by Mikal Malone
“I thought you said your girl worked at the Social Security Administration out Baltimore,” Yvette says to me steering her truck. “What gives?”
“She does,” I reply. “I been to her office and everything to have lunch. Met her co-workers and some more shit. I don’t know what this is about, but whatever it is, she doing a good damn job of it.”
Before long we pull up on this gorgeous white stone mansion with three garages. One of the garage doors open and Toi pulls her car inside.
“This shit is beyond weird,” Carissa says in the back seat. “Your girl may have a 9 to 5, but she got another hustle too.”
“Mommy, who lives here?” Treasure says sitting on Carissa’s lap in the backseat.
“I don’t know, baby,” Carissa says looking at the house. “I don’t know.”
We went to pick up Treasure, Carissa’s youngest daughter earlier today from her friend Bria’s house. I had already sent the bus ticket for Chante to come home from school, and would be picking her up later at the bus station. Now I have to get my hands on C, who I’m sure won’t come easily. And we’ll also have to kidnap Persia from the Klan. Our life has been reduced to a pile of wet shit, and I have a feeling it’s only gonna get worse.
“Come on inside,” Toi says from the passenger side window. “Everything is set up for you all.”
We pile out of the truck and follow her into the house. I’m immediately blown away at the expensive décor, the vaulted ceilings and the beautiful crystal and gold chandeliers. The cherry wood spiral staircase is breathtaking, and I feel like I’m in the home of some Hollywood starlet. For all I know, maybe I am.
“Come this way,” Toi says breaking me out of my gaze. “We’re going downstairs.”
“Mercedes, what’s up with your girl?” Yvette whispers to me. She looks up at the paintings on the ceiling from the great Michelangelo. “Because it don’t look like she being truthful with you.”
I love Yvette harder than I could love another female, but sometimes she is too skeptical of people. I don’t care what Toi got going on, on the side, at this point she is willing to help us, and we need to accept her assistance. Deep inside I think Yvette is worried that Toi will try to get into my head, and take me away from her. But if my own nigga Cameron couldn’t do it, and I loved him to death, what makes her think another female could?
We walk down some cream plush carpeted steps to a large basement. The scent of a berry air freshener enters my nose and makes me feel at home. Inside of the basement is a theater size TV on the wall, and a fully stocked bar. But here’s the kicker, in the middle of the floor are six twin-sized beds, with frames and headboards to match.
“Toi, you’re my girl,” I say to her from my heart, “and you gotta know I appreciate all of this shit, but when are you going to be real with me, and tell me what you really in to?”
She smiles. “All generals don’t wear their stripes on their arms, for all to see.”
“I get that,” I respond. “But this shit is a bit confusing.” I throw my purse on one of the beds and spin around in place. “The only thing I knew about you was that you had a small apartment out Maryland.” I look into her eyes. “Now you taking me to a plush ass mansion, complete with beds for me and my friends to sleep in. What’s up?”
Toi sits on one of the beds and looks up at me. “Mercedes, I’m one of you.”
“What does that mean?”
“Do I gotta state the obvious?” She sighs. “I’m one of you and I always have been. But I don’t showcase what I make, or how much money I earn to the world. Yeah I love fly shoes, and designer bags, but I’m content with pushing an old ass BMW, if it means I can live in a home like this without having to worry about a nigga waiting in my bushes trying to rob or kill me. I live low-key, but that’s how I prefer it. It’s not because I have to. I stay at the apartment in Maryland when I gotta go to work during the week, and come here on the weekends.”
“But why didn’t you tell me? It makes me think you don’t trust me.”
“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you,” she says. “And I didn’t tell you because you didn’t ask.”
“This is some bullshit,” Yvette says. “I knew this bitch wasn’t real. Now will you trust me when I say I know what I’m talking about, Mercedes?”
Toi stands up and approaches Yvette and my forehead tightens. I immediately stand in front of Yvette to protect her. I’m always protecting her. “Move, Mercedes, me and your girl have to have a conversation, and we gotta do it now, before we go any further.”
