Butterflies begin flying around her stomach as she looked up at the sky. It was the anticipation, the rush, now the moment that she only dreamed of. She was finding herself giggling like a little schoolgirl. Her smile expanded from ear to ear. The butterflies felt like she had something inside of her; unconditional love, the most perfect of all feelings. It traveled up to her heart and overflowed it with joy and passion.
Aphtan never would have imagined in a million years that she would end up with Cole. It never crossed her mind. Things were bad with Scooter. There was no denying it. Yet and still, she couldn’t fight the feeling of shame consuming her. Being with Cole was new and fresh. After all the things that had come her way full force in the past few months, she deserved to be happy, despite whom it was with. Whatever it was between them, she was going to go into it head first.
CHAPTER 29
The small black dress hugged Mila tighter than a rubber band around a wad of money. She looked around the empty parking lot of the church. The emptiness was shocking. She walked into the doors as Boss’s casket sat closed in the center of the church. The lights from above shined down, welcoming him home.
She walked closer, wanting to show her respects to her best friend’s father. She made it to the casket and placed the roses in her hand on top of the high-end resting box. She stepped back and said a prayer for his soul.
“You’re paying your respects too, Jamila?” Scooter startled her as she turned around and saw him sitting on the front pew.
“Isn’t that why you’re here?” She sat down next to him.
“I guess you can say that.” He opened the colorful obituary in his hand. “I didn’t think this would happen so soon.”
“Where’s Aphtan?” Mila looked down at her watch. “Shouldn’t the funeral still be going on?”
“It should.” He set the obituary next to him. “But your friend kicked everyone out before it even started.”
“She’s going through a lot right now.”
“You think I don’t fucking know that, Jamila? I’m the cause of her hurt. I don’t think we’re going to make it.”
“There was hope. You killed her mother and she loved you. You had a baby on her and she loved you. And now, look at what you’ve done, Scooter. Killing the girl’s daddy? The last living relative she had left? Really?”
“Who said this was my work?” He raised his eyebrow waiting for an answer. “Levi shouldn’t tell you shit when y’all get done doing the do. That pillow talk is a motherfucker.”
“I didn’t need him to tell me you did it.” Mila grinned. “The mother of your child called me and told me.”
“Tsunami?” He leaned his back against the edge of the pew.
“I hope that’s the only baby mother you have, nigga.”
“Messy bitch.” He shook his head.
“I guess that pillow talk is a motherfucker, huh?” She stood up and put her clutch into his chest. “You had a good woman, Scooter. You’ve hurt her and left wounds that will hurt her until she’s dead and gone.”
“I’m the bad guy all of the time.”
“Yes, you are. You’ve painted the picture yourself.” She walked off.
Scooter stood up and grabbed her arm. “What do you plan to do with the newfound information you’ve received?”
“I’m going to tell her what I know.”
“That’s not your business.”
“She’s my best friend.” She pulled away from his grip. “It is my business.”
“Stay the fuck out of my marriage,” he called out as she walked out of the door.
Mila pulled her phone out and dialed Aphtan’s number. She got inside of her car as Aphtan’s voice mail played in her ear, holding on to the hope of finding her to tell her the news. Aphtan was already shaken, but this was something that she had to tell her.
Scooter stood on the stoop of the church as Mila drove off. He removed the vest he wore and held it in his hand, letting it fall over his shoulder onto his back. His face showed signs of worry like his mind was racing faster than a roadrunner’s. It was as if he was about to lose his wife; his everything, for good, and there was nothing he could do about it.
“How were the services?” Money asked while walking up the sidewalk.
“Full of drama, as expected,” Scooter replied coldly.
Money looked toward the doors of the church. “Who’s in there?”
“It’s empty,” Scooter answered quickly.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“You.” Scooter’s hands balled into a fist. “I should have never taken those orders from you. Since you’ve returned, my marriage has been fucked up.”
“The war is almost over.”
“What war, Pop?” Scooter’s voice got louder. “What’s the point of having everything if you have no one to share it with? What’s the point of running things if you don’t have a companion? What is a king without a queen?”
“Those are good questions, son.”
“Is it worth it?” Scooter looked at his father as he talked with his hands. “How does it feel to go to sleep alone and wake up alone? That shit has to get lonely.”
Money looked back over his life as Scooter’s words tackled his mind like a running back with the ball. He put one foot on the stairs while he thought about how love always got away from him. He didn’t want to admit it, yet Scooter was right. It was a lonely life to live.
“I don’t want that,” Scooter continued. “I want someone to come home to.”
“There are sacrifices for this lifestyle.” Money put his hand on Scooter’s shoulder. “You have to figure out what you’re willing to lose. You can’t have it all. You have to give something to get something.”
“I’ve already given too much.”
Money hit him in the back. “Think it over, and let me know what you decide.” He walked up the stairs. “Just make sure you’re at the dinner tonight, son. Hear everything out, weigh your options, and decide what you want to do.”
“I’ll be there,” Scooter assured him. “Where are you going?”
“To say goodbye to the brother I never had.” Money entered the doors of the church.
