Shyt List 3 (The Cartel Publications Presents)

by Reign (T. Styles)

  On her first day of living as a woman, Kendal met Bricks at a Redskins game in Landover, but Bricks wasn’t head over heels about her and the very thing that drew him to her, also pushed him away. Bricks thought her feminine features were exaggerated, and that something wasn’t right. Her extra large breasts and rounded hips looked manufactured and fake. Everything was big on Kendal but her waist. After a few dates he decided to cut her off. But when he went to her apartment to pick her up and tell her face to face, she was not there, Bet was instead. Kendal had a feeling Bricks was going to cut her off, and asked her mother to speak with him to beg him to stay. That angered Bricks and over drinks, he told Bet that he wasn’t feeling Kendal. But surprisingly he was feeling Bet and they had sex that night although Bet never told Kendal. Behind Kendal’s back the relationship continued for months. But Kendal never gave up and Bet begged Bricks to keep their relationship a secret.

  After awhile, Kendal’s behavior grew physical and she would hurt herself for attention. With Bet being out of town most times dropping off drug packages for a few customers, she was afraid to leave Kendal alone and asked Bricks to take her in on those weekends. Bricks didn’t mind keeping Chomps but letting Kendal hang out at his place was out of the question. But she persisted saying ultimately she was worried about Chomps safety. Against his judgment, he agreed to let them stay for a while. And the weekends turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months with his bond for Chomps deepening.

  One day Bricks went to the restroom without knocking and saw Kendal pissing standing up straight. He went ballistic and threatened both Bet and Kendal’s lives. For days he was consumed by rage and would go around the house punching at the walls. Had it not been for Chomps, neither Kendal nor Bet would’ve stayed with him after that. And that was exactly two weeks before he ran back into Yvonna.

  “Bet, I feel fucked up about Kendal. But there ain’t shit I can do about that situation right now.”

  Bet’s voice sounded desperate but calm. Almost too calm. And when he heard Chomps’ cries in the background, chills ran through his spine.

  “Bet…what’s up wit’ Chomps?” he asked standing up. Silence. “Bet…what’s up wit’ Chomps? Why he screaming like that?”

  “What…who…is Chomps?” Bet said forgetting she even had her grandson.

  “Fuck you mean who is Chomps?” He bellowed. “He’s your baby! I mean…your grandchild.”

  “Oh…I…don’t know why he’s crying. I…forgot to feed him I guess.”

  “When was the last time you fed him?”

  “Two days ago.”

  “Which hotel are you in?”

  “Holiday Inn,” she said, “In Hyattsville”

  Bricks grabbed the keys. “Give me your room number. I’m on my way.”

  Kendal Doll

  “Where is Yvonna?” Swoopes asked Newbie as she sat naked at the computer station in the living room. He liked to keep her that way, in case he wanted to use her sexually.

  “I don’t know…she has the phone turned off.” She said examining the computer screen. “She hasn’t turned it on again.”

  Through stiff lips he said, “She been keepin’ that shit off a lot lately. I wonder what’s up wit’ that.”

  “I don’t know why,” she responded, her face flushed purple. “What you want me to do?”

  “Fuck!” Swoopes said banging the wall with his fist. “Just keep checkin’! Don’t take your eyes off of that screen.”

  Just when he said that, the smell in the kitchen where Crystal cooked his meal caused his stomach to churn. When she finally came out, she held a plate full of slop in her hands.

  “What the fuck you cookin’?” he asked, his nose turned upward. “This shit stinks!”

  Newbie turned around to look at Crystal and waited on her response, so Crystal took her anger out on her. As far as she was concerned, she was the reason Swoopes treated her so badly. “Fuck you lookin’ at bitch?! I told you don’t put your fuckin’ eyes on me!” Newbie quickly turned around and focused back on the screen.

  “It’s meatloaf and mash potatoes.” She raised the plate a little closer to him. “I know it’s your favorite, and I was trying to make it for you. The way you like.”

  Swoopes looked down at the food and said, “Well it ain’t the way I like it. Give that shit to that bitch in there.” He waved her out of his face. “And when you done, go get me some fried chicken and mumbo sauce from Yums.”

  Crystal took the plate and opened the second room door in the house. Kendal was tied up, and lying on a mattress on the floor.

  “Here…eat,” she said sitting in the bed next to her.

  “Thank you,” Kendal said after Crystal removed her gag. “I appreciate it.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. You got to eat it first,” she said with a partial smile. “From what I’m told it might make you sick.”

  “As hungry as I am, I’ll eat anything,” Kendal said eating the forkfuls Crystal was feeding her, “Do you think he’s going to let me go home?”

  Crystal dopped the fork down and paused. “No, Kendal, I don’t think he will.”

  She cried softly but didn’t make a sound. “I…I knew he wasn’t.”

  “I’m sorry. I really am. But can you tell me something?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why would you turn yourself over to Swoopes? He’s not somebody who keeps promises. You should’ve never believed he would help you get back at your friend just because you turned yourself over to him. It was a bad idea. He’s very dangerous.”

