by Wahida Clark
Wes, the thief, let out a gut-wrenching moan. Phillip grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out the trunk. “Get yo’ little ass up!” He threw him onto the ground, after he told him to get up and kicked him in his ribs.
“Oowww,” he groaned and went into a coughing fit.
“Your life is only worth a set of five thousand dollar rims, nigga?” shouted Phillip as he grabbed the lug wrench out of the trunk. He kicked Wes again, causing him to roll over on his back. “I’ma teach you to keep your word, nigga.’ Cause you obviously forget who you was fuckin’ with.”
Phillip held the lug wrench up as if it were a stake and brought it down forcefully, driving it into his throat. His blood gushed out as if he had just struck a tiny oil well. Phillip ducked to his left, barely missing a splash of blood on his face. But it did get on his shoulder. “Fuck!” he spat as he grinned wickedly at his handiwork. “I thought I could pull this off with precision.” He pulled the iron out and stood up.
Dougie threw him a towel and he ran it across the bloodstains on his suit. He then wiped off the lug wrench, wrapped the towel around it, and set it in the trunk.
“Yo, I don’ know what the fuck to think.” Kaylin was sitting on his mother’s back porch, showing Kajuan the mystery envelope that had the pictures in it.
“My gut is telling me that it’s not Snake,” Kajuan told him.
“Well, my gut is telling me who it is, but hold up.” Kaylin flipped open his celly.
“Where you at, yo?” It was Omar.
“I’m at my mom’s. What’s up?”
“We hit pay dirt. You wanna swing by the hospital and tell Tasha, or you want me to do it? That’s why I was asking where were you.”
“Can I get a name, nigga?”
“Jaden’s little brother, Rome.”
“Word?”
“Yeah. But that’s neither here nor there, baby.”
“Aiight, then. Real talk.”
“I’m out.”
Kaylin hung up with a smirk on his face. “That was O.”
“Yeah?”
“That was Jaden’s little brother who got at Trae.”
“Who the fuck is Jaden?” Kajuan wanted to know.
“A nigga we fucked with who stepped to Tasha when we was gone. Trae had somebody get at him.”
“Damn. Y’all niggas was wild, yo. Kill a nigga because he step to your woman. Whatever happened to the good ole days? The days when the focus was gettin’ money and if you had beef you used your fists.”
“Nigga, those are the gone ole days.”
“I see.”
“In any event, street justice has been served.” Kaylin flipped open his phone again. “Yeah.”
“Hey, baby.” Angel cooed in his ear.
“Red, what’s up?”
“Where are you?”
“At Mommy’s.”
“Marvin and Kyra are at the hospital with Tasha, they got in last night.”
“That’s love. I need to holla at Marv.”
“You’ve got company over here,” she said with excitement.
“Who?”
“You’re fam from Puerto Rico.”
“What family?”
“Who gave us the gold bars.”
Shit. “Oh … that … family.”
Carmen was looking at Snake all dreamy-eyed as he rose up to leave. “When are you coming back?” Her tongue was practically hanging out of her mouth.
“I’ll call you later.” He flashed that slick grin at her and pulled out a wad of cash. He peeled off a few bills and put them gently in her hand. “Keep it tight, aiight?”
Carmen giggled. “Fo sho!”
Snake and his crew left the condo that he set Carmen up in and they piled into his uncle Dino’s Escalade. Dino had Bullet chauffeuring them around.
“Man, you hit that yet? She is open, dawg.” Bullet was acting as if he would if Snake didn’t want to.
“Nah. I don’t want her. It’s her sister I’m after. Not that little dumb bitch. She’s just an end piece to this puzzle. Why you want her? I’ll give you a deal on the ho.”
“Where we going?” Bullet ignored Snake’s last comment.
“Just drive, man. That hen dog got me feelin’ nice.”
“You decided if you was gonna put her on the track or not?” Dino asked.
“Nah, I’m still hashing out the details to everything.”
“Man, pull over. Let me and this nigga out,” Uncle Dino ordered.
Bullet pulled over. Everybody got quiet.
