by Linette King
Since I trust nobody, I’m never there for the exchange but I’m always close by, in case one of these niggas get ballsy enough to take my product and money and leave. Anyway, once they’re gone, I go in through my underground passageway to get the product and take it back to my safe house, which is where everything is. Each drop off spot is connected by my underground passageway, so I can get to each spot swiftly before the runner has a chance to do anything fishy.
I trust Dre and Twan but not with my life, that’s why they don’t know they work for me. They think we all are just small time dealers, trying to make a way out of no way while in college. I’m a firm believer that two can only keep a secret if one of them is dead and I’d hate to have to lay one of my boys out.
I pull in dead man’s zone in my fully loaded 2014 black on black Honda Accord. Like I said before, I’m not flashy. This car is good on gas and the police pay ya boy no mind. I’m zooming through the fiends and see a familiar face sitting on the porch of one of the other houses. I thought she moved out. I told the bitch last week if she wanted to stay on my team, she had to move out! Bitch ain’t listening, so she gotta go! One of my jump offs already live out here, Tiffany stays right on the corner when you first pull in through the first entrance.
When I met Chardae, she was like a breath of fresh air with her light complexion, long brown hair with blonde highlights, hazel eyes and the right size everything! Her titties weren’t too big or too small, and neither was her ass. When I first saw her, I was in awe! A nigga almost wanted to settle down! Then her sex game was on ten! What made me change my mind about wifing her was that she sucked no dick! She ain’t ever want to clean or cook shit! Then, she still lived with her mom. Not only that, but the bitch had no goals in life! She was perfectly fine with letting a nigga take care of her.
“What took you so long?” Dre asked, walking up to my car. I hadn’t even realized I was at The Cave, thinking about Chardae’s fine nothing ass.
“Bruh, what da fuck happened, yo?!” I asked, ignoring his question because I’m here for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to find out who’s a fucking snake in my camp. See everybody think the boss put me in charge of this trap, they don’t know I am the boss.
“Man, all I know is I came to drop off some skittles for Smurf’s ass, and this lil nigga was laid out on the couch and all the shit was gone!” Dre said, pissed off. See, now I’m pissed because I stay telling these little niggas to stay on their game! I ain’t got time for shit to be getting hit! I’m seriously not trying to be doing this shit all my life. A few more years and I want to be out but set for life, now this nigga, Smurf, done set me back!
“Where that nigga at?!” I ask heated as I pull my dreads back into a ponytail. Dre turns and walks towards the house, and I follow suit. I follow Dre through the house down to the basement were Smurf and two other niggas sat, tied to chairs. See, Dre and I are always on the same page. For him to already have these niggas down here means he feels it's a snake in our camp too. Dre and I share one glance before we walk completely into the basement.
When I walk around the chairs, I can clearly see who’s tied up now. Smurf, Lil Devon, and Chris are all sitting here mugging me like I’m the one robbed them! Shit, they should have been guarding my product with their lives! These three niggas were assigned to this house for this rotation and out of three, this is only the second day. Nobody knows about the rotation except for the workers I choose to work it, Dre, and myself. So, in order for the trap to be hit on the day that Dre was supposed to drop off five pounds of skittles, it’s looking real fishy. For those of you that don’t know what skittles are they are LCD’s; pills that causes you to have hallucinations. I have no idea why anyone would want to take something that causes you to have hallucinations but hey, if they will buy it, we will sell it.
“So, you niggas decided to steal from us?” I ask as I pull out my toolbox. I turn to look at them after I get no response and they are glancing at one another, waiting on the other to speak. I catch Dre’s eye and nod, giving him the signal. He walks up to Smurf and hits him in the chin so hard, teeth and blood sprays out of his mouth. Without missing a beat, he walks up to Lil Devon and Chris, doing the same thing.
“Whose idea was it to rob us?” I ask as I set my drill up and make sure the battery isn’t dead. When I look up, they are looking at each other again. I catch Dre’s eye and he pours gasoline all over Devon. By this time, I have my drill ready to work.
“Was it yours?” I ask Lil Devon as I kneel down in front of his chair with my power drill. I look up and watch as Lil Devon’s eyes get as big and round as saucers.
“Naw man, I ain't have shit to do with it!” he screamed.
“Well, who did?” I asked, turning on my power drill. Everyone looked on because nobody knew what I was about to do. I slowly drilled a bolt into each leg of the chair. I bet your wicked ass thought I was about to drill Devon! Well, ya boy can’t stomach torturing mufuckers!
I bolted all 3 chairs down into the basement floor, so no matter how much they rocked, it wouldn’t fall over. I needed them to be as steady as possible. Allowing them to rock out of the chairs could easily give them a chance to turn the table on us. If they were smart, they would have tried the shit and hauled ass while Dre was out front waiting on me. They could have easily rocked over, causing the chairs to break, and wiggle out of the ropes, which is why I’m about to tape their little asses down! I don’t care how hard you wiggle, your ass ain't wiggling out of gorilla tape.
