Dirtiest Revenge

by Cha'Bella Don

  Wiz rose to his feet with his gun cocked and ready for action.

  “Before you what? Speak up, nigga. I can’t hear you.”

  Wiz was still waiting for an answer while holding the gun at an angle.

  “Man, my nigga, you gonna shoot me?” his partner asked.

  Wiz cocked the gun, ready for whatever, but hearing Kendra’s voice made him stop.

  “Saved by grace, nigga. Now, get the fuck up outta here,” Wiz commanded, tucking his gun back in his holster. His friend gave Wiz a menacing stare as he brushed down the hall almost knocking Kendra to the floor.

  “Damn! Excuse you,” Kendra said, using the wall for balance. “Hey, baby! What’s going on? Everything okay?”

  Kendra kissed Wiz on the lips. Then, she kicked her shoes off and flopped down on the couch. Wiz didn’t say anything. He barely acknowledged her presence. Kendra looked around the room. She didn’t know what she had stepped into, but the living room was awkwardly silent. Kendra released the rubber band from around her ponytail and let her hair fall all over her shoulders.

  Wiz finally broke the silence when he said, “Anybody else, you can either leave out or get carried out. The choice is yours.”

  Everyone got up and headed for the door. They knew Wiz was serious, and no one uttered a word. They just made their exit.

  “Wow, babe! Are you alright?” Kendra asked, unbuttoning her blouse and belt. Wiz still didn’t say anything. Kendra was getting annoyed by the minute. The one thing she hated was for someone to ignore her. She picked up her belongings and put them in the dirty clothes hamper. Wiz grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back, causing Kendra to bite her tongue. She tried to grab a hold of Wiz’s arm, but he smashed her head into the wall.

  “Bitch, you’re supposed to be marrying me. Instead, you keep running to that nigga’s aid. Bitch, are you still fucking him?” Enraged, Wiz tossed Kendra to the floor.

  Kendra didn’t understand where all this was coming from. What she did know was that she had her .357 in the trunk of her car. Until she could make it to her car, she was going to fight back. In a split second, Wiz had gone from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. Within minutes after the little episode, he attempted to console her like nothing had ever happened. Wiz was now being attentive to Kendra. He took a wash rag, wet it, and cleaned Kendra’s face.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I love you. Every time I see you with Trent, I go crazy. I promise you. I will kill anybody that fucks you over,” Wiz said while rubbing Kendra’s hair.

  In Kendra’s mind, she knew they would never get married. She sat quietly as tears poured out her eyes. Even Trent had never laid a hand on her.

  “I love you, too, baby,” Kendra said, trying to keep the peace.

  Wiz walked over to the closet where he kept a safe that obtained jewelry, money, and guns. Kendra pretended to be asleep, but she watched closely as Wiz punched in the combination. Wiz pulled out a silver dress and sling backs made with diamonds. He had bought them from Saks Fifth Avenue. He called Kendra, “Babe, you ‘sleep. I bought this dress. I want you to wear this when we get married in Cancun.”

  Kendra eyes widened when she saw all the money in the safe, but she pretended to be excited with the things Wiz had bought for her.

  “Aww, baby. This is so beautiful. Thank you so much.”

  Kendra beamed like a little girl. All the while, she kept her eyes on the money. I wonder what Wiz really does for a living, she thought. Whatever it was, Kendra knew she would soon find out.

  “Do you know the name of the hotel we’ll be staying at once we get there?” Kendra asked, playing along and trying to mask the anger and hurt that laid deep within.

  “I thought you said the Ritz Carlton, so the Ritz Carlton it is. Why don’t you take this stack and do some shopping with your sister. Okay, babe?” Wiz kissed Kendra on the forehead.

  Then, he left out the house. Kendra sat there, dazed. She couldn’t believe that she was a punching bag for a man who had said that he loved her. Then again, Kendra really didn’t know much about Wiz.

  Kendra noticed the safe was open. She made sure that Wiz was gone before tiptoeing to the closet. She scanned everything inside. There were stacks and stacks of money. She guessed that there had to be over a million dollars in there. After seeing what it contained, she returned the door of the safe to the way that Wiz had left it.

  Kendra grabbed the money that Wiz had given her and her keys and purse. She called her sister, but she didn’t answer.

