“Go ahead and finish this, and I’m finna activate this phone,” Gangsta said and stopped with the pills to pick up the phone.
“Go ahead,” Blue agreed and kept his eyes focused on the task at hand.
Gangsta’s mind was on breaking this heartbreaking news to Terry and NeNe. He wouldn’t and couldn’t continue to hide it. After about fifteen minutes, he had the phone activated. Kash was out of the shower by then and had the scale with him when he entered the cell.
Gangsta dialed Terry’s number.
“Hello?” Her voice was tired and she sounded like she was sleepy.
“What’s up, baby girl. Where’s my seed at?”
“Sleep.”
“Oh, yeah.” Gangsta walked to the cell door and peeked out to see what was up in the pod, and then he closed the door. “What’s up wit’ you?”
“Tired. I gotta try to rest with her ‘cause she is a handful,” Terry replied.
“Well, you go ahead and get some rest. Dis my number. Just hit me when you get up, ‘cause I need to talk to you.”
“How did you get a phone in jail?”
“Money,” Gangsta chuckled.
“Are they allowed?” Terry questioned.
“Hell no.”
“So talk to me now. What you need to talk to me about?”
“I’ma call you. You just rest and hit me when you get up with Keshana,” Gangsta replied.
He didn’t feel comfortable about exposing his issue in front of his partnas even though they both knew the deal. Gangsta wanted to be one-on-one when he laid this news on Terry.
“Okay, well, I’ll call you in ‘bout an hour,” Terry agreed.
“Okay, bet.”
It took the three guys another hour to sack up three ounces in 25s and a couple seven gram sacks that they would sell for $175 apiece. Blue was also the put-up man, so he got all the drugs except an ounce that they would smoke on until the next drop.
With Blue gone, Gangsta decided to call NeNe. His plan wasn’t to tell her that their one-month-old son had a four-month-old sister over the phone. He wanted to do it face-to-face because he was in love with her and respected her.
“Hello,” she answered.
“I love you, girl. What’s up?”
It was always good to hear her beautiful voice, and it showed in his tone.
“Hey, Gary. I’m feeding your son.”
“This my phone, baby, so lock me in,” Gary boasted.
“How’d you get a phone, boy?”
“Money.”
“Baby, you ‘bout to come home. Can’t you get into trouble if you get caught with that thang?” NeNe wanted to know.
“Yeah, you can get sent to the hole, but that ain’t nothing. I’m not getting caught, though,” Gangsta assured the love of his life.
The entire time he’d been in prison he has found no flaw in her faithfulness. Her respect was genuine, whole, and full. Her intent was honest and he appreciated her and was grateful he met her when he did.
“Well, be safe, Gary.”
NeNe was perfect in his eyes. Her actions to him were amazing, and he truly adored the girl for her worth as a woman. They talked a while longer until the officer came into the pod and holla’d it was count time. Gangsta ended the call with I love you and NeNe hung up with promises to see him that weekend.
***
Terry
Gary still hasn’t returned my call, Terry thought as she fed Keshana her dinner. It was 8:00 p.m., and the last time she spoke to Gangsta the clock read 5:50 p.m. She wondered what he had to talk about, and she was hoping he didn’t hear about her and Zay already. Her heart rate sped up a little when her phone finally vibrated.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Can I take you out tonight?”
It was Zay. Terry closed her eyes and silently shook her head from side to side. Already she felt bad for having sex with him, and now he was calling her.
“I told you that I couldn’t mess wit’ you, Zay.”
“So, you sayin’ you don’t love me?”
“I’m not saying that. I’m just sayin’ that Gary is my man and he’ll be home soon. I don’t wanna start nothing with you, and then he pop up on—”
“Listen, listen,” Zay said, cutting her off. “You left me for this nigga when I was there for you. I bossed you up and you still left me point blank at the drop of a dime for Gangsta. That was a slap in the face and hurtful, shawty,” Zay pleaded his case.
