“No, I ain’t mean it like that,” Breon said. “Look, I’ll fill you in later, okay. I’ll text you in a little bit. Sorry I have to run like this. I’ll be back through soon. This shit just popped up at a real bad time in my life. I got something big coming up soon. Fuck. No matter what, I can’t let my girl find out about what might pop off.”
Nikki saw Breon out the door, Breon slapping her ass before he rushed out into the hallway. After she closed the door, she leaned against it and stood there in thought. She wondered what Breon meant by having something big coming up soon. Nikki also wanted to know about this Dante, and why Breon’s girl, who was supposed to be like his friend, couldn’t know that this person had popped back up all of the sudden. Nikki saw an advantage she’d have over Breon’s girl. She was the kind of woman that could handle that kind of information, as his obviously was not.
CHAPTER 6
When Breon turned onto Wayne’s street, his SUV practically slid down the block. After overcorrecting, he managed to get control of his SUV again and made it the rest of the way down the block. He pulled into a parking spot on the street not too far from Wayne’s walkway and hopped out. Quickly, he pushed against the cold winter wind and made it up onto Wayne’s porch. There he knocked on the door, looking into Jayron’s eyes when the door opened.
Breon quickly stepped inside the house, hugging Jayron and shaking his hand. No sooner than Jayron had closed the door, Breon saw Wayne sitting on the couch. The look on his face may have seemed to say it all, but it really said so little.
“Nigga, what the fuck happened?” Breon asked, his presence in the middle of the floor commanding the room. “What the fuck coulda happened that you ain’t wanna tell me over the phone and shit?” He looked around the house. “I mean, it don’t look like nothin’ is out of place or nothin’ like that. Y’all said that that nigga Dante and some other nigga ran up in here and shit, but ain’t nothin’ broke. Ain’t nobody dead.”
“Man, he…” Wayne said, choking on his words. The humiliation, even thinking about how it happened several hours ago, was just too much. He’d never been through anything like that in his life. To think that every second of it was caught on camera only made it worse. Now that he looked back, part of him had wished that he’d taken the bullet—that he hadn’t been so damn scared to die.
Seeing that Wayne was at a loss for words, he turned to Jayron. “What happened, man?” he asked, feeling sorry that Jayron had possibly been pulled into an ugly situation because of him. Breon could only think of it as an ugly situation because Dante was involved. Breon remembered too well how Dante had that special knack it took to make something bad even worse.
Jayron stepped forward. “Man, we should smoke one for Wayne,” he said. “It was pretty bad and shit.”
“Okay,” Breon said, sitting down.
Jayron went and got half of a blunt that Wayne had earlier. He came back into the room and handed it to Wayne. Wayne smoked it, looking as if he could stand up and murder Dante if he were here in front of him.
“Okay, so what happened was,” Jayron began, “I was knocked out on the couch right there and shit. You know, we had a couple chicks over last night and stuff. They left real late and Wayne was asleep up in his room while I was sleepin’ down here and shit.”
“Okay,” Breon said. “So when did they run up in here? How did they even get in here?”
Just then, Breon took a closer look at the door. It was now evident that a piece on the side had been replaced today, as the wood didn’t match. He turned back to listen to Jayron.
“Yeah, so,” Jayron continued, “we was knocked out and shit, I’m knocked out down here. And right when I’m starting to wake up and shit, you know that sleep where you in and out and can’t really get back in, the front and the back door get kicked in at the same time.”
“What the fuck?” Breon asked, feeling guilty that the invasion was really meant for him. “You lyin’, nigga.”
Jayron shook his head then Wayne shook his. “Naw, he ain’t lyin’,” he said. “I heard that shit upstairs and jumped outta bed. I grabbed my gun and shit and came downstairs.”
“Yeah,” Jayron said. “So, I jump up and stuff once I realize what was happenin’. I was only dressed in boxers and shit too, and you know I can’t have no gun. So, yeah, these two niggas come in. One in here and one in the kitchen. Next thing I know, I got two guns pointin’ at me. One from the back and one in the front.”
“Fuck,” Breon said.
