“Gracelyn?” Ray said, nudging her. “Gracelyn? Get up. Get up.”
Gracelyn woke up out of her sleep, moving some of her hair out of her face. “What?” she asked.
“You betta get going before it snow again,” Ray said. “And I gotta handle some business and stuff.”
“You know what time it is?” Gracelyn asked, looking around. When her eyes landed on the television and she saw a rerun of some old, white family sitcom from back in the 1980s, she knew that it was literally in the middle of the night. “You gotta handle this business now? I can’t chill here until you come back?”
“Naw,” Ray said, sliding out of bed. His business with his boy Breon was too serious for some chick who works at a grocery store to listen in on. “I’m havin’ a nigga come over here and stuff, about some real business. Get up and stuff. I’ll give you gas money.”
Annoyed, Gracelyn forced herself to get up. She struggled to get her pants over after sliding into her white panties. Not even bothering to put her bra back on, Gracelyn slid her Kroger shirt back on over her head. Ray slid into his clothes as well. He could only hope that Gracelyn would get moving a little faster, as she was clearly in no rush.
“What the hell is goin’ on, Ray?” Gracelyn asked.
More than anything, Ray wanted Gracelyn to get out of his apartment so that his boy Breon wouldn’t see. While Ray really did enjoy smashing a pretty, BBW like Gracelyn, he knew he’d never hear the end of it if any of his friends were to see or hear about that kind of chick leaving his apartment. As much as he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs about how good her pussy was, his image was more important.
“Yeah, I feel fucked up about this,” Ray said, helping Gracelyn to the door. “But my boy called me about going and making this money. And he one of them niggas, you know, who get real sensitive and shit when you got other people around and they might be listenin’ and stuff. Look, I’mma hit you up, okay. When the next day you off work?”
“Thursday,” Gracelyn responded, feeling as if she was being rushed out of the door. “Why? You thinkin’ we can hook up then?”
“Yeah,” Ray said, hoping deep down that Breon wasn’t coming into the hallway door and coming up the steps. “Text me when you get home so that I know you made it.”
Gracelyn agreed and headed out into the hallway. No sooner than she’d gotten to the top of the staircase, Ray had closed the door to his apartment. She shook her head, thinking of how men could act so foul at times. Gracelyn made her way down the steps and out into the snowy parking lot. There, when she got into her car, she started the engine and allowed it to warm up. She found it funny that Ray would say something about snow when she’d remembered seeing the news in the break room at work earlier in the day. Snow was not even mentioned in the forecast, but rather falling temperatures.
Leaning her head back to relax for a moment, Gracelyn could hear tires coming into the parking lot. She watched as a dark-colored SUV pulled into a spot that wasn’t too far down from where she was parked. Not thinking much of it, she leaned back and simply observed. A tall guy jumped out of the SUV and quickly made his way toward the walkway that led up to Ray’s building. At first, Gracelyn wasn’t sure who it was. It then dawned on her that she was looking at Ray’s friend, Breon—the very dude that Nikki had been telling her about.
“Damn, he even walk like he got a big dick,” Gracelyn said, feeling herself get a little turned on.
After thinking about some of the details she’d gotten from her roommate, she then grasped the bigger picture. It was very strange that Breon would be coming over to Ray’s place at nearly 2 o’clock in the morning, especially if he had a chick at home. Not wanting to waste any more energy on the matter, Gracelyn backed out of the parking spot and made her way out of the lot.
Inside, Ray was all ears when Breon came to the door.
“Nigga, what’s up?” he greeted Breon after closing the apartment door. “So, you fuckin’ serious? You really try’na get that nigga Dante?”
“Nigga, what the fuck I look like?” Breon asked, feeling a little angry since he’d used most of the car ride to think about what Wayne and Jayron had to go through. “Hell yeah. I told you what he did, right?”
“Yeah, that’s some fucked up shit,” Ray said, shaking his head. “And he talkin’ about puttin’ that shit out on the internet if Wayne say anything or whatever. What do he want with you?”