“Zay, I—” she started to say, but he cut her off again.
“Please let me take you out, Terry. Let’s talk over dinner.”
“I don’t have a babysitter,” Terry gave her excuse, and she was hoping it would work.
The day she fucked Zay was a day she regretted with every heartbeat. After sex with him, she felt so nasty and low. She truly felt like a slut. Yes, there’d been many times Terry had been horny, but she could’ve waited.
“I’ma come to yo’ crib, then. I’ll bring dinner.”
“No.”
“Well, come to my house in Cobb County,” Zay offered.
Terry closed her eyes again. Why me? she thought. Yes, it was evident she was lonely and eight more months was a long time, but not that long, right?
“I don’t know, Zarack. If Gary finds—”
“He won’t, baby. It’s just dinner. Bring your daughter. I don’t want sex.”
“Oh, my God.” Terry finally opened her eyes. “Where, Zay? Just dinner, then I’m going to leave.”
Chapter 17
Gangsta
Three Days Later
When he walked into the visitation area, he saw NeNe standing at the microwave. She wore some Apple Bottom jeans that stopped at her ankles, a pair of Air Max, and a small coat. She didn’t notice Gangsta creeping up behind her.
“’Sup, baby doll?”
He pulled her by the waist toward him. NeNe turned around, smiling from ear to ear in his arms. They hugged.
“Hey, baby. How you doing?” she asked, and then pulled her head from his shoulder to look him in the eyes.
They shared a kiss. A long and much-needed kiss.
“Where’s my son?” Gangsta was finally able to ask while she led him to their seats without reply to his question because he saw Erica in the next row holding his Junior. NeNe gave Gangsta the food. She walked over to her sister and took the baby from her.
“What’s up, Gangsta?” Erica asked with a smile.
She was still as beautiful as ever.
“What’s going on?”
Gangsta placed the food on their table, and NeNe wasted no time passing his son over. Inmates weren’t allowed to hold children during visits, but Gangsta was willing to break that rule.
“How is he?”
“He’s sweet. He’s a sweet baby,” NeNe spoke, happy to be around him, and it showed on her face.
“Do you spoil him?” Gangsta asked, not once taking his eyes off his son.
“A little.”
She blushed and then opened a soda. Kash walked up minutes later. He tapped Gangsta’s shoulder.
“’Sup, boy?” Kash asked.
“’Sup, fool?” Gangsta spoke in return.
They gave each other a pound, and then Kash hugged NeNe before walking to the next table where Erica was seated. Gangsta returned his attention to his son. Every now and then he’d look up to NeNe, who just sat and watched them.
The baby had put weight on her, but just a bit. It only made him wanna reach across the table. She still had those beautiful hazel eyes and that pretty face. He just missed the heck out of her. He missed everything about this woman.
“Gary, what are your plans when you come home?” NeNe asked.
It was something they never really talked about.
“I don’t know,” he replied while NeNe was about to take a bite of her hot wing.
She stopped and fixed him with a mean look before saying, “It’s not about you anymore, Gary. You have a son to raise.”
/> “And I am going to raise him.”
“Well, get a job,” NeNe put in.
“Ha ha.”
“Ha, nothing. For real, baby. We both can work and come together on this.”
Gangsta passed his son over to her after she put the wings down and used a baby wipe to clean her hand. The lieutenant had just entered the visiting room, so it was time to start following rules.
“Alright, I guess,” Gangsta then said.
“Promise me,” NeNe shot back.
Right then and there guilt hit him hard, because he needed to tell her about Keshana, but he did not want to lose his girl. She meant too much to him, but it had to be done one way or the other. He leaned over and took her free hand.
“I promise.” He paused. “I promise, but listen, baby doll, ‘cause I need to—” He again paused.
This is about to hurt, Gangsta thought to himself.
“What, baby?” NeNe cut in.
“This girl — no, look, NeNe, before I say anything I want you to know that I love you and I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.”
