by K'wan
“You must be more important than I gave you credit for, if Shai allowed you into his personal space.” Jewels eased up on him. The boy walked so light that Tech hadn’t even heard him approach. “What y’all talk about?”
“Nothing much, just some hood shit,” Tech downplayed it.
Jewels gave him a disbelieving look. “Yeah, right. I been running with this crew strong for six months and still ain’t never had a one on one conversation with Shai. Only reason he checking for you is because you under Swann,” he teased him.
“Fuck outta here. I don’t need an endorsement from another nigga to prove my worth. The Dog Pound stands on their own,” Tech said proudly.
“Whatever nigga,” Jewels dismissed the statement. The two of them stood around making small talk, sipping and people-watching. Near the path that led to the house he spotted two members of Brutus’ security team escorting a trio of white guys back down the driveway towards their car. “Yo, who them cats right there?” he nodded at the men. One of them looked familiar, but he couldn’t put a name with the face.
Jewels glanced in the direction Tech was looking in and frowned. “I don’t know. I ain’t never seen them before, but Shai has got all kinda important white people running around here. They’re probably some politicians or some shit.”
Tech looked at how they were dressed; off the rack suits, and low-end shoes. “Nah, those ain’t no politicians,” he said suspiciously.
“Whoever they are, they’re leaving the big house and whatever goes on in there ain’t none of our business… at least not yet. But fuck them dudes, what’s good with shorty who keeps looking over here at you?” Jewels nodded across the yard.
There were three girls sitting at a table with an old woman wearing a large hat. The smallest and youngest looking of the girls was staring in their direction, but when she saw that Tech noticed, she turned away.
“Man, I ain’t stunting that little girl,” Tech lied. He had actually noticed her when she walked in.
“Little girl?” Jewels gave him a funny look. “Man, no matter their ages, ain’t none of the chicks who run with Ms. Ruby can be considered a little girl.”
“Ms. Who?” Tech wasn’t familiar with the name.
Jewels shook his head. “You really don’t get out much, do you? Ms. Ruby is a gangster with a cunt. All the girls she takes care of are in the life and involved in everything from selling pussy to catching bodies. At least that’s what I heard.”
“So you trying to tell me that girl is some kind of prostitute or something?” Tech asked in disgust.
“Nah, man. I didn’t say all that. I don’t think she’s pretty enough to be one of Ruby’s whores, but if she’s sitting at that table, she’s something. We should go over there. You can take the runt, and I’ll get at the white girl.”
“I’m good,” Tech said, trying to keep his heart from thudding in his chest as he watched the white girl lean in and whisper something to the other one and they both looked in his direction. He wasn’t sure what to make of it and that unnerved him. Tech was handy with a pistol, but a total novice when it came to the opposite sex.
“Let me find out you scared,” Jewels taunted him, picking up on Tech’s apprehension.
“I ain’t scared of shit!” Tech declared.
“Then let’s go over there and press them broads,” Jewels challenged. Seeing that Tech still refused to move, he took the initiative. “Matter of fact, you can stay your scary ass here and I’ll put the ball in play for you,” he said as he started over towards the girls.
“Stop playing, Jewels!” Tech called, but Jewels was already on his way.
*
‘“Come to the baby shower,’ she said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she said,” Belle mumbled while picking over her garden salad.
“You hush that complaining, Lulabelle, before I send your ass home,” Ms. Ruby checked her. “There are at least a half dozen girls who would’ve killed to be here, but I brought y’all. It’s a high honor to be invited into the home of the Clarks. It means we’re important.”
“If we’re so important, how come Shai had time to say hello to everyone except us?” Belle capped.
Ms. Ruby shot Belle a look that silenced her. Belle’s delivery was crude, but it didn’t make her wrong in her observation. They were there for almost an hour before Shai finally made an appearance. Ms. Ruby watched him taking his time, working through the yard greeting all his guests. He looked like he was finally going to make his way around to them, when one of his men handed him a cell phone. Less than five minutes after Shai had taken the call, he had vanished and she hadn’t seen him since. Shai had always been a gentleman, and she doubted if him rushing off before speaking to her and her girls had been a slight, but there was obviously something big going…big enough to make him take off from his own baby shower. The lingering question was what?
Once she was sure Ms. Ruby wasn’t going to bite her head off, she went back to brooding over her salad and people watching. She hadn’t meant to sound ungrateful. In fact, Belle was extremely thankful to have been selected as one of the lucky few girls who would accompany her to the baby shower. As the newest member of the house, and the roughest around the edges, it hadn’t been an easy transition for Belle. She often found herself failing to fit in with the other girls and wondering if Ms. Ruby hated her.
Plucking a grape tomato, Belle busied herself looking everywhere but at Ms. Ruby and the other girls. Her eyes fell to the other side of the yard and she spotted a young man who looked just as out of place as he did. He was taking short drags of a Newport, and watching everyone who passed too close to him as if they were going to pull a knife out and stab him. He was a wolf trying to mingle amongst sheep, and she could smell it coming off him over the scent of fresh grass.
“I see you,” Natalia whispered into Belle’s ear, startling her.
