by Asia Hill
“Hello?”
“Whud up, baby mama?”
I almost threw up when he said that.
“Where have you been?”
I had to at least act as if I cared.
“I been in these streets handling grown folks business. I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Sound excited bitch before I come beat yo ass.”
I hated this nigga.
“Anything for you, boo. What you need?”
“I need you to call that nigga Dirty and try to get him alone.”
What the fuck? Was he serious?
“Uh, um, I ... why would you even put me and your baby in harm’s way? You know that bitch wants me dead just as bad as you do.”
I thought that maybe the guilt trip role would work. I forgot whom I was talking to. He didn’t give a fuck about his own life. How the hell should I expect him to care about mine?
“I’ll be there with you. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
I could have sworn I just heard him giggle.
“All right, when are you coming?”
“Soon.”Click!
He was such a fucking loser. I needed to call E.
(Dirty E)
“Nigga, you lying! Are you serious? I’m ‘bout to slide on you after I take care of some business.”
I hung up the phone and kinda just sat there in a zone. Young just told me that Lil Mama wasn’t dead. What type of shit was that? He also said that they were at that detective dude’s house waiting for him to come home. That’s crazy. I needed to get up to the county so I could tell JuJu the good news. I hit ReRe to see if she wanted to go with me.
“Whud up, Freckles?”
She knew I hated when she called me that.
“You so disrespectful. Anyway, guess what?”
“No. Tell me.”
“Smart ass. Young just told me that Lil Mama ain’t dead.”
It was quiet for like 10 seconds. I thought she hung up.
“Re?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I don’t know what to say. We need to hit the county and tell JuJu.”
“My point exactly.”
“But I can’t go right now.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m posted outside JoJo’s crib waiting for her sister.”
I started cracking up. That girl was a fool.
“Bestie, why?”
“Poohman’s dumb ass slipped up and told me that Jaw was going up to some cabin in Wisconsin. Well, I’m sure that he’s not going by himself. He will if I can catch that bitch first.”
“What you gon’ do?”
“Do I really have to tell you?”
“Come on, Re, now’s not the time. When the time is right, I’ll make sure you get your rocks off.”
I could tell that she wasn’t trying to hear me. I had to butter her up.
“You know I got that bitch JoJo wrapped around my finger. I’ll make sure you get her sister I promise. Just not now.”
“When then?”
“Soon. Meet me at my crib. We need somebody to come up to the county with us.Beep Hold on, my other is line beeping. As a matter of fact, just get here.”
I clicked over and to my surprise, it was JoJo.
“What’s up girl?”
“Nothin. Um, Lil Man wants me to set you up.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. He’s supposed to be coming back over here. Come through. Just bring back up, and E, be careful.”
Chapter 22
Boo
“Lil Mama?”
She came out of the shadows and walked up to me. She looked different. She was the same, but she wasn’t. She had gained a few pounds. Her once long and curly hair was all gone. She was rocking this short, spiky Mohawk style. It was different for her, but it worked.
“Stop staring at me. I’m good. As a matter of fact, I’m better.”
She was so lucky that we were in someone else’s home. I would have kicked her ass.
“Why not reach out to me? I’m your sister. And you!”
I turned to look at Meechie. I wanted to curse him out so bad. How could he keep that shit from me? She was my sister. I thought a part of me had died. Heidi stepped up and broke the silence.
“I should kick yo boney ass for making Boo worry like that.”
Lil Mama smiled and shook her head.
“Was Boo the only one worried?”
I looked at Heidi and thought I saw a tear.
“Hell yeah, Boo was the only one worried. I don’t even like you like that.”
We all shared a laugh. I looked around in pure disgust.
“What’s going on down here?”
No sooner than I said that, I hear a cough coming from around the corner. I walked to where Lil Mama were standing and looked to my left.
“Oh my god, Ashley!”
Poor thing. She was in bad shape. I ran to her and attempted to grab her. The stench that came from her was too much to bear.
“Money Man? You and Meechie get her out of here.”
As if it wasn’t already enough tension in the air, Money Man was mugging Meech.
“Why are you looking at him like that?”
“That nigga pulled a gun on me.”
“Oh boy, shut the fuck up, and do what the hell I told you to do.”
I looked around for something to wrap her up in. Lil Mama helped me wrap her up in a blanket, and we helped Meech get her out of the back window. After that was done, it was time to go.
“Lil Mama, come on. Me, you, Heidi, and Outlaw gon’ walk out of the front door like we are one big happy family.”
“You all can go. I’m waiting for his fat ass to come back.”
Did I just hear her right?
“Why are you waiting?”
“Because he is the only thing standing in the way of my niece’s freedom.
I have been watching him for a long ass time. He even paid Lil Man to cut my damn brakes.
“All right, let me round up some of my goons. I’ll hit you back.”
Damn, that nigga must be getting desperate. I needed to be on shit at all times. Too much has been going on. I couldn’t afford to lose another loved one. Speaking of loved ones, I really needed to call Young back.