“Toi, I don’t think—,”
“When you needed me I came,” Toi says to me. “I didn’t give you a hard time and I didn’t tell you to leave your girl at home. Despite it being obvious that she has a fucking problem with me. Now I’m asking for a few seconds with Yvette. Can you respect it or not? If not, you gotta leave my house, and you gotta do it now. Accept this time there is no turning back, our friendship is severed when you leave out of those doors. No comebacks.”
I look her into her eyes and move out of her way.
“Yvette, you not gonna come into my house and disrespect me,” Toi says. “So lets get that straight right now.”
“You get respect when you give it, Boss Lady,” Yvette jokes.
“So what’s on your mind,” Toi says. “Don’t beat around the bush just say the shit, Yvette.”
“I know a hustler when I see one,” Yvette says.
“Oh do you?” Toi laughs. “Because at Mercedes’ crib you were all too content with calling me a square.”
“And now I see you not,” Yvette laughs.”
“Don’t get mad at me because your piggy bank is bare,” Toi says. “That was on you not me. Maybe if you weren’t busy showboating you wouldn’t be facing possible indictments.”
That hurt.
“You don’t know what you talking about,” Yvette replies. “You could never reach the levels I have. We were making millions…millions!”
“That’s your problem, you looking with your jealous heart and not your eyes and mind. Who the fuck do you think supplied Cameron when him and I were together? Dreyfus cut the nigga off, and it was me who kept the money flowing in his pockets. My product…my package.”
“But how?” I ask her.
“Through my friends,” Toi tells me. She looks at her watch. “Actually they should be here in a minute.” She looks at Yvette. “So what do you say, you wanna put your feelings aside, and get along? Or do you want to exit up the stairs to the left? The choice is yours.”
My heart is beating wildly in my chest. Yvette doesn’t have anywhere to go, that is safe anyway. Plus Judah is in jail. Toi is looking out majorly because we were the only family Yvette has. But, her pride is as big as the Goodyear Blimp, and she would rather lick spit off the D.C. streets, than to take a handout from anyone else.
“I’ll chill,” Yvette says.
Toi smiles and says. “Great, let me go upstairs to see where my friends are. I’ll be back in a minute.”
When she is gone I say, “Thanks, Yvette. I know that was hard.”
“It’s hard but I’m not stupid,” she says sitting on one of the beds. “We don’t have a choice. Until I can come up with another plan, we need to fall back and chill. And I want us to do that together, although I still don’t like your home girl.”
“I do,” Treasure says when she finds a Wii video game console. “I like her TV too.” She turns the TV on with the remote, and begins to play some videogame.
“I like her too,” Carissa says. “She knows how to help a bitch out in a bind, she’s time enough for ‘Vette and she seems real. That’s all she needs to win my vote.” Carissa sighs. “Now we gotta get our hands on Persia and C.”
“Well Persia won’t have a choice,” Yvette says. “We been polite to her up to this point, now it’s time to take her by force.”
“I agree,” I say. “And hopefully C will come without problems too.”
“C
not stupid,” Yvette says, “he not trying to go to jail if He can help it. He’ll come.”
A minute later Toi comes back down stairs followed with four women. They look like bosses and all four of them are stunningly beautiful. The first girl has brown wavy hair, and she’s wearing a black tight t-shirt, army fatigues pants and some black high top Louis Vuitton sneakers. They came out in 2009, but they still looked new. Followed behind her was this beautiful white girl with red hair. She was kind of tall, and the blue jeans she’s wearing made her ass look extra big. Behind her was another black girl with short red curly hair and a lot of tattoos on her arms and neck. Behind her was another girl with light brown shoulder length hair, and a wide smile.
