Return to Flint

by Treasure Hernandez

  Inside the vehicle, Lobo had tried to dive to the front of the vehicle, but the bullets had penetrated the doors and hit him two times; it was the bullet to the side of face that had finally taken his life. His body was slumped over, leaning awkwardly on the center console.

  The driver lay on the street next to Giselle and the security guard who had been sitting in the front passenger’s seat lay between the front seats, bleeding from his head. In the second vehicle the driver was slumped over the steering wheel. The horn was now blaring from his dead body weight pressing down on it. The two men who had tried to escape from the back doors were each riddled with bullets and hanging halfway out of the doors.

  Tiana threw her godmother’s M60 fully automatic machine gun in the trunk, got in the car, and calmly drove away like nothing had ever happened. Within minutes screams erupted on the streets from the sight. The 911 lines were jammed with calls and in no time the wail of police sirens could be heard in the distance.

  Chapter 18

  While Drake was slumped on the couch in Tiana’s apartment sound asleep, Tiana did one of his moves. She crept out of her bed and out of the apartment without waking him. With her gun in her waist and two knives stuck in her small knapsack, Tiana set out on a mission.

  An hour later, Tiana stood inside of Quality Monument, a grave monument store on Fenton Road. She was viewing headstones for Mama Hilda’s grave. Tiana didn’t care if she had to spend all that remained of the money from her war bag; she wasn’t going to let Mama Hilda rest in an unmarked grave. She wanted to buy the headstone before one of Mama Hilda’s relatives had the chance. Tiana felt like it was the least she could do.

  “These are the most expensive ones,” said a saleswoman as she walked up on Tiana. The woman’s eyebrow was raised like she was warning rather than telling Tiana about the prices.

  “It’s okay. These are the ones I want to pick from,” Tiana replied with an attitude as she ran her hand over a beautiful, shiny black onyx headstone floor sample.

  “If you say so,” the woman said, raising both of her eyebrows this time. “Well, here is the book with those styles. You can view it and pick something out,” the woman said, leading Tiana to a small, round table at the back of the store. Just then the door chimes sounded at the front door, indicating that another customer had arrived. The saleswoman quickly turned her attention from Tiana to the door.

  “Excuse me,” the saleswoman said, rushing to the customer who’d entered like anyone would be more important than Tiana.

  “Good afternoon.” The voice came from Tiana’s right, but it caught her attention like it was directed toward her. Tiana snapped her head up quickly and looked toward the front of the store. Her breath caught in her throat for a few quick seconds. Oh, shit! That’s him! Tiana said to herself. She could never forget that familiar deep baritone voice. Tiana watched as the source of the voice moved farther into the store. Her suspicions had been correct. His face was one she would never forget. Tiana had thought about him from time to time since the night she’d run into him at the club, but she had figured that she’d most likely never see him again.

  The guy who was the source of the familiar voice was busy speaking to the saleswoman, but Tiana was watching him from the corner of her eye. Seeing him standing in bright, natural sunlight he was even more gorgeous than she remembered. Just like the first time she’d seen him, he was well dressed again, but this time donning a sleek pair of designer jeans, a pair of black suede Giuseppe Zanotti sneakers, and a neat, fitted leather jacket. Tiana had to admit, Drake had nothing on this man when it came to looks and swag.

  “I’m sorry for the loss of your loved one. You can view our books right over here,” the saleswoman said, leading the guy to a table opposite the one Tiana was sitting at.

  Tiana lowered her head and stole furtive glances at him. She didn’t think he’d recognize her because the night she encountered him in Club Caliente she had her hair down and was dressed to the nines. Today, she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and wore a fitted black T-shirt and a dark blue pair of Gap skinny jeans.

  “Did you find anything that fits your price point?” the saleswoman asked, coming up from behind and startling Tiana, who had gotten lost in her thoughts.

  “Um, um, yeah, I saw one or two,” Tiana stuttered, her cheeks flaming over when she noticed the man look over in her direction. Damn, is he looking at me? Will he recognize me? Tiana could feel the heat of the sexy man’s gaze on her once again. Fine beads of sweat lined up at her hairline and she curled her toes up in her shoes.

