by Jade Jones
“Fuck you,” Cameron spat.
That feisty shit only turned Jude on. He grabbed Cameron by the elbow and turned her around to face him. He wasn’t as aggressive that time, and he used just enough force to let her know he was in control. Before Cameron could pull away from him again, Jude crushed his lips against hers.
At first, Cameron tried to fight the passionate kiss but as soon as Jude slipped his tongue inside she decided to give in. Her anger slowly dissipated as he kissed her in Persuasion’s parking lot. From the corner of her eye, Cameron noticed her cab pull up. Seconds later, her cellphone began ringing but she ignored it.
Melting into Jude’s body, Cameron closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Jude’s neck. His dreads hung over her shoulders as he pulled her closer. She felt so good in his embrace; so safe and loved.
When they finally pulled apart Cameron noticed that her cab had pulled off but she didn’t give a damn. “Don’t do any petty shit like that again,” she told Jude.
Jude pulled Cameron so close that his erection pressed into her. “You feel that?” he whispered. “I want you like a mothafucka, Cam. I’ma always want you.” He suckled her bottom lip and gave it a gentle tug with his teeth. That shit really drove Cameron crazy. “I don’t give a damn about these strippers or these bitches in the streets. As long as I got you I got everything. Ya dig?”
The reassurance felt so good to hear. Sometimes Cameron needed it. Grabbing, Jude’s hand she led him towards their truck. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other for the entire ride home, and Jude had nearly got into a collision after Cameron dropped her head in his lap. Their sensuous session continued all up until they pulled in front of their town home.
Cameron fumbled with the keys as Jude held her from behind and walked with her to the front door. When she stepped on the first stair the house keys accidentally dropped from her fingers.
The keys were the last thing on Jude’s mind when he pulled Cameron down onto the stairs with him.
“Boy, what are you doing?” Cameron giggled as she watched him undo his jeans. “Not out here.”
“I can’t wait anymore,” Jude said, lifting her maxi skirt up and pushing her panties to the side. It was nearly 4 a.m., and there wasn’t a single car in sight. The only sound that could be heard was crickets chirping in the distance.
“Baby, we shouldn’t—oh, shit,” Cameron moaned after he slid inside her. “We shouldn’t be out here in the open like this,” she said breathlessly. Cameron was saying one thing, but Jude felt so good between her legs.
He nibbled on Cameron’s chin as he made love to her on the front stairs of their townhome. “I don’t give a damn. Let ‘em see our love.”
***
The following afternoon, Lana relaxed in the master bathroom’s deep garden tub. The thick lavender scented bubbles looked like a cloud of pillows as she reclined in the water. Her iPod nano’s ear buds were plugged in and a glass of red wine rested on the edge of the tub.
The tub’s jets soothed her body as her fingers stroked her clit underneath the water. Images of Tank pulling her hair and hitting it from behind came to mind. Seconds before she finally made herself cum she felt a hand gently grab her foot. A warm mouth covered her toes, gently sucking on each one. When she opened her eyes and saw Aso her entire fantasy died.
Pulling her foot away, Lana sat up in the tub and removed her headphones. “What are you doing?” she asked, clearly annoyed.
“I saw you in here lookin’ like you were havin’ a good time and I wanted to get in on that,” Aso said.
“I’m not really in the mood for all that right now,” Lana said disinterestedly. All she wanted was Tank, but sadly he didn’t feel the same. “I really just wanted some solitude. I sucked your dick last night. Damn. Wasn’t that enough?”
“Bitch, you ain’t never in the mood,” Aso complained. “And that’s another got damn thing. Everything’s about you! I swear you one of the most selfish hoes I know. An ole inconsiderate, cocky mothafucka and nobody likes that shit—”
“Oh my goodness. Get out of your fee-fees,” Lana waved him off.
Aso stood up from the edge of the tub. He wore nothing but a pair of True Religion jeans. “You know what? I’m startin’ to wonder why I even keep yo’ black ass around. I’d rather pay for some pussy than put up with the headache you give me—and as a matter of fact I’d be better off just doin’ that. It ain’t like my bitch wants to fuck me. And then you wanna bring up that weak, half-assed head from last night—you sucked my shit like you barely even wanted to do it. I don’t know why the fuck I even bother with ya ass.”
