Every Thug Needs A Lady (Thugs)

by Clark, Wahida

  “All of this fuckin’ money and he had to make one last run,” she said out loud. The tears started falling. She filled up two suitcases, then went to the wall safe and filled a duffel bag. “They think they’re so fuckin’ smart.”

  She had never been to the two houses in Jersey. One was in his aunt’s name, and the other in his parents’. At the aunt’s house she emptied the safe, wrapped up everything in a blanket, and dragged it to the car. When she got to the other house, she used her cell phone to leave Angel a message to come see her that night. The Feds had cleaned out the house that was in his parents’ name. It wasn’t even locked. She had to call a locksmith. She was too exhausted to go to the Philly apartment. When she got home, she put all of the money in the empty apartment on her second floor.

  When Angel came rushing through the front door, she headed straight for Tasha’s apartment. Angel couldn’t wait to tell her about the slew of documents, keys to vehicles and property, and money Kay left in her apartment. Then she broke down and cried.

  “This was so stupid. What was he thinking? He’s not broke,” Angel whined.

  “Please ... with the crying,” Tasha pleaded. “No more tears.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. Why did I ever have to fuck with him? I’m jeopardizing my lawyer’s license. I could easily get a conspiracy charge. And you know my mother and my aunt Jan is enjoying the fact that they can say ‘I told you!’”

  “Too late to be concerned with that, don’t you think?” Tasha asked her. “You done fucked the man. He turned your ass out. Now you might as well go with the flow.”

  “Shut up! I hate it when you’re right,” Angel said, blowing her nose.

  “Girl please. You know I’m just frontin’. How many times was that same damned speech thrown up in my face? Have you been to his house yet?” Tasha asked.

  “I don’t want to go.” They were headed to the empty second floor apartment.

  “You’re gonna have to. You might as well snap out of it and get it out of the way. It’s not going to be a pretty sight.” She showed her the document with the list of items seized at Trae’s apart-ment and showed her all of the money. “This ain’t even all of it. So when are you going to your man’s house?”

  Angel slid down the wall and sat on the floor. “This shit ain’t happening.”

  “Yes, it is. When are you going? Snap out of it, Angel.”

  “I’ll go this weekend,” she said, rubbing her hands through her hair. “Do you think they’re okay?”

  “No. They would have called by now. Let’s face it.” With that they both started crying.

  Angel spent the weekend checking on Kay’s other property and collecting money. The headache was his recycling business and his record label. The Feds had shut them both down. She had planned on spending the weekend at his house. They couldn’t confiscate it, the family having owned it for over seventeen years. When she got there, she saw the mess the Feds had made of his place. They didn’t find the safes so she left everything in them.

  Her aunt Jandelyn, the prosecutor, told her the Feds wouldn’t be back. So she decided to stay and go back to work Monday morning. She had planned to go furniture shopping Monday night because they tore up sofas and mattresses.

  The only car that was confiscated was the Benz convertible. She didn’t know if Kay had it somewhere or if they took it, because it wasn’t on the list. The SUV and wagon were still parked.

  Tasha had handled the last of her business. She checked out the apartment in Pennsylvania and was glad that it was untouched. She went back and took half the money out of her second floor apartment and brought it to the Pennsylvania apartment, which had several large safes.

  The following week she went back to work full time at the hospital mainly to keep her mind occupied. That would be time spent not thinking about Trae. When she wasn’t working, she

  was back and forth between Kyra’s and Jaz’s, spending time with the babies.

  After two and a half months, they still hadn’t heard anything. Tasha had rented out one of the New Jersey properties and put the other one up for sale, all with the help of Trae’s business attorney. Angel had told her that whenever she or her contacts tried to find out anything on Kaylin Santos and Trae Macklin, they would come up with a clean slate. They were not listed as being in federal custody, which only mystified things even more.

