“I guess his dog ass ain’t for none of us no more. I wish his mammy could see his ass now,” Mariah said as she fell out laughing again.
Jersi was over the psychotic episode. She was ready to bolt from the closet and take her chances. She would probably get shot in the back but playing the waiting game was tiresome. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Mariah running through the house. Jersi got nervous, thinking that she was coming to look for her. When she heard Mariah gagging and throwing up, she knew that she was in the bathroom. She didn’t sound as close as she was before and Jersi knew that she had to make a run for it.
“It’s now or never,” Jersi mumbled before saying a silent prayer.
She wasn’t about to move too slow knowing that she didn’t have much time. She bolted from the closet and ran straight down the hall. She paused briefly when she saw Blake’s body on the floor surrounded by a puddle of blood. His eyes were wide open and he seemed to be staring at her. Jersi had never seen a dead body before and she wanted to throw up. She didn’t want to touch Blake but he was still clutching the elevator key. Jersi’s adrenaline propelled her forward and she quickly pried it from his hand. As soon as she got it, Mariah suddenly reappeared.
“Not today bitch,” she yelled as she lifted the gun unsteadily and aimed it at Jersi.
She was high out of her mind, so the shot that she fired landed into the wall instead of hitting her target. Jersi was still holding the unloaded gun that she got from Blake but it was doing her no good. It was still a weapon though, so she threw it at Mariah, hitting her in the head with the hard tool. Mariah yelped and fell to the floor. She never stopped shooting and Jersi never stopped running. She put the key into the elevator and prayed that she made it to the bottom level in one piece. Mariah managed to get up just as the door was closing. She fired some more shots and Jersi screamed when one of them hit her in the shoulder as the elevator door closed. Mariah kept pulling the trigger but she was all out of bullets.
A searing hot pain shot through Jersi’s arm as blood started to saturate her shirt. As soon as the doors opened on the bottom level, Jersi ran towards the underground garage. She didn’t have a car but getting help would be easy. All she had to do was run out onto the main street. She didn’t even look back as she made her way out. When she got close to the exit Jersi thought she was going crazy when she saw Memphis running her way.
“Memphis!” She yelled as she ran straight to him. He was relived yet concerned when he saw his wife’s bloody shirt. Jersi was alive and that was good enough for him. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist and cried.
“Shit, I’m so happy to see you right now. Are you okay baby? What the hell happened?” Memphis asked as he carried her back to his truck. He didn’t know if Dray had called the police or not but they hadn’t shown up yet.
“It was Mariah. She killed Blake and shot me in the arm,” Jersi cried.
“Fuck! Okay baby, I’m getting you to the hospital right now,” Memphis assured her. He knew that his wife had to be hurt because he saw the blood. He never imagined that she was shot though. Jersi’s adrenaline must have been working overtime because she didn’t seem to be in any pain.
“Oh Lord! What happened to my sister?” Dray yelled when he pulled up behind Memphis in Jersi’s car. He ran over and almost passed out when he saw that Jersi’s shirt was covered in blood.
“Follow us to the hospital,” Memphis instructed as he put Jersi in his truck.
Dray nodded and ran back to the car, preparing to follow behind them. He didn’t know if Damien was still behind him and he really didn’t care. When Memphis pulled off, Dray sped off right behind him.
“The fuck is he going now?” Damien questioned as he watched Dray speed off once again. He didn’t know what was going on but he wasn’t in the mood to be riding all over New Orleans. He only wanted to chill with Dray before going back home to his girl but he would have to take a raincheck. Damien was about to abort mission when he saw what looked to be Mariah’s truck speeding out of the garage. He sped up to the car to see if it was really her. Thanks to that bitch, he had to get a whole new phone. He lost all of his contacts, videos and pictures and he was pissed. Not to mention she had his groin area swollen for three days after he kicked him so hard.
When Damien pulled up next to the truck, he smiled triumphantly. It was definitely Mariah’s truck and her hoe ass was behind the wheel. Damien blew his horn and waved at her. Mariah looked as if she’d seen a ghost and that was just the reaction that he was looking for.
“Shit. This is the last thing I need right now. This nasty fucker,” Mariah said as she pressed hard on the gas and sped off.
Damien took off right behind her and she knew that he wasn’t going to give up. Mariah was already in enough trouble and she didn’t need problems with Damien right now. She had left her dead husband in his penthouse while she took the car that once belonged to her. Mariah took the car keys as well as all the money that Blake had in his pocket. It wasn’t like he could do anything with it so she didn’t feel bad.
“Leave me the fuck alone!” Mariah yelled as if Damien could hear her.
She was driving recklessly in a busy area and it was only a matter of time before the police stopped her. She’d already been arrested for stealing the car once. She couldn’t go back to jail for the same thing again. That should have been the least of her worries seeing as how she’d killed a man. Mariah was weaving in between cars and switching lanes like crazy. No matter how fast she thought she was driving, Damien managed to keep up with her.