I move back to Devon, taping both wrists around the arms of the chairs. I tape his ankles around the legs of the chairs, then I move to his torso, taping him steady against the back of his chair. I toss a roll of gorilla tape to Dre, so he can do the same with the others. Once everyone is tapped and secure, I nod towards Dre and he walks to the back and get the flamethrower.
Meanwhile, my phone is vibrating. I pull it out and answer because it's Ma Dukes. “What's up ma?” I answer coolly.
“Nothing baby, just checking to see if you’re coming over to eat Sunday?” she asks.
“Yes ma’am,” I respond. Every Sunday, the family meet up at my mom’s house after church and eat dinner.
“Are you going to bring someone this time?” she asks. My mom has been pressuring me to take these bitches serious but they don’t have all of the qualities I need them to have in order to take them home, so I don’t.
“No ma’am,” I said.
“Baby, I’m ready to have some more grand babies,” she says because my sibling’s kids are getting bigger.
“I know ma, look, I gotta go. I’ll see you then ok.”
“Ok baby,” she says and hung up.
I watch as Lil Devon, Chris, and Smurf look at me like I’m crazy. I run up to Chris and hit him over and over with the butt of my gun, screaming “Who robbed you?!” Before I know it, I done beat Chris to death and I’m no closer to finding out who the snake is.
“Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was in the back when the shit went down,” Devon said, shaking his head at me. I look to my left and Dre is waiting on my signal. I nod towards Dre and he walks up to Devon with the flamethrower and lights his ass up! I watch as he tries his best to break free of the tape but to no avail. I grab the extinguisher and put the fire out. The smell of burnt flesh fills the room, making my stomach turn. I turn, heading up the stairs after nodding at Dre.
“Shard man, wait! Don’t leave me with him, man. It was some bitches came in here and caught us slippin!” Smurf yelled, halting me in my tracks.
“Yall let some bitches rob y'all?!” I asked.
“Yea man,” Smurf mumbled with his head down.
“Who?” I asked, walking back towards his chair.
“Man, I’on know, but they were bad as fuck! We ain’t know they were packing heat til it was too late, man. They got everything and left. We were in here drinking and shit; they must’ve drugged me, yo! I’m sorry man, just don’t leave me with him,�
� he pleaded, gesturing towards Dre.
See, these niggas let some bitches come in here and catch them slipping, when those bitches shouldn’t have even known what was in here. I bet them niggas were bragging and shit! That’s what I get for hiring young niggas. I nod towards Dre and walk out of the basement. I could hear Smurf’s screams before I ever even made it out of the house.
Like I said, my stomach can’t handle torturing someone, but Dre’s ass loves it! If anybody knows how Dre gets down, it was Smurf’s ass, which is why he was basically begging me to kill him, instead of Dre. Had he told me all of that before I killed his boys, I would have killed him instead of Dre, but since he wanted to play tough in front of niggas that were about to die any fucking way, I let Dre have his ass.
Tamia
After eavesdropping on Armani and one of her sponsors, I took a shower and went to sleep. It was the first time in a long time that I got some good rest! I didn’t wake until about four hours later, and I was home alone again. I got out of bed and made my way into the living room to find something to watch on Netflix. Once I settled on catching up on Revenge, I headed into the kitchen to make me a sandwich. I promise, every time I walk in this kitchen after Armani has been in here, I get mad! Man, I love Armani to death but she needs to work on being more clean! When I say I do everything here, I literally mean everything! I get up every day and cook and clean. I keep the clothes washed, even hers because if I don’t wash her clothes, her room will start to smell.
I remember when I went on strike a few months back, the odor that came out of her room was indescribable. No female should ever smell like that! Ever! I made her wash her own things that week, and she forgot about a load of clothes and left them in the washing machine for a few days. Man, no lie, when I opened the washing machine those clothes were so sour I washed them twice, then cleaned the machine out.
As I look around the kitchen right now, I see she fixed her a plate of what I cooked earlier today. She must have eaten twice and used two different plates. She does that dumb shit! Anyway, she also fixed herself some Kool Aid and wasted a few drops of it on the counter. Now I’m really mad because that red Kool Aid will stain damn near anything! All she had to do was wipe it up as soon as she spilled it instead of leaving it there for me. I don’t even want her washing dishes because when we use to take turns washing them, the ones she washed would always still be greasy, even the cups! Now, why the fuck are her cups greasy?
I get busy cleaning the kitchen then head into the living room to start on Revenge. About three episodes in, I hear the front door unlock followed by Armani entering a few minutes later.
“What’s up, chick?” Armani asks, flopping down next to me on the couch.
“Nothing,” I respond dryly.
“You been in the house all day, Mia?” Armani asks and I know she wants me to ride somewhere with her. Armani can’t understand that I’m a homebody. If it wasn’t for school and track, I would never leave the house. I’m perfectly fine sitting on this big comfy sectional watching Netflix. Instead of answering her, I focus my attention back on Revenge.
