by Carlos King
“Mean what?”
“About not being a hooker no more…Did you mean it?”
“I guess,” said Alexis. “I’m not too sure about nothing no more.”
“I need you to be sure about this. Did you mean it or not?”
“Yeah, I meant it. I don’t want this shit no more. But it’s too late for me to get out now.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because starting two days ago I became exclusive property of Rich. If I try to leave him now he’ll kill me. And if he can’t get to me, he’ll have somebody else do it for him.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that name plenty of times before. Let me ask you something. If you had an option to get out of the game for good, would you take it?”
“Yes.” Alexis answered without any uncertainty.
“That’s all I needed to hear.” Greg gets up from his chair and puts on his jacket.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m about to go tell your boss that as of today, you’re officially retired.”
“Greg, no. I can’t let you do that. This is my problem, not yours,” Alexis told him. “I don’t want you risking your neck or your job over my personal shit.”
“I’ll talk to the Doc and find out when they’re letting you out. I’ll be back to pick you up.” Greg opens the door and leaves her room.
“Greg, I’m serious!” Alexis shouted as Greg walked out the room. “Greg! Greg! Greg!!” she continued to shout as the door slowly closed.
It quickly hits Alexis that Greg isn’t going to heed her advice. Her concern for Greg’s safety goes on the rise. She’s worried that his eagerness to help her out will lead to him getting seriously hurt.
Alexis has no idea how greatly she’s underestimating Greg’s street savvy and physical toughness.
CHAPTER 20
FIRST AND LAST WARNING
Later that night, parked outside of an apartment complex located in the center of a housing project, awaits an alert and focused Greg. Sitting inside his black 2011 Lincoln MKZ, he keenly anticipates the arrival of Richard Cruz, aka Richie Rich, aka Rich. Greg pulled Rich’s police record in order to gain knowledge of Rich’s current address and other places he’s known to frequent.
After trying several of the locations in the file and coming up with no results, Greg decided to wait for Rich outside of the complex he’s believed to reside. However, with all the information he retrieved from Rich’s file, the one thing he didn’t need to pull was Rich’s mug shot. It wasn’t necessary because the two have had their share of run-ins in the past.
Two hours into his surveillance of the complex, a grey Bonneville, which matches the description of Rich’s car, pulls into the complex’s parking lot. Closely examining the license plate of the automobile, Greg discovers that the plates are a match. Greg gets out of his car and approaches the fully-packed Pontiac. As he nears the Pontiac, its four occupants begin to get out. The four intoxicated men are totally unaware of Greg’s presence until one of Rich’s friends spots him and directs their attention towards him.
“A, Rich, who the fuck is that?”
Once this is said, all of the men become alert to the nearing stranger. Once Rich focuses in on stranger’s face he instantly recognizes him.
“Man, don’t trip,” Rich said to his friends. “It’s just a fucking pig.”
Unaffected by their taunts, Greg doesn’t waver an inch from his intended course. He boldly walks right up to the group of men.
“What’s up, dick Davis—I mean, Det. Davis,” said Rich.
Greg stands face-to-face with Rich. While Rich continues to entertain his friends by insulting the detective, Greg’s facial remains hardened. He’s not amused by Rich’s showing off and could care less about the other three men accompanying him. Greg tries his best to remember he’s an officer of the law and makes a valid attempt to maintain a professional demeanor.
“I almost didn’t recognize you, man,” Rich continued. “I’m use to seeing you in fly ass suits and shit. I ain’t use to seeing you dress like a real nigga in years. I like this look on you, though. This look really works for you, homeboy.”
“A, cop…That your Lincoln, cuz?” one of the other males asked.
When Greg ignores the male’s question, Rich answers for him, “Yeah, that’s his shit. This nigga might be a pig, but my man here got some serious style. He got money, too. How many pigs you know dress like this and roll like that?” Rich drunkenly babbled.
