by Jade Jones
Wrapping my legs around Jude’s neck, I reclined my body on the sink. After several minutes of feasting between my thighs, he finally stood to his feet before wiping away the moisture on his lips.
“I’m finna handle this shit now,” he said.
“Show me,” I smiled.
He quickly pulled me to the edge of the sink and positioned himself between my thighs. I gasped upon his entrance as he slowly slid inside me. Right there on the bathroom sink we made passionate love all up until he lifted me up and carried me into the bedroom. Wrapping my legs around his waist, we kissed sensually before he laid me down on the king size platform bed. We made sweet love in bed not bothering to remember to use a condom. And it wasn’t until Jude rolled off top of me, that I was actually concerned about that.
“Did you just come in me again, bay?” I asked.
Jude wiped the tiny beads from sweat from his forehead. “My fault babe. It was so good, I couldn’t pull out,” he simply said.
I knew he did it on purpose. I started to say some shit, but he quickly cut me off by asking if I wanted something to drink. It was his clever way of escaping me cursing him out. He quickly climbed out the bed and headed towards the kitchen.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
“Baby!” I called out. “Someone’s at the door!” I climbed out of bed and pulled on my pink terry cloth robe.
“Baby!” I called out. “Forget it, I’ll get it myself,” I said heading towards the front door.
The minute I opened the front door I wouldn’t have expected to see the person standing on the opposite side of it.
Ericka stood on the last step smiling sweetly with both her hands behind her back.
I folded my arms. “What the fuck do you want,” I asked with much attitude.
“Is Jude home?” she asked politely.
Oh hell no. This bitch really is bipolar. She was behaving like she hadn’t tried to take my head off with a metal bat a few weeks ago.
“What the hell do you want with Ju—”
“Ericka?” Jude walked up beside me. He was fully dressed. “How did you know where I lived?”
“Jude, can we talk?” Ericka asked.
I whipped my head in Jude’s direction. If looks could kill, he would’ve been a dead man.
“Nah, we can’t talk, Ericka,” he said. “And you really shouldn’t be here—”
“Look we have to talk!” She insisted. “I’m tired of this game you’re playing! I’m tired of waiting for you. I want things to be the way they used to be between us.”
I sucked my teeth and rolled my eyes. “Look, bitch—”
“Cameron,” Jude stepped in and shook his head. “Look, E…I don’t know what’s up with you lately. But ever since you came home from the Air Force—”
“I was never in the Air Force, Jude,” she blurted out.
“What?!” Jude said in shock.
“I’ve been in and out of mental asylums for the last fuckin’ five years! Come on, Jude! You really thought they’d let me join the Air Force with all my mental disorders?” Her tone was no longer sweet and syrupy.
“Oh my God, Jude. Let me whup this crazy bitch’s ass,” I said.
Ericka looked over at me and smirked.
“Look, Ericka,” Jude approached her. “You’re going to have to bounce or else I’m callin’ the cops…”
Suddenly, Ericka snatched her hands from behind her back and sent a bolt of electricity into Jude’s body with the Taser gun she was hiding. Jude dropped onto the ground, his body convulsed uncontrollably.
Without hesitation, I punched the shit out Ericka’s crazy ass. Tiffany wasn’t here to stop me from kicking her ass.
She stumbled backwards and grabbed her bloodied nose. “I’m finna whup yo’ ass, hoe,” I said walking up on her.
She tossed the Taser gun onto the ground and boldly posted up.
Before I could swing again, she snatched me up by my hair and began slinging me around the parking lot area. She was taller than me by five or six inches so she had me beat as far as height and judging from the way she was effortlessly flinging me around she was obviously much stronger than me.
I tussled and wrestled with her, but I had definitely met my match with her tall ass. After slinging me around by my hair for a few more seconds, she tossed me onto the pavement. Before I could stand to my feet, she kicked me in the side.
“Aaahh!” I moaned in pain.
