turn. Now that Karen was at the seat of power, he could get who and what he wanted. He certainly wouldn’t risk getting her in trouble, by telling his mother about her sneaky behavior.

  “What were you doing with the book?” He looked down at it on the floor.

  “I wanted to know your beliefs. I wanted to make sure that I’m doing the right things so I don’t get thrown out like the others, like Gia.”

  “Well you shouldn’t be in here,” he picked the book up. “If they knew you were in here, you could get hurt.” He walked the book over to the chest.

  “Oscar, let me see the book,” she said touching his hand. “Please.” She laid her head on his chest. “I just want to see a few pages, that’s all.”

  “I can’t, Persia,” he whispered. “If somebody comes in here and sees this, things could get serious, and I could get into trouble right along with you.”

  “I thought you were in charge,” she pouted.

  “I am,” he said upon receiving the blow to his ego.

  “Then let me see it. Please, Oscar, I’ll do almost anything you say,” Persia said.

  “Anything?”

  “Yes, including sneaking into the bathroom when you ask me, at meal time.”

  “Don’t lie to me,” he said.

  “I’m serious, Oscar. I wouldn’t lie to you. You got this over me now. You could blackmail me if you want too.”

  “Okay, but don’t be in here too long. You got five minutes and after that I’m coming back in here for you, Persia.” He grabbed her shoulders, pulled her toward him and pressed his dry lips against her face. Afterwards he left the office.

  “Yuck,” Persia said shaking her head. She wiped her lips with her knuckles.

  When he was gone she scanned through the book as quickly as she could. She realized she wouldn’t remember some of the interesting points, so she had to think. So when she spotted the Xerox machine against the wall, she decided to make a few copies of the important passages to take with her. When she was done, she returned the book to the chest, locked the door and returned the key to the desk.

  When she left out, she didn’t see Roman and Lance in the hallway.

  But they saw her.

  CHAPTER 20

  YVETTE

  I’m standing in the doorway of Mama’s Kitchen, and a tingling sensation courses up from my ankles, to my knees, and makes it difficult for me to stand up straight.

  I’m holding onto my cell phone, until it somersaults from my hand, and crashes to the ground. That’s the second iPhone I’ve bought in six months, and yet the screen fractures upon impact. I look into the restaurant, for my friends, and my face feels frozen in fear. Mercedes and Carissa observe me from inside, and rush toward me, just before I fall to the warm ground.

  “Yvette, what the fuck is going on,” Mercedes asks, as she pulls me to my feet by stuffing her hands under my underarm.
/>   “You’re scaring me,” Carissa says, as she lifts me up by the other underarm.

  My gun falls from the back of my jeans, and makes a thud to the ground. Mercedes quickly picks it up, looks around to see who’s watching us, and stuffs it inside her purse.

  “You tripping hard now,” Mercedes says to me. “Let’s go to your truck before somebody calls them Justice boys on us.”

  ****

  A twisted line of sweat dampens Mercedes’ forehead. “I don’t understand what you’re saying,” she covers her quivering pink lips. She’s in the passenger seat of my truck, looking at me with disbelief. “But, how did this happen? I…I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t know either I say,” in a low voice. “I was walking into the restaurant to meet ya’ll, when I got a text from one of Judah’s boys saying that he had been indicted.” I look back at Carissa. “For all I know we up next.”

  “Oh my God,” Carissa says as tears roll down her face and dangle from her chin. “I can’t…we can’t…go to jail. We just can’t.” She wipes the tears from her face. “What’s going to happen to our family? What’s going to happen to us? Huh, Yvette? What they gonna do if they lock us up?”

  “Gee, Carissa, I’m sure they’ll slap us on the hands, give us probation and send us along our merry way,” I say sarcastically. “Bitch, I don’t know what the fuck will happen,” I scream hitting the steering wheel. “This is my first time being involved in any of this type shit too!”

  Carissa breaks into an ugly cry.

