Love's Grip

by Nika Michelle

  Uh, I had to ask her one question. “Is this really his place?”

  “It’s mine. It’s just in his name, and he pays the bills.”

  That meant it was really his. I couldn’t judge, because Rae wasn’t shit, but my spot was in my name. It had been up to me to leave. He hadn’t kicked me out. I wanted to go back to get my things, but even though I knew that he was gone, I was afraid he’d just pop up.

  “You’re living in some man’s place, and you’re not married to him. Do you really think he won’t kick you out?” I said. That was why I wanted my own place. I didn’t want Pistol having that kind of control over me. Then if he got locked up or killed … what was I going to do?

  I didn’t intend to be in her business, but she’d invited me in, and I was curious.

  As she took a long sip from her drink, her eyebrows shot up at me. After she put the glass down, she answered. “That nigga ain’t gon’ do shit. I know too much about all the illegal shit he does. I told him I’d tell the cops where he keeps his kilos, and he left here all mad.”

  My heart pounded. “When did he leave?”

  So, she was into those damn thugs too. No wonder we’d clicked so easily.

  “About an hour before I called you.”

  Oh shit. Their argument was still fresh.

  She continued. “He was supposed to come over last night, but I guess he was all in his damn feelings when he saw those pictures. Talking ’bout he gon’ go kill Dalvin. I mean, he’s capable of murder, but I don’t think he’ll do it. Dalvin’s my ex-boyfriend. Now that I think about it, I should’ve stayed with him. He ain’t a damn street thug. He actually works a legal gig as an X-ray technician at Emory. He just works so much and doesn’t have the money that fool BJ has. He couldn’t spoil me like him, but now that shit don’t even matter.” She sobbed and then put her face in her hands.

  My reaction was pure lack of know-how. The ability to comfort another woman was foreign to me. Kevia had been my only friend, and I’d hardly comforted her when we were close. I guessed not having my mother around to hug and kiss me as a kid had affected my ability to express emotions toward other women.

  “Money’s not the most important thing in a relationship. I mean, it’s important, but not the most important. A lot of couples break up over lack of finances, but you can’t stay with a person who treats you like shit because of money, either. I learned that I couldn’t keep lettin’ my ex treat me any kind of way. People do what we allow them to do to us. Obviously, you went back to your ex for a reason. Was he a better boyfriend? Was your ex’s lack of time and money the only reason you ended up with … BJ?”

  “When Dalvin did have time, he was a better boyfriend, much better.”

  We were still talking about our past relationships and sipping on our second round of mimosas when the door burst open. A tall, caramel-complexioned dude with close-cut waves was standing there, with an angry scowl on his face. I assumed it was her boyfriend, because he had a key.

  “BJ, what … ?” Megan spluttered.

  “Didn’t I tell you that you better be outta my shit when I got back, or I was gon’ fuck you up? Who the fuck is this bitch?” He turned to look at me.

  Damn. Why the fuck was he mad at me? I didn’t have anything to do with what was going on with them. I should’ve just stayed my ass at Pistol’s. I had had no clue that shit was that serious. Why had I thought her boo would be some square-ass nigga she had a simple-ass argument with? It was my fault for trying to be a friend to a strange bitch.

  “I was just leavin’.” I slid up to the edge of the sofa.

  Megan’s eyes pleaded with mine, and I saw her desperation. The thing was, my gun was in my car. If he did anything to her, I wouldn’t be able to help physically. Maybe I could leave and call 911, just in case. I’d send someone to check on her. She hadn’t said that dude was violent, but Rae hadn’t been violent toward me in the past, either.

  “Yeah, I think you should leave, yo. Me and Megan got some shit to talk about … in private,” he growled.

  I stood up. “Okay. Megan, I’ll call you.”

  “No, Daisha. Please don’t … ,” she begged.

  “Shut the fuck up, you cheatin’-ass bitch! You tell yo’ friend ’bout that? I bet you made me out to be the bad guy, like your shit don’t stink. How you gon’ cheat on me wit’ that lame-ass nigga? Huh? How the fuck you think you gon’ fuck that nigga and just end up back wit’ me like ain’t shit happen! Then you think I’m just gon’ let you live in the place where I pay fuckin” bills?” He started walking toward us, and I noticed that he was holding something behind his back.

