by K'wan
“It wasn’t a vacation, I was a captive. Do you know how many times I thought about trying to bust out of there to get back to you?” Animal asked.
“I’m sure you did, and it only took you two years to act on it,” Gucci shot back.
Animal felt his anger rising but held it in check. He knew she was speaking from a place of hurt. “Gucci . . .” He reached for her, but she jerked away, so he let his hand fall to the space between them. “I wish there was a way for me to paint you a picture of what I’ve been through, but there aren’t enough colors in the rainbow for me to do it justice. Things were different . . . I was different, but I’m back now. I came back for you.”
“Did you really come back for me, Animal? Or did you come back to settle your score with Shai and Swann over what happened to Tech?” Tech had been Animal’s best friend and mentor, the one who taught him the game. Years ago, he had been executed over a slight to Shai Clark. His death rocked Animal, and he had never fully recovered from the loss.
“Gucci, this was never about Tech. I can’t ever forgive Shai or Swann for what they done to my homie, but at the end of the day, Tech was a soldier and understood the rules of this shit, same as the rest of us in the Dog Pound who took the oath. We live by violence, so we are cursed to die by violence. When they called Tech’s number, he went out like a G. It was an honorable death for a soldier,” Animal said.
“And what about Tionna’s death? Where was the honor in an innocent girl being tossed out of a window all because she got involved in this madness with us?” Gucci asked with tears in her eyes. This was the first time she had really gotten a chance to process the fact that her best friend was gone, and it hurt.
Animal lowered his head. Part of him hated Tionna for betraying him, and part of him felt guilty for putting her in that position. “I’m sorry for your loss, Gucci. I truly am.”
“Jesus, her mother had to hear it on the news instead of from me! This is all so fucked up.” Gucci put her face in her hands.
Animal draped his arm around her. “Everything is gonna be OK.”
“No, it isn’t, Animal. For as long as this feud between you and the Clarks continues, it’s never gonna be OK.”
“I know, ma. I’m ready to put this shit to bed, but I’m afraid Shai is going to do something to Ashanti, and it’ll be on me, because this was my beef and he was just trying to help,” Animal said. He saw a look of sadness cross Gucci’s face. “Gucci, if you want me to walk away—”
“No.” She cut him off. “I know how you feel about Ashanti, and I’d never ask you to turn your back on him in his time of need. You’d never forgive me or yourself for that.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Animal said.
“Just because I understand doesn’t mean I like it. Animal, you’ve got a big heart, no doubt about that, but I wonder if there’s enough room in your heart for me and your mistress.”
“Gucci, I was fucking that girl, but she wasn’t my mistress. It wasn’t that serious,” Animal explained.
“I don’t mean that whore you laid up with in Puerto Rico, I mean your real mistress, the same woman who has been coming between us since I’ve known you: the streets. She’s got a firmer hold on you than I ever have. Is she ever gonna let you go?”
Animal thought on it. “I imagine she will when she’s done with me. Let’s not dwell on that right now, ma. It’s been so long since we’ve been together, and I don’t wanna ruin the moment with talk of death or revenge. Let’s just enjoy each other.” He embraced her.
Gucci was tense at first, but as the warmth from his body spread over her, she loosened up. She looked up into Animal’s sad brown eyes and found herself falling hopelessly in love with him all over again. When he kissed her, it woke up parts of Gucci that had long been sleeping. She ran her hands over his back, refamiliarizing herself with a body she had once known as well as her own. He had put on some weight, but it was mostly muscle.
Animal pried his lips from Gucci’s and slowly undressed her. His hands trembled as he helped her out of her sweatpants. Seeing her naked stole his breath. He had been with other women since he’d fled New York, but none compared to Gucci. She was his soul mate, the air he breathed, and his body craved her.
