Randle stared at Sammy Black Jr. for a few more seconds. He then let out a light chuckle before making an about face. Love let out a sigh of relief. He knew he’d have a hard time explaining if something jumped off between the two. He made his way down Sammy Black Jr.’s ramp. Andre Randle followed.
Sammy Black made an attempt to close his condo door for a second time.
“Oh, one more thing?” Randle spun around. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about a young Irish kid getting killed at a motel would you?”
“Go fuck yourself!” he replied then slammed the door behind them.
“Didn’t think so.” Randle chuckled again. Arthur Love shook his head.
Sammy Black Jr. watched from the side window as the two cops made their way back to their vehicle. Once the car pulled off, he pulled out his phone.
“What in the hell got into you back there? You could’ve jeopardized the case,” Arthur Love pointed out, getting in the driver’s seat. He couldn’t wait to get his partner alone to tear into him.
“Fuck that scum bag!” Randle boomed. “My gut is telling me that that asshole was expecting us.”
Arthur Love felt the same way as Randle, but they were in two different positions. Andre Randle was no longer a police officer. Arthur Love was. He knew he had a responsibility to uphold the law at all costs and couldn’t handle matters from a personal perspective. It was bad enough he was not supposed to be taking Randle with him on any investigations. But they had started this together and that’s how he intended to finish it.
“Let it go,” he told Randle. “He knows we’re on to him. Maybe he’ll call off his dogs and let us do our job now.” Arthur Love was hopeful.
“Yeah, maybe,” he dryly replied. “But I doubt it.”
Arthur Love put the Impala in reverse and backed out of Sammy Black Jr.’s driveway.
At the same time, the caller on the other end of Sammy Black Jr.’s phone picked up. “Yeah, those two fucking detectives you told me about just left my damn house!” Sammy had become angry all over again from the brief brush with the two detectives. “We need to talk, and not over the phone, so I suggest you wake the hell up and get over here!” he demanded before hanging up and tossing his phone up against the wall.
Chapter Twenty-three
Ghetto Governor stood in his doorway with an unlit cigar dangling from his mouth and a full-length robe and slippers on. He watched as Treacherous and Baby exited the SUV. He welcomed them with open arms.
“Sorry about this,” Treacherous apologized for waking Ghetto Governor up in the middle of the night.
Ghetto Governor glanced down at his Movado watch. The big hand rested where the number six would have been while the little hand sat where the number four would have been. “Man, don’t worry about it. I was gettin’ up in another hour anyway.” He patted Treacherous on the shoulder.
“Thank you.” Baby waved and smiled appreciatively.
Ghetto Governor nodded and winked. Once inside, he directed his attention to Treacherous. “Yours?” he asked, referring to the SUV.
“Nah.” Treacherous shook his head.
Ghetto Governor chuckled. “Give me the keys. I’ll have somebody take care of it.”
Treacherous tossed him the keys.
Ghetto Governor stuck his hand into the right pocket of his robe. He pulled out his cell phone and placed a call. “Yo, I need you to come home and take out this trash if you want your allowance this week,” Ghetto Governor chimed into the speaker of his Android. He spoke over the phone in a code that the man on the other end of the call understood. Both Treacherous and Baby deciphered that Ghetto Governor was telling the caller to come and get rid of the SUV.
“And, I need you to drop off a package for me at the post office on your way to work,” Ghetto Governor added.
Treacherous and Baby looked at each other with puzzled looks. They couldn’t figure out the second part of the code.
Ghetto Governor concluded the call. “We can talk in the morning,” he said to them. “You guys need your rest, so you can fill me in on everything then,” Ghetto Governor suggested. “And in case you were tryin’a figure it out,” he said, changing subjects, “this is a nosey neighborhood. A Crime Stoppers, Say No to Drugs type of community, so it wouldn’t be in none of our best interests to risk y’all staying here. So, I told my partner I needed him to take y’all, being the package, to my other spot on his way back home, which is where he works from, because it’s going his way.” Ghetto Governor shot them both winks. “He’ll be here shortly. Here’s the key.” Ghetto Governor handed the key chain with the single key on it to Treacherous.
