by T. Styles
“You took advantage of that girl and you had no right to do that shit, man.” He pointed at him. “Nigga, are you crazy? Them girls tied into our money! It ain’t about just busting a nut, it’s about our lifestyle! Here I am worried about Abd and the real threat going down in my own house!”
Ramirez stroked his throbbing jaw. “As much pussy as you get around here and you coming at me about my slide?”
Kevin moved closer. “Let me be clear, I would have never, ever, fucked one of my sister-in-laws. EVER! Not because I don’t find each one of them attractive, because I wouldn’t want them getting all emotional around my money.” He pointed at the floor. “You could’ve had your pick of any woman in the world. Why would you fuck with one of them? How you think Camp would feel about you smashing his wife?”
For the first time since shit went down Ramirez felt guilty. Slightly anyway. “It just happened man. I got bored in here and—”
“Haven’t you learned anything from Cameron, Thick and the rest of them niggas at Emerald City who lost their operation fucking with their bitches? Did their downfall tell you anything? There is nothing more dangerous than a woman scorned. You don’t shit where your money rests, man.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“I want you to stay away from that girl.” He pointed a long finger in his face. “You were wrong and if shit gets out of hand behind this you gonna pay.”
Kevin was about to walk out when Ramirez said, “So you don’t think this is similar to you hitting Believe and them off with some dick in this house?”
“Not even close, nigga. I would put a bullet in each of them bitches heads before I ever let them fuck with my money. I can’t do that with Scarlett and them.” He took a deep breath and wiped his hands down his face. “She’s family…and you better hope your actions didn’t fuck with our money. It was a bad move, one that’s gonna come back and haunt you.” Kevin stormed out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
BAMBI
Standing in the living room, I took a swig as I stood in front of Race and Denim who had Master in her arms. They were sitting on the sofa looking up at me like I was the crazy one. But from what I saw I wasn’t the only person who lost her senses. Lately Denim’s eyes seemed wild as she looked at Scarlett’s boy, almost as if she was obsessed with his presence.
But who was I to point fingers?
My mind was flying as I tried to understand what I saw with Scarlett and Ramirez in the attic. I walked into the room to ask her to let me use her truck since my car was crashed down the street but her door was locked. Using the key we had when Mitch was upstairs I let myself inside only to find Ramirez fucking her from behind on the floor.
“Why does it feel like I’m more angrier than you are, Race?”
“Maybe because you’re drunk.” I stepped toward her ready to hit her in the jaw and she stood up. “I’m sorry about that, Bambi. But you can’t tell me how to feel. It was my husband who cheated not yours. Let me deal with it my way.” When her phone beeped she took it out and sat down.
Lately, whenever I saw her anyway, she seemed more preoccupied with her cell and I wondered if she had someone else in her life. Maybe that was the reason she didn’t seem shocked that her man was fucking our friend. “Couldn’t be my husband.”
“Let it go, Bambi. I think niggas do what niggas gonna do.” Race shrugged. “Let ‘em all fly if you ask me.”
My eyes widened. “Niggas gonna do what niggas do? Fuck is wrong with you?”
She slammed her phone down. “LET ME HANDLE MY MARRIAGE! WHILE YOU FOCUS ON YOURS!”
“Damn, Race, you gonna scare my baby being so loud and ghetto!” Denim yelled. “Calm down with all that noise.”
We both looked at her. “Hold up…you do realize that isn’t your baby,” Race said to her. “He’s your nephew-in-law at best.”
Denim gazed at us and then back at Master. “You know what I mean.” She kissed his forehead. “He’s all mine.”
Race sighed and focused on me. “I want you to let this go, Bambi. This ain’t your war to fight. Besides, what the fuck happened to your face and your car?”
“I told you already,” I said. “I swerved to hit a deer and crashed into the signpost up the block,” I lied. “One of the soldiers came and got me and brought me back. That liquor I got off your dresser seemed extra potent. Now why do you seem so easy going about Scarlett?”
Race’s eyes widened before she looked away from me and pleaded. “Please, let this—”
“Something’s happening,” Kevin said entering the living room. Ramirez and Bradley followed quickly behind him.
“What’s wrong?” I questioned.
“You know what….” He walked up to me, took the bottle of liquor from my hand and flung it across the room. It crashed against the wall and shattered into a million pieces. I was so angry I was trembling. That was my last bottle and now I was gonna have to sneak outside to get some more. And since we are being hunted that was easier said than done.
“Why you do that?” I yelled at him.
“First off where is Sarah and Sarge’s people?” Kevin asked as he scanned the room.
I backed away, flopped on the chair and sighed. “I don’t know where Sarah is but I put Sarge’s family out earlier today.” I took a deep breath. “Now what’s wrong? Why you come in here like you on fire? Throwing my shit on the wall.”
Kevin looked back at his brothers. “Something is going on with our customers. I just got a call that a gun battle broke out somewhere down Baltimore by two rival gangs. The thing is people saying we set it up.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because we told them we were delivering work to the warehouse where it went down. But we never serve two rivals at the same time. It’s dumb.”
