“Martin.” Janine walked up to the irate man. “What are you doing?”
“If you would answer your fucking phone, I wouldn’t have to come down here.” He was close to shouting.
“Can you lower your voice?” She requested as sweetly as she could, but still Martin gave her a sour look.
“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” He snapped. She saw the fire in his eyes. “I’ll say what the fuck I want to say and at whatever volume.”
“I’m sorry.” She apologized.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Giselle stood there quietly and stared at him, but she wasn’t the only one. Almost everybody was staring at them. Martin felt all eyes on him and it just made him more angry and irrational.
“What the fuck are y’all looking at?” He barked. “Do we have a motherfucking problem?”
“I’m sure they don’t-”
“Shut the fuck up!” He yelled. “Did I ask you?” He moved closer to her and it was then that he saw Giselle. “The fuck you looking at bitch?” He said towards her.
“Baby, this is Eva.”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“I’m sorry. She’s new here and I was just showing her around.”
“So you wasting time with this bitch? You know what you’re supposed to do.”
“Get the money.”
“So stop babysitting her and make some motherfucking money. You have things to do.”
“Yes Martin.”
“Yes who?”
“Yes Daddy.”
Janine walked away and led Martin to the bar. She ordered him a drink and he took some of the money from her thighs and threw it at the bartender. The bubbly bartender was about to get angry, but Janine shook her head. So the bartender kept quiet and poured out the shots of drinks that Martin requested.
“Who is that?” Giselle whispered when Janine came back to her.
“That’s my boyfriend.” Janine tried to sound happy and positive but her tone gave it away. “I got to get to work. I will help you later.” She gave a fake smile and saw that Martin was sneering at her. “Maybe it’s best that I help you tomorrow instead.”
Janine then went onto give lap dances and take on the pole. Men threw money at her and Giselle just watched her. How could a girl so beautiful be in so much pain? How could she give up her dreams for all of this?
Her phone vibrating snapped her out of her trance. She saw Lionel’s name, and went to the bathroom.
“Hello?” She whispered.
“Just wanted to see how you were doing. I wish you would have let me come with you today.”
“I can’t keep having you here.” She sighed hoping that they wouldn’t be getting into the same argument. “If you keep coming here, it will be suspicious.”
“That’s not true.” He laughed. “A bunch of dudes live at the strip club. If I come there every night, I will just look like the rest of those men. I can be cool.”
“You don’t have to babysit me.”
“I know you have that girl Janine with you, but I want to be there too.”
“Right.” She thought about Janine. Earlier Janine suggested that she get her a ride home, but seeing how volatile Martin was, it didn’t look like such a good idea. “Hey you think you can take a cab here and pick me up.”
“When? You want me to come. You staying there a little bit later?”
“No, you can come an get me now.”
“I’m on my way.”
Giselle sat back at the bar and watched Janine. Usually when a stripper did her set, she went to the back to count her money, but she was giving it straight to Martin, who in turn gave it back to the bar. When he counted up the money, he told her to go and do lap dances to make some more. She looked tired and Giselle felt bad for her. She wasn’t giddy or even faking to be giddy. She was just going through the motions of it. As some of the other strippers started to leave, Janine was still there.
Giselle’s phone went off again. It was Lionel again. He texted her to let her know that he was right outside. She went to the locker room and began to gather her things.
“Hey newbie.” Monique came in. “How’s the first date? Did you pop your cherry yet? Did you go up on stage and bust the pussy wide open for some thirsty niggas?” She gave a wicked laugh.
“No, I haven’t.” She was taking out her purse.
“Wait a minute, are you sharing lockers with Janine?”
“Yes.” Giselle kept her answers short with Monique. Monique always gave her an attitude.
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Janine might hold your hand, but I’m not like her.” Monique walked away waving her hand. Giselle shook her head and made her way out.
When she reached the exit she saw Lionel standing there. She ran up to him and hugged him. He gave her half a smile.
“What?” She laughed. They started to walk down the block. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“Yeah I am.” But he didn’t sound so happy.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing really.” He let out a breath. “At least I think so.”
“Well, I know you were a little mad about me leaving you-”
“No, I wasn’t mad at you. I just wanted to go with you.”
“But you’ve been stuck by my side ever since our date night.”
“Is that your way of complaining?”
“I’m not.” She laughed. “But Antwon is going to be out of the hospital soon. You know he’s going to have some trouble walking. I would think that you would want to be with him for some time. He is your best friend.”
“Men don’t call each other best friends.”
“I don’t have time to argue about how masculine you are.”
“I thought I already proved to you how masculine I was.” He joked and she playfully pushed him.
