“Did you get that nigga’s address?” Maxine asked, a thirsty look on her face.
Gruff flashed a rare smile. “Even better. I got the address to them niggas’ new stash crib.”
“Let’s do it.” Maxine was ready to get some payback on the crew that had shot her. “I’m tired of playing with these bitches. We fixin’ to turn it all the way up out here on these streets!”
Ice-T looked inside the book bag of cash. “Damn! This shit looking kinda short.”
“Nah, Greg said it was all there,” Nut said, slowing down for the yellow light. “If that shit is short, then just let me know, and I’ll go handle that.”
“Oh shit!” Ice-T spotted Tone coming out of IHOP with a woman by his side. “There go that nigga Tone right there. Pull over.”
Nut quickly pulled up, stopped directly in front of the couple, and whipped out his .45.
“Nah, chill,” Ice-T said. “I just want to talk to him.” He slid out the passenger seat. “Stay in the car.”
As Tone and Serena walked up out of IHOP, he saw a car make a sharp stop in front of them. Immediately his hand gripped the handle of his .40-cal. He saw Ice-T getting out of the passenger seat.
“Baby, go wait for me in the car,” Tone said, never taking his eyes off of Ice-T. Once Ice-T was close enough, Tone said, “What’s good?”
“I just want to talk,” Ice-T said, sticking both hands down into his pocket. “My bad about the other night. I didn’t want it to go down like that.”
“Yeah, me either. But, hey, shit happens.”
“What’s up with ya man, though?” Ice-T asked.
“Who Maine?”
“Yeah. What’s his problem? I ain’t never did nothing to that brother for him to be acting like that.”
“He just be buggin’ sometimes.”
“Well, I know that’s ya man and everything. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.” Ice-T looked over both shoulders before adding, “I need you to calm that fool down, before I have him killed.”
“Listen, Maine is like a brother to me—”
“I already know where you going with this,” Ice-T said, cutting Tone off mid-sentence. “I’m going to stay out of his way. I just hope he does the same.”
Tone nodded his head. “That’s fair enough.”
“Heard you gotta go do a little time in a few days.”
“Yeah, I’m just ready to go in and get this shit over with.” Tone noticed the nasty look Nut was giving him from the car.
“You need anything, you know how to get in contact with me.” Ice-T gave Tone a pound and headed back to his ride.
“I don’t know why you wasting your time talking to that clown,” Nut said. “His pops is the one extorting us.”
“Tone is cool,” Ice-T said. “It’s the rest of them fools on his team that I can’t stand.”
“So what you want us to do if we run across that nigga Maine again?” Nut asked, his eyes on the road.
“We bump into him again,” Ice-T said, thumbing through the cash in the book bag again, “and he act like he want it, we gon’ give it to him.”
Nut smiled. “Say no more.”
“Is everything all right?” Serena asked when Tone got to the car.
“Yeah, everything is straight,” Tone answered quickly. He respected Ice-T, and was hoping things didn’t get out of hand with the two crews again, ’cause the next time someone was sure to get killed.
“Baby, can I ask you something?”
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“When you go away to do this time, ain’t nobody gonna be trying to kill me, trying to get to you, are they?” Serena asked seriously.
Tone chuckled. “Nah, baby. You gon’ be straight. The most a nigga might try to do is get my pussy.”
“Well, you know that shit ain’t gonna never fuckin’ happen,” Serena said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“I look worried to you?” Tone asked with a smirk. He trusted Serena and was glad to have her on his team. He was just ready to go in and get his time started. The sooner he went in, the sooner he would get out.
“You better not be worried.” Serena said it like she was gonna slap him.
Tone answered his ringing cell phone as he slowed down for the red light. “Yeah, what’s up?” he answered.
“Get to the stash house right this minute.” Click!
Tone hung up the phone and made a quick detour. He didn’t recognize the number, but he definitely recognized his father’s voice.
“Where we going?” Serena asked.
