Back on the basketball court, there was a riot going on. The nigga who had stole on Nut was from the District, so even though Nut was in the wrong, other niggas from his ‘hood jumped in. Even a few gangsta ass bitches from West G helped him.
Nut reached down to pick up his pistol, but was savagely kicked in the face by somebody rocking some all white retro ‘92 Jordan’s.
The melee went on for several minutes until the inevitable happened. The flashing blue lights of police cars could be seen. The pigs were coming down the road about five cars deep.
Niggas started getting light. Damn near everybody out there ran because they had warrants on them, or were wanted for questioning in open cases. The few that weren’t didn’t want to spend the rest of the afternoon answering questions from some redneck Greenville County police. So the brawl quickly turned into a track meet, with niggas running the 40 yard dash like they were trying out for the NFL!
Ant D and Mike met back up at the Corvette, and they both hopped in. Before he started up the car, Ant turned to Mike and asked if he had seen Meka anywhere out there at the park.
“Naw, I ain’t seen her the whole day,” answered Mike, still breathing heavily from the run to the car.
“That’s strange,” said Ant D. “I ain’t never known Meka to miss the park on Sundays.”
“Man, ain’t no tellin’ where Meka crazy ass is at, dog.”
“Yeah, you right. Ain’t no tellin’,” stated Ant D, as he started the car up and screeched off into the late afternoon.
Chapter 15
“First I’m gon’ stack my dough!”
“And then what,” the crowd yelled.
“Then I’m gon’ stack some mo’!”
“And then what?” The crowd yelled again.
“Fall back in the cut so I can do my count - hide the rest of the yams at my aunty house!”
Young Jeezy was on stage at the very packed Club Escalade, performing hits from his classic first album, “Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101”. The club had been open since nine, but Jeezy didn’t get on stage until about midnight. And now muh’fuckas were losing their minds and voices, rapping along with Jeezy, word for word.
Everybody except for Mike. After that shit had gone down at the park, Ant D had dropped him off at one of his spots in Augusta Hills, so he could change and get right for the show. Once inside the apartment, Mike had took a hot shower and put on some fresh swag. For some reason, the possibility of seeing Nikki was the only thing on his mind. Mike was never one to be on that Ne-Yo, Bobby Valentino, R&B shit when it came to the ladies, but with Nikki it was different somehow. He wanted a chance to get to know her better. She was just so different from the regular cheddar chasing ‘hood rats he was used to fucking with.
So now that he was at the club, all he could think about was seeing her beautiful face again. Mike walked over to the bar and posted up, observing the crowd.
Thirty minutes later, he felt like a fool. Just when he was about to say fuck it, and go enjoy the show, Nikki walked through the doors of the packed club, and made her way over to the bar where he was standing.
“Hey Mike,” she said.
For a moment Mike was so caught up in how beautiful she looked, he couldn’t even speak.
Nikki was wearing a tight dress that showed off her curves, but didn’t look nasty and show too much. She was 5’8”, but the heels she wore pushed her up to about 5’11”. She stood damn near eye to eye with Mike, who was 6 feet tall.
Almost thirty seconds passed, and Mike still hadn’t said anything. Nikki jokingly asked him, “What’s wrong, Mike, you don’t like my dress, or somethin’?”
Finally Mike came to his senses, and replied, “Nikki, I know this is gon’ sound real corny but it’s real. Your beauty kinda’ left me speechless. I saw you, and was like DAMN! I couldn’t say shit,” he said, smiling and showing a mouth full of diamonds and rubies.
“Thank you, Mike. That was sweet. How long have you been here?”
“Too long,” he responded.
“I thought you liked Jeezy.”
“I do. But honestly, I didn’t come out here to see the Snowman.”
“Then who did you come to see?”
Mike looked in her eyes, and said, “You. Look, Nikki, I don’t like wasting time so I’ma just say what’s on my mind. I know we barely know each other, but I wanna change all of that, if you’ll let me.”
“Mike, I’ve heard a lot about you already, and I’m not trying to be just another one of your hoes. Somebody you just have sex with. So maybe it would be better if we were just friends.”
