Her hood instincts took over as she parked. With her car still surrounded, her heartbeat was beating loudly in her ears. She closed her eyes as she cocked back on the gun. Her heartbeat slowed down when she realized that her father ran the city; dead or alive. With no fear in her heart, she opened up the door, slamming it against whoever stood next to it.
“Do you like girls?” one of the prostitutes yelled out through the crowd. “I can show you a good time.”
“Can you spare some change?” a crackhead asked as his lips crackled with each word he spoke.
“Y’all motherfuckers got two seconds to get the fuck away from my whip,” Aphtan screamed as she held the gun up in the air and released a couple rounds in the opposite direction from where she stood. With her sunglasses hanging from her other hand, she peered into the sky to make sure the bullets didn’t fall on her or near her.
The crackheads and prostitutes ran for their lives. Unaware of the killer in her blood, they had mistaken her for someone who was lost, but she was far from it. The well-mannered persona she worked so hard to grow into was disassembled in a matter of minutes. Minute by minute she could feel the hood urges in her awaken. In all the ruin throughout the projects, she could still see the beauty in them. That alone gave her a sense of serenity and let her know the hood was definitely a one-of-a-kind place.
She got back inside the car and cut the ignition off. Curious to go to the buildings she called home for seventeen long years, she locked the doors to her car using the alarm and stepped onto the sidewalk with her gun dangling from her soft hand. The short hair on her head shook with ease with each step that her stilettos took. Pulling down the black dress that was painted on her body, she looked around as fond memories filled her head.
All of her first moments happened in the same projects she was walking through. She had her first fight in the back of the apartment buildings. She had her first kiss by the rusty pale-blue jungle gym that sat directly in the center of the apartments; it was still there, barely standing. She saw her first murder there, played her first dice game, and everything else that an adult grew up and thought about later in life had happened within those project gates.
Aphtan laughed and smiled as she walked around the now abandoned projects. Memories of her and her father filled her head. She remembered some things that she had forgotten. It was hard to believe that those were the same projects that used to be filled with so much life and love. They went from having tons of people standing around doing miscellaneous things to an empty ghost town.
She approached the building that she and her family had called home. The “Q” that once hung from the top of their building was sitting on the stoop. She picked it up before going into the building, which was now missing the tall door that figured in all of her memories. She walked up the stairs while flashbacks of her running up and down those stairs raced through her mind. She closed her eyes and a small lingering scent of Mary Jane still filled the hallways.
Aphtan’s eyes turned glossy when she walked into the apartment she once called home. There was a sense of abandonment to the building, old and forgotten. The door hung wearily upon its corroded hinges. The paint on the walls peeled and flaked as though the apartment had a disease of the skin. The boards on the floor were warped through age and neglect. Though the windows were intact, the buildup of grime acted like a natural curtain blanketing the light that entered, making it meager. Webs from productive spiders adorned the corners, the fittings, and anywhere else that they could spin two pieces of silken trappings together.
She closed her eyes as she walked in and remembered where every piece of furniture they owned sat when they stayed there. Tears started to fall as visions of her father passed out on the couch in one of his expensive suits hit the edge of her brain.
“You kept your promise and got us out of here huh, Daddy? Even if it was short-lived,” she whispered as she tossed down the metal Q. She smiled as she walked back down the wooden stairs while wiping her tears away and exited through the doorless entry.
“What the fuck are you doing in my hood?” a man holding an AK-47 with a hundred-round magazine clip curved underneath the large gun asked Aphtan as soon as her stiletto touched the unmaintained lawn. “You got a gun? Are you a motherfucking cop?” he screamed as he walked up on her. “Put the motherfucking gun down, you pig bitch.”
Aphtan did as she was told as her body turned numb. Her eyes followed the man’s every movement as she studied him up and down. Draped in a Polo overall, he stood equal to her height, which was about five-foot-five. His skin tone was bright, and with the slightest pinch, you could tell he would turn red. The tan Timberlands he wore stomped heavily on the concrete sidewalk as he got closer and closer to her. His grayish green eyes stayed glued on her as he reached down and picked up the gun she had tossed to the ground.
