“We already fucked in the bedroom. We wouldn’t be fuckin’ out here if you hadn’t followed me out of the house.”
“I couldn’t help it. I don’t want you to leave,” she whined. “We barely even talk anymore,” she whispered as she made circles on his chest with her fingers.
“Baby, what do you want to talk about? If something is on your mind, you know I’m only a phone call away.”
“It’s not the same, Briggen,” she pouted.
“What made you start calling me Briggen? Especially since you were so adamant about calling me Calvin.”
“See how long it took you to notice that? Just goes to show how you are in and right out.”
“Don’t even try it. I been noticed it. I just didn’t mention it. So tell me, why am I Briggen all of a sudden?”
“When you step back and become the man I first met. That man was Calvin, and then I’ll start back calling you him again,” she stated with conviction.
“Oh, so it’s like that?”
She shook her head yes. “Briggen?”
“Oh, so now you tryna be funny?”
“No. I want you to tell me a secret.”
“A secret?”
“Yes, a secret.” Her gaze was challenging him. He let out a groan. “Briggen, stop being stubborn. Share a secret with me.”
He chuckled. “Me stubborn? Not Briggen. Calvin maybe. But not Briggen.” She punched him in his arm. “All right, all right. A secret. I have one but you can’t tell anybody. And don’t be judgmental.”
“Stop playin’, Briggen. And judgmental? I hope you’re not getting ready to tell me you’re gay.” Her heart sank to her feet.
“Hell naw. Don’t even try to play a nigga like that. It’s my peeps. My peeps fuckin’ around on me. I caught the shit on tape. I saw it with my own eyes.”
They each needed a few minutes to see how the other one would respond to that piece of information.
Shan was the first to break the silence. “So . . . what are you going to do?”
He shrugged. “It ain’t shit. I just thought I had some loyal muthafuckas around me. I’ma chalk that shit up. It’s all a part of the game.”
“Mmmhmmm. Easier said than done.” She made sure to slip that in.
“Check it. These streets is like a jungle. I come across all types of breeds. Especially snakes and rats. You know snakes eat rats, and hawks eat snakes. And since I stay aboveground circling my prey, I have to honestly say that I saw it comin’. But being the cocky nigga that I am, I ignored it. But if you stay ready you’ll never have to get prepared.”
“Mmmm, that’s deep.” She ran what he had just said over again in her mind as he lit up a blunt.
“You ready to hear my secret?” Shan asked him.
“Spill it.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “My secret is . . . my brother wants me to leave you alone.”
“Umph,” was all Briggen said as they lay there staring out into the night. “Sooo . . . what are you going to do? I hope you’re gonna stay with me. I don’t want you to leave me.”
“Who is that talking?”
He was playing with her locks. “Calvin and Briggen. They both want you to stay. So tell me. What are you going to do?” Briggen threw her question right back at her.
“I’ma do me. Peanut is my brother, not my father. I know he is looking out for me, but my decision will be based upon how you play your cards.”
“Shit, then charge it to the game.”
Janay beeped the horn at Skye. He jumped out of his truck and jogged over to her.
“We goin’ in my ride.” When she looked at him as if he were crazy he said, “How you gonna do dirt in your own ride? C’mon, girl. I know where he at but I don’t know how long he gonna be there.”
Janay parked her ride and followed him to his car. It was a rusty Toyota Camry. She frowned, turning up her top lip. “Let’s ride, gangsta,” Skye teased.
They took off with Melky a few car lengths behind them. Janay didn’t even know it. The only sound was when she checked Ms. Pearl for bullets. Skye was impressed. To him this was a gangsta broad for real. Skye blasted Dr. Dre’s “Ain’t Nuthin’ but a G Thang” as they headed for the basketball court.
“Showtime,” Skye sang as he pulled his hoodie over his head. Janay pulled her baseball cap down low. He slowed down as he looked for Freckles. “There yo’ man go with the purple Nike T-shirt on.”
