Gangstress

by India

  “We shall.” I smiled and followed him out.

  Once outside, I could not believe my eyes. There was a horse-drawn carriage waiting for us. “I can’t believe you did this for me.” I blushed.

  “Why not? You’re worth it,” he whispered into my ear. His lips were so close to my flesh that it made me shudder. Ace helped me up into the carriage, and we took off out of the complex and onto the main street. People pointed and waved. Some cars even blew their horns and drivers gave us the thumbs-up.

  “This is very romantic.” I laid my head on his shoulder and stared at the stars.

  “I’m glad you like it, baby.” He wrapped his arms around mine and held me until we arrived at the restaurant. “I hope you’re hungry.” He held my hand and assisted me from the carriage.

  “I love this place, Ace.” Havier’s was one of my favorite restaurants in Michigan. It was owned by an old-school hustler from the seventies who retired from the game and went into the culinary business. My father once told me the place was packed every night with everybody who was anybody in the dope game. Havier ran it for over twenty years before succumbing to cancer. One of his children took over ownership, and now it was a popular spot among the younger generation of dope dealers and fly girls.

  “Your father used to have me swing by here every Friday to pick up carry-out for you and your moms.” He opened the door, and we were shown a table.

  “I remember that.” Girls’ night every Friday was a ritual that my mother and I shared. We would rent tons of movies, order Havier’s, and paint each other’s toenails. “Boy, this place brings back memories.”

  Ace must’ve sensed my sadness, because he reached for my hand. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t think this would make you cry. We can leave.” He stood.

  “No, Ace, it’s okay. Sit back down.” I wiped my tears.

  “Are you sure? Just say the word and we’re out.” He pointed toward the door.

  “I’m sure.” He had gone out of his way to make this night special for me, and I was not about to ruin it with my tears. Ace lifted his menu and began to study it. I left mine on the table because I knew exactly what I wanted.

  “Oh, hell no!” some chick snapped while approaching our table. “I know you ain’t up in this piece with another bitch.” She slapped the table and glared at me. I didn’t know who she was, but I returned the stare, although I didn’t want to deal with another one of Ace’s hoodrats. I balled up my fists and prepared for battle. I would not be caught off guard again!

  “You need to check that shit and keep it pushing.” Ace spoke in a low but stern voice.

  “Or what, Anthony?” She rolled her neck. “First you tell me this bitch is your sister, then you quit calling me, and now I see y’all out on a muthafuckin’ date.”

  “Things have changed.” He reached for my hand.

  “Yeah, things have changed.” She snorted. “A month ago this bitch looked like a broke-down hoodrat, and now you got her looking ghetto fabulous.”

  At the mention of what I looked like a month ago, I realized this was the same chick who was in the car with Ace the day I ran away from Gran’s house. “Look, you need to get the fuck away from this table.” I stood.

  “What you gon’ do, bitch?” She squared up. I noticed three of her friends standing behind her, but I was unfazed. My mother once told me to take the one with all the mouth and make an example out of them, so that’s what I did.

  Crash! I hit that bitch across the face with the saucer they had on the table for bread and appetizers. Instantly, her nose split and blood gushed from her face.

  “My face!” she screamed while attempting to reach for me. I ducked and punched her on the side of her face. I was sure her ear was ringing from that blow, because she grabbed it.

  “That’s my muthafuckin’ sister,” one girl yelled and tried to attack me. She was a good 250 pounds, but I wasn’t scared. As soon as she stepped up, I popped her right in the face too. By then my first victim had regained her composure and tried to assist her sister with jumping me.

  “Get the fuck off of her.” Ace grabbed the girl by her weave and pulled her away, but that’s when all hell broke loose. Outraged that Ace had chosen to put his hands on their friend, the other two women headed over toward us and prepared to give me a royal beatdown. I had bucked several times while growing up, but never had I faced off with four bitches. Oh, well, win some, lose some. These bitches may end up getting the best of me, but I’m not about to make it easy.

