“Yeah, some real easy in and out work just for the hell of it.”
“In and out?” Jakki thought about the money she’d missed out on from earlier and slowly began to consider his out of the blue proposition.
“You know me and you used to be on our Batman and Robin routine before last week.” School Boy laid it on thick continuing to sell her on the idea. “And since I’m going to talk to Unc and probably be put out of commission for who knows how long, give a guy something to smile about.”
“You beyond crazy,” Jakki teased.
“It must be in my blood.” School Boy stood up beating himself in the middle of his chest. “So you with me tonight or what, cuz?”
“Okay as soon as I smash this big, raggedy piece of metal into the back part of the building, you and Lena grab the pillowcases, jump out your car, and rush in through the hole. I already cut the power lines running to the store so we should be good on time. Ain’t no alarms going off.”
“What’s all in here, cuz? I mean what exactly should we be looking for and why you ain’t coming in?” Jakki quizzed following the stolen pickup truck in her own vehicle.
“Girl, yo, stop with all the questions,” School Boy quickly replied. “You almost worse than that crybaby Lena riding with you.”
“I’m good, fool. I was just asking. You know I don’t go around doing no spur-of-the-moment crap like this without checking it out first.”
“Look, cuz, take my word for it. We good. I told you I cut the electric line and besides the owners live clear on the other side of town. Trust me, this gonna be in and out,” School Boy swore as he revved the engine and braced for impact. “I’ma drive your car around the front and look out for any police.”
Chapter 11
Using both of their smart phone flashlight apps Lena and Jakki grabbed everything in sight they thought was of value. Wasting no time with discussion of who would get what later on when they go home, the pillowcases were soon stuffed with dresses, shoes, designer purses, and leather jackets. Finding a flashlight behind the counter, Jakki was even more enthusiastic about the task at hand. Not hearing the ear-splitting, piercing sounds of any burglar alarms go off, the girls were at ease feeling like they were on an all expense paid shopping spree and not a petty B&E. Suddenly feeling the vibration of her cell Jakki removed it from her bra turning it around so she could read the incoming text message.
“Oh my freaking God! Not now of all times!” Panic quickly filled the room.
“Girl, Jakki, what’s wrong?”
“I’ll be damned, hell naw, not now! It was all good just a minute ago. This is mad crazy. That ill-bred snake School Boy got us all messed up with his hating ass! I know he did this.”
“Jakki! Jakki! What? What’s wrong? What is it? What he do? What, tell me!”
“This right here is some real bullshit! Why fucking me?” Jakki wondered out loud. Normally cold as ice, she was shook and it showed. Her mind traveled in a million different directions at once. She felt this obvious betrayal couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be life, but it was. The so-called abruptly planned carefree night of thievery she and her cohorts intended on having had started to unravel. This was just supposed to be fun and not part of the contest. This whole thing was petty anyhow!
“Why we stopping? Wh . . . wh . . . why?”
“You wanna get us knocked or what? ’Cause a chick like me ain’t trying to go back to jail! Your momma or grandma might bail ya slow, skinny ass out no matter what. But me, I’m hit; my pops still in the hospital. And my so-called loyal family, the bastard who dick you sucking, apparently he on some other type of cutthroat mentality this week!”
Practically dragging a lightweight Lena by the wrist, Jakki found a huge rack of clothing near the rear exit of the exclusive fashion boutique School Boy claimed he’d staked out for days. Receiving two text messages from her older cousin announcing the owners had pulled up in the parking lot and were getting out their cars, Jakki knew she and Lena didn’t have time to escape the same way they’d come in: a hole in the side of the building School Boy crashed a stolen pickup truck through. If they did take a chance and tried it, Jakki wasn’t brand new to the game and knew they ran the risk of being met with God knows what. At this point, they were trapped. It was bad enough they were taking such a gigantic risk by robbing who School Boy claimed was a retired pimp turned businessman, his bottom bitch’s and partner’s store, but now here they were, seconds away from possibly being caught red-handed.
