The nail shop was swamped with women waiting to get lashes, their eyebrows waxed, or their claws and paws worked on. Voodo had chosen to stay in the car, blowing weed, while me and Alexis got our girl time on. I was cool with that. He wasn’t the type of man who liked to get pampered, and I wasn’t the type of chick who wanted him to.
While we waited to get serviced, I couldn’t help my wandering eyes from taking note of all the ritzy well-to-do women among us. Before I met Voodo, I used to pick pockets and shoplift with ease. Since meeting him, I’d put my trade on the backburner and stepped it up a few notches. Let’s just say I was ready to get reunited. The first thing I did was get friendlier with the women I was interested in stealing from and those who took to the prettiness of Alexis. Once they took the bait, they became easy targets.
It was like taking candy from a baby. I swiped wallets and spare cash from their purses, jewelry they took off so file dust wouldn’t ruin the sparkles of their gold and diamonds, and even a few cell phones they carelessly left lying around to go on bathroom trips or to wash their hands. By the time I was done, my nail polish was ruined because I never gave them a chance to dry. But my oversized purse was filled with new trinkets that the stolen cash from Felix could buy if my thirst for stealing weren’t in need of being quenched.
“Buckle up, baby. We’ve gotta make it out of suburbia quick.” I slammed the car door after putting Alexis in the back seat.
“Your ass must’ve been up to no good,” he chuckled.
“You already know I couldn’t help myself.” I didn’t bother lying. “There was too much of an opportunity to get over to just sit back chilling. I cleaned up, too.”
“That’s my girl. I love it when you live dangerously. Now just get us back to the hood safely. We fa’sho can’t get caught up out here. They’ll hang us without question.”
“You ain’t never lied, baby. The last thing we need is to get caught slipping. Alexis baby, hold on and don’t get scared.” Whipping out of the parking lot headed to the expressway, I couldn’t wait to cross into Detroit City.
Chapter Five
Nina aka Naughty
“New developments have come in about the fire in which three males were brutally killed and burned. Detroit police have been working tirelessly to get those responsible off the streets.”
My phone had been blowing up nonstop since the news stations began broadcasting the murder of Felix and his two friends. The other dancers at Ace of Spades were fools if they thought I was getting ready to answer and give my opinion about the multiple headlining news reports about their death. Naw, not me. No matter how much I loved Felix, I loved my life more. I wasn’t ready to reconnect in the afterlife. Being a product of the streets and familiar with how Voodo and Moni got down, I knew the consequences behind trying to vindicate Felix’s gruesome death would be me in a body bag. Hell to the naw, that wasn’t about to be my ending!
Making sure I had enough food, smokes, liquor, and painkillers to pop so I could sleep, I was prepared for the long haul of me hiding out. One of these days I’d have to come out of hiding and get back to grinding. I didn’t need any enemies trying to set me up. Honestly speaking, I was lucky they hadn’t killed me that night.
I’d personally watched Voodo and Jerell drag Felix and his boys all through the club in the worst way. But what was I supposed to do? Jump in with the losing team, getting my ass beat too? Or call the cops, becoming a snitch and the next victim on their list? Nope, my mama didn’t raise a fool. I had to do the best thing for Nina: stay living! I wasn’t getting ready to get caught up in the middle of no gangster bullshit when Felix brought negative karma on himself.
Just like Felix tried to get me off the pole, I tried to keep him out of the police department. He wasn’t trying to hear me, though. At least once a week he was adamant about bringing down cats who were either an actual or a feared threat to him and his hustle. Either way, I couldn’t understand why he was so scared to handle his beefs on the streets. That’s how real bosses in the game got down. When you’re married to the streets, you handle your grievances in the streets as well.
Unfortunately, Felix thought he could outsmart the game and take hustlers from the hood down without a hint being dropped that he was an informant. But people in the hood dropped more information than CNN. Granted, no one had brought any heat his way over the last few months of him working with the cops, but death for him was inevitable. Emotional I was. Surprised I wasn’t.
Hearing my notifications on my phone go off, I was hesitant to check my voicemails, but I couldn’t help but want to know what the streets were screaming. I knew the chicks I worked with weren’t gonna rat out Voodo or his team, since they wanted to continue hustling. In our profession, we saw a lot of shit go down, but it wasn’t our place to report it. If we did, we’d be taking money from our own pockets.
“Hey, ma, this is Tone. Get at me about ya dude. I’m trying to see if you’re good or you need a few dollars to hold you down.”
That was the guy Felix was supplying dope to. Deleting his voicemail quickly, I knew better than to return the call. He wasn’t concerned about how I was doing. He was more concerned about the money I’d seen him give Felix in exchange for some dope he was supposed to collect today. I wasn’t dumb. I knew his intention was to hem me up to see what I knew. Not only was I not about to rat out Voodo, but I wasn’t about to join forces with Tone. The only person I could trust right about now was me.
Blocking his number so I wouldn’t get any more calls, I made sure the locks on my door were secured, then slid a chair underneath the doorknob for added protection. The eerie feeling I couldn’t get out of my gut was that someone was gonna try running in on me. It was time for me to blow through a fat blunt so I could try easing my rattled nerves.