“I see that punk.” She pulled out some loot wrapped in a rubber band. She rolled her window down and stuck her head out. “Hey, cutie! You with the freckles, I know you got that strawberry.” She waved her wad of cash at him. There was a ball game going on strong and Freckles was standing there watching, while nursing a forty and obviously trying to get his mack on with the bowlegged chick sportin’ the hip-hugging jeans.
“Who dat?” he slurred.
“It’s me, my nigga, Nay.” She waved the loot once more. “You got dat strawberry or you gonna send me to who do got it?” Janay snapped as her other hand caressed the .380 sitting in her lap. He finally took the bait and began walking toward the rusty Camry. When he got close she took off her shades.
“What you workin’ with, shawdy.” He had no clue who she was.
“I wanna be workin’ with an ounce of that strawberry,” she said as she began counting her cash. When he got close enough and saw the burner in her lap she smiled at him.
“Why you strapped up, shawdy?”
In an instant she dropped the dough in her lap and had the .380 at his neck and a grip on his T-shirt. “Why? Why am I strapped? Because of bitch-ass niggas like you who think they can put their hands on me. Remember when you smacked me at the detail shop? And you called me a bitch! So I gotta teach you a lesson.”
“What? Wait! H-hold up. I know—” he stammered.
It was too late. Block . . . Block. She had pushed him back and since he was bent over when she let the .380 spit, the bullets hit him on the top of his head, literally splitting his wig. The Camry skidded off, and she let loose another one and it hit him in his stomach.
Skye was stunned. He looked over at her, and she was staring straight ahead. Beads of sweat were forming on her nose and top lip and light splashes of blood were decorating her face.
Damn, this bitch is gangsta all day long and she fuckin’ strong. How she hold on to that nigga like that? He did the speed limit back to her car. He pulled up next to her ride. “You want me to get rid of that burner for you?”
“No, I got it.” She stuffed it in her bag. “Thanks.” She got out, jumped into her whip and pulled off. He watched as Melky pulled off after her.
Wise was from Brooklyn, New York, and a cousin of Skye’s and Melky’s. They sent for him every now and then when they needed an extra man. Wise was ridin’ shotgun as Melky pushed his truck. Skye was in his truck following them.
“Once we get there, we gonna hit this nigga up on his celly in exactly twenty?” Wise was going over the first part of the plan once more.
“Exactly twenty, then it’s on from there,” Melky confirmed.
“Aiight, cool.”
They parked several doors down and Skye pulled up in the driveway and parked. He swooped up the bottle of Krüg and the box of chocolates and got out of the car. He confidently swaggered up her steps and rang the bell. The house was dark but there was a glare from the television. He saw the curtain move, then swing back into place. He smiled as he heard the locks turn and the door pop open.
“How did you find out where I lived?” Janay stood there with both hands on her hips. The screen door was separating them.
“Nowadays, you can find out anything you need to know. Just like I found out where ole dude hung, I just as easily found out where you rest yo’ head.”
“Oh, so you are planning on holding that over my head forever?”
“Nah. I ain’t even cut like that. You seemed pretty shaken up earlier. I couldn’t stop thinking about you so I decided to check up on yo
u.”
“You could have done that over the phone.”
“It’s not the same. I needed to see you face-to-face to be sure that you were all right. But excuse me, Miss Lady, I apologize for wanting to look out for you.”
“Apology accepted.” Janay didn’t change the expression on her face.
They stood face-to-face. Skye looking her up and down, wanting to get under her silk short set, but reminding himself that this was actually business. She was eyeing the box of chocolates, the bottle of Krüg in his arm and the bag hanging off his shoulders. She deliberated on whether to let him in or not.
As if he could read her thoughts he said, “Throw on a jacket and bring a couple of glasses and we’ll sit out here on the porch.”
She was still undecided. “So . . . are the streets talking or what?”
“You know how the hood do. That was one of the highlights of the day,” Skye said, causing Janay to smile. “Well you’re smiling so I guess my work here is done. Check it. At least take this.” He held out the Krüg and the chocolates. That got her.
She unlocked the screen door and motioned for him to come in. Melky and Wise, who had their eyes glued to the porch, blew out a sigh of relief. He was taking too long to execute Plan A.
