Porscha called Share to find out what the fuck was going on. Venus answered the phone and told her they couldn’t talk right now. Porscha was still talking when Venus hung up the phone. When she realized that no one was at the other end of the line, she panicked. She got dressed and put Diamond and Bullet in her minivan and headed over to Share’s. She knew something was wrong when Share told her earlier that she had trouble with Petie. But when Giselle rushed out to the hospital, Porscha realized that shit was serious. She knew Petie was flip mode, but what could have happened that he was in the hospital, and how was Share involved? Porscha wondered if maybe Petie had hit Share, and she tried to defend herself and something went wrong.... No, that wasn’t it, she thought. And Giselle, how would she feel about all of this? Giselle was one of those people who believed with all her heart that blood is thicker than water; no matter what, you always ride with your fam, whether they’re right or wrong. Porscha prayed that whatever it was, it wouldn’t affect their relationship. She said a silent prayer and hoped that God was listening.
Chapter Thirteen
The block looked like something from a Bruce Willis movie. The entire area was sealed off, and cops were everywhere. There were ambulances and EMT workers, and a news van was giving live footage of the scene. Uniformed and undercover cops were marking shell cases from bullets that were fired. A body was put on a stretcher and rolled to an awaiting ambulance. Fingerprints were being taken off the Range Rover, as the dead man lay up against the steering wheel with the ice pick in his neck. The police asked the neighborhood residents if any one of them had seen or could identify any of the parties involved.
Porscha decided that she’d wait to speak to Share. It was obvious from the scene that whatever happened was the result of a little more than beef. Share had lied to her, but now was not the time to find out what had really occurred. Whatever went down, Porscha knew that things were about to get even uglier.
Ladelle made it home. He had been hit in the shoulder, and he was in so much pain he thought he would pass out. He hadn’t felt it before because his adrenaline was so high. He called his mother upstairs, waking her from a peaceful sleep, and ran up three flights. She was a nurse and would know what to do. She was surprised to see her son in this condition at four-thirty in the morning. She wanted to ask him what had happened, but instead she went to work on the wound. And since she didn’t ask any questions, Ladelle didn’t offer any information.
He felt bad about leaving Lou, but the last thing he needed was the police asking him questions while he stood over his man’s body. He prayed that Lou was all right, even though he doubted it.
Ladelle’s mind began to race. As his mother nurtured his shoulder, trying to find out exactly where the bullet was lodged, he was making plans. Time to call in the reinforcements, he thought.
Renee and Giselle got back to the house, and Renee explained to her Hispanic neighbor next door what had happened. She apologized for taking so long. Darnell and Dante had slept through everything, and Renee decided that it was best to wait until they woke up to let them know about their father. She wouldn’t send them to school today, but she would send them to their grandmother’s house.
Giselle called Ladelle and he filled her in on everything that happened and who he thought was the cause of it. Giselle was vexed after hearing that her wife’s friend had started all this bullshit. She was the reason her uncle was laid up in the critical care unit fighting for his life. Giselle would see that bitch Share and put the beats on her fa sho.
She called Porscha and blasted her for not telling her the truth. As far as Giselle was concerned, she knew something from the jump. She remembered when Porscha had made that phone call and said something about ‘beef.’ Porscha tried to explain to Giselle that she didn’t think it was that serious or she would have told her.
”Bitch, anything regarding my uncle is serious. And you laid up with me all fucken night and ain’t tell me shit. Now what the fuck am I supposed to think?”
”But Giselle—”
”Shut the fuck up...so now I’m supposed to believe you wasn’t protecting your bird friends?!” Giselle shrieked. If she was there with Porscha she would have taken her head off.
”All I’m saying is that—”
”Bitch, you ain’t saying shit!” Giselle said cutting her off again and then pressing the off key on her phone. She turned around and saw Renee standing there watching her. She wondered how much of the conversation she had heard. Oh, well. It really didn’t matter anyway. She had shit on the brain, and she didn’t care what Renee heard or didn’t hear.