  “What exactly did his boy say,” Mercedes asks me softly. When Carissa starts hyperventilating in the back she says, “Car, you gotta calm down. We gonna be okay, we just gotta get ourselves together.” Carissa calms down a little. “Now, ‘Vette, what exactly did his boy say?”

  I pull my phone from my purse and read the text verbatim, through the shattered iPhone screen. ‘Dis Boots…Judah’s man. Dey came to his house and gave him papers.’ I look at Mercedes. “That was it.”

  Mercedes sighs and says, “This is the worst thing that could’ve happened to us. I mean, I can’t believe this shit is real. All the years we were doing business, it was in the back of my mind but I never actually thought it would happen. That we could get indicted. I mean, we been paying the police since they first opened Emerald City’s gates. Who the fuck talking?”

  “You mean Dreyfus was paying the police,” I say to her. “After we killed him, a lot of cops lost their houses, and side bitches too, because we weren’t greasing their palms the same way anymore.”

  Carissa’s face hardens. “Why? Why we stop paying them?”

  “I don’t know,” I shrug. “We just did. Them niggas was getting too greedy anyway. Plus Kenyetta was on that before she died and we didn’t assign the job again.”

  Carissa’s face brightens with understanding. “This is it,” she smiles. “We actually lost Emerald City.” I feel like cracking the happy grin on her face.

  “I can’t lose Emerald,” I say honestly. “Do you hear me? I can’t lose Emerald. I don’t know who I am without the city. All of my blood, sweat and tears have been poured into that operation. I don’t have nothing left without it. I fell in love with Thick in Emerald, I killed Thick in Emerald and I became the beast I am today in Emerald.” I throw my hands up in the air. “Fuck, I even met ya’ll in Emerald. Emerald represents who I am, I can’t lose it.”

  Mercedes places her hand softly on my knee. “We may have lost it already, baby. Maybe you should come to terms with the fact that it’s time to let it go.”

  The fear of losing Emerald squeezes my chest. “It’s easy for you to say, you got kids,” I yell at her. “Both of ya’ll.” I look back at Carissa. “But who I have? What I got to show for all of the years I’ve thrown into that business? Huh? What I got?”

  “You got us, Yvette,” Carissa says to me. “We love you harder than we could love a family member with our own blood. You not going through this shit alone. We going through it too. So we need to toughen up, and push through.”

  “She’s’ right,” Mercedes says. “Shit is going to be rough without Emerald. It’s like closing a beloved business, but its time to let Emerald go. We have to turn our attention to what counts. Right now we have to find C, Chante, Persia and Treasure. We got to bring everybody together in case these indictments do come down. We have to quarterback our next moves.”

  I exhale deeply. “How much money we got overseas?” I say to Mercedes.

  “Let me check on that right now,” she responds pulling her iPad out of her purse.

  As she checks on the status of our accounts my heart breaks. I can’t help but think about what Chris said before she left my house the other day. She said I was going to pay for taking a mother from her child. I knew my karma would come sooner or later, but I never thought it would come in the form of indictments.

  I don’t have no skillsets. I don’t have an education or a high school diploma. I’m just a gangster, who knows how to pull guns and command soldiers. Even though I know I got at least fifteen million dollars in the overseas accounts what was I going to do with it? It was never about the money for me. It was about building, creating and running a drug operation. I love that shit more than I love to bust a nut.

  I’m not no sadity-type bitch who can sit up on some yellow beach, look at green water, and sip Pina Coladas all day. I like the grit and the grind of the streets. I like murder and mayhem. I like setting up plays to deal with thieves and niggas trying to take shit from us. I love the fucking hustle! My girls could keep the limelight.

  “What’s going on?” Mercedes asks someone on the phone. The concern in her voice wakes me from my thoughts. “Check that shit again,” she yells to the caller. “Fuck you talking about?”

  Silence.