“Nigga, you remember what happened with me and that nigga Dante,” Breon said. “Back when we was movin’ that work for Pablo and shit, he thought that I basically led the police to him by not sayin’ that the neighborhood was gettin’ hot. I’m like nigga, I wasn’t your damn daddy or no shit like that. You was a grown ass man. How the fuck you gon’ get mad at me because you get caught up in some shit that you can’t get yourself out of?”
“And now he out and shit and try’na come back after you?” Ray said, looking around for his coat. “And I was just thinkin’ about how this shit came at a bad time for you.”
“I know, right,” Breon said. “Here I am try’na talk to my girl’s daddy and stuff and propose to her and shit for our anniversary and now this Dante nigga done popped up and started some shit.”
“You know Trina gon’ flip out when she find out,” Ray said. “I can already see that shit now. She ain’t gon’ go for bein’ a part of this shit, or at least keepin’ her mouth quiet about it if you gotta do something to make sure that y’all okay.”
“What you mean, nigga?” Breon asked. “I ain’t gon’ tell her. She ain’t gon’ know.”
“Nigga, how you gon’ hide whatever guns we get and if you get another car, like I was sayin’ to you on the phone earlier?” Ray said. “You know she keep that apartment clean and stuff. She gon’ know somethin’ up.”
“I got somewhere else I’mma keep them and my truck if I got to,” Breon said. “I thought about hidin’ the guns in my car, but I already know what gon’ happen if I get pulled over with them.”
“Yeah, them racist ass white people gon’ take you right to prison,” Ray said. “And throw away the keys. Where you keepin’ the shit at?”
“Man, don’t worry about all that,” Breon said, knowing that he didn’t want to get into this conversation with Ray. “Just know that I got somewhere to keep that shit until we find out where this nigga Dante gon’ be and shit. The sooner the better so I can move the fuck on. That nigga is crazy and will do anything.”
“Okay, well I hit this nigga Kiwi up,” Ray said, picking up on his friend’s conclusive tone. “He said we can come through and shit ‘cause he up chillin’. I bet you too that these be the kind of people that know where we can find that nigga Dante. The kinda niggas that be chillin’ over at his house always know exactly what’s goin’ on out in the streets and stuff and where to find niggas.”
“Yeah, but then I gotta deal with niggas knowin’ who the fuck I’m lookin’ for and shit,” Breon said. “We can ask this nigga, Kiwi, if he know Dante or not, but don’t ask him if there’s a buncha people around ‘cause you know how much niggas talk and shit. I don’t want Dante to know that I’m lookin’ for his ass. And when I find out where he gon’ be, I’mma ride up on him and take care of the shit.”
Ray shook his boy’s hand, liking that he was standing up for what was right and not going to let Dante become any more of a problem than he already was. “I feel you on that shit, my nigga,” he said. “I’mma help you too ‘cause that shit ain’t right. Niggas need to learn to let go of grudges and shit.”
“He ain’t even got a fuckin’ right to have one,” Breon said.
“Man, why don’t you just keep the heat over here instead of wherever you keepin’ it now?” Ray asked.
Breon could pick up on the tone in his friend’s voice and see that he was being genuinely sincere with his question. “’Cause,” he said. “I need to keep that shit somewhere that won’t nobody know it’s at. You know everybody out in the streets know that me and you is like
as thick as water. That’s why I called you and told you what the fuck was goin’ on, man, ‘cause I already know that Dante would probably try some shit on you once he found out where you stay.”
“Naw, he ain’t that crazy,” Ray said, shaking his head and chuckling. “The nigga may be bold, but he ain’t stupid. He know if he come after me, that shit ain’t gon’ be too pretty. Look, man, keep your shit wherever you wanna keep it. I just hope that you can trust whoever.”
“I can man,” Breon said. “I mean, it’s somebody that people don’t even know I know like that. I’mma keep goin’ to work and shit like ain’t nothin’ changed, but I’mma be talkin’ to niggas and stuff and lookin’ into where I can find this Dante nigga. Soon as I know, I’mma get what the fuck I need from where I’m keepin’ it and gon’ go have a little talk. You don’t come after my family. Fuck all that.”
“Yeah, I feel you on that,” Ray said.
Ray and Breon headed out the door. Ray insisted that Breon ride in his Chrysler. The two of them headed out of the parking lot after allowing the car to warm up a bit. On the way over to the west side, Ray noticed how quiet Breon was being during the ride.
