“Listen, Sanaa, you and I both know that I didn’t come here to ask you. I’m pretty much telling you you’re gonna move dis money through ya spot,” he replied, giving her a stern look. “Look, I respect you and your brothers, and even your pops, but if I have to kill each one of you, it’s no problem for me. I have a whole crew; you got maybe five or six people. How you figure you going to win?”
If it wasn’t before, shit had just got real at the table. For a second, Sanaa couldn’t believe what was coming out of Boo’s mouth. This wasn’t a proposition, nor an offer. This was a demand, and the price Sanaa and her family would have to pay if she didn’t go along with the scheme would be heavy. Sanaa wasn’t stupid; she knew right now wasn’t the time to be taking on a nigga like Boo. But by no means was she about to let him know that. Shit, she too was a gunner in her own right.
“I can make that to be ya last meal,” Sanaa threatened out of anger.
Boo’s confidence and arrogance was through the roof. He just looked at her and laughed, picking up another Buffalo wing and sticking it in his mouth. Fear was nowhere in his eyes.
“One thing I know about you, you’re not stupid,” Boo said, pulling the chicken bone out of his mouth. “If you wanna start a gun fight right here and now, then that’s fine wit’ me. We can all die up in dis muthafucka. My guys got a green light to put a bullet in ya head the moment things get out of hand,” Boo informed, cleaning his hands off with the face towel.
Sanaa looked back at Boo’s boys, two of whom were looking directly at her. By the time she turned back around to face Boo, one of his hands had found its way under the table, and the look in his eyes said that he had armed himself. Sanaa just chuckled, trying her best to keep her cool.
“So what if I say no?” she asked, leaning back in her chair. “You gonna set it off right here and now?” She smiled. “One thing I know about you, Boo, is that you don’t wanna die, especially by my hands.”
Boo blew her off, as if what she said was an insult. Her comments rubbed him the wrong way, but in a way, he could see that she was serious about her work. He really didn’t want no problems with Sanaa. All he wanted to do was get some money, and convincing her that the come up was beneficial for both of them was his main objective.
“Look, Sanaa, if you say no, then you just say no. But I know that you’re not stupid enough to turn down this kind of offer. Most banks don’t even know the difference in the money I print out, and to be honest wit’ you, I can print out as much of it as I want. One million was all that I brought wit’ me. I can change the American currency if given enough time,” he bragged. “Look, I just want you to think about it,” Boo said, standing up. “You know where to find me when you ready.” He tucked the large-caliber gun he had clutched under the table back into his waist.
Sanaa just sat there as Boo walked past her and made his way out the door with his boys. From the look on her face, Sleepy could tell that she was in deep thought when she walked back over to him. Boo had given her more than enough to think about. It was like he had anticipated and visualized the endless possibilities of all that Sanaa could do with the counterfeit money.
“So what’s all that about?” Sleepy asked, taking a seat at the table.
Her mind was racing so fast, it took a moment for her to even realize Sleepy was there. “We need to have a meeting,” Sanaa said as she got up from the table and headed straight for the bar.
Chapter 3
Royce walked into the house only to feel a totally different vibe in the atmosphere. The living room looked a mess, with clothes tossed about on the floor and the couch. He could hear Krystol’s voice upstairs sounding like she was talking on the phone, which she was when Royce finally made it to his bedroom. Raven was lying in her crib while Krystol continued to separate the clothes she was pulling out of the closet.
“What’s up?” Royce said, holding a curious but very serious look on his face.
His presence startled her a little, since she hadn’t even heard him come into the house, let alone creep up to the bedroom. It was a good thing that he was there, because she had a lot to get off her chest, and he was the reason why. She quickly got off the phone with her sister, tossing the cordless phone onto the bed. She walked over, grabbed Royce by the arm, and pulled him into the bathroom in order to get away from the baby.
“I’m moving back to Atlanta,” Krystol said, closing the bathroom door.