“Bitch, you thought you were going to whup my ass?!” she yelled before kicking me again. “Huh?!” She lifted her foot to kick me again, but I quickly grabbed her ankle boot, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.
Not missing a beat, I climbed on top of her and proceeded to bang her head repeatedly against the pavement.
“Get off!” she screamed.
It was no use. The minute I climbed on top of her it was a wrap. Suddenly, I felt two strong arms grab me and pull me off Ericka’s crazy ass. She should’ve felt fortunate because if it wasn’t for the neighbor pulling me off, I probably would have killed her.
“You stupid cunt!” Ericka screamed. “I’m gonna kill you!” she threatened.
Another neighbor grabbed her before she tried to attack me.
In minutes the police had arrived and took statements from everyone. Fortunately, the neighbors saw the whole thing. Ericka was forced into the back of a squad car after Jude and I decided to press harassment and assault charges against her.
Even though her ass had me heated that she had come to my house to start some mess in the broad daylight, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl. She was eight kinds of crazy and I didn’t know if there was much hope for her.
Ericka’s gaze never faltered as she stared at me through the back window of the squad car. Her piercing gray eyes silently threatened me as I watched the car pull out the parking lot.
Chapter 23
One Week Later.
I made my way across the West side Market parking lot. After hitting the automatic door unlock button, I placed the bag of groceries into the back seat. The loaf of bread tumbled out of one the bags and fell onto the ground.
“Shit,” I cursed bending down to get it. Once I picked it up, I tossed it into the passenger seat.
“Hey?” I heard a voice say behind me.
I turned on my heel—
Wham!
I only caught a glimpse of the fist that suddenly connected with my skull! I fell against the truck and slowly slid down onto the ground. A blurry figure stood over and stared at me for several seconds…
Suddenly blackness engulfed me…
***
“You sure this is her?” A muffled voice asked.
“Yo, I’m sure. I’ve been following this hoe for a week straight. This that nigga’s bitch, homie.”
My eyelids fluttered as I struggled to open my eyes. My head was throbbing like crazy, I was dizzy as hell.
What the fuck is going on, I asked myself.
When I finally opened my eyes, blackness completely surrounded me. It took my brain several seconds to register that I had something covering my head.
I opened my mouth, but muffled sounds came out. Rocking a little bit, I noticed that my arms and legs were bound to the chair I was seated in.
“Well. Well. Well. Looks like this bitch is finally awake,” I heard a familiar voice say.
Whatever was shielding my eyes was suddenly snatched off my head. Standing before me was Kevin and one of his homies who’d also been robbed the night I followed Jude.
Kevin tossed his hands in the air the minute he got a good look at me. “This that nigga’s bitch?!” he asked surprised. ‘Dude, this is the same hoe that smacked my shit and pulled off. And this the same hoe that saw me pop that bitch on Saint Clair a couple months ago,” he said in regards to Pocahontas. “The one I told you that robbed me.”
“Damn,” his homie chuckled. “Small world, huh?”
“Yo, I knew I should’ve bodied this hoe when I had the chance
,” Kevin said.
I began cursing and screaming, but all my words came out muffled because of the gag in my mouth.
“What’s that, baby girl?” Kevin asked before removing the gag.
“What the hell do you want?!” I screamed.
Kevin chuckled and looked back at his homie. “Aye, man…this bitch got heart,” he said. “I dig that.” He focused his attention back to me. “Well…since you asked,” he dug into his jacket pocket and pulled his cell phone out. “You can start by calling that thieving ass nigga of yours. Tell that bitch ass nigga if he wanna see you again, he needs to brings me fifty stacks! Cash money! Tell that mothafucka we down at the abandoned warehouse on 93rd and Aetna,” he explained. “You got that?”
I stared at Kevin in resentment. Without hesitation, I spit right in his face!
For a moment Kevin simply stood there looking at me in disbelief. He slowly wiped my saliva from his face…
Wham!
He slapped me so hard, my head whipped back at the force! My lip immediately split open and I could taste the salty taste of blood in my mouth.