Lana plugged back in her ear buds and continued to listen to her Live.Love.ASAP album. Aso’s temper tantrum didn’t faze her because she knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
“Maybe it’s about that time I replace ya ass,” Aso tossed over his shoulder as he exited the bathroom.
Since the music wasn’t turned up very loud, Lana caught the rude comment. “I’m sure Tank won’t mind gettin’ next,” she mumbled under her breath. She’d said it a little louder than she intended to with the music playing in her ears.
Aso was halfway out the bathroom when he turned on his heel. “The fuck you just say?!” he roared.
Lana flinched at the tone of his voice, and one of the ear buds plopped into the bubbly bath water.
“What the fuck did you just say?!” Aso quickly made his way over towards Lana with clenched fists. She shuffled nervously in the tub, but before she could think up a response Aso punched her dead in the nose.
WHAP!
The blow was so unexpected that it sent Lana sinking further inside the bathtub. The warm water quickly turned dark red as blood gushed from her dislocated nose.
“You been fuckin’ my brother, bitch?!” Aso yelled. “That’s why you been actin’ stiff with a nigga lately?” There was so much anger and pain in Aso’s voice.
Lana came back up coughing and choking as she tried to suck in air. She couldn’t breathe through her nose. Blood gushed down her chin and chest. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” she screamed. “I think you broke my fucking nose!” Lana cradled her injured face as she sat in a tub filled with her own blood.
“Answer the mufuckin’ question!” Aso demanded. “Did you fuck my brother or not?!”
Lana held her hands up to protect herself. “Wait a minute. Please, let me explain—”
However, it was too late. Aso grabbed Lana’s small shoulders and forced her underneath the water. Her legs thrashed about violently as he held her head beneath the bubbles. Water sloshed onto the bathroom tile but Aso refused to let up.
Lana tried to fight as much as she could but Aso was far stronger.
Reality quickly settled in and Aso realized his actions. “Damn, I’m so sorry baby,” he apologized.
Lana coughed and wheezed hysterically as she struggled to breathe. “Get the…fuck away…from me!” she said in between labored breaths.
Aso reached for Lana, but she quickly jumped in fear. The gesture instantly pissed him off because he knew he’d lost her. Without remorse, he snatched a handful of her thousand dollar weave and forced her back underneath the scarlet bath water.
Lana fought to remain afloat. All of Aso’s previous threats had fell on deaf ears. Lana would’ve never imagined he’d actually hurt her. “Aso, I’m preg—”
Her sentence was immediately cut off when he pushed her head under the red water. Aso didn’t release his hold until Lana ceased her kicking and thrashing.
Wiping the perspiration off his forehead, he slowly stood to his feet and looked down at the garden tub.
Lana’s body floated lifelessly underneath the rose red water. Her doe shaped eyes were still open and staring at nothing in particular. She’d released her bowels in the midst of struggling.
Without warning, vomit shot up Aso’s esophagus, forcing him to rush to the toilet. After reaching it, he lifted the lid and heaved the contents of his breakfast.
Damn. What the fuck did I just do, Aso asked himself.
Wiping the saliva from his mouth and chin, he stumbled into the bedroom where he retrieved his cellphone and called his cousin.
Jude answered on the fourth ring. “What’s up? I’m with my lady with right now.” He had taken Cameron and Justin to Little Five Points for lunch and sightseeing.
Aso paused and ran a shaky hand over his brush waves. “Cuz, I done fucked up,” he said. “I need ya help…”
15
Tank stepped to the side and lit the tip of a Newport with a small lighter.
Armed with a KSG, Axel kicked in the front door of a Raleigh, North Carolina craftsman home. Tank followed him inside carrying a G17 with a silencer at his side.
Mitch Jackson jumped off the sofa after hearing the intrusion. As soon as he saw two men standing in his living room with their weapons drawn he already knew what time it was. Turning on his heel, he ran towards the hallway—
PFEW!
A single bullet pierced his calf muscle.
“AAHH!” he cried out, crashing onto the floor.