“That’s not what I meant. I was just trying to give you some time to see Antwon.”
“Well I did.”
“How is he?”
“He’s fine, but-”
He stopped and started walking back to the club.
“Wait, what’s wrong?” Giselle went after him.
“It’s just that I know I’m not crazy.”
“Ok. That’s very random.”
“Just wait here.”
They stood by the entrance of the club. Giselle had no idea why they were there. She thought that they were going to walk away and get something to eat, but Lionel brought them back.
“Why are we back here?”
“I’m just waiting for something.”
“Waiting for what?”
“For the bus.”
“The bus?”
“Yes.” He looked down the block from where they came from. There was a bus there and it was picking up passengers. “It’s right there.”
“Are we going to get on the bus? If we are I think we should move from here.”
“No, I just need to see something.”
“Okay.” Giselle was still confused.
Then the bus started moving. Its bright lights came down the street and Lionel followed it.
“Now look.” He pointed to the car that was to the left of them. “Look and tell me what color is that car.”
“What?” Giselle’s face scrunched up. “That dark blue or maybe black car.” She walked closer to it, but Lionel stopped her. “What? I’m trying to get a better look.”
“Wait for the bus to light it up.”
When the bus drove by, it lit up the car. It showed them the real color. Giselle gasped and turned to Lionel. He was already nodding his head.
“Is that-” She couldn’t believe it. “Is that it?”
“Yes, I think it is.”
“Wow”
“It’s the fucking green car.”
Chapter 6
Antwon was in the wheelchair being wheeled to the entrance. Lionel was already there waiting for him with a cab behind him. He smiled when he saw his
friend waiting for him. As soon as the nurse brought him to the entrance, he got up. He took his first step, but he limped. Lionel moved closer to help him, but he shook his head.
“I got this kid.” Antwon smiled. “I can’t have you always coming to my rescue. You my boy, not my husband.” He laughed. The nurse then gave him his crutches. “Thanks babe.” The nurse smiled and laughed. “What? Let’s not pretend that you’re not going to miss me around here.”
“I’m not.” She winked and started walking away.
“Don’t front, but don’t her ass got an extra jiggle?” He turned to his friend. “I know that you’re damn near married now, but tell me that’s not a nice ass.”
“It’s alright.” Lionel laughed. “I see that you’re back to your old self.” He moved out of the way. He opened the cab door and tried to assist his friend inside.
“I got this.” He grunted his way in.
They got in the back of the cab. As soon as they were both seated, Antwon started talking.
“Ok, we got to get back in the business.” He said in a low tone so that the driver wouldn’t hear them.
“You don’t think we should take it slow?” He asked. Lionel knew that he didn’t have to remind Antwon of his injuries or of his limited mobility.
“What? The bullet already stopped me from making money, I’m not going to let it continue to rob me. I need to be back out there making money.”
“Antwon-”
“Listen, I don’t want to keep talking about this. We have to go back and make money. Are you down to help me?”
“You got to ask?” Lionel felt shocked. “You know we’re like brothers.”
“Son, I know that, but I also know that Giselle is tying up most of your time.”
It was true. Lionel and Giselle have been spending most of their time together. In the daytime, Giselle took her last four classes and right after she hung out with Lionel until she could go back to the club. She was still looking for the stripper that came in the green car. She kept looking out to see if she saw the green car again, but she never did. Lionel asked her if she remembered when the new shift of strippers came in, but she said she was distracted by Martin and his antics. All of these things were taking up Lionel’s time, but he would always make time for his friend.
“We’re just trying to find this damn stripper.” He mumbled.
“Good.”
“You don’t want to put that to the back burner.”
“What?” Antwon responded. “Nah, hell no. I want to get to the motherfucker that shot me. On top of all of that, I want to get back in business. I know you haven’t been doing the business like we used to, so we got a lot to do. We got to take back our corner, get back to the money, and do it all.”
“Shit…” Lionel mumbled. “It ain’t going to be easy.”
“Nothing in life is.” Antwon chuckled. “But all the good things ain’t easy. In fact, some would say that fighting for some things makes it worth it.”
“Damn, look at you.” Lionel laughed. “When did you get to be all wise and shit?”
“You lay up on your ass in a hospital bed, shit, you’d be thinking better too. It makes you all smart. I was just laying there; thinking of ways to get back out there.”
“What were you thinking?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“Tell me.”
“We got to start tonight.”
“Ok…” Lionel nodded. “Can we get to the part that I’m not going to like?”
“You’re going to have to do most of the work.”
