“Yeah, nigga, that’s ’cause you moved my shit!” Box Head pulled up his pants like he was ready to get busy.
“It’s another chair right there,” Tone said, nodding toward the empty chair right next to him.
“I don’t want that chair. I want my chair, muthafucka!”
Tone jumped up with quickness and caught Box Head with a two-piece. The two punches had no effect on Box Head, who grabbed Tone in a bear hug and belly-to-belly slammed him down the floor.
All the inmates erupted in a loud “Ooooh!” when they saw Tone’s body get slammed to the floor.
Just as Box Head was about to pound Tone out, Styles came with the thick dictionary and smacked Box Head across the face with it. Once Tone made it back to his feet, it was on. Him and Box Head got it on like they was fighting in the UFC, going blow for blow, until Styles jumped in, turning it to a two-on-one. But Box Head still held his own, taking more punches than he delivered, but yet he stayed on his feet, which was amazing, for the kind of blows he was taking.
Within seconds, ten “turtles” came rushing in and beat the three men down with nightsticks until each man was laid out. Then they escorted them to the box.
“Wake up, bitch!” Gruff yelled, slashing a glass of water in Sparkle’s face.
Sparkle opened her eyes and found herself lying on a dirty ground in some kind of warehouse. “Where am I?” she asked in a groggy voice.
CLICK-CLACK!
“I’m only going to ask you this once!” Gruff cocked his shotgun and sat it directly in her face. “Where can I find that nigga Maine at?”
“I don’t know,” Sparkle answered, still not fully understanding what was going on.
“That bitch is lying,” the bouncer yelled. “I saw y’all exchange numbers.”
“You a straight-up bitch!” Sparkle spat at the bouncer.
Gruff dug down in Sparkle’s purse and removed her cell phone. He tossed the cell phone on her chest. “Call him right now!”
When Sparkle hesitated, Gruff pressed the barrel of the shotgun to her forehead. “Don’t play with me!”
One peek at the shotgun, and Sparkle began dialing Maine’s number.
Maine pulled up in front of Tone’s crib. He grabbed the bottle of Grey Goose from off the floor and turned the bottle all the way up. Then he grabbed the book bag full of cash from off the front seat and headed toward the door.
“Hey, Maine. What’s up?” Serena stepped to the side so he could enter.
“Just came by to drop off this bread.” Maine stared at Serena, a hungry look in his eyes. “What happened to your face?”
Serena noticed the way Maine was looking at her. “I fell down the stairs.”
“You need a man here to protect you.” Maine sat down on the couch. “It’s a lot of crazy people out here, and ain’t no telling what they’re capable of,” he said with a raised eyebrow.
“Tone will be home shortly,” Serena said, thumbing through the cash. “Hold up, this ain’t right.” She looked inside the book bag. “This shit is short.”
“We took a few losses this month.” Maine shrugged his shoulders.
Serena smirked, knowing they was only trying to jerk her because Tone wasn’t there. “Yeah, a’ight. We’ll see what Tone has to say about this.”
Maine stood up to leave. “We’ll make it up on the next go-around.”
“Y’all come short one more time, and that’s the end of y’all getting more of this good shit.”
“Whatever,” Maine said as he exited the crib.
He got back in his car and grabbed his Grey Goose bottle. He heard his cell phone ringing while he was taking a swig from the bottle. He looked at the phone and saw Sparkle’s name flashing across the screen. “Sexy, what up?” he answered, pulling out of the driveway.
“Hey, daddy. What you doing right now right?” Sparkle asked, Gruff’s shotgun pressed up against her forehead.
“About to go pick up some money. Why? What’s up? You trying to see the god?”
“You know I am, daddy.”
“A’ight. I might go out to the club tonight. Why don’t you meet me there, so we can have a few drinks and chill.”
“Nah, I don’t really feel like partying tonight. I just need to hop on that dick and ride it real slow—backwards.”
Just hearing those words got Maine’s dick hard. “A’ight, so when you wanna do this?”