“Yeah, and that’s when I came down the steps,” Wayne said, shaking his head. “He was gon’ shoot Jayron, so I had to put my gun down and shit. That’s when the dude in the kitchen came and got it and shit.”
Breon tried to make some sense out of all of this. He tried to understand why Dante would still be holding a grudge after all of these years. Furthermore, out of all the people that Wayne had with connections to the street, he found it very odd that he’d come up with Wayne and that Dante was bold enough to run up into his house in the morning, in broad daylight.
“Yeah,” Jayron said, knowing that he’d better tell this part because Wayne probably wouldn’t want to go over the details. “So, he had me hold his phone and stuff while the camera was running.” Jayron could see the look of suspense in Breon’s eyes. “And he had him grab the other side of the dining room table with his pants down and stuff and he started…he started whoopin’ on him with a belt while the other nigga was holdin’ me at gunpoint and makin’ me tape the shit.”
“Yeah,” Wayne said, clearly enraged. “I’mma kill that nigga for that shit. I swear to God I’mma kill that nigga for that shit. I wanted to tell you first before I got with my people and shit and got on his case.”
“He whooped you with a belt while making Jayron tape it?” Breon asked, wanting clarification. “What the fuck is he gon’ do with the tape?”
Wayne looked at his cousin, giving those eyes that let Breon know he thought that asking such a thing was a stupid question. “Man, what the fuck you think?” Wayne said. “He said that if I go to the police or any shit like that, he would put the tape on the internet and shit for the whole fuckin’ world to see me cryin’ and shit. Man, I can’t fuckin’ believe this shit.”
Breon’s heart sank from hearing the story. “Man, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I swear to God, I’m so sorry. Did that nigga Dante even say what he want?”
“He just said that it was something about some unfinished business y’all had,” Jayron said. Then, he and Wayne looked to Breon.
“Breon, nigga?” Wayne said. “What unfinished business would that nigga be talkin’ about to where he’d wanna go through all this just to try to get me to say where you live? Why the fuck would that nigga go as far as whoopin’ my ass with a belt and shit? What the fuck went down between the two of you niggas? Did you owe him some money or somethin’?”
“No,” Breon said, standing up. He could feel the pressure on his shoulders. He glanced out of the blinds, knowing that Dante was just the kind of slippery dude that could pop up at any moment. “No, that’s not it. I don’t owe him any money or nothin’ like that. He just mad about some shit that went down.” Breon turned back toward Wayne and Jayron to explain.
“Back when I was workin’ these streets and shit, this was right when you went away I think, Jayron, me and that nigga Dante was in the same area. Shit, we might have even both worked for that nigga Pablo, but I can’t be sure. I don’t know if you remember Pablo, but he was always real quiet about everything that he did and shit, and he didn’t care if you got caught up. That was on you. Anyway, there were some good money-making spots that were starting to get a little hot and stuff.” Breon paused, to be sure that he could all of the details correct. “And, so, that nigga Dante always thought that we was cool and stuff. I mean, I guess we was, but it wasn’t like we was boys or nothin’, like me and you is, or me and Ray or somethin’ like that. The nigga always seemed to have a little screw missing. Anyway, I stopped making m
oves in that area because I picked up on how the police were in the area more and shit and, you know, I ain’t wanna get caught up or nothin’.” He felt bad for saying such a thing in front of Jayron, especially since he’d just gotten done serving a five-year sentence. However, he kept going with the story. “Yeah, so when I disappeared and shit, he was always mad that I ain’t tell him that the area was gettin’ hot. Like I’m supposed to be his fuckin’ spotter or somethin’. Back when that shit happened, when I heard that he got caught up, people was talkin’ mad shit about how he was super shitty with people and how he felt like I told the police how to get him.”
“Man, that sound like some straight up bullshit,” Wayne said, shaking his head. “I can already tell ‘cause I know that you wouldn’t do no shit like that.”
“Exactly,” Breon said. “But, anyway, he wound up goin’ down for it and stuff and he was always mad at me for it. And there was somethin’ else that happened after that that he prolly mad about too.”
