Pretty Kings

by T. Styles

  “I’m Kevin Kennedy, and this is Camp, Bradley and Ramirez Kennedy.” My sisters didn’t move from position on the truck and I loved it. They looked official and unenthused by what was happening. Like this type of shit happens everyday. Even Race did a good job of faking it.

  “Come, let’s have dinner in office and chat,” Arkadi says. “We have much to talk about.”

  “No thank you,” I tell him. “We have your product, and in exchange we want our money. We’re not here to take up too much more of your time.”

  “In my country, it is rude to bite hand of man who means to feed you,” Iakov says sipping his drink again.

  “And in my country it’s rude to waste a nigga’s time,” I tell him looking directly into his eyes. “So it’s a good thing that we are in my country.” I pause. “You went through quite some trouble to meet us. Now I’m here and we have your delivery. If you don’t want it I’ll bounce and leave you to it. That’s on you.”

  “Come, come…just one drink,” Iakov says.

  “I ate already,” I say rubbing my belly. “I’m good over here. We all are.”

  “Let me make you better with good meal,” Iakov says raising his cup.

  “This nigga is tripping, let’s bounce,” I hear a deep voice call out behind me. The voice sounds all man, no woman, and I’m sure whoever used it on my team had practiced.

  When I turn around I look at Denim and Scarlett, but they softly shake their heads no. Race is looking directly into my eyes letting me know it was her. I’m so proud of her that it takes everything in my power not to smile like the bad bitch that I really am.

  “You heard my partner, either give us our money or this meeting is adjourned.”

  “You know,” Iakov says sipping his drink again, “you are all some very pretty kings. I’d think you’d be more manly. More macho.”

  I’m scared. He’s on to us. “So what are you, a lover of boys or something?” I ask. “We can hook you up with some if that’s what you into. But, we real niggas over here.”

  Iakov wipes the smirk off of his face and moves toward me, but Arkadi stops him. “Let’s not pass insults around,” Arkadi says.

  “Then lets pass money and cocaine instead,” I reply.

  Both Iakov and Arkadi study me. I’m not sure, but something tells me that they are weighing their options. Should they kill us or not. That is the question.

  “Can you get more, when this is gone?” Arkadi asks me.

  “If you got money, then you got a constant supplier,” I tell him. “But if we do this again in the future, it must be done more efficiently. I hope you understand. Time is money and money is time. We got moves to make. Like I’m sure you do too. Now where is our paper?”

  He snaps his fingers and someone pushes two crates in our direction. Arkadi pops off the lid and there’s more money inside than I know what to do with. I’m trying to maintain my cool but now it’s difficult. This is our blood money. What we’re willing to die for.

  “You’re free to count it here if you like,” he tells me.

  I’m trying to get the fuck away from them. We’ll take anything at this point. “We’ll do that later, although I’m sure you wouldn’t want to ruin a good business relationship by cutting us short,” I respond.

  “I like you, and can’t wait to do more business with you in future,” Arkadi says.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  ****

  “Oh my, God, Bambi,” Denim yells slapping my back from the backseat. “Girl, you were so cool back there you got my pussy wet, and shit! How the fuck did you pull that off?”

  I laugh as I steer the truck. “You gotta be hard when you in the military. Any sign of weakness can get you killed.” The thought of that time in my life makes me sad, and dampens the mood. I wish I could put the war behind me. “But, fuck all that. What’s up with Race giving us the base,” I nudge Race on the arm. “Bitch, you ate that!” I tell her.

  Her mask is off like everyone and she looks so innocent and pretty again. Not the monster I just saw back at the warehouse.

  “I was getting scared, Bambi,” Race tells me running her hand through her brown hair. “I thought he was about to play us and the voice just popped out. I planned to use this if he didn’t give us our money though.”

  She raises her shirt and I am looking at a big prosthetic gut that matches her skin tone. If I didn’t know she was small to begin with, I would believe it was her body. She lifted up the fake stomach and inside of the prosthetic is a glock. My eyes pop open.