“Gotta make a quick stop.”
By the look on Tone’s face, Serena could tell that something was up, but she just sat back and kept quiet.
Ten minutes later Tone pulled up in front of a regular-looking house and placed the car in park. “Wait right here, baby. I’ll be back in a second.”
Tone stepped foot inside the house and immediately covered his nose. “What the fuck is going on in here?”
“This is some bullshit, that’s what’s going on around here,” Detective Abraham said, pointing at all the dead bodies laying around.
Tone looked around and saw about twelve men who looked like they had been eaten by some kind of animal or something. “Who the fuck did this shit?”
“That bitch-ass nigga, Gruff.” Maine remembered that Monique’s body looked the same way when he had found her. “He let his punk-ass dog eat ’em up.”
“Fuck!” Detective Abraham said loudly. “This the second major stash crib in a month. How the fuck does this nigga know where we operate at?”
“Nigga must got a inside plug,” Tone said, looking at all the chewed-up dead bodies laying around. “Whoever it is, we need to find him and soon!”
“Fuck it! From now on, only us three will know where the stash cribs are,” Detective Abraham said. “Well, you’ll be in jail in the next forty-eight hours, so I guess just me and you will know the locations,” he said, looking over at Maine.
“I don’t understand how nobody don’t know where this fool live at,” Maine huffed. “Wherever I bump into that nigga at, it’s going down. One of us is gonna get killed, either him or me.”
“Chill. You wildin’,” Tone said, laughing at Maine’s last comment.
“So what’s good, son?” Detective Abraham asked. “When you go to do your time, this bitch still gonna be getting the work for us, right?”
“Yeah, I got everything set up already, and don’t call her a bitch” Tone said checking his pops.
“Oooh shit! Excuseeee me,” Detective Abraham said, and him and Maine busted out laughing. “Let me find out shorty got you all falling in love and shit.”
Tone shook his head. “Maybe if y’all got y’all some business, y’all wouldn’t always have to be all in mines.”
“You know we just playing,” Maine said, throwing two phantom punches at Tone. “If you feeling shorty, then do what you gotta do.”
“I am feeling her, more than I planned on, too,” Tone told them. “It’s like she’s perfect for me. I know it started out as a scam we was running, but she is a real good woman.”
“Well, you know they say everything happens for a reason, so if she makes you happy then I’m cool with it.” Maine gave Tone a pound followed by a hug.
“I’ma need you to look out for her while I’m away,” Tone told him.
“Whatever you need, you know I got you.”
“Just make sure nobody ain’t trying to rob her or no dumb shit,” Tone said.
“I got you.”
“A’ight. I’ma holla at y’all before I turn myself in,” Tone said as he exited the stash house.
Once Tone was out of the house, Detective Abraham, a look of disgust on his face, huffed, “Pussy-whipped muthafucka! I could’ve sworn I taught that fool better than that.”
When Tone got back in the car, Serena asked, “Everything okay, baby?”
“Yeah, everything is cool,” Tone said as he pulled off. “I’ma drop you off at the crib
then I’ma go holla at Young Mike for a minute. I won’t be long no longer than an hour.”
“No problem, baby. Handle your business.”
Twenty minutes later Tone pulled up in front of his house and let Serena out. “I’ll be back in about an hour, a’ight.”
“Okay, baby,” Serena said as she leaned in for a kiss.
Tone stepped foot inside the bar and quickly spotted Young Mike over at the bar trying to holla at a nice li’l light-skin thing. He needed to holla at Young Mike, and he also needed a drink.
“What’s good, my nigga?” Tone said, interrupting Young Mike’s conversation.
“Ma, I’ma holla at you later, a’ight,” Young Mike said to the chick. “What’s popping, my nigga?” He turned and gave Tone a pound.
“You know I turn myself in the day after tomorrow. I just need you to look after Serena for me while I’m away.”
“A’ight. What you need me to do?” Young Mike asked.