“Have a seat,” she said as she turned on a lamp.
She then disappeared and came back with two glasses. “So what’s in that bag?” Janay craned her neck as he leaned over and zipped it open just enough to pull out an ounce of weed.
“Got some of dat fire, that’s what’s in the bag.”
“I see. Why don’t you roll up while I go change my clothes?”
“You look aiight to me.”
“I feel naked. You’re like one of the homies, not a nigga to be shaking my ass in front of.” She smiled at him and then headed for the stairs.
“Real funny,” he called after her. “You should get on at amateur night at the Apollo.”
“Maybe I will,” she yelled back down the steps. She headed to the guest bedroom where Crystal was and pounced on top of her.
“Bitch! What the fuck is the matter with you.” Crystal elbowed Janay off of her.
“New York is downstairs. Come on down,” Janay whispered.
“Hell naw. I’m tired, fuck a New York,” she answered groggily.
“We got an ounce of that sticky and a bottle of Krüg.” Janay snatched a pillow off the bed and hit her with it. “Party pooper. C’mon, Crystal.”
“Bitch, get the fuck outta here.”
“You in my house.” Janay went into her bedroom and threw on some sweats and a T-shirt. When she came back downstairs Skye was still rolling and had popped the bottle.
Janay grabbed a joint and sat down, then quickly bounced up and checked the door. “I thought I locked it,” she mumbled as she double-checked it and then went and snuggled up on her love seat.
“You comfortable, homie?” Skye joked.
“Ha, ha, ha, homie. I sure am.”
Crystal was now wide awake so she went to the bathroom. On her way back she heard laughter and paused at the top of the stairs for a few before jumping back in the bed. She lay there on her back wide-eyed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about how familiar that laugh sounded.
Skye’s phone rang. “What up?”
“Everything’s cool?” Melky asked.
“Not quite,” Skye told him.
“The door is open, right?”
“Not anymore, but I got it. Hit me back a little later, nigga,” Skye snapped.
“In fifteen? Let’s get this shit over with. I hope you ain’t in there tryna get no pussy!”
“Nigga, go ’head,” Skye said.
“Aiight. I’m just checkin’. Hit you back in fifteen.”
“Yeah, that’ll work.” Skye hung up.
“You gotta run?” Janay was checking him out.
“In a few, yeah.”
Crystal crept down the steps and peeked over the banister. “Unh-uh,” she gasped. She stole another glance at Skye and tiptoed back up the stairs. What the fuck is he doing here? She closed the bedroom door, opened it and then closed it back, unsure of what to do next. She finally sat down on the bed. “He is up to something.” She was now whispering. “Exactly what it is, I’ma find out.”
She picked up the phone and dialed Big Choppa.
“Why haven’t you touched your drink?” Janay asked him.
“Because.”
“Because what?” She took another gulp, looking over the top of her glass at Skye.
“Business. I’m here on business.” He picked up the bag off the floor and sat it on the couch. “I gotta eat, Ma.” He pulled out rope and duct tape.
When the meaning of a nigga having rope and duct tape registered with her she jumped up and screamed, “What the fuck—”
He shut her up with a punch in the mouth that knocked her backward, sending her flopping over the couch.
“You bitch-ass—”
He cut her off when he jumped on top of her, pinning her down to the floor with his knees. He pulled her head back and slapped some duct tape over her mouth, damn near snapping her neck in the process. She groaned as she unsuccessfully tried to wiggle free.
“Chill out, girl, I’m not here to hurt you. I just need you to come with me.” He put her arms behind her back. “We just want a little ransom money.” He duct-taped her wrists together and then tied the rope around them. “What you got here in the house?” As if on cue his cell rang. “Hold that thought,” he said to Janay and answered the phone. “Yo . . . she locked the door. I’m on her now. Give me about five minutes.” He hung up and made sure her wrists and mouth were secure.
“How much will Big Daddy Choppa give for his heiress?” He led her to the couch. “You ain’t got no shoes down here?” She didn’t make a sound or a move. “Oh, you calm as hell. I like that in you; you used to this shit, huh?” He went into his bag and pulled out some gloves. “Later for the shoes. Let’s take this ride while my boys go through the crib real quick.” He grabbed her by her hair and snatched her up.