Gucci was self-conscious about her surgical scar from the shooting, so she covered herself with her hands. Gently, Animal moved her hands and looked at the scar. It ran from just below her breasts to her belly button. Seeing her once-perfect skin now blemished hurt him. Not because she was any less beautiful to him but because he knew he had been the cause. He knelt and kissed her from the top of her scar to its end.
Feeling Animal’s lips on her skin made Gucci giddy. The warmth of his breath on her panty line made her so moist that she was almost embarrassed. With the greatest of care, Animal slid down her panties and continued his kissing. When Gucci felt his tongue brush across her clit, her body stiffened. She relaxed as best she could while his mouth explored her privates.
Animal laid her on the couch and pushed her legs apart so that he could get a better angle. He kissed the interior of both thighs, working his way to her love cave. His tongue was like a hot spear when it entered her. He did tricks with his tongue that he had never done to her before, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he had practiced on the other women he’d been with during his time away from her. With this thought in mind, she grabbed two fistfuls of his hair and forced his face deeper into her. No matter whom he had been with before, Animal belonged to Gucci, and she intended to remind him of this.
When Animal finally came up for air, his lips were wet with her juices. She pulled him down to kiss her. She wanted to taste herself. They kissed deeply and passionately, both of them becoming more aroused. Animal slipped his hand between them and guided his dick toward her opening. She was wet but tight, so he had some trouble entering her. This brought a sly smile to his face, and added truth to her statement about having not been touched since he left.
Animal was finally able to slide all the way inside her womb. It was warm and inviting, more inviting than he remembered. She let out a gasp, which made him stop. “Are you OK? I can stop if I’m hurting you.” He tried to pull out, but she wrapped her legs around his waist and held him in place.
“No, I don’t want you to stop. I want you to fuck me. I want you to be the Animal, not Tayshawn,” she ordered.
Animal was surprised by the demand but more than happy to oblige her. He grabbed Gucci by the hips and forced himself as deep into her as her walls would allow. When he looked down and saw that the shaft of his dick was covered in white froth, he knew he was hitting her spot. Animal pushed inside her, slowly and rhythmically, until she had loosened up, and then he picked up the pace.
When Animal flipped Gucci onto her stomach and entered her from behind, she felt like she had died and gone to heaven. Every time his balls slapped her ass, it sent waves of pleasure through her body. She had to bite the pillow to keep from howling like a wolf. When she felt his grip tighten around her waist, she knew he was getting close to climaxing, so she started throwing it back. She wanted to remove any doubts he may have had in his mind about who his dick belonged to. Animal growled, and she felt his seed flood her. He came so hard that after it had filled her, his cum ran down her legs. When it was done, he lay on top of her, dick still in her, breathing like he had just run a marathon.
Gucci and Animal lay there for a long while, quiet and listening to each other’s breathing. When Animal leaned in to kiss her, she turned her face.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Nothing, just thinking,” she said.
“About what?”
Gucci rolled over and positioned herself so that they were side-by-side and facing each other. “Did you make love to her, like you do to me?”
Animal sighed. “Gucci, why do you keep going there?”
“Because it’s fucking with me. Now, please answer my question.”
“A’ight, Gucci. No, I didn’t
make love to her like I do to you. When we’re together, it’s special. It symbolizes our love and our union. With me and Sonja, it was just fucking, no emotional attachments, just sex.”
“So that’s her name?” Gucci asked, doing a poor job of masking her attitude.
“Yes, Red Sonja. She was the daughter of the man who employed us.” Animal reflected on the steel-eyed beauty who had shared his bed in Puerto Rico.
Gucci felt the tears coming back, but this time she wouldn’t allow them to fall. “This is too much. I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.”
“Gucci, I’m the same Tayshawn you fell in love with that night at the club in Harlem.”
“The Tayshawn I fell in love with wouldn’t have given what was promised to me to another woman,” Gucci shot back.
“Gucci, I am deeply sorry for hurting you. I mean that,” Animal said sincerely.
“I know, Tayshawn. I’m trying to be understanding about it, but right now, the wound is still fresh, so it’s hard.”