  Picking up one of the chairs, I held it like a weapon. Pop! Pop! There were two shots let off into the ceiling, which blew out one of the light fixtures, causing sparks to fly and everyone to scatter. Ace tucked the gun into his waistband and grabbed my hand.

  “Let’s go.” He ushered me toward the back door and around the building.

  I remembered our transportation. “We will never make it out of here on a damn horse.”

  “Naw, my whip is right here.” He unlocked the car, and we sped off into the night.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  My hair was a mess, the dress was ruined, and I’d lost one of my shoes. Nevertheless, we laughed all the way until we pulled up to Ace’s crib, which thankfully was around the corner. “That shit was crazy Joe Louis,” he joked, referring to the legend with iron fists as he unlocked the door.

  “I had to do what I had to do.” I removed the one remaining shoe I had on and followed him into the bachelor pad. The place reeked of marijuana, and there were beer cans and alcohol bottles everywhere.

  “Sorry about the mess. I would’ve cleaned up if I knew we would have to take a detour over here.” He went into his room and grabbed a pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt, and Reebok flip-flops for me.

  “Sorry I ruined the date.” I slipped the dress over my head, completely exposing my nude breasts and panties. I mean it wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen my birthday suit.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m just sorry old girl showed her ass.” Ace tried to look away from me but not for long. “You look sexy as fuck!” He licked those lips I loved to death.

  “Thank you.” I began to do a slow striptease then stopped. “Where is your roommate?”

  “He over at his baby mother’s house.” Ace sat back on the La-Z-Boy and reclined.

  “What if I told you I wanted to sleep with you?” For some reason, I had grown a pair of balls. I was ready to take this friendship to the next level, and I was tired of waiting for him to make the first move.

  “I’d be a liar if I said I haven’t been feeling the same way lately.” He stared at me seductively and pulled me down toward him. The heat coming from between my legs was intense, and my heart rate quickened.

  “What if I told you I was a virgin?” I straddled his lap and felt him tense up.

  “Then I would tell you to save yourself for someone you thought was worth it.” He slid me over and grabbed the remote from the coffee table. I tried not to feel a certain type of way about his rejection, because he was right. However, I knew Ace and trusted him. If I was going to lose my virginity to anyone, I wanted it to be him.

  “You are worth it.” I kissed his neck, and he tried to resist the urge to return the gesture. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what had made me so horny all of a sudden. It could’ve been the rush of what happened at Havier’s, or it could’ve been the fact that he had kept his promise to my father and held me down. Deep down inside, I knew Ace was my prince, and whatever the case may be, I was ready to give him all I had.

  “Baby, as much as I would love to go there with you, I realize what you have is precious and it only should be shared with your husband.” His hazel-green eyes pierced my soul, and I felt deflated. Over the years, I’d seen him with woman after woman, and now I was wondering why he didn’t want me.

  “It’s cool.” I stood and walked into the guest bathroom to finish getting dressed. Maybe I was moving too fast, but I could’ve sworn he felt the same way about me. After all, the nigga just to
ld me he loved me this afternoon. Pulling myself together, I walked back into the living room, but Ace was gone. I started to call his phone, but then I heard music coming from his bedroom. Slowly, I approached the door and pushed it open. Ace was shirtless, standing at the stereo that was on top his dresser.

  “I’m ready to go.” I folded my arms.

  “Janelle, sit down on the bed.”

  “No! Let’s go.”

  “It wasn’t a fuckin’ question. Now please just sit down on the bed.” Again those beautiful eyes mesmerized me, so I did as I was told. I watched as he reached into his drawer and clutched something in his fist. “I didn’t mean to make you mad. I only said that you should save yourself for your husband because I want to be that nigga.” He dropped to one knee and produced a ring. It wasn’t as big and glamorous as you might’ve imagined, but it was just enough and meant the world to me.

