What Da Lick Read? The Triple Cross

by McCray, Sevyn

  Honesty walked in and Gigi’s entire office was filled with roses. The aroma filled the air. She looked around at all of the flowers as she sat down in the chair facing Gigi. She had everything that she was gonna say planned in her head until she saw all the flowers. She opened her Louis Vuitton Speedy 40 and started to remove the money that she owed her. It was rubber banded in sets of one thousand. Once she got finished she got up and walked out of the office with tears pouring down her cheeks.

  “Wait a minute! That’s it? Got damn it, you are just going to waltz in here and leave the money, but you are not going to say nothing. You don’t owe me an explanation, but I would think that you cared enough about me to give me one. I don’t hear from you or see you in six days and you are just walking away like that? Well damn, I guess I have been in this shit by myself all this time.” Gigi got up from her desk and carried some of the money over to her wall safe. She wanted to get up and run after her, but her pride wouldn’t let her.

  Honesty heard the pain in Gigi’s voice. She was right, she did owe her an explanation. But she had seen all of the roses everywhere; she knew Gigi had been filling her place with someone. She turned around and walked back into the office. She couldn’t just leave it like this, she loved her and she did business with her so she knew she was going to have to put her pride aside. Honesty sat back down in the same chair and watched Gigi as she closed the safe and put the picture back over it. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. I was going through some things last week and I just needed to see it from a different prospective. It didn’t have anything to do with us. I just needed to be by myself.”

  “So you don’t think you could’ve picked up the phone once out of the thousands of times that I called you and tell me that. I didn’t do anything wrong Truth. You had me feeling some kind of way. Not only did you abandon me, you abandoned business and that is what really had me worried. Your workers were going elsewhere and trying to get at me. I don’t even work at that level. I know I might not come first, but money should. There is no telling how much money you have missed this week. I’m not only your business partner, I’m your lover. That’s so fucked up that you thought that you couldn’t talk to me about something that was so dramatic that it made you shut down for an entire week.” Gigi sat back down at her desk and leaned over and looked at Honesty in her eyes.

  “You are right. I should have handled things differently. My intentions were not meant for you to feel bad, but from the looks of it, you have gotten over me quickly.” Honesty looked around at the flowers again.

  “Honesty Star, assuming will make an ass out of you each time. You bring your ass in here on your shoulders and you want me to kiss it. Hell no! Like I just said, I didn’t do anything wrong. I stopped calling after three or four days with no response. You see these flowers; they came from a nigga who wanna fuck with me just because he has fucked my sister. I don’t want him. I want you! But I’ll be damn if I run up behind you. I did that before and got my heart broken. I’m secure in myself and I’m secure in my sexuality. I do not have to hide what I do from anybody. I am whatever I say I am. I don’t have a problem with me, you do.” Gigi sat back in her chair and put her feet up on her desk.

  Honesty was speechless. She didn’t know what to say. She had her apology ready when she walked through the doors of the club, but now her words had left her. She looked at Gigi as the tears streamed down her face.

  “It is me, not you. I want you and I have been missing you. I do not want you to think for one minute that I do not want to be with you. I love you Gorgeous Diamond, with every fiber of my being and not talking to you has been killing me softly, not being able to touch you has been eating me alive, but baby I had to work on that by myself and I’m sorry that I wasn’t woman enough to pick up the phone to tell you what was going on.” Honesty got up from her chair and went around Gigi’s desk to stand in front of her.

  Gigi’s phone started to ring. She looked down and it was Nard. She held up her hand to Honesty. “Wait a minute Bae, this Nard.”

  “Gigi, what’s up ma? Yeah, everything is good with us. Toe-Toe is in Cali on business. Yo, have you talked to that nigga Killa? There was just a breaking news story on Channel Two WSB. It was a really bad car accident and it has the entire expressway fucked up. When the helicopter zoomed in on the car, it was so fucked up that you couldn’t tell what kind of car it was. But the rims, I know those rims anywhere. Killa is the only nigga in Atlanta with them rims. The accident happened up highway eighty-five. I know that Coach K lives up north in Alpharetta. Check out the news and tell me what you think. I didn’t wanna call Coach K on a humbug and it is not Killa.”

  Nard stared at the television, waiting for them to show it again. His stomach was in knots. He had a sick feeling that it was Killa. If it is, Toe-Toe is gonna be fucked up about it, because that’s his lil nigga.

  “Don’t tell me that Nard. Let me turn on my T.V. I will call you back so stay by the phone.” Gigi turned around and put the phone on her desk. She opened her desk drawer and pointed the remote at a mirror on the wall. It turned the mirror into a television.

  Honesty could see the color literally drain from Gigi’s face. Whatever Nard had told her on the phone had fucked her up. She hoped that none of her spots had gotten robbed, if so now she was gonna have to tell her about her getting robbed too. Honesty sat back down in her chair and looked at the television. She tried to read the look on Gigi’s face. A breaking news story came across the television. A multicar accident had occurred and they were in the process of extricating victims from one of the cars because it was leaking gas and expected to blow up. The entire highway was blocked off and traffic was backed up on the two connecting highways of four hundred and two eighty-five.