“What you talking about, girl?” Belle asked as if she had no clue what Natalia was talking about.
“Bird watching,” Natalia said slyly. “Which one you got your eye on; the thug ass nigga with the box braids, or the cute one rocking all the fake jewelry? Let me guess… the thug, right? Yeah, Tech-9 seems more your speed.”
“You know him?” Belle asked, not meaning to sound as interested as she did.
“Not personally, but I heard a few stories,” Natalia dangled. “They say he’s the ring alpha in a pack of young wolves who call themselves the Dog Pound.”
Belle was familiar with their crew through reputation. Let the streets tell it, the Pound was composed of a bunch of hardened killers, spewed from the bowels of hell to do the Devil’s work. Looking at the skinny piece of chocolate standing about a yard or so away from her, she had a hard time matching his appearance to the stories of their exploits.
“He ain’t all that,” Belle rolled her eyes. She watched as the cute one with the cheap jewelry exchanged words with Tech. Whatever he was selling, it didn’t look like Tech was buying it. After some debate, the one with the cheap jewelry started making his way in their direction.
*
Tech’s heart filled with dread, as he watched Jewels amble over to the table where Ms. Ruby and her girls were sitting. He’d been trying his best to fly under the radar so as not to embarrass himself or Swann, but Jewels’ clown ass was about to blow it and have him on Front Street over some high school shit. He’d considered running Jewels down and knocking him out before he could pull the trigger on the debacle, but causing a scene at Shai’s baby shower would have only made a bad situation worse. By that point, he had no choice but to ride it out and hope that the damage wasn’t irreparable.
Jewels in all his confident swagger peppered the ladies at the table with some slick words, with intentions on greasing the wheels of furthering his own gains. He thought he had opened the lane up until he tried to slide into the empty chair between the white girl and the brown skinned one, and Ms. Ruby placed her cane across the seat and prevented him from sitting. She capped something to Je
wels that brought a dumbstruck expression to his face, before casting him back in the direction he had come.
“Why you play so fucking much?” Tech asked once Jewels had made it back.
“I was trying to cut to the chase for you, baby boy,” Jewels told him. “But dig, I got a message for you.” “From shorty?” Tech asked hopefully.
“Nah, from the old lady,” Jewels said to Tech’s surprise.
*
Belle sat up a little straighter when she saw Jewels coming in their direction, trying to keep her game face on, but she was really nervous. It was obvious from his and Tech’s body language that he was coming as an envoy, but she hoped that it wasn’t on his behalf, because she had no interests in him.
“What’s popping ladies?” Jewels greeted the women at the table.
“Not a damn thing if you can’t come with a better opening line than that,” Natalia shut him down.
“Damn, no need to be so cold, snowflake. I come in good faith,” Jewels said, thinking he was being cool, and not taking into account how insulting the statement was. He tried to sit down, but the old woman placed her cane across the chair.
“And there went the snowball’s chance in hell you had,” Ms. Ruby cut in. “Is that how they teach you young men to approach ladies these days? If so, it makes me glad I ain’t got no sons,” she laughed. “State your business and be gone, baby.”
Jewels found himself embarrassed, so he decided to shift some of the blame to his friend. “Pardon me, Ms. Ruby. I didn’t mean no disrespect, it’s just that my homeboy wanted to talk to shorty,” he nodded at Belle, “but he’s a little shy.”
Ms. Ruby looked over at Tech, before turning her attention back to Jewels. “Is that a fact? Well you tell your little friend that any girl in the company of Ms.
Ruby is a lady, and not a hoodrat. If he got a mind to court Belle, then he needs to come over here and do so in his own words.”
“Jeez, why did you have to embarrass me like that?” Belle whined once Jewels had gone.
“I ain’t doing nothing but teaching you a lesson about how women of respect are supposed to conduct themselves,” Ms. Ruby informed her. “Now had you let that boy send his friend to fetch you, you’d be at his call from here until whenever. Now if he comes to you, then you’ve established two things: how serious he is about his intentions and the fact that you are not to be summoned like some damn dog. Anything you do in life must always be on your terms. Remember that, Lulabelle.”
Ms. Ruby had just dropped some real game on her, but Belle’s young mind couldn’t pluck out the gem in the statement. She was more focused on being told what to do. She watched Jewels say something to Tech and and sat in anticipation, waiting for him to start laughing and blow her off. To her surprise, that wasn’t what happened at all. Her heart fluttered in her chest as he began walking in their direction.
“Uh, how are you ladies doing today?” Tech asked awkwardly.
“Well and yourself, young man?” Ms. Ruby replied, looking him directly in his eyes. She noticed that Tech couldn’t return her gaze. He was either nervous or trying to hide something he didn’t want her to see. She reasoned it was a bit of both.
There was an awkward silence hanging in the air. “So, do you work for Shai too?” Brain asked. It was a forward question, but that’s how she was.
“Um, no. I’m a friend of Swann,” Tech told her. “You got a name, friend of Swann?” Ms. Ruby asked.
“Yes, they call me Tech,” he said as he extended his hand.