  “Fuck!” Kendra cursed.

  She threw the phone on the passenger’s seat. She was eager to get to her sister’s house. She ran a few lights. She almost ran into a group of girls at an intersection. Luckily, no police were around for her to get stopped, just the young girls cursing at her.

  “Dumb bitch, watch where the fuck you’re going,” one of the girls yelled out.

  Any other given day, Kendra would’ve given it to them without a doubt.

  When Kendra made it to her sister’s house, she received a call from Nia, so Kendra just ignored the call and knocked on the door. When Nia opened the door and saw Kendra’s face, she screamed, “What the fuck is wrong with your face?”

  Kendra had already checked her face in the rearview mirror on the way over, so she knew her face was fucked up. She answered, “I realized that I don’t know nothing about this nigga Wiz. Something’s not right about him. He flipped out on me earlier because I went to Treniyah’s funeral. He was accusing me of shit, saying I was still fucking Trent. Funny shit is that I never told the nigga Trent’s name.”

  Marcos overheard the conversation and stepped into the room. He said, “You said Wiz. What he look like? Where you meet him?”

  He grilled Kendra with question after question. After comparing notes, Marcos realized that Kendra was sleeping with the enemy. Kendra learned about Wiz’s motives after she explained how they had met. After she learned all of this, she told Marcos that she was scheduled to marry Wiz at the end of the month.

  “Damn, baby girl. You don’t know, do you? Wiz kidnapped Treniyah and murdered her. And Trent shot that nigga downtown.”

  Kendra recalled that day and how she had believed Wiz when he told her that he was robbed. Kendra couldn’t believe she was being used as a pawn. Even though Trent was her ex, she wanted to get back at Wiz for using her. After Kendra told Marcos about the safe and all of its contents, the three of them devised a plan that would bring Wiz down. They planned on a robbery, but Kendra said that that would be too easy.

  “This one is more personal for me. I’mma have that nigga still think we getting married and shit. Then, I’mma split his wig,” Kendra said with a smirk. She also informed them that she remembered the code from the safe, so opening it would not be a problem. “The day before we leave for Cancun I’mma drop the key to our condo. I will also give you the key card for the gate and the building number.”

  Marcos shook his head in agreement.

  “Fuck that! Bitch, if that nigga get outta pocket, you know to rock that nigga to sleep. Don’t be a fool about it. Fuck it. I’ll body his ass,” Nia said.

  She was always ready for the cause. Nia thought that she could whoop on any man and bring a challenge. She never got any pleasure from fighting girls because that was too easy a task.

  “Nah, I’ll be alright. Besides, if I stay the night out, that nigga will swear up and down that I’m fucking Trent, and I don’t need to give that nigga a reason,” Kendra explained. She reassured her sister that she was cool and would handle things her way. “Just make sure you’re ready to go in a couple of days. Everything should be on the up and up.”

  Kendra gave her sister a kiss.

  “Yeah, I just gotta make sure that other shit is taken care of. Would hate to have anything trailing back to us.”

  Kendra nodded. Then, she got in her car and drove home. On the ride back, she thought about all she had to digest. She stopped at a flower shop and bought roses. Then, she headed to the Inglewood P
ark Cemetery where her mother was buried. Kendra walked past several burial plots, reading the names and making sure she watched her step. She didn’t want to disrespect the dead.

  When she found her mother’s tombstone, Kendra unfolded a blanket and laid it down on the ground. Then, she took the roses one by one. She said a prayer. After she placed the roses on the grave, she took out the photo of her parents she kept in her purse. Kendra stayed at the cemetery for an hour just talking, laughing, and crying. Kendra sang one of her mother’s favorite songs, which was “His Eye Is on the Sparrow”. Kendra dusted her clothes off, folded her blanket. She blew her mother a kiss. Then, she headed back home. She didn’t know what type of mood Wiz would be in, so she braced herself in case Mr. Hyde was around.

  To her surprise, Wiz wasn’t home. Kendra went into the room to where the safe was located. Seeing that the safe was now closed, she thought, He must have come back home after I left. Without hesitation, Kendra punched in the code. Once the door opened, she grabbed three stacks. She put the money in her sanitary bag. She knew that that would be the last place that Wiz would check.

