“But then what, Ny?” Honey stared at her friend’s face, and she didn’t just see the sadness there, she felt it too.
“It was the beginning of second quarter,” Lanai’s voice was barely louder than a whisper. “I walked in on her and James doing lines in the living room, and when she heard me come in, she looked up, and I could tell she didn’t even know who I was. She was so high, and I ignored the way James looked at me. I just went to my room and shut the door. I should have locked it. I don’t know why I didn’t. I tried to go to sleep and ignore their loud-ass music. We had that English test the next day, so I was trying to be well rested. I-I went to sleep in a T-shirt like I always did, and in the middle of the night, I felt something wet between my legs. When I turned on my light, I just screamed. I screamed so loud. It was James. He was . . . He was licking my pussy!”
“Oh my God, Ny!” Honey exclaimed and reached out for her friend’s hand. She was almost afraid to ask what happened next. “Did he . . . did he . . . you know?”
“No,” Lanai shook her head. “I wasn’t trying to go out like those girls in the movies. I snatched my lamp from the wall and cracked it on his head. He passed out. But to this day, I can still feel and see him on me like that.” She shuddered slightly. “I packed up all the shit I could and left.”
“Wait. What do you mean you left?” Honey asked. “I’m at your apartment almost every day.”
“Yeah, you’re at my apartment.”
“You always tell me your mom is at work when I come over after school.”
“I lied,” Lanai answered bluntly. “I ain’t seen that bitch since the day her nigga tried to fuck me. And she ain’t tried to look for me either. Probably too doped up on that powder.”
“I’m sorry, Ny,” Honey said. She thought about the nice two-bedroom apartment that Lanai lived in and about how decked out it was. “That’s really your spot? You pay the bills and all that?”
“Yup,” Lanai said. “Living on the streets was never an option, so I had to get some bread and fast. You know Nard from algebra?”
Honey nodded. How could she not? Bernard Brown was a fine chunk of chocolate with a baby face, and many times, Honey had fantasized about doing a few ungodly things to him. She also knew what kind of things he was into and what most of the girls who hung around him and his friends did to stay around them.
“Well, let’s just say he does a little more than just help me with my math homework.”
“You selling pussy, Ny? ’Cause I’m not down with that.”
“No!” Lanai said, feeling the smile coming to her face again. “Stupid. This pussy is priceless! Open my glove compartment.”
Honey looked at the handle to the glove compartment in front of her and was hesitant to open it. When Lanai prompted her again, she reluctantly reached out her hand and pulled the handle.
Click!
Honey’s eyes widened and went back and forth between the contents of the compartment and Lanai’s face.
“Yo, what the fuck, Ny? Is this a nine?”
“Grab it and find out.”
Honey wasted no time wrapping her skinny fingers around the butt of the handgun. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching them inside the car before she held it up. It fit perfectly in her hand.
“This is dope, Ny,” she said admiring the chrome on the weapon.
“You’re right. That’s a nine-millimeter pistol,” Lanai answered. “Good for handling any nigga that gets out of hand.”
“What do you mean ‘any nigga that gets out of hand’? Why do you need a gun, Ny?”
“I told you, Honey,” Lanai shrugged her shoulders. “I had to get some money fast. Bernard put me on.”
“Put you onto what?”
“The streets. I move now.”
“Like move . . . drugs?”
“Yeah,” Lanai said and laughed at the look on Honey’s face. “Look, Honey, before you completely turn your nose up, hear me out. It’s not as bad as it sounds, for real. There is money out there, so much fucking money that I never even knew existed. And the way me and my team move, we clock in thousands every week.”
“Thousands?”
“Thousands. I bought this car for six stacks cash, Honey. I just brought one of the older niggas in the movement with me and made him pretend to be my dad and shit. One of the girls on the team put her name on my lease since I wasn’t old enough to get a place of my own. It’s like a family. I just wanna get my diploma so I can move the way I want to. I’m too smart to be a high school dropout behind the streets. So what’s up? My people got this little job they gotta do today, and I was going to sit it out, but fuck it. We can go get this money now and be a little late for school, or you can go up in there and tell the principal that you can’t walk with us.”