  Shit! He’s staring now!

  This schoolgirl crush behavior had her upset with herself. Tiana didn’t like the fact that she was feeling another person this much without knowing anything about him. It was something she always tried to fight but her attraction to this guy was hard to ignore.

  “Well, then, can I start an order for you? Was this your parent or close relative?” the annoying saleswoman pressed, breaking Tiana’s train of thought.

  “My godmother,” Tiana replied dryly. “I kind of like this black and gray one right here.” Tiana pointed to the book, trying to keep the hovering saleswoman off her back. Out of the corner of her eye, Tiana could see the guy getting up and coming in her direction. A hot feeling came over her and her hands quickly became clammy with sweat. She wrung them together under the table.

  “Excuse me. I don’t mean to interrupt, but have we met?” the gorgeous stranger interrupted the chattering saleswoman. Tiana and the saleswoman both turned their sights to the man with confusion ruffling their brows. Noticing the disapproving glare the saleswoman shot in his direction, he took a few steps back from the table where Tiana sat.

  “I’m sorry.” The guy looked at the saleswoman. Then he turned all of his attention to Tiana. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Trust me, I know this can be a hard thing to do, but I think we met at Caliente a few weeks ago. Remember? I’m the ‘Can I buy you a drink might’ve gotten you somewhere’ guy,” the gorgeous man reminded her.

  Tiana felt the heat of embarrassment climbing her neck and rising to her face. “Oh, okay, I think I kind of remember.” Tiana played it off like she suddenly had a flash of recall.

  “Wow, what a coincidence. This is a weird place to meet again. Maybe it’s a sign,” the man said, smiling awkwardly. “I’m Silam,” he said, extending his hand. The saleswoman’s mouth hung open slightly like she couldn’t believe what was taking place.

  “Cali,” Tiana lied, taking his hand in hers and shaking it firmly. She took another good look at the man and butterflies flitted through her stomach. Those dark curls hugging his scalp, that smooth caramel skin, those deep-set eyes, and the tiny cleft in his chin had Tiana swooning.

  “Did you lose someone close?” he asked Tiana, looking down at the thick binder filled with headstone pictures in front of her.

  “My godmother,” Tiana answered evasively. “Cancer.” The lie rolled off her tongue as easily and fluidly as water down a stream.

  “Sorry to hear that. For me, it was my brother,” Silam said somberly. “A car fire.”

  “I hate to break up this little connection,” the saleswoman interjected rudely, wedging herself between Tiana and Silam. “I just wanted to know if either of you are interested in starting an order,” she continued.

  Tiana shot the woman an evil look and let out a grunt. Suddenly, Tiana didn’t want to give the woman her business. “I’ll think about it and come back. For now, I’m just going to take two bouquets of the daisies with the grave stands,” Tiana said, pointing to the front of the store.

  “Yeah, I think I’ll do the same,” Silam said, smiling at Tiana like they’d just made a new alliance of some kind.

  The flustered saleswoman stomped to the front of the store where the grave flowers were on display. She grumbled her dissatisfaction, causing Tiana and Silam to look at each other and chuckle. That was a first for Tiana; she’d let her guard down and it had taken almost nothing.


  “So, since we met twice by what I’d like to refer to as fate, I think I would be dumb if I didn’t ask for your number,” Silam said, his words crisp and polite. “I definitely think we should stay in touch.”

  Tiana could tell right away he wasn’t the average street dude she was used to. “I don’t have a number, but I’ll take yours,” Tiana told him. Another lie that came out of her mouth with no hesitation.

  “In this day and age a beautiful woman like you without a cell phone. C’mon, ma, I can’t believe that,” Silam said, twisting his lips in disbelief.

  Tiana blushed again for the tenth time since Silam walked into the store. “Let’s just say I’m different,” Tiana replied sassily. “I don’t do what every other girl in this day and age is doing.”

  Silam shook his head and laughed. “I hear that. Fair enough, tough girl. I forgot how tough you were that night in the club, but now I remember how you almost cut me for touching your arm.” He laughed again.

