“This ain’t good. This shit ain’t good.” She handed him the documents, pulled her knees up to her chest and was rocking back and forth.
Peanut took his time going over the top document. He finally said, “Yo, this is a life-insurance policy for a hundred g’s. You are the sole beneficiary. Damn. What if we hadn’t come over here? What if you would have left for Cali? You would have never found this out. See! This is a sign. You don’t need to go, baby sis.”
“It’s not that document,” Shan screamed. “Look at the other one. Plus, she committed suicide. I can’t collect the money.”
Peanut continued thumbing through the life-insurance policy. When he finished, he opened up a closed document. When he saw the test results stating that Brianna Russell was HIV-positive, he turned pale white as the papers fell to the floor.
“Peanut, I can’t lose you too. Go get tested.”
“What?”
“Go get tested. I know you was fucking her, Peanut,” Shan screamed. “I’m not dumb.” She jumped up off the floor. “If you got that shit, I will kill you myself.” She stormed past him and headed for the door. “I’ll holla at you later.”
CHAPTER FOUR
What the fuck happened to him, yo? Won’t nobody tell me shit. They wouldn’t even let me see him.” Born was crying out of frustration. “He’s not just my uncle; he’s like my pops, yo.”
The entire crew was in Shadee’s apartment, upset, confused and trying to get some answers. Here their leader, brother, fellow soldier and mentor was laid up in a hospital bed in critical condition under police protection. Janay couldn’t be reached and no one was giving them any answers. They could feel it. Shit was about to be fucked up.
Born was sitting on the floor, his back against the front door. Jo Jo, Teraney and Slim were seated on the sofa. Kay-Gee was sprawled out on the love seat and Doc had the floor. He was pacing back and forth chugging on a forty ounce of Budweiser. Tears were flowing nonstop down his cheeks.
“Maine, you making me dizzy, sit yo’ ass down,” Kay-Gee snapped, causing Doc to hurl the now empty bottle at him. It slammed onto the back of the love seat and bounced onto the floor. The room already smelled like a wet bar.
“Will y’all cut that shit out,” Slim ordered. “All of us are stressed out and we’ll continue to be until we get to the bottom of this shit.”
“Shit’s gonna be fucked up,” Born yelled. It was obvious that he was taking it the hardest. Most likely because he was the youngest and the closest to Shadee.
Teraney sparked up the purple haze. “No it ain’t, lil’ nigga. Sha wasn’t the only soldier. We all hustlas but we’re soldiers first. That’s how Sha did it. You know that and that’s how he taught us.”
Born was gently banging the back of his head against the door. His eyes were bloodshot and his nose was beet-red and running.
“Yeah, and we still got to eat,” Jo Jo reminded everyone.
“I can’t believe that bitch did that to my uncle. I should go and do her whole family,” Born gritted.
“Maine, her family ain’t have nothing to do with that gold-diggin’ sac-chaser’s bullshit. They didn’t even fuck with Brianna like that,” Teraney told him. “So don’t go and do something stupid.” Born was now banging his head harder against the door. “Born!” Teraney yelled. “Her family ain’t have nothing to do with her bullshit. Don’t go and make us hotter than we already are over some shit we ain’t have no control over. We still gotta get this money.” He shot Born a look that sent a serious warning.
“How you know Janay ain’t have nothing to do with this? The shit went down at her house! Now all of a sudden we can’t get in touch with her, her pops, her sister . . . everybody’s ghost,” Doc spat as he used this opportunity to show his hate for Janay.
“Maine, what you been smokin’?” Jo Jo asked him.
“Yeah, don’t you think she would have been arrested by now?” Kay-Gee wanted to know. “Her nosy-ass neighbors would have told us that as well as the police. But everybody is talkin’ about Brianna going off and then blowing her own fuckin’ brains out.”
“Doc, nigga, you know Janay didn’t do that shit. I don’t know why you always got beef with her,” Born snapped.
“Aiight, yo. Y’all muhfuckas sleep on Janay if y’all want to but I ain’t. And speaking of beef, Sha’s connect wants three extra g’s for a key. I got at him last night.” Doc figured this was the opportune time to slip that in.
“What?” Jo Jo snapped.
“Maine, fuck that! He on some bullshit,” Teraney added.