“You ain’t getting away this time bitch,” Damien hissed as he stayed behind her.
Mariah had seen some things in his phone that he wanted to take to his grave. Damien tried not to be ashamed of who he was but it was hard. He enjoyed the company of men but the people around him wouldn’t understand that. He was a dope boy and he was supposed to behave a certain way. His friends wouldn’t understand and he wasn’t trying to make them. Besides Dray, he hadn’t been with a man in a while. He tried to suppress what he felt but it was too hard. He didn’t know what Mariah had done with his phone but he needed it back. He had recent videos of Mariah as well as older ones of some of the men that he’d been with in the past. Dray didn’t mind if he recorded what they did because he knew that Damien would never show them to anyone. He was too ashamed to let anyone know what he did. He only kept them for his private viewing.
“Just pull over bitch,” Damien fumed as he continued to drive.
He was tired of the cat and mouse game and he needed Mariah to stop. He didn’t care if he had to hit her car, she wasn’t getting away. Mariah turned the corner like a race car driver and Damien almost lost her. When she turned another corner, he made up in his mind to just let her go. It wasn’t even worth it and he wasn’t trying to kill himself or anyone else. He turned the corner behind her and slowed down a little. Mariah was so busy looking back to see where he was that she never did she the dump truck that she was behind. Damien cringed when she slammed into the back of the truck and flew halfway out of her front window. Mariah’s car started smoking as the men who were inside of the truck got out to assist her.
“Oh shit,” Damien said when he pulled up and saw it closely.
It looked like Mariah’s neck was broken because her head was turned at an awkward angle. Her eyes were wide open and her face was full of glass and blood. There was no need for them to call for help because she was gone. Damien felt bad because he was the one who she was trying to get away from. He only wanted his phone back. He didn’t want her dead. Mariah did him dirty but getting her hooked on coke was payback enough for him. A small crowd formed around the accident and several people called the police. The men who were in the truck seemed distraught but they didn’t do anything wrong. Mariah wasn’t paying attention and ran into them while speeding.
“Damn man,” Damien said as he pulled out his phone. He was about to call Dray to let him know that one o
f Jersi’s problems had been solved. It wasn’t a happy ending but it was definitely the end.
“ Know that we’re here for whatever you need,” Dray said while rubbing Sassy’s hand.
Blake’s funeral was earlier that morning and Sassy took his brother’s death hard. It was sad that he couldn’t even grieve with the rest of his family. They would never allow his husband in their presence and Sassy was okay with that. He rode in the limo and even sat with them at the service. Once his brother was lowered into the ground, they all went their separate ways. He wasn’t even invited to the repast and his feelings were hurt. His husband was angry about how he was being treated but Sassy was used to it. Dray and some of their friends from the club came over with food, drinks and comfort. He needed to be surrounded by love so he appreciated that.
“I’m good my love. One day at a time. I know it’ll get better,” Sassy replied with a faint smile.
“Fuck their repast. We’re having our own shit,” Dray said angrily as he raised his glass.
“You damn right we are,” Sassy’s husband, Dorian, said while tapping Dray’s glass with his.
“How’s my baby doll?” Sassy asked referring to Jersi.
“She’s good. The bullet went straight through and there was no permanent damage. Memphis is scared to let her out of his sight now. He drops her off to work and everything. Jersi hates it but I understand. He already lost one wife to gun violence and his second wife got shot. He has a right to be paranoid,” Dray pointed out.
“What the hell was Blake and Mariah thinking? He kidnapped her and his wife shot her. Now my nieces don’t have a mother or father,” Sassy said while shaking his head.
“I can’t speak for Blake but Mariah was high out of her mind. That bitch basically killed herself with all that dope that they found in her system. It’s fucked up that she couldn’t even have a proper burial,” Dray replied.
“Wasn’t she an only child?” Dorian asked.
“Yeah and her mother is deceased. I feel so bad for her father. He had to cremate his only child,” Sassy said sadly.
His mother would die if she knew that he donated five hundred dollars towards Mariah’s cremation. Sassy saw that someone had set up a funding campaign and he gave a helping hand. Mariah did a lot of things that he didn’t like, including killing his brother, but she was the mother of his nieces. They had never had any problems and she respected him. Blake dogged her out in the end but that wasn’t his business. He hated that his nieces would never really know their mother and he was sure that Eva would keep it that way. She would keep Blake’s memory alive but Mariah would be forgotten.
“I don’t want to sound insensitive but better her than my sister. If Jersi didn’t have the sense to hide we would be saying our final farewell to her too. The thought of that alone just makes me sick to my stomach,” Dray replied.