“Young, what’s ...?”
“Man, Joe, they in trouble.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Boo, Heidi, Lil Mama, and Outlaw are trapped the house. Dude came back.”
“WHAT? Man, shoot me the address. I’m on the way.”
After he told me the address, I jumped on the expressway.
“Man, E you gotta hurry up. We gotta get up out of here.”
I hung up and called Re back.
“What captain saved a hoe?”
“Meet me at this address. Young and ‘em are in trouble.”
“Aw shit, we got action?”
“Hell yeah. Bring ya gun!”
“But he’s a cop. You can’t...”
“And you can?”
No this bitch didn’t? Okay, she had a point.
“Whoa, Lil Mama, what’s the plan?”
I followed her upstairs to the dining room area.
“You should be worried, too, Boo.”
“Why?”
She pointed to the table.
“Aw, hell naw!”
It was surveillance photos of me coming out of my house ... and me at the store. Hell, there was even one with me pulling my panties out of my ass.
“What the hell is all this?” Lil Mama laughed.
“He was watching you, too.”
That shit didn’t sit well with me. I looked through the rest of the pictures and almost peed on myself.
“Ohhh, Lil Mama, look.”
He had dates and times to where we would be, and pictures of some of us doing some illegal shit.
“If the courts got a hold of thi...”
My words were cut short when Outlaw came flying down
stairs screaming, “That nigga home. We got to move.”
Heidi gave him the evil eye.
“What the hell were you doing upstairs?”
Outlaw smiled and said, “Going through his stuff.”
(Detective Malone)
“What do you mean you can’t come clean? I paid you good money in advance, and this is what you do? I’ll fix your ass.”Click!
I didn’t want to clean all that shit and piss up. I needed to get that shit taken care of though. What I did know was that bitch in my basement was seconds away from the crossroads. Fuck it. I was just gonna have to get my hands dirty. When I pulled onto my block, I immediately noticed something that wasn’t right. There was a black truck sitting a few feet from my driveway. Call me paranoid, but I have never seen that truck before. I had to tell myself to get a grip. I mean, it was the holiday season. Family came to visit relatives. That’s what it was. One of my neighbor’s relatives. I was just tripping. I got out and got ready to walk up to my front door when someone called me.
“Um, excuse me, detective, can I have a word with you please? It will only take a few seconds.”
Damn! This has got to be one of the nosiest people that I have ever met.
“Yes, Ms. Winterburg. How can I help you?”
“Um, I could be wrong, but I thought I saw a young lady creeping through your yard. She had on all black. I swear I thought she was like a ninja.”
I had to hide my frustration.
“Thank you very much. I’ll be on alert.”
Could she be telling the truth? I didn’t believe that old ass bat. She was always making shit up. Hell, I almost shot the mailman because she said he was trying to break into her house. I thanked her and headed to the front door. When I opened the door, I was hit so hard in my stomach that I almost shit on myself.
“God damn it.”
The bitch that hit me was bouncing around as if she was Rocky Balboa in the ring.
“Yeah, you bitch ass nigga. I told you that I was gonna get yo fat ass.”
I looked up and saw my suspect’s mother.WHAM! She hit me again.
“Bitch, I’m gonna...”WHAM, WHAM
“Heidi, that’s enough. We can’t talk to him if you knock his ass out.”
I was dizzy and incoherent. Damn, that bitch hit me hard as hell. I knew that I was in trouble. I had to do something.
“Drag him down the stairs,” I heard one of them say. If they got me in that basement, I was dead. I was being dragged through my own home. I was about to plead my case until I saw her.
“No, it can’t be.”
She smiled.
“Oh yes it can. Say goodbye, motha fucker!”
(Lil Mama)
After everything that I’ve been through, here I was risking my freedom for the freedom of my niece. Was I wrong? This fat bastard was willing to ruin my niece’s life because he wanted some money. I was going to enjoy killing him.
“Drag his ass downstairs.”
I was going to tie him up in that same filthy room he kept Ashley in. As I watched Outlaw and Boo drag him down the stairs, I saw a glimpse of something in his hand. Shit!
A GUN!
The first shot grazed Boo’s arm.
“Shit, that nigga hit me.”
I grabbed Outlaw’s hand.
“Let him go.”
I almost laughed when Outlaw kicked him square in his ass sending him flying down the stairs face first.
“Let’s go now!”
We took off running like bats outta hell. I snatched Outlaw and pulled him towards my car. We jumped in and Meech pulled off. Meech was frantic.
“What the hell happened in there? I was scared as shit. I thought he was going to get y’all.”
I closed my eyes and put my head back on the seat.
“We fucked up!”
All I could think about was how my niece might spend the rest of her life in jail because I didn’t kill him. I failed her.
Chapter 23
Dirty E
“What? Don’t come? All right I’ll meet y’all there then.” Damn, Re gon’ be mad. I hit up Re and told her the same thing. Well, there goes my action for the day. Seriously, things were getting out of control. We all needed to lay low, at least until Ju beat her case. I called JoJo to see where her head was.