  Chapter 17

  Three days before the wedding, Wiz seemed to be on his best behavior, or so Kendra thought. This day was no different from the rest. Kendra woke up, brushed her teeth, and bathed like she usually did. Suddenly, Wiz burst through the door. His eyes were like fire. Without saying one word to Kendra, he pushed her head under the water like he was Sho’nuff.

  “Bitch, you think I’mma fool, huh? I know that nigga Trent been calling your phone. You think I’m fucking stupid?” Wiz yelled.

  He lifted her head out the water. When Kendra didn’t answer, Wiz became even more irate, calling her every name in the book.

  Kendra kept calm the whole time which annoyed the hell out of Wiz. The room had turned cold, just like the water in the tub. Kendra fought her way out the tub, grabbing a hold of Wiz’s neck. She scratched him with her nails. Once Kendra was able to escape Wiz’s grasp, she ran out the bathroom, but he was right behind her. Kendra sprinted for the door like she was Jackie Joyner-Kersee going for gold in ‘88 Olympics. He was just about to grab her, but Kendra was quick. She grabbed a lamp off of a table and smashed it on Wiz’s head.

  “Fuck!” Wiz yelled, holding his face. This gave Kendra enough time to run inside the second bedroom where she kept the majority of her clothing. She pushed the dresser in front of the door. She knew it wouldn’t hold, but it would buy her some time. She slipped on some shorts and threw on a shirt. Then, she grabbed her .357 Magnum from behind the dresser. Once she cocked it, Wiz burst through the door.

  “I told you, nigga. Your mama’s gonna be wearing that black dress early.”

  With that, Kendra squeezed the trigger. She shot Wiz five times. The fatal shot was the one that penetrated his heart. Kendra slumped down on the ground with the gun in her hands. Tears rushed down her face. Within minutes, neighbors were banging on the door, trying to get in the house, but Kendra just sat there, unable to move.

  About five minutes later, a maintenance man opened the door. As he walked through the apartment, he called out, “Sir? Ma’am? Hello?”

  He walked around until he saw Wiz lying between the doorway. He rushed to his body and checked for a pulse, but it was too late. Not far from where Wiz’s body laid sat a distraught Kendra. She was lying in a fetal position, rocking back and forth with the gun between her legs.

  “Ma’am, are you alright?” the maintenance man asked.

  Kendra didn’t say anything. She just stared off into space and continued rocking.

  The maintenance guy ran outside and yelled for someone to call for help. Moments later, the ghetto bird was on the prowl as police arrived, followed by the paramedics. Detectives asked neighbors about what had happened. One woman stepped forward and said, “I was walking my dog when I first heard the arguing. Then, about five minutes later, I heard boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. They were very quick.”

  The officer thanked her for her time. In the house, crime scene investigators went to work on the details of what happened as one detective tried talking to Kendra. Kendra relived the very moment eighteen years ago when her father had killed his best friend. She cried even more when she thought about all the time she would get if the judge found her guilty. The detectives cuffed Kendra and hauled her off to the Culver City Police Department. There, they asked Kendra a gang of questions.

  “Okay, Ms. LaSalle. You say that you didn’t know that your fiancé Donavon Davis was also known as Gabriel Sutton or Wiz, and you say you were engaged to him. Well, that’s funny. Who’s ever heard of a woman getting engaged to a person she doesn’t know?”

  The detective laughed in her face. Kendra was disgusted. She wanted to vomit, but she kept her composure and answered every question that came her way.

  “No, sir. I didn’t know that Mr. Davis was Mr. Sutton. Look. What does that have to do with me being abused?” Kendra asked.

  “So, you’re one of those smart, fancy talking gals, thinking since their boyfriend is a street thug with money that you can talk to us any kind of way, don’t cha, gal?” the officer asked.

  Kendra became irritated and was ready to curse the detective until she remembered Wiz’s dead body. Okay. Stick to the story, Kendra. Don’t let them see you sweat, she told herself. Just when she was about to answer, an FBI agent entered the office and said, “Ms. LaSalle will not be answering anymore of your questions, we’ll be taking over the investigation from here.”

  The detective smirked as he walked out the office. Kendra was somewhat relieved that he was gone, but now it seemed as if she faced a bigger problem. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong but protect herself.