  Chapter 24

  Angel and Tasha were laughing as they came out of the movie theater. They had caught the 10:00 show of What’s the Worst

  That Could Happen? When Tasha heard someone call her name, they turned around and saw two brothers coming their way.

  “Dayum!” Angel said. “I can’t even front. They are fine!”

  “I know,” said Tasha.

  “Who are they?”

  “The one with the curly hair is Jaden. He has Connecticut and Delaware on lock. He knows Trae. I saw him a few times. I don’t know the other one’s name, but I seen him around. This is a test.”

  “What up ma?” Jaden said to Tasha, kissing her on the cheek. “Damn, you are fine.”

  “Ain’t nothing, Jaden. How are you?”

  “I’m fine now that I finally ran into you,” he said in a suggestive tone. “This is my partner Saleem. Saleem this is Tasha.”

  “This is Angel. Angel, Jaden and Saleem,” said Tasha, trying to move on.

  Jaden’s attention went back to Tasha. “We’ll walk y’all to the parking lot. Did y’all enjoy the movie?”

  “It was cool. I didn’t see you inside.”

  “We just came out of Red Lobster. Where are y’all going? Let’s all go out.”

  “I’m going home,” she said.

  “So you’ve been a’ight?”

  “I’m good.”

  “How is Trae?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Jaden pulled out a diamond money clip, counted a thousand dollars, and tried to put it in her hand. She pushed it back at him. “If you know Trae then you know I’m straight.”

  “I’m not giving it to you to help him out. I want you to have it because it’s coming from me. I’m sure you’re straight financially. If not, I can fix that. But what about other areas?” He grinned seductively. “Money can’t hold you and caress you at night.”

  “No, you didn’t go there.”

  “Yeah, I went there. Just keepin’ it real. Let me take you out tonight,” he suggested, putting his hand on the car door handle, trying to stop her from opening it.

  “I gotta go home.”

  “Why? You got somebody there waiting for you?”

  “I hope so,” she laughed.

  “You got a man already?”

  “I have a husband,” Tasha said, holding up her ring finger. He gently took her hand, put her ring finger into his mouth, and winked at her.

  “Mmm mmm ... Why would a nigga want to up and leave somethin’ as sweet as you behind? That shit is beyond me.” “Shit happens Jaden. You know the game.”

  “That’s why I want you to let me take you out tonight. The game goes on.”

  “It’s too soon for that.”

  “I won’t tell if you won’t,” he promised.

  She acted as if she didn’t hear that last statement. She unlocked the car door and he opened it up for her. “Roll the window down,” he told her. Angel got in, leaving Saleem standing at the door while Tasha started the car and rolled the window down.

  “Let’s go out tonight,” he said, massaging the nape of her neck.

  “Can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why do you think? This ain’t that kind of party.”

  “How long you plan on waitin’?”

  “As long as I need to.”

  “I’m willing to take over where Trae left off.”

  “He hasn’t left off, and I doubt if you can do that.”

  “Try me.” He pulled out two business cards, handed them to her and said, “Put your number on the back of one of them. I’m gonna
call you.”

  “I got your number.”

  “I want you to use it,” he said, rubbing the nape of her neck again. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I won’t tell if you won’t tell.” He nibbled on her earlobe and ran his tongue underneath it.

  “I told you it ain’t that type of party.” She put the car in gear, and he let her go. She smiled at him and pulled off.

  “You are dead wrong,” Angel said.

  “That was a test. I know it was.” She slowed down at the light. “He smelled so good. That attention from a man feels so good. God, I miss Trae.”

  Just then a silver Hummer pulled up next to them. The window rolled down. Jaden winked his eye at her and mouthed, “I won’t tell if you won’t tell.” She ran her hands through her hair and pulled off.

  They pulled up in front of Tasha’s house at about 12:45. When they got out of the car they looked around to see where all of the weed smoke was coming from. Then they saw Omar getting out of a Ford Expedition.

  “I get to kill two birds with one stone ... must be my lucky night. What are y’all doin’ out so late?” he asked, giving them both a hug. “It’s damn near one in the morning.”

