“Carnell… I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, but this is something you should know.”
“I’m alright with this,” he responded.
Ms. Sanco sighed, “I still feel guilty about not raising my child like a real mother should do. Sometimes I wonder…,” she drifted away in her thoughts again. “Anyway let me stop boring you. You know this Thursday, I’m having an auction. Most importantly, people will come to bid on the diamonds Steve brought back from Africa. It’s ironic, that’s the only thing he ever gave me and I’m about to give them away. Soon after, I plan to leave the estate. I want to travel Carnell and see the world. This is why I wanted to see you. Your sister in much more important than those diamonds and I want to make sure she’s taken care of when I’m gone.”
*****
“So Craig, you’re telling me you and Ace already made a deal with Mr. Dunlap. Shit… you could’ve put me on. If y’all going to chop the group let me, be the one. I know there is a better cut with three than seven, but let that third person be me. Who put you up on that, your brother?” Tony asked Craig.
“He talked about it.”
“Check this out. Say I find a jeweler that will buy the diamonds. You get five, Ace gets five, and I get three if the jeweler pays thirteen.”
“I don’t care. As long as we are straight.”
“Alright, fuck Dunlap. Come to the club tonight, and I’m going to make it official.”
“I’ll be there,” Craig replied.
Chapter 8
“You brought me something?” Time asked.
“I didn’t know you needed anything,” Monique remarked in a sarcastic way.
“What’s up with you? You’ve been acting real strange lately. You got a nigga I don’t know about?”
“Boy quit trippin’!”
Time stood and walked into the kitchen where Monique headed. He then eased up behind her and caught her in his arms.
“Damn a nigga horny as hell,” he whispered into her ear.
Monique felt his dick erect through his pants. It was stabbing her buttocks. She closed her eyes and tried to think about Skillz, but his and Time’s bodies gave off different scents. Time’s hands grabbed her breasts and he squeezed.
“Quit it… my head hurts.”
“What’s your head got to do with us fucking?”
Monique squirmed out of his arms and walked into the living room.
“We’ll do it later,” she whined and flopped down on the couch. Time set out to try and finish what he started. When he moved to plant a kiss on her lips, she turned away denying him.
“Quit it… I don’t feel like it. I said, we’ll do it later.” Time stood and eyed her suspiciously. “Let me find out you fucking somebody,” he threatened.
“Whatever,” she spat. Time grabbed the keys to his Caprice and walked out the door.
Monique waited until she heard the music off in the distance. She then picked up the phone and called Skillz. After a few rings, he answered. “Yo…”
“Heeey baby…”
“Why you sound like that?” Skillz asked.
“Time wanted to fuck, but I couldn’t. He asked me was there somebody else.”
“What did you say?”
“I wanted to tell him so bad. I felt like throwing up when he put his shit on me. Skillz?”
“Yeah.”
“After you get the diamonds, what are we going to do? It’s not like we can be together in Tennessee. People will start to talk.”
“I don’t give a fuck what people say!”
“Ahhh Skillz… I don’t care either.”
“Can we see each other tonight?”
“I don’t think that will be a good idea. I don’t know where he is and you don’t either.”
“You can come over here and pretend you were looking for him.”
“Then I’ll have to fuck him. Do you want me to do that?”
“Nah… but I want some pussy.”
“You for real?”
“Hell yeah!”
Monique giggled. “You want me to bend over so you can get a quickie?”
“You better stop talking like that.”
Monique laughed, “You know if you hit it like that, my ass will be shaking all over the place. You’d like to see that I bet.”
“Alright now,” Skillz was now laughing. “Nique, hold on a second.” Seconds later, Skillz came back on the line. “Hey your boy outside right now. I’ll call you later.”
“I love you.” Monique stated, but Skillz had already disconnected the line.
“What’s up man, why you looking so down?” Skillz asked Time after he let him in the house.
“I think Nique is fucking around on me dawg.”
“Man get the fuck out of here! You know that girl ain’t rolling like that,” Skillz said reassuringly.
“I’m serious man; you know I can’t even remember the last time we did something.”
“Don’t she got a new job?”
“It ain’t the job. She got a nigga and I’m going to find out who it is.”
“You want something to drink, because you tripping.”
“Yeah bring the whole damn bottle, cause we bout to ride out.”
“I’ll get dressed.” Skillz said reluctantly.
He disappeared down the hall and Time headed to the small kitchen. The bottle was sitting on the counter. Time decided to get a head start while he waited for Skillz.
He opened up a cabinet to grab a glass, and something fell on the floor. He leaned over to pick it up and realized it was a picture. When he turned it over, he was shocked to see Monique smiling back at him.
“Why does he have a picture of my girl,” he asked himself. “I thought they couldn’t stand each other! Not only that, why he got it hidden?” A million thoughts began to whirl through his mind. He’d been suspicious that Nique was fucking around for awhile, that’s why he came to chill and talk with his boy. Never in a million years though did he think that Skillz was who she was messing with. He tried to shake the thought from his mind, but now that it was planted, he couldn’t rid himself of it.