Listening to whoever was clicking the light switches up and down, Jakki was relieved to know School Boy hadn’t totally double-crossed her when he claimed to cut the electricity to the building, like his convenient misinformation about the guns. She had to believe it had to be nothing more than dumb luck that had brought the storeowners back in the middle of the night interrupting her criminal activities. After all what else could it have been? He had proven to be a snake earlier in the week, but claimed he was over all of that now and wanted to get past the drama.
Why did I even trust him? Ever since we was kids he been dirty. Jakki thought back remembering her and School Boy’s sometimes turbulent childhood.
“Jakki, gimme some of your candy.”
“Why would I do that? You could have come trick or treating like the rest of us.” She spread her sweet treats across her canopy bed.
“Yeah, but I didn’t!” School Boy barked mad at the world as usual. “I told you that running around door to door begging people for candy ain’t me! I let y’all fools do all that.”
Jakki tore open a snack-size Snickers with her teeth then took a bite. “Well what’s the difference in you in my room begging me for my candy? You still a little beggar, boy,” she teased sticking out her tongue to further mock him.
“Just gimme some candy and stop being so dang gone stingy before I really get mad!” Overpowering his little cousin, School Boy knocked her off the bed taking what he wanted from her colorful pile of sugar.
“Mom! Mom!” Jakki angrily screamed out in distress from her bedroom floor. “Help me! Help!”
In a matter of seconds Jakki’s mother, School Boy’s aunt by marriage, came flying through the doorway with a broom in hand and her younger daughter on her hip. “What’s wrong, Jakki? What’s going on in here?”
Not having any problem whatsoever in telling on her cousin, Jakki, with tears in her eyes, spilled the beans. “He shoved me on the floor, cursed me out, and then took some of my candy. I told him he couldn’t have any and he took it anyway!”
Having been more than a few rounds with her nephew over the past week or so while her husband was away running the family-owned afterhours spot, the young mother warned School Boy for the last time to get his act together or he was going back home to his mother come the first thing in the morning.
“The morning?” The barely a teenager School Boy stood tall having a problem with authority, especially women, ever since his father had been murdered by his mistress a few years back. “Auntie, you don’t have to wait until daybreak to send me to my momma. I can go home to my house right now!”
“School Boy, watch your tone raising your voice like that in my house!”
“Fuck your house, I mean my uncle’s house, and you and this stingy-hearted candy-having little monster too!” Grabbing his small duffle bag, he stormed out the front door into the dark of the night getting no opposition from his aunt.
Not even bothering to see if the troublesome youth made it home, Jakki, her younger sister, and she went to sleep. By three in the morning Jakki was awakened by the strong smell of smoke. Opening her eyes wide, she was met by the wire screen in her window bent inward and bright orange and red flames that seemed to dance around the corner of her bedroom. Thankfully remembering what she was taught at school, the petrified young girl dropped to the ground and started to crawl toward the closed door. Momentarily looking back over her shoulder she saw her one white sheer curtain turn dark gray then disappear into nothing. Coughing, she then pull
ed her pajama top up to her face as a mask and reached up for the knob. Safely escaping out into the hallway, Jakki started yelling for her mother and little sister to wake up. Realizing the hot flames were chasing her, the young girl stood to her feet quickly helping her panicked mother grab what few belongings they could before fleeing out to the curb with her younger sibling in tow.
Hours later, when the suspicious fire was finally put out, Jakki and her mother were adamant in blaming one person for their sudden almost deadly misfortune: School Boy. After hearing about the altercation earlier then finding the family dog underneath Jakki’s bedroom window with a broken neck, Ruben’s first thought was also his deceased brother’s son. Enraged he practically kicked his sister-in-law’s front door off the hinges trying to get to his nephew. Once inside, he found School Boy in his bed, lights out, fast asleep. With a sworn promise from both him and his terrified of her son mother that he’d been there all night, Ruben had no other recourse but to let it go. Since there was no real proof, as time went by School Boy was allowed to return and visit the freshly remodeled home, but that was only if he spent all his time with Ruben.