  “What the fuck?” I say to her. “How…how…I mean, do you even know what to do with it?”

  “Maybe,” she laughs. “I probably could do a little something, something if I had too. But, I was going to kick it to you and let you live with it.”

  As everyone laughs I think about the dream I had about us ruling the drug world. My sisters didn’t want to hear it. They were too interested in getting out of the game and spending the twenty-five million dollar share. I want more now. And, I hate feeling bad because of it.

  I was just about to ask them what they wanted to do now when I see a white man in a navy blue Honda Sedan following us. It was the same man I saw the day I fell asleep in my car. I wonder who he was, and if he is with The Russians or not.

  “There’s a bar over there, ya’ll. Let’s go grab a drink right quick,” I say. “To celebrate.”

  “Are you crazy?” Denim asks. “We have a hundred million dollars in this truck. I don’t know about you, but I want to get home. We almost died for that money.

  “I know, but its packed under a bunch of fruit,” I tell her. “It’ll take I don’t know how long to move it, if someone tried to steal it. We good. Let’s chill for a minute.”

  “I don’t know about this, Bambi,” Denim says. “I really want to get back to Jasmine. Not to mention we’re dressed like men.”

  I look out of my rearview mirror. The man in the car is still behind us. “Have just one drink with me,” I tell them. “Please.”

  “I guess you not getting sober no more,” Denim asks me.

  Silence.

  “Fuck it,” Race says saving me. “After what Bambi pulled off, the least we can do is grab a drink with her. It’ll be the last time we dress like men. Let’s have fun with it.”

  With that I park the truck before they can dispute. We pile inside the bar, and I don’t tell them about the man following us. I don’t want them scared, because I want us to do this type of thing again in the future. I want more money. I want more power.

  Once inside, while the girls are at the bar having a good time, I call Sarge. Fifteen minutes later he texts me to say he is outside. With that news, I grab my vodka shot off the bar, toss it back, slam it on the table and say, “Let’s go ladies!”

  “You trying to get us out just when we were starting to have fun,” Denim says. “I’m feeling good as shit now, Bambi. Let’s chill for awhile.”

  “Well I’m still trying to go home,” Scarlett says. “It’s been a long night and I got a lot to think about.” She rubs her belly. She must be sick again.

  “You would say some dumb shit like that,” Denim tells Scarlett. “Always the party pooper.”

  “Well she’s right, Denim. It’s time to bounce,” I say harsher.

  When we walk outside and toward the truck, down the street I can see two green Hummers. I smile when I see Sarge wink at me from one of them. They are going to follow us safely until we get home. My nigga always has my back. The girls don’t know about the danger looming in the air, and that’s good. I don’t want to scare them before I talk them into our new business venture. The sedan is also gone. Something tells me I haven’t seen the last of the man in the sedan, or The Russians. That should be enough to scare me, but for some reason it doesn’t.

  **ONE MONTH LATER**

  BAMBI

  As I tape the last box in my bedroom, I look at how empty everything looks. Who would have thought that I would be leaving this h
ouse? The glamorous house I had come to love and know for so long. The house I built my life with Kevin in.

  Although we are just moving now, I wanted to move a long time ago. I just don’t feel safe here anymore. But, the girls wanted to find the perfect new home. It’s funny how my sisters and me are loaded, but nobody wants to get separate houses. It means we are staying together. To tell you the truth I am glad, because everyday I leave this house I’m being followed. I want to know if the others are being followed too, but I don’t want to spook them. I figure they would have told me by now if they were, at least if they knew they were.

  Before being followed, I always imagined living in a mansion larger than the one we live in now. But I convinced them that we should buy more private land, and a home away from society. Because, then we could build on our land anytime we want, and build a fort around it. We settled on a large cottage-style home in Maryland. Although they call it a cottage, in actuality it was almost as big as this one. We had seven rooms, a full basement, a livable attic and the back of our home looked out onto a lake. It was cozy and it felt like a wonderful place to raise a family. Especially since Scarlett is expecting a new baby. She finally told the girls about the bundle of joy, and I think her and Denim are closer because of it.

