Street Fame

by Elliott, K.

  “I don’t have it right now.”

  J-Black put the butt of his gun in Jennifer’s mouth. He moved it in

  and out. “I bet you suck good dick, don’t you?”

  She began to gag.

  “How about if I make your girl give me some head?”

  Twin stared at him and said, “I ain’t giving you shit. I’m tired of

  you extorting me. I ain’t got nothing else for you.”

  J-Black took the barrel out of Jennifer’s mouth and aimed it near

  Twin’s head. He pulled the trigger and blew a huge hole in the wall

  about the size of a small cantaloupe.

  Twin hit the floor as if he’d been shot.

  The smoke detector went off.

  “I’m sure the neighbors heard that,” Jennifer said.

  J-Black released Jennifer and scooped up the money. “Muthafucka.

  I will be back. You better have something better for me or else I’m

  going to tell your boys you’re the one that’s been having them robbed.”

  J-Black rushed downstairs and hurried toward the back door. “What is he talking about? You set your friends up?”

  “I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about.”

  “Twin, did you have Tommy and JoJo robbed?”

  Twin sat on the bed and refused to look at her.

  “You had your friends robbed?” Jennifer asked again. “Not quite.”

  “What do you mean, not quite?”

  Twin looked Jennifer in the eyes. “J-Black is a crazy muthafucka.” “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “Well, he threatened to kill me if I didn’t give him somebody to

  rob.”

  “And now look, he’s still threatening to kill you.”

  “I know.”

  “Baby, we’ve got to move or else he’s going to come back. I don’t

  feel safe here. Isn’t he the one that raped Nia?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And you held all of that in? You didn’t tell Tommy that you knew

  who raped his girl?”

  Tears rolled down Twin’s face. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “Are you really his friend?”

  “Hell yeah. How can you ask me something like this?” “Because all you care about is yourself.”

  Twin put his head between his legs. “Don’t everybody think about

  themselves?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “But, you’re right, we have to go. We have to leave here. Let’s go

  to the condo downtown.”

  ***** They were at an exclusive resort in Negril, Jamaica. The rooms were large. There were no doors. The view from Tommy and Alicia’s room was breathtaking. They could see both the huge pool and the ocean. They noticed that people were walking around the pool naked. Everyone was free, doing what they wanted to do.

  “This is the life,” Tommy said.

  “I tell you what, it’s damn sure different,” Alicia said.

  Tommy stripped to his boxer shorts. “Take off your clothes, baby.

  Let’s meet Twin and Jennifer at the pool.”

  “Damn, Tommy. The way you stripped, it’s like you’ve been here

  before. I’m comfortable with mine, too, but I don’t know if I want

  everybody to see me.”

  “Everybody is naked. Don’t worry about this. I mean, this is what

  life is all about. You can’t take nothing serious. You’re born; you

  grow; you get old; and you die. We have to live every moment. You

  know what I mean?”

  “I guess it’s different ‘cause you’re a man.”

  “I don’t think Jennifer is going to have a problem with being nude,

  either.”

  Alicia frowned. “Of course not. She’s a stripper.”

  “Okay, why don’t you just come down to the pool in a thong.” “Okay, that might work. And if I get comfortable, I’ll take it all off.” *****

  At the pool, drinks and roasted duck were being served Tommy and Twin were walking around trying to check out the women. Alicia and Jennifer were relaxing on towels, taking in the sun.

  “I’m glad we finally get to talk,” Jennifer said. “I feel like I know you from somewhere … your face.”

  “I heard a lot about you, but you don’t look familiar.”

  “All good, I hope,” Jennifer smiled.

  Alicia didn’t respond.

  “Have you ever been to a nude beach before?”

  “No.”

  “Twin tells me that you’re from Cali… Don’t they have nude beaches in Cali?”

  “I think so, but this really isn’t my cup of tea.”

  “Your body is absolutely amazing. I mean, if I had a body like yours … I’d flaunt it.”

