by Mercedes G
While I waited for him to respond my mind was racing one-hundred miles per hour, and I could only imagine what was going through his mind. Maybe he found out about my ulterior motives. I ran to my room and quickly got dressed. I was going straight to my dad’s house to see what the fuck was going on. Something inside of me told me that he had something to with this shit, and if he did I was going to let him know that he was taking this shit way too far and I was throwing my fucking towel in. This game was over for me.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!! Boom!!!
“Daddy it’s me! Open up the door!” I yelled. I looked around as I stood at the door patting my foot on the ground nervously. Something inside of me had me scared for my life. I don’t know what it was. Maybe it was just my guilty conscience that had me paranoid. You know that feeling you get when some shit pop off and you know that you were involved in it and now everyone’s about to find out? Yeah, that feeling right there.
Finally, my dad opened the door wearing a black robe with a cigar in his mouth.
“Good morning baby girl,” he smiled as the cigar dangled in the corner of his swollen lips. He had a black eye and he looked horrible. I didn’t even bother to ask him what had happened to him knowing that he would only lie to me anyway. I walked right past him, and sat down on the on his couch. I ran my hands through my hair.
“Daddy, please tell me you had nothing to do with this?” I spoke calmly.
“Baby girl listen, unless you have information for me I don’t think you need to be questioning me about anything.”
He sat down on the couch next to me, and I noticed that he had a cut on the side of his face. What the fuck is going on? I thought. Some shit had definitely gone down that I knew nothing about.
“Oh, God! We’re dead! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? And if he finds out that you’re my dad, he’ll probably kill me first! Please dad, just tell me you had nothing to do with the murder of his grandmother?” I asked as my hands shook irrepressibly. That devious laugh of his cause me to quiver.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“You are what’s funny. You claim you’re not in love with him and it’s strictly business, but right now you seem to be all in your feelings about the nigga. Hypothetically speaking, what if I did kill the bitch?” He crossed his legs.
“If you did kill her, I just want you to know that you may want to start planning a fucking funeral for yourself as well as your daughter!”
“You watch your mouth Brittany! You’re my child, it ain’t the other way around.”
“But dad, it was not supposed to go this far. I’m done. I’m out. You can keep the money, dad. I don’t want to be a part of this anymore.”
“Well I’m glad that you said that, because I was thinking about taking you out of this game anyway. You let that man break you Brittany! You think I believed that your ex put those disgusting looking marks on your body? You love that man, and I want that shit to end as well! For the record, I didn’t kill his grandmother,” he said, but I knew that he was lying.
My dad was a man that was capable of many things despite his age. With me being his daughter, he wasn’t going to flat out tell me that he had killed Mega’s grandmother, or anyone else for that matter. Anytime I ever heard of him being responsible for someone’s death and asked him about it, he would either laugh it off or deny it. I can’t believe that he was going to this extent over some damn territory. My phone rung and it was Mega. He had replied to my text. Even though I was scared as hell for my life right now, I was glad to hear from him. I needed to know that he was okay. I was even thinking about coming clean and hoped that some way we could make this shit right. What the fuck am I thinking, that would be like suicide!
MY SWEETIE: What up B? A nigga going thru a lot right now…I’ll stop by later on so we can talk.
ME: Okay Mega, you know I’m here for you.
Okay, so maybe Mega didn’t have an idea of what was going on and that was a good thing because I really did care for him. It was also a good thing because I knew the he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in my ass if he knew what was really up.
Later that night, I sat on the couch sipping on cup of 1800, the pineapple kind. I needed something to calm my nerves.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK .
There was a knock on the door and I had no idea who could be knocking on my door because Mega had a key to my house.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“It’s Mega,” he said and the way that he said it just didn’t feel right. He was supposed to say “me”.
Soon as I opened the door, I wrapped my arms around him holding him tightly. He was quite resistant and didn’t return the favor, but I knew he was going through some shit right now, so I didn’t dwell on that. Even though he looked broken, he was still very attractive. His eyes were red and swollen, and his clothes smelled like pure alcohol.
“I’m so sorry baby, about your grandmother…come in,” I told him and closed the door. Mega took a seat on the couch. “You want anything to eat baby?” I asked.
“Nah, I’m good. I ate before I came. Come sit down we need to talk,” he ordered.
“I’m all ears sweetie,” I said and sat down next to him and rubbed the nape of his neck with my hand.
“You and I can’t fuck with each other like that no more,” he bluntly stated catching me off guard. Even though I knew that this day would come, I hated that it had come so soon.
“What, why not?” I asked, sounding desperate as fuck, and I was desperate. Hell, I didn’t want us to ever end, but I knew under the circumstances that I was in, we could never be together anyway.
“Me and Taysia working shit out. I want to be with her and my son every day from here on out. I want to wake up with her and my son next to me every morning. Don’t get me wrong ma, I was feeling the fuck outta you and what we had, but the heart doesn’t lie and mine is with her.”