“I know, Kevin! So why you coming at me like this is my fault? I’m not that irresponsible to give an order like that. The last instruction I gave was that everyone was to be cut off until this Abd shit blew over.”
“If it wasn’t you then who was it?” Kevin continued.
“You know Scarlett fields the calls.”
He looked at Bradley. “Go get her for me, man.”
Denim stood up. “I’m gonna put the baby in my room and see if I can find my mother to watch him. I’ll be right back.”
I rubbed my throbbing temples because the pressure was mounting. What was happening to my family? And now my business?
A few seconds later Bradley came back with Scarlett who was wearing a grey sweat suit that seemed to drown her curves. Her hair was pulled in a loose red bun that sat on top of her head and she looked smaller, almost child-like for some reason.
Suddenly I felt sorry for her.
Maybe out of guilt, Ramirez couldn’t even look her way.
It’s no secret. I loved Scarlett. Like a sister, which is why her betrayal hurt me the most. I would’ve never saw her doing something like this to anyone of us but it didn’t stop the love I had for her in my heart.
Still, Ramirez was just as responsible and I hated that no one seemed to care.
“Yes,” Scarlett said in a soft voice, leaning on the wall.
“Scarlett, a war is happening and we got word that you fielded calls saying we were delivering work tonight.” Kevin said. “With two rival drug gangs at the same time? Did you do that?”
She rubbed her temples and I realized she didn’t remember. “I…I don’t know why I would have done that. The phone hasn’t even been ringing enough lately for me to make such a statement. I thought that was weird, but figured since we weren’t making drops right now that could’ve been the reason. I mean, are they saying that it was me?”
“Let me see...” Kevin made a quick call and we all waited for the verdict. “Louie, who did Chris say led his people to the warehouse? From our end?” He nodded his head. “Thanks, man, I’ll hit you back in a second.” He dropped the phone back into his pocket. “They saying your name.”
Her eyes widened. “But…th
at’s not like me. I knew the rules.” She scratched her head. “I wouldn’t have—”
“Do you realize the bloodshed tonight in our name? Fourteen niggas died fighting and it’s our fault. We looked like we were setting mothafuckas up and for what?”
“Kevin, I’m so sorry,” Scarlett cried. “Lately my mind has been messed up. Maybe it happened that night Master was in the tub. I’m so—”
“You gotta go, Scarlett,” Kevin said. “This mistake is too big and I don’t want you in here while we sorting things out. I can’t trust you anymore.”
Her jaw hung. “Kevin, please. This the only family I’ve ever known. I can’t go back to—”
“Get the fuck out my crib!” He yelled pointing at the door. “And my nephew stays here.”
Scarlett looked at me, then everyone else. I didn’t know what she was thinking but I could tell she felt gut punched by his words. Suddenly I wanted to defend her even though I was trying to put her out a minute ago myself. But why was it easy for him to throw her out when money was involved but not when she was caught fucking Ramirez?
Typical NIGGA-BROTHER shit.
Sometimes I can’t stand these niggas.
“I’m sorry, for everything I did.” She cried, wiping her tears with her fists. “And Race I know you will never forgive me but I love you and will spend the rest of my life thinking about how I wronged you.”
“Yeah, aight…” Race said rolling her eyes.
Slowly Scarlett moved toward the door and into hell.
When she left Kevin’s phone rang again and he answered. He was silent for a minute before saying, “Don’t say that shit, man!” He said to the caller. “FUCK!”
I stood up and walked over to him. “What, Kevin?”
He dropped the phone into his pocket. “Sarge has been killed. By Abd’s people. I’m sorry, Bambi.”
I dropped to my knees.
I felt too much loss. Sarge was like a father to me even though mine was still alive. They hit our crew hard with that move and we were on the losing end of this war.
Roman stepped into the Kennedy compound with her trusted friend Owen. The hoody she wore covered most of her pretty face with the exception of her green eyes. Bambi, Race, Denim, Kevin, Bradley and Ramirez were standing at the door waiting on her. She was our best killer and when she was on the job we knew something would go down to our advantage.
“What you find out?” I asked, hands stuffed in my fatigue pants.
“There’s a wedding going down this weekend. It looks like everyone will be there, including Abd and his son.” She paused. “I can try to get inside but it may be impossible.”
“It’s obvious you have some plan. What is it?” Kevin continued. “Because I know for a fact security will be steep. Especially after what they took from us. In my opinion he knows we will be out hunting.”
“I got my ways and I’ll leave it at that,” Roman said.
“If it works, we will be indebted to you,” Kevin advised. “We need this dude out of our lives, Roman. He’s causing major destruction.”
“Like I said I don’t know if it will go through. Abd and his men will be there but I can’t think of a better time to stop him then now. All we have to do is execute procedure and I’ll need help from you all too.”
“Then we better get started going over the details,” I said. “Like yesterday.”
RAMIREZ
They walked into the dining room and hatched over the layout on how to bring Abd to his knees. Hours passed and suddenly Ramirez’s phone rang. He looked at his family and down at his cell. “I’m gonna take a piss. Be right back.”
“Nigga, don’t make no announcements. Just hurry the fuck back. We have a lot to go over tonight,” Kevin said.