  “Thank you,” Alicia said.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m trying to hit on you.”

  Alicia laughed a little. “Not at all.”

  “So how do you feel about the lifestyle?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The lifestyle of being a drug dealer’s girl.”

  “I don’t see myself as a drug dealer’s girl; I’m just doing my thing, you know? I don’t need anything Tommy has. I’ve always had money.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah. My dad is a real estate mogul.”

  “I’m from a trailer park, myself.”

  A waitress appeared. A tall Jamaican man with short dreadlocks. He was holding two drinks. “Two sex on the beaches, compliments of the man sitting at the table on the other side of the pool.”

  The man stood. He was a white man wearing nothing but a straw hat. His little pink pecker was pointing in their direction.

  The women held the drinks up and thanked the man.

  “Not my type,” Alicia said.

  “Definitely not mine,” Jennifer said.

  “The waiter, though … I’d like to see him if I wasn’t involved. You know?”

  “Hell yeah. That man is fine,” Jennifer said.

  “You’re cool.”

  Jennifer became silent. She didn’t know what to make of Alicia. She seemed like a girl she could confide in, but she was Tommy’s girlfriend. She knew that eventually Tommy would get caught, but she didn’t want someone so innocent to go down with him. She hoped that Alicia wasn’t holding drugs or money for Tommy. She didn’t want her new friend to get in any trouble. “You know the game ain’t kind to nobody,” Jennifer said.

  Alicia looked at Jennifer then said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not breaking any laws. I don’t hold drugs. I don’t smuggle drugs. I don’t take drugs, or dealers’ money, or none of that shit.”

  “So why are you here, and who do you think paid for this trip?”

  Alicia was quiet for a minute. Then she sipped her drink. “Good point.”

  Jennifer got up and walked to the pool. She stuck one foot in. “The water is cold.”

  “You have a great body yourself.”

  “Thanks, but you know the tits are store-bought.”

  “I ain’t mad at ya.”

  “You’re cool. I want to tell you something, but I don’t know if you can keep a secret.”

  Their eyes locked.

  Twin walked up and smiled.

  Chapter 25

  The sky was blood red as the sun began to fade away. Alicia was lying on the beach in a white G-string. Her head rested on Tommy’s lap. He was staring at the sky. She asked what was wrong.

  “Oh, nothing.” “Baby, I know you by now. I can tell when something is troubling you.”

  He smiled. It felt good to have someone who knew him.

  “So are you going to tell me?”

  “You ever been scared that things are not going to work out the way you planned?”

  “What do you mean? Everything is going just fine.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know about that. I feel something just a
in’t right. You know what I mean?”

  She sat up and looked him in his eyes. “Baby, you can’t think like that. You gotta think positive. You’re a good person, good will always prevail.”

  “Only in movies. I mean, what you are saying sounds like a Hallmark card. You know?”

  “Tommy, like I said, this country was built on lies and deception. Some of the people here with the most wealth have stolen to get it. Don’t worry about nothing. You’re about to be totally legit.”

  “You’re right. A lot of people have stolen to get ahead, and a lot of people today have beat the system, but most have one thing going for them.”

  “What’s that?” Alicia asked, picking up a handful of sand and then dropping it between her toes.

  “Most of them are white. Let me tell you, the white man makes the law. He enforces and interprets the law the way he feels. I just don’t think I’m going to make it. I just got a gut feeling that this whole thing is going to come to an end.”

  Alicia rubbed Tommy’s chest. “Baby, you gotta think positive.”

  Tommy was glad that she was so enthusiastic. He felt good to have her with him, and he started to think positive again.

  He leaned forward and kissed her.

  “What was that for?”

  “Just ‘cause I love you. That’s all.”

  “That’s so sweet.”

  The sun had gone down, and a gentle breeze was blowing. Tommy wished the moment could last forever. But he would be handling a transaction in Miami as early as tomorrow.