  “They need to zoom in on the cars. I need to see the cars!” Gigi shouted as she changed the channel to see if it was on any of the other channels. Her heart was pounding and she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She prayed silently that Nard was wrong. Gigi looked up and saw Honesty staring at her and she didn’t want to say anything until she had seen the car herself. She was like Nard, she knew those rims when she saw them. She had wanted to buy them from Killa herself.

  “What’s going on? You know who was in that accident? Allah be with them because from the chopper view, that car is smashed beyond recognition and it is about to go up in flames. I hope they get whoever is in the car out.” Honesty watched Gigi as she started to bite her nails.

  “Nard told me it might be somebody we know, so I need to see the car close up. Then I will know for sure. I don’t want to jump the gun.” Gigi said as the news finally came on when she turned to Fox Five. The first story was about a car crash that had tied up traffic on four hundred, eighty-five, and two eighty-five. Sky Fox Five zoomed in on the car and she started to holler as tears ran down her face. The car was mangled but she saw the wheels and knew that it was Killa’s car.

  The sound that erupted from Gigi scared her. Honesty looked at her and then back at the television. They were extricating the victims now. The helicopter hovered over and it zoomed in on the car as rescue workers used the Jaws of Life on it. The wheel looked as if it was about to fall off and that is when it hit her. That was her brother’s car. It had to be because no one else had those rims especially not painted in that color. Killa always bragged on the fact that they were exclusive. Honesty started shaking all over uncontrollably. Her breathing got shallow and she passed out and slipped out of her chair.

  Gigi panicked and jumped up from her desk and hurried to the other side where Honesty was. Honesty knew that was her brother. She had recognized the rims. Gigi picked up the phone and called down stairs to tell Concrete to come help her. Concrete ran in the door and crouched down on the floor with Gigi as she held Honesty in her arms and tried to revive her.

  “I don’t think she hit her head. I got to call Coach. Give me my cell phone off the desk.” Gigi dialed Khalil’s number while she stroked Honesty’
s hair.

  “Hey baby girl what’s going on? Have you heard anything new about our little problem?” Khalil was at his office sitting at his computer trying to figure out the information about Jazmeir that Reality had emailed him.

  “Uncle, it’s bad, really bad.” Gigi paused as Honesty started to move in her arms. “Killa has been in an accident and Honesty, has passed out. Her breathing is shallow. I know she didn’t hit her head. I don’t know what to do, I’m gonna take her to the hospital.”

  “Wait a minute! Killian and his girlfriend are at my house. They are probably fucking in his old bedroom right now. How did Honesty pass out?” Khalil knew the first comment to be false but he was worried about his oldest daughter.

  “Uncle, we seen it on the news. It was the GXP. When Honesty seen it she got overwhelmed and fainted. It happened on eighty-five south coming from the direction of your house.” Gigi could hear Khalil literally stop breathing as the phone on the other end hung up.

  “Con, pick her up. They are probably taking Killa to Atlanta Medical because they got a helipad. Let’s take Honesty there.” Gigi sent Coach a text message to tell him that she was taking Honesty to Atlanta Medical to be checked out.

  Concrete picked Honesty up and carried her to the elevator with Gigi walking behind them with both of their purses. They got out on the level below which held a private garage and storage area. Gigi opened the back door to the Range Rover and Concrete put Honesty on the back seat. Gigi went around to the other side, opened the door and got in. She laid Honesty across her lap and continued to stroke her hair. Her breathing had gotten better but she still hadn’t opened her eyes yet. Gigi was worried about Honesty; she knew that she was in shock.

  They pulled up to the emergency entrance to the hospital and Concrete jumped out and rushed to the back where he picked Honesty up and carried her inside. He cradled her in his arms like a newborn. The Range was left there empty with the motor running.

  The emergency room was chaotic to say the least. Doctors, Nurses and other staff were rushing back and forth. Some of the accident victims were probably brought here. Gigi walked to the desk and told the nurse sitting behind it that Honesty had went into convulsions, fell from a chair and had been knocked out for over forty five minutes after seeing her brother’s car on the news in the rush hour pile up that happened up high eighty-five. She was being a little dramatic, because she wanted Honesty to be checked out immediately. The nurse told her that three victims were bought to this hospital, because their injuries were life threatening. They brought a gurney from the back and Concrete laid Honesty on it and rushed out to park the truck before it got towed.

  The nurse seemed nice enough; Gigi wondered would she tell her if one of the victims was Killa. She walked back up to the desk. “Ma’am, thanks for getting her seen about so quickly. I was wondering could you possibly tell me if one of the victims was a young black man around the age of twenty-three. He has the same caramel complexion as you with very curly jet black hair. He also has a large tattoo covering half of his neck. That is my cousin; we were raised together like brother and sister. I would be able to help you locate next of kin if it is him.”