Race looked at him and smiled sarcastically as he moved toward the bathroom. She drew her own conclusions about who was on the phone but she kept them to herself.
Once inside the bathroom he took a deep breath and answered. “What’s up, Scarlett?” He leaned against the wall and looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Because I’m busy right now. Too much going on in these streets.”
“I need your help, Ramirez. Kevin cutting me off but I don’t have any money to get a place to stay. I don’t have anything.”
Ramirez looked around the bathroom. “Listen, I’m gonna need you not to hit my phone no more.”
“But, Ramirez—”
“We got caught, Scarlett! Now I gotta clean this shit up and make good with my wife. The pussy was decent, no doubt. But not decent enough to throw away what I have with her. You knew this would happen. Remember or motto? Fuck now and deal with the consequences later? Well here are the consequences.”
“Ramirez, please, I just need a few bucks until—”
“Leave me the fuck alone!” he ended the call that left her stranded.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
RACE
I was sitting in the movie room thinking about the plans for tomorrow. I wasn’t sure if what we went over would work because fucking with Abd and his crew was suicidal but we had to make a move. We’d never went against a rival like this before, not even the Russians were as vicious or had as many people working for them that Abd did.
Still, for some reason I was starting to realize the threat within our family was greater than anything Abd could do to us. We were killing ourselves from the inside. And the way we hated each other now we were doing a good job for him.
Scarlett was thrown out like a sack of trash. I was fucking Bradley. Denim was baby crazy. Bambi was drunk and Kevin was doing only God knew what. You could never tell with him but I’m sure the nigga had secrets.
I grabbed the glass of wine sitting next to me and was about to take a sip when Denim walked inside. “Hey, I been looking for you.” She scratched her face. “Do you know what happened to my mother?”
I moved uneasily in the chair. “No…where she go?”’
“She’s not here, Race. I looked all over this house and I couldn’t find her anywhere. Why? You think she mad at me or something?”
I stood up because her standing over top of me made me nervous. Denim had a way of faking dumb only to snap moments later while revealing she already knew the truth. “I’ll be more than happy to help look for her but if you searched the compound and couldn’t find her maybe she left. I mean, she was beefing with the family and things probably got uncomfortable here.”
Denim looked into my eyes as if she was trying to read my mind, forcing me to send my eyes downward. How did she know to come to me? Had Bradley sold me out? I didn't think that was possible because he had done the legwork on that murder. I was only on cleanup but I was unsure.
“Something ain’t right,” she said putting her fingers over her heart. “I feel it in here.”
Aw shit….
My heart thumped in my chest and I moved around uneasily. This was it, I was gonna have to wreck my friend or else she would get the best of me.
Suddenly Denim flopped on the chair and threw her face in her hands. Sobbing uncontrollably she said, “She left because I didn’t want her to stay. She kept begging to spend some time with me and I didn’t want to be bothered, Race. I didn’t want to be with her. She was an itch on my life and she wouldn’t go away.”
Relief overtook my body because at least she wasn’t blaming me. But I didn’t want her sitting with the pain of her mother’s disappearance either. “How you figure it’s your fault, Denim? You gave her a place to stay. Even going against the family to make it happen because that’s how much you love her.”
“But she knew I didn’t want her here. She knew everybody else felt the same way too so she bounced.”
I sat next to her and rubbed her back. “Why do you continue to take responsibility for the actions of grown people? If she did leave she wanted to go and that’s her choice. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
“It’s not just her, it’s everything. Bradley not fucking me the way he used to. It’s like he�
�s holding something back from me. Why doesn’t he trust me because I know something happened in prison? Our marriage hasn’t been the same since he came home. All I want is for him to talk to me, to say something.”
I removed my hand off her back and placed them in my lap. Looking at my nails I said, “Well maybe you should let me help with the baby more. To give you some free time.”
She frowned at me. “You? What you know about babies?”
“That’s hurtful, Denim. Just cause I can’t have one don’t mean I don’t know nothing about them.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then make yourself clearer.”
“You’re not the mother type of person, you said it yourself a few days ago. In my room. You’re more into the gore-horror-movie type shit and Bambi is more into the liquor bottle. With his mother gone who’s better suited to take care of that boy than me?”
What bothered me the most was that she was telling the truth. Still, she was no more the kid’s mother than Bambi or I and if she wanted her marriage something had to give.
“All I’m saying is that you have to sacrifice bonding with the baby if you want to re-build with Bradley. He loves you, Denim. But you gotta meet him halfway. Me and Bambi ain’t the best mothers in the world but we still women and can help with our nephew.”
“You’re right…but I don’t know how to let that baby go. When I look at Master it’s like I’m looking into Jasmine’s eyes again.”
“But he’s not Jasmine and those aren’t her eyes.”
She frowned. “You don’t think I know that? You don’t think I realize he isn’t my little girl? It still don’t make me love him less.”
I sighed and decided to kick it raw. “Fuck all this crazy shit…at the end of the day it’s the baby or Bradley. You gonna have to make a decision on what you want to do. Do you want him or not, Denim? It may seem like hard work but it’s really that simple.”