by Shan
“You don’t love me no more, Tangie?” I asked, as I looked up at her. I pulled a few strands of my hair from my face and stared at her, as I waited for her to answer.
“Why your damn hair ain’t braided?”
“Cause you ain’t braided it yet. What’s up? You don’t love your man no more?”
“My man, huh?” Tangie chuckled, nervously, and shook her head as if she was shaking away tears. I hated to see her like that man. There was pain in her eyes; she was unable to talk to me without crying and couldn’t even look at me too long without being reminded of everything I’d done to her. Shit was real fucked up, and I was the reason for it all.
“I wanna be your man again. I don’t like to see you like this. I feel real fucked about the way I did you, Ma’.”
“Have you seen your child since you been home?” Tangie asked, and I diverted my attention towards the window abreast to the fact that a couple of foreign looking muthafuckas was leaning up against my ride. I sucked my teeth and looked back at Tangie. Her eyes were heated, and she was on the verge of tears. Fuck, I thought, knowing that all this shit was about to throw salt in the game.
Tangie hated my lifestyle. She had always begged me to get out the game and to live a normal lifestyle, but this shit here; this street life was who I was. It was all I knew. These streets was what fed the kid kid when shit got too rough and tough on moms and grand moms. Plus, I had a debt to pay off. My brothers had worked four strong years without me being able to do shit, and I came home and was able to bounce back like I had never left.
A muthafuckin car, crib, clothes, money, and whatever else I could’ve needed was waiting on me when I got out. But I wasn’t the type to take handouts, and even though I knew that KaeDee or Khi wouldn’t take anything from me, I was gonna pay them back every penny. Not only that; we still had the youngin’ Emon to hold shit down for. I wasn’t even going to mention Dae, because I was hopeful about that situation, and then… there was this kid that Tangie was talking about.
“You the first person I came to see when I got out babe,” I told her and slid my iPhone across the table to her. “Do me a favor and send Khi a text.”
“Why can’t you send him a text?” Tangie asked, and I sighed, as I watched one of the niggas kneeling beside my rims. I sucked my teeth and then gritted.
“I don’t know how to work that shit. The last phone I had was like a Nokia or some shit. You know how a nigga is about them phones,” I told her, and she nodded as if she remembered my paranoia I had when it came to cell phones. I seen too many cats go down because twelve was on the line, so I only used them shits at a minimum.
“What you want me to tell him?” Tangie asked, and I pulled my pistol and sat it on the table. She jumped back, and I shook my head to let her know to be cool. I didn’t want to alert them. I just needed Tangie to be easy, send that text, and not to get us shot up in this bitch with all them sudden ass movements. “Are you fuckin’ serious right now?”
“Just tell him come to the IHOP now, and that these niggas squad up outside this bitch,” I said and sat back in my seat. I could see Tangie’s eyes dance around nervously before she looked out to see what had caught my attention.
“Oh, my God, are you serious right now, Cass?” Tangie asked, as her hands trembled.
“Just send the fuckin’ text,” I said, a little more aggressively than I wanted to.
“See this is why I didn’t want to go anywhere with you. You haven’t even been home long enough to be getting into some shit. Damn, Cass…”
“Chmmp,” I said and sucked my teeth. I grabbed the iPhone from Tangie’s hand and looked at the screen. Khi was in the process of replying back.
“So what are you going to do? You just did four years, so you gonna back to the same shit that got you locked up?”
“I don’t need you preaching to a nigga right now,” I sighed, while still staring at the screen for Khi’s response. Finally, it came through, and I nodded
Khi: Give me 10.
I sat the phone on the table, grabbed the tool, and sat it in my lap. Looking at Tangie, I shook my head noticing how red her eyes were turning. She was trying to keep herself from crying, and I knew a nigga was gonna have to work harder than ever now to get back in. By her being here, I knew that I had broken down a little bit of that wall she had up trying to keep me out, but these muthafuckas had caused that shit to go right back up. I sat back in my seat, snatched up the coke that the waitress had sat on the table, and took a sip.