“Who the fuck is you?” He pressed the gun to her throat. “I ain’t never killed a pig before.” He smiled, exposing his mouth full of gold. “Mmm mmm mmm, and you fine, too.” He looked at her up and down. “Maybe I’ll get in that pussy and then blow your head off.”
“I don’t know who the fuck you are,” Aphtan hissed as she gulped heavily. “But, if I were you, I would get this big ass army gun out of my fucking face and go on about your fucking business.”
“You a tough girl?” He kept her own gun pressed against her throat and ran the AK-47 up her dress, exposing her lace panties. “I should put this gat in your pussy and release the trigger.”
“Peanut,” a voice yelled from behind them, “get that gun out of her face, right now.”
“Peanut?” Aphtan said under her breath so only she could hear it.
Peanut’s eyes opened wide with fear, and he quickly followed the order he had just received. Aphtan grabbed her throat as she looked past Peanut to see the face of the man who potentially saved her life. With the sun blocking her peripheral vision, she would have to wait for him to get closer before she could see.
The smell of the man’s expensive Acqua Di Gio cologne reached Peanut and Aphtan before he did. As he approached, Aphtan finally got a good look at him. Skinny but sexy, the six-foot-four man had the skin tone of a God and the body of one, too. His body swayed as his six-pack dripped with sweat, which was exposed from the opened Polo button-up he had on. Slacks and dress shoes made up the rest of his outfit, which added to his sex appeal. A Rolex gripped his wrist as he tugged at his mustache, which was neatly trimmed.
“Do you know who the fuck that is?” the man asked Peanut as his large hand pointed at Aphtan as he talked to his worker.
“Naw, man,” Peanut’s voice shook a little. “I thought she was five-oh.”
“Nigga, this is Boss’s daughter.” The man eyes turned and studied Aphtan. “I can’t believe you put a fucking gun up to her neck.”
“Aphtan?” Peanut turned and looked at her up and down. “The little tomboy I used to shoot dice with?”
“I guess, nigga. I didn’t grow up here.” The man never took his eyes off of Aphtan.
“Goddamn, Cole. You didn’t know Aphtan back then. But if you would have seen her then and then saw her now? You would understand my shock.” He handed the gun back to Aphtan. “Sorry for the misunderstanding. You know your pop have to know everybody who enters and leaves his city. You just looked suspicious, that’s all,” Peanut kept explaining to her.
Aphtan tuned Peanut out as she looked at Cole. She hadn’t seen him since the day at the projects all those years ago. He looked the exact same, just more mature, and maybe a couple of inches taller. He looked at her, his stare making her nervous. It was as if Peanut wasn’t there. She couldn’t focus on anything but him.
“Are you all right?” Cole grabbed her neck to check for bruises.
“I’m good.” She jerked her head away from his grip, even though his touch felt good to her.
“I’m sorry to hear about your pop and everything.” Peanut shook his head. “He was a true ass boss and there will never be
another nigga like him to walk these streets.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Aphtan snapped as she pointed the gun at him. “I swear to God, if I didn’t know you from way back in the day, I would stop your heartbeat.”
“Damn, smart girl still hood.” Cole laughed.
“I’m sorry, Aphtan,” Peanut pleaded as he held his hands up while the AK-47 hung on his shoulder from a strap. “No need to tell Scooter about this. He would have my head.”
“This guy.” Aphtan walked directly in between Cole and Peanut and shook her head.
She walked at a slow pace until she reached her car. Hitting the alarm, she got in and put her head down on the steering wheel. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. Being her father’s daughter put her life in danger, but at the same time it was what saved her. She was sitting there in a trance when she heard knocking on her window.
“Who is knocking on my window?” Aphtan asked with her head still resting on the steering wheel.