“What?” Wayne asked, wanting to know. “You went back to making moves over there and ain’t get caught or something?”
“Naw,” Breon said, shaking his head. “I just so happened to be smashing this chick he was messing around with before he got caught up. I guess he heard about it and shit and was talkin’ mad shit to some niggas I guess he thought was gon’ get me and shit, but even they started to drop like flies because they was gettin’ caught up.”
Wayne shook his head. “Well, fuck all that,” he said. “That nigga shoulda let that shit go by now and shit. He still mad after all this time about that shit?”
“Man, that’s why I ain’t fuck around with him back when,” Breon said. “’Cause he was always a real petty ass nigga. He was always into it and shit at school with different niggas and if somethin’ ain’t go his way, then he would go the extra step too far and do some dumb shit that would make people scared of his ass. But I was never scared of him ‘cause he knew I’d beat that ass if he ever stepped to me. Shit, I don’t even know where to find him now.”
“Well, we gon’ have to figure this shit out real soon,” Wayne said. “I wonder who the other nigga was. He looked like he ain’t spent a night in jail—like he been out here and eating healthy and stuff. I know them niggas can’t be that bold and ain’t nobody gon’ know where to find them.” Wayne paused then looked at Breon. “Nigga, you still got that heat that you used to have?”
Breon shook his head. “Hell naw,” he responded. “You know I ain’t been about that life and shit in the last couple years. I’m still workin’ down at the shipping company and shit.”
“Well, nigga,” Wayne said. “You betta get hold of some of that shit so we can get this nigga. I don’t even know if my black ass is gon’ be able to sleep and shit, knowin’ that that nigga can come back up in here like that. I’mma definitely be asleep with one eye open and shit, and my gun loaded and under my pillow. Let him try’ta run up in here again and I’mma make sure I’m ready for him and make sure that I lay his body out and shit. That’s some fucked up shit.”
Breon then thought about how he could call his boy Ray. Ray was still heavily involved in the street, even moving some work in nearby states like Wisconsin and Indiana. If anyone knew where to get any heat at the drop of a dime’s notice, it would definitely be Ray. With that in mind, Breon promised Wayne and Jayron that he was going to do something about this.
“Nigga, I don’t give a fuck what you do,” Wayne said. “You do what you gon’ do and I’mma do what I’mma do. And that’s just gon’ be that.” He nodded then shook his head, unable to wipe away the look of disgust from his face. All he could do was play the scene over and over again in his mind. It was so humiliating and degrading. And to make matters worse, it was all caught on tape. He knew that the moment a tape like that got out to the rest of the world, his street credibility would go straight down the toilet. He’d probably be run out of Chicago and have to go live the life of a recluse, or at least stay away from any hood.
Breon shook Jayron’s hand then Wayne’s before saying that he needed to get home to Trina. He promised the two of them that he would talk to his boy Ray tonight when Trina went to sleep.
“I’ll let y’all know what he say and shit,” Breon said. “And see if he can get me some of that heat or not. I mean, I know he can and shit. I’mma also see what he know about Dante and shit. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew just where to find them. This just come at a real bad time and shit.”
“What you mean?” Wayne asked.
“Well,” Breon said, figuring that he might as well go ahead and tell Wayne. “Don’t tell your mama this shit, nigga, but I’m thinking of proposing to Trina. We supposed to be going to the Smokey Mountains and shit for our anniversary and I’m try’na propose to her then.”
“Man,” Wayne said, wishing that he could feel happy for his cousin. “You betta hurry up and hide Trina away somewhere. I hate to see some shit happen to her, ‘cause I’m tellin’ you, that look that nigga had in his face say it all. He really shitty about what went down back whenever, and it’s like it ain’t even been a day for him since it happened.”
Breon said goodbye and headed out the door, making sure that Jayron got up to lock the door behind him. Outside, Breon scanned up and down the block. The night now seemed colder as he thought that any car passing him could be Dante. There was no doubt in his mind that Dante would roll up and pump some bullets into him on a busy street. He was that bold, and probably that entitled to think that the world owed him something. Breon carefully walked to his SUV, deep in thought.