He looked over at me for a reaction when he said that, and I gave him nothing. If that’s what he wanted then so be it. I wasn’t no stalker type bitch. The dick was good, as a matter of fact the shit was exclusive, but I had to understand that we weren’t that deep, and if he ever found out that I was Wesley’s daughter, I knew things would for sure turn for the worst. I was crushed on the inside but I wouldn’t dare give him the satisfaction of knowing it. My mind was made up as soon as Mega leaves, I’m going to disappear, fuck that. This situation was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
“Okay, cool, I understand.” I figured I may as well get myself out of this situation while I have the chance. Mega stood up and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. I followed him to the door and let him walk out of my life.
CHAPTER 27
NATAYSIA
Mrs. Mildred’s funeral was swamped. You would have thought that she was the neighborhood drug dealer because every D-boy in the city was in the church. Of course they all were a part of Mega’s crew so they came to show their condolences. Some of Mrs. Mildred’s long lost family members came from out of town as well. I knew that this day would bring the peace between MeMe and Mega; unfortunately, I was wrong. As Mega, DJ and I sat on the front row of the left side of the church, MeMe, Jamelia and a few other family members sat on the right side.
Mega had taken the funeral better than I thought he would, and I assumed it to be because he had been crying since the day she was murdered. He had cried so much that he had gotten all of it out of his system. Even though he didn’t shed not one tear during the service, if you looked into his eyes you could see how demolished he really was on the inside. By the time the funeral services was over, it was pouring down raining outside.
After the burial, he didn’t feel the need to go to the repast, so we hopped in his truck and headed back to his house. Mega had one hand on the steering wheel and the other was holding mine. He turned the radio down, and kept his eyes on the road.
“I’m moving to Miami, Mrs. Lady,” he calmly stated.
A lump formed in my thro
at as I tried to swallow. It was something about the way that he said that, and I knew he meant it. “I want you and DJ to come to.”
Through my peripheral vision, I saw him glance at me quickly and focus his attention back on the road. I didn’t say anything. Not because I didn’t want to move but I was weighing my options in my head. There wasn’t shit for me in Cuthbert, or Albany really. Being that I was a registered nurse, we could move tonight and I’ll have a job by tomorrow.
“Why you so quiet? Talk to me,” he said bringing my hand up and blessing it with a kiss.
“I was just thinking, but I’m with you all the way. I think Miami would be a good move for both of us.”
“That’s what’s up ma. I already put both of my houses up for sale. I got a lot of shit to handle before we leave though, so it won’t be right now. But we’ll be gone in two months at the most.”
“Okay,” I smiled thinking about this new venture in our life that was about to come. I looked in the back the seat and the rain had already soothed DJ to sleep. I laid my head back on the headrest and listened to the rain the rest of the ride home.
It had been a long week for us. Losing a loved one, planning a home going service and dealing with a lot of miscellaneous people, had us drained. Soon as we got home, all three of us made our way upstairs to take a nap.
Later on that night, I watched Mega as he got dressed. It was something very odd about his demeanor. I knew that he was up to no good and it scared me.
“Where you about to go?” I asked.
“Out to handle some business.” He didn’t make eye contact with me at all.
I watched him double check to make sure that his gun was fully loaded. Seeing that it was, he placed it in his waist. It never really bothered me when Mega left the house with his tools, because I know what his life is about and I know how he and his crew rolled. Tonight was different though. My gut feeling was telling me that something bad was going to happen and thinking about Mega coming up on the short end of the stick, paralyzed me.
“I’m going with you.” I jumped up and started searching through the drawers for something to slip on. I was still walking around in my black dress that I had worn to the funeral earlier that day. Mega looked at me as if I had turned into the exorcist or some shit, and let out a chuckle.
“No the hell you ain’t! You staying yo’ ass right here with my son!”
“You tryna get at Wesley huh?” He kept quiet. “You and I both know that he was responsible for that shit! Let me make it easy for you.” Mega looked back at me as if he was contemplating the thought but quickly erased it from his mind as he shook his head and continued to get ready.
“I’m serious Mega. You got yo’ so called squad out here in the streets looking for this nigga, when I got the nigga stored right here in my phone.”
Okay maybe that didn’t sound right but he knew what the hell I meant! Mega had been on the phone all day every day since his grandma was killed, trying to get a lead on Wesley. Apparently he had disappeared, and so far nobody had come up with anything. Mega looked at me again shaking his head, ignoring me. I grabbed my phone and called Kira; she answered on the first ring.
“What’s up bitch?” Kira answered the phone.
“Are you busy?”
“Nah…I’m up watching TV.”
“Can DJ come over there for a while?”
“Girl, you know you ain’t gotta ask me that. Bring him on!” Kira didn’t ask any questions.
“Okay, I’ll be by in a few.” I ended the call.
“Yo, I don’t know why you just called and told Kira that big ass lie! DJ ain’t going nowhere and you ain’t either!”
Ignoring everything that he was saying, I grabbed my black T-shirt out the drawer, and a pair of black jeggings. I slipped on a pair of black Shox that I hardly ever wore. I grabbed DJ, and his baby bag that was already packed.
“A’ight, let’s go!” I told him.
“Mrs. Lady, what did I just tell you?”
Mega seemed aggravated but I didn’t give a damn. I wanted to go with him. I wanted to make sure that he was going to make it back home to us.