  “Baby I know the car where they had to cut the people out of had a young man and a young lady in it. The car that hit them I was told was driven by an older white gentlemen. I can go to the back and see if he has a tattoo on his neck and come back and tell you.” The middle aged nurse got up from her desk and disappeared between the double doors.

  Gigi sat back down and started to bite on her nails. Her nerves were shot. Concrete came back in through the emergency entrance and sat down next to her.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “Nard called and told me to turn on the news. He said that it was a really bad accident and he thought it was Killa because the rims on the car looked like his. So I turned on the television and we were looking at the news and while they are extracting the victims from the car, they zoomed in on it and you couldn’t tell what kind of car it is because it is fucked up so bad, but we seen the rims and it is his car. Honesty started crying and shaking, then she just hit the floor.”

  Coach rushed through the doors of the emergency room. His eyes were flushed. He had a wild look in his eye. “Where are my babies? Where are my kids?” He shouted.

  Gigi got up and walked over to him, before the security guard got to him. She didn’t want him to go off on the security guard because his temper was vicious.

  “They just took Honesty to the back. Her breathing had started to become normal but she is still unconscious. The nurse is gone to check for me to see if that was Killa, I gave her a description of him.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the seats where her and Concrete were waiting.

  Coach was sick to his stomach; He was not feeling like himself. It was something missing and that feeling alone told him without a doubt that it was his son in the car accident. He sat in the chair and rocked back and forth with his eyes closed and prayed to Allah. If he lost his son he wouldn’t be fit for life.

  The nurse came back up front and summoned Gigi over to the desk and Coach got up and joined her. “The young man does fit the description that you gave me. Can you get in contact with the next of kin because he is about to be rushed into surgery. He has lost a lot of blood and one of his limbs is severely damaged.”

  “Ma’am, I am his father and the next of kin. Can I see him?” Khalil was shaking as tears ran down his face.

  “I’m sorry sir, you can’t see him yet. But I do have some papers that you need to sign. They are prepping him for surgery.” The nurse handed Khalil a clipboard.

  “What about my daughter, the other young lady? Khalil asked before he went to sit down and fill out the paperwork.

  “The doctor will be out in a minute to talk to you about her.” The nurse sat back down and shook her head to herself. This is the one thing that she hated about her job. The young lady probably wasn’t going to make it through the night. Her injuries had been so severe; all of her internal organs were damaged beyond repair.

  “What did she say about Honesty?” Gigi asked as soon as Coach sat back down.

  “She said that the doctor will be out to talk to me in a few minutes about her. Killian is about to go to surgery.”

  Khalil sat there and tried to fill out the paperwork as best as he could. His hands were shaking and the tears pooled in his eyes. As much good as he has done in the recent years, it could never replace all the bad that he has done over the years. This was his punishment.

  “I think we need to call the girls. Everybody should be here.” Gigi said as she rubbed Khalil’s back.

  “Yes, can you do that for me? Loyalty is in Florida, but she needs to be on the next flight here. Her and Killian have the closest DNA match besides me and him. He has lost a lot of blood and might need her as a donor. Reality is somewhere with that boy D.J. If you can’t get in touch with her, call him.”

  Chapter 24: Four hundred degrees

  Reality lay on the bed naked, smoking a blunt. Jaimes had just gotten up to take a shower. They had been in bed since last night. Both of them were hungry because they had only been feasting on each other. He had told her that he would take her out where ever she wanted to go to get something to eat. Reality had turned her phone off after she texted her dad. She wanted to make sure that he knew that she wasn’t coming back home that night. She played back everything that had happened last night between her and Jaimes. He couldn’t believe that she was a virgin. She had been holding onto that for someone special. She reminded him that she was only twenty years old. Jaimes told her that finding a twenty year old virgin was like finding a needle in the haystack.

  “What are you sitting there smiling like a Cheshire cat for?” D.J. said as he walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

  “Boy you better hurry up and put on some clothes before I attack you again.” Reality put the blunt out in the ashtray on the nightstand.

 
; “You don’t have any clothes on either; you must want to go for another round. I swear I can go on all day with you Bae.” Jaimes cell phone was ringing, but he couldn’t find it.

  Reality felt the phone vibrating on her leg; she reached under the cover and picked up the phone. She saw Gigi’s name on the screen and threw the phone full force at Jaimes’ midsection.

  “What’s up Ma? Yeah she right here with me. Is everything cool? Wait a minute, hold on.” Jaimes hurled the cell phone back toward Reality. She left the phone where it landed near her thigh. “Quit acting like a baby. Pick up the phone, she called for you.”

  “Hello, hello. Are you sure? Which hospital are you guys at? We are on the way.” Reality hopped up out the bed as she put the phone down and began running around like a chicken with her head cut off as she looked for something to put on.

  D.J. watched her run around in circles. “Baby, what’s wrong? Who is in the hospital?” He didn’t get an answer so he just went into his closet and grabbed some jeans and slipped them on, he grabbed her bag and carried it back into the bedroom and tossed it on the bed.