When Breon got behind the wheel and started his car, he pulled off and got out to the nearest busy street as quickly as he could. The last thing he needed was to be a sitting duck. He texted his boy Ray, seeing if he was busy with a chick or not, and telling him to hit him up by text as soon as possible. Just then, Breon noticed another text had popped up from Nikki and that he’d had a missed call from Trina. Knowing that he’d be seeing Trina in a little over fifteen minutes, he read Nikki’s text message when he pulled up at a stoplight. It read: Let me know if there’s anything that you need me to do for you. I’m here if you need me.
Just as Breon was about to dismiss Nikki’s text message as a simple sign of her thirst for the dick, he thought about how she could be useful in this situation. If he was going to get some serious heat from Ray, the last place he’d ever want to keep it would be at the same place where he and Trina lay their heads. Trina had always had a thing about guns. She was okay with one being in the apartment, something rather simple and easy to use, for protection. However, once it got to more complicated guns, she let it be known that she was not okay with all of that.
Rather than texting Nikki, Breon decided to call. “Hey, wassup?” he said when she’d answered the phone. “You busy right now?”
“Naw,” Nikki answered. “I ain’t. I’m just layin’ in bed. Just took my sleep clothes off and am lyin’ in the bed naked and shit.”
“That’s wassup,” Breon said, his mind too focused on everything else to visualize Nikki naked in the bed. “I was wonderin’ if you’d be able to help a nigga out ‘cause I know my chick already gon’ be startin’ some shit.”
“What?” Nikki asked. “Yeah, I can help you out. I mean, depend on what it is.”
“I might need to keep a couple things in a place where nobody can get to it,” Breon said. “And I need to do this with somebody that I can trust.”
“Oh, really?” Nikki said. “And what kinda stuff is this.”
“Naw, you probably ain’t real enough for this shit,” Breon said. “I mean, I really need somebody who can handle not openin’ they mouth and talkin’ too much.”
“A’ight then, nigga,” Nikki said. “I know we just met and shit some days ago, but I can be trusted and shit. I keep to myself over here, don’t even like to answer my phone.”
“Okay then,” Breon said. “That’s the shit a nigga like to here. I might need to keep som
e heat at your house that I can’t keep at my house. You think you’d be cool with that?”
Just as Nikki was responding, Breon could hear buzzing in his ear. It was Trina on the other line. He accelerated a little more so that he could get home to her as fast as he could.
CHAPTER 7
When Trina pulled into the parking lot once she’d returned from her mother’s house, she found it odd that Breon wasn't home yet. Typically, during the winter months, he always came straight home after work as there was nowhere else for him to go. After checking the time, and seeing that it was well past his time to get off work, she decided that she’d call him once she’d gotten inside. Grabbing her purse, she climbed out of her late model Toyota and rushed inside.
Trina let herself into the apartment then slid out of her coat, placing it on the back of a dining room chair. Once she’d slipped out of her wet shoes, she called Breon and found that she was not getting an answer. While her mind was trying to pull her toward cheating as a reason for him not answering, she wanted to err on the side of reason. It wasn’t unusual for him to have to stay at work a couple more hours than usual. However, what was unusual was him not calling to say that he’d be staying a little later.
Pushing all of this out of her mind, Trina went on with getting comfortable. As she slipped out of her work clothes, she wondered when her sisters Monique and Tamar were going to stop being at odds. It seemed as if they’d been at odds since the day their mother had brought Monique home from the hospital. All Trina would do was laugh and giggle under her breath when she’d thought about the way the two had gotten into a fight right there in the family room. She could only imagine what was really going through her mother’s mind with seeing her two grown daughters act that way.
Just as Trina was thinking more and more about her family, grateful that she had such a close-knit family even if they were a bit crazy and dysfunctional at times, she could hear Breon’s keys jingling at the door. She quickly stepped back out into the family room to watch him walk through the door. She wanted to read his vibes upon seeing him, as she was really wondering why he hadn’t already been at home.
Wrath of a Side Chick 2: A Chicago Hood Drama (Side Chick's Wrath) Page 6