  “This was my mother’s ring, Janelle, and it’s the only thing I have left besides memories. I know we’re young, but we were made for each other. I planned to propose when the time was right but—”

  I pulled him in for the most passionate kiss I could muster. “I love you, Ace! I always have and I always will.”

  “I love you too, baby!” He slipped the ring onto my finger and began to nibble on my belly button.

  In that moment, I gave myself to him in more ways than one. Ace had me open, and I wasn’t ashamed. He had taken my virginity and stolen my heart all in one night. Together we vowed to withstand the test of time.

  He was mine, and I was his from that day forward. I was Bonnie, and he was Clyde. We rode with and for each other with no questions asked. Many people despised our relationship, but everybody respected it.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Almost a year had gone by without incident, and for the first time in a long time, everything was on point. My relationship was steady, and the credit card operation was running smooth. My pockets were getting fatter, and no one in Bobby’s crew was hip to our side hustle. I wished life could always operate this smoothly, but I knew the good times wouldn’t last forever.

  “Sometimes you can be so hardheaded,” Ace spoke into my cell phone. We had just had a slight disagreement about him wanting me to leave the hustle and play the good wife. He knew like I did that he had the game fucked up.

  “Ace, I’m out here working. I ain’t got time to be arguing.” I scoped the scene while clutching the cellular device.

  “Baby, I’m not trying to argue.” His voice softened. “Can we talk about this over dinner?”

  “Ace!” I was so damn frustrated, but he made it really hard to stay angry with him.

  “I’ll see you tonight. Love you,” he said hurriedly and ended the call before I had time to object. I needed to collect my thoughts, but there was no time to do so before another voice entered my space.

  “Here comes the truck, right on schedule,” Alicia spoke into the walkie-talkie from her position on the corner. Like clockwork, the brown UPS came to a stop in front of the abandoned house. I watched from the park across the street as the driver went up to the door and pressed the buzzer. On cue, Donna, our hired help, walked from the side of the house and greeted the man. I couldn’t hear the conversation, but she was smiling, and he was too, so everything was velvet. After a few minutes of small talk, the driver went to the back of his vehicle and retrieved several packages ranging from small to large. I expected him to leave after placing the last package at the side door, but he stopped again and made small talk. I could see Donna beginning to panic, so I prepared to head over and assist her.

  Just as I stood up from the bench, the deliveryman turned around and headed back to his truck. I waited five minutes then proceeded to go over there. “What was that about?”

  “That nigga insisted on helping me carry all these boxes in the house, but I told him that my man would have a fit if I let another man in the house while he wasn’t there.” She smiled.

  “Good work.” I peeled off a $50 bill and handed it to her. “Be here at the same time next week.”

  “Okay, Jane, I got you.” She clutched the money for dear life and scurried away. I watched my mother’s best friend until she disappeared in the alleyway. I knew Donna was headed to the nearest trap house for a fix. Saddened by the reality of the situation, I shook my head at what she’d become but didn’t dwell on it for too long, because those were her demons, not mine. One day she would face them at the crossroads, but today she had to deal with them as best she could.

  “That shit was smooth!” Alicia pulled up in front of the house and yelled from the window.

  “Come help me load this up.” I carried a box and tossed it onto her back seat.

  “This is the easiest hustle I’ve ever done.”

  “You can say that again.” I slung another box over my shoulder. Cautiously, I surveyed the area out of habit. The last thing I needed right now was a nosy neighbor calling the police and blowing the whistle on this whole thing.

  After the car was finally loaded, we headed home to take a look at the goods. I was extremely pleased. Our inventory was full with two sixty-inch flat screens, one MacBook Pro, four laptops, ten Kindle Fires, five iPads, and nine iPods.

  “Now how are we supposed to get rid of this shit?” Alicia glanced around our living room, which had become a makeshift electronics department store. When we first started jacking cars, we had a couple of fiends standing at the gas station offering people a fill-up for half the price. Next, we started using the stolen credit cards to buy gift cards to places like Walmart, grocery stores, and restaurants. We also sold those for half. Profits were good but could’ve been better. That’s when I had the idea to purchase shit online and sell it for less, but I needed to call in an expert on the subject.