Money walked up to Boss’s casket and stood in front of it. He took two blunts from inside his blazer. He took an engraved lighter out that Boss had given him at the height of their rise to the top and lit the blunts. Setting one on the casket, then one in his mouth, he took a seat in the first pew.
“I never thought I’d see this day,” Money said aloud as he puffed on the perfectly rolled stick. “The mighty Boss, dead, in a box. The color of death, however, fits you.” He dumped the ashes of the blunt beside him on the ground.
Money tried his best to hold his composure, but he couldn’t. Despite their differences, at one time they had had a strong friendship; a strong brotherhood. They starved together, and when they came up in the game, they ate together. Boss was his best friend before he was his enemy. He was mourning for what they once were.
The doors of the church opened as Money finished the remainder of the blunt. He tossed the end of the blunt as Detective Gomez and Detective Stead sat down on each side of him. He ignored them as he continued to stare at the casket. Although he had caused it, he still couldn’t believe his friend since childhood was gone.
“He’s finally out of your hair.” Detective Stead smirked. “The bastard is finally gone.”
Money took his gun out and pointed it at Detective Stead. “You can’t say that. I can say whatever the fuck I want about Boss, but you two motherfuckers better tread lightly with your words.”
“Whoa there,” Detective Gomez grabbed his shoulder. “We’re on your side.”
“You two aren’t on my side.” Money put his gun away. “I’m on my own fucking side.”
“Who would have thought you’d be so sensitive about a man that you killed.” Detective Stead looked at the casket. “This is your work.”
“I know what the fuck I did.” Money pulled ano
ther blunt from the contents of his pockets. “I know exactly what I did.”
“Then what is the problem?” Detective Gomez asked.
“The problem is that I need a few minutes to myself to say goodbye to an old friend.” Money snapped his hands as the church filled up with his men.
“That’s all you had to say.” Detective Stead stood up as guns pointed at them from every direction.
“You know where to find us.” Detective Gomez stood up as well. “Come find us when you dry your eyes, so we can finish this business.”
“I’ll come find you,” Money called out as they left the church.
Money sat in the pew, asking over and over again in his mind if he had made the right decision. He couldn’t help but to ask himself whether it was all worth it. He was about to get his wish. After years of striving and getting rid of the people he cared about most, he was finally about to be king of the streets.
He looked around the church as his workers cleared out. He was alone. He had come so far, and overcome so much, but he had no one to share it with. He stood up and set the remainder of his new blunt on the casket to say goodbye to his old friend. He adjusted the buttons on his blazer, fixed the hat on his head that matched his gaiters, and exited the church in deep thought.
CHAPTER 30
The church got farther and farther away as Mila drove down the busy street. She needed to find Aphtan. She couldn’t have gotten far. She wasn’t familiar with the area. Still, if she kept driving straight, eventually she’d catch up to her.
She stopped at the red light and pulled her phone out to call Aphtan’s phone. Her voice mail flooded her ear as the light turned green. She went through it and looked to her left. She blew out of her mouth when she saw Aphtan coming out of the restroom of the empty convenience store. Mila turned abruptly into the parking lot of the store as the cars all around her honked in frustration at her reckless driving.
Aphtan didn’t pay attention to Mila driving like a bat out of hell. Her mind was on the sex she and Cole had just had. Not even the repeated honk of the horn caught her attention. Deep in a daydream, Aphtan was in a trance. Unaware of her surroundings, she stood there, waiting for Cole to come out of the restroom.
“Aphtan?” Mila called out as she got out of the car. “Aphtan?” She closed the door as Aphtan looked at her.
“Mila?” Aphtan stepped a couple steps forward. “What are you doing here?” She looked back at the door of the restroom.
“Looking for you.” Mila hugged her. “I went by the church, and Scooter said you left.”
“It was too much to take in.” She hugged her back. “Most of the people that came didn’t know my daddy, anyway. They were just being nosy.”
“Are you going to the burial site?”
“When I leave here I am.” Aphtan looked at the door of the restroom again.
“What are you doing here?” Mila looked at the restroom. “Why do you keep looking at that broke ass restroom door?”
“I’m not.” Aphtan grabbed her by the arm and walked in the opposite direction. “What’s up?”
“I had something to tell you. But why are you acting so weird?”
“It’s the day of my father’s funeral.”
“I know that, but this is a different kind of weird. You’re fidgety, sweating, and acting paranoid. What’s in the bathroom?”
“Not what.” Aphtan kicked at the ground with her bare feet. “More of who is in there.”
“Bitch, who is in there?”
“Cole.” She fixed the earring in her ear before running her fingers through her hair.
“Cole, Cole, Cole.” Mila’s eyes darted around as she tried to think. “Scooter’s brother, Cole? Aphtan?”
“I know.” She pleaded with her hands. “It just happened. He gave me a ride from the church and it just happened.”
“It happened in the bathroom of a convenience store?”
“It just,” she said as Cole walked out of the restroom and stretched, “happened.”
“Damn.” Mila observed him. “He done grew all the way up. He’s coming, bitch.”
“Do you feel better yet?” Cole looked at Aphtan as he approached them.