“Just make sure she getting the proper money that she’s supposed to.”
“You know I got you,” Young Mike said, giving Tone a pound.
As the two sat at the bar talking and having drinks, Gruff and Maxine walked up in the joint.
“I need a muthafuckin’ drink,” Maxine said, her and Gruff walking right past Tone and Young Mike.
“You a alcoholic,” Gruff said as the two sat over in the corner.
“Remind me to buy Tiger a big-ass steak,” Maxine said, “because she been putting in some real work.”
“That’s what she’s supposed to do. She was the only family I ever had until I met you, and I’m the only family she got as well.”
“Aww, ain’t that sweet,” Maxine teased, but Gruff didn’t laugh. Instead, his focus was over at the bar.
“What happen?” Maxine asked, following Gruff’s eyes.
Gruff had to do a double take just to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. “There go that bitch-ass nigga Tone right there.” He smiled.
Maxine, ready to put in some work, pulled out her .357. “Where?”
“Right over there,” Gruff said, holding Maxine’s shooting hand with one and pointing with the other.
“Want me to run over there and push his shit back?”
Gruff told her, “Nah, we gon’ catch him outside.”
“Let’s do this nigga right now,” Maxine pressed. “This nigga don’t even know what we look like.”
“Too many witnesses in here,” Gruff said, looking around. “Plus, we been dropping mad bodies. God forbid, we get caught, them crackers gon’ try to make an example out of us.”
Maxine sucked her teeth, but she knew what Gruff was saying was the truth. “I don’t care how we do it, as long as it gets done.”
“Shit. That nigga should be thanking us, ’cause we doing him a favor.” Gruff downed another shot. “I know I’ll rather get killed than go back to jail.”
Maxine gave him dap. “I know that’s right.”
Gruff stood up. “Come on, let’s go outside and wait for this clown.” On the way out he tossed his hood over his head and walked right past Tone and Young Mike the same way he had walked in.
“What you getting into when you leave here?” Young Mike asked.
“I’m gonna go home and fuck my girl until it’s time for me to go to jail.” Tone laughed as he stood up and paid the tab.
“If I don’t see you before you go in, hold ya head,” Young Mike said as he gave Tone a pound and a strong hug.
“That time gon’ fly once I get in there.” Tone smiled as him and Young Mike exited the bar.
“Yo, you get home safe, a’ight,” Tone said as he walked over to his car and slid in the driver’s seat. Once he was inside his car, he just sat there for minute just thinking about the decisions he had made in the last six months.
Mya came to his mind. He knew their relationship was over, but he didn’t want any hard or negative feelings toward her.
Fuck it! The least I can do is go give her an apology. Tone started the engine and headed for Mya’s house.
As soon as Tone pulled out of the parking lot, Maxine slowly cruised out right behind him.
Tone pulled up in front of his old residence and got out the car. He walked up to the door and gave it a medium knock. Mya answered the door, still looking sexy, even with the big bulge in her stomach.
“Hey,” Tone said, looking Mya up and down.
“Hey,” Mya replied.
“Can I come in? Please, I need to talk to you.”
“Nah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Come on, don’t act like that. I just need to talk to you. It’ll only take five minutes.”
Mya stepped to the side so Tone could enter. “Five minutes is all you get.”
“Can I sit down?”
“No, you can stand,” Mya said, her arms folded across her chest.
“I just came over here to apologize about how we ended. You was nothing but good to me, and I took you for granted. I just wanted to say sorry, and I hope we can still be friends and hope you will allow me to see my baby.”
“Well, you should be sorry. I was ready to marry you and be your wife and the mother of your child, and you threw all that away for some stupid money.” Mya’s eyes began to water. “And you didn’t have to do it ’cause we already had enough money to last us almost a lifetime.”
Tone said quickly, “Four hundred thousand ain’t lasting no lifetime.”
“You see, that’s all you care about is money—money this, and money that. Well, you can take all that money and shove it up your ass!” she yelled, tears streaming down.