“You gon’ be cool. If they wanted to do something, they would’ve done it by now. Khi said he’ll be in here ten minutes,” I told her, and she nodded nervously.
We sat at the table for a few more moments before I heard tires screeching on the outside. Soon as I realized it was Khi, I held my hand out for Tangie to wait behind while I hopped up to go outside. It was four of them niggas standing around my ride with big ass rifles idling by their sides. One of them looked a little familiar to me. He had dark skin, curly hair, and tattoos all over his body. He was mugging me pretty hard, as I made my way over to where Khi and a few of the goonies were pulling up and hopping out of their rides.
“Allah,” one of them called out as they brought the rifle up and pointed. I had turned around just in time for my heart to fall into my stomach. Tangie was standing right there in the middle of everything after I had told her ass to stay inside.
“Tangie!” I yelled, as the muthafucka with the curly hair raised his pistol in unison with the rest of them. They all began to fire at once, and I panicked when Khi and the goonies started to fire back. The muthafuckin’ parkin’ lot was lit the fuck up, and I had made it to Tangie just in time to toss her to the ground. She screamed, as she scattered across the lot trying to take cover behind one of the cars.
I don’t know why the hell Khi insisted on going up against these niggas with these little ass guns. These were some of the same muthafuckas that fired on us the day I had come home from lock up. They had army guns, and the shit we was tossing back at them was like little ass pellets to cannons. The shit made me mad as fuck, but I popped the trigger and let off a few rounds anyway. Them Arabic muthafuckas backed away after a few moments of us returning the heat back at them. The one with the curly hair stopped in his tracks and just stared at me with a mug on his face. I was ready to let the tool loose on his ass, but something stopped. Something about the way he looked at me sent me down memory lane and caused my heart rate to speed up.
“Leggo!” Khi yelled out, breaking me from my trance. I made my way over to where Tangie was and yoked her up from the ground. She pulled her arm away from me and turned away from me to walk towards Khi.
“Tangie!” I yelled after her, but she snatched the back door to his car open and hopped inside.
I sucked my teeth and looked over my shoulder at that curly-haired nigga as he drove past me. He held his hand out the window and pretended as if he was shooting me. I nodded as I pulled the door open to the Cadillac and climbed inside. I cranked the truck up and peeled out of the parking lot.
I was so muthafuckin’ mad that I wasn’t even thinking straight. I followed behind Khi and Tangie as they headed back into the direction of her shop, which wasn’t that far. Once Khi pulled the car to a stop in front of She is Beauty, I pulled in right behind him and parked.
Tangie pushed the back door to Khi’s ride open and quickly climbed out. I was on her ass before she could even make it inside. She glanced back at me and rolled her eyes, and I grabbed her arm to stop her as she grabbed for the handle of the door.
“Let me go, Cass,” she said, through gritted teeth, but I ignored her.
“Cass,” Khi called over my shoulder, but I waved him off. I took my free hand to pull my wild hair from my face and pulled Tangie towards me. She tried to get out of my grip, as she turned around to face me. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
“I saw him. That was Fariq, Cass. Please do not think I’m about to be with your ass and thi
s nigga is still after you,” Tangie said, and I sucked my teeth and looked over her head. “You still haven’t even told Khi them what you did, huh?”
“Shhh,” I told her and glanced over my shoulder to look back for Khi.
“Fuckin’ shame. Four years later, and you still haven’t even told the truth, and you expect me to believe that you’ve changed though, right. Yea, what the fuck ever. Stay the hell away from me. Tell your brothers the real reason why them Arab muthafuckas is really after y’all. I should’ve known something was up when Cuba told me you all were shot at the very day you came home. Mmmh, mmh, mmh,” Tangie said just under her breath, as she shook her head. She snatched her arm away from me and went inside of her shop.
“Bruh, you good? Let’s be out,” Khi said, and I shook my head and leaned against the brick wall of the building.
“I’m cool. I’ll catch up with you in a few. ‘Preciate you for looking out.”