“I guess you can come pick me up in about a hour.”
“At the same spot?”
“You know it.” Sparkled laughed, trying to hide her nervousness.
“Say no more. I’ll see you in a hour,” Maine said, ending the call.
Gruff removed the barrel of his shotgun from Sparkle’s forehead. “You did good.”
“So what now?” she asked nervously.
“Nothing. I’m going to take you home, and that’s it.”
“Are you going to kill Maine?” she asked, fear in her eyes.
“Bitch!” Gruff barked as he turned and smacked the shit out of Sparkle. “You just better be thankful I don’t shoot ya dumb ass!” He huffed, “Don’t be asking me no muthafuckin’ questions!”
“I’m sorry,” Sparkle said, holding the side of her face.
“As a matter of fact come over here and suck my dick”—Gruff pulled out his dick—“since you got so much mouth.”
Sparkle quickly swallowed her pride as she crawled over to Gruff and slipped his penis in her mouth and began sucking on it.
Maine pulled up a block away from Sparkle’s crib so he could count his money before he picked her up. He rested his .380 on the passenger’s seat as he began to get his count on. Once he was done, he pulled his cell phone and dialed Sparkle’s number.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Yo, come outside. I’m in the front.” Maine hung up the phone as he put his car in drive and pulled up in front of Sparkle’s crib.
“Come, bitch, don’t take all muthafuckin’ day,” Maine huffed. When he looked up at his rearview mirror, he saw a figure wearing a hoodie creeping up on his car from behind at a fast speed. Immediately he threw the gear in drive and stomped on the gas.
When Gruff saw Maine’s car start to move, he immediately raised his 9 mm sub-machine gun and opened fire.
Maine didn’t get too far before he felt a bullet pierce the top of his shoulder. Seconds later, two more hot slugs ripped through the driver’s seat and entered his back. “Awwww shit!” Maine screamed as he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a light pole.
Seeing that, Gruff quickly reloaded his weapon and moved in for the kill.
Sparkle looked out her window and saw Gruff run up on Maine’s car and open fire. “Oh my God!” she screamed. She ran upstairs and grabbed her .380 from her top drawer and quickly ran back downstairs.
As she ran down the steps, she heard a loud crash. “I’m coming, baby,” she said to herself as she cleared the last step and flew out the front door. She reached her porch and saw Gruff creeping up on Maine’s car from behind. She quickly aimed her gun in Gruff’s direction and let off. Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!
Gruff heard the shots and immediately got low and took cover behind a parked car. Once the shooting stopped, he sprang up from behind the parked car and aired Sparkle out. He watched as his bullets made the woman look like she was doing some kind of break dance before her body hit the ground. “Dumb-ass bitch!”
Gruff heard cop sirens getting louder and louder. He quickly emptied the rest of his clip in Maine’s car as he backpedaled back to his car. Then he hopped in and burned rubber.
Tone walked out to the visiting room, and a big smile appeared across his face when he spotted his baby. “Hey, baby,” Tone said, giving Serena a big kiss. “How you feeling?”
“Not too good,” Serena said as she sat down.
“Talk to me. What’s up?”
“Maine came to see me the other day and he was short with the money again.”
“How short?”
“About ten
thousand,” Serena answered. “They only doing that because you in here.”
“A’ight, this how we going to do this. They come up short again, and they don’t get no more product.”
Serena took a sip from her soda. “Then what are we going to do for money?”
“I’ll think of something. I been trying to get in contact with my father, and he hasn’t been taking my calls.”
“What’s that all about?”
“I don’t know, but trust me, I’m going to find out,” Tone said, holding on to Serena’s hands. “Six more months and all this shit is over.”
“I know. I been counting down every day.”
“Don’t you worry about nothing. I’ma take care of everything when I get home.”
“I know you are, baby,” Serena said, tears rolling down her face.
“Why you crying for, baby?”
“Because I miss you.” Serena sobbed. “I been so lonely without you, it feels like my life is over. When you come home my life can finally start again.”