“I see y’all in the a.m.” Ghetto Governor waved as he made his way up the steps leading to his bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-four
Baby was in a deep sleep, but the smell of food awakened her from the relaxing dream she was having. It was nothing extraordinary but it was enough for her not to want to wake from the dream. She had just been dreaming about her and Treacherous being on a remote paradise island with more money than she knew what to do with. She and Treacherous were no longer on the run and they were finally free to simply be.
Baby rolled over and smiled before opening her eyes to be faced with reality. She opened her eyes to the sun peeking through the blinds. She looked over at the clock that sat on the nightstand and it read 9:45 a.m. She couldn’t believe she had slept in so late, let alone at all. Although she and Treacherous were appreciative that Ghetto Governor had housed them in his spare home, it was not Baby’s home. She still hadn’t gotten over seeing how their place had been trashed. She had put a lot of love into the home and was a little shaken up and hurt behind the invasion. Baby shook off the thought. The smell oozing in the bedroom, coming from the next room, prompted Baby to get up. She dragged herself to the bathroom.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” Treacherous raised his head up from the plate in front of him and smiled.
Baby walked into the small kitchenette and saw that there was a plate with eggs, home fries, and turkey bacon with a glass of orange juice sitting beside it. She smiled with her eyes. Not only had he made breakfast for her but her eggs were cooked perfectly with the cheese melting nicely on top, compared to his plate where he obviously had scrambled his cheese into the eggs. A smile now appeared across her face and widened. To the average person it may have been nothing, but to Baby it was everything. He had taken the extra effort to make her plate completely to her liking. It had been a long time since someone had done something thoughtful and simple for her. She hadn’t felt that way in a while, not since before she had been committed to the mental institution.
It was times like this that made Baby thankful for the bond Treacherous and she shared. She had something that was her very own and that was the unbreakable bond that she shared with her lover.
She pulled out the kitchen table chair and wasted no time digging into the breakfast.
“How’s the food?”
“I haven’t said a word since sitting down; that should be an indication,” Baby slyly remarked.
Treacherous shook his head at her smart remark.
“But to answer your question, it’s great,” she replied in between bites of food.
“You know we have a big day ahead of us.”
“Uh huh,” she answered with a mouthful of food. How could I forget? She knew the reality of the lives that they lived. Since breaking out of the mental institution, there hadn’t been a dull moment, to say the least. It was a trying time for them. Baby was aware that every day was a risk and one wrong move or slip-up may cause it to be their last day of freedom.
Baby knew that after eating she had to shower and get dressed. She knew they needed to get some money and that meant the only way they knew how. The Miami trip had still left a bad taste in their mouths. Baby still couldn’t believe they had been caught slipping. She was still trying to convince herself it wasn’t her fault. Treacherous continued to assure her that it wasn’t, but she
knew if he hadn’t been trying to cater to her by bringing Tammy to their room, they wouldn’t be in the financial predicament they were in.
Normally Baby had a no-fear attitude but today she had butterflies, a feeling that she would never reveal, but it was still something that plagued her. The job seemed to be very simple, based on how Ghetto Governor ran it down. “In and out type of job with no surprises,” was the way Ghetto Governor had described the score. But Baby was fully aware that nothing was ever simple as it seemed. She hoped it was in fact that simple though.
Baby drank the last bit of orange juice in her glass then stood up. She made her way over to Treacherous and grabbed his plate. She placed the dishes in the sink then made her way back over to Treacherous.
“Thanks for breakfast.” Baby kissed him on the top of his head. “I’ma go get ready,” Baby then announced. She spun and turned. The impact of Treacherous’s hand smacking her on her voluptuous bottom caused Baby to jump. Baby turned back around, rolled her eyes, and smiled.
“Hurry up.” Treacherous returned her smile. “So we can get this money!” he added.