“What’s up, Gary?” NeNe’s voice grew a bit louder and her smile vanished.
Concern was now painted across her face. It made him more nervous just looking at her.
“What girl?”
“My ex-girlfriend. This was before me and you were together. Actually, it was before we ever met. Me and her, we got…. We had sex, and she….”
“She what?” NeNe demanded.
She was confused because he wasn’t making any sense.
“She had a daughter.”
“She had a daughter?” NeNe repeated.
“We have a daughter.”
He reached for her hand, but his sudden outburst made her pull away. She was looking at him like she did the first time they met. Gangsta saw hate flash across her face.
“A daughter? As in you’re the father?”
“Yes.” Gangsta felt defeated when he spoke.
“Oh, my God.”
Tears formed in NeNe eyes. Gangsta reached out to her once more, but failed.
“NeNe.”
“Don’t touch me,” NeNe yelled as she stood to her feet, holding Junior, and began to walk away.
Gangsta also stood up. He looked over to Kash and shook his head, then went after his woman.
“NeNe, wait,” he said, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He kind of jogged to catch up, and he took her arm from behind into his hand. “NeNe, baby, listen.”
She turned around.
“No, you listen. How old is this daughter of yours?”
Tears fell rapidly from NeNe’s beautiful eyes.
“She’s almost 11 months,” he replied.
“Four months older than our son. So she was pregnant as I was and you had plenty of time to tell me.”
She slapped him in his face with the same arm he grabbed, and then she walked off.
After the visit, Gangsta made it back to the pod and pulled out his phone so he could make a phone call. He did not blame NeNe for her actions after he told her the truth. Hell, he expected worse. Gangsta knew he couldn’t let her leave him, though. He refused to, so he quickly dialed NeNe’s phone number.
“What,” she said when she picked up.
“NeNe, baby, we need to talk.”
“I do not wanna talk to you right now. I hate you,” NeNe replied.
“I respect that, but can we talk wh—”
“Fuck, no,” she yelled, cutting him off.
“When can I call then, baby? Damn, I’m try’na explain myself,” Gangsta said, not knowing what else to say.
“Don’t call me, Gary. I’m fo’ real. I’ll write you or somethin’.”
With that being said, she hung up on him.
***
NeNe
NeNe, I’m hopin’ with more hope than possible that this introduction finds and embraces you safe as you deserve to be. I call this an intro for reasons that I’m not the same person anymore. Not without you in my life. NeNe, nothing matters to me if I can’t share life with you. You’re not picking up the phone. I can’t get a letter, and my whole world is crashed around my feet into tiny pieces. I love you. I love my son. I need the both of you in my life.
NeNe, I know the news of a daughter hurt you. Yet understand, it hurts me to be in this position. I never knew of my daughter until a week before I told you. I would’ve never held something so important like this from you. You just never gave me the chance to explain what had happened.
Baby doll, I pray you find it in yo’ heart to see that my mistake happened before me and you ever met, yet it has messed the life we now share together up. NeNe, allow me to still be him. Allow me to share your life and our baby. Don’t walk away, because I’m still hoping!
Always your husband,
Gangsta
NeNe read the text message, threw the phone on the bed, and then looked down at her son, who was asleep. This was at least her seventh time reading his text message since she received it three days ago.
Still hurt by the fact that her son’s father had another child, NeNe couldn’t bring herself to forgive him. Something wasn’t right, and her heart felt it. Nothing ever lasted when she was in a relationship. It never failed that there was always something. All NeNe wanted to do was raise her son and finish school. She hated that she ever even met Gangsta because of the shit he just pulled.
Getting up from the bed, NeNe glanced down at the phone one more time, then looked to their son. It’s not gonna be the same, she thought to herself.
