“Durham has a lot of potential, but you are not supplying the right fertilizer to produce a quality crop. You think ya eatin well right now?” Niya sipped the Chardonay then swirled it around in the glass. She leaned forward, and smiled. “So how much is a key costing you these days? Forty, forty-five?” Niya had connections in the area, who had informed her of the rising cost and risks involved with the powder in the region. At this time, Sauce was the only one who seemed to be able to pull it together enough to supply the street, but it was weak quality.
Sauce sat back, yeah he was paying about 35k per key, and that was because his connect was giving him a break, due to him bringing in business. Shit, nobody in Durham was even trying to compete with him right now. Hell, he even had the mayor and police force in his back pocket. He wasn’t no business major, but he knew he could always stand to make more money.
“So, shawty, what you offering me?”
“I am offering you a chance to work for me. Working for me, you can get it 30k a key, with higher quality. It is better than that talcum powder you’re selling now.” Niya sipped her wine again and took out her phone to check the time. She needed to set the tone now, that if he worked for her, it would be on her terms, and her time. Even with Inga’s price per key going up slightly, she still would make a profit of about eight grand on each key by selling them for 30k. Sauce might not have had the quantity or quality to work with, but he had Durham’s streets on lock. His name had power, fear, and respect behind it. She needed him to make Durham a new acquisition for the MHB empire. He had the reputation, and she needed him as a part of her “corporation.” The streets bowed to him, and the transition would be smoother if she had him on her side.
__________
Shit, Sauce thought to himself, why this broad got me over here thinking shit over like it is a difficult decision. He would be saving five grand a kilo if what she was offering was true.
“How fast can you bring me a key? I’ma buy one off you, and if it is what you say it is, we can do business,” Sauce said, leaning back in his chair.
“I would not make you an offer and show up unprepared to give you what ya need. You got what I need on ya right now?” Niya stared into Sauce’s eyes.
Sauce licked his lips and then laughed. He looked over at Dirty who was already digging in his pockets and pulling out two large wads of money. Sauce grabbed the rubber-banded bills, took Niya’s hand, kissed it while placing the money in it, and leaned back.
“Yo, we eatin’ ova here, Shawty,” Sauce chuckled. “Now show a nigga what you working with.”
__________
Chad and Gwen pulled into the KFC parking lot and parked in the space where the kidnappers had instructed them to park. They had advised Gwen to come alone, but Chad wasn’t trying to entertain that. They both sat quietly, no words or looks were exchanged between them. Gwen scanned the surroundings and tucked an extra clip for her .40 glock into her boot.
Chad checked the chamber of his Chrome Desert Eagle. Besides the beating of Gwen’s heart, and the occasional sound of a passing car, the inside of the 68 Chevy was dead silent. Chad tapped her shoulder as a maroon Ford Explorer approached and slowly entered the parking lot. Gwen grabbed the latch to the door; Chad had to pull her back.
“The chances of Zion being in that truck are slim to none. They wouldn’t risk bringing him down here,” Chad said, holding her arm. “You need to be calm, we need to think smart, baby. Come on.” They exited the car.
The doors of the Explorer opened and two men stepped out. The one on the left made sure that they could see the gun in his waistband. Chad recognized one of them, as they continued walking towards each other.
Spice nodded to Chad and threw a phone to Gwen.
“Hello.” Gwen spoke as she placed the phone to her ear.
“Mommy?” Zion’s little voice was quivering.
“Hey baby, Mommy’s right here. Are you ok?”
“Mommy, I wanna come home. Please come and get me.”
The line went dead.
Gwen wanted to scream and pop the two niggas that were in front of her. She looked at the screen and saw the name, 4Pound. She memorized the number before tossing the phone back to Spice. She looked at Chad; his eyes were telling her to be calm.
“Check it out… killing kids ain’t my thing, but when it comes to my family, I wouldn’t give a fuck who it is,” Spice threatened.