“Hell yeah,” Slim agreed.
“Fuck him. We can get weight from Janay and Big Chop. That’s Sha’s wifey.” Born said it as if the shit was a no-brainer.
“Hold up everybody. Y’all didn’t even give me a chance to finish. I got this. I’ve been working on something that’s almost three and a half cheaper than Sha’s connect,” Doc assured them.
“Nigga, when did this come about? And who is this connect?” Kay-Gee wanted to know.
“Ray-Ray, my cousin down in Dyersburg.”
“Nigga, how you gonna take food out of Sha’s son’s mouth?” Born was ready to spaz out on Doc.
“Boy, three g’s less than what we already payin’ plus half on consignment? That’s not takin’ shit outta nobody’s mouth. Young nigga, that’s how you do business. Plus in Sha’s absence I’m in charge. I ain’t gonna let Sha’s son starve. Let’s make this paper.” Doc was letting them know that he was now the HNIC.
Then all of a sudden everyone in the room started yelling at once.
“Y’all niggas shut the fuck up!” Slim jumped up screaming and stood in the middle of the room. “Damn, yo, what the fuck?” He shot daggers at everybody until the room was so quiet you could hear a dollar bill hit the floor. Then he turned to Doc. “Nigga, we know who’s in charge.”
“I can’t tell. Everybody got somethin’ slick coming out of their mouths,” Doc countered. “Y’all act like I don’t know what the fuck I’m doin’. Shit, I ain’t new to dis, I’m true to dis.”
“Nigga, everybody can voice their opinions. I know you can understand where Born is coming from. Sha copped from Choppa most of the time and Janay, that’s wifey, so we should keep doin’ that. You was actin’ like coppin’ from her was out of the question,” Slim barked.
“Naw, it ain’t like that. I’m just tryna get as much paper as possible as long as my peeps is givin’ it to us on these terms. I already gave him my word that I was gonna get at him.”
Slim yanked at his beard, as he always did when he was weighing his options. “Aiight, nigga, go ahead and get that because time is of the essence. We don’t know how long he’ll keep those terms. Plus we can’t get in contact with Chop and ’em.”
Born couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked at Slim as if he had sprouted three heads.
Born and the rest of Sha’s crew had been blowing Janay’s cell phone up. Of course she understood they wanted to know what happened to their boy, but damn, right now everything was just too much to handle. So she got her father to take her to his hideaway crib that no one knew about but her, Boomer and her sister Crystal. The four of them packed a bag for a couple of days and headed out as soon as they dropped Marquis over at his grandmother Ida’s.
Janay was really fucked up seeing her baby’s daddy laid up in the hospital helpless, fucked up, bandages covering his head and face, tubes sticking out of his mouth, nose and arms. She was feeling some kind of way at first. She was ready to cry and was wishing that she could carry his pain for him. That is until she remembered the night she walked in on him getting his dick sucked by another nigga then turning the nigga over on his ass and diggin’ his back out as if the nigga were a bitch. His faggot muthafuckin’ ass needs to die. Here this nigga is trying to hold on for dear life. And for what? To get well and fuck up somebody else’s life?
That painful night she stood at his bedside, if the po-po hadn’t been at the door she was conte
mplating pulling out all the plugs. But instead she stormed out of the hospital room and swore that she would never go back.
“Aiight, man,” said Ray-Ray, Doc’s cousin, then gave him dap and watched him pull off.
Doc had just copped seven keys from his cousin and now he was headed back to the crib. He picked up his celly and dialed Teraney. “Yo, it’s me. I’m on my way in. I’ll call you when I get to the crib.”
“Aiight, we waitin’.” Teraney sounded as if he was gettin’ lifted.
Doc hung up and focused on his four-hour drive back, compounded with the turn of events with his boy Shadee. He didn’t know why the hospital wasn’t allowing everyone to come and see him. Shit, he wasn’t the muthafuckin’ president. And that bitch Janay . . . it’s as if she had disappeared off the face of the earth. That was an admission of guilt as far as he was concerned. Shadee was at her house, was shot at her house, and now she was gone. C’mon now, he figured it don’t take a rocket scientist to figure that shit out. Plus, since Janay caught him and Sha fuckin’ he knew it was only a matter of time that she was going to flip out and want some get-back. So the fuck what! That’s how he and Sha got down. Damn, his dick was getting hard at the thought. The more he thought about Sha the harder his dick got. His mind was clouded so much that he found himself driving to the hospital while jackin’ his dick off. He was imagining Sha bustin’ off in his mouth. He picked up his celly and dialed Teraney.