“That’s a hot ass coupe, man,” another male stated. “You better be careful driving some shit like that, though. I know some grimy ass niggas who’ll split your wig to get their hands on some shit like that. And they won’t give a fuck if you’re a cop or not.”
Laughing at his friend’s statement, Rich turns back to Greg and asks, “So what brings you down in my neck of the woods, Detective?”
“I’m here to talk to you about somebody you recently tried to recruit,” Greg calmly answered.
Rich replied with a smug smile. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. I know what you do, Rich, and I don’t give a shit. I’m not here for all the illegal shit you do to get by. I’m here for one thing and one thing only.”
Rich asks, “And what’s that?”
“I’m not here as a cop, Richard. I’m here to tell you that from this point on, you don’t know Alexis anymore. Understand?”
Rich smiles at Greg and then turns back to his friends. “Y’all see this guy right here? Would y’all believe me and this man knew each other ever since we were kids? Me and him use to get into all kinds of shit together. We use to hit those playgrounds across the street up just about every day. Then one day his crazy ass mom and broke-ass dad ended up getting killed and this nigga relocates to his rich grandparents’ house across town. This nigga ain’t been right ever since.” Rich turns to Greg. “It must be fucked up to sell out at twelve, huh?”
Dedicating all of his energy towards restraint, Greg stares Rich in the eyes and declares, “I said what I had to say. Stay away from her, Rich.”
Greg turns his back on Rich and the other three men accompanying him and prepares to walk back to his car. Greg suddenly stops dead in his tracks when he hears Rich yelling out to him.
“I didn’t know you had a thing for the hoes, Greg. You should’ve said something to me earlier…I wouldn’t have fucked her if I knew you had feelings for the bitch!
Rich hits his mark with this statement. Although he only said it to get a response of laughter from his friends, the biggest response he gets is from an enraged Greg.
Greg turns around and walks up to Rich, staring him down with a malicious gape. Too cocky and brash for his own good, Rich continues to trash talk.
“Don’t worry, though, I’ll leave your bitch alone. But I already told a few of my boys how flame the pussy was and…well, let’s just say they all seemed a little tempted.”
Greg stands in silence, his eyes locked on Rich’s.
Rich adds, “Hell, but like you said, that ain’t my business no more. But you know how the hood is. Shit can be real rough on snitches. You know what I’m saying? I’m just telling you because I don’t wanna be held responsible for any hostile beatings or rapes she might suffer.” Rich pauses for a second to look back at his friends, “Why am I saying might?” he turns back to Greg, smiling. “That shit is guaranteed.”
Greg’s heard enough. Without warning, he lashes out. He grabs Rich by the collars of his shirt and slams him against a nearby brick wall, causing his head to impact. In an attempt to help their boss, Rich’s men promptly attack Greg, forcing him to release Rich. Unfortunately for the three men, this effort turns out to be a costly one. Almost effortlessly, Greg overwhelms and overpowers the three men within a matter of seconds. After he subdues the last of the three men, Greg sets his sights back on Rich. Sitting on the ground, his back against the wall, Rich grasps the back of his bleeding head.
“What the fuck you doing, man?! You can’t do this shit, you’re a cop!” a terrified Rich exclaimed.
“Shut the fuck up! This is the first and last warning yo’ bitch ass is gone get! If you or any of your punk ass people go anywhere near Alexis, I’m gone be the roughest nigga you bitches ever met, feel me?! And don’t it twisted, bitch…I’ll kill yo’ ass in the middle of Time Square and not give a fuck how it looks in my report! Now you say you know. Look me in the eyes and tell me I’m bullshitting.
Frightened by the glare of Greg’s narrowed eyes, tears slowly form in Rich’s. “Alright, man, you got it!” Rich yelled. “You got it, okay?!”