“It’s going to be okay. We done made it this far. This last six months ain’t shit, but I need you to continue to stay strong for your king. Can you do that for me?”
Serena nodded her head yes. “I just want to jump across this table and fuck the shit out of you!” she said through clenched teeth.
“Don’t talk to me like that.” Tone bit his bottom lip. “You know that shit turns me the fuck on.”
“It is so on when you get home.”
Just then the C.O. announced the end of visiting hours.
“Six more months, baby.” Tone hugged Serena tight, gripping both of her ass cheeks.
“I can’t wait.” Serena gave Tone a big juicy kiss before exiting the visiting room.
“You wanted to see us,” Young Mike said, as him and Harlem stood side by side in front of Detective Abraham’s desk.
“My boy Maine is laid up in the hospital right now, and I don’t know how or why,” Detective Abraham said. “They found a gun in his car, so he’s under investigation and handcuffed to his fuckin’ hospital bed. What I need y’all to do is go and get me some answers.”
“I got you,” Young Mike said.
“I don’t care what y’all have to do to find some answers. Just do it!”
“I’m on it,” Young Mike said, and him and Harlem hit the streets looking for answers.
Once the two left, Detective Abraham helped himself to a drink. As he sat he thought on ways he could have Ice-T murdered. His thoughts were quickly interrupted when he heard somebody knocking at his door. Detective Abraham looked through his peephole then opened the door.
“Hey, Detective,” Serena said, standing outside of Detective Abraham’s door. “May I come in?”
“Sure.” Detective Abraham stepped to the side, so she could enter. “So what’s on your mind?” He held out the Hennessy bottle toward her.
“No, thank you,” Serena said politely.
“So how can I help you?”
“It’s the money. These last three times I haven’t been getting what me and Tone was supposed to get.”
“We had to take a few losses,” Detective Abraham said quickly. “We been having a few problems with a few people, but now we back on the right track.”
“No disrespect, but that has nothing to do with me. Shit get messed up, you supposed to take the loss, never the connect.”
“Listen, sweetie, you ain’t the one out there in them streets, sweetheart, so don’t come up in here with all that attitude.”
“Ain’t no attitude. I just want you to stick to the agreement and give me what you supposed to, or else I’m going to take my product and walk. Business is business.”
Detective Abraham looked Serena up and down like she was beneath him. He yelled, “Don’t walk up in here threatening me. Bitch, I told you shit was just a little fucked up, but we got shit back on track now!”
“Don’t talk to me like that,” Serena said, checking the detective. “Tone is your child, not me. All I want to know is, can I have the money you owe me?”
“I don’t have it right now. I told you we had a little problem, but that’s all taken care of now.”
Serena could tell he was lying. She looked around and immediately got angry. Detective Abraham had a house full of new shit, but was playing games with her money. “You got my money or not?”
“I just told you, I don’t have it.”
“Fuck you then! You can kiss this good coke good-bye.”
“Fuck you, bitch! You wasn’t shit but an experiment anyway. The only reason Tone even talked to you in the first place was because I told him we knew all about you and your family’s drug history. We used you!”
“You’re a fuckin’ liar. Tone isn’t like that.”
“You stupid bitch, we knew all about you and how your family don’t deal with our kind. You were an experiment the whole time, so fuck you and your coke. You can shove it up your ass. I done already made enough money off you that I can retire.”
“You’re a fuckin’ liar!” Serena cried as she turned and headed for the door.
“Whatever, bitch!” Detective Abraham yelled out. “Thanks for the money.” He laughed as he watched Serena exit his home.
That can’t be true, Serena thought to herself over and over again as she drove off and headed straight up to the jail. She had questions, and Tone was about to give her some answers.
Styles was cooking some Oodles & Oodles with tuna fish inside. “So what’s the first thing you going to do when you get out?”
“Nigga, I’m going straight to Popeyes.” Just thinking about their chicken brought a smile to Tone’s face.