“Damn, Nikki. I see you done did your homework on a nigga,” said Mike, grinning. “Look, I know I have a reputation when it comes to dealin’ with girls, but you gotta understand that I only treat women like that if they allow me to. I don’t respect them. Not the easy ones. I respect you. You’re smart, you’re beautiful, and you got goals. You tryna do something with your life. All I’m tryna do is get to know you better, and hopefully become a part of that life. Matter fact, let’s get up outta this noisy ass club, and go somewhere where we can talk.”
“Well, it looks like we both did our homework,” Nikki stated. “Alright, Mike. But understand that all we’re going to do is go talk. So if you have anything else on your mind, then we might as well not even leave.”
“Like I said, Nikki, I respect you. And with that respect comes my word that I’ll never do anything that you don’t want me to,” Mike said, extending his hand to her. She took it, and he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. Together, they turned and headed for the exit.
“When they hear that new Jeezy all the dope boys go crazy, all the dope boys go crazy! I pop my collar then I swing my chain, you can catch me in the club pimpin’ doin’ my thang…”
It was a ten minutes to one A.M. and Young Jeezy was still on stage. He was sweating from giving the crowd their money’s worth, enthused on each song that he performed. All of the women at the front of the stage were grabbing at Jeezy’s pants and crotch, trying to get his attention. They damn near pulled him off the stage. The crowd continued to rap along. It was safe to say that the ‘hoods of Upstate South Carolina had love for him.
Several other rap artists had already come to different clubs in the UPS that year, but had ended up getting shit thrown at them while they were on stage. A few of those same rappers were even shot at, or relieved of their cash and jewelry at gunpoint. But niggas felt like Jeezy was one of them.
Ant D was upstairs at a table overlooking the crowd, enjoying the view with two thick ass women from Spartanburg, S.C. at the table with him. He had two bottles of Moet sitting in a large bucket of ice, and was smoking on a blunt so fat it was obese.
Jeezy’s last song, “Soul Survivor”, was the one Ant D had waited all night to hear. “Let’s get it! If you lookin’ for me I’ll be on the block wit’ that thing cocked, possibly sittin’ on a drop now. ‘Cause Im’a rider, yeeeeeah, soul survivor, yeeeeeeeeah. Everybody know the game don’t stop, tryna make it to the top befo’ ya’ ass get popped now - If you a rider, yeeeeeeea, a soul survivor…”
Ant D jumped up onto the table with a bottle of Moet in each hand, and the blunt still lit in his mouth. He did a little two step on the table, closed his eyes, and felt the best he’d ever felt in his whole entire twenty years on the face of the earth. He had money to blow, bad bitches to fuck, and the best weed to smoke. And not to mention the finest fishscale to snort. What else could a ‘hood nigga from the gutter, who never had shit coming up, ask for?
And they were just getting started. It was only a matter of time before him and Mike made themselves certified ‘hood stars. Once they made a few more licks, he’d make sure his mama and Meka were set up straight. And where the fuck was Meka at anyway, Ant thought to himself momentarily. But then the weed smoke and alcohol kicked back in and dulled his senses. He continued to enjoy the show, and reveled in his newfound ghetto celebrity status.
$$$
While Ant D was at Club Escalade partying, and having a good time, Mike was cruising in his new customized Escalade. He brought the truck to a stop in the parking lot of Falls Park. Falls Park was a beautiful spot in Downtown Greenville that had a bridge with a breathtaking view of a waterfall.
Mike got out of the truck. When he saw Nikki about to open the passenger door, he stopped her and said, “Naw, let me get that for you, beautiful.”
She smiled at the thought of Mike being such a gentleman. After all the things she’d heard about him and his reputation, the last thing she expected was for him to be opening doors for her. It was a pleasant surprise.
He walked over to her side, opened the door, and helped her step down. They walked over to the bridge that overlooked the waterfall. Even though it was early morning, the lights on the bridge illuminated a breathtaking view.