Porscha was crying so hard that her head began to hurt. This could not be happening to her. Everything in her life was going right, and now this dumb shit. She couldn’t wait to talk to Share and Venus. Them bitches is the cause of all this anyway, she thought. If Giselle left her behind this bullshit, she would just die. She wouldn’t be able to go on without her.
Porscha went into the bathroom and washed her face. Her eyes were swollen and she had a nose full of boogies. She looked and felt a mess. She knew what she needed...she’d be all right.
She went to the store and bought a six-pack of beer. Thank God for twenty-four-hour stores. When she got back home she checked to see if Giselle had called—she hadn’t. It was daybreak and normally she would be getting ready for work, but not today. Today she was relapsing. She didn’t want to call her sponsor and she didn’t want to make a meeting. She just wanted to use.
Porscha called her job and said she wouldn’t be in today because of a family emergency. The counselor on duty assured her that she would let the morning shift know, and she told Porscha she hoped everything turned out all right.
Porscha never missed any days at work, so no one was likely to suspect anything. She opened one of the beers and took a swig.
Share had just arrived at her condo on Seventy-Fourth Street when the phone rang. It was Venus, making sure she got there safely. She and BJ were on their way home, trying to act like nothing had happened. Venus told her about how the fellas had gone out the back door of the brownstone, went through an opening and came out on 141st Street. From there they caught cabs in different directions.
Share was concerned about all the drama that had been brought to her house. Why did those niggas have to do that shit at her crib? Now it was all going to come back to her. And she knew she’d have to call the police eventually because Ladelle wasn’t going to let it rest.
Share called the hospital to find out how serious Petie’s condition was. She was told that he was in the ICU and could only have visitors from immediate family. She decided to wait for Will so they could sort things out.
Kalif hollered at his brother to let him know that they had set it on the niggas in the white Hummer. Rasheed was not happy; he had already told Kalif to let him handle it, but Kalif hadn’t listened. And now there was no telling what would happen now.
Kalif turned on the news and was surprised to see a live broadcast from 142nd Street. He called BJ and Will to tell them that they had made the news.
”Yeah, my niggas. Throw your guns up and hit the news. Channel 7 is uptown. They probably got that shit on 1010 Wins, too,” Kalif said, not realizing how serious the matter was. The neighbors would probably start talking and the police would be snatching up anybody moving.
”Fuck TV, dun. We don’t need that shit. Some old lady probably sayin’ she seen this and seen that. Niggas is still on paper. I ain’t trying to catch no new charges. We just gonna walk softly and see what them cats gon’ do,” Will told Kalif. Kalif was a loose cannon. He was already thinking about part two. He didn’t give a fuck about the nosy neighbors or what his brother had said. Fuck them, and fuck Will, too, if he wanted to bitch up. Anybody who wanted the business was gonna get it.
Chapter Fourteen
Petie had just come in from therapy and was watching the news. Renee had gone out again this morning and he was starting to wonder about where she was spending her ti
me. Ever since he came home from the hospital he noticed that she went out every morning at the same time. The only time she stayed home was on weekends. He wondered if it was always like that or because he wasn’t the same. Petie wasn’t usually home in the morning, so he didn’t know if this was something new or if she had been doing it. Ladelle called him last night and said he would drop by after his therapy. Shit just wasn’t the same.
Petie’s speech was getting better and his memory was coming back little by little. He felt like some type of weirdo. It took him a long time to get his thoughts together and he couldn’t concentrate like he used to. Those young bloods had done him dirty. He couldn’t wait until he got back to his normal self. The doctor told him his condition wasn’t permanent and that he’d be normal again, as long as he kept up his therapy.
Petie turned off the news and tried to remember the face of the nigga who had pulled out on him. That was the last thing he remembered. That nigga would be the first one he got at.