  “For the record, you didn’t just touch. You grabbed it.” Tiana chuckled and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She didn’t even realize that she was blushing. “And call it what you want. I bet next time you about to touch a chick in a club you’ll remember me.” They both erupted in laughter.

  Silam jotted his number down on the back of one of the annoying saleswoman’s cards and extended it toward Tiana. “This is a little old school, collecting numbers on paper, but I guess it’s kind of romantic,” he said.

  Tiana took the card and examined the phone number for a few minutes. Her insides were doing all sorts of flips and jerks, but she played it cool. “A’ight, I got it,” she said.

  “Just promise me you’re going to call it,” Silam said, flashing his beautiful smile.

  “I don’t make promises, but I will make sure to give you a call,” Tiana replied.

  “I guess tough girls don’t make promises. I guess I’ll have to take what I can get. I hope we can get to know one another sooner rather than later, Cali,” Silam told her.

  “We’ll see. Whatever is meant to be will be, right?” Tiana answered.

  Silam raised his hands in front of him. “You got that,” he said in playful surrender. “You win, tough girl.”

  “I always win,” Tiana said, grabbing the flower bouquets and heading for the door.

  “Not always,” Silam said under his breath as he watched her leave. “Not always.”

  Silam left the store and walked half a block to where his driver patiently waited for him.

  “Any luck? Was it her?” his driver asked.

  “More than luck. I just hit the fucking jackpot.”

  Chapter 19

  With her mind swirling with thoughts of Silam, Tiana decided she needed a distraction. She took a cab to Drake’s house. She knew by then he would’ve been gone from her apartment. Lately, he was always at her house, so Tiana decided to surprise him. She kind of felt guilty about sneaking out on him and even more guilty about how attracted she was to this dude Silam.

  “Your ass better be home, Drake,” Tiana mumbled as she exited the cab. “I need you to get my mind right so I can get back in the damn game. I got a few more people to see.”

  Tiana climbed the stoop in front of Drake’s building but, instead of knocking, she used the set of keys he’d given her for emergencies. She usually didn’t carry the keys but, for some reason, today she had slid them into the front pocket of her knapsack.

  Once Tiana was in the building’s hallways she could hear music coming from Drake’s apartment. She smiled. She was glad to learn that he was home.

  Tiana put several more keys into the locks on Drake’s apartment door and as she entered the apartment the music seemed uncomfortably loud. She paused for a few seconds, her eyebrows dipping low on her face.

  “Why the fuck is he blasting love songs so loud?” Tiana whispered as she went farther into the apartment. The sound of Trey Songz filled the entire apartment. That wasn’t Drake’s usual choice of a playlist; he was the hardest hip-hop head Tiana knew.

  “Drake!” she called out. She knew if he was in his bedroom he wouldn’t be able to hear her. After a few seconds of standing still and waiting for him to answer, Tiana headed to his bedroom. When she got to the door, she could hear what sounded like voices mixing with the music.

  Oh, Lord, this man is seriously talking to himself. Tiana giggled to herself as she turned the knob. “Locked bedroom door?” Tiana whispered. Her face was folded in confusion. She placed her ear up against the door. The sounds coming from inside struck her like an openhanded slap to the face.

  Tiana could decipher the passionate noises from the music now. She heard a woman calling out Drake’s name in ecstasy loud and clear now. Tiana’s breathing became labored. The heat of anger began rising from her feet, climbing up into her chest. Then, as if possessed by a demon, and with her chest heaving up and down like it was being pumped up with a foot pump, Tiana kicked in Drake’s bedroom door so hard it almost flew off the hinges.

  “Ahh!” the woman inside screeched, jumping up from riding Drake. The woman tried in vain to cover her naked body with her hands. “Drake, what’s going on?” the woman exclaimed, clearly shaken up.

  “What the fuck?” Drake panted, springing to his feet. “Yo, Tiana, what you doing here?” he gasped, his dick still hard and seemingly taunting Tiana.