“This shit done really got to you, huh?” Ray asked.
“Man,” Breon said. “Everything was going okay up until this shit happened. I mean, I went and put some money down on that ring and stuff at the mall. I remember Trina talking about how much she liked it this one time when we was up there.”
Ray chuckled. “Yeah, they all tell you the rings they like,” he said.
“Yeah,” Breon said, nodding his head. “This is just one more fuckin’ problem I don’t need. ‘Cause I know that nigga Dante would do some shit like comin’ to the weddin’ and startin’ some shit. That’s why I don’t want Trina to even know what I’m doin’. I mean, I told her that a Dante dude was lookin’ for me and stuff, but I ain’t tell her about what he did to Wayne and stuff, or that he the kinda nigga to be try’na kill niggas and stuff. You know how Trina is, man. She would overreact to hearing something like that.”
“Yeah,” Ray said.
“That’s why I don’t even want the guns in the house ‘cause I know she gon’ find them,” Breon said. “Or in my truck ‘cause you know she borrow that when there’s too much snow. Plus, like I said, when I was thinkin’ about keepin’ them at your place, I thought about the couple times you done had the police bust in your shit for one reason or another.”
Ray chuckled. “Yeah,” he said. “I feel you.”
Ray turned his car down a narrow neighborhood street that ran north and south. The street was lined with small houses and medium-sized yards, most of which were situated atop a small slope.
Breon looked up and down the street as they pulled up at a stop sign. “So, what’s this nigga Kiwi like?” he asked. “How you know him?”
“He a cool dude and shit, I guess you could say,” Ray said. “He from somewhere out west, I think Los Angeles, so he got different tastes and shit when it comes to different shit. Sometimes, he be havin’ chicks hangin’ around with these big ole fat asses, but I don’t really know if they just like groupies or his hoes and shit. I met him through this nigga I met when I was hustling them cars that was comin’ up from down south. We kept in touch and shit and he wound up invitin’ me over and shit to a gatherin’ where I was meetin’ all kinds of niggas.”
Breon nodded as they headed up the street, processing what he was hearing. “I see, I see,” he said.
“Man, I know you think about this shit sometimes,” Ray said, slowly driving down the street. “I mean, I know you miss this money and some of the good pussy we used to get and shit.”
“Yeah, man, but I promised Trina that I wasn’t even gonna get back into that life,” Breon said. "And I can get the same pussy.”
“Yeah, but you know how that can be when females’ feelings get involved,” Ray said. “Now, if you got a chick on the side, she gon’ wanna be attached and stuff.”
“Shit, fuck that,” Breon said. “I don’t got that problem. This bitch I’m smashin’ right now. You can tell all she got is her body. I mean, she sweet actin’ and stuff, but I don’t get the vibe that she could carry any sort of conversation or nothin’ like that. That ass and them titties though and them thighs. Fuck, she so good to bounce on.”
Ray laughed before pointing at a house to the right. “That’s where Kiwi stay,” he said. “I think this place is in his uncle’s name or somethin’ like that. This nigga really do stay that low. I mean so damn low the only name niggas know him by is Kiwi, and he always watchin’ how people act around him. So, go in here and be cool. You got your money, right?”
Breon patted his inside coat pocket. “Yeah, nigga,” he said. “I took some from the stash at home and shit.”
“Good, ‘cause this nigga don’t do the payment thing,” Ray said. “And you said that if ain’t nobody around, you wanna go ahead and ask him if he know Dante? I’m tellin’ you, nigga, I bet he do know that nigga. This nigga know everybody.”
“I don’t know,” Breon said, looking around. He felt anxious about sitting in cars in neighborhoods that weren’t familiar to him. “Let me see how I’m feelin’ and shit about the nigga and I’ll bring it up.”
Ray and Breon agreed on that as the two men climbed out of Ray’s Chrysler. Breon followed Ray up to the house, standing behind him when he knocked on the screen door. Immediately, they could hear a deep voiced dog barking ferociously from behind the front door.
“Nigga, you ain’t tell me that this nigga had no dog over here,” Breon said. “Nigga, you know I ain’t into the whole big, scary dog thing.”