“Listen, I just came over here to tell you I was sorry. I didn’t come here for all this.”
Just then they heard a knock at the door. Mya walked over to the door, looked through the peephole, then quickly opened it. In stepped the guy who was in the house the last time Tone was there, the one who was wearing the suit.
“Hey, baby. How you doing?” He leaned down and kissed Mya on the cheek. “These are for you,” he said, removing a dozen red roses from behind his back.
“Awwww, thank you, Russel,” Mya said as she gave him a hug.
Russel was about to say something, until he spotted Tone standing in the living room. Mya then introduced the two. “Russel, this is Tone. Tone, this is Russel.”
“Nice to meet you, brother,” Russel said, extending his hand.
Tone looked at Russel’s hand like it was infected then looked back at Mya. “I’ma holla at you later. I just came by to say sorry.” Tone walked right past Russel’s extended hand as he headed for the door.
“How rude,” Russel said in a proper tone.
Tone thought about turning around and smacking the shit outta that clown, but instead just decided to leave. “I’ll holla at you later.” He opened up the door and stepped outside and saw two figures jogging in his direction. Immediately he stepped back inside the house, slammed the door, and tackled Mya to the floor.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Russel said. “I’m calling 9-1-1.”
Before Russel could even reach the phone a loud series of gunshots hit the front door, blowing big chunks of wood from off the door.
Tone pulled out his .45 and quickly escorted Mya into the kitchen. “Here, stay down behind this counter.” He saw Russel running upstairs like a scared little bitch.
Gruff aimed his Uzi at the front lock, shot it off, then kicked open the front door. He stepped inside, slowly looking around, with a two-handed grip on his weapon. His eyes quickly turned toward the kitchen when he heard somebody sniffing like they was crying.
Tone quickly sprung up from behind the counter firing. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Gruff quickly ran around the corner and got low. He looked over at the door and gave Maxine hand signals to exactly where Tone was hiding.
“I see you, muthafucka!” Tone yelled as he sent two shots toward the front door, backing Maxine up.
Gruff popped up from around the corner and did an army roll as he squeezed the trigger on his Uzi. Tone ducked down just in time as him and Mya watched bulletholes rip through the refrigerator.
“Stop hiding, you little bitch!” Gruff yelled as he gave Maxine some more hand signals.
Upstairs, Russel grabbed the cordless phone off the charger and quickly dialed 9-1-1.
“Stay right here and don’t move,” Tone whispered to Mya. He was praying nothing happened to their child that she was carrying.
Gruff emptied his whole clip on the counter, hoping a few bullets might’ve penetrated. “We gotta go!” He grabbed Maxine, and the two fled from the scene.
“Are they gone?” Mya asked with a scared-to-death look in her eyes.
Tone jumped up from behind the counter, holding his gun sideways. He quickly scanned the place. “Yeah, it looks like they gone.” He helped Mya to her feet. “I need a favor,” he said, holding out the gun. “I gotta get outta here before the cops get here!”
Mya looked at the gun for a second before she took it. “Go. Get outta here before you get caught.” She lifted up the cage on the top of the stove and sat the gun down before closing it back, like Tone had taught her a long time ago.
“And don’t worry about the house,” Tone yelled over his shoulder as he ran up out the house. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Baby, you okay?” Russel yelled from upstairs.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Get down here.”
“Oh my God!” he said, looking at all the bulletholes everywhere. “I don’t think you should let him back in your house again.” Russel heard the sirens getting louder. “I think we should press charges when the cops get here.”
“When the cops get here, I need you to just be quiet. We didn’t see nothing, and we don’t know nothing,” Mya said, already knowing the drill.
With a raised eyebrow, Russel asked, “You sure you want to do that?”
“Positive,” Mya said sternly. “When they ask, we gon’ say somebody just shot up our house and we ran for cover upstairs and didn’t see nobody faces, okay?”
The Block Page 9