“Mercedes, I want you to meet my friends,” Toi says. “This is Bambi Kennedy,” she says pointing to the girl in the fatigues. “This is Scarlett Kennedy,” she says pointing to the white girl. “This is Denim Kennedy,” she says pointing to the girl with the red hair and tattoos over her body. “And this is Race Kennedy,” she continues pointing to the last girl with the shoulder length brown hair. “They are known as the Pretty Kings.”
“The Pretty Kings?” I frown. “I heard about them.”
“Don’t believe most of what you hear, unless you hear it from me first,” Bambi says smiling. I like her immediately. I know from jump that she’s the boss.
“Bambi, these are my good friends Mercedes, Yvette and Carissa,” Toi says.
“I’m not her good friend,” Yvette interrupts. “I’m their good friend.” Yvette points to us.
What the fuck is wrong with Yvette? She’s tripping hard now. Why can’t she see people are trying to help us? She’s about to ruin this for everybody.
Bambi laughs, “Well I hope you are good friends of Toi’s, otherwise you are wasting my time and hers. Now my friend told us you were in trouble, and since we have a mutual acquaintance, who is currently in a bind, we decided to see how we could help you.”
“A mutual acquaintance?” Yvette replies.
“Yes, Judah was one of my customers,” Bambi says.
“You know Judah, Toi?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t ask,” Toi winks.
“We understand that he was just indicted,” Bambi says. “Now we aren’t worried about him talking, he’s cut from a different cloth. But we wanted to meet the people who he does business with, to be sure you are just as stand up as your captain.”
“Are you asking us if we snitches?” Yvette says stepping up to her with an attitude.
The moment Yvette moves, the girl with the brown bob pulls a shiny .45 on Yvette with a crystal handle. The smile on Race’s face is wiped off, and Carissa and me pull our weapons too.
Treasure starts crying hysterically.
“Little girl, everything is okay,” Bambi says to her. Treasure doesn’t stop crying. “Trust me, everything is okay, and nobody is going to get hurt.” Treasure stops crying. Bambi faces her goon. “Lower your weapon, Race.”
“Not until I blow this bitch’s face off,” Race responds looking at Yvette.
“You threatening me?” Yvette says cocking her weapon.
“Lower your gun, Race,” Bambi replies with more authority.
Race lowers her weapon.
Bambi looks at Yvette and says, “I called of my dog, now call off yours.”
Yvette bites her bottom lip and says, “Put ‘em down girls.” We do.
“Now, let me clear something up,” Bambi says. “I’m not one of them corner kids you probably entertain yourself with on a daily basis. I’m a gangster, ex-military, and the realest bitch you’ve ever seen in your life. Present company included.”
“I doubt that very seriously,” Yvette says.
“Well you shouldn’t,” Bambi smirks. “If you knew me you wouldn’t be so foolish with your mouth play, baby gangster. Now you and your girls real fly with the guns, and I respect that, but we not the enemy. And if me questioning your loyalty offends you, get over it, because it’s only because I don’t know you.” Bambi looks at Toi. “Now my girl only deals with standup bitches, and if she thought you were anything less, we wouldn’t be in your company right now. But I must tell you, the next time a gun is drawn in my presence, somebody dies.”
“You right about that shit,” Yvette says.
“Good,” Bambi nods. “So there’s no more confusion. Now, there was a question on the table before we began the dick-measuring contest. Indictments have gone out and I want to know if we can count on you and your crew to hold your tongues.”
“We don’t move like that,” I say grinding my teeth. “Me and my girls are married to this game. We wouldn’t embarrass it by singing to the DEA.”
“Good,” Bambi nods. “I think you all should stay here for as long as you can. I’ll find out what I can about what the DEA knows. In the meantime, we’ll be in contact. Stay free, ladies.”
“Let me walk them upstairs,” Toi says to me. “I’ll be back.”
Race looks at Yvette one last time, before they disappear. When they are all gone Carissa walks over to Treasure to calm her down. I walk up to Yvette.
“Why do you gotta act all wild and shit all the time?” I ask her. “These people are helping us, and you could’ve gotten us killed.”