“Yo, you in?” Teraney yelled over some loud music.
“Almost; I’m at the hospital to see if I can see Sha. I’ll call you.”
Teraney was trying to be rational. “Maine, what the fuck you smokin’? You got all that shit on you and you stoppin’?” He could hear Doc sniffin’. “Nigga, pull yo’self together and get yo’ mind right. Swing by here first, then I’ll go to the hospital with you, aiight?” Teraney could still hear sniffin’. “Aiight, maine? Come see me first and we’ll go together.”
“Aiight.” Doc hung up.
“Ay, Slim!” Teraney called out. “Let’s roll, maine. I just got off the phone with Doc. That nigga trippin’ off of somethin’. First, he say he on his way to the crib. Then he calls back cryin’ and shit, talkin’ about he on the way to the hospital to see Sha.”
“What!” Slim exclaimed. “The fool on his way to the hospital with seven birds? That stupid muthafucka! We need to get to the hospital and take his car. Fuck it! He can find a way to get home. Nigga talkin’ about we need to get this paper and here he is throwin’ bricks at the penitentiary . . . and with our muthafuckin’ shit.” They both were heated.
“You got his key ring?” Slim asked as he put on his jacket.
“Yeah, I got ’em.” Teraney tossed them to him.
“Let’s be out den.”
Doc was already sweet-talking the receptionist as she popped on her chewing gum and blushed. He slipped her a twenty and his phone number as she gave him a visitor’s pass and watched him head for the elevators.
When Doc stepped off the elevator and headed toward ICU, the first thing he looked for was the po-po. There was none. His eyes scanned for room 510; he bypassed the busy nurse’s station and came up on Sha’s room. He stepped into the dark room and took a deep breath. The only lighting was from the moonlight and the monitors. He stepped up cautiously to the bed. Seeing all the equipment and tubes had him stuck on stupid. This was not the nigga that he had grown to love.
After overcoming the initial shock, he was finally able to speak. “Sha, Sha, can you hear me? What happened, yo? Everybody is worried about you.” He picked up Sha’s hand and began stroking it. “I miss you, dawg, I don’t know what all happened to you and why, yo.” He kissed Sha’s palm. “Get well, man, you gotta pull through. Don’t leave all of us like this.”
“Excuse me.” The heavyset nurse on duty interrupted by turning the lights on. “Are you on the patient’s special visitors list, and where is Officer Polk?” she rattled off.
“Yeah, I’m his brother and Officer Polk is on break. He knows I’m here. However, I’m leaving. I just had to check on him. You know, make sure he’s all right. You takin’ good care of him, right?” Doc flirted as he eased toward the door.
She still was looking at him with suspicion. “He’s in good hands. Good night Mr.—”
“When he becomes conscious tell him his nigga Doc was here and I got much love for him.” He turned and rushed for the elevators.
By the time Doc reached his car the tears were streaming down his cheeks. As he pulled off, Teraney and Slim were pulling up, missing him by a minute.
“Let me out here; I’ll take this side and watch the front door while you drive around. Stupid nigga,” Slim snapped, referring to Doc, as he jumped out. Teraney pulled off to continue cruising the lot looking for Doc’s ride.
When Doc pulled up in front of his house, he started to call Teraney but changed his mind. He decided that he would call him when he got inside. He hit a few switches before getting out and popping the trunk. His secret compartment was in the amplifier in the trunk and was activated from the inside. He slid the lid off the amplifier, grabbed the heavy navy blue duffel bag and slid the lid back. He wiped more tears from his face, slung the bag over his shoulder and slammed the trunk. He went around to the back entrance and took out his keys and opened the door. That’s when he felt the cold steel kiss the back of his skull. When he went to turn around he heard . . . click.
“Don’t move, muthafucka, ’cause if you do I’ma send you to meet your maker.” Doc felt a gloved hand frisk him and snatch Duke, his Smith & Wesson.
“Man, what the fuck you want?” Doc based up.