“What the fuck? Is that supposed to be a joke?” he replied, looking at her like she was crazy.
“Naw, Ro, you a fuckin’ joke. Whatever bitch got ya ass open like that, tell her she can keep you. I’m done wit’ dis bullshit,” she snapped.
“Are you serious? I told you I wasn’t fuckin’ around on you. You need to stop trippin’.”
“You a fuckin’ liar. And you been lying to me for over a month now, Royce. I talked to Sanaa, and she told me she ain’t seen you in nearly a month, but every day you leave out of this house in the morning, claiming you going to work at her spot!” Krystol yelled, poking Royce in his forehead.
Royce sat there with a grin on his face, somewhat amused by Krystol’s investigation. He also was smiling because he couldn’t figure out how he could have been so sloppy with not calling Sanaa and letting her know he was using her as his excuse with Krystol. Truth was, his mind was so on his money and the future for his family that he wasn’t thinking about the bullshit. He sat there confused on if now would be a good time to tell her about Danielle, and what he’d been up to. Royce lived by the code of the streets, and a real gangster never discussed what he had going on with his wife. That way, if anything ever went down, the police couldn’t indict Krystol because she was unaware of what he was doing.
It was an ugly situation, because here he was, trying to protect her and his family, and if he didn’t tell her, he could risk her leaving him. If she thought that he was cheating on her, she would still leave him. Krystol had made that clear before she moved to Philly, and she swore on her mother’s soul that she was going to stand by that if it occurred.
“Yeah, just what I thought,” Krystol said, covering his face with her hand.
He grabbed her hand and threw it down, giving her a stern look. “I told you I wasn’t fuckin’ wit’ nobody,” he snapped back. “We got bills to pay, and I’m out there doing what I gots to do.”
“And what is that, Royce? Because I don’t see the money from you doing what you got to do. If you doing all this, where’s the money at?” Krystol asked with an angry but disappointed facial expression.
“Look, B, you just gots to trust me on this; just know it’s the best thing for us, babe. For our family,” he answered, looking her in the eyes.
“How can I trust you, and you won’t trust me enough to tell me what you got going on? I want to believe you, but, Royce, I smell her perfume on your clothes every time you come back in. I seen the lipstick smudge on your shirt. Tell me you not seeing another bitch!’“
“No, I’m not fucking anybody,” he answered.
She sat there and looked at him for a moment, trying to look into his eyes to see if he was lying to her. Something in her heart told her that he was telling the truth, but it was also something inside of her that told her that Royce was doing something he didn’t have any business doing.
“You’re a fuckin’ liar,” she calmly said, and then tried to walk out of the bathroom.
When she reached for the knob, Royce pressed his back against the door, closing it shut. He could see the stress in her face, and that was something he hated to see in the woman he loved. He grabbed her by the waist and tried to pull her closer to him.
She resisted for a moment, but ultimately gave in.
“I told you I wasn’t fucking with nobody, and I give you my word on that.” Royce spoke gently. “You just gotta trust me, B,” he assured her, gazing into her eyes.
Krystol and Raven were his world. They were the core reason why he woke up every morning and did what he did.
“Calm down, li’l bro. It ain’t that serious,” Sanaa said, pouring a shot from the whiskey bottle sitting in the middle of the table. “You know, it’s really not a bad idea. It ain’t like we can’t relocate,” she said, pushing the bottle over to Joi.
“So how is we suppose to move that kind of money without getting caught?” Joi asked, wondering what Sanaa had in store.
“I got a poker table, bar, and food and drink. It’s not really the question of if we can move it, it’s just how fast we can move it,” Sanaa said, passing both Sleepy and Joi one of the twenty-dollar bills Boo had left behind. “As long as we keep it away from soda and shit like dat, we should be all right.”