  My first thought was that this nigga had a gun, so my instinct was to get the hell up out of there. How could I just run out and let him kill Megan, though? I had to try to do something, but what?

  When he got closer, my eyes almost popped out when I saw what he really was holding on to.

  The sounds of my and Megan’s screams could probably be heard all the way across town.

  “Aah! Aah!” Megan yelled.

  “What the fuck!” I screeched.

  That nigga was holding up a severed head, which, I assumed, belonged to Megan’s ex Dalvin. Blood dripped down to the floor, creating in a small red puddle. There was a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead, and his empty, dead eyes, which were wide open, were freaking me out.

  An evil smile spread across BJ’s face, and he let out a wicked laugh. “You should’ve gone on and left, shawty.” He stared at me with a deranged look on his face. “Megan got you mixed up in her bullshit. Now the both of you gon’ die.”

  He looked familiar as hell, and then, when I saw the tattoo on his neck, unfortunately, I knew exactly who he was. My heart raced. I wanted to be anywhere else on the earth than where I was at the moment. Damn. Damn. Damn. All I could do was hope and pray that Pistol would swoop me up and save me once again.

  Chapter 26

  Pistol

  “Meet me at the J. Christopher’s on Peachtree Street. It ain’t far from your spot. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. The missus is still asleep and ain’t makin’ breakfast, ’cause the kids ain’t up yet. Plus, I don’t feel like cookin’,” Diablo had told me over the phone.

  I had got back in bed a little while after Daisha fell asleep. She was sleeping so soundly that she didn’t wake up when I got in bed or when I got out very early the next morning. Not wanting to wake her up, I didn’t even bother to tell her where I was going. The thing was, I wasn’t mad at her at all. It was more disappointment in myself. For some reason, I felt like things had changed between us. She had seen me at my most vulnerable, and no man wanted his woman to see him like that. If she viewed me as weak, how could she trust me to protect her? Honestly, it wasn’t just about sex, like she might think.

  Of course, I wanted her to let go with me and let me please her like I had before the seizure. The only thing that bothered me was the issue of how long her reservations were going to last. There was no way that I wanted my woman to be afraid for me. The feelings between us were so damn real that I couldn’t just turn my back on her. It was up to her to deal with me and my issues. All I could do was hope she’d be able to come to grips with it all.

  When I walked up to Diablo’s table at J. Christopher’s, I noticed a younger version of Diablo sitting next to him. That had to be his son Zy. The resemblance between them was startling. I greeted them both as pleasantly as was possible at such an early hour of the morning.

  “You two look just alike. It’s crazy,” I commented as I took a seat.

  Diablo had told me all about how he’d first met his son five years ago. Zy had become a Cue, although at the time he had thought Diablo was dead. Diablo had faked his own death due to some criminal charges that he didn’t want to face and had fled to Miami. When Zy found out that his father was alive, he had planned to kill him for not being there for him over the years. He’d even gone as far as pulling a gun on him. Of course, he hadn’t gone thro
ugh with it. Diablo hadn’t even known that Zy existed, but when he’d laid eyes on him, he felt something. He still hadn’t figured it out on his own, though. That was a shock to me. It should’ve been like he was looking in a mirror.

  “Yeah, that’s all me,” Diablo chuckled.

  Zy sipped his water. “For real. Like father like son.”

  “So, y’all got something for me?” I quizzed anxiously as my eyes scanned both their faces. Seeing them together made me really miss my father.

  “Yeah.” Zy looked up. “But I’ll tell you all about that after we order.”

  The server was standing right beside me, and I realized that Zy was looking at him. We all ordered our food and then got back to business.

  “So,” Zy continued and pulled the phone I’d given Diablo from his pocket. “It took me all night, but I finally cracked it.”

  My heart pounded at the news, and I hoped it wasn’t too late to find Dank alive.

