Playing stupid I gave a weak number. “About ten thousand? It can’t be much more than that. I mean, after all, these crack fiends live in the projects.”
“That may be true, but we work all over the city and out of the city. Shit, crews can bring in anywhere from one hundred to two hundred thousand a week.”
“Damn, Phil, that’s dangerous work. Nobody makes that kind of money without a price.” Then I decided to take the conversation to common ground to ask specific questions to get specific answers.
“Do you ever have to be responsible or do you have like leaders and shit?” Without hesitation, Phil started singing like a bird. Not sure anymore if it’s the liquor or just a case of the big mouth, I gave him my undivided attention without being obvious because I didn’t need to miss a word of his tell-all.
“Squeeze and Luscious them niggas run this shit. They got this operation on lock. They’re some smart-ass niggas; they keep everything running smoothly. The rest of us niggas is the block. We push the dope and report to them. Luscious collects the ducketts from the crew and delivers it to Squeeze.”
“What if someone is short in dope or money when Luscious come out to collect? ’Cause he look like he don’t play. I wonder all the time if he the reason for them dead bodies in the Brewster.” I gave a fake laugh suggesting that I’m joking and took a sip from my drink.
“That shit don’t happen, Ma. Luscious meets with Squeeze every Wednesday. This happens to be the same day he collects from the crew. So if someone don’t have they money or dope, that nigga dead before Luscious even gets to Squeeze. If Luscious is short when he gets to Squeeze, he got some explaining to do. You feel me? Dead.” Phil’s eyes hardened on that last part, but they immediately softened, and without warning, he reached out and grabbed my right hand. “Mya, you got a beautiful smile.” He immediately realized that I wasn’t comfortable so he let go of my hand. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to grab your hand,” he apologized.
“It’s cool. Thanks for the compliment,” I said while fighting the urge to get up, spit in his face, then slam his head on the table up and down until I see red. But out of nowhere he is saved by the fucking bell. I heard a voice that I recognized as Rochelle calling my name.
“Mya!” Rochelle yelled again, this time catching my full attention.
“What?” I turned around facing her. “Why are you yellin’?” I pretended like I’m annoyed.
“What the hell is taking you so long? You said you would meet me in VIP in a minute, but according to my time, it’s been about an hour.” Rochelle continued to fuss a mile a minute before she noticed Phil sitting with me. She then shut up and stared at Phil like he just committed a criminal offense. Then she gave me a puzzled look before turning her attention back to Phil. “Hey, Phil.”
“Yo, what’s up, Rochelle?” Phil replied while looking at me with a smirk on his face.
“Well, um. I hate to interrupt, but, Mya, you have some people waiting to meet you in VIP.”
“Oh yeah, I was about to come up,” I said, feeling relief. I had planned how I would pry info from Phil, but I didn’t plan how I would get away once I had enough info. Rochelle had saved me. I had to thank her later. I couldn’t help but think that Phil was a sucka-ass nigga.
“Phil, it was nice talking to you, but I have to go party with my girls. You know how it is.”
“No doubt. I guess I can go blaze with my crew. See you around.” Phil grabbed his drink and bounced.
As soon as he walked away Rochelle started with the million questions. “Mya, what are you doing sitting here with Phil? Was he trying to hook up with you? I know you ain’t feelin’ him, ’cause you know he a part of the Boone Squad. And you hate them, remember?” Rochelle reminded me.
“Rochelle, calm down. I was only talking to him about school. Plus, he was buying me free drinks. Now let’s go to VIP and drink some more for free. The night is still young, and this DJ off the chain. I see what you were talking about. I already been shaking my butt on the dance floor,” I said as I followed her to VIP.
When we entered the VIP section I was blinded by bling. There was so much bling at first I couldn’t see anyone. When the bling finally cleared, I saw faces that I knew from this crew called the Height Squad. They were this other rival crew that sold dope in the Brewster and all over the Michigan area. This was the same crew that Charlene’s new man Pig ran with. As Rochelle started to introduce me to everyone I realized that I knew most of them. There was Li’l Lo, Pablo, Rob, and, of course, Pig. Then she introduced me to the one way in the back that I couldn’t see from the door where I was standing. Hood. Hood happened to be the guy that was staring at me earlier while he was at the bar. When Rochelle introduced Hood he never looked up. He was texting on his phone. The sight of him made me feel a little nervous and speechless. I was never speechless, especially over some guy, some thug. That simply wasn’t my style. So at that moment I chilled. Hood spoke up first.
“Mya, that’s it, right?” he asked without looking up at me.
“You got it,” I replied trying to sound cool while feeling like all eyes in the room were on me.
“We have an open bar in here so help yourself. If you don’t see anything you want in here the waitress will be back in a minute. You can order whatever you want.”
“Thanks,” I said as I followed Rochelle over to the bar.
“Girl, did you see the way Hood looked at you when you entered the room? He likes you, Mya,” Rochelle babbled.