“C’mon, ride to the mall with me,” Armani says. I get up slowly to throw some clothes on. Since I have no one to impress, I throw my long hair into a messy bun on the top of my head. I put some gold hoop earrings in my second hole and cubic zirconia studs in my first hole. I put on a fitted white crop top shirt, skinny jeans rolled up right passed my ankles and finish my look off with a gold belt and gold sandals. When I make it back into the living room, Armani has changed as well.
Not the one to let anyone outdo her, she’s dressed like a million bucks! She’s wearing a Michael Kors asymmetrical all black dress with gold trimming. She has her long weave pressed bone straight with a slanted part in the middle. I can’t see her earrings but she has on a gold plated necklace with her name on it, a gold ankle bracelet that says loyalty, and black and gold Michael Kors sandals. Armani is always camera ready! Before she comes out of her room in the morning, she combs her hair down and throw on something presentable for company, even when it's just us. I’ll never understand it but hey, to each its own, I guess.
“Ready?” Armani ask, applying pink Mac lipstick to her lips.
“As ready as I’m gonna get,” I reply as we head out the door.
“Mia, can I ask you a question?” Armani asks.
I’m really like here we go but I say, “go for it.” She unlocks the doors to her 2013 cocaine colored Cadillac Escalade for us to enter. We both hop in and pull off before she continues.
“You’re a really pretty girl, Tamia. Why don’t you keep yourself up? Do you want a man?” she asks, stunning the fuck out of me. First of all, I’m beyond pretty! Second of all, niggas be falling all over me, so I must keep myself up good enough! Third of all, fuck no, I don’t want a man! Niggas are too much trouble! I’m just trying to keep my track scholarship, so I can continue going to school to become a healthcare administrator. So um yeah, having a man is the least of my concern.
“I keep myself up well enough and no, I don’t want a man. I don’t need to lose focus,” I reply. I know you thinking, bitch you were Billy bad ass a few seconds ago but you don’t know Armani. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not scared of nobody that bleeds, but this bitch is crazy! If we go toe to toe, I can take care of her no problem but since we’ve moved to Detroit, she done got on another level. Armani keep razors stashed all over her body and you won’t see it coming. Plus, arguing with her while she’s driving is committing suicide. She will turn to you to snap back without pulling over or anything, so yea, I’m playing it safe.
“Sometimes well and well enough is all I’m saying Mia,” she replied, clearly aggravated.
“Just drop it!” I demand. The rest of the trip to the mall is a silent one.
We parked on the side of Devonshire Mall with the food court, so we could eat once we finished shopping.
As soon as we got out, I spotted Lisa Cunningham walking into the mall. “When did she move here?” I ask Armani, pointing in Lisa’s direction. I looked up to see Armani shooting daggers at her and shrugging her shoulders.
“Do you think he moved here with her?” Armani asked.
“I sure as hell hope not! I don’t want him trying to come back in my life causing mayhem! I am finally over him and I don’t need him coming around causing me to backslide,” I replied
Before Armani could respond, I grabbed her hand and started back pedaling to the car. I felt like my heart was about to burst open. There was a huge lump in my throat and my vision became blurry from the tears threatening to fall. “Don’t you dare shed another tear for that man!” Armani demanded. “You are smart and beautiful, but he lost you and it's his loss! You have already shed enough tears behind him, so do not shed a single tear! If you do Mia, I promise you will have to find your own way home,” Armani said through clenched teeth. All of a sudden, her face softened as she reached in her purse to hand me some tissue. I quickly wiped my eyes and looked in the nearest car’s side mirror to check my face. Still perfect. I swallowed the huge lump that was still in my throat and did a light jog to catch up with Armani. Yes, the bitch got me together, gave me tissue, and left me standing there.
By the time I caught up with Armani, she had done already passed through the food court and was heading in the direction of Ardene. That store sells jewelry, hats, scarves, sunglasses, pretty much any accessory you can think of. It's not necessarily in my price range, so I decide against following her.
The mall isn’t really the place for me because I’m more of a behind the scenes type of person. If there is a smaller store I can run in and grab something cute and cheap, I’d much rather go there. It's always too many people at the mall, not to mention, I don’t like being bothered. See, I’m one of those really friendly people that hate people, if that makes sense. For instance, if we are all sitting around talking, I can most definitely work the crowd and become the life of the party. It's like I have an alluring spirit. Now, at
the same time, if I have the option to stay at home versus going to a party, you will more than likely find me sitting on my couch watching Netflix. It's just how I am.
“Tamia?” I hear a voice call out to me as I scroll through the mall alone. I’m now near Aeropostale, so I head in to check out their crop top selections. “Tamia,” I hear again. This time, I decide to answer. As soon as I turn around, I’m face to face with Lisa Cunningham. There is no secret that I don’t care for her at all. I would say I hate her but I’d have to actually care about her at one point to hate her, and I just can’t say that I have.