“What the fuck you want? If ya’ll mistreating my son, I will…”
“Bitch, shut the fuck up and listen. Do what I say and you can have your kid back, then ya’ll can go back to being a hood happy family.” Spice laughed and pounded his partner. “Like I said, we don’t kill babies.” He lit the Black and Mild that he took from behind his ear. “My cousin, Mayo, is sitting in jail, facing life. Ain’t no way he going to do that kind of time as long as he gots his family. The state got two witnesses that’s gonna testify against him. I was gonna pop them myself, but for some reason, Mayo wants you to do it. Says its business between the two of you and you need to close a deal or some shit. Mayo go to trial next week, and he needs dem two snitch ass bitches taken care of. Yo ass got till Monday to get this shit handled.” Spice blew smoke rings out his mouth and leaned back on the hood of the SUV.
Gwen gritted her teeth. Mayo was behind this?
Chad ran his hand over his face. He heard the words, but it took a moment for him to process what Spice had said. Gwen was ready to light the niggas up. She would shoot Spice in the stomach; she wanted him to suffer. She needed him alive, just long enough to tell her where they were keeping Zion, and then she would send him to hell. Her head was spinning. She needed to sit down for a moment. She leaned against a white Honda that was near the SUV.
“Oh yeah, and Mayo said he want a quarter of million along with the witnesses being dead by the end of the week. You know the bread is for his and my pain and suffering, you feel me.” He laughed. “And before you start the bull shit with you ain’t got that type of paper, Cuzzo already let me know you got the bread cause he knows who ya connect is. You make it happen, and your son will be home in time for ya’ll to go to church on Sunday. If not, then ya son is dead. Don’t worry about living without him, ’cause I’ma kill your black ass next… and you.” Spice nodded at Chad.
Gwen’s hand was trembling. Her mind envisioned this dude coughing up blood on the ground as a bullet ripped through his gut.
Chad nodded his head and threw a Spider man backpack to him. “Hey, make sure Zion gets this and takes this medicine. He has asthma.”
Spice opened the bag and inspected the contents. After inspecting it, he threw it in the truck. “Ya’ll need to get this shit done quickly, shit, we ain’t running no fucking daycare or medical place.”
Chad spit on the ground near Spice’s white Nikes. Spice glared at him and motioned for his boy to get in the truck. His boy, Made, walked backwards towards the door. “Come on, man, they know better than to try some shit.”
Gwen held her Glock. She flexed her hand over the handle and and watched them drive out of the parking lot. She and Chad walked back to the Chevy. She closed the door and placed the gun under the seat. Gwen placed her head on the steering wheel, and let out an anguished scream.
__________
Niya’s mind was on the exchange at the Bistro. Lining things up would give MHB what they needed to lock down North Carolina. This meeting was the first step. Once she pulled Durham under her belt, she would take on Guilford County. Shit, she may even hit Virginia. She smiled as she thought of how she could have “runners” doing shit like this for her soon. She could even establish a legitimate business, and give the perception of a normal life.
Breaking her out of her thoughts, Diamond cleared her throat, and placed her phone in the cup holder.
“Did you hear anything about Gwen getting Zion back?” Diamond asked, looking over at Niya. Niya gripped the steering wheel tighter. She hadn’t thought about the Gwen s
ituation. Today was a good day for her, and just mentioning the trick’s name put her in a foul mood.
“Naw, I hadn’t heard nothing,” Niya replied as she switched lanes. “And to be honest wit you, that’s not my issue,” Niya said, while taking a piece of gum out and placing it in her mouth.
Although they had met at the Bistro, she and the girls didn’t eat. It was business, not a social call. Now her stomach reminded her of the fact that she hadn’t eaten anything all day. She cursed Diamond under her breath for bringing up Gwen and Chad’s situation. The two of them had burned her so badly that she needed a skin graft on her heart. Chad was her husband and Gwen was MHB—both had betrayed her. Gwen tried to kill her and to put the icing on the cake, Chad was sleeping with her! She mashed the accelerator.
“Damn, you a cold bitch,” Tiffany chuckled from the backseat.