“No, he don’t. He was not lookin’ at me. He don’t even know me. He was only trying to show off, and you know that don’t impress me,” I reminded her and rolled my eyes.
“Mya, you can say what you want. Hood wants you. These hoes have been breaking this door down trying to get to Hood since we got here. They did the same thing last week, and when they do get in here, he don’t give them the time of day. But when you first stepped in here, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. Trust me, he wants you,” Rochelle beamed.
“First off, when we first stepped in, the nigga was texting.”
“Girl, that was a front because while I was introducing you to everyone, he was checking you out. I’m telling you, he wants you.”
“Well, I don’t want him or any of these other niggas up in here. I got better shit to do with my time.” Rochelle handed me the drink she was mixing for me. Pretending not to give what she said another thought, I took a sip of my drink, threw my head back, and started relaxing to the beat.
Chapter 11
My plan for this morning seemed like it was already off track. I was supposed to get up and catch the bus to go meet my dad’s friend Big Nick at the crack of dawn. I called him last week to see if he could get me some clean guns, and he said he would take care of it. He told me when, where, and what time to show up, which happened to be first thing this morning, but this morning, I woke up late and with a little unwanted anxiety. Not that I was chickening out or anything, but just the reality of this robbery actually taking place slowed my pace a little bit, I think.
But squash all that. I got up and got moving. I had missed the bus that I planned on catching, which meant I had to pay a cab about fifty bucks to take me across town. I didn’t want to pay that money, but forget it. Yesterday I did six heads so I’m straight. Plus, I hit the supermarket on Friday, so we are good on food, but still, I could’ve used that money on something else, but I couldn’t be late to meet Big Nick. If I’m late he ain’t gon’ even deal with me. My dad used to always say, “Big Nick is a timey nigga.” That means be on time or forget it.
When the cab finally pulled up to the penthouse that Big Nick lived in, I couldn’t do anything but stare up at the huge building for a minute. It was really nice. This is definitely some shit I haven’t seen in a long time. Before my dad went into prison, we would ride out of the hood all the time to go shopping and to eat at expensive restaurants, but that’s been a whole lifetime ago, so standing in front of the Pavilion Penthouse, a huge high-r
ise building on the north side of Detroit, left me impressed. This building looked like something only well-off people lived in for sure. It had those huge Italian windows and a doorman in uniform standing outside waiting to let me in.
After gathering my composure I spoke to the doorman who greeted me. He then directed me to the customer service desk where they would let Big Nick know I was in the lobby. There was security, so unless you were a resident, there was no way you were just going to get on the elevator to go up, and from what Big Nick told me, he lived on the twelfth floor, so the elevator was a must. When I got to the front desk Big Nick had already given them preapproval of my arrival. I handed the password that he gave me to the front-desk attendant, and she quickly alerted him that I had arrived.
At that moment another attendant came over and directed me to the elevator where he took me up to the twelfth floor. When we reached it, he walked me all the way to Big Nick’s apartment where he rang the doorbell. Finally the door swung open, and I was standing face-to-face with Big Nick. I hadn’t seen him since my dad went up to prison, but he still looked the same. Big Nick was about 6 feet 7, weighed at least 250 pounds, and had a look on his face that said, “Don’t fuck with me.” Somewhere along that line he encountered the name Big Nick.
“Baby girl,” he said, as soon as the door swung open. “Come on in here and give me a hug.”
Hugging Big Nick made me feel like I had my daddy back, because my dad and Big Nick were the same height. They probably weighed about the same except my dad was light-skinned and Big Nick had a milk chocolate skin tone. Needless to say, they both were very handsome men.
“Hi, Nick,” I said in a casual tone.
“It’s been way too long. I really miss you kids.”
“Likewise.” I tried to sound really grown up. “I was glad to find out that your number was still the same,” I said to keep the conversation going.
“Well, I’m just glad you called. Ain’t nothing been right since your dad went to jail. I just want you to know I never forgot about your mom, Monica, Li’l Bo, or you. The police was trying to hassle everyone who associated with your dad. I mean, your dad’s occupation and mine was totally different, but the feds didn’t give a fuck. They just wanted to get everybody who was associated with him in any way. So I just stayed away. I go up all the time to see him though. He told me about your mom. That situation is killing him while he’s inside. Anyway, I was glad when you called, but I was a little concerned about you needing guns. You OK?” His forehead had a slight frown.
“Yea . . . Yeah,” I said having to clear my voice. Big Nick talking about my family was making me get emotional. “Just need some protection. You know how it is over in the Brewster. That neighborhood ain’t changing, and I want to feel protected. Tha . . . That’s all.” I had to clear my throat again.
Big Nick gave me a long look like he was trying to see inside me for a minute. “Follow me,” he finally instructed me. I followed him as he led me to the back of his luxurious penthouse. He led me to this room complete with a fully stocked bar and a pool table. It also had two big-screen TVs on opposite walls. On the pool table lay two guns that shined so brightly I could literally see them sparkle.