“What? Unc? What’s up?”
“Get the fuck out, that’s what’s up.”
“What I do?” sighed a confused Snake as he followed his uncle’s orders.
They both got out of the Escalade and began walking down the strip. Snake was loving Miami and he was ready to call it his home.
“Boy, I’m sick of you scheming on that bitch, Angel. What the fuck done happened to your mind, boy? Here you done put a bitch up in a plush-ass condo, giving her money, and you don’t know if you gonna put her ass on the track? I should fuck you up just on GP. You might as well hit the track yo’ damn self.”
“Unc, it ain’t even like that.”
“Fuck it ain’t! I swear that beat-down you got fucked your head up real bad.”
“Naw, Unc, she got me fucked up! No matter how long I was gone, she was supposed to wait. I don’t care if I was gone for forty years, she wasn’t supposed to get with the next nigga. And get pregnant and shit?”
“Well, she did, nigga, and that should tell you sumthin. And on top of that you didn’t even have that ho out on the track!”
“Hold up, Unc … hold up. You married with a wife and Aunt Jill never hit the track. Why can’t I marry and get a wife?”
“Fool!” His uncle pushed him. “You marry somebody that wants to marry you back. She obviously has moved on, Keenan. And I’m getting sick of you focusing on nothing but this bitch. Now you went as far as hooking up with her sister?” He gritted his teeth. “What the fuck is the matter with you?”
“Unc, you know how I left, man. We were engaged. I had to dip. Now I’m back and I just wanted to see what’s up. I haven’t had the chance to talk to her in private. That’s all I need. I know she still love me. She thought I was dead, remember? Why can’t I just talk to her? What’s the big fuckin’ deal?”
Dino used his thumbs to massage his temples, thinking that this was a dumb muthafucka. And that he was right, that beat-down fucked his head up. The nigga was now insane, stuck on stupid. As they strolled down the strip, Snake was enjoying the warm Miami weather, the palm trees, the night sky, and the sounds of the city. Dino was quiet and thinking. Thinking about how could he help his nephew stop himself from self-destructing.
After a good ten minutes of silence, Dino said, “Look, nephew. I want you to listen to me. And I’m only gonna say it once. See if she’ll talk to you one on one. Don’t force her. If she gives you that, fine. Then ask her, what’s up? If she wit it, cool. But if she ain’t, I want you to back the fuck off. That’s an order. This shit is crazy. I don’t see any good coming out of this. Do you understand me? There’s a whole sea of bitches out here. You embarrassing the fuck outta your whole damn family. I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath for real. I see now that I’m going to have to fuck you up my damn self.”
The Escalade rolled up on them. “Yo, Dino, your phone, man.”
“Do you hear what I’m saying?”
“I hear you, Unc.”
Dino went over to his ride and grabbed his cell. “Yeah? He right here. Why the hell you calling him on my phone?” Dino barked. “Here. It’s your uncle Steve.”
“Steve?” Snake asked, surprised. Dino shoved the phone at him and headed back to his ride. “Uncle Steve, what’s up?”
“Boy, you got big people looking for you.” Steve was the oldest of all his father’s brothers.
“Big people like who? The only big people I know are the I, the R, and the S. And let�
��s not forget the F-E-D-S. So what’s up, Unc?”
“You ain’t never had no job, so how would you know about the I, the R, and the S? And the feds, you down there doing sumthin you ain’t got no business doing?”
“Naw, Unc. I’m chilling. Just trying to get right again, that’s all.” He was hoping that his uncle Steve didn’t know about him moving dope.
“How many hoes you got?”
“Three right now.”
“Three? Aww, nigga, you are doing bad. You need to call this nigga back, right away, shit. He got money. Big money.”
“Who, Uncle Steve?” Snake was getting agitated at both of his uncles for trying to tell him how to do shit.
“Phillip Johnson.”
“Phillip Johnson?”
“Yeah, little P.J. and Dougie Johnson.”
“Aww, hell no! What that nigga callin’ me for? I know he need sumthin!” Snake laughed but was skeptical at the same time.