Kevin suddenly grabbed me by my throat. “Bitch, I’m not fuckin’ with yo’ ass! The fact that you still livin’ and breathin’ is a mothafuckin’ privilege! You hear me?!”
I started gasping for air. “Yes,” I forced out.
He hesitantly released his grip. “Now what the fuck is this nigga number?” he asked.
I reluctantly gave Kevin Jude’s cell phone number. The last thing I wanted was for him to put two bullets in me much like he had done my girl. I saw firsthand what Kevin was capable of so I knew he wasn’t shit to fuck around with.
To my dismay, the phone rang several times before going straight to voicemail. “He’s not answering,” I said.
Kevin’s jaw tensed in frustration. He quickly hung the phone up. “Damn!” shouted.
Suddenly, he kicked the chair I was tied to over causing me to fall backwards! The back of my head instantly collided with the hard cement floor.
“Please!” I cried. “Please let me go!”
Kevin roughly snatched me up by my hair. The chair followed my every move. Once I was seated upright properly in the chair, Kevin pulled a silver Glock from his waist band.
My heart rate instantly sped up at the sight of the gun! Lord, I don’t want to die!
“Welp! I gave you and that nigga a chance,” he said. “I can’t let you live this time, baby girl.” Kevin aimed his gun at me. “I guess that nigga don’t love you—”
“Wait! Wait!” I yelled. “Kenny…” I licked my dry lips. “Kenneth Jackson…”
Kevin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Yo, man pop that bitch! What you waitin’ for?” Kevin’s homie asked.
“Aye, man. Shut the fuck up,” Kevin tossed over his shoulder.
His boy rolled his eyes and shook his head. It was obvious he wanted to hurry up and get this shit over with.
Kevin focused his attention back to me.
“How the hell do you know that name?” he asked.
Tears streamed from my eyes. “That’s your father’s name, right?” I asked.
Kevin’s lips parted as if he wanted to say something.
“He was killed in a car accident twelve years ago?”
Kevin slowly lowered his gun. “Man, how the fuck you know all this shit?”
Mucus trickled from my nose. “Because he’s my father too,” I cried.
Kevin’s arms fell limply at his sides as he stared at me in astonishment.
“Man fuck this bitch and that bullshit she talkin’!” His homie yelled. “I say we pop this hoe and bounce!”
Kevin turned around to face his friend. “Boy, I’m running this shit! Fuck you on, nigga? Ain’t nobody doin’ shit!”
His homie quickly pulled his gun out of his waist band. “Well, fuck it! I’ll murk this bitch myself!”
Everything happened all at once!
His homie aimed the gun at me and squeezed the trigger—
Pow!
Kevin’s threw his body in front of mine and took aim at his own friend! The chair I was tied to toppled over again, causing me to smack my head against the concrete for the second time.
Kevin fell beside me and fired two gun shots that landed in his homie’s torso!
Pop! Pop!
His boy instantly dropped to his knees. His eyes were wide open. The gun dropped beside him and he immediately fell over onto his side, dead to the world.
Kevin grabbed the side of his neck where blood was gushing like a fountain. He dropped the gun beside him and looked over at me.
Tears slipped from my eyes as I cried.
“Urgh!” he groaned in pain as he inched closer to me. Blood dripped from his neck and made a trail on the dirty ground as he crawled over towards me. When he finally reached me, he dug into his jacket’s pocket and produced a switchblade.
My eyes immediately shot open at the sight of the sharp blade.
However, he didn’t cut or hurt me. Instead, he proceeded to cut the thin robe that was used to tie my arms and legs together.
Once I was finally free, I snatched the gag out of my mouth.
Kevin collapsed onto the ground beside me.
“Kevin?” I turned him over onto his back and placed his head in my lap.
His eyes connected with mine. I was surprised when he smiled. “That nigga was right?” he chuckled. “This is a small ass world.”
Tears slipped from my eyes and landed on his face.