Once they reached the middle of the bridge, Nikki took off her heels. Her feet were killing her, so she was happy to be out of her shoes. Her perfectly pedicured feet felt like they were in heaven the minute they touched the cool pavement.
Mike said, “Let’s stop here, and chill for a minute.” They stood there shoulder to shoulder on the bridge staring up at the stars, and listening to the waterfall speaking its own sensual language.
Still gazing at the stars, Mike said, “Nikki, you got a man?”
“No,” she answered softly.
“I’m not sayin’ you lyin’ or nothin’, but damn, that’s kinda’ hard to believe. As pretty and smart as you is, I know niggas be comin’ at you left and right.”
“Yeah, but maybe the right one hasn’t come at me yet.”
Mike turned his head and took in Nikki’s beautiful profile, which was illuminated by the moonlight. “Nikki, look at me.” She turned and looked directly into Mike’s eyes.
He continued, “Honestly, this ain’t even my style right here. I’m the last nigga on the face of the earth that you would consider a romantic dude, but for some reason you make a nigga wanna do shit like this. Nikki, you’re special…”
“You trying to say I’m retarded or something, Mike,” Nikki joked.
“Naw, what I’m saying is that a girl like you don’t come along too often, so I want you in my life. I been wantin’ to holla at you since high school, but I wasn’t in a position to back then.”
“What do you mean you weren’t in a position?”
“What I mean is that back then I was just a lil’ nobody, broke ass nigga.”
“Mike, everybody is not like my friend Vicki - trying to get with brothers for what they have. I mean, I like nice things and all that, but I’d rather be with someone who was broke, as long as he was working towards something better, and treated me right.”
“Naw, Nikki, I didn’t mean it like that. I know you ain’t a gold-digger, but at the same time, a woman like you deserves to have flowers, nice dinners, jewelry… Back then I couldn’t do that for you.”
“And now you can?”
“Damn right.”
“How Mike?”
Mike turned and stared at the waterfall for a few seconds, contemplating just how much of himself he wanted to expose. But he’d already jumped out of the window by telling her how he felt. It was too late to ask for a parachute now. After moments of serious thought, he made up his mind. “Nikki, you remember when I told you that I respect you, right?
“Yeah.”
“Well, that means that I’m not gonna lie to you. I’m in the streets real heavy right now. Doin’ what I gotta do to make it. And none of it’s legal.”
“Mike, I’m not in the streets like you but I’m not totally naïve. I know a little bit about what’s going on out there. Just say for a second, hypothetically of course, that you were my man. What if something happened to you? What if you got killed, or sent to prison? I don’t want to invest myself emotionally, and then… That would crush me, Mike. That’s why I told myself I’d never date a guy like you. I’m not prepared for that type of pain.”
“See that’s the thang, Nikki. I’m not gonna be in these streets forever!” Mike said passionately. “I know this shit can’t last forever. As soon as the money gets right, me and my homey Ant gettin’ outta this shit.”
“Mike, that’s what everybody says…”
“Nikki, I’m not everybody.”
She looked at Mike, her green eyes searching his face for the truth. She wanted to believe him, but couldn’t hand over her heart to him and have it broken into tiny little pieces. Mike stared back at her, and wondered how he could feel so strongly about a woman so soon. Suddenly Nikki leaned towards him and closed her eyes. Mike leaned in and kissed her slowly but passionately. His tongue explored the inside of her mouth, loving the way she tasted. After kissing like that for about a minute, Nikki pulled away.
“I hope that means yes,” said Mike.
“No, that’s the kiss I give to men right before I turn them down,” she said, laughing. “It’s late, Mike. Take me home so I can do a little studying, and get some sleep.”
Together, they ambled back to the truck. Twenty minutes later, Mike was pulling into an apartment complex in Berea, where Nikki stayed with her mama and little brother. They got out and walked over to apartment number 37A. Once at the door, Nikki turned around and said, “Call me tomorrow, okay?”
Mike nodded yes, and then pulled Nikki in closer and tried to kiss her again.
She pulled away from him, and said, “Tomorrow, Mike. Call me tomorrow.”