“I don’t know, boy, but with three hoes, maybe you can get a job. Get one for you and your stable of three,” his uncle cracked.
“I’ma make you eat those words, Unc.”
“Well, I hope so. Here, boy, now write this number down so you can call little P.J., the big music man,” he said proudly. “Even though I know it’s just a front. That boy can’t fool me.”
“Unc, everybody ain’t illegal.”
“Yeah. Uh-huh. Come on, boy, get a pencil. You runnin’ up my damn bill.”
Chapter 14
Almost three months later, Tasha could drain the blood from the tube in Trae’s chest with her eyes closed. After the task was done she cleaned up the mess and was back by his side.
It was just after eight and all visitors were gone, the twins, Marvin, Kyra, Jaz, and Faheem. It was a very busy day. Even her cousin Stephon flew in from Cali.
She leaned in and planted long and tender kisses on Trae’s cheeks, the corner of his lip and forehead. She took his hand and held it against her stomach. Looking down at him, she said, “Trae, I am having a very, very hard time controlling my emotions today.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek again and rested her head on his shoulder. She moved his hand all over her stomach. “We need you, baby. I need you. I miss you so much. I miss talking to you. I miss hearing your voice. I miss your touch. Baby, I need you to come back to me now.” Her eyes were swelling up with tears.
“Seeing everybody today, especially Marvin and Kyra, tore me up. They remind me too much of our home, us living as a family, waking up in each other’s arms, taking care of our children together, and sitting together at the dinner table as a family. Baby, I miss that. I’m ready to take you home. Then the twins today kept wanting to climb on top of you and was bringing you their toys, wanting you to play with them. They miss you so much. This is the first time they were this persistent about wanting your attention. They wore me out. I am so grateful for your parents, I swear, I wouldn’t be able to do this without them. I know they are fine with them, but, baby … we need to go home.” She was crying uncontrollably. “I’m … I’m sorry, baby.” She sniveled.
“I’m just so tired. I want to go home. And I swear, if I have another emotional and busy day like today, I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. Lord knows what I’m doing to our baby. The reason why it hasn’t happened yet is because of the baby, our son. That’s right. It’s another boy. You got your wish. I had the ultrasound yesterday. I already found a name. Caliph. It means leader, ruler. I wanted to wait and surprise you, but I’m hoping that this news will make you come back to us. I don’t want nothing to happen to our son. And the twins? You gotta see them, they are getting so big and bad. Your mother said that they are going to be bossy just like you. She said that they are already trying to tell her what to do. She also slipped in that I’m going to want to have a girl because there is going to be entirely too much testosterone in the house. I swear, you got everybody working with you. I told her I’m done. After this no more. Right, baby?”
She kissed him on the corner of his mouth again. “Remember when I went into labor with the twins? You left home to make a run to the club even though you didn’t want to. But I kept telling you to go handle your business, that I would be all right. It wasn’t time yet. We already had, what, three or four alarms?” She giggled. “You could tell we were new at this. So when I called you, you was like, Tasha, stop playing. I said, ‘Baby, my water broke.’ And you stayed on the phone with me during your entire ride back from the club. You were sweating and everything when you came in. I think you were more nervous than I was. And, oh, when they both came out, you should have seen your face, you were beaming with pride. Remember that, baby?” She kissed his forehead. “Then you made that stupid comment about how your dick wasn’t shootin’ bullets but grenades. That’s how you made two babies at once. The doctor and staff looked at you like you was crazy.
“And when we took them home from the hospital, you couldn’t tell us nothing. The nurses acted like they didn’t want us to leave. But when I got home that was the kicker. You had everyone there: your parents, Jaz, Faheem, Marvin, Kyra, and Angel. Kay got there later on that night. Stephon, you even sent for my sister and brother.” She started crying again. “That was so beautiful, baby. You and our children are my everything. I love you so much.” She hugged him tight, keeping her face nuzzled into his neck. “Hug me back, baby. I need you to hold me, baby. I miss you holding me.” She sobbed quietly. “You know what else I miss? Your smile. How you smile at me with that look in your eyes that says I’m the only woman in the world for you.” She continued for the next few minutes sobbing quietly and wanting him and anticipating him waking up right then, right now, her emotions and hormones going up, coming down. She felt as if she was losing her mind as she started grinning.