Everything seemed to have been going good until Boo showed up with another one of his money schemes. It was only after careful thought about what Boo said that Sanaa decided to take him up on his offer. With the problems she had back in Atlanta, it was best that Sanaa stack as much money as she could, in case she had to run, or, in a worst-case scenario, had to prepare a legal team. The little bit of money she was making in the club right now wasn’t enough to do either. She kind of felt like her back was against the wall. It was at times like this that Sanaa wanted out of the game altogether.
“What are you thinking about?” Joi asked, seeing that Sanaa had gone off into a daze for a moment.
Her mind was racing a million miles per second. She was gifted in making good decisions at the drop of a dime, and nine times out of ten, her choices and ability to weigh the pros and cons was on point. This was one of the reasons that Joi yielded to Sanaa, even though she was older.
“I think it’s time we start thinking about our future,” Sanaa began. “We can’t keep living like this and expect for us to keep ducking prison or the grave. We’ve seen it happen all too many times to think that it won’t happen to us. Do you really think we can do this forever?” she asked, looking around the bar.
Everything Sanaa was saying caught Joi and Sleepy by surprise. It was like she came out of left field with it, and as crazy as it may have sounded coming out of her mouth, her words held a lot of weight. She had Sleepy thinking about what he wanted out of life. He knew that he someday wanted to have a family like his brother, Royce. He thought that he would have it with Ariana, and some parts of him still believed that he would.
He looked over at Joi, and she seemed to be deep in thought. He had really tried to like her, but something in him just did not trust her. They were cool at one time, but in the back of his mind he had suspicions that she was involved with Ariana’s disappearance. They had never gotten along, and he didn’t think it was a coincidence that Joi had to get out of town at the same time that Ariana seemed to have vanished. Yeah, I’m going to watch this bitch, Sleepy decided as he returned his attention to his sister.
“Look, I say we just move as much money as we can, then try to start over. I think that we can at least stack a million apiece before we make the spot hot. That should be more than enough to start fresh,” Sanaa suggested, throwing back the shot of whiskey.
It was obvious by the tone in Sanaa’s voice that she was tired. There comes a time in every criminal’s life when they just want to fall back and get out of the game. But at the same time, most criminals who feel this way also feel like they got one last run in them. One last chance to make enough money to put them where they want to be. Sanaa was no different, and neither were Joi and Sleepy.
“So dis is it?” Sleepy asked, reaching over and grabbing the whiskey bottle. “And you’re sure about dis, right?”
“Yeah, I’m sure about it,” Sanaa said.
“What about you?” he asked Joi, pouring the whiskey into his glass.
Looking into Sanaa’s eyes, Joi spoke. “I’m wit’ you on dis one, baby girl,” she affirmed.
Chapter 4
Danielle walked around to the back of the house where Kemo was sitting at the table by the pool. She took a seat in the empty chair and tossed her keys and clutch onto the table. She could tell by the look on his face that he was mad about something, so like always, she waited for him to initiate the conversation. She knew her place, being Kemo’s girlfriend for the past couple of years.
“I got hit again,” Kemo said, looking off into the swimming pool. “They got me for a nice chunk, too.”
With a shocked look, Danielle played the role as if she was surprised at what Kemo had just told her. It was really no surprise to her, considering the fact that she was the one behind his missing drugs and money. She had been robbing Kemo for the past six months in order to support her own wants and needs.
“You should think about hiring some new guys who can handle the responsibility,” Danielle suggested.
“Yeah, well you should think about finding a new drug dealer for a boyfriend. You robbing me more with ya shoe fetish than the niggas out on the streets,” he shot back with an attitude, taking his anger out on Danielle as usual.
That was one of the main problems in the relationship now, and had been for about a year. He knew that Danielle was high maintenance when he met her, but as of late, he was starting to regret taking her on. What he didn’t know was that by bringing her into the world of crime, she would pick up a few tools along the way that would teach her how to survive. She learned how to take money, and once she did that, she started making Kemo pay.
