by T. Styles
While Natty lay motionless in the middle of the street in a puddle of her own blood.
****
He had been out all morning looking for Minnie and nothing.
Finally he got a break.
Gazing down at himself, Stretch brushed invisible lint off his suit, took a deep breath and exited the truck. Quickly, he approached Derrick who was seated in his wheelchair with his brother Arlyndo who was holding the handlebars in the parking lot of Dunkin Donuts, as if it were a stroller.
This meeting was serious. If it went correctly, it had the potential to right the wrongs of Stretch’s two major fuckups.
Crossing his arms over his chest he said, “What’s this about?”
“I wanna meet with Banks,” Derrick said.
Stretch looked down at him and unfolded his arms. “Is it, Minnie?”
Arlyndo frowned. “What about Minnie? She okay?” He didn’t have his cell phone, since Mason snatched it, so he didn’t know she had been calling.
Realizing that once again he said too much, Stretch cleared his throat. “She good. But…what is this about though?” He paused. “And should you even be out the house, Derrick?” He pointed at him.
“Nah…but I’m here anyway.”
Stretch looked around and back at him. “What you wanna meet with Banks about? Because I don’t have to tell you, that shit tense right now.”
“My girl,” Arlyndo blurted. “We feel like he making a mistake by not letting me be with her and—”
“I wanna meet with him about putting an end to the war,” Derrick corrected his brother. “And I feel like if we talk, we can put this shit behind us.”
Arlyndo frowned and looked down at Derrick. “What…I thought…I thought you were gonna talk to him about Minnie.”
Derrick ignored him. “Stretch, tell Banks I wanna meet with him. Now.”
“That’s not a good idea.”
“Why not?” Derrick frowned. “After everything we been through, he ain’t got no love for Mason’s kids no more? Are all Lou’s off limits to the Wales? He may have been beefing with dad but we should be different.”
“I’m not saying that.”
“Then what you saying?” Derrick paused. “Plus I know your gun held the bullet that hit me. So you owe me.”
Stretch was quite aware that he shot Derrick but he didn’t expect he knew until that moment. In fact, if he knew Derrick was aware, he would have never met him alone. And definitely not without consulting Banks first.
“Give me a second.” Stretch walked away while Arlyndo laid into Derrick for not putting in a good word on him and Minnie.
As they spoke in private, taking a deep breath Stretch made a call. It rang once and Banks answered. “What?”
“I’m here with Derrick and Arlyndo. They wanna meet.”
“You playing?” He said excitedly.
“No, boss. I’m not.”
“Bring them to me.” Banks ordered. “And Stretch, don’t let them get away.”
CHAPTER NINE
NOON
Mason sat in the living room on the sofa with Linden, Garret and Cliff,
When Mason saw the maid inching closer, he turned around and said, “You got a problem?”
The maid remained silent.
“Well get the fuck out of here,” Mason continued.
“But I—”
“Go downstairs you old bitch!” Linden snapped, as if Mason’s rage needed a friend.
The woman ran downstairs baring a large bag of trash.
Mason took a deep breath and focused back on the men. “Now why couldn’t you keep up with the car?” He asked Linden. “I’m not understanding.”
“Shit happened so quick,” Linden said. “And when the girl got shot, some niggas got in the middle of the street and blocked me so I couldn’t follow them. The next thing I know the car was gone.”
“You should’ve killed her, Linden,” Cliff said. “When you had eyes on her you should’ve killed her.” He repeated himself as if niggas didn’t hear him the first time.
Linden glared. “Slow your roll, young nigga.”
Cliff scratched his short dark and stank dreads. Prior to his come up six months ago, he was selling crack shavings on the block for a chicken box with Old Bay fries and a half and half.
So he had to be careful or his life would be on rewind.
“Fuck!” Mason said sitting back into the sofa. Somebody saw a Wales and trying to make a come up.”
“I got a plan,” Garret said rubbing his hands together.
Mason considered him for a minute. For real he didn’t trust him but Garret had soldiers. And since there was no denying that Banks collected manpower like coins, and was prepared for combat, he knew he needed all hands on deck if he was going to win the battle. But there was no mistaking that the moment he could step to Garret for trying to go behind his back and make a deal with Banks, he would do just that.
“What is it?” Mason asked.
“Tell him you have her,” Garret smiled sinisterly.
“Nah, man,” Linden said waving his hand. “I’m not feeling it.”
“Why not?” Garret frowned.
“For starters we ain’t got her. So what if he wants to talk to her?” Focusing back on his brother he said, “Don’t go that route, man.”
“I’m not sure it’s a bad idea.” Mason said scratching his head. “This may put us where we need to be.”
“Back to my question, what if he wants to talk to her?” Linden repeated. “What you gonna do then?”
Mason looked at Garret. “How sure are you that your men can find out who kidnapped her?”
“We know all the outlaws on the streets.” Garret responded. “So I’m fairly sure.”
“Fairly sure ain’t good enough,” Linden said.
Garret laughed. “Listen, I don’t even know you for real. So I don’t care what you think.”
“He my brother,” Mason said.