Reluctantly, he respected her wishes and let her go inside of the apartment. The taste of her soft, luscious lips lingered in his mouth as he walked back to his vehicle. He felt better than he’d felt in a long time. Mike got in, and pulled off into the early morning.
Chapter 16
BEEEEP! BEEEEP! BEEEEP! The sound of the garbage truck backing up to the dumpster broke the silence and the serenity of the early Monday morning. “A little mo’, Joe! Back it up a little mo’,” the White, heavyset garbage man yelled to his partner in the truck. “A little mo’, and you got it.”
The truck inched further back, connecting with a dark green dumpster. “Alright, go ahead and lift it!”
The dumpster jerked upwards, and when it did, one of the trash bags moved, exposing what appeared to be a hand. “Hold it, Joe, hold it! I think I see something in there,” the man yelled.
The dumpster stopped moving, suspended in mid-air. The garbage man leaned inside the dumpster and began to throw black trash bags out of the way with his heavily gloved hands, until he revealed the body of a naked, badly beaten, Black woman.
“Holy shit, Joe! There’s a goddamn body in here, bo! Call 911!” The garbage man who’d just discovered the body turned to his side. His face beet red, he let the bacon, eggs, and toast he’d just eaten for breakfast hit the ground.
Because of the nature of the call to 911, an ambulance was dispatched to the scene, along with the closest available police unit. Once on the scene, the paramedics’ main concern was to determine whether or not the woman was still alive. If so, they were focused on saving her life if they could. Unlike the police, who were busy securing the scene, and looking for any possible evidence to what appeared to be a homicide.
One of the paramedics was a pretty brunette. She reached her gloved hand into the dumpster and placed two fingers on the Jane Doe’s neck. “We got a pulse! It’s faint, but it’s there. We’ve got to get her out of here, and to a hospital! Fast!”
With help from the police officers, the paramedics slowly lifted the body out of the filthy dumpster. They placed the woman on the stretcher, and into the waiting ambulance. The driver hit the siren and the emergency lights, and sped away to the nearest hospital, which was Greenville Memorial.
Once at the hospital, the trauma unit medical staff did everything within their power to keep the young woman alive, which was no small feat in the condition she was in. But with some of the best medical attention the state of South Carolina had to offer, the young woman’s l
ife was saved. Though she remained in a coma from the severe head trauma she’d sustained.
Detective Daniel Patterson walked into the intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital, where the newly admitted Jane Doe was being held. He looked around the room at all of the equipment which was being used to keep the woman alive. She had tubes in her mouth and both of her nostrils, not to mention the machine that was breathing for her.
Detective Patterson was a slightly overweight red neck with stained teeth, bad breath, and a raspy voice that he’d acquired over the years from the numerous packs of Marlboros that he smoked daily. He’d been with the department now for over 20 years, and had pretty much seen and heard it all.
Patterson stood at the foot of the bed and took in the sight of the young woman lying motionless on the hospital bed. But for some reason, the savageness of the crime didn’t seem to bother him. “Probably another goddamn Black crack whore,” the detective said to himself. “Seems like their asses gettin’ younger and younger.”
What he saw in front of him was not a defenseless, badly beaten human being that deserved empathy. Instead he saw a prime opportunity that he planned to take full advantage of. He was determined to find out exactly who the animals responsible for that atrocious act were, and bring the perpetrators to justice. Then hopefully they would spend the rest of their worthless lives rotting in a cell somewhere. Not because he cared anything about the young Black girl lying in front of him comatose in the hospital bed, but because he wanted that promotion to captain that had eluded him for so many years. As far as he was concerned, the Black bitch had gotten what she deserved. But that was just the type of case he needed to solve to rise in the ranks! He could see the headlines all over the news already: “Detective Daniel Patterson heroically solves gruesome crime and is promoted to Captain.”
It was probably some more dumb, cracked out niggers who did it, so finding them should be easy. But before he could do that, he had to first find out exactly who the little young Black whore was. He walked over to her bed and began fingerprinting her left hand. Since she was Black, and more than likely a prostitute, Patterson reasoned that she had probably been picked up at some point in time.
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