“It’s me.” Cole knocked again. “Get out of the car really quick.”
“For what?” She leaned up and glared at his muscular stomach that rested on the driver’s-side window.
“Just get out of the car.”
“I can maybe if you move the fuck out the way.” She blew the horn.
He moved aside just enough to let her out. Aphtan opened up the door, and her body brushed against Cole’s as she got out. The smell of him made her pussy moist. The sight of him made her knees weak. She noticed herself looking at him for too long, and she glanced away as a diversion.
“What you want talk about?” She leaned on the parked car.
“Long time no see?” Cole looked down at his phone as it started to ring.
There was nothing on his phone that he needed to look at in that moment. He couldn’t look at her. He needed anything to distract him from doing so. If he did look at her, steal glances of her beauty, there was no telling what he might do. His heart still fluttered in her presence. She transformed him into a little, shy boy.
“You disappeared.” Aphtan pulled at her earring. “You didn’t come to my wedding or anything. I haven’t even received a phone call from you.”
“I didn’t agree with you and him. So with that being said, I fell all the way back. It’s good to see you, though.”
“Is that all you wanted, Cole?” Aphtan opened the door to her car to get in.
“I also wanted to tell you that I’m sorry to hear about your father.” He reached past her and closed the door. “I’ve been working with him over the past few years, and he was a good man. If you need anything, call me and let me know.”
“I don’t have your number.”
“You can ask for it.”
Aphtan folded her arms. “You can offer it to me.”
“You haven’t changed at all, Aphtan. You still think everything is about you.” Cole walked away.
“And, you’re still acting like a little ass brat who didn’t get the girl,” Aphtan screamed at his back. “Let that shit go, Cole. It’s water under the bridge.”
Cole turned around and opened her door for her. “I don’t give a fuck about you and Scooter. If you want to be with him, that’s your business. It doesn’t have shit to do with me. Believe me; I’m done caring about that. I don’t think about you, Aphtan.” He walked away. “Lose that snobby attitude. Don’t forget you’re from here.”
“Since I got out, that means I’m snobby now?” Aphtan asked as she pictured her lips pressing against his.
“Trying to bait me into one of these childish arguments is not going to work.”
“I’m not trying to do shit.” Her eyes met his as he looked back at her. “You’re the one holding a grudge against me because I chose Scooter.”
“Shut that shit up.” Cole closed the door after she got inside. “Get the fuck out of here.”
“Whatever, bitch ass nigga.” Aphtan flipped him off and drove away.
“Stuck-up ass.” Cole bit on his bottom lip as she exited the gate of the projects. His eyes squinted from the rays blazing from the sun as dust galloped in the same spot where Aphtan’s car once was. “Damn, I didn’t think she was going to blossom like that.” He grabbed on his dick through his slacks. “She got booty and a pretty ass face.”
Cole shook off his initial thought about Aphtan when his phone rung in his hand. He smiled at her attitude, which was a turn-on to him in some way. He secured his post in hopes that he would cross paths with her again. She wasn’t like any other woman he had fucked with in the past; and that’s exactly how he wanted it. The only problem was, she belonged to his brother.
CHAPTER 25
Tsunami looked on as Scooter threw his phone into the wall, making it shatter on contact. Aphtan was avoiding his calls, and she could see it was driving him crazy. She knew he was tired of talking to her voice mail. She could see all over his face the want to talk to Aphtan face-to-face.
“Baby,”—Tsunami picked up the broken pieces of the phone—“calm down.”
“Don’t tell me what the fuck to do, Tsunami.” Scooter fell back onto the bed.
“Scooter,”—she climbed into the bed—“I’m not trying to make you upset.” She kissed his chest. “I want to make you feel better.”
“You want to make me feel better? Get my wife to speak to me, and maybe I’ll feel better.” He pushed her off him and onto the floor. “I don’t want to be touched right now.”