  After the deal with The Russians was done, we were able to focus on the fact that our husbands were gone. We cried most nights and, wished for death the other nights. I’m lonely all the time, and even started to welcome Cloud’s daily consensual rape visits. Since Bunny’s murder investigation was still open, he knew I had no idea if the real band-aid was still in his possession or not. So I gave him my body conditionally, and sometimes he didn’t leave my bedroom. It was awful pretending to care for a man I didn’t love in front of my sisters, but he enjoyed the pussy too much to care what they thought. Men are so vicious when they want to be.

  I pick up the last box for my room and walk down the steps. It’s so empty in our home now, that I can hear my footsteps echo throughout the house. When I move toward the door I focus on the three moving trucks out front. Although we paid for the movers to pack and relocate our entire house, the things in this box are precious and I wanted to deliver them to the new house myself.

  They are the photos of my sons when they were born, pictures of Kevin and me on our wedding day, and the last bottle of vodka I bought. It was the same night we met with The Russians, and I decided to keep it as a souvenir of what I could do if I really tried. I didn’t have one sip of liquor since that day. I’m sober again.

  When I walk out of my house, and onto the porch, my mouth drops when I see my twins stepping out of a cab. Noah and Melo are facing me and I’m shivering. They look so regal, and so handsome that tears immediately flood my eyes and roll down my face. It’s like I’m looking at Kevin times two.

  I place the box down on the porch, and run up to them. But the moment I reach them their hard bodies act like walls. They don’t embrace me. I look up into Noah’s eyes first. He’s closest to his father and seems the angriest. He’s clutching a piece of paper in his hands, and I wonder what it is.

  “Ma, where’s dad?” He asks. “And, don’t lie anymore and tell me he’s away on business.”

  “Tell us the truth,” Melo says in a softer voice. “Be decent, ma. Please.”

  I know I can’t lie anymore. This is it. I knew this day would come but I wanted more time to tell the truth. “He’s dead,” I tell them grabbing their hands. Noah snatches away from me immediately, but Melo allows me to hold him a second longer.

  Noah bites his bottom lip so hard, it bleeds. He does this whenever he is angry or worried about something. Just like me. “Did you kill him?” Noah asks me.

  I hold my chest. “Noah, why would you think I would even be capable of something like that? I loved that man from the moment I looked into his eyes. He’s my husband, and your father. I would never do anything like that to him or you two. He was murdered at the mass shooting at the casino. His name wasn’t in the paper because they used fake names to travel.” I’m speaking so loudly that Scarlett, Denim and Race come out of the house and stand beside me.

  “Hey, babies,” Denim says to Melo and Noah, “why are you here? What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, unless you consider the fact that dad is dead, and this bitch has lied to me everyday for the past month,” Noah tells Denim.

  Without a weapon he stabbed me in the heart. My son has never spoken to me like this. What has happened to him?

  Denim steps in front of me and points a long finger in Noah’s face. “I know you are upset, son. And, you have every right to be. But, if you ever disrespect your mother like that in front of me again I’m gonna forget we share a last name,” she softly touches his face and points at him with the other hand. “Are we clear?”

  Noah takes a deep breath and says, “Yes, ma’am.” At that moment I know my son is still in his body somewhere, because he shows her some respect.

  “Aunt Therese sent this to us the other day,” Noah says holding the letter. “Aunt Bunny wrote this before she died. Aunt Bunny told Therese that if she died, that this letter needed to be sent to us at school. In this letter aunt Bunny said that if something were to happen to her, that you killed her. And, that you probably killed dad too.”