“A little bit.” Aphtan blushed.
“What’s up, Cole? I don’t know if you remember me or not.” Mila waved weirdly at him.
“Jamila.” He reached in to hug her. “How have you been?”
“Good, and you?” She mouthed I always liked him to Aphtan while she hugged him back.
“Good to hear that, and I’m a lot better now.” Cole looked at Aphtan and smiled. “I’ll let you two talk. I’ll be in the car whenever you’re ready to go. Okay?”
“Okay.” Aphtan nodded her head.
“That boy is still fine.” Mila watched him get into the car. “And from the looks of it, he still has the hots for you.” She looked at her with a confused expression.
“What’s up?” Aphtan changed the subject. “What do you have to tell me?”
“It’s about Scooter,” she said quickly. “I debated on if I should tell you or not, because I know you still going through a lot. Even so, I thought that you should know.”
“What should I know?” Aphtan put her hands on her hips. “Tell me what the cherry of the top of this beautiful cake is, Mila.”
“It’s been confirmed that Scooter killed Boss. The streets are talking. Levi has been getting hit up about this left and right. Even he confirmed it to be true.”
“I figured he was responsible. The minute he looked me in my face after we saw it on the TV, I knew he was lying,” Aphtan confessed.
“You did?”
“You don’t stay married to someone for years and not know them. I know my husband very well.”
Aphtan’s heart fell into her stomach while the acid to break down food attacked it, making it hurt. It was one thing to speculate that Scooter killed her father, still to hear it fall from someone’s lips was another. The pain she felt for her mother was back tenfold, only this time for her father. Scooter had murdered both of her parents. She could never forgive him.
Experiencing heartbreak was an understatement. Her heart didn’t break. It felt as if an astronaut had taken it to the moon, released it into the depths of space and the uncontrollable pressure from gravity caused it to burst into nothing. No doctor could fix her heart. Only time could do such an extravagant repair.
“I’m still sorry.” Mila bit her lip. “That’s why I’m glad Levi is doing what he’s doing. I wasn’t for it at first, but now, I’m down with it.”
“What is Levi doing?” Aphtan asked out of curiosity.
“Don’t get mad, but Levi was trying to take over the streets.”
“Why would I get mad over that?”
“He was trying to go through Scooter to do so.”
“That’s not my business anymore. Whatever they do is not my concern. They can kill each other for all I care.”
“I just want you to know that I made him promise me that you wouldn’t be involved in whatever happened.”
“I know you wouldn’t do me like that.” Aphtan looked over at the car.
“Go handle that.” Mila nodded toward Cole’s car before hugging her. “You’re my girl. If you need anything, call me. I don’t give a damn what time of day and night, call me.”
“You’re my girl, too. I’ll keep you up to date with everything that’s going on.” Aphtan walked toward the car.
“Aph, one more thing.” Mila scurried over to where she was. “There’s a meeting going down tonight that Scooter is hosting at a restaurant on Alexander.”
“Text me the information.”
“Are you going to go?” Mila took her phone from her purse to text the information to Aphtan’s phone so she wouldn’t forget.
“I think I will make an appearance.” Aphtan headed toward the car. “I’ll call you later.”
“Be careful,” Mila called out.
Aphtan got inside the car as a plan to g
et back at Scooter came to her in no time. She was going to make him a victim of himself. He needed to be taught a lesson, and she was the teacher. She would play her role as the trophy wife to her advantage.
* * *
“May I help you?” the clerk asked through the glass window as she looked at Money with one hand on the keyboard.
“I’m here to see Detectives Gomez and Stead,” he said before he took a seat.
“May I ask your name?” The clerk stood up so he could see her face.
“No.” Money used his hand to direct his workers to sit down. “They’re expecting me.”
Money sat for less than a minute before the sound of a badge allowing the door to be opened rang throughout the lobby. He watched the door open as Detective Gomez and Detective Stead rushed out one by one. He smiled at their fear. He was never to meet them at their office, but he never agreed to that. He only played by his rules.
“What the fuck?” Detective Gomez’s voice lowered while scoping their surroundings. “What are you doing here? You know the deal.”
Detective Stead sat down and tapped on Money’s knee. “This is dangerous for all of us. You shouldn’t just pop up.”
“Did I touch you?” Money grabbed the finger antagonizing him and bent it back. “Don’t touch me.”
“Stop,” Detective Gomez ordered while touching the gun in the holster that hung from his waist.
“Or what?” Money dared as he bent Detective Stead’s finger more. “You two come shake my world up constantly. Now that I’m here, it’s a problem?” He let the finger go. “This is a one-sided friendship.”
“Outside.” Detective Gomez pointed to the door before bursting through it.
“Are you asking me or telling me?” Money put his hands together as he looked forward.
“Asking.” Detective Stead massaged her finger before walking through the door.
Money stood up and walked through the door. The sun bathed the natural oils of his skin as his workers followed behind him. He stood adjacent to the busy street as other detectives, victims, and workers passed and stared.
“You said we needed to discuss business.” Money leaned against the rail of the ramp they all stood on. “So, talk.”
Pearl Tongue Page 20