For Jamal, sex was an overrated skill, and money was an underrated necessity. It was second only to life. He boarded the bus, sat in the closest seat and closed his eyes.
****** It was lunchtime when he got the phone call.
"Jamaalllll! Jamalllll! You need to
leeeaavve! Now!"
It was his wife, Mya, and she was sounding frantic and discombobulated.
"Mya, calm down..."
"Noooo! Leave! Leave the job and run! They said they found a DNA sample to prove that you killed Markees! They said you're wanted for murder! Run Jamal! I love you baby and I always will! Don't worry about us! Take care of yourself baby! Live!"
"Wait, Mya, wait! Why don't you and Lil Richie come with me?"
"Don't you understand Jamal? They would track us down in 5 minutes if I left this house! They're outside waiting on you right now!"
Mya was in a state of shock so deep that she hadn't blinked since Jamal answered the phone. Her jaw was trembling and old fears of being alone resurfaced in her psyche. A couple of tears removed some of her mascara as she stood there afraid for her husband.
"The local police are outside of our house? Well, as soon as they leave, you leave! And then we'll leave together baby," Jamal reasoned.
Mya shook her head as though Jamal could see her.
"It's the feds Jamal! The FBI! They got the case because the reports say that Markees had been kidnapped before he was killed! We can't outrun them!"
Fuck! Jamal thought as he abandoned his post at work and trotted out of the back entrance.
"Mya..... I'm coming back for you and Lil Richie! I promise! Just promise me that you'll give me time to try to figure things out!"
Jamal was now talking just as frantic as Mya was talking as he hailed a cab to take him to the Greyhound station.
"Jamal, I will always be waiting on you! For as long as I live, no matter how long it takes, I will be waiting on you because I love you and will always love you!"
Jamal felt an emotional surge overpower his body as he thought about how he was being forced away from his wife and child.
"I love you too Mya... Tell Lil Richie that I love him too! If it is the last thing I do, I promise to come home one day. I promise!"
Jamal and Mya shared one last moment together on the phone before he threw the cell phone out of the window. They both knew that the chances of them seeing each other again were very slim. He knew that as soon as he tried to contact Mya and his son again, the FBI would track him down and give him life in prison.
He looked out of the window at the city of Pittsburgh and the beauties contained in it. He saw people smiling and talking on the phone. He saw people with carefree
expressions on their faces; but he knew that big problems often lay right beneath the surfaces.
He saw some terrible towels in the windows of the pubs and sports bars. He saw his life, as a child and now as an adult; vanish into history. He saw Lisa Lee smiling on a billboard, her personality malicious and deceptively flawed. Saw her staring down at him grinning, seeming to be taunting him. "I don't see your name in bright lights! What happened? You're a nobody! I'm a star! Nobodies and stars can't have kids, you take him!" The words from Lisa Lee resonated in his memory, dug deeper until they were strong enough to take root and grow into disbelief.
The billboard itself seemed to be pointing him out. It spoke to him, seemed to be displaying achievement and taunting failure. He shifted his attention to the people walking on the sidewalks. To the people standing on the street corners hustling. Selling CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, and watches. He looked at the structure of the city, absorbed it like a dish rag for one final moment.
His city smiled at him. The memories frowned at him, and the history jumped into the cab with him and refused to leave. He loved Pittsburgh PA. The 724. The 412. Oakland. The Strip District. Kashi's. Woodlands. The Steel City. The Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Humans.
The air collapsed around him and made him feel like he was the only person in the entire city. And as he boarded the Greyound bus, it made him feel like he was the only person leaving the entire city. Emotions flowed deep through him, but he knew that he must never return to Pittsburgh again. For the sake of his son, wife, and his personal well-being; he must never return.
Book TWO
Chapter 5
JAMAL. ALICIA.ALEX.
Jacksonville, Florida
KA-BOOM! "Kill me too muthafucka! Kill me too! Kill me you bitch ass nigga!"