“Muthafucka get your hands off my sister.” Crystal startled him.
“What?” Shit, Skye thought to himself.
The red dot was on his hand and as soon as he turned Janay loose, it was on his chest. “Pull that tape off of her mouth.” He hesitated and she fired a shot, hitting him in the chest. “See, nigga, you took too long.”
“Fuckin’ bitch!” Skye fell backward across the coffee table, causing it to crash onto the floor. His upper body was on the floor while his legs rested on top of the table base. Blood was beginning to seep out onto his shirt.
Crystal went over to Janay and pulled the tape off of her mouth.
“Oh my God. Oh my God,” Janay panted. “This nigga was getting ready to kidnap me. Fuckin’ animal!” she spat. “He has to be fuckin’ crazy. He just saw me body a nigga earlier. Untie me so I can shoot this muthafucka myself.”
“This is Skye, Janay,” Crystal cried out. “This nigga was a fuckin’ snake from the get-go. He told me his name was Skye and told you it was New York,” she rattled off as she struggled with one hand to untie Janay and had the gun in the other. “All the while his bitch ass was plottin’.”
“We gotta call Daddy. He is going to flip,” Janay told her sister.
“I did before I came downstairs, but he’s not answering. Shit, I can’t get this fuckin’ rope untied,” she snapped. “I’ma need a knife.” When she turned for the kitchen, Skye grabbed on to her leg, she screamed and the gun went off by mistake. She then aimed it at him, shooting him in the stomach and another one in the chest. The sisters stood frozen in place staring at him. When they heard a knock at the door they both jumped.
“Shit!” spat Janay. “That’s probably his partner.” Janay was trying to think fast when his cell phone rang.
“Open the door and we’ll shoot him too; we can’t leave no fucking witnesses.”
“Crystal, we already got a body on the floor.�
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“He ain’t no witness. The muthafucka is dead. Open the door,” Crystal pressed. “Fuck it, I’ll open it.”
“Wait, bitch, untie me first.” Crystal ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, came back and cut the rope and duct tape down the middle.
They heard knocking again.
“Give me the gun, Crystal. You snatch the door open and jump back.”
They marched to the front door. Crystal put her hand on the knob while Janay took a stance with the gun aimed.
“On three. One . . . two . . . three . . .”
Crystal snatched the door open and Janay yelled, “Don’t fuckin’ move!” They both were holding their breath, but exhaled once they realized no one was there. “Shit!” Janay hissed, then whispered, “Whoever it was is gone.”
“Mommy,” Marquis called out as he came down the steps rubbing his eyes. “Is my daddy here?”
Crystal slammed the door shut and locked it. Janay dropped the gun and ran toward Marquis.
“No, sweetie. Daddy isn’t here. You need to be in the bed, it is way past your bedtime.” Her trembling hands swooped him up.
“I want something to drink. Can I have some juice? What’s all that noise, Mommy?”
“Auntie Crystal had the TV up too loud. She will bring you some juice upstairs.” She hugged him tight as she took him back to his bedroom, praying that he was buying her story.
After they got him back to sleep it was almost two o’clock in the morning.
“Where the fuck is Daddy?” Janay cried. “He missin’ in action when we need him the most. Crazy shit is happening.”
“He’s nowhere to be found. We just got robbed, Janay, call the police.” Crystal wanted to get the entire fiasco over with . . . in a hurry.
“Bitch, this is the second time in months that a bullet-filled nigga lay in my living room. Fuck the police! I need my daddy. But first, we gotta get rid of this body.”
They had covered up Skye’s body with a sheet and blood had seeped through it. “Won’t he start stinking soon?” Crystal asked. “Plus I shot him, not you. Call the damn police.”
Janay ignored her. “Bitch, it’s almost two o’clock, we gotta move this body and dial Daddy again.”
Crystal sighed but did as she was told. “Hello,” an unfamiliar voice answered so she hung up.
Payback With Ya Life Page 20