The Plug's Daughter 2: It's Love and War

by Nika Michelle

  She just didn’t know.

  “Baby, please. Why the fuck are you so insecure? Do you not see how beautiful and smart you are?”

  “Don’t sweet talk me right now! It’s not going to work! I don’t want your compliments Keys. I want you to make me feel secure. It doesn’t matter what I look like or how fuckin’ smart I am if my man is making me feel this way. I’m not superwoman and I know that I can be cheated on too. What’s going on Keys?” Her eyes were searching for some kind of assurance from me.

  “I get it babe and I’m sorry okay. All I can say is I love you and what’s going on right now ain’t got nothing to do wit’ me cheating on you. It’s a lot of bullshit happenin’ ma and I don’t have time to entertain another woman. Not that I want anybody else but you, but I’m just sayin’. If there’s anything that I’m keepin’ from you it’s because I wanna protect you. It ain’t got shit to do wit’ no chick. That’s my word. You gotta trust me.” I grabbed her hand and kissed it.

  “You don’t have to keep things from me to protect me. That’s not protecting me. Keeping me in the dark isn’t protecting me. If anything that makes me vulnerable. Any threat to you is a threat to me and vice versa. I’m not some weak ass chick that you have to shield from the streets Keys. I’m not new to any of this shit. I’ve been aware of a lot of shit over the years. I’m not naïve. Not one bit. I can help you. I’m a woman. I can do shit that a man can’t do. Know that.” She winked at me before she got up and left the room.

  I stared at her back thinking that she was right. Over time she’d proven that she damn sure wasn’t scared of shit. She had fears, but she didn’t let them stop her from doing what she had to do to survive. When it came to me, she’d do whatever to make sure that I stayed alive too. We had the same instinct for one another. Maybe me and Mendosa were underestimating Sen.

  Chapter 9

  Keenyn

  A few days had passed and there was still nothing on Melissa. Mendosa was updating me over the phone and I was making plays after hitting the gym. I had been slacking on my workout, but with Jake at the crib watching Sen, I could get away and work off some steam. I was on my way back to the crib when Mendosa hit me up.

  “Have Sen mentioned talkin’ to her mom?” He asked.

  “Nah, she said that she called her a couple days ago and got no answer. I don’t think she really wants to talk to her. She feels something.” I cleared my throat. “I think we should tell her. Keepin’ stuff from her is causin’ a strain on our relationship.”

  “If you tell her can you imagine what that’s gonna do to her? She already feels that her mother doesn’t love her. To think she was fuckin’ the man who tried to kill her. It’s so many layers to this Keys. It’s a lot that you don’t know about Sen. She’s…she’s been through and seen a lot of shit. That makes her the passionate, emotional person that she is, but sometimes when those emotions come into play, she can show you a side that’s totally different. I know my child. Do you really want to deal wit’ the real Sen? I mean, don’t let her beauty fool you. That’s what I always told women about me. Don’t let my looks fool them. There’s an ugly beast within.”

  I thought about it and he was right. There was a side of Sen that I had seen glimpses of. We’d rushed into things so soon based on the physical, but what was going to happen once we really got to know each other? Once I learned what made her tick and she learned what made me tick, would we still be willing to hang in there? When all of our cards were laid on the table, would the love still be there? It was something to think about.

  “I’m ready for whatever when it comes to Sen. I don’t care what it is. I love her Mendosa and I know that what we share is some real shit. We just gotta get through this rough patch. After this it’s gonna be smooth sailin’. I’ll make sure that she finishes her degree, I’ll finish mine and then we’re gonna live that straight and narrow life.” We both agreed that we wanted to get away from an illegal way of life, so that in the future we wouldn’t have to worry about those type of life and death situations.

  “Okay, if you can handle her…Just know that she can be like her mother too. Irrational, short tempered, spoiled, materialistic…manipulative…”

  “You’ve created a monster, but I’m the man to tame her.”