  “I guess I could ask you the same thing. Why do you stay with him?”

  “Because I loved him from the moment I met him on that pen pal prison site. There’s something about him that speaks to me.”

  “Love speaks to you. I loved Bricks from the moment I laid eyes on him too. But he never got me. Ever.”

  “Is he gay?”

  “You know?” Kendal asked with wide eyes.

  “Yes. When I take you to the bathroom, I turn my head, but I still see your thing.”

  Kendal’s face was flushed red. “Does he know?”

  “Swoopes doesn’t know. He doesn’t pay attention to anything but Yvonna.”

  “That makes two of them. Swoopes and Bricks both. I don’t know what is it about that bitch that makes them so obsessive.”

  “If you know how Bricks feels about her, why get into this thing between Swoopes and Yvonna?”

  “I…thought he would come for me. I thought he would feel guilty and I made a big mistake.” She said looking into Crystal’s eyes. “It’s the same sick kind of love you have for Swoopes. Although I know I shouldn’t love him and that he doesn’t want me, I still do,” she paused. “Can you do me a favor? If something happens to me, can you write him a letter for me and tell him how much I love him.”

  “Sure. What about your baby? Don’t you have one?”

  “It’s a long story. My mother had that baby for my wife when I had one and me. But he doesn’t know me anymore than I know him. He’ll be fine with my mother. To tell you the truth, I think Bricks loves my son more than he does me.” When she heard Swoopes playing with Newbie in the other room and her laughing she said, “Why do you allow him to treat you like that? You know…bring another woman into your home?”

  “I can’t control him. You see that.”

  “You have control. More than you know. You just have to show him.”

  “Fuck are ya’ll doin’ in there?” Swoopes asked busting in the door interrupting their conversation.

  Crystal jumped up from the mattress and said, “Nothing. I was just feeding her.” The plate fell off of the side of the bed and hit the floor.

  “Well go look at the Sprint tracker with Newbie. That bitch killed Cane and I want her found…tonight.”

  “Okay…did you want me to feed Kendal first?” she asked hoping to buy her a few more hours to live. She knew he was preparing to murder her soon since it was obvious that Bricks didn’t care and woul
dn’t come for her.

  “No. She’s eaten all she’s gonna need.”

  Crystal looked at Kendal one last time and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

  When she left out of the door, Swoopes sat down on the chair across from the mattress.

  “You’s a bad bitch. Why that nigga not comin’ for you?”

  “I don’t think I’m the one he cares about.”

  Swoopes licked his lips and said, “Why? You was so sure he would when you got in touch with me.”

  “I was wrong.”

  Swoopes stood up, walked over to the bed and dropped his jeans. After all the abuse he experienced as a child, he seemed to love inflicting the same sexual abuse onto others. “Let me tell you what I’m gonna do. I’ma let you take care of me, and if it’s good, I’ma let you leave. Deal?”

  “Swoopes, I think there’s something you should know about me first.”

  “I already know,” he said with a smile.

  She swallowed hard and said, “You know…that I’m a man?” Swoopes stood over Kendal and pushed his dick into her mouth.

  “That feels good. Keep it just like that,” he told her. “I like that shit.”

  She felt humiliated but hoped if she did what he wanted, that maybe he would really let her go. Just when he was getting into it, he heard a loud scream in the living room.

  “What the fuck?” he yelled, pulling his pants up. He ran into the living room ready to go off on both of them thinking they were fighting again.

  “She…stabbed me,” Newbie cried dropping to the floor. The puncture hole in her back was deep and long. Blood oozed out of her flesh.

  “I’m sorry,” Crystal said holding the butcher knife in her hands. “But this is my house.”

  “If this bitch dies on me,” Swoopes told Crystal, “I’ma kill you.”

  “Then I guess you betta call for help! ‘Cause I cut to kill,” she said as a tear fell down her face.

  “The knife wound missed her main arteries, but I think she’ll be okay. Too bad you couldn’t catch the muggers though,” the doctor said to Swoopes in Newbie’s hospital room. “Most strangers would not have stopped. It’s a good thing you did.”

  “Yeah it is fucked up…I mean…it’s messed up.” He said tripping over his words. “But naw, I could never just leave somebody standin’ on the street after somethin’ like that. I had to stop.”

  “And did she get a chance to tell you her name or what happened to her clothes? She can’t seem to remember now.”

  “No, I don’t know her name. Her purse was stolen.”

  “She asked for you. So I’ll leave you two alone,” he smiled placing his hand on his shoulder. “We should have more young men like you in the world.”

  That was the first genuine compliment Swoopes had ever received in his life, yet he didn’t deserve it. When the doctor dipped behind the white curtain separating the other bed in the room, Swoopes sat on the edge of Newbie’s bed and placed his hand on her foot.

  “My bad, youngin’. I ain’t know my peoples was gonna hit you like that.”

  Newbie smiled and said, “It’s okay. Really.”

  “She just trippin’ about our relationship, she won’t pull no shit like that again. I promise you that.”

  “You not gonna leave me are you? Alone?”