  I look back at Carissa. The terror in her eyes makes my stomach churn so I turn around and look at the streets instead.

  “I’ll call back. Thank you,” Mercedes says ending the call.

  I sit up in the driver’s seat and look over at her. “Everything okay with the accounts?”

  “It’s g…e.” Her voice is so hoarse that I can’t make out the words.

  “What?”

  “I said,” she swallows. “It’s gone.”

  “W-what is gone?” Carissa says touching her shoulder. “T-the money is gone where? To another account?”

  Mercedes looks at her, and then at me. “Everything is gone. All of our money.”

  I feel like God has picked up my truck, sat it on the tip of his index finger, and spun it around rapidly. Everything is rotating so fast now, that I feel dizzy. I open my truck, and throw up everything I ate earlier. I’m doing it so long, that I begin heaving dry air. When I don’t have anything else to regurgitate, I keep the door open for a while and take in the cool breeze. The air mixed with the fumes from my engine, nauseate me again. When I feel Mercedes’ warm hand on my lower back, I inhale and close the door.

  I look ahead of me, wipe my mouth with my knuckles, and lower my head. Staring into my lap I say, “What is happening to us?”

  “I don’t know,” Mercedes says. “But I don’t think we should go back home. If we are going to be arrested, and the Feds have seized our accounts, we need to set up our families before they take us down. We gotta get lawyers and prepare our defense.”

  “We have nothing,” I say to myself. “We have nothing. We were millionaires one second, and now we’re broker than we have ever been.”

  Carissa sighs and leans back into the seat. “How much cash ya’ll have that you can lay your hands on?”

  “I got fifty thousand in the back of my truck, in my gym bag,” I say.

  “And I got the fifty thousand I was going to give Karen for Persia,” Carissa replies.

  “I’m not sure but I think I got about five thousand under my car seat,” Mercedes says. “I usually have more, but I never got a chance to replenish my shopping money so it’s all I have left.”

  For some reason
I burst into laughter. I laugh so hard my stomach muscles feel tender. “I can’t believe it, what we use to think of as little money, is now all the money we got left in the world between us. Karma just gave us her ass to kiss.”

  Carissa shakes her head and says, “Outside of the money we can lay our hands on, we actually broke. But, we still richer than some folks I suppose.”

  “Not by our standards,” I say dryly.

  “It’s nothing we can do about it now,” Mercedes says. “They took our money and now we gotta pull our lives together, while we still free and out in these streets. First we need to bring our family together and we have to go into hiding.” Mercedes picks up her cell phone. She waits for a minute and says, “Toi, I need your help.” She looks at me. “Me and my girls need to go into hiding. Can you help us out?” Mercedes gets silent. “I really appreciate it.” She hangs up. “Toi says she’ll meet us at her apartment. She got a small one bedroom crib, but I’m sure she will put us up some kind of way.”

  “She know I’m coming?” I ask.

  “Yes.”

  “And she’s okay with that?”

  “Yvette, Toi is cool people. She don’t harbor ill will and she definitely doesn’t hold grudges. I need her help and she has agreed to come through for us. All of us. You my family so that means you too.”

  I know Toi is cool. I really do. But, I don’t know why I feel like something else is up with her. Mercedes says I have a problem with people who have a strong will like I do. I beg to differ. My antennas are up with Toi, and I don’t know why. I’m sure I’m on to something and in time, it will be revealed.

  “If you like her I love her,” I lie. “Besides, what other choice do we have now?”

  CHAPTER 21

  MERCEDES

  I’m sitting in the passenger seat of Yvette’s truck with my jaw damn near in my lap. We’re following Toi in her older model white BMW, to her house, a place she says we’re welcome to hide until we figure things out. The thing is I knew about her apartment out Maryland, but we’ve pulled up into some exclusive suburb in Baltimore called Kingston, about an hour away from her apartment. The houses over here look like mini-mansions, and I’m confused. How can she afford to live over here?