What Da Lick Read? The Triple Cross

by McCray, Sevyn

  Reality felt an attack coming on. She could not control her breathing. She walked over to the bed and opened up her bag and got out a pair of Robbins Jeans and slipped them on with a white v-neck t-shirt. “Bae, it’s my brother, come on and put your shirt on so we can go to Atlanta Medical. My dad needs me.” Each word was labored coming out as her breath got shorter. She sat down on the edge of the bed and put her head in between her legs. She couldn’t breathe.

  D.J. went back into the closet and grabbed a Polo shirt off of a hanger and slipped it over his head. He put on a pair of All Stars and walked out of the closet. When he walked back into the bedroom, Reality was lying on the floor in front of the bed and she had turned another color. Her breathing was very shallow.

  He picked her up and ran out of the door with her thrown over his shoulder. He got on the elevator and when he got to the parking deck, he went to his Audi truck. He opened the passenger door, and let the seat back and put her in. D.J. ran around and got in the driving seat and drove out of the deck at full speed. It seemed like it took forever for the arm to come up and the gate to open in order for him to exit his building.

  He kept glancing at her as he drove through downtown. He was thankful that he stayed close to the hospital. He pulled into the emergency entrance and got out and went around to the other side to pick her up. She was conscious but her breathing was scaring him. He carried her into the emergency room.

  Gigi looked up and saw D.J. rushing through the door carrying Reality. She jumped up and rushed to his side.

  “Oh Lord, what happened?”

  Khalil threw down the clipboard with the papers and tried to grab Reality from D.J.’s arms. “What in the hell happened to her?”

  “After you called she told me that we had to hurry over to the hospital. I was in my closet putting on my shoes and when I came out she was laying on the floor in front of the bed. I picked her up and rushed over her.” D.J. looked down at Reality and her condition was still the same.

  Coach rushed over to the nurse’s desk again. “Ma’am, my other daughter was just brought in by her boyfriend, she is unconscious. She has generalized anxiety disorder. I think that she had an attack. Can you help her?” He ran his hand over his bald head and then rubbed his full beard. There was only so much that a man could take. He was surely being tested.

  They brought a gurney out for Reality and D.J. laid her down on it. Gigi was in disbelief. What were the odds of both of the sisters coming in for the same thing? They must have inherited that from their mother. She still hadn’t called Loyalty. D.J. walked out to go and park his truck, Gigi walked out with him.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that the same exact thing happen to Honesty and she is in the back too.”

  “You got to be kidding me? Did you know that they had this problem?” He said to Gigi as he got into his truck, not waiting for an answer.

  Gigi pulled out her phone to call Loyalty. She felt so bad for Uncle K. He was really going through it. He had three of his children in the emergency room and although Honesty and Reality wasn’t serious; they all knew that Killa’s condition was very serious.

  “Hey this is Gigi. We need you to come back home as soon as possible. Killa has been in a very bad car accident. Honesty and Reality are both in the hospital too because they had attacks and passed out. Your dad could really use you here at his side.”

  __________

  Loyalty was in shock. She had to get back to Atlanta and she needed to be back as soon as possible. She looked down at her watch. K.J had left to go and pick up his dog from the vet. She had been getting ready because they were expected to meet some of his team mates and their wives at a restaurant tonight to celebrate a birthday. She had been having the time of her life in Florida. They had gotten so close. She was happy that she chose to come with him. Every day was a new adventure. It was like they had been together forever. They made love endlessly. She spent the days shopping while he was at practice and the nights were spent in lavish restaurants and sightseeing. Paparazzi was always somewhere snapping pictures of them. At first it made her uncomfortable, but she had gotten used to it.

  It was like they couldn’t get enough of each other. She hated that she was about to leave but he would understand because it was a family emergency. She wished that he could come with her, but she promised herself that as soon as everything was back to normal she would return to him in Florida. She was hoping that he would ask her to move down here with him. She didn’t have to live in the same house as he did, but if he asked her to move to the city she would just so that she could be close to him.

  “Bae, are you ready?” K.J. walked in dressed in dark brown dress slacks and a tan short sleeve button down. He had on a matching Gucci belt and shoes.

  Loyalty looked at him as he walked in with his boxer Young Money on a leash. She reached down and rubbed him on his head. She then looked up at K.J.

  “Baby, I just got a call from home. I have to leave immediately. My brother was in a terrible accident.”

  K.J. looked at her dressed in a tan wrap dress that he had bought her from the Gucci store. He wasn’t ready for her to leave yet. These had been the best days of his life. His home was no longer quiet and empty when he came home. She filled his home with joy.

  “Really? Oh my God. I hate for you to leave but I understand. When do you need to depart?

  “As soon as possible. Both of my sisters are in the hospital too.” She said as she wrapped her arms around him.

  He looked down at her. “Why are your sisters in the hospital, were they in the car too?”