Renee’s lover had his face buried so deep in her black box that she thought he was going to suffocate. She arched her back, as her spasms came quick and long. He began kissing his way up her thighs now and playing with her nipples. She wanted to suck his dick. She loved sucking his dick, especially right before he entered her. She told him to stand up on the side of the bed and put one leg up on the mattress. He was rock hard and his balls were dangling between his legs. She tickled his balls with the tip of her tongue and pulled on his hairs with her teeth. Then she turned him around and spread his cheeks and started licking his asshole. He liked that shit. Renee put her face in his ass and began sucking his asshole until his knees buckled. She turned him back around and ran her tongue along his dick as if she were eating an icecream cone. Renee deep-throated him until his head was at the back of her throat. She sucked it like a Tootsie Roll Pop until she tasted his pre-cum. He lay on his back and Renee got on top and straddled him. He gripped her ass and spread her cheeks, putting his finger in her booty hole. She leaned forward and he put her titty in his mouth. He finger-fucked her ass until she couldn’t take it anymore....she busted off, slid down between his legs and sucked him some more. She then turned around doggy style and he beat himself on her cheeks. Facing him again now, she sucked and licked him until he exploded on her chest. She rubbed his milk against her breasts and lay down, never once thinking about Petie. Her lover was the only thing on her mind the whole time, and being home before the kids came from school was all the mattered.
Giselle went into the bank and asked about opening an account. She really just wanted to see if Venus was there—she was. Giselle left the bank and waited across the street. Finally, Venus came out and went to a coffee stand near the bank. Giselle walked across the street to the stand and stood behind her. When Venus turned around, she snuffed her with the razor that was between her index and middle fingers. The Arabian man who owned the stand stared in disbelief.
Giselle went to the corner and caught a cab, not caring whether or not anyone had identified her. Everything in her world had fallen apart. Her uncle Petie was like some kind of vegetable, and Lou, who was like an uncle to her, was now buried. On top of all that, Porscha had started shooting dope again, so fuck that. Nothing mattered to her anymore, and as soon as she dealt with Share, she was going to head down south and lay low. But first she had one more thing to do before she bounced.
Share was on her way to the post office when BJ called her from Harlem Hospital and told her that Venus had been attacked. He told her everything he knew and that the police had a description of the female suspect. He waited while Venus was being stitched up, and he was a mess by the time Share arrived. Share had never seen him like this before, and she asked if maybe this was the result of the shootout. She knew Giselle was Petie’s niece, and from the description BJ gave, it sounded like it was her who had cut Venus. Share decided to go to the police. Fuck that; her friend was getting stitches in her face and she knew she’d be next. Oh, hell no! She had a license to carry a weapon and she would start packing it. A bitch wanna run around with razors...okay. She better pray that her razor can stop bullets, she thought.
Ladelle picked Darnell and Dante up from school and took them to get some Haagen Daz’s ice cream. They ate it on sugar cones with sprinkles on top. Petie was sitting outside in the truck playing music when they pulled up. Ladelle took Darnell and Dante inside and came back outside to get in the truck with Petie. They talked for a little while before Petie went inside the house.
Renee was telling the kids to take off their school clothes and get ready to do their homework. Petie noticed that she was in a good mood and he wondered if she was cheating on him; she was just a little too carefree, and she hadn’t given him any pussy since way before he went into the hospital. He couldn’t even remember the last time he fucked her.
Petie sat at the table with his little men and watched them do their homework. They had been so helpful since he came home...at least they weren’t acting any differently toward him. They knew their father would be back to his old self in no time.