“I knew you’d see it my way.” Greg said in a much calmer voice. He releases Rich and tucks his gun back in its holster. “Don’t fuck with me on this one, Rich? If Alexis gets so much as an obscene phone call, I’m gonna come back here and kill your ass and that’s a fucking promise. And if any of your pussy ass friends come fucking with me or her, you’re gonna be the first nigga I give the business to. So if I was you, I’d make sure you put a tight leash on these bitches before they do something that’ll lead to you getting fucked up, understand?”
On those final words, Greg prepares to walk away, but comes to a sudden halt. This time he doesn’t stop because of what someone’s saying; he stops because he remembers something that’s already been said.
“Oh yeah,” Greg viciously punches Rich in the face, causing him to crash into several garbage cans. Greg stands over Rich’s unconscious body. “That’s for talking shit about my parents, bitch. You’re lucky I’m a cop. I could’ve killed your ass for that shit alone. Punk motherfucker.” Greg coolly walks back to his car, gets inside and drives off.
CHAPTER 21
A TRAGIC PAST
On the day of Alexis’ release, Greg stayed true to his word and met her in the downstairs lobby near the main entrance. The moment they near each other the two embrace in a friendly hug before making their way out of the automated doors and through the parking lot to Greg’s awaiting Lincoln.
“This is your car?” Alexis asked.
Greg uses a remote entry to unlock the car; a series of beeps sound. “Yeah, this is one of my babies.”
“One of? You must do that leasing stuff, huh?”
“No, I don’t do the leasing thing,” Greg smiled. “I buy my cars upfront,” he explained, opening the passenger door for Alexis.
“Well, whatever it is you do on the side, I want in,” Alexis joked.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it someday.”
“Why not today? I’m free for now. I don’t have to work for the next ten hours, so I’m good.”
Greg starts the engine. He turns to Alexis and says, “We really do need to talk.” The car accelerates through the parking lot and out onto the streets.
Greg takes Alexis to a small diner near the precinct where he works. Both order a light breakfast and a cup of coffee. While they wait for their food, Greg tells Alexis about the confrontation he had with Rich a couple nights ago. After completing his recount, Alexis appears to be stunned by Greg’s actions.
“I can’t believe you did that” she said, upset. “I told you to stay out of it.”
“Why? So I can get a call one day saying a female that fits your description has been found in a dumpster somewhere? I wasn’t gonna stand by and let that happen.”
“I know you were trying to help, but this ain’t gonna do nothing but make shit worse.”
Greg asserts, “Alexis, I promise, nothing will happen to you. I made sure of that.”
“I might be safe from Rich, but people in my neighborhood don’t take kindly to snitches. And with you going after him, that’s exactly what I look like now.”
“First off, I told Rich that if anything happens to you he’ll be the first person I deal with. Trust me, Alexis. Rich is gonna be like your guardian angel out there. And second, you don’t have to worry about going back to your old neighborhood anymore.” Greg takes a sip from his coffee.
“What? Why not?”
The waitress returns with their orders and sets them down on the table. “Can I get you guys anything else?” the waitress asked.
Greg answers, “No, we’re fine, ma’am. Thank you.”
As the waitress walks off, Greg picks up his fork and begins to eat, pretending to forget Alexis’ question.
“Why don’t I have to worry about going home, Greg?”
Greg hesitantly responds, “Because I made arrangements for you to get counseling at a battered women’s shelter.”
“You did what?!” Alexis hostilely replied.
“Don’t start freaking out, Alexis. It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“It isn’t?! It sounds like you’re trying to put me in a halfway house!”
“I’m trying to help you put all the negative bullshit behind you. All you have to do is give it a try.”
“No!” Alexis vehemently declared. “I’m not going to no fucking shelter!”
“You told me you were serious about changing your life. Sometimes in order to make those changes we have to seek outside help. Believe me, I know how you feel.”