*****
“How was school today?” Nano asked Dice. “It was okay,” he responded. “Your progress report came in the mail today,” Nano told him. Dice looked at his feet. He was nervous about what Nano had to say. He’d been getting in trouble in class lately for talking too much and his teacher had threatened to let him parents know. “Do you want to know what it said?” Nano asked him. Dice chose not to respond. Luckily, Tip entered the kitchen before Nano could hit him with another question.
“It smells good in here,” Tip said. She now wore a pair of grey spandex shorts and a t-shirt with Elmo on it. Her perfect figure was well hidden beneath the large shirt. She used to complain about her ass being too big, but Nano had no problem with it. Her red complexion was makeup free and she was wearing her hair in a comfortable ponytail. The gray eyes were something she’d inherited from her grandmother and they were full of admiration. Dice shared the same eyes as his mother; however, his dark complexion was distinctly of his father.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“I call this here, Nano’s gumbo.”
“What’s in it?”
“Hot stuff!” Dice said looking up.
“What’s with you and all this hot stuff?” Nano asked him.
“Nothing…”
Tip laughed, “The last time you cooked, it was a little too spicy for him, that’s all.” Nano nodded, now understanding. “Well this time, we ain’t going to knock it until we try it.”
Nano walked around the table. He placed one heavy serving on Tip’s plate. He then placed one on Dice plate. After he did this, he went to the refrigerator and grabbed two items. One was a bottle of Cabernet and the other was a pitcher of Kool-Aid. Tip raised a curious eye at him. “What’s the occasion?”
“My family,” he said smiling.
“Why your eyes look like that? Tip realized they were
n’t open to their potential. Nano raised his eyes back at her.
“Me and my P.O. were chilling.”
“What you mean chilling?”
“I’ll talk to you later about that later.”
“You’re talking about Dontae’s dad!” Dice said excited.
“I saw him today,” Tip said. “If you ask me, I think he’s got a problem with his eyes.”
Nano took his seat without comment. After they prayed, Dice was the first to dig in. “Nano…”
“What’s up Dice?” Nano had already expected him to dislike the gumbo.
“I like your gumbo.”
Chapter 9
Craig and Ace entered Club Delight soon to be millionaires. Earlier, Craig had told his little brother about the proposition Tony had offered them. Ace had liked it. Actually, he didn’t care who bought the diamonds, he just wanted to get his cut. Women of every nationality pranced around with little or nothing on inside the club.
“You want a dance?” a voice asked over the music. Craig looked back to see a white girl with unbelievably big breasts. “Maybe later,” he replied.
Craig knew about the club scene and he understood that the women were there to make money. However, he was more interested in talking with Tony. Craig respectfully declined several advances and continued to move through the crowd. When they made it to the bar, the bartender asked what their pleasure was. Craig determined she had to be speaking about drinks since she had on a little more attire than the other females. Craig looked around at the scenery. The atmosphere had definitely changed from the last time Tony had invited him to the club. The women seemed to be moving about more bluntly and aggressively. A very short black female approached Ace. She was probably only 4’11” without her stilettos on.
“You want to have some fun?” she asked him. Ace looked at Craig, who gave him a slight head gesture to enjoy himself. In a moment, Ace had disappeared with the girl.
“I know what his pleasure is, how about you?” Craig turned back to the bar after unintentionally ignoring the bartender. “I’m sorry… how about a Goose and cranberry.”
“Not bad,” she smiled. “I was putting you as a light beer. Usually, I can tell what a person likes.”
“Beer… do I look like that?”
“Yeah. Does your name happen to be Craig?”
“Yeah, that’s my name.”
The bartender smiled, “I thought so. There’s no need to be alarmed. Tony said when you got here; I was to treat you right. Everything is on the house.” Craig looked around the club. “Your drinks are on the house,” she specified. “I don’t know about the women.”
“I only came out for business.”
“Yeah… that’s what they all say. Until they find themselves in the back doing things.”
“Nah… I work too hard for mine.”
“Tony should be here in less than an hour. We’ll see if you can make it that long.” She slid the drink to him and proceeded to walk away.
“Hey I didn’t get your name,” Craig called after her.
“I didn’t give it. Maybe when the hour is up, I might let you know it.”
*****
Hitman left the Sanco estate with his mind racing. What Mrs. Sanco had revealed to him was unbelievable; it was more shocking than the real story behind the diamonds. Mrs. Sanco had a daughter. Hitman had a sister. He was now riding on Trigg and the Riverdale when it started to really dawn on him. Mrs. Sanco had held him to his word that he would not tell anyone, but he had to talk to someone.
