by Mikal Malone
“He wasn’t the same man I thought I fell in love with. He was somebody different…”
Kenyetta
I couldn’t believe it when the girls told me that we lost Emerald. And because I was going to have to live there for good now, it would be tough walking through the project knowing that I had fallen from grace. Since I had completely snorted up the stash I’d stolen, I would have to be careful whom I copped from now on more than ever.
When someone knocked at the door, I thought it was Cheese so I opened it wide. It was and I smiled when I saw his face. Damn he fine.
“Hey, baby.” He said kissing me gently on the lips, gripping me in a full body hug. “I came by to see if you needed any help moving.”
“Naw. I’m fine.” I said being reminded of what I had to do, move back to the projects.
I walked into the living room and sat on one of the boxes. “I don’t even think I have enough room to put everything in EC. My place there is so fucking small.”
He walked up to me, knelt down and said, “You gonna be okay. Don’t trip off of none of that shit.”
“I know, but it’s so hard.” I hugged him gently around the neck and he looked up at me. His eyes were so seductive that I knew what he wanted from me, but I wanted to hear him say it. “Why you looking at me like that?”
“Because…”
“Because what?” I smiled.
“Because you one dumb bitch.”
“Huh?” I laughed.
Before I could do anything else, he had his hands around my neck. And while maintaining his grip on my throat, he stood up and continued to squeeze it tighter. His grip lifted me off my feet as I clawed at his hands with my nails.
“W…why?” I whimpered as tears ran down my face. “I loved you.”
He smirked and instead of telling me what I had done so wrong, he maintained a tighter grip on my throat. He wasn’t the same man I thought I fell in love with. He was somebody different and had I not spent the last few months snorting coke maybe, I would’ve seen him for the man he was.
The moment I reasoned that my life was over, a face I recognized stepped inside my apartment. Dropping me to the floor, he got back over me and gripped my throat tighter. The woman stood over me and smiled. It was Shade, and I recognized her right away from when Black Water told me he wanted me to be a part of his Klan. Her black hair still as long as it was the night I last saw her. The same night her son, Nathan was killed in EC’s community center.
“I’ve been waiting so long for this. And finally, after all these years,” she continued while Cheese continued to choke me, “My wish comes true. Don’t worry, I’ma send those friends of yours right behind you.”
I tried to speak and I guess curiosity got the best of her because she said, “Let her go for a second.”
Then she stooped down and said, “What you say, bitch?”
Taking a second to arrange my words carefully I laughed and said, “The only person…I’m gonna be seeing next…IS YOU.”
Angry I didn’t beg for my life she stood up and said, “Kill this bitch now!”
“My daughter is not into you! Leave her the fuck alone!”
- Loretta
Loretta stood in the doorway staring into the bedroom her daughter set up for her in her house, which use to belong to the dogs. The new comfortable queen size bed, the drawers, phone, pens and designer penholder on the desk all bothered her. She knew the personal phone line Yvette conveniently set up for her was there to record her phone conversations, but she would not be caught slipping.
Still, too much time had passed and she hadn’t given the police any valuable information so she would have to continue to snoop around. They were pressuring her and she was starting to think that the moment her boyfriend woke up from his coma, he would be thrown in jail.
When Yvette’s phone line rang she moved out of the doorway and walked to the living room to answer it.
“You have a collect call from, Chris. Press five to accept the call or to decline the call hang up or press 9 now.” Trying to figure out why she was in jail she accepted.
“Hello.” She said with her hands on her hips. Yvette’s dogs eyed her suspiciously.
“Vette…is that you?” Chris asked.
“No it’s her mother.” She said sitting on the sofa.
“Where’s Yvette?”
“What did you do to get locked up?” Loretta laughed. “Trying to impersonate a man?”
“Since you being nosy, I gotta rack of speeding tickets I forgot to pay and they suspended my license. Now where the fuck is ‘Vette?”
“I don’t know, but I do know she got your little letter and guess what…I’m still here. She also told me to tell you that if you called to leave her alone. She’s done with you and has taken a stroll back on the normal side.”
“What?”
“Find another pussy to lick, bitch!”
“I know you there to hurt Yvette!”
“You really are pressed! That’s my daughter why would I want to hurt her?” Loretta laughed. “Face it, she’s not into you! She told me herself. Now leave her the fuck alone!”
Click.
After she hung up the phone she took off her shoes and laid back into the cushions. Feeling remorse for her deceit was not something she was capable of. She needed things to move quickly in her direction and she needed it to happen soon.
When one of Yvette’s dogs stared her down, she took her anger out on it. “Fuck is you looking at?”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.” The dog growled showing all of his teeth.
“Stupid, ugly dog.” She laughed sticking her tongue out at the animal.
The dog inched closer. Believing the animal wouldn’t bite like Yvette promised, she decided to taunt the dog by throwing her shoe at it. Ten seconds later the animal jumped on her on all fours and bit a chunk out of her arm.
“Helllllllpppp!!”
“I want to thank our family from the south who came through when we needed them the most.”