Tank had perfect aiming since he frequented the shooting range at least several times a week. He kept his Glock aimed at Mitch as he hastily made his way over towards him. He puffed on the cigarette a few times and leaned over the injured man.
“Come on, man! Don’t do this shit!” Mitch begged. “I got money! I can pay you! Everything I got is inside a Nike shoebox in my closet. Take it, man! Just don’t kill me!”
Tank smashed the lit cigarette into Mitch’s cheek.
“Owwwwww!” Mitch screamed.
“This ain’t about no mothafuckin’ money you know it,” Tank said calmly. “The nigga King sent me to send you a message.” He stood to his feet and aimed the G17 at Mitch’s head. “He told me to tell you if want out The Ring then there’s only one way to leave.”
POP! POP!
Tank put two bullets in Mitch’s dome—per King’s request.
King had sent Tank after Mitch simply because he wanted to get out of the car theft business. At the moment King seemed understanding, so Mitch took that as the go head to move to North Carolina in hopes of starting over. Unfortunately, King couldn’t risk Mitch holding onto the all the information he knew while no longer being an asset to his business. Sadly, Aso had failed to tell Jude that when you worked for King you were pretty much selling your soul to devil. Once you were in there was no getting out.
All of a sudden, Tank’s cellphone began ringing. He was surprised to see his brother’s name flashing across the screen. “Man, what this mothafucka want?” he asked himself before answering. “Yo?”
“You been fuckin’ Lana, nigga?”
Tank sighed in irritation. Now wasn’t the time or the place for the petty shit. Nevertheless, he decided to be real with his little brother. “Yeah…I smashed a few times…”
Aso chuckled on the opposite end. He didn’t expect for Tank to be so straightforward. “Damn, nigga. You lightweight foul. All the shit I did for you—I put ya ass on to King—it’s because of me you even got that mufuckin’ job!” he pointed out. “And you been hittin’ my girl?”
“Bruh, we gon’ have to chop it when I get back,” Tank said nonchalantly. “Ain’t really the time for this shit—“
“Oh, I’ma see you when you get back, nigga. You can believe that shit.” CLICK!
Tank was confused by Aso’s statement, but he couldn’t afford to entertain him at the moment.
Opening up the camera in his iPhone, he snapped two photos of Mitch before sending them to King’s number. Minutes later, the funds were transferred into his bank account.
***
Aso hung up on Tank the minute he heard knocking at his front door. At first, his heart sunk into the pit of his stomach because he feared it was the police. Then he remembered that he’d called Jude.
Aso hurriedly answered the front door and Jude trudged inside. “What’s up, mothafucka? You look like shit too by the way,” Jude said.
“Nigga, I fucked up!” Aso blurted out. “I fucked up bad, cuz!” He was beginning to panic at the thought of being arrested.
Jude gave Aso a skeptical look. “How bad?” he asked.
Aso led Jude inside the master bathroom. The soles of his Prada sneakers slid on the wet tile. He had to grab onto the wall just to keep from falling. Jude couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Lana’s lifeless body resting at the bottom of the tub.
He looked over at Aso in shock and disbelief. “You did this shit?!”
Tears formed in Aso’s hazel eyes. “Man, I overreacted!” he ran his bloodstained hands over his hair. “I wasn’t fuckin’ thinkin’, cuz!”
Jude backed out the bathroom. “This ain’t got nothin’ to do with me. I don’t want shit to do with this,” he said, walking off.
Aso quickly ran around Jude and thwarted his path. “You gotta help a nigga, fam!” he begged. “I ain’t built for no mufuckin’ prison life!” Tears slid down his light brown cheeks. “That shit’ll break me bruh,” he said. “Come on, I came through with the job and the crib. I looked out for you! Look out for me, blood! I can’t go to prison!”
Jude’s jaw muscle tensed as he thought about what his cousin was asking from him. Sometimes he had too big of a heart.
Aso was his family, and he didn’t want to lose another person close to him. Jerrell was already enough. And Jude hated to agree, but Aso definitely wasn’t built for the prison life. Emotionally, he was too weak. Physically, he couldn’t have been any bigger than rapper, Wiz Khalifa.