“Baby, just tell me what I can do or say to make it right.”
“Promise me you’ll never hurt me again. Promise me that you belong to me and only me, like I only belong to you,” Gucci said.
Animal looked her directly in the eyes when he spoke. “On everything I hold dear, I will never hurt you again.”
Gucci studied his face. “I believe you, Tayshawn. I’m going to try to get past this, but before we start on the road to reconciliation, let me be clear on something.” She grabbed him by his nuts and squeezed them as hard as she could. Animal was in so much pain that all he could do was stare at her dumbly. “If you ever in your life give away what belongs to me again, I’m gonna cut these hairy muthafuckas off! Do you understand me?”
“Yes, baby, now please let my nuts go.” Animal gasped. When she finally released him, he rolled over onto his back and felt his nuts to make sure she hadn’t crushed them. “Your ass is crazy.”
“You ain’t seen crazy, but I’m gonna show you if any of your whores come busting out the woodwork,” Gucci assured him.
“Well, can’t say I expected to come back and see this,” a voice said from the doorway.
Gucci covered herself, but Animal was on his feet, naked and ready for battle. Kahllah lingered in the doorway. In her hand, she held a pink and black motorcycle helmet, which matched the pink and black custom bike she rode. Over her shoulder hung a large pocketbook. Judging by the strain on the straps, it was too heavy to be carrying only feminine products.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” Animal snapped.
“I would’ve, had the door actually been closed,” Kahllah said. Her eyes wandered to Animal’s swinging dick, and she raised an eyebrow.
“Animal, cover yourself,” Gucci called from the bed, and threw a pillow at him.
“My fault.” Animal picked the pillow up and placed it over his privates.
Kahllah let her eyes linger a little longer before she focused on his face. “Get dressed. I need to talk to you, and it’s important.”
“Can’t it wait?” Gucci asked with an attitude.
“I’m afraid it can’t. It’s about Ashanti,” Kahllah said. She set the motorcycle helmet and the key to the bike on the writing desk next to the laptop.
At the mention of his friend’s name, Animal hurriedly grabbed his clothes from the floor and darted into the bathroom. A few seconds later, he came back out, fully dressed and with a worried expression on his face. “What’s good with my nigga? Is he OK?”
“For now, but I don’t know how long that’ll hold true,” Kahllah said. There was sadness in her normally confident tone.
“Talk to me, Kahllah,” Animal urged.
Kahllah was hesitant. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but my conscience won’t let me keep it, even if it goes against Father’s wishes. Your little friend’s name is floating around on a piece of paper. I trust you know what that means.”
Animal did. It was a term used when a hit was placed on someone. “That ain’t nothing new. Since all this has popped off, a lot of people want Ashanti dead because of his affiliation with me or King James.”
“This has nothing to do with either of you. Word is, Ashanti and his crew murdered someone very close to Swann, and he isn’t taking it too well.”
“Fuck Swann and whoever got bodied. We all soldier and understand the risks,” Animal said.
“This wasn’t a soldier. It was a low-level pimp who didn’t have any parts in this war, outside of his affiliation with Swann. Swann is going crazy over this,” Kahllah explained.
Animal shrugged. “Niggaz die every day. Why is Swann taking this so personal?”
“Probably because this time it hit a little closer to home. Swann and the boy were close, very close. Some say it was Swann’s nephew, but I have other suspicions, which I won’t speak on. Swann has put a bounty of fifty thousand dollars on Ashanti’s head, and I don’t need to tell you that every scum bag looking for a come-up is going to come crawling out of their holes for that fifty stacks. As we speak, there are killers en route to try and collect.”
“I gotta go to him.” Animal stepped toward the door, but Kahllah blocked his path.