“Calm down,” Ray said. “That’s just Precious. She don’t bite.”
Breon shook his head. “A nigga name Kiwi got a dog named Precious,” he whispered.
Just then, Breon could see someone looking out of the window. Ray waved then the door opened. They walked into the dimly lit room. After closing the door behind him, Breon turned around to be introduced to Kiwi. The six foot tall, bald-headed guy with a beard and tattoos running up and down his buff arms, shook hands and hugged Breon. Breon reciprocated, liking that the house wasn’t crowded with people. The dog, which he now saw was a white pit bull, sniffed around at his feet in a very playful way.
“Nice to meet you nigga,” Kiwi said. “Welcome to the spot and shit. Slip your shoes off if you don’t mind and come on inside.”
Breon and Ray both slid out of their snowy tennis shoes, pushing them against the wall to the right of the door. They then walked further into the small house, seeing that the front room was decked out from floor to ceiling. The furniture looked as if it had come from the very best film sets in Los Angeles to Breon, especially since he’d heard that Kiwi was from out that way. His television was so thin that you almost couldn’t see it standing at its side. The carpet was a plush white, and looked as if it had never even been walked on. The art that hung from the walls was no generic or that stuff you might find in the random department store. Rather, the art looked as if it had been hand painted of different photos or people that may have been significant to Kiwi at some point.
Kiwi had Breon and Ray follow him down to the basement. As Breon walked through the house, he couldn’t help but notice how something so small on the outside, and located in the hood, could practically be state of the art. The basement was even done, with a small bar off to the side and stained glass basement windows that looked out at the backyard. Even though there was probably a good seven inches of snow out on the ground at the moment, Breon could see that bushes and nice lawn furniture were covered up, telling him that the yard was probably nice when the weather was nice.
“What do y’all niggas want to drink?” Kiwi asked. “I got a couple cold beers, Coronas, I think. A nigga would offer you some Patron, but this hoe I had over last night fucked that up for you. My bad.”
“Naw, you good,” Breon said, looking at the big guy dressed in only a white wife beater and gray joggin
g pants.
Kiwi grabbed a couple of beers out of the refrigerator behind the bar then handed them to Breon and Ray. He then came over and sat in a chair that was catty-corner to them, with a glass coffee table setting between them.
“So, wassup?” Kiwi asked. “You said you was lookin’ for some shit that can’t be tracked back to y’all niggas?”
“Yeah,” Ray said.
“Yeah,” Breon said, realizing that he should probably be the one doing more of the talking. “I got this little problem and I want it to go away as quick as possible.”
“I see,” Kiwi said, leaning back into his chair. “Well, I got this shit I can let go for a couple stacks but you can’t say you got it from me. And you definitely can’t get caught with these ‘cause they definitely got a couple of bodies on them.”
Breon nodded, remembering the days he’d hear those types of words on a regular basis. He’d always avoided guns with bodies on them, for the simple fact that he was scared to get caught with them and the bodies suddenly be pinned onto him. “I see,” he said. “That’s cool.”
“Yeah, so y’all nigga’s gotta make sure you got somewhere good to keep this shit,” Kiwi said. “Somewhere you ain’t gotta worry about the police comin’ in your house and finding you with them. ‘Cause if you get caught with these, I’m tellin’ you nigga, the legal system is gon’ rape you so bad you gon’ wish you was in prison instead.”
“Okay,” Breon said, thinking of Nikki. Virtually nobody, except for Ray, knew that he was messing around with Nikki. And even his knowledge was limited on the matter. So far, he’d only gone over to Nikki’s place when even her roommate wasn’t home. What he liked about keeping the weapons over at her house was that it was two females, meaning that the police were a lot less likely to be watching them. What made it even better is that, if he worked his magic right, he’d be able to talk Nikki into even holding onto the guns until he got back from Gatlinburg with Trina, by which he hoped to have taken care of Dante. The only thing left to do would be to get rid of the guns, and he wanted to make sure that he did everything as smoothly as he could. There was no way that Trina could find out about all of this. Breon was sure that this would run her away, no matter how nice the ring was.
Wrath of a Side Chick 2: A Chicago Hood Drama (Side Chick's Wrath) Page 8