  “Whoever took your cousin must’ve dropped it. There’re a few text messages detailing their plan, but it’s in code.” Zy showed me the phone.

  I skimmed the text messages, which were just a bunch of gibberish, but I could read between the lines. The plan was to kidnap Dank, because they were suspicious about him and Mike being involved in G’s murder. The thing was they knew the two of them didn’t actually do it. I was sure Rae and the nigga he was with had confirmed that.

  “BJ’s one of the BHM enforcers, and he’s a cold-blooded killer. If Dank’s still alive, there’s a reason. From what I can tell, they got Dank ’cause they tryin’a find out what he knows. They wanna get whoever merked G. Once they find out, they gon’ kill him. I hope he’s holdin’ out and he’s still alive, but none of the messages say anything about where they holdin’ him at,” Zy explained. “I figured they went after Dank because they knew that your other cousin was fucked up in the hospital. Guess they figured he was gonna die, anyway.”

  I nodded, getting the same thing from the messages that had been sent by the contact known as BJ. If Dank was still alive, that meant he hadn’t put them on me. He was either trying to stay alive or just didn’t want to give me up. Then again, it was probably a mixture of both.

  “Ain’t no address or nothing in the texts. How do we know where they got Dank at?” I had to ask.

  Before I got an answer, our food arrived.

  Zy spoke up once the server was gone. “Don’t worry. We’re already workin’ on that. I do know that the BHM got a stash house out in Lithonia, close to Redan Road. It got a basement, so it would be the perfect spot to hold somebody.”

  “I nodded. “So, we gon’ try that place first?” I put a forkful of eggs in my mouth. They were delicious, or maybe I was just hungry as hell.

  Whoever the phone belonged to was smart enough not to take a bunch of pictures or selfies. We had no clue what he looked like. It really didn’t matter, though. We would be going for the BHM as a whole. The plan was to kill all of them that we came in contact with.

  Diablo and Zy had brought down plenty of crews before. From what they’d told me, those crews were even bigger and badder than the BHM.

  “Strength ain’t just in numbers, young buck,” Diablo told me as he poured syrup on his waffle. “Strength is in the mind. If you’ve ever read one of Aesop’s fables, you’ll know that it’s all about strategy.”

  He was right, and I was so ready for them to lay out the master plan.

  Zy’s phone rang, and he looked down at the screen. “It’s the wife. Hold on.” He put his pointer finger up.

  Damn, that was a surprise. He was my age and was married already. That shit really impressed me, and the way he talked to his wife showed his affection toward her. I had visions of Daisha becoming my wife one day. But first, I had to make sure that we both survived the threats around us.

  After Zy ended his call, we discussed the plan to hit up the BHM’s stash house. Then I left the restaurant alone. Daisha had called me a few times, and I listened to her voice mail as I headed to my car. I could tell from the voice mail she’d left that she was pissed. Before pulling out of the parking lot of the restaurant, I decided to call her back. That time my call went to voice mail. I left her a message.

  “Babe, I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls. I had to meet up with Diablo and his son. I’m on my way home now. So, I’ll see you in a few. Hopefully, we’ll be handlin’ business tonight. I got some shit to tell you. No more secrets, babe. I promise. Love you, Ma.”

  I hung up and headed toward my crib. Diablo would be calling me in a few hours to tell me where to meet him and Zy. We would be hitting up the BHM’s stash house while the Cues went to Bankhead to take them on at their headquarters. I was hoping we’d find Dank at either location. From what I’d learned, BJ was next in line to lead the BHM, and not Rae. That was interesting.

  Before I got to the crib, I decided to stop at a floral shop to pick up some orchids for Daisha. She’d told me they were her favorite flower. I also decided to stop at a jewelry shop to pick her up something special. After such a tense night, I wanted to make up with her. Besides, I had no idea how shit was going to turn out later that night.

  When I pulled up in one of the parking spots in front of my building, I noticed that Daisha’s car wasn’t there. It wasn’t like her not to tell me where she was going. Being that it was so early, I didn’t really worry. Maybe she just wanted to get out on her day off.