“Now, you know I can’t let you go running the streets and compromise what we have going on,” Kahllah told him. “Father says that I am to make sure that you two stay put, which is what I intend on doing.” She set her purse on the floor near the door. You could hear the distinct clang of metal inside. “Ashanti is in the hood right now, among all his troops, so he’ll be fine . . . at least, I hope. Either way, I can’t let you leave. All we can do is pray for him.
“Kahllah, I don’t know what planet you grew up on, but where I’m from, bullets are more reliable than prayer. Now, let me go!” Animal barked.
“You can talk as loud as you want, Animal, but ain’t nothing popping.” Kahllah folded her arms.
“Kahllah, I don’t want to hurt you,” Animal warned.
“Nor do I want to hurt you, Animal. So let’s not dance this dance if we don’t have to. Now, I’ve got a phone call to make, and the reception is horrible up here, so I’m going way over to the other side of the church to use the phone in the office. While I’m gone, I strongly suggest that you mind your manners and do not snoop around in things that don’t concern you.” She tapped her purse with her foot. “Do we understand each other?”
Animal was stumped. He wondered if this was some sort of trick. He searched Kahllah’s face, but she was impossible to read. “Yeah, we understand each other.”
“Good.” Kahllah turned and left, leaving behind her purse and key.
“What the hell was that all about?” Gucci asked.
“A wise man once said, ‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth,’ ” Animal told her, and scooped the motorcycle key off the writing desk. He started to grab the helmet too, so as to conceal his identitiy, but figured it might do him more harm than good. A grown man riding around on a pink bike was bad enough, but a helmet to go with it would draw more attention than he needed. Next, he went to the bag she’d left and began to rummage through it. At the bottom, he found a welcome surprise—two, actually. Wrapped in a customized leather harness were a pair of twin rose-tinted chrome Glocks with red rubber grips. “My bitches!” Animal said excitedly. “Pretty Bitches” was the pet name he’d given the guns when he received them as a birthday gift many years before. He thought he’d never see them again after Shai’s men had disarmed him in the scrap yard. “It’s on,” Animal said, slipping into the harness and sliding the guns into their holsters.
“Animal, I know you want to help Ashanti, but think on it for a minute. Are you sure we can trust Kahllah? This may be a trap,” Gucci pointed out.
“Baby girl, right now, I’m sure of two things: the fact that I love you and the fact that Ashanti ain’t gonna die on my watch. I gotta go.” Animal kissed Gucci on the lips and slipped out before she could protest further.
• • •
Gucci sat there alone, wrapped in the sheets and staring at the empty doorway. She wanted to be mad at Animal for rushing off and leaving her again, but she couldn’t. Gucci knew his heart better than anyone, and his heart wouldn’t allow him to leave a friend in time of need, even if it was at the risk of his own life. His loyalty was one of the reasons she loved him so much.
From the tiny window, she heard the loud roar of a motorcycle engine being revved. A chill swept across her shoulders, and she was suddenly overcome with an eerie feeling. She was afraid, afraid that history was repeating itself and that she had been reunited with her lover only to lose him again, far too soon. Animal had already cheated the Reaper twice, and she hoped that the third time wouldn’t be the charm.
“Please bring him back to me,” Gucci said, offering up a quiet prayer.
• • •
Priest arrived back at the church just in time to see Animal go whipping by him on Kahllah’s motorcycle. He wished that he could say he was surprised that his son had made a break for it. He’d expected as much, only not quite so soon.
“Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression,” Priest said, quoting Romans 4:15. “Let your hand be stayed no longer, my fallen angel. Loose your wrath, and make your enemies tremble in your wake.”
FIFTEEN
BY THE TIME ASHANTI MADE it to the hood, he had missed the meeting King James had called, but he didn’t need to be in attendance to get the gist of what it was about. On the whole ride back to the block from the precinct, the ghetto grapevine worked overtime delivering varying accounts of what had happened. The one thing all the stories had in common was that somebody had tried to off King James, and that was all Ashanti cared about. King had taken him in and treated him like family when he didn’t have shit, so Ashanti was taking the attempt on his life personally.