-Tamir
The Black Water Klan had their ears fixed on Tamir’s words as they prepared to celebrate a victory won; they had finally killed one of the infamous Pitbulls. Although the victory was sweet, most wondered who the girl sitting in the chair to the right of him was. They knew at some point he’d explain her existence but for now they’d just have to wait.
Tamir and his family sat in their meeting place discussing what needed to happen next. Champagne bottles littered the table in front of them and they all had champagne flutes in their hands. Finally he executed a plan that worked.
“Settle down everybody,” Tamir said with raised hands. They did. “First I want to thank our family from the south who came through when we needed them the most.”
“Not a problem,” Cheese said. “We’re just happy to be here.”
“We’re happy to have you.” Tamir continued. “I trust you like the apartments we have for you and your family?”
“Fuck yeah. Ya’ll laced the hell out of them mothafuckas, too. We good.” He nodded. “Definitely.”
Tamir smiled and said, “Where is your brother?”
“He’s still undercover waiting on your word. We didn’t think it would be smart to have him around us now, since we put that bitch down.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Tamir said suddenly feeling ill again.
“You okay?” Energy asked.
“Yeah…just gotta sit down for a minute.”
He was trying to keep it together because nobody in his family knew that he was HIV positive and he wanted to keep it that way. Not only did he not want people feeling sorry for him, he also didn’t want people thinking that he’d be replaced so easily. It had taken him forever to get to a position of respect and he was not going to have it taken away from him. After all, he had succeeded in doing what many wanted, killing a boss of Emerald.
“Before everybody goes to their apartments, I want to introduce you to the newest member of ou
r family.” Then he put his hand on Gia’s shoulder. “This is Gia, and she’s my second wife.”
“See, we’re losing our place,” Karen whispered in Shade’s ear. “We gotta step up.”
Shade was overcome with anger as she took in everything that was happening. Here she was, being pushed even further to the side, by her own son at that. She had decided then that she would do whatever was necessary, even if it meant sleeping with her own child.
“I want you all to make her comfortable, because she’s pregnant with my child.”
Some of the family members were happy while others weren’t. Energy stared her down from the sidelines with daggers in her eyes.
“Bitch,” she said under her breath. “You better watch yourself.”
While everyone continued on with his or her idle chatter, Tamir stood up and pulled Cheese to the side. Out of earshot of everyone else he said, “I want you to orchestrate the move on Carissa next. From there we’ll work our way to C.”
Cheese smiled and said, “I’ll let my brother know.”
“The force of her knock against my door let me know something was up.”
- Mercedes
I needed a day. Just one day to try to make myself understand why my best friend would put her hands on my child. Fuck was she thinking about? I didn’t like walking in on Persia and C fucking any more than she did, but it is what it is. I mean, how could they not have a connection, they were together all the time.
As I sat on the sofa, I decided that I was going to ask Derrick to move out. He didn’t bother coming back home after we jumped Bucky, so I figured he was where he wanted to be. I still can’t understand for the life of me, how a basement bargain bitch was able to take my husband so easily. My friends said it was probably sex related, but I knew it went deeper.
And then there was this shit with losing Emerald City. What was I going to do now that I wasn’t boss anymore? I didn’t have any legitimate skill sets. I tried the business shit and it didn’t work. I was fucked.
I was about to make myself a sandwich after not eating since yesterday when a heavy pounding found its way on my door.
“Who is it?” I yelled running up to it.
I was still in Emerald City only because I found it easier to be here then at the National Harbor.
“It’s me!” Yvette screamed.
The force of her knock against my door let me know something was up. When I opened the door, I saw her standing there while Carissa was in a ball on the dirty hallway floor crying hysterically.
“Yvette…what’s going on?” I asked looking at her, then at Carissa. “Why Car crying like that?”
“You…you gotta sit down,” Yvette said trying to force her tears back.
“Naw, I’m not sitting down.” My hand still on the doorknob. “Tell me what’s up.”
And then, as if by some crazy moment of clarity, I suddenly understood what was happening. So I shook my head over and over and back peddled into my apartment. When thoughts of what they were about to tell me crept back into my mind, I backed up further. As if walking away from them would make things easier to digest.
Yvette came in slowly and Carissa crawled halfway into the doorway but she couldn’t move any further. Her body forced the door to remain open before she collapsed where she was and cried out in anguish.
“Yvette, where’s…. where’s Kenyetta?”
“Sit down, Mercedes. Please.”
“Fuck that! Where is Kenyetta?”
“She’s gone,” Yvette said dropping to her knees. “She’s fucking gone!”
“I mean, who else can put a nigga down as coldly as you do?”
-Lil C
Lil C had arranged to meet with Persia about what happened between them. He didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing yet, but he did know that the course of their relationship would forever be changed. But first he had to meet with Monie because he still hadn’t spoken to her since she smacked him the other day and he wanted to clear the air.
“Wallace, take me past Monie’s house.” C said as a Louis Vuitton bag sat to his left.