Ms. Ruby took his hand and instead of shaking it she examined it, turning it over to study his palm. “Dirty fingernails, and calluses,” she said as she released his hand and frowned. “Shai must be getting laced if he’s allowing corner boys this close to where he lays his head.”
“Ms. Ruby!” Belle said in embarrassment.
“No, it’s cool,” Tech assured Belle before turning his attention back to Ruby. “I ain’t no corner boy, ma’am. Ain’t been one in a while.”
“But you’re still in the streets, yes?” she shot back.
“For the moment, but I’m hoping to turn my luck around sooner than later,” Tech told her with a wink.
Ms. Ruby studied him for a few beats. “I like you, Tech. You’re a bit on the raggedy side, but you’re honest. That’s a rare quality, especially in a den of thieves,” she said as she motioned to the guests around them.
“Thanks… I think.”
“So,” Ms. Ruby picked up her water glass and took a light sip of the whiskey she had poured into it from her flask, “what’s your business with my Belle?”
“My business?” Tech didn’t understand the question. This drew a laugh from Brain and Natalia, but a quick look from the old woman hushed them.
“I mean, what do you want? What are your intentions?” Ms. Ruby clarified.
Tech shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “I dunno… just a little conversation I guess.”
“You sure that’s all you want?” Natalia asked slyly, and the girls giggled again.
“You know what? I think that’s my cue to bounce,” Tech said, trying to hold his anger. He knew when he was being mocked, and decided to cut out before he did or said something stupid.
“I swear, sometimes I think y’all go out of your way to embarrass me!” Belle fumed, as she watched Tech walk away.
“Hush, child. We wasn’t doing nothing but having a bit of fun with the young man. He should have thicker skin,” Ms. Ruby said as she took another healthy sip of her drink.
“Yeah, for a tough guy, he sure is sensitive,” Brain added.
“So what you gonna do, New Fish; sit there looking sad or let that fine little piece of meat walk away?” Natalia taunted her. “If you don’t want him, I’ll give him a whirl.”
“You keep those whorish hands to yourself!” Belle said as she tossed a napkin at her.
“What did I tell you about table manners?” Ms. Ruby glared at all the girls. She let her eyes linger on Belle, who was watching Tech with a sad expression on her face. “Natalia is right. If you want him then go get him, but just be mindful that you really want what you’re chasing, hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Belle got up and went after Tech.
“Wow, I’ve never seen Belle act like that over a guy before,” Brain said as she pushed her glasses up on her nose.
“I was wondering when she would start noticing the opposite sex. Frankly I was beginning to wonder about her,” Ms. Ruby joked.
“You are deplorable,” Belle said as she rolled her eyes.
“No, baby. I’m just an old woman who remembers the thrill of the chase and the pain of the fall. You girls make sure you keep your good eyes on Belle and that boy,” Ms. Ruby told them, before looking around for the waiter to bring her another drink.
Natalia was absently picking at the chicken on her plate when her eyes happened to drift to the front of the house. A tall man was wheeling Tommy out of the house, escorted by two members of the security team. She removed her compact mirror from her purse and applied a quick coat of lipstick. Blotting her lips with the napkin, she got up and excused herself from the table.
“And where are you going?” Ms. Ruby asked.
“To the bathroom. I’ll be back in a bit,” Natalia lied.
Before Ms. Ruby could press her further, she skirted off.
*
Tech was cursing under his breath and wishing that he had something to hit. He didn’t know why he had let Jewels gas him into approaching that girl, and had ended up getting embarrassed for it. He had been having a decent time up until then, but after that he was ready to go.
A pair of rapid footsteps behind him caused Tech to spin. To his surprise it was Belle, jogging in his direction. “Fuck do you want? To crack some more jokes on me?” he snapped before she had even reached him.
“Damn, why you gotta say it like that?” Belle asked.
“I don’t know, maybe because your homegirls just spent the last few minutes cl
owning me,” Tech replied.
“I’m sorry about that. Ms. Ruby has had a little too much to drink and Natalia is just rude,” Belle said. “You gonna slow those long ass legs down so we can talk, or are we gonna keep having this conversation at thirty miles per hour?”
Tech stopped. “What?”
Belle looked him up and down. “Look, I know you’re tight about the ribbing they gave you, but ain’t no need to get all stank like I’m bothering you. You’re the one who sent your friend over asking if you can talk to me.”
“I didn’t send him,” Tech said.
“You didn’t?” Her eyes flashed hurt.
“No. I mean yes. I mean… shit, I don’t know!” Tech threw his arms up in surrender. “Look shorty, I ain’t really good at this kinda thing.”
“Neither am I. So how about we stop making it a thing and just talk and see where we end up?” Belle suggested. “Look, let’s start over. I’m Belle,” she said as she extended her hand.
Tech’s demeanor eased. “Tech,” he said as he took her hand. And just like that, the fuse was lit.
CHAPTER 12
It had been slightly over two hours since Shai had slid off from the baby shower to respond to Sol’s summons. There was no doubt in his mind that Honey was going to be beyond pissed, and rightfully so. He hadn’t expected to be gone that long, but then again, he hadn’t expected to walk into a murder scene either.