“Aye, meet me somewhere.”
“I can’t.He’s here.”
“You good?”
“No. He and his cousin are in the living room lounging around.”
I know that I just said that I was gonna chill, but come on, y’all; I couldn’t pass up the chance to get that nigga. I called Re back.
“Nigga, what now? Stop getting my hopes up high.”
“For real doe, Lil Man over there on Burnham. You wanna go get that nigga?”
“Damn right I do.”
“Meet me over there.”
I called JoJo back and told her to get the nigga to come outside.
“I don’t think he’s gonna leave.”
“Well you better try, or you might get shot with his ass because we are coming!”
(Jaw)
I felt like a fool for stepping out on my girl. And to make matters worse, I was frolicking with the enemy. I was going to make shit right tonight. That bitch, Mia, was about to be reunited with her family members. Before I made that trip, I tried my luck and went to see JuJu. I was as nervous as hell. Even though she was behind the glass, I still felt like she could touch me.
“Visit for Campbell.”
I walked over to the desk to sign in.”
“You can go back there when the other visitor comes out.”
“Other visitor?”
She was being messy as I coached her ass on.
“Come on, ma.”
I went in my pocket and dropped a 100-dollar bill. I kicked it under the desk and looked at her. She pointed her finger to the name above mine. “Jae’lyn Hill?”
Who the fuck was that? I had to see for myself. I acted as if the C.O. wasn’t even there and walked in to the visiting room. What I saw next enraged me. JuJu was all smiles and shit. I stood there for a few minutes trying to assess the situation before me. Dude checked his watch, kissed his two fingers, and placed them on the glass before he hung up the phone. I wanted her to see me more than ever at that moment. As soon as I made my presence known, everything ceased. JuJu actually looked at me and smiled. I ignored her ass and approached the nigga.
“Whud up, homie? Where you know my wife from?”
He stared at me for a second.
“Your wife, huh? Ask her?”
He walked off leaving me there feeling stupid. I walked over to the booth and grabbed the phone.
“You gon’ pick up the phone?”
She grabbed the phone and snapped on me.
“Why the fuck are you even up here, Jaw? You made the decision to step out on me. Now do you.”
I knew I was wrong, but damn shawty wasn’t playing fair.
“Who the fuck was ole boy?”
“My friend, Slim. Not that I owe you anything. We done nigga. I’ll see you when I touch down.”Click!
She hung up and walked off. When I walked out of the visiting room, the same C.O. winked at me and smiled. I mugged her ass. Ole thirsty ass hoe! I hurried up and got the hell up out of that building. As soon as I hit the car, I called Poohman.
“Yo, whud up, nigga? You in Wisconsin yet?”
“Man, why the fuck is it that when I just went up to the county trying to make shit right with that ole young dumb ass hoe, she had some other dude up there, Joe.”
“Whoa, Ju? She getting down like that?”
“Change of plans, bruh. I’m chilling this weekend. Handle shit for me.”
“I think you still need to take shawty’s ass to la-la land. Don’t let that shit that just happened cloud your judgment. Kill that bitch!”
“I’ma get up with you Monday.”
(ReRe)
I was more than ready to go take
care of Lil Man. Things had gone too far. If he didn’t die soon, Ju was going to spend the rest of her life in jail. I wasn’t leaving that house until I knew for sure that Lil Man was dead! New Year’s Eve was going to be a bloody one. Where the fuck was Dirty’s ass? I hit her line.
“Nigga, where the fuck are you? I’m outside the crib now.”
“I’m looking right at you. Get out and walk through the lot.”
It was cold as hell. Damn! I hopped out and threw my hood on. By the time I made it to her, she already had her gun out.
“You ready?”
“Yeah, but E what’s the plan?”
She smiled and held up a gas can.
“Girl, what you ‘bout to do with that?”
“I poured gasoline all around the windows and the base of the house. I’ma light the trail; and when the house go up in flames, I’m shooting everybody that run up outta there.”
I doubled over laughing so hard that I farted! That was the funniest shit that I’ve heard in a long time.
“E, where do you come up with this shit?”
“It’s gonna work, watch. You ready?”
“Yep. Let’s see you pull this off, genius.”
(Lil Man)
When I wasn’t out trying to kill people, it was boring. Here I was sitting at home looking at T.V. JoJo was acting all standoffish as if I owed her something. She was probably mad because I ain’t been home. Aww, I didn’t know she cared.
“JoJo?”
She came out of the bedroom looking pissed.
“What?”
“What? What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing. What did you call me for?”
“Make me and KeeKee something to eat.”
“What you want?”
“Some chicken wings and fries.”
“Ain’t no more fries.”
“Then go to the store and get some.”
“You gon’ send me to the store in the cold?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with your feet? I been in the streets all week. I’m tired.”
“You know what? Nothing.”