“I know,” Baby agreed. “And we will.” Then she disappeared into the bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-five
The sophisticated Caucasian woman strutted out of the establishment with a “satisfied customer” look plastered across her face. Treacherous and Baby watched from afar. After watching the flow of traffic in and out of the store they knew she was the last one in the store.
“Here we go.” Treacherous looked back at Baby. She nodded and flipped her visor down. Treacherous put the bike into first gear. Within seconds he was pulling alongside the curb of the store. The layout of the store was simple, just the way Ghetto Governor had described. The doors were regular, not bolt lock doors, so they couldn’t lock from the inside.
Baby was the first to walk in, dressed in an all-navy two piece and six-inch heels. Treacherous trailed a short distance behind. As soon as they walked in, their eyes lit up. When Ghetto Governor first told them about the small store and what he believed would be the take on the job, Treacherous and Baby were a little skeptical, but they were desperate and needed the cash. Now seeing the array of pieces with their own eyes, it seemed too good to be true.
Baby pulled her mask down. Treacherous took one last look out the door and saw the sophisticated Caucasian woman pull out of the parking lot from around the side. He drew his mask over his face as well. The first case to their left contained women’s necklaces, earrings, and beads. The second display case was where the money was located. It contained men’s and women’s Rolexes from Yacht-Master to Presidential. The third display case had three trays of engagement rings. Treacherous and Baby couldn’t believe the store only had one camera centered in the middle that didn’t rotate. It just like Ghetto Governor had said. They couldn’t believe he was also right when it came to the protection of the store. There was no security guard in sight.
Treacherous was armed with a gym bag and a mallet while Baby possessed two matching .40-calibers.
Baby sprang into immediate action. “Y’all know what the fuck it is! Put ya fucking hands in the air, bring y’all old asses over here, and lie on the floor with ya hands behind ya heads! If you wanna die do something stupid!” Baby yelled brandishing her ratchet.
The glass shattered, as Treacherous wasted no time smashing and grabbing the goods. He broke both display cases with his mallet and then started emptying them out while Baby held the store workers at gunpoint. Ghetto Governor had called what Treacherous was doing “smash and grab,” something he had learned about back in New Jersey a long time ago. Treacherous and Baby had never heard of it. You couldn’t tell by the way Treacherous and Baby worked the store that they were rookies at smashing and grabbing though.
Treacherous was snatching up watches and rings at a rapid pace. His motivation was not only to make it out of the store with everything but to get out as soon as possible. The jewelry store consisted of two elderly women and a middle-aged man. The two elderly women nervously walked to the center of the store with their hands up, while the man came from behind the counter and followed. Both women were in their early eighties, with gray hair done up Barbara Bush style and wrinkly faces. They looked like they had one foot in and one foot out of the grave. Treacherous was surprised they didn’t have heart attacks right then and there. The man, on the other hand, looked younger than his fifty-two years of existence, thanks to eating healthy and working out. No matter how much he worked out, he knew better than to play the hero and try something stupid.
“Please don’t kill us! Please!” one of the elderly women pleaded as she passed Baby.
Baby shoved her in the back. “Do as you’re told and you won’t have no problem.”
Just then, Baby’s and the middle-aged man’s eyes met as he came within reaching distance of his gun. Baby butted him in the face with her gun, immediately drawing blood from his forehead, and pushed him onto the floor before he had time to draw his weapon. She wanted him to know she meant business.
“Oh you tough, muthafucka?” she exclaimed. The blow sent him crashing to the floor. “I’ma ask you one time. If you lie, you die. You understand me?” Baby explained placing her right foot in the center of the man’s back. “Now, get up! You,” she continued, pointing the gun at the two elderly women. “Where the cash at?”
“In the back in the safe,” one elderly woman blurted out. She wanted nothing more than for Treacherous and Baby to take what they came for and leave as quickly as possible. She didn’t know how much her heart could take with all that was happening at that moment.
“Show me!” Baby ordered, waving her gun at the middle-aged man.