Share pulled up to the front of her brownstone. She and Will had decided to stay back uptown. She noticed the Durango parked not too far away, so he was already there. She backed into the parking spot and grabbed her briefcase from off the back seat. She didn’t see Giselle coming toward her from across the street, and when she dropped her keys and bent down to pick them up, Giselle kicked her to the ground. Share had a Timberland boot print on her Armani suit, and before she could get up, Giselle began kicking her in the face. Share reached up and punched Giselle in the jaw and then managed to bite her on the ankle. When Giselle bent down to release her ankle from Share’s grip, Share hit her square in the nose. Giselle stumbled, trying to focus after getting what felt like a head butt. Share was on her feet now. She kicked off her heels and threw up her hands. ”Bring it, bitch. Let me see what you got, you dildo-wearin’ bitch!” Share was in a boxing stance. Giselle wasn’t aware of the fact that Share had practiced kickboxing in her early twenties and had skills. She charged Share and tried to take her off her feet. Share kicked Giselle and stepped back to regain her balance. Giselle began yelling and cursing at Share. Her nose was still hurting, and she bent down and threw dirt in Share’s eyes.
All the commotion downstairs made Will go to the window. He saw Giselle pulling out a razor. Share raised her arm to protect her face and the razor cut her suit. She could see blood coming through her sleeve. She managed to duck and miss Giselle’s next attempt to cut her face. Will came flying out the door and bum-rushed Giselle. They both landed on the ground, and the razor flew out of Giselle’s hand. Share grabbed her bag and pulled a .22 out on Giselle. Will got to his feet and yanked Giselle up by the throat. Giselle snuffed him, catching him on the side of his head. He stumbled and she hit him again. Will body-slammed her to the ground and then walked toward Share to take the pistol from her. Her hand was shaking violently, and he didn’t want her to pull the trigger by accident.
Will never saw Giselle when she got up to go and get her razor, which was a few feet away. She then came up behind him and sliced him across the back of his head. Suddenly two shots rang out. Giselle grabbed her stomach and collapsed to the ground, falling backwards. Share dropped the gun and fell to her knees crying. Giselle was now struggling to say something and Will, holding his head, turned around and bent down to listen to her closely as Share dialed 9-1-1 on her cell phone. ”Die, you bitch,” Giselle finally managed to spit out.
Will stood up straight and stared hatefully at her. ”You die first, you wannabe nigga,” he said before kicking her in the face and watching the blood gush out of her nose.
Chapter Fifteen
Renee and Petie were clearing the table after dinner when the 30th precinct called. They told him about his niece and that Share was taken into police custody. He couldn’t believe it. His niece was dead, Lou was dead and he felt like dying. He called Ladelle and asked him to come and get him. He had to see h
is niece for himself. He didn’t want to believe that she was dead...there was just no way; she was only twenty-six, so this had to be some kind of a mistake. Ladelle pulled up, and he and Petie went to identify the body.
Venus kept hearing Diamond barking. She knew Porscha was using again and wasn’t taking Diamond out like she used to. She hadn’t heard from Porscha since yesterday morning, and she wanted to break the news to her about Giselle.
She knocked on Porscha’s door, but there was no answer. Diamond was not only barking now; she was howling. Venus turned the knob and when the door opened, Diamond rushed downstairs like a bat out of hell. Venus called out to Porscha—no response. The apartment felt eerie and there was a stale smell. There were clothes lying about everywhere in the bedroom, and when Venus walked toward the bathroom she saw a foot. She knew it belonged to Porscha. She was afraid to open the door the rest of the way. When she got up the nerve, the weight of Porscha’s body prevented her from doing so, and she turned and ran down the stairs, almost breaking her neck. She called an ambulance, but it was too late when it arrived; Porscha was already dead from a drug overdose.
Kalif was coming out of the Magic Johnson Theatre off of 125th Street with some chick from Atlanta. She was visiting New York for the weekend, and he was going to make sure he sent her back home with something to talk about.
They rented a room on 145th between Amsterdam and Broadway for four hours. Kalif dicked her down for an hour and a half. She was a cutie but her pussy stunk. He couldn’t rock to that beat. Kalif told her he was going to get some cigs and a phillie. He never returned. Take that fishy shit back to the ATL, ma.
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