“I’m going straight to the soul food restaurant.” Styles started busting down his Oodles & Oodles.
A C.O. walked up to their cell. “You got a visit,” his voice boomed.
“Who?” Tone asked ’cause the C.O. didn’t say a name.
“You!” the C.O. said, pointing at Tone.
“A’ight, give me a second.” Tone threw on his State-green button-up shirt and brushed his waves. Then he gave Styles a pound. “Holla at you when I get back,” he said, following the C.O. down to the visiting room.
Tone stepped foot in the visiting room and immediately spotted his baby. “Hey, baby,” he said, his arms open for a hug.
“Sit down!” Serena growled.
“What’s wrong?” Tone asked, helping himself to his seat.
Serena cut straight to the point. “Why did you start dealing with me?”
“What you mean, baby?” Tone said, a confused look on his face.
“Don’t play stupid with me!” Serena yelled, getting stares from the other visitors.
“Were you only dealing with me ’cause you knew I had access to that butter?”
Tone looked over both shoulders. “Lower your voice. Are you gonna act like you got some sense, if I tell you the truth?”
“Just spit it out!”
“Okay, at first my father put me on you, hoping I could get access to that butter. But as soon as I got a chance to spend time with you, I knew you was the one for me.”
Serena shook her head in disgust. “I look stupid to you?”
“Baby, I swear to you, I haven’t touched another woman since I met you.”
“I thought what we had was real.” Serena looked at Tone like he had the mumps all over his face. “You just like the rest of these niggas out here!”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. I made a fuckin’ mistake, and I really need you to forgive me.”
“I can’t.” Serena stood to her feet. “You fucked everything up.”
“Don’t do this, baby. All I got is thirty days left until I get out. I need you to stay strong for your man.”
”I can’t do this anymore. Your father already told me everything, Tone, so you can save your lies.” Serena turned and headed for the door.
As Serena exited the visiting room, Tone yelled at her back, “Thirty more days,
baby!”
Chapter 17
Gruff slid out of his car and slowly crept up on the house he’d been watching for a week straight. He kicked open the back door and bum-rushed the crib. Inside he saw a house full of people sitting in the living room watching the Floyd Mayweather fight.
Gruff yelled, “Everybody on the floor now!” He popped a shot into the ceiling. POW!
He pulled out a roll of duct tape from his hoodie pocket and one by one taped the hands of every person in the crib.
He aimed his 9 mm at the head of the owner of the house. “Where the stash at?”
“Upstairs in the safe,” the owner huffed, mad that he had been caught slipping.
“Don’t give me no fuckin’ attitude!” Gruff kicked the owner in his face.
Gruff headed upstairs to check out the safe. After he cleaned it out, he headed back downstairs and was stopped in mid-stride when he reached the living room.
“Don’t take another step, fam!” a man wearing a ski mask barked, holding Gruff at gunpoint. “Drop that gun!”
“Listen, you don’t know what you doing—”
POW! The gunman fired a round close to Gruff’s head. “Nigga, I said drop the muthafuckin’ gun!”
Gruff put the gun down, a smile on his face. “You making a mistake.”
“I know,” the gunman said in an uninterested tone. “Hand over that bag.”
After Gruff tossed the bag at the gunman’s feet, the gunman then picked up the duct tape and walked toward Gruff.
“Nah, you not taping me up,” Gruff told him. “I got warrants. Take the money, but you not taping me up. You gon’ have to shoot me before I go back to jail.”
“Either get taped up or clapped up.” The gunman looked at Gruff for an answer.
Gruff smirked. “Do what you gotta do.”
POW! POW!
The gunman dropped Gruff with two shots to his chest. He then snatched the moneybag from off the floor. “Y’all have a nice day,” he said, heading for the door.
“Don’t move, muthafucka!” Gruff yelled from his knees as he aimed his other 9 at the gunman’s back. “Drop the gun, and that money!” He winced in pain as he made his way over to the gunman.
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