“I get that,” Garret responded. “I’m just saying. In all the years me and you been doing business, I ain’t meet him until now. So no disrespect, but I prefer if we keep interactions to just me and you, Mason.”
“Well that ain’t gonna work,” Mason said. “If you wanna talk to me, you talking to my brother too.”
Garret shifted a little in his seat. The last thing he wanted was to be cut off from the little coke scraps Mason had left. If he wanted to stay in the money business he had to calm down. “Okay, okay, let’s start all over.”
“Yeah, let’s do that,” Linden glared.
“If you tell Banks you got his kid, Mason, I promise that within twenty-four hours I’ll know where she is. On everything.”
“But what if you don’t find her?” Linden asked Garret again.
“True.” Cliff said. “You ain’t answer the question.”
Everyone sighed.
Why was he there again?
“If I don’t find her then we’ll see.”
Linden smiled sinisterly. “Yeah, we will.”
Garret shrugged. “For real the only thing you have to do, Mason, is figure out what you want from Banks.”
Mason stared out into nothingness.
Since he put the world onto Banks’ secret about being a woman, he never thought about what he really wanted from the ordeal. At the end of the day the friendship was damaged beyond repair so there was no turning back. And since Nidia didn’t want to fuck with him on the coke connection, without a new plug he would be broke soon. So whether Banks lived or died, he was still going to be in the same position.
And then he remembered what he needed.
Above all else.
REVENGE.
“What you want?” Linden asked also.
“For him to pay. For everything him and his father did to the Lou’s.”
His decree was like music to Linden’s ears.
“I’ma tell him I got Minnie and to turn himself over to me.” Mason said with a lowered brow. “I’ma let
that bitch come to me.”
CHAPTER TEN
2:23 PM
Minnie gasped when she opened her eyes and realized she was in a tub full of cold water.
As she moved lightly, it splashed when she looked around the grungy bathroom that was foreign to her. Where the fuck was she?
And then there was the odor.
The aroma was a mixture of old urine, eggs and feces combined. This place was hell. The white walls were not visible and in its place was a black smudgy surface. The filthy faucet dripped with thick yellow water and the black and white tile floor was cracked and broken.
“Where…where am I?” She said to herself.
When she tried to move, she realized her limbs were completely weak, as if they were weighed down with cinderblocks. They weren’t. Someone had obviously drugged her. She had to be smart and remember all of the things her parents taught her if she were ever kidnapped, if she was going to survive.
When she quieted her heavy breath, to calm her mind, she realized she could hear two voices on the outside. Since the door was closed it was difficult to understand what they were saying, but she had better try if she was going to collect clues on who they were and what they wanted from Minnesota Wales.
She was just about to attempt to pull herself out of the tub, when suddenly the door opened and a large grey and white blue nose pitbull waltzed inside. It had opened the door with its slimy nose and began licking her face with its huge scratchy tongue.
It was friendly but stank like a garbage dumpster in Brooklyn.
“Hey…hey you,” she whispered trying to look around it’s massive head and into the dark hallway outside. Now that the door was ajar, she was trying to see something. Anything. Wanting the dog to stop, she grabbed its face and it’s breath smelled of shit. “What you doing?”
It continued to lap at her cheeks before walking over to the corner of the toilet and taking a piss.
“Gross,” she said to herself.
Using all her strength, she pushed herself up and stumbled a little in the process. Her body still felt heavy but her adrenaline was pumping. Now on her feet, she moved toward the door with the dog right on her heels. But before she walked out, an older and younger woman rushed up to her.
Both women were white and looked like they did twenty in a max prison easily.
“Oh no you don’t!” The older woman said grabbing her by the arm. “You ain’t going nowhere.” She paused. “Hit her Joanie! She moving.”
Within seconds, Joanie stabbed her in the arm with a needle, which caused a warm sensation to overcome her body.
Minnie Wales was out cold again.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Stretch drove down the street with Arlyndo and Derrick sitting nervously in the backseat. He was talking on the phone, as he piloted the car on the way to the Wales Estate. His voice was barely audible and Arlyndo was glued in on his every word.
Arlyndo didn’t feel right. His spirit said something was wrong.
“I don’t trust this,” Arlyndo whispered to Derrick. “Got a bad feeling.”
“I’m the one who just got shot,” Derrick said in a low voice. “And I say we fine. Just chill out.”
“I’m telling you, man, something feels off.”
Derrick looked at him while he continued to hold his thigh where the bullet pierced his flesh. “You wanna see your girl right? I mean, ain’t that what this about?”
“But not like this.” Arlyndo said.
“How else then? If you want the man’s respect, you gotta tell him your intentions for his daughter. Leave out the part where you like to eat pussy though.” He joked.
Arlyndo frowned. “He done already said he ain’t fucking with me.”
“I get all that. But you also have to realize that the man who helped raise you, won’t cause you no harm.”
“And how you know?” Arlyndo whispered.
“I just do. But you gotta be smart enough to tell Banks how you feel and—
“I think we should run.” He whispered. “We shouldn’t be consorting with the enemy. This dumb.”