Niya swerved over into another lane. “Cold? let me tell you what’s cold … Dat bitch tried to kill me and then I catch my husband layin up in her bed half naked. That’s some cold shit, no that’s some arctic shit!” Niya said.
“Aight, Niya slow down! We cant’ afford to get pulled over.” Tiffany said as she fastened her seatbelt, and looked back.
Niya loosened her grip on the steering wheel and eased off the accelerator. She took a deep breath and put the SUV on cruise control. “I feel sorry for lil man, and ya’ll know I got mad love for him, but Gwen and Chad got to deal with that. My kids are safe and sound,” she said, looking straight ahead.
She pressed the volume control on the steering wheel. Maybe music would change the mood. The radio was tuned to Magic 103.7, a Hip-hop and R&B station. Lauren Hill’s “To Zion” pumped through the speakers.
Unsure of what the balance held,
I touched my belly overwhelmed,
By what I had been chosen to perform.
But then an angel came one day,
Told me to kneel down and pray,
For unto me a man child would be born.
Woe this crazy circumstance,
I knew his life deserved a chance,
But everybody told me to be smart.
Look at your career they said,
“Lauryn, baby use your head.”
But instead I chose to use my heart
Now the joy of my world is in Zion
Now the joy of my world is in Zion
Niya was glad she had her sunglasses on. Her eyes began to water as she thought back to her and Gwen in her room singing this song at the top of their lungs. Lauryn was one of their favorite female rappers, and this song is what made Gwen give Zion his name. Gwen felt that the lyrics spoke directly to her, especially when everyone around her was telling her to get an abortion.
She and Niya had cried together when she took the pregnancy test and those two lines appeared on the plastic stick. Niya promised her that she would be there for her and Zion. Every time things got hard, Niya made sure she was there to hold Gwen up. Hell, Zion was like her first-born. She had spoken those words about the situation out of real fear of what had happened to him.
She sniffed as the next song blared. She was glad it was loud; she didn’t want the girls to see her being emotional about Zion’s situation. She had to keep her head straight and grow her empire. Shit, Gwen was a bad bitch, and she was sure she could get this handled.
Diamond studied Niya. She knew that the words Niya spoke were not from her heart. They were from hurt; no one had ever hurt or threatened one of their kids before. They put everything on hold when it came to the little ones. Diamond leaned back against the door of the SUV. She knew that the next thing she said would make the tension rise, and pierce their hearts.
“Shit, she’s still MHB,” Diamond said. “And that baby ain’t got nothing to do with grown folks problems. He is innocent, and this is some bullshit that he had no power over! MHB, remember that shit?” Diamond repeated, put her earpiece in, and turned her IPod on.
She had been trying to stop smoking. She reached in her pocket, and took out the blue electronic cigarette. She pulled the nicotine into her mouth and allowed the vapor to circle her head. Although it was not tobacco, it had a slight odor, and she secretly hoped it fucked with Niya’s sinuses.
About twenty miles outside of Charlotte, Niya decided to pull off at the next exit and grab something to eat. Her stomach had begun to punch her spine. She exited the expressway. A sign showed that a Waffle House, Burger King, and a Cracker Barrel was to the left. She stopped at the light and looked over at Diamond, who had her eyes closed. Her last statement still resounded in Niya’s mind, she is MHB, he is innocent. Zion’s little face entered her mind, her eyes began to sting again. She was lost in his big brown eyes.
“Ni, what you waiting for? The damn light is green. Shit, pull into the Waffle House and let’s get some breakfast food. You know I love me some Chicken melt and eggs smothered and covered.” Tiffany yelled from the rear of the truck.
“Damn, Tiff, give a bitch a chance to hit the gas, with your greedy ass.” Niya laughed.
Diamond was still reclined in the passenger seat. She had her eyes closed, her breathing was normal, and no snoring was coming from her.
Niya pinched her arm. “Diamond get yo ass up. We know you not sleep, because yo ass would be snoring so loud, we would not be able to breathe in this bitch from you sucking out all the air.”