*****
Time dropped Skillz off at his apartment and quickly backed out. He had a destination of nowhere in particular. Vivid thoughts about Monique and his main man repeatedly flashed in his mind. It had got so bad he had to pull over. Time stopped on the shoulder and threw the car in park. “It can’t be,” he said out loud. He felt nauseated. He didn’t know if it was the steady rumble from the 400 small block or the alcohol, he had tried to lose himself in. He thought they hated each other. At least that was how it appeared. “Did they play me?” he asked himself. Skillz was at the hospital when their daughter was born. He was the one that always covered for him. How long had this been going on? Time reached under the seat and grabbed the 357. He then banged on the steering wheel with his free hand. “Nah…,” he exclaimed. He closed his eyes and tried to look at it in a different way. Maybe they were planning something for him. Monique’s face suddenly appeared. It was how she held her face when she was in ecstasy. Next, Skillz appeared. Then he saw them in a way he could never have imagined. Skillz was penetrating her from behind.
“Fuck!” Time opened his eyes. He grabbed the bottle of VSOP and looked for his glass. When he couldn’t find it, he turned the bottle up and started to drink. Some of the contents spilled on his shirt, but he was in no mood to care. He was beyond intoxicated with problems he couldn’t fathom. He brought the bottle down and looked at the last of the alcohol. He then tossed it out the window. It shattered upon contact with the pavement. Time snatched the car into drive and stomped on the gas. The last thing he would be was a fool.
*****
When Tony entered the club, he immediately spotted Craig at the bar. He quickly walked over and placed a hand on his back. Craig turned expecting to see another stripper.
“My man Craig. What’s up?”
“What’s up Tony?”
“I’m glad you came.”
Tony looked around the club. “Where’s Ace?”
“He left with some short chick.”
“Real short?” Tony asked indicating with a hand.
“Yeah, bout that short.”
“Oh boy… You might not see him for awhile.”
“He’s already been gone about an hour.”
“Hey Tony,” the voice came from the bar. Tony and Craig looked up simultaneously.
“What’s up sis?”
“That’s your sister?” Craig asked surprised.
“Yeah that’s my little sister. Chell, you met Craig.”
Chell smiled, “Tony, why you tell him?”
“She told me, she was going to tell me her name in an hour if I could stay away from the females,” Craig explained.
“I guess you did that.” Tony looked at Chell. “Will you get his brother; we have something important to talk about.”
“You know Cherry gon’ say you messed up her tip out.”
“Tell her don’t worry about it.”
“Alright…” Chell warned.
Craig looked at Tony who was dressed in a yellow silk shirt with white linen dress pants. His shoes were the color of a parakeet. Craig wondered if there was some special occasion going on he didn’t know about.
Chapter 10
Two days remaining…
“What happened last night?” Monique asked skeptical.
“Nothing. We just rode around and got our drink on. Why you ask?”
“I didn’t hear him come home. I woke up and he was on the couch.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“He never sleeps on the couch. Usually, he’s trying to put his dick in me.”
“Oh he was drunk.”
“So when am I going to see you?”
“We’ll have to see. I think Hitman is calling for us. He’s going to make sure everybody is on schedule.”
“What’s that mean?”
“He’ll make sure everybody knows where they have to be.”
“What will Time do?”
“He’ll probably hold a family member hostage.”
“Why?” she asked clueless.
“To make sure we have something to bargain with.”
“What will you do?”
“I’ll probably be the drop man. I’ll wait until they have the residence on lock. Then I move along.” There was a moment of silence before Monique spoke again. “You know what will be fun?”
“What’s that?”
“When you drop everyone off. Then me and you go somewhere and fuck.”
>
Skillz smiled seeing what Monique was thinking. “What you got in your mind?”
“I don’t know… I always fantasized about doing it where people could see me.”
“Like a park?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she sounded excited.
“You a freak Nique thinking like that. That shit turns you on. Don’t it?”
“A little bit. If somebody could see me.”
“You freaky as hell. I’ll call you before you get off. Make sure boy ain’t around.”
“No… I’ll call you just to be safe. I’m taking my co-worker out for lunch.”
“Alright, we’ll see what happens.” Skillz disconnected the line.
*****
“Hey, Time,” a voice called out. He turned around to see Step. “What’s up?” he asked surprised.
“What you’re now a good boy? You don’t fuck with a girl no more?”
“Come on Step, you know you my girl. So what’s up?”
“What did your boy say?” she asked.
“Who?” Time asked confused.
“Skillz. What he say?”
“I’m not following. Say about what?”
“Nique said she was going to tell you to hook me up.”
“Oh yeah? When was this?”
“When we went shopping. We ran into Skillz we when were at the mall.”
“Hold up a second.” Time reached into his pocket and paid for his gizzard dinner. They were at Pam’s Restaurant. It was on the corner of Helms Street down from the Riverdale. When he received his change, he stepped to the side and waited on Step. “Nah… she didn’t say anything to me,” he told her. Step looked back from the ordering window. “First, let me pay for that,” Time said.
“You going to buy my lunch? What I do right?”
“Nothing!”
Time reached into his pocket. He then handed a twenty dollar bill through the window and walked away uninterested in the change. Step waited, and then she caught up with him.
“You forgot your change!”
“You can keep it.”
“God… why are you being so generous today?” Step stuffed the money into her extremely tight dress pants.
Killer Diamonds Page 5