  “I’m grown,” Tasha said.

  “So am I,” Angel added.

  He started laughing. Then the window rolled down on the Expedition. “What up, strangers?”

  Angel waved. “What’s up, Bo?” Tasha asked.

  “How you doin’?” he said.

  “I’m hangin’.”

  “It’s all good.”

  “In whose hood?” Tasha joked.

  “We’ve been sitting out here since 10:30. I forgot where Angel lived. I got a delivery for the both of y’all. Where’s your car Angel?” Omar asked.

  She pointed at the Lex across the street.

  “You can’t leave this in the car. You need to take this home. We’ll follow you.” He started walking to his Expedition. They followed him wondering what the hell was going on. He opened the back and gave one briefcase to Tasha and another to Angel while he carried another two.

  When they got in the house he told Angel, “You got four in the car as well.” He opened up one of them. It was filled with neatly stacked cash. He closed it back, locked it, and threw Tasha the keys. Then he pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. It was a copy of a newspaper article from a Mexico City newspaper. They both sat there reading it together. Tasha was the first one to break down; Angel was right behind her.

  The article stated that the Mexican authorities had received a tip that one of the biggest deals was going down on their turf. They had their informants in place and had planned on making the sting and some history, by seizing 12.5 million dollars of liquid cocaine and the cash to purchase it.

  However, the suspects were tipped off as well. Or so it appeared because the deal didn’t go down. One of the informants who was participating in the sting was still missing as well as the coke and the money to purchase it. When the authorities rolled up on the two U.S. citizens/suspects, Trae Macklin and Kaylin Santos, their search on them and their property turned up noth-ing but firearms. The Mexican officials held them for over sixty days before extraditing them to the U.S. while the investigation continued.

  “So, my sistas, they want y’all to come see them tomorrow. They’re in federal custody in New York.”

  Tasha felt like she was hyperventilating. Angel had run into the bathroom and slammed the door.

  “Tasha! You alright?” Omar asked. It looked like she was turning blue. He got up, pulled her arms, and made her stand up. “Tasha!” he yelled.

  She shook her head up and down and then sat back down. “You spoke to him?”

  “No, I was just given the message.”

  “How long has he been there? Why hasn’t he called or written?” Now she was crying. “Why the fuck did he take me through all of this?” she screamed.

  “He’ll fill you in,” he said, getting up to check on Angel.

  “Yo Angel!” he yelled, banging on the bathroom door. “You a’ight?” She opened the door and asked him the same questions Tasha had just asked him. “He’ll fill you in,” he told her. “You ready to take those bags to your house?”

  She blew her nose. “Can you wait for me downstairs?” He headed for the door. “Take care Tasha.”

  Angel came out of the bathroom. “Is this really happenin’? I bet them motherfuckers knew what was up all along.”

  “I think so. I guess so. I don’t know,” Tasha said, taking some tissue from Angel and blowing her nose. “I know I’m tired of crying, and this is fucking unbelievable.”

  Angel flopped down on the sofa next to Tasha. “I can’t believe I’m in love with a nigga doing time ... Miss Corporate Lawyer. And now I’m going to jail to visit him.” She started laughing. “I don’t believe this shit! It doesn’t make sense!” Now tears were flowing.

  “Fuck that! I’m just glad my husband is alive,” Tasha said, bursting into tears again. “I’ll do the fuckin’ time with him.” Then she started laughing through the tears.

  “What’s so funny?” Angel asked.

  “It’s a good thing we ain’t fuck nobody these past few months.” Angel laughed too. “You almost did tonight!”

  “How could I? You was there cock-blockin’. I saw you watchin’ me. I’m glad I didn’t. You know I can’t go out like that.”

  “Sho’ you right.”