Ignoring his better judgment, Jude said, “Damn nigga…you really puttin’ me in a hard place right now. Fuck it. You got any gloves, man?”
***
Rumor held a forkful of chicken flavored Ramen noodles near Calix’s cracked, dry lips. “Here you go, baby,” she said after blowing on the noodles a few times.
Calix looked irritated as he stared at the garage ceiling. “Bitch, get that shit away from me,” he cursed.
Rumor giggled. “What’s wrong? You not used to eat the broke man’s food?”
Calix’s nostrils flared in anger. “How long are you fuckin’ going to keep me in here, Rumor? Shit, people gon’ start askin’ questions. You know how many mufuckas I deal with on a regular basis? People gon’ start gettin’ worried.”
“You’re going to starve to death if you don’t eat,” Rumor said, bringing the fork back to his mouth.
Calix turned his head away. “Fuck you, crazy ass bitch.”
Rumor’s cellphone unexpectedly began vibrating beside her. When she looked at the caller ID she rolled her eyes. Her sister had the worse timing. Placing the bowl of Ramen noodles on the floor ground beside her Rumor answered the phone.
“What the hell do you want? Why do you keep calling me, Roxie?” she asked annoyed.
“I want to talk to you,” Roxie cried. “I miss my sister! We shouldn’t be letting something like this drive us apart. We need to talk so we can get past this, Rumor. We’re all each other got.”
“SOMEBODY FUCKING HELP—“
Rumor quickly covered Calix’s mouth with her hand.
“Sis?” Roxie called out. “Sis, what was that?”
“It was noth—Aaahh!” she yelped in pain after Calix bit her hand. His pearly white teeth tore into her flesh, causing severe pain.
Rumor grabbed the fork off the ground and viciously stabbed Calix in the shoulder.
He instantly released her hand and howled in pain.
“Hello?!” Roxie yelled. “Rumor, say something! What’s going on over there? I’m coming over!”
Rumor quickly put the phone back to hear. “No! Don’t come over!” But it was too late. Roxie had already disconnected the call.
“I can’t fucking believe you stabbed me!” Calix said in disbelief. He looked down at the fork protruding from his shoulder. Blood trickled down his arm.
Rumor hastily covered Calix’s mouth with duct tape. If the police weren’t
already on their way, Roxie sure was. Why won’t this hoe just leave me alone? Sleeping with my man wasn’t enough for her?
Holding her injured, bleeding hand, she made her way to the bathroom sink and ran cold water over the bite wounds. “Shit!” Rumor hissed. Her right hand trembled in agony as she tried her best to clean the laceration. “I can’t believe this motherfucker bit me.”
Tigger ran inside the bathroom and began yapping at her feet since he needed to pee.
Rumor opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Tigger’s incessant whining was beginning to get on her nerves. After unscrewing the cap she poured the alcohol over her wounded hand.
Rumor gritted her teeth to keep from screaming. “Fuck me!” she cried out.
Tigger’s whines suddenly turned into loud barks.
“Would you shut the hell up?!” Rumor screamed before kicking the shit out Tigger.
He yelped in pain before his little, fragile body slammed into a nearby wall. Whimpering in fear, Tigger quickly scurried out the bathroom before Rumor could cause more harm.
Rumor gasped in shock after realizing what she’d done. Just then the doorbell rang.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Rumor cursed. She had forgotten that her sister stayed on 14th street in the Windsor at Midtown. Depending on traffic, it took about five minutes to get to her house.
Rumor opened the medicine cabinet, and hurriedly bandaged her swollen hand. Her doorbell continued to ring reminding her that she also had another issue at the front door.
Quickly making her way to the door, she peered through the peephole. Roxie stood on the opposite side with a worrisome expression on her pretty, youthful face. She was a shade or two lighter than Rumor but was equally as attractive as her older sister.
“Go away,” Rumor yelled through the door.
“Come on. Open the door. It’s hot as hell out here,” Roxie said. “I’m worried about you. And we really need to talk.”
“No, bitch, you need to get your ass off my property. I don’t have anything to say to you. Not now. Not ever. Now beat it.”