When Jersi told them how everything went down it sounded like something straight out of a movie. Blake wasn’t that kind of person but he had everybody fooled. The police were having a hard time trying to figure out what happened but Jersi connected all the dots. The camera footage that they got from the store and the penthouse corroborated everything that she told them. Jersi was a nervous wreck and she had trouble sleeping for the first few days. She had come too close to losing her life and it was keeping her awake at night. Their parents went to Blake’s funeral but Jersi and Dray refused. Dray only wanted to be there for his best friend and nothing more. Sassy was his one and only concern in regards to Blake’s death.
“I don’t think you’re being insensitive at all. Mariah and I got along great but she was no saint. She went after Blake knowing that he was with Jersi and he took the bait. Blake never was street smart and he’s always been easily swayed. Everything just backfired on everybody and karma did what karma normally does,” Sassy noted.
“Your mama’s karma is coming next,” Dray predicted.
“Honey, it’s already happening. My daddy got the wrong young bitch pregnant and she is making their lives a living hell. BJ said that she showed up to the house one day when he was there demanding money. He said that my mama was livid because my dumb ass daddy went outside and gave it to her,” Sassy said.
“He must still be dealing with that hoe,” Dray assumed.
“More than likely, he is. Her pregnancy is the talk and my mama be scared to show her face in public now,” Sassy laughed for the first time in a while.
He knew that Eva was losing her mind and he had no sympathy for her. She pushed him away because, in her eyes, he was different. Sassy was thankful for the relationship that he still had with his siblings but their parents were a mess. She tried to hide her gay son from the world but her husband’s pregnant mistress was putting herself on display. If that wasn’t karma he didn’t know what was.
“God doesn’t like ugly and I’m sure He doesn’t like Eva either,” Dorian said making them laugh.
“Enough of this pity party. Turn the music up and let’s do what we do best,” Sassy said as he got up and started walking like he was on a runway.
“Alright bitch! Let’s get it,” Dray said as he and Sassy’s husband jumped up and joined him.
They went to the outside deck where the rest of their friends were and really got the party started. Sassy and Dray were always the life of the party and that day was no different. They had a blast and partied until the next morning. Dray wanted to put a smile on Sassy’s face and his mission was accomplished.
“You good baby?” Memphis asked while on the phone with Jersi.
“Why wouldn’t I be Memphis? You just left home less than an hour ago,” Jersi replied as she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.
“I’m just making sure. You should have just come with me,” Memphis said.
“I wish the fuck I would have. I’m not ever going nowhere that I’m not wanted. You can visit Miserable Mable by your damn self,” Jersi argued.
“Why you gotta talk about my mama like that?” Memphis laughed.
“I don’t know why you’re even wasting your time when you know she’s not coming,” Jersi noted.
“I’m just extending the invitation Jersi. As long as you show up I don’t give a fuck about nobody else,” Memphis said.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jersi replied happily.
An entire month had passed since Blake and Mariah died and things finally seemed normal for her again. Memphis still had her under surveillance like she was a target but she had gotten used to it now. She understood his fears and she tried to ease his mind as often as she could. Her arm had completely healed and thankfully, there was no damage. She had a faint scar that she was trying to fade away with aloe and cocoa butter.
“Alright baby. I need to stop at one of the gyms and both of the car washes. I’ll call you when I’m on my way,” Memphis said before he hung up.
He got out of the car and jogged up the stairs to his mother’s house. She’d given him another house key but he still didn’t use it. He gave Valerie the same respect that he demanded from her. She no longer had a key to his house and she was never getting another one. Valerie ended up apologizing to Memphis and he was man enough to forgive her. She knew that she was wrong but he respected her for admitting it. Jersi, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with her. Valerie apologized to her through Memphis but that wasn’t good enough. She felt that Valerie should have given her an apology to her face, the same as she’d done with her son. Memphis agreed with his wife, so he didn’t push the issue.
“Hey baby. Why didn’t you use your key?” Valerie asked as he kissed her cheek.
“What are you in here cooking?” Memphis countered while avoiding her question.
“I got a little bit of everything in here. Sit down and let me fix you something,” Valerie offered.
“Nah, I’m good. My wife made me a big breakfast and I’m still full,” Memphis said while rubbing his rock hard stomach.
“Can she cook?” Valerie asked.
“Very well. What kind of question is that?” he laughed.
“I was just asking. A lot of these young girls don’t know their way around the kitchen,” Valerie noted.
“Yeah, well my wife ain’t one of them,” Memphis replied as he handed her an envelope.
“What’s this?” Valerie asked as she wiped her hands on her apron.
“Open it and see,” Memphis replied as he opened her fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.
“This is beautiful. Who did it?” Valerie asked while reading over Memphis and Jersi’s wedding invitation. It included a picture of them that they’d had professionally taken not too long ago.
“I don’t know. My mother-in-law did everything. All we have to do is show up,” Memphis replied.
Three Is A Crowd Page 37