  “No, they both suffer from anxiety disorder so they probably just passed out after having an attack. But if they are laid up and Killian is messed up, I really need to be there for my dad. I need to go online and see when I can get a flight out.”

  “The owner of the team has a private jet, let me call him and tell him that I have a family emergency and see if he can get his pilot to shoot you up to Atlanta. He is usually understanding like that.”

  K.J. took out his cell phone and called the owner and told him what he needed. He agreed to it and told him that the plane and pilot could be ready in thirty minutes. He also informed him that he better not get on the plane because he had to be in practice first thing in the morning. K.J. promised the owner that only his girl would be flying out and that he would be at practice with no problems.

  Loyalty was heartbroken that she was about to leave. She walked upstairs to the room that she had been sharing with K.J. since she had been here. She had accumulated so many new things. He had been spoiling her rotten. Tears started to roll down her face as she started to pack. She felt his presence when he entered the bedroom. She didn’t want him to see her cry. Loyalty decided to leave everything where it was, that way he knew that she was coming back. She turned around and wiped her tears.

  He walked up and hugged her tightly. “Baby, you will be coming right back, don’t worry about packing just take what you need. We need to hurry to the airport so that you can get to your family. I can come Friday night after practice and then leave on the first plane out Monday morning so that I can make it back in time for practice. I know how it is when a family is going through something, extra support is always needed.”

  “Oh baby, you would do that for me? That would mean a lot to me if you could, but if you can’t I understand.” Loyalty loved how thoughtful K.J. was.

  K.J. left out as Loyalty grabbed a few things and headed down the steps behind him. They got in his Bugatti and headed straight to the private airport where the owner’s G-5 was held.

  When they got to the airport which really was more like a few landing strips and a place where a few private planes were housed, they got out and walked up to the plane. Loyalty held onto K.J. around his waist. She didn’t want to let him go. She saw cameras flashing in the background. Paparazzi had a way of finding out every move that K.J. made. She understood that he was one of the best players in the league, but
nothing was private. He bent down and cradled her face.

  “Baby I am going to miss you every second that you are away from me. Promise that you will not forget about me.” K.J. bent down and kissed Loyalty.

  “How can I forget you? I’m not bullshitting you, I feel as if you are my soul mate. I love you boy.”

  Loyalty was sincere with her feelings for Khadafi; she had never felt that way before. They hugged one more time and then she walked up the steps to the plane.

  She turned around and said. “I love you Khadafi Amin Aziz Jr. and I will call you as soon as I get to the hospital and find out everything. She got on the plane and the door closed.

  Chapter 25: Heads will roll…

  Ponchees hung up the phone and threw the glass of Hennessey Black into the unlit fire place. He was furious. He had promised himself that nothing would happen to Gigi, Jazmeir and her family, Coach K, and the kids. Now he was hearing this shit. He had planned on going to Georgia next week, but he had just got off the phone having his private plane readied for his trip tonight. Too much shit was going on and he needed to go and make his presence felt and remind everyone who was really calling all the shots. His cell phone rang and he it picked up and looked at it. It was Sam calling, he had been attempting to reach her for the last past hour, now she wanted to call back. He let it ring.

  He got up and paced back and forth. He knew that this was more than just a car accident; He could feel it in his bones. His contact in Atlanta had told him that Coach’s son and two of his daughters were in the hospital. It shouldn’t have happened and if it did, the first person that he was supposed to hear from was Sam.

  Ponchees’ butler came into his study to let him know that the chauffeur was out front ready to take him to his plane. He grabbed his phone from the table and left out. Gigi always tried to take care of things herself. She never called him and told him her problems. That is one of the main reasons why he has Sam in Atlanta, being his eyes and ears. Now she had failed him.

  The limo pulled in front of the jet on the landing strip and Ponchees got out. His bodyguard Fire who also doubled as his driver got out also and went around and got his luggage out of the trunk. They both walked up the steps and boarded the plane. The automatic door closed behind them. The stewardess came into the cabin and asked if they needed any refreshments or blankets if they were going to rest. Ponchees ordered a double Hennessey Black on the rocks and reclined in his seat. He was trying to calm his nerves before he arrived so that he wouldn’t immediately go into death mode. The stewardess returned with the drink. Ponchees downed it in one big gulp.

  “Fire, I’m gonna take me a quick nap. Wake me when we are over Atlanta.”

  “Yes Sir, boss.”

  Fire pulled out his iPad and tried to watch a movie. His phone started to ring. He looked at the display. It was Sam, He didn’t know fully what was going on but he did know that the boss was mad at her. He switched his phone to airplane mode. Fire knew that he needed to relax because he had a feeling all hell was gonna break loose once they arrived in Atlanta. He dozed off.

  Sam had been calling Ponchees ever since her number two guard told her about the accident. He confessed to her that he had went home after he saw Poke leave the No Pressure spot beat up. He had figured that he was too hurt to be doing anything but trying to recuperate because he saw him leave barely walking.