Picking up the gun and running his hand across the rim I saw a light inside Big Nick that only a killer gets when he puts a gun in his hand.
“This here is a Ruger GP100 complete with a silencer. With you being a young lady this is all you need for regal protection. You think you can handle this gun?”
I picked up the other Ruger from the table to feel the weight of it. “This is some real heat,” I said with an unbelievable look in my eyes. A true feeling of excitement raced straight to my heart holding the gun in my hand. I was so focused on the gun that I didn’t even hear Big Nick when he asked me the question.
“Damn right it’s real. Now again, can you handle this gun or do you need something smaller?”
“No. I can handle this,” I said matter-of-factly.
“I thought you could, but I had to ask. I’m giving you both of these because you said on the phone you need two. I didn’t load them, but I will show you how. All you have to do is pop this up and the chamber will open. You take these bullets and load it.” He opened up a box with bullets and inserted them in the chamber of the gun. “Pop this clip and it will close back up. I want you to keep it on safety at all times, loaded or not, OK? Both guns are clean, so if you get caught with them, all you have to say is that you found them. That’s it.”
“Got ya. You don’t even have to worry about that. Lester didn’t raise no damn snitches,” I reminded him. “Thank you so much Big Nick. But I have one more favor to ask you.”
“What’s that, baby girl?” he asked with sincerity in his voice.
“My dad can’t know about this. Could you please not tell him?” I begged.
“Mya, I don’t know if I should keep this from him. I just gave his baby girl two Rugers. How can I not mention it? He’ll be pissed,” he tried to explain.
“I know I am asking a lot, but this will only worry him if he knows I have guns. He’ll be worried that Li’l Bo is going get them and do some stupid shit. On my last visit I told him about how Li’l Bo is ready to get in the streets and hustle. So if he knows I have these guns he’ll worry about Li’l Bo. Please, Nick, just don’t tell him,” I continued to beg. I let my thick eyelashes flutter up and down. It used to make my dad give in. Maybe it would have some effect on Big Nick.
“All right, I won’t tell him, but if your mom catches you with these guns you can’t tell her you got them from me. Because if you do, the first thing she will do is tell your dad.”
“I promise,” I said before giving Big Nick a hug. “Thanks, Big Nick. I have to get going before my mom starts worrying. She didn’t see me this morning before I left. Lately she turns into a real bitch if I make her mad, so I don’t feel like pissing her off today,” I said while bending down putting one of the guns in a clip on my right ankle. I had brought it along with me. I put the other gun in my waist.
“Wow,” Big Nick said with a shocked look on his face as he watched me suit up with my Rugers. “You came prepared, huh? I was going to give you this gun case.” He pointed to a black case on the pool table next to where the guns had been resting.
“I can’t take that on the bus. It would bring too much attention, especially to those who can’t wait to rob and take advantage of a young girl alone on a bus.”
“You’re a thinker just like your dad.” Big Nick smiled. “Go on and get back before your mom misses you. Call me if you need me.”
I headed out the door back toward the elevator where the attendant was waiting to take me down to the main floor. I couldn’t help but think, Damn, it must be nice to live like this.
Chapter 12
“Hertz rent a car,” the lady at the sales counter answered the phone with a snide attitude. “Hold for just for a moment. I’ll transfer you to my supervisor.”
“May I help you?” she said, giving me a look like I was wasting her time as she hung up the phone.
“Yes.” I stepped up to the counter. “I’m here to rent a car.”
“Do you have a reservation?”
“No.”
“Without a reservation I have to check to see if we have anything available.” She started typing on the computer in front of her. “Yes, looks like we have a Ford Taurus available. How long will you need the vehicle?”
“Just till tomorrow,” I replied quickly.
“OK. Well, I will need your driver’s license and a credit card to set this rental up.” She kind of stared me up and down like she was trying to figure me out.
Credit card. I started to get nervous. I had a fake driver’s license that Rochelle had made for me to get in the club, but a credit card I didn’t have nor could I get legally. Thankfully I had called first to find out what all I needed so I gave her this information because this ghetto tramp had a look on her face like she was losing patience.
“Well, do you have a money order?” she asked with attitude.
Now I was about to lose my patience ’cause if this bitch catches one more attitude with me I’m gon’ snatch her from behind that counter. With all the strength I could gather without cursing her out I gently laid the money order and my ID on the counter. While investigating my ID she started smacking on some gum she clearly had hidden in her mouth.
“This you?” she asked me while giving me a once-over glance. “Because this ID says you twenty-four, but you look like you sixteen.”
“Look, do they pay you for thinkin’ or rentin’ cars? If the ID says I’m twenty-four, then, bitch, I am twenty-four.” I went Brewster projects on her before I could control myself. “Now, are you going to rent me a car or what? Because I don’t have all day for this.” I was starting to get pissed.
Her Sweetest Revenge (Delphine Publications Presents) Page 5