Derrick laughed softly and Stretch looked at them through the rearview mirror, even though he was still on the phone and didn’t know what the Lou brothers were saying.
“We not running,” Derrick whispered. “So relax.”
“Please, man,” Arlyndo begged. “I don’t think we should be going to his house.”
“You do what you—”
The moment he parted his lips and Stretch stopped at a light, Arlyndo pushed the truck door open and rolled out into the street. He was rattled. A passing car ran over his hand but it didn’t stop him from catching wheels and running as fast as he could away from the truck.
“What the fuck?” Stretch said pulling over. “Let me call you back, Ericka,” he said to his wife before hanging up.
Confused, Stretch opened his door, stepped out and closed the back door that Arlyndo bolted from. Looking in the direction Arlyndo ran, he couldn’t see him anywhere.
Running his hand down his face, he eased back into his seat, and put the car into drive. It was the second kid who got away from him in less than 24 hours. “You wanna tell me why your brother did that?”
Derrick shrugged. “Said he ain’t feel comfortable.”
“And you fine?”
“Should I be worried?”
Silence.
Fifteen minutes later Derrick was sitting in his wheelchair in the Wales foyer.
Surrounded by four men, Banks walked up to them.
“Where’s Arlyndo?” Banks asked.
Stretch moved uneasily. “Got away.”
This nigga was getting on Banks’ nerves. With every passing minute. “Big mistake,” Banks said to him, glaring.
The moment Derrick saw Banks’ eyes, and heard his voice, he felt he made a bad decision by coming. Arlyndo was right. Something about his mood seemed darker, and it was as if he was looking at a different man.
Within seconds Stretch was lifted out of the chair by two men, flipped over like a baby being burped and patted down on all areas of his body. When they were sure he was unarmed, he was slammed back into the seat.
“What’s this about?” Derrick asked looking up at Banks. His injury burned due to how they handled his body.
No one cared.
“It’s me.” Derrick pled. “You ain’t gotta do this.”
“I know who you are,” Banks said sarcastically. “You family.” Banks looked at Stretch. “Take him to the George Cayley Room.” All the guestrooms in Banks’ house were named after men who built airplanes around the world and pilots.
When Derrick was taken into the room, he was stripped of his chair and propped on the bed. The wheelchair was quickly removed and rolled out, making him immobile. Once the door was closed, only Stretch, Rev, Banks and Derrick remained.
Looking up at him, Derrick said, “Hey, Unc, I ain’t gonna lie, you scaring me.”
Banks rubbed his beard and goatee before crossing his arms over his chest.
Derrick swallowed. “Can you…” He cleared his throat when his voice went Minnie Riperton high. “Can you tell me why you treating me like this?”
“You wanted to see me right?”
“Yeah, it’s just that…one minute I was shot and the next—”
“I didn’t want that to happen. You know that right?”
Derrick felt slightly relieved that Banks was at least admitting that him being almost killed was a bad thing. “I know you didn’t…I just want us to stop all this and get back to where we were.”
“And where was that?”
“At peace.”
Rev and Stretch laughed while Banks remained stone faced. “We never had peace, nephew.” He paused. “Ever.”
“But…I mean—”
“Your father send you?” Banks glared. “Is this a set up?”
Derrick frowned. “No…he doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Then why Arlyndo leave?”
“He was afraid that you was still mad at him about Minnie.”
Banks nodded and looked at his men. “Oh yeah.”
“But… you gonna hurt me or something? ‘Cause now I don’t feel so comfortable.”
“How you sound, Nephew?” Banks said snidely. “I’ma tuck you in, make sure you good and get you up and on your feet again.” He slapped Stretch on the arm with the back of his hand. “Get him a bite to eat.” He said before turning to walk out.
“When can I…when can I go home?” Derrick asked in a low voice.
Banks stopped and looked at him. “Why you wanna go home?” Banks paused. “You gonna chill with me for a while. Ain’t that what you came for?”
All three walked out, locking the door from the outside.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jersey rushed downstairs and up to the cleaning crew who were in the basement. “Why you down here when the living room ain’t done?” She asked the three women. After paying them to clean the mansion, she was irritated when her home was still a mess and as a result, she had to call them back.
“Your husband is a mean bastard,” the Elderly Maid said pointing at her. “I can tell you that.”
Jersey frowned even though she heard no lies. “Did he do something?”
“You mean outside of throwing me out yesterday when I was trying to clean his mess?”
“Ma’am, slow down with your—”
“Nah, Mrs. Louisville, you slow down,” she said sticking her hand out, palm in Jersey’s direction. “Now I’m here to do a job.” Hands gripped her own hips. “But I ain’t one on being talked to any kind of way either. Now if you wanna—”
“Ma, you seen Derrick?” Howard asked jogging down the steps leading into the basement. Patterson was with him and both looked nervous.
“Seen Derrick?” She frowned. “Ain’t he in his room?”
“Nah…that’s why—”
“Hold up, Howard,” Jersey said before focusing on the cleaning crew who were glued onto their every word. “That’ll be all today.” She told the women.