Honey’s mind was trying to process a hundred thoughts a minute. There was no “if” to it. She knew what Lanai was saying was the truth. She wanted to tell her no and go inside the school, but at the end of the school day, what would she have? Nothing. She’ll turn eighteen at the beginning of June, and the check Lisa blew was the last one she’d ever receive from the state. With her back to the wall, Honey realized she only had one choice.
“A’ight, Ny, but have me back here by fifth period. We’re making enchiladas today in Culinary.”
* * *
“Behind that cash, get murked. I’m talking big shit, nigga, join my hit list, nigga!”
The sound of Lil Wayne’s mixtape No Ceilings was cranked so loud that Honey could hear it outside of the shabby two-story house Lanai had her standing outside of. They were about twenty minutes from the school in a different neighborhood off of Slauson, and Lanai had to bang on the door a second time before anyone came to open it. On the other side of the slightly ajar door stood a man that looked to be in his early twenties. He almost smiled when he saw Lanai, but when his eyes brushed Honey, his expression hardened.
“Yo, who this?”
His scowl showed Honey that she wasn’t welcome, but Lanai grabbed her arm to keep her still beside her.
“She with me,” Lanai said and pushed the door all the way open. “Now open the fuckin’ door, nigga. Y’all already pissed me off by making me wait longer than I should have.” She looked at Honey and nodded her head. “Come on.”
The dude, Mo, watched Honey like a hawk as she walked past him. The hood in Honey made her look him up and down with her lip turned up for the disrespect.
“Yoooo!” Lanai called out happily to the room of people with her arms in the air.
Honey was blown away by the setup of the small house, if you could call it that. The main level had no walls up, it was just a big room. There were four big windows, and on every wall there was a sixty-inch TV. The TV next to the door had several miniscreens on it with the surveillance cameras around the house. The one on the left wall was playing reruns of Law & Order SVU, the one on the far wall had every game system a person could think of connected, and the TV on the right was showing highlights of sports games. The soft orange carpet, tan plush chairs, and colorful bean bags made the room look like a teen recreational center, except that it wasn’t. As Honey looked around at the five people in the room, she took notice that they all were strapped with either a handgun or an automatic.
That’s an AK, she thought to herself, eyeing the gun in the hand of the last boy Lanai dapped up in greeting.
The welcome of Lanai was short lived when they saw the girl she’d brought with her. Instinctively, they all put their hands on their weapons and grilled Honey with their eyes.
“Honey, this is Dank, Snow, Willie, Ron Ron, and you met Mo at the door.” Lanai went around the room and pointed everyone out to her.
“What’s good, everybody?” Honey lifted her chin but only got animalistic grunts in return.
“What is this, Ny?” the chocolate-skinned boy, Dank, asked.
“Chill, Dank. She’s my best friend.”
Dank walked up on Honey, snatching his arm away from
Lanai when she grabbed it. Any other time, Honey might have given Dank the googly eyes. He had a fierce jawline and chestnut-colored eyes. His hair was cut into a tapered fade with sideburns lined up leading perfectly into his little goatee. He loomed over Honey, perhaps trying to intimidate her by his muscular build, but she stood her ground. He looked her up and down, and then turned back to Lanai.
“Yea?” Dank finally said with his square forehead bunched up. He put the AK-47 on his shoulder and scowled. “Well, what the fuck is she doing in my spot?”
“Why are any of us in the spot? We’re all tryin’a eat.” Lanai took a few steps and stood between Dank and Honey. “Now back up off of her before we have a problem, my guy. And put that fuckin’ gun down unless you gon’ use it. Let’s talk business. All y’all relax.” She looked over her shoulder at her best friend and pointed at one of the plush chairs. “Honey, you can sit in the chair by Dank. He ain’t gon’ do shit to you.”