“Really, you going there, Ni? Really, how ’bout this? Trick you paying for my damn food.” Diamond responded while stretching, and yawning.
Niya pulled into a parking space that was under a light. They exited the truck and Niya clicked the alarm and checked her reflection in the glass.
“Come on, who you primping for, Ni?” Tiffany asked, already nearly inside.
Diamond stood by the door, waiting for Niya to walk across the parking lot. Pointing inside, she spoke. “Look at Tiff’s greedy ass.”
Tiffany was waving to them, as she sat at a table by the window. Niya and Diamond took a seat. Niya was glad that she could see the truck from their table. She had her stash in the truck. This little hick down might seem sleepy, but she didn’t want to take any chances. The waitress took their drink orders, and then the whole table was quiet. Either they all were hungry, or from the tension of the conversation that had taken place in the SUV.
The silence was broken when the waitress returned with their drinks, and they gave her their food orders.
Tiffany sighed and stretched. “I am going to go ham on this food. My stomach is speaking in tongues!” She sipped her tea and scanned the faces at the table. The day had started well, but the mention of Gwen, Chad and Zion had taken the buzz out of the group. “So, tricks, tell me about some good spinal and hamstring stretching.” Tiffany asked, hoping to change the mood. She looked at Niya then Diamond while she sipped the sweet tea.
“Don’t look at me,” Niya responded, “I told you earlier, my nigga been acting like his dick is community property.”
“Alright, well it sounds like you need to start lining up some new bucks, bitch. I know you ain’t gone be abstinent. Let that shit go, girl, ain’t nothin like a long thick luscious rod hitting bottom to make the memory of another one disappear. What about you, Diamond? Now I know you ain’t even being celibate!”
“Damn with all that’s been going on, shit I don’t even remember.” Diamond shook her head. “I mean it has been a minute. Well whoever the next dude is, he better drink ginseng and do some pushups. Hell, he might even need to bring backup!”
“Damn you nasty. A threesome? You know you a freak! But on the real, if you do that shit, call me. I am going to watch!” Tiffany laughed while high fiving Niya.
The girls laughed and joked while they ate their food. They each named some dudes that could be potential playmates, and joked about their skill level. With all the stress they had been under lately, it felt good to joke and laugh. They were going to have more money and more days like this soon, Niya promised herself. Her personal life may
not be where she wanted it at the moment, but it will pass.
After finishing their meal, the girls piled back up in the truck and headed for home.
Chapter 2
Ohhhh
All I see is signs
All I see is Dollaz signs
Ohhhh
Money on my mind
Money, money on my mind
Niya turned the radio down as she noticed The Crown Victoria mimicking her turns. She placed the .45 automatic in her lap, and checked the rear view. She did not recognize the car, but after making a turn down three different streets and the Crown Vic doing the same, she was sure it was not her imagination that she was being followed.
“Who da fuck is this?” she said to herself while trying to get a better look at the car in her rear view. Niya chewed her lip. Good thing she noticed the car early enough to take them on a little detour from her home. Since Chad had moved, and after Gwen’s attempt on her life, she had relocated. She was careful not to let anyone know where her new spot was.
Niya stopped at an intersection. A car had gotten between hers and the Crown Vic. She waited for the light to change and did a quick U-turn. The Crown Vic quickly went around the blue Toyota.
“Shit! Damn fucking cops!” The lights flashed and Niya moved over to the shoulder. She slowly eased the automatic into the console. She had two bricks in the trunk and a .45 in the console. She knew they were not stopping for just a traffic violation, and searching her car would give her some serious time in a 6 by 8.
She checked her side mirror. Butler was approaching the passenger side of her car. She opened her visor to take down her ID, registration and insurance card. She always kept it in the visor. Cops get real nervous when they see blacks reaching for shit at a traffic stop. She wished he was on the driver’s side, so maybe he could accidentally be hit by a car that didn’t see him.
He tapped on the passenger window.
She rolled it down, and faked a smile. “Yes officer?”
Country Girls Trilogy (Parts 1-2-3 Boxed Set): MHB Love Page 16