“Shut yo’ bitch ass up! Who the hell you think you talking to?” Skye barked as he pushed Doc inside the house. He was glad that the living room light was already on. “This here is my show, partna, and you gonna do what the hell I tell you to. Now drop the muthafuckin’ bag and strip, then you can get on your knees and suck my dick.” He laughed. “Nah, fool, I’m fuckin’ with you. I don’t get down like that. Hurry the fuck up, nigga, you takin’ too long to strip.” Skye grew impatient from the usual adrenaline rush he always got when jackin’ and smacked Doc several times in the back of his skull for not moving fast enough.
While Doc was standing in all his glory butt-ass naked, Skye told him to lock his hands behind his head and commanded him to walk to the bathroom. Skye struck Doc two more times, just because.
“Nigga, that’s on GP just in case you think about pullin’ some funny-ass shit. Now stand the fuck up before I shoot ya dick off and make you suck ya own shit.”
“Man, just take the—”
“Just take what, nigga?” Skye cut him off. “And what the hell you looking at? You thought you was gonna see who’s jackin’ yo’ ass? Nah, playboy, shut the hell up and speak when spoken to, bitch. This is my game. Get ya ass in the bathtub,” Skye barked as he kicked Doc square in the ass, sending him flying headfirst inside the tub.
Doc grunted.
“Get yo’ clumsy ass up! Hurry up, fool!” As soon as Doc stood up Skye tossed him the roll of duct tape. “Tape one arm to the shower rod.” Skye impatiently looked on as Doc, who was bloodied up, fumbled with the tape. As soon as Doc had one arm wrapped up Skye snatched the tape and began taping up the other hand. “You a slow-ass nigga.” Then he bound his ankles together and turned the shower on, making sure the water was cold.
“Where’s the money at?” When Doc wouldn’t answer, Skye busted him in the mouth with the butt of his burner. Doc again grunted in pain. “I bet you’ll speak now. Where the money at? And don’t make me ask again.”
“In the bedroom. Top drawer.” Skye left and found the bedroom. He went to the top drawer and found five stacks.
Oh I know this nigga sittin’ on more than five stacks, Skye was thinking to himself. He began to tear the room up, flipping the mattress over first, emptying the drawers out and then going through the closet. As he cased the closet he hit a spot on the floor that felt as if it wa
s gonna give. He rocked back and forth on it with his foot.
“Ahhhh, yeah . . . this some slick shit here,” he was saying as he started to rip up the carpet. “Oh yeah, this here is some real slick shit. Gotdamn, money in the bank.” Skye was looking down at twenty-five stacks. He put it in the bag along with the ounces of weed he ran across. Skye ran back into the bathroom where Doc was in and out of consciousness, and shot Doc in his shoulder. “Nigga, that’s for lying to me about yo’ otha stash. Bitch-ass nigga. I’ll catch yo’ ass slippin’ again.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Behind dark shades, Sonya and Miss P, two of the leading Memphis gossip queens, sat in the back during Brianna’s funeral doing what they do best: gossiping.
“Umph, this cheap-ass funeral. As many niggas as she was fuckin’ she should have been buried like Princess Di. I just knew she would have more people than this show up,” Sonya whispered to Miss P as they looked around at the sixty-something guests.
“I thought she would have more people than this show up myself. And she should have more flowers than that,” chimed Miss P. “Ooh look. Ain’t that Artie and his wife? Ain’t no way in hell I’ll be comin’ to a bitch’s funeral who was fuckin’ my husband. That’s some crazy shit. It couldn’t be me,” Miss P continued to pop off.
“Girl, me neither.” They watched as Artie and his wife walked up to the closed casket with a bouquet of flowers. As soon as Artie laid the one red rose on Brianna’s casket, Artie’s wife stepped back and kicked her casket so hard it slid over. The entire room gasped. She then began screaming all kinds of obscenities. Artie hauled off and backhanded his wife across the face. That was the only way to shut her up and stop her from disrespecting Brianna’s funeral any further.
“Lawd have mercy!” Brianna’s neighbor Miss Hattie yelled out.
Sonya was giggling and Miss P was mad that she didn’t have a camera phone to have caught the whole thing. Artie was dragging his wife out of the funeral by the back of her neck.
Payback With Ya Life Page 5