  Tiana felt like a heavyweight championship boxer had just punched her in the gut. She couldn’t even get the words out, but the heat that engulfed her body was enough to set the whole apartment on fire.

  Drake recognized the fire flashing in Tiana’s eyes and he noticed that she was biting down on her bottom lip so hard it was starting to bleed. He knew he had to do something quick. He came forward with his hands out in front of him pleadingly. “Tee, wait,” he said apprehensively. “Let me explain.”

  Tiana reached behind her back and pulled out the gun she always carried on her. She raised her Glock and quickly screwed the silencer on to it. Before Drake could say another word, Tiana tugged back on the trigger and shot the girl in the arm. The girl squealed like a stuck pig and doubled over in pain. Tiana didn’t even care where the bullet had struck the girl.

  “Oh, shit! Tiana! What the fuck are you doing?” Drake hollered, terror etched on his face.

  Tiana leveled her gun at Drake next. White hot, angry tears welled up in the backs of Tiana’s eyes and her gun hand wavered unsteadily.

  “C’mon, you can’t shoot me. I’m your fucking best friend. I love—” he started.

  “Don’t you fucking say those words to me!” Tiana screamed, her finger moving to the trigger. Drake snapped his mouth shut with the quickness.

  “Stay the fuck away from me, Drake! I never want to see you again. You lying motherfucker! I believed you when you said you loved me! I fucking trusted you with everything!” Tiana screamed as a hard lump painfully lodged in the back of her throat.

  Tiana turned swiftly to leave. She knew if she stayed another second she would have the blood of her best friend on her hands.

  “Wait! I do love you! Let me explain! I was trying to cut her off and tell her that I wanted to be with you!” Drake screamed as her ran after Tiana.

  “You motherfucker! You better not leave me like this! That bitch is going to jail! Aghhh!” the girl started screaming.

  Drake stood in the middle of the floor, caught between Tiana and the girl. He could feel his heart breaking.

  “Well, now you don’t have to tell the bitch nothing. I’ll be out of your place in two days. Have a nice fucking life, Drake,” Tiana said with the same eerily calm voice she spoke in each time she took down her marks.

  “Wait!” she heard him scream after her.

  Tiana raced down Drake’s front steps with tears running down her face like a waterfall. The tears were more angry than tears of hurt. She couldn’t believe that she’d let Drake convince her to cross the line, only to have him stomp all over her heart. Here she was feeling guilty about fl
irting and getting another guy’s number, while Drake was straight up fucking somebody else. The pain she felt sizzled into a ball of fury that she needed to get rid of. She had more people on her list to see and with the rage roiling on her insides this was the perfect time to get back to it. She unfolded her list and read the next name listed on it. It was time for her to get her revenge on some assholes from Rollins.

  * * *

  Tiana read the address again to make sure she had the right place. The red brick two-story building looked run-down and decrepit, surely not a place she expected a doctor’s administrative assistant to live. Tiana didn’t have to use any special skills to get inside because the beat-up front door sat propped open by a milk crate with a dirty pillow on top of it.

  Tiana had to kick through empty beer bottles, potato chip bags, and dirty food cartons to get to the stairs leading up to the second floor. The stench of burning hair, cat piss, and old grease assailed her nose when she got to the top. Some nasty motherfuckers living in here.

  Tiana knocked on the door. She had her fake sales pitch line all ready in her head. After a few second she heard movement inside the apartment.

  “Didn’t I tell your ass not to forget—” Dana Shaw cussed as she yanked the door open. Her words were quickly cut short when Tiana placed the barrel of her .357 Sig Sauer on Dana’s forehead.

  “Don’t fucking scream or your neighbors will find your brains all over the floor when they come home,” Tiana growled, moving forward.

  Dana shook her head up and down as she walked backward into the apartment. Tiana kept her gun pressed on Dana’s forehead as she locked the door behind her.

  “Never thought you’d see me again, huh?” Tiana grinned wickedly.

  “Pl . . . please,” Dana stuttered. Her teeth chattered together loudly like she was standing in an icy pile of snow with no clothes on.