  “Ms. LaSalle, my name is Agent Reinger, and I’ve been watching the Sutton family for quite a while now. We know about the murder of his cousin that your ex-boyfriend Trenton Moore and his accomplice committed. We know all about that. We knew when they fled the country and when Wiz returned to the states. What I need to know is who shot and killed Mr. Marquise Williams and left Trenton Moore brain dead?” Agent Reinger placed the two pictures in front of Kendra, so she could get a good view.

  Kendra dropped to her knees, crying and dry heaving. All this was new to her. She stayed on the floor until Agent Reinger and his partner picked her up.

  “We don’t care about Mr. Sutton being dead. Hell! We wanted him dead or alive, so you just made it a little bit easier for us. I can see from the bruises on your face and body that he was very abusive. Since you were his fiancé, I’m sure you know where he kept the drugs and his connects?”

  Kendra shook her head and said, “No, sir. I don’t know anything. I swear.”

  Kendra held her head down in her arms and sighed heavily. She thought she would be answering questions about Wiz’s murder, but, instead, they wanted to get a hold of Wiz’s empire.

  “Since this is a self-defense case, we’re going to dismiss the murder charges that are against you, but …”

  Kendra raised her head and sat up straight, so she could listen closely. She knew if she was able to walk away from this that they would try to hold her on something else.

  “But, what?” she asked sternly.

  “We’re going have to hold you on a weapons charge. And that can run you five to ten,” Agent Reinger said.

  He, then, took Kendra down to the holding cell where she was booked and her pictures were taken. She waited in the holding cell with at least seven other women. She didn’t care to be buddy-buddy with any of them. She kept a mean mug until a bus took her to Lynwood Station. She was left in a holding cell for a week without being able to make a call. Finally, the officer opened the cell and yelled, “Ladies’ court!” He startled everyone in the cell.

  Kendra was the first one to her feet. She was ready to get out of the cold cell. All the women lined up to be escorted to the bus. They made it to CCB where each of them waited for their names to be called. Kendra made a collect call to her sister while she wa
ited to be seen by the magistrate. The operator connected the call, saying, “This is the Los Angeles County Jail with a collect call from ‘Kendra’. If you would like to accept charges, please press five now, if you—”

  The operator was cut off by Nia pressing the button to accept the call.

  “What the fuck? Jail, nigga? I thought you had married that nigga and was not sticking to the plan?” Nia asked, confused.

  Kendra had to remind her sister that the calls were being recorded.

  “Nia, Wiz is dead, but, before you say another word, they got me on a gun charge. The feds came talking to me about Trent being brain dead and Marquise being dead,” Kendra explained.

  “Well, fuck them. We ain’t worried about them niggas no way. So, look, I’ll be at the bail bondsman trying to bail you out. Hopefully, they will let you go by the end of court today.

  Kendra hung up the phone feeling a little more relieved that her sister wouldn’t let her stay in jail. Kendra rubbed her hands on her pants, trying to knock the sweat out. Anyone could tell she was nervous. She talked to a few of the girls. They helped her to ease her mind by telling jokes. One girl got real serious and said, “Fuck that! It’s best to fight your case in the streets with a real lawyer instead of using a public pretender that has tons of other cases and don’t give a damn.”

  Kendra understood and thanked the women for their information.

  “Shit! Does it take this long to see the damn judge?” Kendra asked, becoming antsy. She wanted to know what the judge was going to do with her, being that this was her first time behind bars and she had no criminal background.

  “You might as well get comfortable, honey. Some of us don’t make it to see the judge,” another said, sensing Kendra’s aggravation.

  *****

  Nicole had been up all night counting money. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She had gone back to Trent’s spot. This time, she took all the money and the dope. She had tried to count the money by hand, but she soon learned that it was too tiring. After she’d counted five g’s, Nicole went to a pawn shop and bought a money counter machine and a scale. When she got back to the room, she had a visitor. It was the same visitor from the hospital. Her hair was still pulled back in a ponytail. Her earrings still sparkled, and the perfume that lit up the room contained notes of jasmine and lavender. The stranger said to Nicole, “I hope you’re not trying to run. If so, I will find you and kill you myself.” She never took her eyes off of Nicole.