  Still, a feeling in my gut told me that it was more than that. She was probably pissed at me for not answering my phone and had left so that she wouldn’t have to be there when I returned.

  I grabbed the vase of flowers and the bag from the jewelry store and made my way inside. Once I was inside the condo, I put the vase on the coffee table and tried calling Daisha for a second time. Again, I got her voice mail. What the hell was going on?

  Something told me that she had probably gone out to get a bite to eat. I didn’t want to think the worst. Maybe my baby girl just needed some time to herself. We had been together a lot lately, and with the tension between us, she may have wanted a little space.

  Almost thirty minutes passed by, and I just had this anxious feeling that I couldn’t shake. I was starting to really worry about Daisha at that point. She should’ve seen that I was calling her, and I couldn’t imagine her being so upset that she wouldn’t call me back.

  When my phone rang, I grabbed it, just knowing that I’d see Daisha’s number on the screen. Instead, it was a number that I didn’t have in my contacts. I had saved Diablo’s number, but not Zy’s. Maybe it was him. I answered the call.

  “Yo.”

  “Yeah, nigga. You won’t answer when I call from my number, so I had to use somebody’s else’s phone.”

  I didn’t even recognize the bitch’s voice, and I was not in the mood for no bullshit.

  “Who the fuck is this? I ain’t got time for games. I’m a grown-ass man,” I growled.

  “Oh, so you don’t know my voice, huh? That’s fucked up, Pistol.” The way she said my name like it was poison in her mouth showed me her disdain for me.

  So, obviously, she’d called the right person.

  “Nah, I don’t know your voice, so that gotta tell you that you don’t mean shit to me.” The venom I spit back had to get under her skin.

  She sucked her teeth like the truth pissed her off. “Well, damn. I knew you wasn’t all in love wit’ me or nothin’, but if you would’ve let me in, it could’ve got to that point. You know you loved how I was suckin’ that dick, Daddy.”

  “A’ight, shawty. If I loved how you sucked my dick, thank you. I appreciate the favor and shit, but I ain’t tryin’a fuss wit’ you over my dick bein’ in yo’ mouth. That was your choice. I don’t owe you shit. You act like I begged you to suck my dick. No worries, Ma. That’s covered now. My baby girl got that. I gotta go…. Bye.”

  Before I could hang up, she started screaming erratically. “It’s Kendra, nigga, and I don’t appreciate you dissin’ me for
that li’l bitch you fuckin’! I’m gon’ show you that you shouldn’t go around messin’ wit’ people’s feelings and—”

  “Bitch, please! You sound silly as hell. I ain’t never messed wit’ your feelings, yo. You knew that all I wanted to do was fuck. I got a text to prove it. Don’t keep playin’ yourself, shawty. Just go ahead and hang up ’fore you get yo’ li’l feelings hurt.”

  “Get my feelings hurt? Really? You think that’s what this shit is about?” She laughed loudly, sounding ignorant as hell. “You can’t hurt my feelings, nigga. It’s just … I’m tired of y’all niggas thinkin’ I’m a damn play toy.” It sounded like that bitch was crying. “Like you can just fuck me when you want and put me back on the fuckin’ shelf.”

  What was that ho talking about, and why was she crying? We hadn’t even fucked. All she had done was start sucking my dick. She hadn’t even got to finish that shit. So, there was another crazy bitch out there, ready to complicate things for me. If only I hadn’t been thinking with my dick head. It was like the situation with Niya all over again. At least I knew that she didn’t have a key to my spot. This ho didn’t even know where I lived.

  “If you got issues wit’ yo’ sperm donor, you need to take that shit up wit’ him, not me. We didn’t even fuck, baby girl. Get that fantasy outta yo’ head. It didn’t happen, and it’ll never happen. I just let you get a small taste of this dick, and you couldn’t even handle that. Get yo’ mind right, shawty. Then some nigga out there might just fuck wit’ you like that. Won’t be me, though.”

  I hung up and immediately blocked the number she’d called from. A nigga had other shit to think about, and fussing with some bitch on the phone was not on the list. Knowing where my girl was at was way more important.