Tsunami put her head into her knees as she sat on the floor. No matter what she did for Scooter, it wasn’t good enough. She catered to him. She did everything he asked of her, yet he didn’t want her. She was willing to do anything for a man who wouldn’t piss on her if she was on fire. Her heart had finally broken.
Anger consumed her thoughts, clouding her judgment. She stood up as her eyes burned a hole into the side of his head. She wasn’t thinking rationally. All she wanted to do was make him feel some of the pain she was feeling. She wanted his heart to break into two pieces like hers had.
“Get out,” she whispered. “Get out,” she said a little louder as he ignored her. “Get out,” she screamed as loudly as she could.
“What did you just say?” He got off of the bed and walked toward her. “I’m sorry?” He put his hand to his ear to see if she would say it again. “What did you say?”
“I said to get the fuck out of my house.” She rolled her neck.
“Bitch, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” she interrupted him. “You’ll stop giving us money? You’ll stop coming over when you and your wife are mad at each other? You’ll stop playing with my feelings?”
“Don’t play the victim. Don’t act like you didn’t know what you were getting into.”
“I didn’t know it would be like this forever. I thought—”
“You thought what?” he cut her off. “You thought I would marry you and give you my last name?”
She didn’t utter a word as her lips began to tremble.
“You know my heart is somewhere else,” he said slowly.
She pointed at the door. “All I know is that you need to get the fuck out of my house.”
“This is your house? Can you tell me who paid for this motherfucker?”
“Whose name is it in?” She pushed him. “Get the fuck out. I don’t want to see your confused ass ever again.”
“You may get what you ask for.” He grabbed her cheeks, his hands covering her mouth. “If it ain’t about my son, don’t call me.”
“I won’t even call you then.” She shook away from his grip. “Now get out, Scooter.”
Tsunami plopped down on the edge of the bed as she watched the father of her child collect his things. She wanted to yelp out; to scream and tell him to stay. She would rather they make love, ending a night of sex with feeling-induced hugging. But it came with a price she wasn’t willing to pay anymore. She had to let him go. She needed to get over him.
She fell back onto the eight-hundred-thread-count sheets a
s she stared at the ceiling. She contemplated her next move as the light from the spinning ceiling fan made the sparkle in her eyes gleam a tad bit more.
All she wanted was revenge. She wanted to hurt Scooter. She wanted him to feel the pain, to go days without sleeping. She wanted him to finally worry about something. His life was too easy, and she wanted to change that.
Tsunami grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand. She scrolled through her contacts and stopped at a name she never thought she would call. She needed some information to get to Aphtan. If she couldn’t deliver it herself, her best friend would be the next best thing. She stood up as she dialed Mila’s number.
“Hello?” Mila answered the phone.
“Black,” Tsunami whispered as if someone was listening.
“Who is this?” Mila held the phone away from her face and looked at the screen.
“Tsunami.”
“Goodbye.”
“Wait,” she called out. “I got some information that your girl Lotus may want to know about her husband.”
“I don’t believe shit you say.” Mila got serious. “Why would I shake her world up with some ‘he said, she said’ bullshit that comes from your mouth?”
“It’s about her father.”
“What about him?”
“Scooter killed him.” Tsunami put her hand over her mouth, knowing that she just opened up a can of worms. “I heard him talking about it with Money,” she continued, her mouth running like water from broken hydrant.
“Are you just saying this, Tsunami? You’re always talking about something.”
She leaned against the headboard. “They’re meeting tomorrow night to discuss everything. Tell Aphtan the meeting is at the soul food restaurant on Alexander.”
Tsunami hung up the phone and walked into her closet. She would have to leave town now. Scooter would never hurt his son, but her, and after she told Mila that information, he would take her life.
She took her suitcases out one by one, packing them to her liking. She planned to leave in the middle of the night. When the sun rose and the rays shined through the windows, they wouldn’t shine on any flesh. She and her son would be hours away by then.
Pearl Tongue Page 17