For the past two days, Gangsta’s mother had been calling in to check on Junior and plead her son’s case, but NeNe wasn’t having it. Her gut feeling said it was some sneaky shit going on. She just couldn’t read between the lines. Her plan was to go see Gangsta face-to-face to tell him she would no longer deal with him. Yes, she indeed was in love with him, but he proved to be just like the rest, so just like the rest, she would get over him.
***
Veedo
“Shawty, what da fuck’s going on?”
Veedo picked the phone up when he noticed Gangsta’s number popped up.
“I got that check fo’ ya.”
“Okay, cool. Y’all niggas good down there?” Veedo asked.
He was posted up in his truck outside of the hair salon waiting on Kia and Amanda to finish up their hair and nail appointments.
“Man, we here, bruh,” Gangsta shot back.
The game had been lovely to Veedo down in the country part of Georgia. He was doing more numbers than he expected and needed to expand a little more, so he and Rock got another spot. This time it was in Macon, and they planned to let the girls serve in that area with a few shooters around.
Veedo was almost out of pills, and they were one of his number one drugs. It was a good thing he had linked up with Bam, who was a New Yorker with many different connections on all types of shit.
“When da hell you bounce, bruh?”
“A few mo’ months. ‘Bout eight,” Gangsta replied.
“Fo’ sho’. These streets are sweet for the team. You know I got you when you bounce, bruh. We good out here,” Veedo assured him.
“Say no mo’,” Gangsta shot back.
He told Veedo he would send the money he owed him through Western Union, and then they hung up.
Veedo sat back into the leather seat of his new Porsche truck feeling like the man of the year. He was paid and loving it. He had no plans to fall off because he rocked different from most niggas. He had different visions and morals but the same goals every street nigga had, and that was to get money.
While sitting inside the truck, Veedo saw Amanda come out of the salon first with her hair braided and looking nice. She was the bad one out of the two of them and always tried to throw herself at Veedo, though he never crossed that line. The time they’d been linked with each other, Veedo kept it business at all times with both girls.
Not that she wasn’t worth a fuck. She was 5’7
”, 152 pounds thick, and redboned just like he liked ‘em. It was only money on his mind, and that’s what mattered most to him. Kia came out next with her hair wrapped up in a bob, and she climbed into the truck.
“Hey, V,” she said.
“What’s up, pretty?” Veedo replied while cranking up.
He liked Kia’s hustle and the fact she never tried to throw the pussy on him. She was all about her dollar bills. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Kia was a slim female with a nice-sized booty that niggas gawked at every time she passed. She was more humble than Amanda, but was outspoken. Veedo was elated that he chose to bring both girls with him to the country. Dudes went crazy for the duo when they would step out to clubs, and this alone gave Veedo more and more customers to pump his pills and loud to, because most niggas thought with their dicks and bankrolls.
“Y’all hungry?” he asked while pulling the Porsche into traffic.
“Honey, yes,” Amanda spoke up, and Kia agreed, so Veedo stopped at a soul food joint right outside of Macon County where they stuffed their faces with some good, hot food.
Veedo dropped both of the girls off at his crib before meeting up with Rock at the new spot. There were still some loose ends they had to get tightened.
“I’ma scoop y’all ‘bout 10:30, so be ready.” That was the last thing he told Kia and Amanda when letting them out at his crib.
“We will,” Kia responded, and then Veedo pulled off.
***
Gangsta
“’Sup, Mama?”
Gangsta gave his mother a hug and kiss on the jaw, then took Keshana from Terry and pulled her to her feet so he could hug her with his free arm.
“’Sup, boo?” he asked and they kissed.
“Hey, baby,” Terry replied while watching Gangsta plant kisses all over his daughter’s face.
He was play-biting her tiny fingers every time she put her hand in his face. Gangsta took a seat, passed Keshana to her grandmother, and then turned his attention to Terry. Today something didn’t feel right with her when they embraced and kissed. Maybe it’s just me, Gangsta told himself while looking into her gray eyes.
The Streets Bleed Murder Box Set Page 16