Moni
We were finally close to home. The three of us had been shopping, to the aquarium, out to eat, and on a little stealing spree while getting my and Alexis’s nails done. My body was drained and exhausted, but the wheels in my brain were turning. I hated to ruin the good vibes of the day, but I needed to find out how we were gonna do damage control so nothing came our way from killing Felix and his dudes. In the back of mind, I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what Voodo’s private call earlier was all about. Since Alexis was in the back seat fast asleep, I figured this was the best time to bring it up.
“So, what’s your thoughts on handling the witnesses from last night? Not only did everyone know we were balling out at the club last night, but Felix’s ol’ lady is probably feeling some sort of way about us using her to set her sponsor up for death.”
“I’ve been thinking on that, babe. Truth is I should’ve snatched that punk up when he was leaving the titty bar last night instead of causing a scene. But I couldn’t help myself.” He sounded a little on the regretful side. “I seriously doubt a cat will snitch us out, though, seeing that we took Felix and ’em out of the game.”
“What if they want some type of incentive?” Being his teammate, my job was to make sure we covered all of our bases. If he went down, I went down. I’d do anything under the sun to make sure that never happened.
“Well I fa’damn sure ain’t paying nobody to keep their mouths closed, nor will I be admitting to killing them niggas. That would be putting all of us in a trick bag,” he spoke sternly. “The only thing that people can for certain testify to is that we stomped those fools out.”
“Word up. So there’s nothing left for us to do but send a strong message to everyone at the same damn time.”
“Okay, keep talking. What do you think we should do?”
“Blow that bitch up the same way we blew up Felix’s house. Fuck it.” I sounded relentless.
“Listen to my gangster boo,” Voodo laughed at my response. “You’re not about any games or moving lightly, huh?”
“Nope, not at all. Whatever cops are investigating the murder will more than likely be up there tonight to question all of the dancers who worked l
ast night, including ol’ girl, Naughty. So the best time to make a move will be when the owner first opens the doors for business this evening. Everyone will know in one swift motion to keep their lips tight.”
“There’s nothing to it but to do it. I’m with you, boo.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s hurry home and get Alexis straight so we can ride out,” I spoke excitedly. Relief flooded my body seeing he was game for the plan I’d low-key had been plotting all day. If we made a grand move like setting the strip club on fire, folks would know not to test us or they’d end up in flames too.
Dropping him and Alexis off at home so he could get her to bed, I drove to a dollar store a few miles away for the extra supply of lighter fluid we’d need to pull the job off. Thought I was pissed that I had to put a hat on my cute, curled-up hair, I knew that was an easy sacrifice for not being easily recognizable on camera. After sliding on a pair of bogus reading glasses that made me look nerdish, I walked in and blended in with other customers.
Being careful not to look like an arsonist, I purchased a grill along with lighter fluid and charcoal, plus a blow-up pool with cheap toys for a little girl. That way, it would seem like I was prepping for a grilling/pool day with my family as opposed to setting something on fire. To seal the deal just in case any cops came lurking, I paid with a prepaid debit card I’d put in someone else’s name. I was skilled at being a delinquent, so making amateur moves wasn’t something listed on my resume.
The minute I made it home, I was thrown for a loop seeing that Alexis was wide awake, playing with her new toys. She was so hyper it seemed like she was high off sugar. “I thought you were putting her down for the night, babe. What happened?”
“She popped up as soon as I carried her through the door.” He shrugged his shoulders, chuckling. “With all the new toys spread throughout the living room, I couldn’t make her cry by telling her it was bedtime.”
“I swear she’s got you wrapped around her pinky finger.” I shook my head.
“She’s not the only one,” he shot back at me.
“Whatever, Voodo. You already know I’m not about to go word for word with you about how you treat your daughter. All I want to know is what we’re gonna do now about taking care of business.”
“Shit, we’ll just have to take her with us, in addition to a few of these new dolls and the portable DVD player. She’ll be so occupied with them and a cartoon that we can make our moves and be right back to the truck before she realizes we left her alone.” He sounded certain.
“If you say so.” I wasn’t sure if it was the best idea for Alexis to accompany us, but so be it if he was cool with taking his daughter on a mission. I guessed she’d be introduced to a life of crime very early on. “Well, the lighter fluid is in the Yukon. How about I handle all of the dirty work while you stay in the truck with Alexis? I can sprint around the perimeter of the club, dousing it where security never watches.”
“Are you sure you want to make it a one-person job?” he questioned me with uncertainty. “We can do far more damage if both of us go to work.”
“You know I’ll be good, baby. As much as I love us doing damage as a team, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with Alexis in the truck alone. That’s too much of a risk,” I said, giving him my honest opinion.
“Maybe I can call Jerell up so he and I can cause the damage while you keep an eye on Alexis.”
He was coming up with every possible way for me not to be alone getting my hands dirty, but I wasn’t worried about doing the job solo-dolo. I should’ve been happy that he cared that much to not want to put me in harm’s way alone, but I wasn’t. “We don’t have to call him. Don’t offend me, Voodo. You and I have been riding as a two-person team since we hooked up in the diner. Don’t start sleeping on my skills or underestimating me now.”