“Keep your eyes open, Mercedes,” Yvette says to me. “Something else is going on around here. And pretty soon we gonna find out what it is too.”
CHAPTER 22
LIL C
Lil C walked into his apartment in Camelot with a heavy heart and mind. Business in Camelot had ceased to exist, and he was already feeling the anxiousness about not being able to make money. They couldn’t do shit with the swarm of white people in suits, that had taken over the property. All he wanted to do was get up under Monie, go to sleep, and wake up with a plan for tomorrow.
He yawned, and walked back to his bedroom, only to see Monie walking out with her purse in hand. He had noticed that over the past few weeks, Monie had lost a little weight, but now that she was wearing the tight designer blue jeans, he saw her slimmer physique. Now he wanted some pussy.
“Where you going?” he asked rubbing his hand over her thick thigh.
“Out,” Monie said going through her purse. “I put your fried chicken in paper bags on the stove, that way they’ll stay nice and crispy. Some steamed broccoli with cheddar cheese is in the pot on the stove, and the rice is in the steamer.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll be back.” She walked around him and toward the door.
C turned around and followed her. “Monie, I was kind of hoping you could chill with me tonight.”
“Sorry, C, I got plans,” Monie said unlocking the door.
“Well break ‘em,” he replied. “For me.”
“I can’t do that,” Monie turned the doorknob.
“Monie, I’m having a bad day today,” C admitted. “I’m not pumping in Camelot no more, I got word from Yvette that my mother wants us to go into hiding, because our connect was indicted, my head his hurting and I got a lot of shit on my mind. All I want to do is be with you, and get in the bed. Please, baby. Stay with me.”
Monie was stunned. In all of the years she’d known C, she’d never seen him so vulnerable. Sure she could’ve played it like the script Mercedes had given her, and left him by his lonesome, but she loved C, and she wanted to be there for him.
Before giving in, Monie thought about Mercedes’ current love situation. She wanted to be sure she was the best person to give advice. So Monie played the tapes back in her mind.
She killed Cameron. She had killed Derrick. And, she bought herself a love slave. Perhaps taking advice from Ms. Mercedes, and playing dumb games is immature.
Monie decided to cut the games and keep it real with C. So it was time to talk again from her heart.
“C, I can’t be your…”
“I was wrong, Monie,” C said walking up to her. “I was wrong for how I treated you since I moved
you in. I’ve been on some different shit since I found out my mother killed my pops, and I been treating you like shit. I’m gonna be real with you, I ain’t gonna never be no saint. I’m gonna fuck up now and a lot more later. I’m spoiled, rich and use to getting any bitch I want. But, what I want right now is you, Monie. And if you can deal with the uncertainty that who I might be tomorrow may be different than who I am today, than I’m yours. You got my heart, Monie. I just hope that’s enough for you. For now anyway.”
Monie tried to hide her excitement. “So what you saying, C?”
“I’m asking will you be my lady?” He shook his head. “Got me sounding like some corny-ass-R&B-type nigga and shit. You know what I’m saying. Will you be my bitch?”
Monie answered him with a sloppy ass kiss. Then she separated from him and said, “You know I will.”
C pulled her toward him, gripped her meaty ass cheeks, and kissed her harder. “If you woulda said no, I was gonna fuck you up,” he laughed.
“Since we got that out of the way, now won’t we go get my clothes from the dry cleaner,” Monie said.
“That was what you were about to do?” C laughed. “You looking like you bout to hit the club, and shit. Got my head all fucked up thinking you was rolling with another nigga.”
“Naw, that was it,” Monie giggled. “It’s the last day I can have it in there, and I don’t want them giving my shit away.”
“You wild as shit, but that’s why I love you.”
****
C and Monie just paid for her dry cleaning. C was holding the bags and they were on their way out of the store, when Oscar and Persia strolled inside.
“Well, well, well,” Persia said rubbing her pregnant belly. “If it isn’t Mister and Misses Camelot. I never been this close to royalty before. I mean can I have an autograph?”