“You going alone?” he said worriedly.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
Wallace drove past Tyland’s gates and they both saw the stares placed upon them as they entered. C hated how they mocked him and felt he had something for them but first he had to get his crew together which was obviously falling apart.
C got out of the car and walked to Monie’s apartment with the bag in his hand. When he made it there, he was about to knock on the door but felt himself hesitating. Why was he nervous all of a sudden to deal with her? When he realized he was being ridiculous, he knocked and Monie’s loud mouth mother Tanta opened the door wide.
“COME ON IN, LIL C! I AIN’T KNOW YOU WERE OUT THERE!” She hugged him up and he could feel her grip him tighter than she should have. “I SEE YOU STILL LOOKING GOOD.”
He was about to tell her not to call him Lil C but knew it was worthless. “Thanks, is Monie here?”
“Yeah, she in the back.” She said pointing with her extra long manicured nail.
“Is that bag for me?”
“No…it’s for Monie.”
“Lucky girl.”
C walked toward the back of the apartment until he made it to her room. He knocked first and then Monie said, “Come in.”
When he walked into her room he couldn’t believe how sexy she looked. She was wearing a pair of thin grey sweat pants that hugged her thick legs and phat ass, and a white t-shirt. He could also tell she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
“Cameron!” she yelled jumping up. “I didn’t know you were in here.”
It was the first time he’d been in her room. Normally they’d meet up at one of his apartments, whether it was in Emerald or at the National Harbor, but now that he was in her room he felt himself everywhere. His pictures were on the dresser, on her wall and everywhere else. The moment she saw where his eyes roamed, all over his pictures, she was filled with embarrassment.
“Cameron…. what are you doing here?” She asked bringing him back.
“I got something for you.” He said handing her the Louis Vuitton bag.
Her eyes grew big as she opened the box and pulled out her first genuine designer bag.
“Cameron…I can’t believe…”
“Fuck that…I never want to see you carry a fake purse again.” He said remembering her inauthentic Louis Vuitton the day they met at Peking’s.
“I thought you didn’t buy females purses.”
“You ain’t just a female. And I fuck with you.”
She smiled and said, “Thank you…this means a lot to me.”
C walked all the way in and said, “I wanted to talk to you about what happened. Why did you act like that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t know. I could’ve fucked you up behind that shit. My own mother ain’t ever put her hands on me. Ever.”
“Cameron, I was worried about you. When we came back into the party and saw all that blood on that dude’s white fur, I thought you were dead.”
“So you react in violence, by putting your hands on me?”
“I’m sorry, but you one of my best friends, if something were to happen to you,” she said flopping on the bed, “I don’t think I’d be able to take it.”
C sat on the bed next to her. “Well I’m fine.” He said softly hitting her in the face with his fist. “But I need you hard. I don’t need you breaking down like that when shit hit the fan.”
“What do you mean when you say you need me hard? I mean, I know what you mean, but I want to hear you explain it to me.”
“Monie, you my nigga. I fucks with you. Tough.”
“I’m your nigga?” She repeated disappointedly.
“Yeah. I mean, who would’ve thought a bitch I had beat down my ex-girlfriend could become one of the closest people in my life. And you know I must be feeling you because I never get out of the car to
walk anywhere.”
“I know, I’m still shocked you in my room.”
“You should be…because this tells you I fuck with you.”
She smiled. “Cameron…I gotta, I gotta tell you something that I been meaning to tell you for a long time. But I’m scared...”
“Tell me.”
“Okay,” she swallowed hard. “I been meaning to tell you…”
“Before you do that, I forgot to ask you how that all ended? With Mazon?”
Monie had never come so close to baring her heart. And now that she had, she could tell it wouldn’t be received well so decided against telling him how she felt about him. She knew they could never be like she wanted, and that she would have to keep her mind on business if she wanted to stay in his life.
“We killed him. Daps ain’t tell you?”
“Naw…I got Daps her own place so she been back and forth. We haven’t really discussed the details.”
“Before we killed him he said Tamir sent him. Turns out you were right and we deaded his ass right where he stood. Had you stayed in that party, your life would’ve been over.”
“Tamir said one of my friends would betray me. I just can’t believe that nigga was gonna set me up like that. And that I almost let him stay with Persia. I would’ve died if something happened to her.
“I almost died when I thought something happened to you.” She paused trying not to look into his handsome face. “But tell me what happened with you. How did you end up in EC that night?”
She knew part of the story because her cousins told her he dismissed them fifteen minutes after her and Daps left to see what Mazon wanted. But beyond the dismissal, they didn’t have any more information for her on why C left the party.
A sly smile came over C and he said, “After ya’ll left, I told your cousins and them to go home. Persia said she wanted to talk to me but she wanted to do it in private, plus she was saying her head was hurting.” He smiled. “I could tell by the look in her eyes what was really up though. So, I figured we’d go back to my spot in Emerald since my mother said she was going to be at our crib at the Harbor. One thing led to another one and the next thing I know we was fucking.”