"Naw you the bitch! Nigga we ain't gon let you take the easy way out. You bout to suffer!"
"Fuck you muthafucka!" He had rushed them trying to force them to kill him.
"You killed my son! Aaaarrgghh! You stupid bastards!"
The gunman held the shotgun like a baseball bat and swung it with the strength of Iron Man.
WHAP!
And Alex had slipped into unconsciousness, only one phase away from his son.
******
"A.K. wake up boy. A.K.!" Alex forced his eyes open and fought to gain focus.
"Damn boy, you was having a crazy dream! You woke me up talking about some Noooo!"
Alex glared at the 5'4", 135 pound redbone laying in the bed next to him and suddenly he felt lost. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was 7 A.M. Early. Besides the clock was a table card that read: HAMPTON INN PROVIDES FREE WI-FI INTERNET CONNECTION. Immediately it all came back to him.
He was in Jacksonville Florida, had been there for about 12 hours. He had ditched the Crown Victoria at a rest stop and hitch hiked a ride into the city with one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on. Her name was...
"Aye shawty... what you say your name was again?"
"Damn boy, you fucked me and don't remember my name? Shameful, shameful!"
"Nah... it ain't like that, it's just... my memory-"
"Don't trip boy... I told you before... my name is Alicia Kavalli. My friends call me-"
"A.K." He blurted out, suddenly
remembering everything about her. "Yea, I knew your name shawty, but I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming."
"Yea, o.k..." She shot him a seductive smirk and kissed him on the lip like they had been lovers in a previous lifetime.
****** Her hair was shoulder length, and it smelled of peaches. Her skin was softer than elevator music and was the color of a 14 karat gold chain. It sparkled and glistened; and was so soft that when she smiled, her dimples sank deep into her face. She was the same age as Alex, and her personality... he remembered her staring at him when he first asked her for the ride into the city of Jacksonville.
Her eyes had dripped with a seductive curiosity, but her voice had been an icy threat that had been molded by the gift of experience.
"Call the damn station and get a ride! I ain't taking yo police ass nowhere!"
She turned her back on him, but he grabbed her arm before she could leave.
"What nigga?" She was getting louder now and causing a small scene.
He knew he had to do something, and fast. He pulled open his coat and exposed his AK47. Then he asked her, "Do I still look like a police officer?"
She was nonchalant, as if she had been around guns all of her life.
"Whatever Mr. AK, how I know you ain't gon rob, rape, or kill me?"
"Man... here, you take it until we get to the city. Then-"
"Mr. AK... relax boy, I'm just bullshitting you. I'll give you a ride. I ain't tripping boy, I got a AK in my car too!"
She smiled at him and he couldn't help but grin. The car was a Toyota Corolla, and she had Alicia Key's "Tell Me Your Secrets" playing on repeat. She had on some skin tight denim short shorts, a white and pink baby doll tee with denim accents, and a pair of white and pink 4-inch stilettos with denim accents. She knew she was fly.
Her thick, golden thighs had him in a trance. She snapped her fingers for the 6th time.
"Mr. AK... uh... did you hear me?"
"I'm sorry?"
She rolled her eyes a
nd sighed. "I said... the police are behind us! Don't panic. I want you to act like you're sleep. Lean back and close your eyes and I'll handle the rest."
"Shawty I got a AK on me! I-"
"Shhhh!" She glared that icy look at him again. "I told you I got one too!"
Alicia pulled over and prayed that her plan worked.
"Uh... miss..." The officer started stuttering as soon as he approached the vehicle and saw how gorgeous Alicia was. He was becoming aroused just staring into her eyes. I gotta see her whole body, he thought
privately.
"Ma'am, I'ma need you to go ahead and step out of the car."
Right where I want this clown, she thought.
She opened the door and slid her sexy body out of the car. She had an 18 inch waist and 36 inch hips. The officer lost focus
momentarily.