Antwon was right, Lionel didn’t like the fact that he had to do most of the work, but he did it. He had to be the aggressive one. He fought with the new drug dealers that took over his corner, he made sure all the customers paid their money, and he had to let Antwon handle the business between their supplier. They were making so much money, that their supplier was not only giving them more product, but even guns. When Antwon broke the news to Lionel, he faked a smile. He didn’t want more things to sell, he just wanted it all to stop. But his friend was just shot and almost killed. He didn’t want to be another piece of bad news too. So he just kept his mouth shut and did all that Antwon suggested; without complaints
“I heard that you got a little something.” A man walked up to the steps that Lionel was sitting on. Lionel looked at him. He was about to answer him that he did have what he was looking for, but there was something about this man that he couldn’t trust. He couldn’t put his finger on it. This man just made him uneasy.
“I don’t know what you talking about.” Lionel looked away. The man still stood there. Lionel looked him. The guy wasn’t dirty and didn’t look like the typical customers he was used to. But the more he did the aggressive side of the drug game, the more he saw that the customers looked like the average person. He just found it weird that the person was still standing there.
“So you mean to tell me that you don’t have anything?”
“I don’t know what is it you’re looking for.” He still wasn’t looking at the man at all.
“I am just wondering if you have a little something something.”
“Are you a fucking cop?” Lionel asked flat out. The guy’s eyes opened wide and he walked away. Lionel shook his head as he walked away.
“I knew there was something about your ass.” Lionel mumbled to himself.
The day went on as usual. Lionel sold to his regular clients. He had to be firm with anyone that tried to rip him off. When he saw old familiar faces, he knew that it was out that he was selling again. Out of nowhere he spotted the guy from before. He was just giving something to a customer.
“I thought that you didn’t have something.” The guy came up to him. “I just want a little something.”
“I don’t sell to cops.”
“I’m not a cop.” The guy tried to assure him, but Lionel walked away. “Where are you going?”
“The store is closed.” Lionel chuckled and then went up the stairs.
He heard the guy mutter a curse to himself. Lionel watched him leave. When he saw that the guy was completely gone, he went out and got into a cab. He took it straight to Antwon’s place. Antwon’s door was slightly opened. He got a little scared. Antwon would never keep his door open. Not only was he paranoid after getting shot, but now that they are making more money, Antwon insisted on both of them being careful in every move that they made. So to get to his apartment and see that the door was open, had him afraid.
Lionel went into his pocket and reached for the gun. He hated having it, but like everything else that Antwon suggested, he took it. He held it and tried to remember what Antwon told him. He tried to teach him how to hold it and shoot, but at this moment, he was forgetting. This felt different than the last time he got a gun. When he was looking for vengeance for Antwon, he didn’t even think about what he was doing. He just got a gun and went, but that was then, and this is now.
He walked in the apartment slowly, hand on the trigger, and with the gun well hidden. He went to the kitchen and he wasn’t there. He walked through the living room and he wasn’t there either. He made his way to the bedroom and heard Antwon groan. He kicked the bedroom door in, and there was Antwon, with a female riding on top of him.
“Oh shit!” She squealed and went under the bed. She was so embarrassed but Lionel had to be the most embarrassed of them both.
“What the fuck Leo?”
“Nigga! You left your door open.” Lionel let out a sigh of relief.
“I know you guys have much to talk about, but can I get dressed?” The female requested.
“Nah, don’t bother. Just hop back on top-”
“Fuck you.” The girl grabbed her clothes and brushed past Lionel.
Antwon threw a shirt on. He then put on some boxers. He grunted on his way up. Lionel stood by the door waiting for his friend to say something to him. But Antwon grabbed his crutches and made his way back to the living room.
“Damn, I
thought she would have stayed.” He said to no one in particular.
“Are you serious?” Lionel chuckled. “Shorty damn near ran out of here with her tits out.”
“Well damn.” Antwon looked at him and smiled. “At least I got mines.” They both started laughing. “So why are you here Leo? You know besides you cockblocking me.”
“I just wanted to tell you about something.”’
“Tell me while we grab something to eat.”
The two friends made their way outside and to the local deli. They ordered their favorites. Lionel loved a philly cheese steak with ketchup and hot sauce. Antwon’s favorite was a bacon egg and cheese, home fries, and a honey bun. The two of them waited for their food to be done.
“So what is it?” Antwon asked holding on to his crutch. “Is it some bullshit? You don’t even have to tell me that it’s some bullshit. You wouldn't be telling me if it wasn’t some bullshit.”
“I don’t know if it’s all that.” Lionel took his food. “But it was just something that was weird.”
URBAN: What A Thug Wants Page 20
