But answering her question was the least of my concern. My main objective at this point was to confront this nigga once and for all. I want him to see me face to face after all this time. And I want his bitch to see me. I want her to know that for a brief time I was in his life and I was pregnant with his child. Plus, that I’m the reason why she’s pushing that fucking Benz.
“Hey Kira, wait!” I heard Nikki say from behind me.
I ignored her and rushed towards Russ and this chick he was with. They heard Nikki call out my name because they looked directly at me as I proceeded to walk in their direction.
And with only three feet in distance between us, I felt it was time for me to lash out at him with my tongue.
“I guess you thought you’d never see me again, huh?” I retorted with rage and resentment in my voice.
“Who is that?” the chick asked Russ, who tried to escape into the restaurant, but she grabbed a hold of his arm.
And since he didn’t reply, I said, “I’m Kira from VA. Russ and I used to fuck around with each other until one day he decided to rob me for more than $300,000 of my money, which I’m sure he used to cop that Benz you pushing and that muthafucking Bentley Coupe he just got himself.”
“How you know about my Bentley?” he asked.
“I know everything about you. You piece of shit!” I screamed, but this time I was within inches of him.
The young lady with him blurted out, “Wait a minute, y’all were fucking around?”
“Yes, we sho’ was. And I’m pregnant with his baby right now,” I couldn’t help but lie.
“You’re what?” she yelled.
“I’m pregnant with his baby,” I repeated myself, but in a more overbearing way so that it would somehow register in his mind. I wanted some feedback from him.
Russ snatched his arm away from her and said, “Man, fuck this!” and stormed off back into the direction of the car.
“Oh, so you ain’t got nothing to say?” I yelled as I followed behind him.
“Yeah Russell, you don’t have anything to say?” the woman asked as she began to follow him as well.
Yet he refused to respond to either of us. So I sprinted over towards him with my fist balled up in a knot and swung at him as hard as I could. To my surprise, my fist landed on the back of his head and stung him real good.
“What the fuck!” he said as he grabbed the back of his head with his palm.
“Bitch, don’t be putting your fucking hands on my man!” The chick yelled in defense of Russ.
“Yeah Kira, don’t put your hands on me no more,” he insisted in a way like he wants me to heed his warning.
“Fuck you, nigga! Whatcha gon’ do?” I replied, getting all cocky, awaiting another opportunity to hit him again.
“Come on Kira, let’s go,” Nikki interjected.
“Wait!” the woman blurted out, “I want to know when was the last time you and him been together?”
“Jessica, give me the keys or unlock this door. ‘Cause I ain’t got time for this shit!” Russ demanded.
“Oh, so you’re Jessica?” I asked after a light went off in my head.
“Yeah, why?” she asked me.
“You just had a baby, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” she replied with uncertainty.
“Well, congrats to you, so now I can tell my baby that he or she’s going to have a playmate.”
“Won’t you stop with the bullshit, Kira! You know that ain’t my baby!”
“Oh, this baby is yours,” I replied, rubbing my stomach in a circular motion. “So get ready, baby daddy.”
“How many months are you?” Jessica asked me.
“I’m three months. And so that you know, the whole time Russ was back in VA, he was sleeping in my bed damn near every night, and lying about not having a woman when he wasn’t licking on my pussy!”
“That’s a lie, baby! Don’t believe that shit!” he snapped.
“Oh, so I’m lying, Russ?” I asked him as I began to get angrier by the minute.
“Yeah, your crazy ass is lying! And I’m wondering what Ricky would do if he heard you running your mouth out here like this?”
“Trust me, he already knows about us. And just last week, I told him about the baby.”
“What Ricky?” Jessica asked Russ.
“My partner Ricky.”
“You’re talking about the one that just got locked up?” her questions continued.
“Yep, that’s my husband,” I blurted out. “And he knows that the day you fucked me at the hotel and tied me up to the bed is the very same day you robbed me for his dough,” I continued.
“So what the fuck does that mean?” Russ snapped once again.
“Oh, you’ll see. So don’t think you’re going to keep riding around in your new whips like you got it going on. ‘Cause one of these days, you’re going to want to go out and take a stroll and your brakes will be stripped. So from this day forward, dress in black!”
“Whatcha just say?” Jessica asked.
“Sorry! But I was talking to my baby daddy,” I commented and then I turned my back to the both of them and started walking in the direction of my car.
“Bitch, you threatening me?” Russ screamed. “Because we can end this shit now!”
I ignored him and continued to make my way back to my car because I felt like I said what I had to say. My point was made.
And besides, I could tell from the tone of his voice that he had his heat nearby. My guess is that he has it under the passenger seat of her car. My best bet is to get the hell out of dodge before he decides that he wants to use me or my car for target practice. But not only that, I’m way up in DC, in his part of town. So, who’s going to come running to my rescue? Nobody! Which is why I demanded Nikki follow my lead.
Almost immediately after we got back into my car, Nikki had the gear in drive and we were on our way.