  “No.” He said looking down at her with kind eyes. For some reason, he was taking to her and he didn’t know why. “I’ma just take care of some shit later, and I’ll be back to check on you.”

  “Thank you,” she smiled.

  When he dipped behind the curtains and moved for the door, Newbie picked up the phone and dialed a number she kept to memory.

  She waited impatiently for the person to answer. “Yvonna,” she whispered. “I’m the girl who has been calling you. Can we talk?”

  “I can’t talk, but I can listen,” She said. “What do you want?”

  “That phone you’re using is being traced by Sprint’s tracker system. Swoopes knows where you are when you get there.”

  “What? What do you mean? How can he trace my number?”

  “He’s the one who gave you the phone. It’s in his girlfriend Crystal’s name. Get rid of it, or you gonna die. Oh…and tell Bricks to be careful. He’s being set up tonight by Kendal’s mother. That’s all I can tell you.”

  “How do I know you telling the truth?”

  “Cause I ain’t got no reason to lie. I don’t like the person he is and he makes me scared.” She paused crying. Newbie wished she never left home and now it was too late. “I have been trying to protect you by lying to him about where you are, but now I’m in the hospital and Swoopes has his girlfriend tracing you. She’s determined to make him happy so you must be smart. I’m going home and you will never hear from me again. I just wanted to make things right before I left.”

  “Are you the one who was with him when we shot at his car that night?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks for telling me,” Yvonna said. “And I hope you make it out of this shit alive. Swoopes is dangerous.”

  “I’ll be fine. Good luck.”

  When she hung up on Yvonna, she called her father, the preacher. “Dad…I’m sorry for everything I put you through. I got into some things with some people and all I want to do is come home.” Newbie cried. “Can I?”

  Her father yelled so loudly in the phone it almost hurt her ears, “Thank you God! Thank you!” Newbie smiled when she heard the happiness in his voice. “Yes you can, Alexis. Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you.”

  She told him where she was and she prayed Swoopes wouldn’t look for her. All she wanted was to go back to school and to be a productive member of society. Unfortunately, her revelation came too late because she hadn’t known that Swoopes had never left the room.

  “Damn, I knew something was up with you. I just hoped it wasn’t true.” He said opening the white curtain.

  “Please…don’t kill me. I want to go home. I won’t tell anybody anything.”

  “You just did.”

  “I’m sorry. You’ll never hear from me again. Ever.”

  “You should’ve thought about that before you crossed me,” he said taking his gun out of his jacket, snatching the pillow from behind her head and pressing it to her face. With the barrel embedded into the pillow, he pulled the trigger.

  Untamed Heart

  Bet paced the hotel floor until she heard a few raps at her front door. She had been waiting on Bricks ever since he told her he was on his way. Her movements stopped, and her heart beat heavily inside her chest. She was overcome with anxiety and momentarily clasped her hands tightly together before taking a deep breath and dropping them by her sides. Walking quickly to the door, she flung it open and threw a smile on her face. But instead of seeing Bricks, she saw his brother Melvin instead. The look of disappointment showed on her face instantly and she desperately tried to remove it by adding another smile.

  “Oh…I wasn’t expecting you. Where’s your brother?” she asked looking into the hotel’s hallway. When she didn’t see him she stepped back to let him inside. The black hoody and leather gloves he wore frightened her.

  “He couldn’t make it,” he said after he looked around. It was a suite style and was divided into the bedroom and living room. “So he sent me instead. Am I good enough for you?”

  “Oh…uh…yeah. Why wouldn’t you be?”

  “Where’s the kid?” Melvin asked as he surveyed his surroundings. He was in search of anything or anyone out of place. “My brother said he heard him crying. It sounded like something was wrong with him.”

  “Oh…he’s in the bedroom.”

  He made his way back to the room and he didn’t bother to ask if it were okay. Once he saw the kid fast asleep he said, “Look, I have to use your restroom right quick. Where is it?”

  “Right over there,” she pointed to the hallway door. “What are ya’ll gonna do with the baby?”

  “Bricks wants me to pick him up,�
�� he said as he ran his fingers through one another to make sure the gloves were on tight. And when she turned her head and walked toward the bathroom, he swiped her cell phone off the dresser. “You gotta ask him when you talk to him.”

  “Oh.”

  “Look,” he stopped before going into the bathroom with the closed door, “I’m not gonna lie, I don’t feel too good about all this shit. So if you don’t mind, can you go inside first?”

  “What? You don’t trust me?” she asked doing a horrible job of convincing him he should.

  “Go in the fuckin’ bathroom,” he said with a straight face.

  She walked hesitantly into the bathroom and opened the door. “See…it’s nothing.”

  When the door opened, Melvin shoved her inside, and pushed her toward the bathtub. She stumbled inside of it and hit her head on the faucet. Blood poured from her body and into the white tub. Then he yanked the plastic shower curtain down and placed it over her body. “Don’t fuckin’ move!”

  “What are you doin?!”

  When she tried to advance, Melvin overpowered her and hit her twice in the face. “Bitch, what you know about this Swoopes shit? Huh?”