  ***** Morgan and Jennifer sat in the Miami hotel room, prepping the drugs for delivery. The ecstasy was being shrink-wrapped then stuffed into cereal boxes. They prepped the drugs for two hours before Jennifer excused herself to the bathroom.

  In the bathroom, she stuffed a hundred X pills into three balloons. Nobody will know, she told herself. Out of thousands of pills, who would miss a hundred? There were simply too many for anybody to notice.

  When she stepped back into the room, Morgan was finishing the packaging of the product. After they were done, they cleaned the room up really well and made sure that they hadn’t dropped any product.

  Morgan had rented a dark blue Chrysler 300 from Hertz, but when they were all packed up and ready to drive off, Jennifer made an announcement to Morgan.

  “I don’t think I can go through with this.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I just feel like something is going to happen.” Morgan looked at her, puzzled. “What? Are you crazy? Nothing is

  going to happen to us. I mean, we’ve done this twelve times, and nothing has happened to us.” “Maybe God was on our side. Maybe it was just luck. I don’t know,” Jennifer said, avoiding Morgan’s eyes.

  Morgan sighed. “Jennifer, I don’t know about you, but I need the money, hon, and I’m willing to chance it.”

  Jennifer jumped out of the car and opened the trunk. “What are you doing?” Morgan asked.

  “I’m getting my luggage out. I’m catching a flight back to Charlotte.” “Jennifer, you can’t leave me.”

  Jennifer got her suitcase from the trunk and placed it on the pavement.

  “I’m calling Twin,” Morgan said. She pulled out her cell phone and called Twin.

  “Yeah, what up?”

  “Jennifer says she not going back with me.”

  “What the fuck you mean?”

  “She says she don’t want to do it anymore.”

  “Let me speak to her.”

  Morgan passed Jennifer the phone.

  “Hello.”

  “What the fuck is Morgan talking about?”

  “I just don’t want to do it anymore,” Jennifer said.

  “Where are you at now?”

  “I’m in front of the hotel.”

  “Okay. Me and Tommy are on our way there. Just hold up another three or four minutes.”

  Jennifer grabbed a red overnight bag, picked up her suitcase, and walked into the hotel lobby.

  Six minutes later, Twin and Tommy entered the lobby.

  Jennifer had already asked a bellman to get her a taxi to the airport.

  Twin yanked her by the arm and pulled her aside. “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”

  “Let go of my fucking arm or I will fucking tell everything I know.”

  Twin pulled her outside. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re trying to prove, but you ain’t fucking bailing out on me now.”

  Tommy walked outside but remained silent.

  Tears filled Jennifer’s eyes. “My heart ain’t in this no more, Twin. I just can’t go on like this.”

  “Bitch, you owe me. You do know that you ran off with my money, don’t you?”

  “I know, and I’m sorry.”

  “You’re damn right you’re sorry, but you ain’t getting away like this. I will fucking kill you, bitch. Don’t you know that after this we won’t have to do this shit again?”

  “I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”

  “You are going to do it or else ... What the fuck you mean you can’t do it? I ain’t listening to that shit.”

  “Don’t you ever threaten me. I know your secrets, Twin. I know you set your friends up to get robbed, remember?”

  Twin yanked her arm again, this time pulling her so close that she could smell his breath. “I will bring cannons to destroy that trailer park you’re from. You hear me?”

  “Let me go, Twin, or I swear I will make it bad for your black ass!”

  “My black ass? Where the fuck did that come from? You racist little bitch.”

  “Muthafucka, you know I ain’t racist. I been putting up with your ass for years.”

  The taxi pulled up. The bellman stepped outside with Jennifer’s luggage. “Madam, your taxi is here.”

  Twin let her arm go.

  She walked over to the bellman and tipped him.

  Jennifer and Twin stared at one another.

  The taxi driver finally asked, “Ma’am, are you going to the airport now or later?”

  “Goodbye, Twin, and good luck to you.”