It only took us about forty seconds to ride by Russ and Jessica. And within that brief moment, I could hear Jessica screaming her head off at Russ, who by this time was sitting back in the passenger seat of the car. So, I rolled down my window and yelled out, “Sleep with one eye open!”
***
Back on the highway, Nikki had a whole lot of questions for me and even though I wasn’t in the mood to comment on any of them, I did it anyway.
“Are you alright?” she asked me.
“No. But I’ll be fine after Papi works his magic,” I assured her.
“You know what? I don’t blame you. Because that nigga was back there acting like he ain’t did shit to you! I mean, he was acting like you was invading in on his space.”
“I know. That’s why I went off like I did.”
“Yeah, I saw that. But, whatcha think Russ is going to do now that he thinks Ricky knows about him robbing you?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll bet my life that that nigga is in deep thought right now. He knows what Ricky is capable of doing and how strong his street soldiers are. So trust me, he doesn’t want to have a war with Ricky.”
“Well, he might go to Papi with it.”
“Nah, he ain’t going to do that. Papi will be the last person he tells about the money he took from us. That’ll put him in major violation and he’ll get dealt with immediately.”
“What’s the violation?”
“Niggas from the same squad are forbidden to rob each other, much less fuck their wives. And if Papi gets wind of that, Russ knows that he’ll get wasted.”
“Goddamn! I would sure hate to get on Papi’s bad side.”
“Me too. That’s why I have no regrets for doing what I did back at the store.”
“Well, after seeing Russ in rare form back there, I’m glad you did,” Nikki commented. “And did you see that chick Jessica, like she was going to do something?”
“Yeah. But, you see she didn’t jump my way.”
“Oh, that’s because the hoe wasn’t crazy. All she wanted were some answers.”
; “And that’s why I tried to give her every detail.”
“Well, do you think she’s going to leave him?”
“Would you, after he just copped you a brand new Benz?”
“Hell, nah.”
“Well, there’s your answer,” I told her.
We continued on with our conversation about Russ and Jessica for the duration of our ride home, which, of course, gave me a bad taste in my mouth. But it’ll all be over soon enough.
Turning up Da Heat
It’s ten o’clock in the morning and I’ve got some new rookie
C.O. by the name of Pippens, pulling me out of cell block, talking about I gotta go to Central Booking. “Yo man, why I gotta go to Booking?” I asked while he was handcuffing me.
“Because it’s two U.S. Marshals down there waiting for you.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure they’ll tell you when you see them.”
“Ay, man, well let me ask you this.”
“What is it?”
“Is Bivens supposed to be working tonight?”
“Didn’t you hear?” Pippens asked me.
“Hear what?”
“She doesn’t work here anymore.”
“When did that happen? ’Cause I just seen her about four days ago.”
“Yeah, that was her last day.”
“Word!” I said like I was cool with what he just said. But on a real note, I was mad as a muthafucka’! I mean, how the fuck could she run out on me? I needed her stupid ass! So who am I gon’ get to bring me shit in from off the streets now?
When this rookie-ass nigga finally made it down to Booking, I was handed over to these two militant-looking losers who called themselves U.S. Marshals. Both of them were tall and stocky. They looked like two tobacco-chewing rednecks. But when they opened up their mouths to chat to me, I knew I had to paint another picture of ’em.
“You ready?” one of ’em asked me, looking all goofy and shit after he signed off on this yellow piece of paper.
“Where y’all taking me?” I asked as they started escorting me towards the garage of the jail.
“We’re transferring you to another jail,” the other guy said.
“What?” I said because I don’t think I heard homeboy right.
“I said, we’re transferring you to another jail,” the same guy said.
“But why?” I began to ask because I was becoming really fucking mad at the thought of leaving this jail while I’ve got unfinished business here. I mean, I’ve got dough owed to me from all over the place. So how am I gon’ get it now that I’m breaking camp? Man, I’m fucked!
“Because one of the jail officials notified us that an inmate tipped them off that another inmate was going to try and take you out.”
“Yo man, you’re bugging! ‘Cause ain’t nobody here crazy enough to try that shit! Do you know who I am?”
“Apparently they do. So here we are.”
“But I can handle myself.”
“Ricky, we couldn’t chance it because you’re government property.”
“And what the fuck does that mean?”
“It means that your safety is top priority. So it’s our duty to protect you.”
“But I can protect myself,” I told them. Because I can. I mean, I wished a muthafucka would’ve ran up on me, trying to pop some shit! Yeah, I would’ve lit his ass up! And that ain’t no lie. That’s my word.
“Watch your head,” the other cracker told me as he helped me get in the back of an unmarked car with tinted windows. So I did what he said and then I said, “Who gon’ get my stuff from outta my cell?”
“We’ve got another marshal who will be on his way to pick it up in another hour.”
“Does my lawyer know about y’all moving me?”
“I’m not sure. But the federal agents you’re working with know,” said the driver as he drove out of the underground garage.
“Oh, so y’all already talked to Reynolds and Strassman?”