Alexis is furious. For Greg to compare himself to the rigors she’s been through makes her blood boil. She lashes out. “And how the fuck would you know how I feel?! You don’t know shit about what I’ve been through! While you were living a perfect little childhood, I was getting pimped out by my own mama! While you were enjoying high school popularity in the expensive clothes and shoes your parents bought you, I was blowing my guidance counselor to keep my mom outta jail! So don’t try to relate to me! I hate when people do that shit!” she loudly demanded, not caring who hears her.
“What you went through was fucked up, I know. But how you gone sit there and tell me how perfect my childhood was? Because for all the shit I didn’t know about you, you definitely don’t know shit about me.”
“Oh, is that right? Well tell me, rich boy, what’s so traumatizing about your life? Let me guess, instead of getting a new car when you turned eighteen, you got something that was three years old, right?”
Greg decides to reveal to Alexis a family secret that he’s kept to himself for many years. He recalls the events that took place on the night that changed his life.
“It’ll be seventeen years this Christmas. I was two months shy of my eleventh birthday. I know it’s hard to believe, but I came from a poor upbringing as a kid. My mom was your typical stay-at-home mother and my father worked as an overnight stocker. He worked fulltime, making about twelve dollars an hour. And anyone who has a kid, a wife and a house to pay for knows that isn’t enough. He was a good man, though…Well, a good father at least. He spoiled me as best he could. I guess that’s because I was his only son.”
Alexis sits still and listens.
“For as good as my dad was to me, he treated my mom like the lowest thing on earth. I think it was because he had a promising football career in high school and a good year at college, but then my mom got pregnant with me and he had to quit all that to support his family. That’s how my grandparents saw it at least.
“I remember nights where he’d come in from a night of drinking and just beat on my mom for no reason. If she breathed the wrong way he’d knock her into a wall. Man, he would hit her so hard. I could literally hear the thud of each punch. I would sit in my room crying and shit. I even remember praying to God a few times, asking him to make my dad tired or make his hurt hand…Something. I wanted anything to happen that would make him stop hitting her. I look back now and feel like the world’s biggest coward for just sitting in my room, crying like a little girl
.”
“Don’t say that,” Alexis interrupted. “It wasn’t your fault, Greg. You couldn’t have done anything to stop what was happening. You were only ten.”
“A couple therapists told me the same thing. I even tried to convince myself of it. But deep down inside, I know I could’ve at least tried. Through it all, my mom loved that man to death. We both did. Don’t get me wrong, there were good days. There just weren’t as many as the bad. My mom tried to keep me from the violence, but that’s a little hard to do when you live in a one-storied house with only two bedrooms.
“One day my mom decided to do something special for my dad and buy him a new watch. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the best she could do. My father didn’t allow her to take a job and the money he gave her wasn’t much, and that money was strictly for household necessities. So in order to pay for the watch she started collecting bottles, using coupons, cutting back on what she ate so she’d only have to buy and cook food for me and my dad. I knew she had planned on buying the watch, but she made sure my father didn’t have a clue.”
As he continues to reminisce, a smile spreads across his face. “I use to be so embarrassed walking down the street with my mom because whenever she’d see a bottle or can she would pick it up and put it in her purse. It’s funny the things you miss when…” he pauses for a second. He takes a deep breath and continues. “Anyway, after months of saving and shit, she was finally able to go pick up the watch.”
Alexis is fascinated by Greg’s story, hanging on to his every word.
“Christmas morning eventually came around. I had a ball tearing through all the gifts I had gotten. After I opened my last gift it dawned on me that my mom hadn’t given my dad his watch yet. I didn’t wanna ruin the surprise so I didn’t say anything about it. The day goes by pretty smoothly. We’re all sitting around like one happy family. I’m playing with my new toys and my mom and dad are watching me enjoy the gifts. Later on that night, I remember my mom being in the kitchen putting the final touches on dinner and I was sitting with my dad on the couch watching TV. My dad was starting to hit the booze kinda hard. I guess my mom wanted to wait until the perfect time to give him his gift because she waited until after dinner to do so.