Honey had never seen that side of Lanai. The authoritativeness in her voice calmed down the entire room, and although everyone else shot Honey skeptical looks, they didn’t say another word until Lanai spoke again. Honey sat in the chair that she was instructed to next to Dank, and the man named Mo sat on the other side of her. Lanai waited until everyone was seated before she turned off all of the TVs and poised herself in front of them all.
“Listen,” Lanai scanned the room with a hard expression on her face, “my homegirl is tryin’a get down with the get down,” she said. “And because she’s my peoples, I’m tryin’a give her a shot.”
“Why should we trust her? Homegirl don’t even got a piece!”
The voice came from the person sitting on a bean bag in front of Honey. Honey’s eyebrows raised because she could have sworn everybody in the room beside her and Lanai were men, but she was wrong.
“Because she came from the gutter just like the rest of us. And, Snow, you act like it’s gon’ be hard to strap her up. Stop it.”
“I just met the bitch,” Snow rebutted. “Shit, barely that. The ho acting like she scared to speak for herself. I don’t trust no bitch that don’t talk.”
“You the one out here fooling people.” Honey couldn’t help it. She snapped, glaring at Snow. “Bitch really sitting up here looking like and pretending to be a nigga, but talking about trust.”
“What, slut?” Snow stood to her feet and flexed her five-foot-seven frame at Honey, who stood up too.
“Bitch, I’d work yo’ little ass,” Honey said, tucking her chain.
Snow was still puffing her chest out when Honey took the first swing at her face. The punch had so much power behind it, Snow would have been sure to be knocked flat on her back. Too bad it didn’t connect. All Honey felt was air on her fist and an arm around her waist as she was yanked back.
“Chill, ma,” Dank said making her sit back down. “You too, Snow, before I let shorty loose on yo’ ass.”
“Yo, shorty got them dukes!” Ron Ron said, laughing and dapping Willie up.
The two were cousins but resembled each other so much people thought they were brothers. They both had almond-colored skin and auburn-colored hair with light freckles sprinkled over their faces. The only differences were that Ron Ron’s hair was in a brush cut while Willie’s was braided into cornrows. And Ron Ron was skinny while Willie was built like he hit the weights faithfully.
“On God, she was finna hit Snow with that blamer!” Willie’s cosign made Snow’s brown skin turn hot.
“Shut yo’ ass up! You always instigating some shit,” she said and ran her hand over the short curls on top of her head.
“Don’t be mad ’cause yo’ dyke ass almost got knocked the fuck out!”
Honey couldn’t help it. She started laughing so hard that the she almost fell out of the chair. Lanai’s high-pitched laugh joined hers, and soon, the whole room was cracking up.
“Look,” Honey said holding her hand up when the room got quiet again, “I’m just tryin’a get some money. Ny said y’all had some work today, so I’m trying to see if I can slide in with y’all.”
Dank looked at Honey and could tell by the expression on her face that she was serious. He didn’t know what she was going through, but it was obvious that she was thirsty for a dollar, just like the rest of them. Although Snow had a point on why they shouldn’t trust her if they just met her, he was having a hard time determining why not trust her. He trusted Lanai—with his life on several occasions—so if she was saying Honey was good peoples, he would give her the benefit of the doubt. There was only one missing piece to the puzzle.
“She plugged in with El-Jihad?” he asked Lanai, and the look on her face answered his question. He shook his head and sighed deeply. “Ny . . .”
“El-Jihad?” Honey’s attention spiked at the mention of LA’s kingpin.
Everyone knew El-Jihad. He was what people called the devil of the underworld. Honey figured that Lanai was down with big cats in the game, but never in her right mind would she have guessed El-Jihad.
“I figured we’d put her on first,” Lanai smiled sheepishly at Dank and ignored Honey. “And hopefully, he’d see what a great asset she is to our team and let her stay.”
It was an unspoken fact that she and Dank were the heads of their team. They respected each other and never made a decision without checking with each other first. It was also a fact that their team was the most efficient one moving El-Jihad’s work for him. Not only that, they made the most precise hits when he requested them to be made. She knew that if she had Dank backing her up on it, then it was less likely that El-Jihad would be angry about bringing a new face in his mix.