Ruben’s wife, although still infuriated and untrusting, put up with her husband’s nephew out of devout loyalty to her husband. An innocent-minded Jakki, not wanting to believe her own flesh and blood really tried to burn her to death for not sharing her Halloween candy, slowly grew to forget about the near tragic incident all together and accepted him back into her heart.
Chapter 12
Snapping back to reality, Jakki nervously bit at the corner of her lip. She and Lena were terrified listening to the owner and his friends talk about what they were going to do if they caught them in their store. After trying like hell to be perfectly still, the enraged owners thought they heard something and were headed in their direction. Before Jakki knew it things went from bad to worse for her and School Boy’s jump off.
Oh my God! Jakki held Lena even closer after seeing what she knew was a laser beam shine in the confines of the makeshift cave and on the girl’s bare leg. In a matter of seconds both their fears were tragically confirmed. Jakki gouged her curved fingernails deeply into Lena’s jaw line pressing down even harder over her mouth as three gunshots rang out inside the store. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! was all she could think before, during, and after hearing the gunfire. Feeling Lena’s skinny-boned body jerk and her head tilt back, Jakki knew the girl was hit.
Damn, now what? Shit! Where is the police when you need they dirty asses? Jakki, convinced she was also on her way to get called home, closed her eyes waiting for what was gonna ultimately happen after what came next. With School Boy continuing to blow up her cell, she knew her grimy intentions cousin was still close by if nothing else. Family ain’t about nothing. How that nigga gonna play me of all people? Something told me not to do this caper. How he ain’t got me? Of course she wondered why her first cousin hadn’t burst through the door, guns blazing to save her from harm’s way, especially after hearing gunshots, but now was not the time to figure that part out. Quickly coming to the realization she was on her own and her life was on the line, Jakki wasted no time getting her mind back right and focused.
The owner’s girlfriend had no idea what’d she done. Lena would never be going home again to worry about her incarcerated brother. She’d never be around nagging School Boy for attention or cook some of her grandmother’s secret recipe extra-crunchy fried chicken. Jakki, on the other hand, had a chance to see tomorrow. Waiting Lena’s killer and the two men out, thankfully they went out the rear door to get rid of the cat that also had taken a bullet.
Holding the shovel as far as away as he possibly could, Maino carried the dying cat’s body out the rear door. With a seething attitude, he slowly passed by the gaping hole the truck had made in the back brick wall of his business. Wanting nothing more than to have some sort of legitimate cover for the money he and his partner were making from all the pills and prescription cough syrup they were running out one of their trap houses, this was the last thing he needed or wanted to take place. Having taken a major loss the earlier part of the week, tossing a near dead stray into the Dumpster was like extra icing on the cake celebrating the world’s worst week.
“I swear on everything I love and every broad I done pimped on in these Detroit streets, if I ever find the little punks who did this or run into them four sluts that violated, I’ma go to penitentiary for the rest of my days.”
Scared of even seeing the bloodied fur dead body of the feline she’d mistakenly slaughtered, his woman eased behind him, eyes closed following the sound of her man’s infuriated voice. “Baby, calm down and watch your blood pressure. I know it’s sky high.” She knew how Maino would get excited and get closed to stroking out and wanted to avoid that from happening. “Matter of fact did you even take you medicine this morning?”
“Hey, tramp! Shut up talking to me about that medicine now!” He turned around almost causing the suffering cat to slide off the end of the shovel and onto the ground. “I got a gigantic hole in my business and some young skeezers done stole all my product making me and my manz here the laughing stock of the neighborhood and you out in this alley talking about some medicine. I oughta beat your worn out in the womb self just for old times’ sake; shooting a stray cat!” He shook his head before raising the shovel up in the Dumpster.
Quickly realizing the ex-pimp mentality in Maino had been revived and she ran the high risk of getting slapped to the concrete face first she stood down letting him vent.
Wanting to keep the peace, Maino’s best friend and business partner removed a half-smoked joint out his pocket. “We all need this to calm our nerves.”