"Ah... ma'am, this car has been reported stolen, so I'm going to have to take you on down to the station. I-"
"Stolen? OhmyGod! Why would my
boyfriend do such a thing? He told me that if I wore these shorts, that he was going to make my life a living hell... but damn! This is a bit extreme. Well, let me wake my little brother up and tell him that we're going to jail."
Alicia turned around and leaned across her seat in slow motion, trying to give the cop a view of her backside. When he read the tattoo on her butt cheeks, he knew right then that he had to try to fuck her.
"Ma'am... uhm... I... well... excuse me for asking you this... I couldn't help but to notice that your tattoo said... uhm..."
The officer blushed when he noticed that she had turned around and was facing him.
"Yea...my tattoo says Good Pussy, why'd you ask?"
"Ah... uhm... I just..."
"Why didn't you just ask me for my phone number?"
The officer couldn't believe his luck.
Thinking quick on his feet, he said, "This ahmm... boyfriend you got... does he ever beat on you?"
"Yes he does..."
"You think... I should get him out of the way to give us a little time..."
She smiled at the officer revealing a perfect row of teeth.
****** "You're a fine young man Mr. AK... I liked you as soon as I saw you."
Alex was smiling at Alicia; the smile of new promises and fresh starts.
"Please... you're the finest girl I ever met in my life!"
Alicia was smiling at Alex, the smile of honesty and love at first sight.
The famous Florida sun was making its routine performance, and it seemed as if every few minutes or so, the palm tree leaves would be so out of wind that they barely moved.
"It's a beautiful day outside Alicia... what do you wanna do today?"
She giggled as if there were an inside joke between her and herself. Then she looked at Alex; her eyes gleaming with sincerity.
"Let's rob a bank."
Then Alex caught the joke and started laughing as well.
"That's funny. I think it's a little too risky."
Then it seemed as if she found another joke and started her giggle again; a girlish giggle reeking of defiance and confidence.
"Boy stop!"
****** Wachovia was located between a Kroger supermarket and a strip plaza. Foot Locker, GameStop, SuperCuts, Ria's Nails, Circuit City, and Pizza Hut were all neighboring the bank. Alex had wanted to come up with a plan, but Alicia had insisted that since no plans were foolproof, they would be wasting valuable time creating one. They were going to freestyle the robbery.
A short, gray-haired, stocky woman was clutching her purse with all of her strength. She was about to deposit a cashier's check into her account for the amount of $400,000. She had been paid the amount as a cash advance on her new novel. She was a bestselling author, but no one knew who she was when they saw her. Even though, she still lived her life in constant paranoia.
She always thought someone was trying to rob her. There had been numerous false calls, but she damn near shit on herself when she saw two individuals walking towards the bank with ski masks on.
She immediately froze in her tracks and let out a sound wave piercing scream.
"Aaaaarggghh!"
Alex was pissed off at the reaction of the lady, but obviously not as pissed as Alicia was. Before the old lady could let another sound escape her mouth, Alicia had yielded the AK in her direction and fired.
TDAT! A hole the size of a hard boiled egg
magically appeared on her forehead.
"Girl, what the fuck! What you do that for? Fuck! We gotta go, we can't hit no bank now! Come on!" Alex was even more pissed now that Alicia had turned the situation from a robbery to a homicide.
He tied the belt tighter on his trench coat and took off into a brisk jog. Alicia was right behind him until they got by the Foot Locker outlet.
"Let's hit this store!" She screamed right before she ran in with her AK in her hands.
"Hands in the muthafuckin sky! You! Fill up the muthafuckin bag! Now!"
Kids were crying and some of the teenage girls were scared out of their minds. The outlet was in a collective shock, and just wanted the situation to be over with without any bloodshed.
Alex came into the Foot Locker shortly after Alicia; his trench coat unfastened and his AK in his hand.
"That's good! Gimme that bag! Let's go girl!"
Alex grabbed the bag and started to ease towards the door when he noticed Alicia with a shoe in her hand.