“Don’t make me out to be the bad guy,” Danielle said, turning her chair around to face him. “You knew who I was when you met me, and that’s part of the reason why you fell in love with me. But I fell in love with you not because of your money, but because of the kind of person you are.”
“Bullshit.” Kemo laughed, knowing how money hungry she was, or at least how money hungry she used to be.
“Think about it, babe. When was the last time you gave me a large amount of money? I haven’t even asked you for money lately, because I know you’ve been having some financial issues. But look at me, still sitting here right by ya side, without a pedicure, a manicure, and my eyebrows look like I belong in a werewolf movie,” she joked.
Kemo just smiled, realizing that Danielle was speaking the truth, and it was him who was placing blame in the wrong place. He was so open for this white woman, he didn’t even see the one-two punch coming his way. Danielle only became more submissive because she had something bigger planned for Kemo. Something that was going to take him being totally comfortable with a certain aspect of his business around her. The moment he was in his most vulnerable state, Danielle would execute her plan. For now, it was all about Kemo, and Danielle knew exactly what Kemo needed: a good shot of pussy.
Sanaa looked out the window, watching Royce pull into the parking lot of the Waffle House. It was crowded, as always, but this was one of the few spots they liked to meet up for lunch. He walked in with a smile on his face, knowing that this last-minute scheduled lunch was about more than eating. He knew his big sister all too well.
“What you smiling at?” Sanaa asked, smiling back at her baby brother.
“You crazy, sis. What’s goin’ on?” he asked as he took a seat at the table.
“I’m trying to figure out why you been telling Krystol you with me, without letting me know,” Sanaa teased.
“It’s not what you think. I just been having a lot of shit on my plate. Trying to take care of Krystol and the baby is a headache by itself,” he complained. “But you know, it is what it is. So, what you call me down here for?” Royce asked, wanting to get to the core of the meeting.
“What, I can’t just have lunch wit’ my baby bro without wanting something?” she joked.
“No,” Royce shot back, waving for the waitress to come and take his order.
“I need you at the club for real. I got something big goin’ on, and I need to be surrounded by my family on this one,” Sanaa said, lowering her voice as the waitress took Royce’s order.
“Come on, sis,
” he semi whined as he dismissed the waitress. “Now ain’t the right time, yo. I got B all up my ass, and I got something I’m working on.”
“I got a hundred fifty grand for you if you ride wit’ me on this one,” she said, cutting Royce off and grabbing his full attention. “No bullshit, I’m dead serious.”
One eyebrow shot to the sky as Royce put on the most curious face. A hundred and fifty grand added to his last score would put him nearly halfway to his goal.
For the next hour, Sanaa broke down everything, including her plans on exiting the game. At first, Royce was a little hesitant on moving the funny money, but since Sanaa and Sleepy were both down, he was all in.
“I’ll do it under one condition,” Royce requested.
“And what’s that?” Sanaa shot back.
“You gotta make sure you keep me covered with B until I get the rest of my shit covered, and no, it don’t have nothing to do with no other bitch,” he added.
“A’ight, you know I got you, li’l bro. By the time Krystol look up, y’all will be unpacking y’all shit into a new home,” Sanaa promised.
Chapter 5
Atlanta
Ariana pulled up and double parked on the corner of Rosehill Street where Toughy sat, smack in the middle of his crew of five. Ariana and Olivia both jumped out of the car with large caliber automatic weapons in their hands and headed straight for the crowd.
One of Toughy’s boys took off running, thinking the two women were the narcs. Toughy knew it wasn’t the cops, but by the time he could tell his worker, he had already bent the corner. When he turned back around, Ariana was only a few yards away from him, while Olivia played the background, keeping everyone else in eyesight.
“What up, Tough?” Ariana said, holding her gun down by her side with her finger on the trigger.
“Damn, shorty, I haven’t seen you around here for a minute,” he said, trying to appear as if the gun she was displaying didn’t bother him. “You comin’ through here kind of heavy.” He laughed, looking down at her hand.
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