  Chapter 25

  By 5:30 a.m. Tasha was out of the tub. She was moisturizing her skin as she sat on the bed. She strategically dabbed on

  the Escada perfume that Trae bought her and put her hair in a bun. She went through the closet trying to figure out what to wear and finally decided on a black Versace skirt and blouse that Trae picked out for her and a pair of black, snakeskin sandals. She put on her diamond earrings, her iced-up tennis bracelet with “Tasha” written on it, and the ankle bracelet that had “Trae” written in diamonds. By 6:45 she was in front of Angel’s beeping the horn.

  “You copycat!” Tasha was teasing her when she saw that she had on Versace from head to toe. “You look stunning,” she said. “Why didn’t you wear a skirt?”

  “What difference does it make?” Angel asked. “And why do you have on all that ice?”

  “Fuck them. My husand is already locked up. What they gonna do? Take it off me? My nigga likes for me to wear my shit.”

  “Do you bitch. Do you.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind, Tasha. You smell good and you look real pretty. He’s going to be so glad to see you,” Angel told her.

  “I’m going to be even happier to see him even though I’m pissed off. I can’t wait to hear his explanation.”

  “I know that’s right.”

  By 9:20 a.m. they were driving up and down Park Row looking for a parking space. When they got to the building it was already crowded. Angel had never paid a visit to anyone locked up, so she got her cues from Tasha, doing whatever she told her to do.

  They filled out the two-page visiting form with the tiny pencil provided them. Tasha couldn’t believe that she was going through this again. The big difference was this time her rela-tionship to the inmate was that of spouse, her name now being Macklin and not McNeil.

  Tasha asked the offficer for a locker key to put their things in. Both she and Angel had clear plastic purses that they could take on the visit with them. They put their keys, Kleenex, lip gloss, ID, lotion, hairbrush and money into the clear plastic purse. Everything else they put in the locker.

  After about thirty minutes they called for visitors for inmate Santos. Angel stood in line until she got to the guard, who dumped the contents of the clear bag out in a tray, telling her that the lotion and lip gloss were forbidden. Angel put those items back inside her locker. The guard then took her ID and made sure she was on the visiting list before sending her through the metal detector. It went off, triggered by her Cartier watch and diamond earrings. Eventually when she made it t
hrough, they were all herded toward the elevator. She looked back at Tasha, smiled, and waved at her, feeling scared to death.

  As they rode the elevator, she checked out all the women, chil¬dren, mothers, and grandmothers. She noticed there were very few men. Most of the women had on miniskirts and dresses. She could smell all types of loud perfumes. Angel was also struck by the amount of conversation in Spanish.

  When the elevator opened, her heart began to flutter. There were two visiting rooms with large windows, one on the left, the other to her right. All she saw was a tribe of men in tan jump-suits, some in brown. The guard yelled “Santos” and pointed to the side she would have her visit. As she stood waiting for them to open the door, she scanned the room to see if she saw Kay. She saw a nigga who looked like him wink at her. I know that’s my baby. As they cracked the gate, the visitors rushed in.

  That same nigga said, “Don’t act like you don’t know nobody!” He grabbed her and lifted her up into the air.

  “I barely recognized you.” She was staring at him as if he were a stranger. His hair was cut short and he had lost a lot of weight. He kissed her on the chin and then on the lips before letting her feet hit the floor. She melted in his arms, feeling like everything was moving in slow motion. Then she snapped. She started crying and punching him on his chest.

  “Damn you Kay!” she screamed. “How could you do this to me? I didn’t know whether you were dead or alive!” He got a hold of her arms, held her tight, and wouldn’t let go. “You could have called or written, Kaylin!” She was crying and was trying her best to break loose. “That was so fuckin’ cruel!” Everybody was staring at them. Kay just held her tight, not saying anything. “Let me go Kaylin!”

  “Not until you calm down.”

  She buried her face into his chest and kept on crying and shaking for a good five minutes. “You have no idea what you put me through. Why did you let me catch feelings for you Kay?”

  Is that a trick question? He asked himself and was glad when she continued to ramble on before he could respond.