  Mendosa cleared his throat and I could sense his discomfort about what I’d just said.

  “Don’t tell her yet. Let me find her mom first. I’m waitin’ to hear something. I’ll get back to you soon.”

  He hung up and I thought about everything. It was best that Sen was aware of what was going on, but I felt Mendosa. She was still his little girl and he wanted to protect her feelings. However, it was important for her to know what was going on. Like she said, not knowing only made her vulnerable.

  Then I thought about the situation with Kelly. It had been hard to find that hoe too. I guess she’d taken my pops’ money and left town and shit. Sen wanted to kill that hoe so bad and I asked Mendosa to get somebody to look for her hoe ass too. Then the situation with Dame was getting to me. He was still in the hospital and he was still unresponsive. His baby mamas were MIA, which was strange, but I hadn’t been back to see him either. How could I stare down at my homeboy looking all vulnerable…and dead and shit? It was just too damn much.

  I knew that death was a part of life. It was probably the only thing that was guaranteed, but it still didn’t make it easy when it was somebody you gave a damn about. That came into retrospect when I thought about the lives I’d taken.

  * * *

  When I got back to the crib that nigga Jake was knocked out sleep in the chair. That was strange since it was like six o’ clock in the evening. Normally he was more alert, but maybe he was just dog tired. Hmm, that wasn’t really professional. I had to let Mendosa know that his dude was sleeping on the job.

  Jake was in his mid-thirties and had been involved in special ops in the Air Force. He was retired of course and had been working for Mendosa for years. It was my first time meeting him though, and knowing that he was one of Mendosa’s enforcers made me trust him with Sen. Seeing him sound asleep made me rethink things.

  He was 6’4 and weighed about 300 solid, muscular pounds, but what good was that if he was slobbering and snoring. What the fuck? I looked at him and shook my head. Then I thought about it? Where the fuck was Sen? My place wasn’t that big; only two bedrooms and two baths. It didn’t take long for me to realize that she wasn’t there.

  Then I noticed the empty glass that was on the coffee table in front of Jake and I thought about the pills that were in my sock drawer. Shit! I ran over to Jake and tried to wake him up.

  “Jake!” I lightly slapped him over and over again. “Wake up man! Jake! Jake!”

  He groaned and then licked his lips before snoring again.

  “Jake! Wake the fuck up!” I shook him, but he still wouldn’t move.

  Damn, I wondered how many Xanax she had given him. From the residue in the glass it was obvious that she’d drugged the man. Once I realized that he wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, I picked up my cellphone and dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail. What the fuck was she up to? I shook my head, grabbed my keys and ran to my black Camaro. Yeah, I’d gotten it painted black. I’d also had my tags and registration updated.

  Still, although I felt that I was in the clear about all of the murders I’d committed, I had to find Sen. If she got hurt Mendosa would be ready to murk me and my pops.

  * * *

  It had been an hour and I was driving aimlessly through the city to find Sen. Of course I didn’t know where she was. Shit, I had nothing. It wasn’t like she had any friends I could call or pop up on. She and her girl Nadia were beefing and she lived all the way in Miami. I was frantic as hell trying to find her. My mind told me to call Mendosa and get him to help me, but I couldn’t. Although his boy Jake had dropped the ball it was still my responsibility to make sure that she was okay.

  Damnit! What the fuck was wrong with her? It was
the second time she’d done that sneaky shit. What the fuck could have happened when I was gone? It wasn’t like I had a GPS on her and I could locate her ass. I had noticed that Jake’s gold Caddie wasn’t in the guest spot. She must’ve been driving it. I tried calling her again, but she didn’t answer.

  “Fuck Sen!” I felt so damn frustrated and the thought of somebody else coming after her had me all in my feelings. I had to find my girl.

  * * *

  Jasenia

  My father thought he’d texted Keys, but he had made a mistake and sent it to me instead. Obviously he had somebody find Kelly for Keys and they had located her trifling ass. He sent me the address in Duluth, GA and I was on my way to put an end to that ratchet bitch. If Keys wasn’t going to let me in on it, I was going to do it by myself.