  ***** Jennifer called Mark. He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Mark.” “What’s up?”

  “Nothing, just leaving Miami. I’m sure you know that already.” “What do you mean?”

  “You know, the girl whose picture is on your dresser, muthafucka.” “What are you talking about?”

  “Mark, I slept at your house. I put two and two together. Now

  come off the bullshit.”

  He hesitated. “So, does Tommy and Twin know what you know?” “No. Nobody knows shit.”

  “So, you decided not to come back with Morgan, huh?” “You know everything, huh?”

  “I’m a fed, remember?”

  “Yeah, I decided not to come back with Morgan.”

  “That was a good choice, because it’s going to go down soon,

  you know.”

  “You were going to bust me, huh?”

  He sighed. “I had no choice; I mean, it’s business, not personal.” “Yeah, but I helped you, muthafucka. I gave you information, and

  I’ve fucked you, Mark. Remember the shit you said about me getting my life together? Was that all part of your fuckin games?” “No. I would never play with you like that. Listen, you’re getting emotional.”

  “Oh, is that what I am?”

  Flight 355 to Charlotte, North Carolina is now boarding.

  “Well I have a plane to catch, Agent Pratt.” Jennifer ended the call.

  She sat on row 25-A in a window seat. Nobody had the middle seat, but an elderly white man had the aisle seat. Jennifer thought about Twin, Tommy, and JoJo, and how their lives were about to be destroyed simply because they wanted to better their financial situations. She thought about Tommy in particular, though Twin was once her man. Tommy had been used by everybody around him. Then she thought about Mark again. She thought he had been genuinely interested in her well-being, but he’d used her for personal gain. How could she
be so stupid? How could she fall for the police? Tears rolled down her face. She felt so used.

  She pulled a cell phone from her purse and decided to make one more call. She would call Twin to tell him what was going on—not because she wanted to save his ass, but because she wanted to spare Tommy. He was really a good person. She dialed Twin’s number.

  No answer.

  She tried again, but still no answer.

  The flight attendant announced that all cell phones had to be turned off at this time.

  She dialed Twin’s number one last time and ducked behind the seats.

  Twin answered. “Listen, you dirty bitch, I wish you quit calling my phone.”

  “I got to tell you something.”

  A flight attendant walked over. The thin black woman with short hair said, “Ma’am turn off your cell phone.”

  “Twin, listen to me.”

  “Ma’am, turn off your cell phone or else I’ll have to ask you to exit the plane,” the flight attendant said again.

  “Listen, man...” Jennifer pleads.

  “Eat shit and die, bitch,” Twin said and ended the call.

  Jennifer looked up at the flight attendant, smiled, and turned the cell phone off.

  Five minutes later, the plane took off.

  She dozed, her head resting against the window.

  Chapter 26

  An hour later, when the plane arrived in Charlotte, the old man sitting next to Jennifer shook her. “Hey, it’s time to get off the plane. We’re here.”

  Jennifer didn’t move, so the man shook her again, but still there was no response. He called the flight attendant.

  The woman with the short hair came, and an older blonde woman with a nametag that read: ‘Peggy’ took Jennifer’s pulse. “Oh my God! She has no pulse. Somebody get a doctor.”

  A tall white man with graying hair announced that he was a doctor. Everybody made room for the man. He loosened his tie and checked for Jennifer’s pulse. Nothing. He checked her heart. No sign of a heartbeat. The man tilted Jennifer’s head back and performed CPR, but she still did not breathe.

  The captain came to the back where everybody was staring.

  The doctor looked into the captain’s eyes and announced, “I’m afraid she’s dead.”

  “Oh no,” Peggy said.

  “My guess is that she has been dead for at least ten minutes,” the doctor said.

  ***** Twin had just arrived in Charlotte when he got the call from Barb, Jennifer’s mother. When he saw the number on the caller ID, he was inclined to ignore the call, but then decided that it would be best to advise her not to call him again. “Hello.”