“It’s going to be alright. I’m going to call for help.” I placed my hand against the gunshot wound. Blood poured profusely through my fingers. I knew he wouldn’t make it but still I had a little shred of hope.
He may have killed my best friend, kidnapped me and nearly got me killed…but the fact of the matter was he was still my big brother.
He suddenly spit up a mouthful of blood. “I’m…sorry…,” he struggled to say.
Tears continued to stream from my eyes. Twelve years later and I was losing the last blood relative I had left.
I closed his eyelids over his glazed over eyes.
Chapter 24
I knew Jude wouldn’t answer his cell phone when Kevin asked me too. His boy might have been following me for a week but he obviously didn’t do his homework. Jude had been convicted of felony fraud and sentenced to five and a half years in state prison after entering a guilty plea.
I’d be twenty-five by the time he was released and he’d be twenty-nine. I didn’t even know if things would ever be the same.
Sitting on top of the closed toilet seat lid in my bathroom, I stared at the positive pregnancy test I had taken less than five minutes ago.
I sighed dejectedly and ran my fingers through my hair as I stared at the dark blue line indicating positive.
Suddenly, my cell phone began ringing on the bathroom counter sink. I blew out air at the sight of the caller ID. I started not to even answer. After all, I didn’t even know what to say.
Against my better judgment, I answered on the fifth ring. “Hello?”
“Look, you ain’t gotta talk, Cameron” Marcus said. “Just listen…I know you gotta man and everything. I dig that you’re faithful and shit but I can’t get you out of my head. I’m really feelin’ you, Cameron” he admitted. “And when that nigga fuck up, I’ma be right here waitin’ on you to hopefully take a chance with me.”
PART THREE IS FINALLY AVAILABLE!!
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Excerpt from “The Hand You’re Dealt (Tales From da 216)
The following morning, the sound of a baton smacking against the bars of Omar’s cell doorsinstantly awoke him from a semi-decent slumber. Initially, Omar believed he was at home in his bed, lying beside Laila. He assumed his alarm clock had just gone off and it was now time for work.
“Chow time!” An officer shouted.
To his dismay, he wasn’t in the comforts of his own home. Instead, he was waking up to the cold confinement
of a prison cell. He listened intently as inmates groaned and complained about being woken up. From the corner of his eye, he watched Charlie shuffle to his feet.
“Come on. Time for breakfast,” Charlie mumbled before nudging Omar’s shoulder slightly.
Omar quickly pulled the thin white sheet up to his neck and turned onto his side so that his back was facing Charlie. He wasn’t in the mood to eat. He didn’t want to get used to being there. He had faith that Laila would use the fifty-seven thousand dollars in his savings account to get him a better attorney. He believed he wouldn’t be in prison for too much longer.
“Hey, you miss breakfast you don’t eat. You ain’t in no mothafuckin’ hotel where the room service brings you food and shit.”
Omar ignored Charlie as he stared at the cream cinder wall.
Charlie sucked his teeth and shook his head. Newbie, he thought.
“Chow time! If you don’t eat now, you won’t eat period!” the officer reiterated.
A single tear slipped from his right eye and ran down his face as he continued to stare at the wall. This shit was not happening, he kept telling himself.
“Suit yourself,” the officer said before slamming the door shut.
***
Later that day, Omar and Charlie were standing in the courtyard along the basketball court, when Charlie decided to give Omar a brief rundown of all the prison gangs. Of course, all were categorized by ethnicity and each nationality understandably, hung with their own kind. Blacks with the blacks. Whites with the whites. Latinos with the Latinos. Asians with the Asians. And so forth.
“Watch out for some of these guards. Some of ‘em is worse than the damn prisoners,” he told Omar. “So you got any family on the outside? An ole lady? Kids?”
“I gotta girl,” Omar admitted proudly. “She means the world to me too.”
Charlie raised a thick eyebrow in skepticism. “Oh really?” he asked. “You love her that much? You believe she gone hold you down while you in this mothafucka?”
“I know she will,” he eagerly said. “She would never turn her back on me. She ain’t like that.”