“Yep. Because when they found out that your life was in danger, they wasted little time in getting the witness protection paperwork over to us.”
“Witness protection!” I yelled out. ’Cause these niggas are crazy. I ain’t trying to be in no fucking witness protection. So I told ’em.
“Yo, partners, I ain’t trying to be in no witness protection program.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s too late,” the passenger commented.
“That’s bullshit! It ain’t too late.”
“Yes, it is. Because once you’ve assisted an agent with a federal investigation, your life becomes a target. And when that target is compromised, then you’re put in witness protection.”
“So, you telling me that the cats I done told the Feds about is after me?”
“That’s what we were told,” the driver continued.
“But how did they know?” I said out loud but the thought was for my mind to figure out.
“Because your wife told him,” the passenger turned around and said as he pointed a 9 millimeter semi-automatic weapon in my face with a silencer attached.
And before I could say a word, he said, “Papi, sends his regards,” and pulled the trigger.
The Antidote
I took a trip just like Papi told me to. And believe you me, I had a blast. But it seemed like my seven-day trip ended very quickly, so you know I hated to come back home. Here I am at Nikki’s house, unpacking all the new shit I bought while I was away.
After everything was put away, I lay back on this guest bed I’ve been sleeping on for the last month and a half to get me some rest and here comes Nikki, running towards me with the cordless phone in her hand.
“Here, listen to this,” she insisted as she pressed the phone against my ear.
That’s when I realized that it was a voice message left by Rhonda.
“Nikki, when you get this message tell Kira to turn on her cell phone or call me back at the shop because it’s all over the news that Ricky got shot in the head by two white guys who were posed as U.S. Marshals. The police found him dead in the back of a look-a-like police car. Oh yeah, tell her that two police detectives and a FBI agent came up here to talk to her yesterday after it happened. But since she wasn’t here, they left their phone numbers for her to call them. So give her this message and tell her to call me, so I can give her their numbers. Okay. Talk to you soon,” Rhonda added and then she ended the message.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked directly into Nikki’s eyes. But I couldn’t say anything because my mind was still trying to absorb the fact that Ricky was now dead.
A second later, I got an odd feeling that started circulating in the pit of my stomach. I mean, could you believe it? I was beginning to feel sorry for that heartless bastard. So then I had to remind myself of all the bullshit he has ever taken me through. And that’s when I began to come back to my senses.
“So, Papi really did it, huh?” I commented in a nonchalant way. Now, I can go back home without looking over my shoulder every step I take.
“But, how?” Nikki asked, with a puzzling expression.
“You heard the message.”
“But how were those fake cops able to sign him out of jail?”
“They must’ve had the proper paperwork.”
“Damn! That’s scary shit!”
“What?”
“To know that Papi has power like that.”
“I know. And Ricky wondered why I refused to help him set Papi up. I mean, you see how easy it was to pop him. Just think how really easy it would’ve been to get me.”
“Girl, don’t even think about it. Just put all this shit behind you. ‘Cause it’s over now.”
“Yeah, I know. But remember there’s two detectives and a FBI agent that wants to talk to me.”
“Let ’em talk. I mean it ain’t like you killed him. And besides, if they want to know where you were at, just show them your flight tickets and hotel reservations from our
trip.”
“Nikki, you took those words right out of my mouth,” I told her.
Then I went into strategy mode. And since I wanted to do it alone, I asked Nikki to leave me by myself for a while, because, I wanted to be ready when I finally met with these muthafuckas. And even though they can’t prove that I had something to do with his murder, I am still going to be on my toes.
***
Against Nikki’s wishes, I gathered all of my things the following morning because I was ready to go home. I was psyched to know that I was about to start my life all over again. And this time it’s going to be hassle free.
After I packed everything in the trunk of my car, I got behind the driver seat and headed on home. I accomplished this because Nikki got up and left this morning before I woke up. She said she had a breakfast date with Syncere, so she would be back in a couple of hours. And when I heard that tad bit of information, I used it to my advantage.
Now when I arrived in front of my apartment building, I hesitated before I got out of my car. I did this because I could still see a few spots of Mark’s blood dried up in the cracks of the pavement right in front of my door. Naturally I reflected back on what had happened the night of the shooting. And that’s when I broke down in tears. I know that spot right there is going to constantly remind me of that night, which was our last night together.
And what’s so crazy is that I’ve been busting my brain trying to figure out why he got killed, and if Syncere had something to do with it. I mean come on, Mark was a cool-ass nigga. And plus, I was beginning to really start loving him. But those two coward-ass niggas took him away from me. And now he’s gone forever. This will take me some time to get over. Now I know that the best thing for me to do is to move. I’ve got to. This will be the only other way I will be able to go on with my life. So I guess that’s the next step.
Game Over
Not even a second after I walked through the front door of my apartment, my cell phone started ringing. So I threw all of my things down on the floor to retrieve my phone from my handbag.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hey, where you at?” Nikki asked me.
“At home. Why?” I replied and then I took a seat on my living room sofa.
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