“I thought that after the nigga who shot you got what I wanted him to get, I’d be fine. But you know what? I don’t feel any different.” She ran her hands over his chest. “For real, if you were up and about, you would have been on the warpath. And who knows? Instead of lying here, you could be gone from me forever. So don’t be mad at me for doing what I considered the best thing for our family.”
She pressed her lips to his ear and whispered, “I need you, baby. I need you now. Don’t keep making me go through this. I know you hear me, Trae. Your family needs you. Damn you, Trae!” She let out a gut-wrenching scream.
No more than a minute later, the head nurse came busting into the room. Tasha was standing in front of the window looking out and crying. She was hugging herself and mumbling something.
“Mrs. Macklin, are you okay?” The head nurse came over and hugged her.
“No … I’m not … okay,” she heaved.
“Baby, you really need a break. Why don’t you go home for the evening? I swear you’re gonna have a nervous breakdown. You’re pregnant, you’ve been here day and night for three months. That is not good for your physical or mental health, Mrs. Macklin.”
“I know it’s not good. And today I’m really feeling all the pressure. I can’t leave him.” She shook her head no. “I’ll be okay. I just need a few minutes to pull myself together.”
“We’ll take good care of Mr. Macklin for you. Go home and get some rest, you need a break, chile,” the nurse persisted.
“I can’t. I can’t leave him here. I won’t leave him here. What if he wakes up and I’m not here? I’m not leaving my husband here. I’ll be fine. I just miss him, that’s all.”
The nurse sighed as she went and grabbed some tissue off the table. She dabbed at Tasha’s eyes and cheeks. She smiled at her. “He’s lucky to have you, young lady. You are under a lot of stress, especially being pregnant. Since you’re not going to leave, at least promise me you’ll get a good night’s sleep. I’ll make a note for the duty nurse to change his drainage tube.”
“I’ll be okay. My body has grown accustomed to waking up every three hours. I’ll be fine. But if I feel the need I’ll tell them to come do it.”
“You are
a stubborn one, aren’t you?”
“My husband says the same thing, so I guess I am.” She let out a forced chuckle.
“Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow, but I will check on you again before I leave tonight.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Tasha watched the nurse as she left the room. She let down the blinds and went over to his bed. She puffed up her pillow, adjusted the blanket in the chair before getting comfortable in it. She locked her fingers in between his, laid her head on his forearm, and cried herself to sleep.
Kaylin left his mother’s house driving like a bat out of hell across town, ignoring speed limits, stop signs, and police vehicles.
When he pulled into his driveway, Don Carlos and his bodyguard were just leaving.
“Ah, here he is.” Don Carlos came down the steps and greeted Kaylin with a hearty hug. Kaylin’s glance met with Angel, who was standing in the doorway. “We were just leaving. We have another appointment. Come. Take a ride.”
Kaylin looked up at Angel. “Baby, I’ll be back. Do you need anything? Are you all right?”
“Of course she is all right! We wouldn’t let nothing happen to her. Same old Kaylin.” He laughed and looked back at Angel.
The smile she had faded from her face. “I’m okay.” Then she looked at Juan. “Juan, have him back for dinner.”
“Don’t worry, Angel. I will. If I can make it back myself, I would be delighted to taste your cooking.” They watched her close the front door and then they headed for the limo.
Kaylin got seated in the backseat of the limo with Don Carlos and his bodyguard, Jorge. He knew Angel was wondering what was really going on.
“Kaylin,” Juan drawled in his Mexican accent. “You have a beautiful wife, beautiful home, growing business, you’ve done quite well for yourself. We are so proud of you. And Don Alexjandro sends his love. He always talks about you and Trae. How loyal you two are and of course, how rich you made us.” He let out his signature deep, hearty laugh and Jorge joined in.