  I can’t believe it. This bitch came back from the grave, and is trying to ruin my life. She wants my family even after death. Although I’m glad she is out of the picture, I know that if that letter gets in the hands of the police that I’m going to jail for the rest of my life. I need to take it from him, but how?

  “Noah, I didn’t kill anybody,” I say softly. “I would never do what Bunny claimed in that letter.” I reach for it.

  “She has always hated your mother,” Scarlett adds. “I wouldn’t believe the letter if I were you son.”

  “Can I see it?” I ask him, so that I can plot to destroy it.

  “No,” he stuffs the letter into his back pocket. “Just stay away from me.” He walks into the house leaving me outside.

  Melo walks up to me, wraps his arms around me, and kisses me on the forehead. I fall into his embrace, and rest my head against his heart. It’s beating loudly and I can’t help but cry. He grips me tighter, and rocks me in his arms. It’s like we’re dancing to music only we can hear. He did this to me a lot when I was suffering from flashbacks in the war. It worked every time. Melo is so strong and so admirable.

  “Ma, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m home now, and you don’t have to go through the problems alone. Noah will come around when he’s ready, but if he doesn’t I don’t want you bearing that cross. That’s on him. Okay?”

  I separate from him and look into his eyes. “Thank you so much, Melo. I’m sorry about your father. I wanted to tell you both but this is your last year in school and I didn’t want you worrying because they never said your father’s name in the shooting. It wasn’t until we heard the alias that he used that we knew for sure.” I lay my head on his chest again.

  “What about his body?” He asks.

  “We have to stay away from them now, Melo. You know what lifestyle your father led, and we can’t be sure what they had on them.”

  He seems weakened by my response. “Look, how about you go to your room and take a shower. I’ll cook us all a big meal. We’ll spend some time together, before you go back to school and hopefully things will be better between me and your brother before you leave.”

  He separates from me again. “We not going back to school, ma.”

  “What? Why not?” I ask. “The best place for you to be is at school.”

  “She’s right, Melo,” Race says. “We just bought another house, and it’s lovely. Go back and get your high school diploma, and when you come home, we can start all over right.”

  “Do it for your father, honey,” Denim adds.

  “Aunties, I respect all of you, and I know you know that. But, my father is dead, my mother is sick, and whether she knows it or not she needs me
here. So I’m staying.”

  “I’m not sick, Melo,” I tell him.

  “Ma, you’ve been drinking again. Aunt Bunny told us that in the letter too.” I hate that bitch. “I didn’t believe it until I saw it in your eyes.” He touches my face. “What kind of man would I be if I left my mother at a time like this? I’m not no sucker ass nigga, ma. I’m a man and a man takes care of his mother. So, I’m staying right here. Okay?”

  “Melo, I wish I could change your mind.”

  “You would have to start by changing my heart first,” he kisses me again. “But, that will never work because I love you too much.” He hugs my sisters and walks into the house.

  ****

  Turns out that moving day is cancelled. We had the beds brought back inside and sent everything else to the new house. The twins wanted to be here, and around their father’s memories for a little while longer, and I decided to give them that honor. It was the least I could do since I lied to them about everything else.

  I’m in my empty closet, and on the floor drinking vodka again. Turns out the last box didn’t make it on the truck after all. I have pictures of my sons and Kevin spread out on the floor in front of me. I wonder how Noah would feel if he knew their precious father stepped out on me, fucked a slut and big Bunny, gave me crabs and had another child. Would he still be the greatest dad of all time?

  I’m looking at a picture of the four of us that was taken during a trip to Hawaii. We are wearing yellow and red leis around our necks and we are happy. I miss times like this and would love to go back to the way things were. When we were a family, and happy, but I know it can never happen. Ever.

  I take another swig when Scarlett walks into the closet. Her red hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and I can never get over how gorgeous she is. She sits on the couch in my closet and looks down at me.

  “I love you,” she says to me softly. “Very much.”

  I smile. Scarlett always knows what to say and do when I’m going through the hard times. I’m so happy that she’s still around, and still in my life.