“No doubt nigga. Get your ass out the area though. I’m going to check on my shawty, but I need to see you later. I’ll text you an address.”
“I hear ya,” was all I said before I pulled a pack of Newports from my pocket. I placed one of the cancer sticks to my mouth and lit the tip just as Khi hopped in his ride and peeled off the scene.
Shit was crazy, and I knew dude had looked little too familiar to me. The only thing that was different about him was the curly hair on his head and the full beard that he wore. Back then, I had been into a lot of shit and things had got so bad that I…
“Hey,” a dark-skinned chick said breaking from my thoughts.
“What's good, Ma?” I asked her and took a pull from the square.
“That's what I'm trying to see. Cass, right?”
“Yea, the one and only,” I told her, as I pulled my hair from my face and looked her over. She was thick in the hips with a badass bowlegged stance. I couldn't even pull my eyes always from between the gap in her legs. Her chocolate skin was smooth and sexy as fuck, and she had her hair laid out like she lived in this damn beauty shop.
“Well, I'm trying to find out what all the hype is about,” she boldly stated. “Oh, and I’m Tameeka by the way.”
“What you know about me? And shit, what you working up in here or something?”
“Yea, I work here. I don't talk, though. Meet me a couple of blocks over in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Is that going to be a problem?”
I swallowed back before I took another pull of the cigarette and then blew out the smoke. This was what the fuck I was talking about. This bird knew that I was with Tangie… or least, that I was trying to get with her. Shit, they worked together, and this ratchet ain't have a care in the muthafuckin world about it. Hoes like that was not to be respected or trusted on any level. Not gonna lie, though, the temptation was heavy, and Tangie was on some bullshit.
“I'll be over there,” I told her as I threw the square to the ground and walked off to the Caddi.
Chapter 10
Cuba
My eyes shot open, and I stretched out and yawned when I felt a cold breeze hit my back. I felt around the bed and noticed that the kids were no longer lying next to me. My heart rate sped up, and I shot up in bed and began to panic. When I turned around, Khi stood next to the bed with a vase of white lilies in his hand. He had a blunt hanging from the tip of his lips and was looking pretty fucked up. I shook my head and smiled at him before I crashed back into the pillows behind me.
“You just gonna sleep all day long. You ain’t answering the phone or nothing,” Khi said, and I grabbed my cell phone from underneath my pillow. I glanced at the screen to notice that it was pass one in the afternoon and that I had several missed calls and texts from both Khi and Rue. I pushed the phone to the side and shook my head.
“I didn’t even realize what time it was. Where are the kids?” I asked and yawned again. I felt like I could sleep the day away. Shit, I was only in the beginning stages of my pregnancy but was already so ready to get this shit over with. I could only imagine, if I was having such a hard time now, what it would be like a few months for now. I shuddered at the thought, as Khi climbed in bed behind me, pressing his hard dick against my ass.
“Tangie took the kids out to the park. She’s gonna take them to my mom’s when they’re done. What’s wrong bae? You good?” he asked, as he kissed on my ear.
“Yea, I’m okay. Just tired is all.”
“Oh, yea. Well, get your ass up and shower and get dressed. I know if I lay here with you much longer, I’mma end up sliding into some shit I don’t wanna come out of.”
I giggled as Khi’s hand slid down my shorts, and he began to play with clit. I moaned and closed my eyes tightly, as his tongue went inside of my ear. This was the reason I was in the predicament that I was in now. Ever since the first time, it seemed that every minute we were alone was spent sucking and fucking on each other. Not that I didn’t enjoy the passionate moments we shared, because that shit was so fie, but I didn’t enjoy knowing that I was just going to be baby mama three.
“Look what you done started,” Khi said, as he grabbed my hand and placed it on his erect dick. He quickly scooped me up from the bed and pulled me on top of him. Peeling my shirt away from my body, Khi tossed it to the floor next to the bed and leaned forward to pull my right nipple into his mouth. I moaned and squirmed, as he reached down and pulled my panties to the side. “Get that shit, Ma. Fuck.”