"What the fuck are you doing bitch?" He couldn't believe she was being so careless and naive.
"I'm bout to get these Jordans in a size 6 nigga!"
Alex was amazed that she would even think to try some dumb shit like that when there was a dead body outside.
"Man bring yo' muthafuckin' ass on!"
Alicia dropped the shoe and ran out of the door following Alex. They shed their coats when they made it around the corner and wrapped the masks and weapons up inside the coats. Alex threw his hand up and hailed a taxi.
Noticing that people were watching him and Alicia, he decided to use that to his
advantage.
"Come on girl, let's go down to the
Jacksonville Landing!"
They jumped into the cab and took off. The Jacksonville Landing was swarming with police officers and federal agents. The local news kept alternating between the crime scene and the location that the couple were rumored to have fled to. The news anchor stood silent before the camera, not realizing that she was on the air live. The cameraman finally snapped back to his senses and alerted Tonia that they were on.
"I am at the Sun Fair Plaza, where a tragic and very deadly crime has taken place. 55 year old bestselling author Paula Dolphin was murdered in broad daylight in an apparently botched bank robbery attempt. She was shot by an extremely high powered weapon on the eve of the release of her new novel, Sweet Bayou. Details are sketchy, but it is believed to be a young African American couple that committed this horrible deed. Authorities are scouring the scene for evidence and are collecting area surveillance footage as we speak. If you have any
information..."
Alex turned the television off and stared at Alicia, who had a very nonchalant attitude. She was sitting there acting like every thing was cool. They had jumped out of the cab five miles away from the scene of the crime and taken another cab 16 miles in the opposite direction; then Alicia called her girlfriend Porsha to pick them up so they could go hide out at her house which was 48 miles in the opposite direction.
Porsha had her arms crossed as if she was cold. She walked back and forth in an obvious display of nervousness after hearing what had happened. She had done jobs with Alicia before, but nothing had ever turned fatal. She knew Alicia had a hot temper but she also knew that her girl was trustworthy.
But this new nigga? She had never seen this clown a day in her life, and since Alicia hadn't mentioned him, she wasn't about to press her for info. Even though she didn't trust the guy, now was not a good time to bring it up.
"It's PORSHA!"
"O.K... Porsha... can you give us a little privacy?"
"Privacy? In my house? You want-"
"Hey... hey," Alicia interrupted, "she's cool people Alex... you can talk in front of her."
Alex met Porsha's glare and took another deep breath.
"Well, fuck it! Alicia, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you nigga? I'm handling my business! What the fuck, you thought I was toting that AK for fun? What? It was 2 AKs and you thought there would be no bodies left slumped over? If you thought that, you better start toting a water gun playa!"
Alex smirked at Alicia's forward
personality. Even though he thought she was missing a cylinder, he couldn't deny the level of attraction that they presented when they were in each other's company. There was love in the air.
"Aye shawty... dig this... I don't give a fuck about you catching that body. I'm talking bout that shit you pulled at Foot Locker."
She looked at Alex with puppy dog eyes.
"But I wanted those shoes."
Alex smiled at her, and for the moment it seemed as if they were the only two people in the room.
"Alicia baby... I understand that, but understand me; we'd just killed an old lady outside of Foot Locker shawty."
Alicia started to protest; started to jump back into her defensive stance, but suddenly came to the realization that there was no need for defense, for Alex was already trying to protect her. She dropped her head in silent resignation; finally admitting that he was right.
"Come here shawty... come sit in my lap, don't be over there sad..."
Alicia walked over and straddled Alex, then wrapped her arms around his neck. She placed her chin on his shoulder and closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She knew at that moment that he possessed the very quality that she had been seeking all her life: leadership.
She had never had a man to lead her; she seemed to only be able to find men who pushed her.
Pushed her in directions and situations that even they had never been in. They used her. But in no way could she be angry, because it gave her the coldness that it would take to survive in the most questionable of
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