“What y’all think?” he asked the rest of the crew.
“Nigga, that bitch almost let one off on me,” Snow spoke up, and Honey thought for sure that she was going to tell him hell no. “Give her a gun and see what she do with it.”
Honey grinned at her, and Snow shot back an approving look.
“A’ight, then,” Dank said when he got no disapproving answers. “Let’s take her to the lab.”
Chapter 3
“The Lab” turned out to be the upper level of the house.
That level of the house was open too. It was one big room, except it had a few more bells and whistles, and a smaller bedroom off of it. Whereas the house didn’t have a kitchen on the main level, there was one up there in the far corner. Honey didn’t ask questions, she just looked around and saw that she was wrong to assume that the seven of them were the only ones in the house. Up there were four women with face masks on seated at a round table a little way away from the staircase. They were all voluptuous in the white camis and boy shorts they wore and didn’t budge when they heard the newcomers. They were too focused on the white powder they were cutting and bagging. Next to the work, the women each had a pistol within arm’s reach.
“This is the trap?” Honey asked even though she didn’t need an answer.
“Yup,” Willie said walking around her. “The main one. We keep this shit up here so when the hoes be cooking, the smell ain’t that potent.”
“Yeah, that’s why we was so skeptical on Ny bringing a fresh face here,” Snow said, patting Honey on the back. “But now I see that you’re too green to be a snake.”
“Be nice, Snow.” Lanai rolled her eyes and pushed Honey to follow the guys into the one bedroom down there. Walking up to the circular table, she examined the work the women were bagging up. “Good job, ladies. If y’all get this order done before night hits, I’ll throw in an extra five hundred apiece.”
She turned her back on them before she could see how quickly their fingers began to move and followed her team into the bedroom they’d turned into an arsenal. On every wall were weapons of all kinds, even explosives. In the middle of the room was a glass compartment with knives and switchblades of all sizes, also bulletproof vests. She was going to tell them to start her with a Ruger first, but they had other plans.
“You gon’ need something light to start
with,” Ron Ron was saying and handed Honey a Glock 19. “This bitch right here is powerful, but she won’t knock you off your feet.”
Lanai studied Honey to make sure that her friend wasn’t overwhelmed at what she’d seen so far. To her satisfaction, it seemed as if Honey was just soaking it all in. It reminded her so much of when Bernard introduced her to his big cousin Dank. The first time she saw the trap, she couldn’t say that she was scared . . . more like ready for whatever was to come her way. After running away from her mother, Lanai didn’t have anything but the streets and Honey. She hated having to hide that part of her life from her best friend, but now she was happy that she could mix the two. She watched the guys and Snow showing her how to aim the gun and shoot it without her shoulder snapping back and laughed at the show Ron Ron and Willie were giving. They were all so enthralled in getting Honey ready for the small job they had to go on that they didn’t hear the footsteps coming up the stairs.
“Ahem.”
The sound of a throat being cleared made all of them stop doing what they were doing. They all turned around, most already knowing who was behind them. El-Jihad stood in between two men aiming Uzis with banana clips attached. He was a good-looking, pecan-colored man in his upper thirties. He wore his hair cut low and had a clean-shaven face except for the thin mustache above his top lip. His face held no wrinkles, giving him more youth than what he really had, and he stood no taller than five foot nine. He wasn’t skinny, nor was he muscular, but it wasn’t his size anyway that made him menacing. It was his aura.
“What’s popping, God,” Willie spoke up trying to cut the tension in the air.
El-Jihad ignored him and instead, placed his cold, dark eyes on the only person in the room that he didn’t recognize. He ignored her beauty and the fact that she seemed as sweet as honey. All that he was concerned about was why she was in his spot with his people.
“That’s what I’m tryin’a figure out.” El-Jihad’s deep voice was venomous. “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t let my Rottweilers start barking in this bitch. Nobody is on their post. That’s money gone if somebody was to run up in my place of business. Who is this?”
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