Now all alone in the store, with the exception of Lena’s recently deceased corpse, Jakki saw her opportunity at life. Acting as if they were giving away free cheese, butter, and honey to the first twenty people in line, Jakki took off running. Only a few yards from making a clean getaway, the frantic female stumbled to the floor tripping over the same pillowcase filled with stolen items she’d dropped earlier. Scrambling desperately to get back on her feet, Jakki heard one of the men yell he’d heard a noise back inside of the store. Damn I’m about to get killed too! I know I shouldn’t have broken into this spot without doing my damn homework! This is so messy. At the same time she heard the sounds of footsteps rush through the back entrance she saw a set of high-beam headlights in the front of the building coming her way. Lord, please let this be School Boy’s backstabbing, double-crossing ass! Please!
Chapter 13
With his head buried into his new cell, School Boy was feeling untouchable. Not only did he feel he was bigger than the game, he felt he was the game. Having plastered the same picture of the stolen jewelry that he’d braggingly sent to his cousin on Facebook and Instagram, he felt like the rules of the street and life in general didn’t apply to him. Hearing the engine roaring sounds of a vehicle swerve up across the block and park in front of the boutique, a sinister smile of satisfaction graced his face. Oh naw! Couldn’t be! This night is going better than a nigga planned.
Removing his baseball cap, School Boy felt his palms getting sweaty. With a huge thirst for vengeance, he casually texted Jakki that he believed the owners of the store was back and she and Lena probably needed to get in the wind. He’d promised them both that this burglary was going to be no more than a simple in and out caper and that part he truly meant. Seeing that the owners had surprisingly returned was not on his agenda for revenge for Jakki coming over earlier, smoking his weed, drinking his drink, and eating his jump off’s fried chicken then blatantly stab him in the back by trying so hard to coax him into letting Ruben and the Crayton Clan elders sell him down the river, but so be it. Payback is always a motherfucker and karma is a bitch. Just like he’d told his beloved first cousin the other day in her bedroom, she wasn’t the only person in the family walking around with their ear pressed to the streets. School Boy not only had heard about the infamous home invasion-style conquest Jakki a
nd her forever devoted crew of female hood rats had so skillfully pulled off, the vindictive thug had gone the extra mile in investigating not only the amount of ill-gotten gain they’d come up on that night, but the complete rundown and pedigree of the two older victims who were now ridiculed in the street, marked for being straight suckers.
School Boy’s original intention was to naïvely allow Jakki and Lena, who begged to tag along as usual, to go inside the upscale boutique, take everything they could get, and bring it home to “Big Daddy.” His mindset was to take all the expensive priced items from the robbery along with the bag of stolen jewelry, including Lena’s car-thieving brother’s portion, and toss in on his uncle’s hospital bed proving he was not just out running renegade in city, but on the come up for the overall good of the family. And just in case Jakki wanted to be a snake once more, he’d proudly announce her being a fool herself robbing the same very men she’d just robbed earlier in the week. School Boy knew Ruben didn’t like taking unnecessary risk shining light on the family name and what Jakki was doing was just that.
Fighting with his longtime demons, when he noticed that all three of the people getting out the car were strapped, his conscience started to kick in. Having a small bit of remorse and sympathy for his blood, not like the time he allegedly tried to burn Jakki alive when they were small children, School Boy texted her once more this time informing her they had weapons drawn and were heading toward the door.
Damn, this is kinda messed up. I hate the grimy two-faced sneaky hood rat and all, but these old clowns ’bout to do her and my girl for real! I can’t let this bloodbath go down. His thoughts and emotions were all over the place watching one of the men and a woman eagerly fumble with the keys at the entrance while the other man cautiously headed toward the rear of the building. But on another tip. He tossed his cell on the passenger seat of Jakki’s car then removed his gun from his waistband setting it on his lap. Hopefully they’ll get their black asses out the store before ol’ boy gets back there. But on the other hand, if cuz get knocked or even killed, I’ma be standing at the head of the table no competition, no questions asked.
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