“What, you ain’t got faith in ya girl?” I asked. “What you think, I can’t hold you down nigga? Is that what it is?” Mega didn’t say anything.
“You know what Mega… good luck with finding that muthafucka!”
I put DJ back in his swing and dropped the baby bag back down on the floor. I was pissed the fuck off! Wesley had violated me as well and I wanted a piece of the action too!
Chapter 28
Mega
Dammit man, I can’t even believe that I’m sitting here contemplating about bringing Taysia’s ass along with me. Shit was funny watching her get dressed and I liked how she tried to wear the all black to match my attire. I honestly didn’t think she was advanced enough for this life that I lived, which is why I chose to keep her out of it.
The more I thought about it, the more what she said to me was right. I had niggas looking for Wesley going on a week now and nobody had the slightest clue of where the nigga was resting his head. I thought early on about asking Taysia to set that nigga up, but like I said, I didn’t think she was advanced for this type of shit. I wouldn’t even say that she was intermediate, but she kept insisting. I watched her put DJ back in his swing and drop his baby bag on the floor. She was pissed the fuck off, and it was all over her face.
Thinking long and hard about what she was saying, I felt it was only right for me to give her a chance, especially since she could pretty much take me straight to the nigga.
“Brang ya ass on!” I told her and walked out.
Damn I hope I don’t regret this shit!
*****
After dropping DJ off with Kira, Taysia and I rode around for about an hour before we got a location on Wesley. She and he were going back and forth via text until he finally decided to meet up with her. I don’t know what Taysia was saying in those messages but that shit was easy for her to get his location.
“He’s in Edison, at one of his spots. He told me to call him when I get in Edison and he will meet me at the corner so I can follow him back to the house.”
Wesley wasn’t stupid. He could’ve easily given her the address so that she could put it in her GPS, but he wanted to make sure shit was safe first before he took her back to his spot. That’s why he wanted to meet her at the corner store.
“Okay cool. We gotta hop in your whip though. That nigga want you to meet him at the store so that he can check out the scene and shit,” I advised.
I saw Taysia wipe her palms on her pants. I assumed that they were sweating from nervousness.
“Okay,” was all she said.
“You good, Mrs. Lady? It ain’t too late to change your mind.”
“Yeah, I’m good,” she looked at me with an attitude.
We went back to the house and switched cars. This time Taysia was on the driver’s side. Edison was only about twenty minutes away from Cuthbert. It was a ducked off town for niggas who were on the run or who had gotten themselves in deep shit, such as Wesley. It was a perfect spot to hide out. We were about ten minutes from entering Edison’s city limit.
“Here’s the deal Mrs. Lady, when you get inside I need you to find a way to unlock the back door. Can you handle that?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
“Cool. When you unlocked the door, text me. I’ll come in through the back and handle shit from there. As a matter of fact, when I come in the muthafucka you can leave and wait for me in the car.”
“Okay.”
I knew she was somewhat nervous but we had come too far now for her to back out on me. I tried to get her ass to stay at the house in the first place, but she insisted on showing me that she was rocking with a nigga, so I’ma see if she can stay in the kitchen and take the heat.
“Pull over right here,” I told Taysia pointing over to the right side of the road. The road was dark as fuck and we were surrounded by nothing but dark
woods. She looked at me as if I was crazy.
“Pull over for what?” she asked.
“I gotta get in the trunk.”
“How the hell you gonna fit in that small ass trunk Mega?!?!”
“Shit I’on know, I’ll figure it out. Just pull over.”
She pulled over and popped the trunk. We both got out and walked around to the back of the car. Fortunately, Taysia never used the trunk so it was completely empty, but that muthafucka was small as hell. Looking inside of the trunk I found the emergency release button. That way I’ll know where it’s at once I got inside.
“Here, hold my phone.” I pulled my pants up and put one leg in the trunk. Ducking my head, I miraculously managed to get the other leg in and positioned myself in a fetal position. Taysia snickered.
“Fuck you laughin’ at ma?”
“You! That shit look uncomfortable as hell.”
“Shit, it is! Hope my fuckin’ burner don’t go off!” Her eyes bucked and I laughed.
“It ain’t gonna go off ma. The safety is on. Give me a kiss.”
She bent down in the trunk, gave me a kiss and closed it. I heard the driver side door shut and felt the car pull off.
CHAPTER 29
NATAYSIA
Two miles to Edison, the sign that was standing on the side of the road read. The closer we got to Edison the more nervous I became. I knew I was going to have to shake this shit off fast because you fuck up when you nervous and I wasn’t trying to fuck up.
When I entered Edison, I pulled over at the corner store and called Wesley to let him know that I had made it. Ten minutes later, I saw his car pull up. I thought maybe he would just turn around so that I could follow him, but he parked right beside me and got out. I rolled my window down.
“What’s up beautiful? It’s been a while,” he smirked while observing the inside of my car. I watched him look from the passenger’s side to the backseat.
“Yeah, it has. We never got a chance to talk after that incident that took place at your house that night, and honestly I thought that you were mad with me,” I lied but I had to make that shit sound real.