“Mmmh,” I moaned, as I slid down onto his erection. Khi took a pull from the blunt before sitting it to the side on the nightstand. He gripped his hands around my waist and held me in place when I tried to move up and down on him.
“You been giving my shit to somebody else?” Khi asked, and I looked down at him and frowned.
“What? Why the fuck would you ask me that?” I said and tried to climb off of him, but he held me in place.
“You feel different, and your pussy is wet as fuck. I barely touched your ass, and you dripping all over my dick. That nigga Rue been over here? What the fuck is up?”
“Chmmp. Let me go, Khi.”
“I asked you a question, so answer me.”
“I don’t have to answer you. You sound real fuckin’ stupid right now.”
“Do I? Shit, last time we talked, you was on all that slick talk telling me to leave you alone and shit. Then, I give you a little space while I’m out handling my business, and I try calling your ass and you not picking up. Now, I get up in here and your pussy just soaked for no muthafuckin’ reason.”
I sighed and shook my head before I began to dig my fingernails into Khi’s hands in an attempt for him to let me go. He only held on tighter and mugged me at the same time. I couldn’t believe that nigga had the audacity to come up in here throwing accusations. I had been sitting at Tangie’s for days with the kids and refusing to leave for anything. Every day I peeked out the muthafuckin’ blinds, I either saw Rue’s car sittin’ in the lot or him leaving out the lot. Khi hadn’t said shit to me since the night we argued through text so truthfully, it had been fuck him. I had been sitting up here taking care of his daughter and not asking him or her hoe ass mama for shit, and that nigga wanna fuckin’ accuse me of some shit. Hell yea, Rue had been here; he’d also been blowing up my line. I had planned to let Khi know that too, but fuck it. He was starting to make me feel like he was guilty of something, and all I could think was that he and Briana were up to some shit behind my back.
“Let me the fuck go!” I yelled, getting angry just thinking about the shit. I swear, if I found out that this nigga fucked that junkie ass hoe, I was fucking something up. This is why I wanted to stay the hell away from the both of their asses’ anyway, because I knew that it would be impossible for me to keep my hands to myself. Briana wanted me out the picture so that she could have her baby daddy to herself, and I knew she would pull out all stops to get him.
“What the fuck I tell you about your attitude?” Khi said. He roughly grabbed me and threw me onto my back with his dick still inside of me. He pi
nned my hands down to the bed and looked down at me. I rolled my eyes at him before I turned my head and looked towards the wall. Khi assaulted me with his tongue, and I squirmed underneath his touch.
“Get the hell off of me since I feel so different to you,” I told him, and he forced my head into his direction. He covered my lips with his and forced his tongue into my mouth.
“You do feel different. Let me find out,” was all Khi said before he climbed off of me and headed to the bathroom. I sucked my teeth and grabbed my phone from underneath my pillow. I wished Tangie had said something to me before taking the kids out of here, because now, I was worried like crazy. Rue had been nonstop with his messages and calls, and I knew that if he saw BJ, he wouldn’t hesitate to snatch him up. I went to send her a message to let her know to keep her eyes open for that nigga.
Me: Be careful with my babies. That nigga Rue got some screws missing and tripping.
Send.
Tangie: They good cus. Just dropped them off at their granny’s. Headed to work now. Be safe out here! It’s been crazy.
Me: Ok, I will. You too. Love you.
Send.
Tangie: Love you too boo.
“What did my mama say to you about BJ?” I asked Khi the moment he walked out of the bathroom.
“What you mean what she say?”
“Like, she just let you take him?”
“What you mean did she let me take him? She didn’t have a choice but to let me take him. It’s not her child nor is he Rue’s fuckin’ child. I don’t give a fuck how I feel about Dae right now. That’s his seed, and I’m gonna look after him. He’s gonna be raised with his family where he belongs.”
“Okay, but I’m asking you if she said it was okay. You didn’t just take him out of her house, did you?”
“And if I did, what the fuck they gonna do about it? Has Rue contacted you or something?”
“Yea, he told me that you kidnapped BJ. He’s been…”