  Ding-dong! At the sound of the doorbell, I smiled. “Help is on the other side of that door.”

  “Who did you call, Janelle?” Alicia looked at me with skepticism. I didn’t reply. Instead, I swung the front door open.

  “You’re just in time. The goods just got here.” I hugged my girl.

  “I was at the salon in the muthafuckin’ chair about to get my hair done, but when I heard you had those goods, I sped over here.” Keisha stepped into the living room and removed her tan Burberry peacoat, which was wrapped around her tiny waist. It was hardly cold enough for a peacoat, but Keisha was all about labels. If it was name brand, she rocked it no matter what season it was.

  “What’s up, Alicia.” She gave a half smile, and I watched as Alicia flipped her the bird.

  “Janelle, let me holla at you for a second.” She pulled me by my arm toward the kitchen. “What the fuck is she doing up in here? You know I can’t stand that bougie bitch!”

  “Girl, you have to put your feelings in check right now because this is about business.” I patted Ali on the shoulder. Keisha was my homegirl from the Brewster Housing Projects. Her uncle hustled up under my father and we played together as kids. For some odd reason, these chicks had always had a rivalry with one another. For the life of me, I didn’t know why.

  “What does she have to do with our business?” She folded her arms like a spoiled kid.

  “You know like I know that Keisha is the best booster in the projects. She specializes in selling stolen shit, and her clientele is off the hook. I figured we could load her up with the goods and let her work that magic.” I turned to exit the kitchen, but Ali stopped me.

  “Is the bitch leaving a deposit?” Alicia rolled her eyes.

  “Now you know me better than that.” I gave her the “for real you think I’m that stupid” face and headed back into the living room. “So what do you think, Keish? Can you handle all of this?”

  “Girl, this shit is worth over seven racks on the street.” Keisha looked up from her calculator.

  “So how long you think it’ll take you to move this?” Alicia asked grudgingly.

  “Give me ’bout a week.” Keisha stood from the couch and put her coat back on
. “So what’s the breakdown?” She popped her bubblegum.

  “You keep three and give us four. I need two racks now, but you can give me the other two grand when it’s sold.” I ignored the side-eye Alicia was giving me.

  “Cool!” Keisha went into her Alexander McQueen bucket purse and handed me several crisp green $100 bills.

  “Back the fuck up.” Ali shook her head. “You’re giving her three thousand dollars while me and you got to split four? I’m not a math wiz, but that shit ain’t adding up! Why do she get more money?”

  “Keisha is the one taking all the risks.” I counted through the green bills and handed Alicia her cut.

  “Anyway,” Keisha sighed, obviously irritated with Alicia, “I’ll call you when all this is gone and bring you the rest of your dough.”

  “Thanks, girl!” I hugged her, and the scent of Chanel No. 5 drifted into my nostrils. I had to admit Keisha was a bad bitch from head to toe. She had the face of a model and the body of a stripper. Maybe that’s why Alicia was jealous?

  “You know I’m all about the money, boo. This is right up my alley. Let me have my brothers get this shit and I’ll be on my way.” She waved her brothers in, and they began taking out the merchandise like professionals.

  “FYI, you better re-up, because this order is going to sell like hotcakes,” she warned us, and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  As soon as Keisha was out of the house, Ali got started on me. “For real, it’s like that? You just gon’ ignore my input and make business deals without me?”

  “Bitch, get your panties out of that knot and calm down. At the end of the day, it’s all about the Benjamins. Now, if you bring me someone who can outsell Keisha, then I’ll take her off the team.” I went to retrieve a bag of Better Made chips from the top of the fridge and grabbed a Faygo pop. There’s nothing like those Michigan classics. “What is your beef with her about anyway?”

  “Nothing.” Alicia headed into her room and closed the door. I rolled my eyes and headed into my room. I needed to hook her up with a dude fast because she needed to get laid.