  Sam didn’t smoke, but she sure did drink. She needed a double shot right now because her nerves were bad. She was waiting on information from the hospital regarding Coach K’s kid. She had seen the playback on the news of the wreckage. She knew that if anyone survived the accident, they were going to be injured terribly. Sam felt bad and knew in her gut that Poke had something to do with the accident. Sam had ordered him found and brought to her. She was going to take care of this problem herself, that is the only way she saw being able to save face with Ponchees when she did talk to him.

  Sam’s number one guard Rafek, who worked at Gigi’s Pleasure Chest walked into her office in the warehouse. He saw the look on her face.

  “Ma’am I just received news that Coach K’s daughter was taken out of the club unconscious by Concrete and is in the hospital also.”

  Sam pounded on the desk hard and stood up and went to her wet bar that she had in the corner of her office. She poured a double shot of Ciroc straight and took it to the head. She needed something to take the edge off cause her stomach was a ball of nerves.

  “Any news on where in the hell is Slow Poke? I need somebody watching Jazmeir’s house and his house on Perry Blvd. Where else does he hang out at? Ponchees is not answering the phone and I know that means that he is in route. Poke is a problem that needs to be solved. I need him dead tonight, because this shit is gonna fall on me!” She shouted as she poured another shot of Patron.

  “There is no news, we should have put a tracking device on his damn car, and then we would know where he was at all times.” Rafek said as he watched his boss drown her problems in liquor.

  “That’s okay, he will be found and dealt with accordingly.” Sam sat back down at her desk; she felt the alcohol flowing through her system.

  __________

  Poke didn’t want to go home. He couldn’t believe that he had been putting in all this work and didn’t have shit to show for it. He had been banking on selling the bricks and having some money to get away with. He was riding around on the north side of the city because he was scared to go to the west side. They probably knew by now that he had tampered with the brakes on Killa’s car. Damn he felt bad. He had known that kid since he was born and now he had caused his death. That showed what kind of snake he was; he knew that no matter what kind of beef he and Khalil had, he would never mess with his son. Greed and jealously had taken an envious friend and turned him into a monster.

  Poke pulled over into a QuikTrip gas station and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Jazmeir’s number. The sound of her sweet voice always calmed him down. A recording came on telling him that the number that he was trying to reach had blocked his call. He was pissed. He dialed another number.

  “I did it; it is all over the news. I need you to give me some money so that I can get out of town before they do an investigation on the car accident. When everything cools down I will come back and finish what I started, but for now I need to go because it has gotten too hot.”

  “Poke, why are you calling me asking me for money, when you just hit a lick for three bricks earlier this week? Now there is no way I’m about to believe that the dope was fake. It wasn’t; my sister is supplying the entire city. That is the only place where Honesty gets her work from, so come on son, you need to make up another story. Why don’t you just say that you need some more money to go with what you have?” She said into the phone.

  She knew that she was gonna have to do something about Poke real quick. That nigga was a real snake. He didn’t have any loyalty if he just murdered the son of his best friend. Even if they weren’t friends anymore, he still had watched Killian grow up. It was more than dope that had him like this. It was a deep rooted hostility toward Coach K that made him do the things he did.

  “Man, that dope was fake. I got my ass almost beat to death today by them No Pressure niggas cause I tried to sell it to them and it tested fake. You can see my face, I’m fucked up and I ain’t lying. Just bring me some money so that I can get out of town.” Poke was trying to convince her that the dope wasn’t real. She would just see how he was beat up when she came to bring him some money.

  “Okay I will bring you some money in about two hours, I think it’s best if you disappear for a while until shit cool off cause it is only gonna get hotter.” She had a plan for Poke’s ass.

  “Okay, meet me at my spot, I’m heading there now.”

  Poke hung up with her and he called the chick that he had met the other night at Gigi’s. She was cool, she thought that he had some money and it seemed from their conversation that she was willing to do anything to get it. He would see if
she wanted to get away with him. He needed some companionship. Maybe while he was away he would try to clean himself up. He had been doing dope for twenty-five years. He needed to get his shit together. What he had just done to Killa was weighing on him.

  The chick Sheena agreed to go away with Poke for a few days. He headed to her house. He would tell her that they needed to take her car, because he was sure that Khalil will have someone looking for him. He headed over to her apartment on Camp Creek Pkwy to meet her.

  __________

  Loyalty arrived at the hospital by cab. She had come straight from Charlie Brown airport. She had been in fantasy land but now it was back to reality. She walked through the emergency room and her dad’s face was the first one that she saw. She ran over to him and he picked her up off of the ground when he hugged her. She grabbed his face and looked in his eyes. Loyalty could see the pain written all over them. Her dad looked like he had aged ten years since she had seen him last week and she knew that all of that had taken place right here in this emergency room tonight.