“Never that, baby. Trust and believe that I know you’re about that life when it comes to holding me down, us down, and handling business. I’ll let you have it your way, but you know I’ll be watching your back.” He pulled me close, caressing my backside.
“You better be.” I put my face into his chest, loving the smell of his cologne. If I didn’t have to set the Ace of Spades on fire, I would’ve stayed in his arms all night. There had to be an emotion stronger than love, ’cause I was in deep with Voodo. We innocently made out for a few seconds, then parted ways to prepare for the run.
Voodo
On our way to the club, with Jeezy playing through the speakers, neither of us spoke a word as we were mentally preparing for what was about to go down. Usually, there would’ve been a blunt in rotation, but with Alexis in the truck, we couldn’t act out our normal ritual. I knew I’d come up with the plan of her riding out with us, but I wasn’t about to get her high off of secondhand smoke, too. Yolanda might’ve been a trifling-ass mom, but I wasn’t the recipient of the father-of-the-year award right about now either. Yet and still, there was a mission to be completed. If the ball was dropped when it came to silencing witnesses, she wouldn’t even have a part-time dad.
Dressed in all black from head to toe, I was ready to make a move, although Moni really didn’t want me to. She was sometimes so bullheaded that it irritated me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her for being a down-ass chick who wasn’t scared of anything but us breaking up. However, I wasn’t the type of nigga who liked to leave his woman on her own. If something happened that she couldn’t control, it would be like I threw her to the wolves. I didn’t try to change her mind at the crib just to keep an argument from popping off between us, since the mission had to be completed. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t switch up the game plan. She was confident one person could do the job efficiently and just as well. Nevertheless, I wanted to make sure we’d never have to touch base with the problem of Felix again.
“You ready to make this move, baby?” I questioned her, pulling up few feet away from the club. It was dark, and other than the many cars lining the street of patrons who were in the Ace of Spades, the block was empty. Detroit’s Public Lighting Authority not making sure the street lights worked was always a bonus for us.
“Yup. The next time you see me, it’ll be with dust behind my feet and flames behind my back.” She leaned over, giving me a kiss while rubbing my manhood through my pants. “Make sure you have him ready to please me tonight as my reward. I’m about to make you proud to claim me as your woman.”
“You were already gonna get this dick, girl. I saw the lingerie you tried to sneak and buy earlier.” I kissed her back. “And for the record, I’ve been proud of yo’ thuggish ass since day one.”
She hopped out of the truck, sliding her mask on like she was ready for war. I was lucky to have Moni, hardheaded or not. I was sure there wasn’t a girl in Detroit or anywhere else similar to her.
Moni
Walking quickly toward the club, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself by running before the job was done. I’d save that energy ’til after the fire was started. With tight black leggings on, a fitted black long-sleeved shirt, and black track shoes laced tightly, I carried a bag in each gloved hand consisting of two bottles of lighter fluid each. The matches were tucked under the wrists of my sleeve for easy access. It was about to be easy as one, two, three to complete this mission.
Once I peeped the alleyway was absolutely clear, I darted to the back of the club, getting right to work. The longer I lingered, the more of a chance there’d be that I’d get caught. Opening all of the bottles of fluid, I put one in each hand and began tossing the flammable liquid all over the building. Once those two bottles were empty, I put them back in the bag then spread the fluid from the other two just the same. For the finale, I pulled out the matches, struck them, and tossed them right toward the building, seeing instant flames from the contact. The blazes began spreading quickly by shooting up, down, left, and right of the building. “Bingo,” I whispered quietly. “I told Voodo’s ass that I had this.”
Satisfied with my work, I turned and sprinted back towa
rd the truck. I was running like my life depended on it, because it really did. If I was caught setting a fire, my freedom would be snatched for arson plus probably the murder of Felix and his two-man crew. Before I could get back to where Voodo was parked, he swerved up on me with the door already open, making it easy for me to jump straight in. “I told you not to underestimate me, baby.” I smiled, sliding my gloves off and mask down.
“I never did. Good job, baby,” he responded. Burning rubber by pulling off, he swerved up to the side of the strip club where the fire had spread to, pulled out a gas can, and tossed it out of the window.
The loud noise from part of the building exploding made even Alexis jump. He’d shocked the both of us. Initially, I thought about lighting the club on fire with gasoline, but we were just trying to prove a point, not leave the whole club of dancers and patrons dead. I guessed Voodo didn’t care about casualties. “What the fuck, Voodo?”
“Don’t question me, girl. Just take these gloves and put them with yours to dispose of.” He slid off the pair he was wearing as he drove like a racecar driver to get away from the scene of the crime. “And we’ll be at the used dealership tomorrow getting a new whip. This Yukon has become too hot.”
I didn’t dare question my man. If he thought spreading the fire with gasoline was the best move to be made, I trusted him on that. The only things left to do now were get home, get Alexis to bed, and get my brains fucked out.
Naughty
“Breaking news! The Ace of Spades nightclub is currently on fire. We’ll have a live report as soon as our reporter makes it to the scene. Stay tuned.”
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