  It was like the opportunity had fallen into my lap. My next thing was trying to figure out how to get past Jake. Then I found those pills in Keys’ underwear drawer when I was looking for some weed to roll up. I knew what Xans looked like. Shit, once upon a time they were my drug of choice. I crushed up four of them and offered Jake a drink. He took it graciously and was out like a light in no time. After that I took his keys and his car.

  I had kept a few Xans and they were in my purse. It took everything in me not to take them, but I didn’t want to be all high when I got to that heifer Kelly. As I whipped that Caddie onto the interstate I hoped that my forty minute head start would keep Keys from stopping me if he talked to my father. I was dressed in a full blown disguise and it was time to show that bitch Kelly that she’d fucked with the wrong damn man. Fucking over his father just made shit even worse.

  * * *

  I stepped out of the car in black slacks, a black blazer, and white blouse. My heels clicked as I made my way across the pavement to the front door of the single story house. It was painted off white and looked the same as all of the other cookie cutter houses in the sub division. The auburn colored wig that I wore was a shoulder length bob and I even had on some round, wire rimmed glasses. The makeup I wore was neutral and at a minimum. I needed Kelly to not recognize me. Being that she’d only seen me once was going to work in my favor.

  I rang the doorbell and waited. When she opened the door she stared at me blankly.

  “Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” She asked as she looked around.

  “I’m Detective Sharon Grant,” I made up a name as I quickly flashed a fake badge.

  Last Halloween I had dressed up as a cop for a costume party, so I had the badge and handcuffs ready.

  She looked at me in confusion. “Okay, but why are you here?”

  “We received a call that there was a disturbance here. Is there anyone here other than you?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing happened here so whoever called you wasted your time. I’m the only one here. Thank you very much, but you can leave now.”

  When she tried to close the door I stopped it by pushing against it.

  “I’m not done yet. Can I come in and ask you a few questions.”

  Kelly rolled her eyes. “Will you be on your merry way once you see that I’m the only one here and there was no disturbance?”

  There was a smile on my face. “I promise I will.”

  After she stepped aside I walked in and took a look around. There were boxes on the floor and the place was damn near empty.

  “You moving in or out?” I asked trying to make small talk to throw her off.

  Time was of the essence though and I had to get the shit over with before Keys found out what was going on.

  “Well, I guess you can say we’re movin’ out.” She rubbed her hands together. “You can see that nobody else is here, so…”

  “I see, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t just leave after whatever happened.”

  “I’m tellin’ you there was no damn disturbance. What the hell?”

  “Refrain from using that language or tone with me. Who else lives at this residence?”

  “Look, I don’t live here, but my fiancée does. We’re movin’ tomorrow and he’s not here. He’s been gone for hours, so you really have no reason to be here. I don’t know who called the cops or why, but nothing’s goin’ on here. You can go now.” She dismissed me with a nonchalant wave of her hand.

  Fiancée? What the fuck? That hoe was playing all types of niggas.

  “Okay, I’m going to be completely honest with you. You are under arrest for the murder of James Jacobs…”

  “James Jacobs? Who the fuck is that?” Her eyes were defiant as I pulled the handcuffs from my pants’ pocket.

  “You can cooperate, or we can do this the hard way.” My eyes were hard as I stared her down.

  She put her hands in front of her for me to put on the handcuffs. Once she was restrained I pushed her down into the lone dining room chair that sat in the empty kitchen.

  “Now, how did you kill him?” I asked keeping up the charade for a little while.

  “I told you I don’t know who…”

  “Did you and your fiancée do it? I mean, you were fucking James right? Or do you only know him as JJ? How can you fuck somebody and you don’t know his real name? Does your fiancée even know about you fuckin’ him? Would he be surprised if I tell him?”