Treacherous peered at his watch and saw that they had been in the store for just under a minute. He watched as the man escorted Baby toward the back at gunpoint. Baby was deviating from the plan he knew. They agreed to get in and get out with all that they could in seven minutes or less, still leaving room to beat the police’s response time of ten minutes. It was the same plan they had discussed and rehearsed over and over. He had already snatched up all of the watches Ghetto Governor had told him to focus on so there was no need for Baby to want to go in the back. He took another glance down at his watch. A minute and a half more had gone by.
“Come on,” Treacherous said under his breath as his eyes stayed locked on the back room door.
Meanwhile, Baby held the middle-aged man at gunpoint. “Hurry the fuck up!” she barked. She figured it would be easy for her to grab the money from the back as an extra incentive for themselves and snatch up whatever else was of some value. The middle-aged man wasted no time making a beeline to the wall safe they used to store cash and important documents. He was so nervous his hands were shaking. He struggled with the combination and was unable to open the lock in that condition.
Time was ticking. “What’s the fucking combination, nigga?” Baby barked making him flinch.
The middle-aged man recited the combination. She shoved him to the side. In three motions, Baby opened the safe. She butted the middle-aged man with the back of her pistol, knocking him out. The safe contained cash and a few trays of expensive-looking assorted diamond rings. Baby grabbed the garbage bag out of the trashcan by the desk. She emptied the contents on the floor, and began putting the money in the bag. Just when she finished she heard Treacherous shouting from out front.
“Hurry up in there; we over our time by ten seconds. Let’s go! Let’s go!” Baby heard him bellow.
Baby stepped over the middle-aged man and made her way back to the front. When she came back she quickly emptied the display case with more rings.
“We good?” Treacherous asked.
“Yeah.”
Treacherous nodded. He made his way over to the entrance and stuck his head outside the door to make sure there were no cops patrolling, or walking by on surveillance. He gave Baby the signal indicating the coast was clear.
“Stay down and don’t get u
p,” Baby boomed at the two elderly women. “Your colleague is in the back. You can go check on him after you count from a hundred to one, backward,” she added.
Treacherous was already out the door. Baby rapidly made her way out of the jewelry store. Treacherous was already jerking the throttle on the bike and was in first gear by the time Baby hopped on the back. Moments later they were cautiously cruising on Interstate 64 all the way back to the crib Ghetto Governor had set them up in until they pulled the job off.
Although she showed him time and time again, Baby never ceased to amaze Treacherous. She continued to show him that she was a ride or die chick for real. He couldn’t help but smile as he put distance between them and the jewelry store. I found my Bonnie, Treacherous thought as he exited the interstate. Seeing her in action back at the jewelry store turned him on. Treacherous couldn’t wait to get Baby back to the crib. As he cruised down Waterside Drive, Treacherous couldn’t help feeling like he had just pulled off a caper that could have easily been a scene straight out of his mother’s memoirs. It was a perfectly executed plan.
Chapter Twenty-six
Treacherous and Baby walked into Ghetto Governor’s game store storefront. They each carried small knapsacks over their shoulders. Ghetto Governor was engrossed in heavy debate with a group of teenagers about sports.
“Man, don’t no Kobe got nothing on LeBron,” complained a chubby brown-skinned kid with only half of his afro braided.
“Who told you that, young’un?” Ghetto Governor snapped back. “L.J. the truth!” he continued.
“Who got more rings?” a tall, lanky kid challenged.
Ghetto Govenor stared up at the ceiling and rolled his eyes. “Y’all don’t know basketball. Y’all just know Jordan sneakers,” he finally said, causing a rupture of laughter among the youth.
He spotted Treacherous and began walking toward him. Treacherous hadn’t really noticed how big of a dude Ghetto Governor was until right then and there. He stood at the towering height of six foot three inches, and had to weigh at least 300 pounds, thought Treacherous. He had a huge, round belly that protruded far from his body. He had no way of knowing Ghetto Governor loved his stomach. If anybody ever commented about it, he would proudly rub his gut and simply say, “Good living.” It was obvious that he was mixed with something, but nobody was exactly sure what he was mixed with. He would never reveal his racial heritage. He liked for people to wonder about him.
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