  “I ain’t kill nobody!” She snapped. “If I’m under arrest why the fuck we still here? Why the fuck you lie about why you was here in the first place? I hate ya’ll crooked ass cops. Ya’ll black ones are the worse.”

  I pulled the wig off and then the glasses. It took a minute for her to recognize me and when she did she stood up. My fingers were around her neck before she could attempt to make an escape.

  “So, I guess you just rob people huh bitch?”

  I had my 380 pointed in her face. “Where’s the money you stole from my man’s pops? I know all about you helpin’ that nigga JJ steal my man’s work. He got his shit back though.”

  “Keys killed JJ?” She asked.

  “I’m askin’ the questions hoe! I thought you didn’t know him. Lyin’ bitch.” I cocked the gun and she shut the fuck up.

  “Where’s the fuckin’ money?”

  “I’on know ‘bout no money.” Tears and snot were shining on her face.

  “You shook with this gun in your face?”

  She nodded. “Yeah…” As she sniffed I shook my head.

  “I’m not gonna ask you again bitch. I ain’t got time to waste. You’re gonna die. Gettin’ the money back would’ve been a bonus, it’s not a must.”

  I grabbed that bitch by her hair and pulled her up from the chair. After that I retrieved the small key from my bra and removed the handcuffs.

  “If you wanna run bitch, run…If you wanna fight stay and fight.” There was an evil smirk on my face because I was going to enjoy the thrill of either shooting, or beating that hoe down.

  She shook her head. “You still gon’ shoot me.”

  “Don’t you think you deserve it though? You ain’t loyal to nobody. You had to know that shit would bite you in the ass. You don’t give a fuck about nobody but yourself and your pussy, bitch. You tried to fuck my man after you got him robbed, you fucked his home boy that you helped rob him, played his pops and then robbed him. Didn’t you think that shit would catch up to your ass? You ain’t that damn slick bitch. Who the fuck do you think you are?” I sat my gun down on the table.

  “What you doin’?” She asked with wide eyes.

  “You wanna fight fair, let’s fight fair bitch.” I removed my blazer and rolled my sleeves up.

  She walked up to me and swung all wide and shit. That bitch couldn’t fight. I grabbed her by the neck and squeezed right before slamming that bitch’s face into the wall. The position of the blood stain on the white paint proved that I’d busted her nose up real good.

  After that she tried to bite me, but I kneed her in the stomach and folded her ass up.

  “Oh fuck,” she said sounding like she was out of breath.

  I took my stiletto off and
stood over her. “See, I ain’t even have to waste a bullet on you bitch!”

  Her pupils danced around in her head and she stared off into space like she was in a daze. I wanted her to be aware of what was going on, so I waited for her eyes to come into focus. When they finally did she tried to get up, but I kicked that hoe in the face. She fell back again.

  “Shit,” she winced in pain as blood covered her face.

  I used the pointy heel of my shoe to stab that bitch in her face over and over again until she was unrecognizable. Before her last breath escaped her lips she was gurgling and choking on her own blood. The sound only made me want to kill her even more. Once she stopped breathing I finally snapped out of it and stood up.

  Okay, enough time had passed. That bitch was dead and I had done what I came to do. It was time to get the fuck up out of there. I put my blazer back on, took my other shoe off and ran toward the front door. Then I thought about my gun. Just as I turned around to go get it the door opened.

  “Well, what do we have here?” A male voice asked behind me.

  ‘Oh, shit,’ I thought as I spun around.

  There was a gun in my face.

  Fuck!

  Chapter 10

  Keenyn

  I was just about to give up and go back home to wait for Sen’s hard headed ass when my phone rang. My hope was that it was her calling to let me know that she was at the crib. Of course I was going to chew her out, but at least I’d know that she was okay. It was just my luck that Mendosa’s number flashed on the screen. Damn!

  “Hello,” I answered trying to sound as normal as possible.

  “Yo’, why didn’t you respond to my text man? You already handled that bitch?” He asked.