by Mike Sanders
Tan felt somewhat satisfied after leaving the cemetery. She knew it was time to handle her business with Justice because common sense was telling her that Justice would be coming for her eventually. From that point on, it would be a ‘may the best bitch win’ situation. Tan knew without a doubt, that bitch would be her.
Driving away from the cemetery Tan headed for I-485 South to head back to Ballentyne, questioning herself as to why Carlos had been there also.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Man . . . I thought y’all muthafuckas forgot me!” Face yelled as he wheeled himself out of the old house on Pecan Avenue. His paraplegic state was a result of Monk catching him and Preme slipping a few years ago. His medium build now sat in a black leather wheelchair and he still was going to therapy to improve the use of his arms. His biceps were slightly bigger due to the excessive lifting of his own body weight day in and day out. The grotesque scar that stretched from his right temple to just below his chin seemed to decrease a little, but still set off the major characteristics of his face. Face now had a couple more scars like it on his upper torso near his left shoulder and a smaller one closer to his heart.
“Nah, nigga, we didn’t forget you,” Carlos said with a lot of regret because not one of his cars was handicap accessible. He got out of his Tahoe and met Face halfway as he rolled down the sidewalk. “Your aunt in there with you?”
“Yeah, she in there,” Face said as he turned to the side. “Her bad ass sons drivin’ a nigga crazy. I need to get out this bitch.” Carlos pushed Face to the truck. Preme got out and limped to open the back door and then he got back in the front where he was riding. Once Face was situated, Carlos went back, folded his wheelchair, and put it in the back of the truck.
“You good, bruh?” Carlos asked Face as he closed the door and got back in the driver’s seat.
Face shook his head as he looked at Carlos in the rearview mirror. He wondered how Carlos felt knowing that his ruthless hitmen were no longer as mobile as they used to be. Face had noticed that he had been coming around a lot less frequently and was becoming a little distant. Face knew it wouldn’t be long before he and Preme would be replaced by two younger niggas with full use of all their limbs.
When Carlos did come around, Face tried to enjoy the moment. Before pulling off, Face looked outside to see his six and eight-year-old cousins running out of the house and calling him by his government name. They were dressed alike in oversize black T-shirts with a minor league sports logo on them and some cut up black jeans. An older woman who could give Angela Bassett a run for her money ran out and grabbed each of the boys by the hand as she dragged both of them in.
“Daaaamn!” Preme said, sounding like Chris Tucker on Friday. “I swear to God if that wasn’t yo’ mamma’s sister, I’d fuck the dog shit outta her ass.”
Face pulled out a blue steel .45 and aimed it at the side of Preme’s face. “Fuck the dog shit outta this, nigga,” he offered.
“Nigga!” Preme turned and faced the barrel head on while looking at Face. “If you don’t get that fuckin’ pistol outta my face, I’mma come back there and beat your ass. Paralyzed or not, you know I’on play like dat.”
“Why you always gotta make sex jokes when you come ‘round a nigga? You know dat’s fucked up.”
“Both of y’all chill the fuck out!” Carlos stated from the driver’s seat. Face lowered his pistol and still glared at Preme. Carlos wanted to laugh but he knew Face was sensitive about being confined to a wheelchair, and no longer being able to get his dick hard. Carlos started the truck and drove off in the direction of one of his trap houses a few blocks down. “We got bizness to take care of and both of y’all niggas actin’ like broads.”
Carlos looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Face was still pissed and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Preme silently staring out of the window. He was taking in the scenery of the houses that were old and deteriorating because the owners were too old to take care of them. Lawns needed to be cut and bushes needed to be trimmed. In addition, a couple of houses, including Face’s aunt’s house could stand a fresh coat of paint and some attention to fixing the roof. “These some old ass raggedy ass houses. They need to tear these shits down like they did in North Charlotte and take a few of them crab as niggas wit’ ‘em,” Preme commented.
Carlos and Face ignored his statement. Carlos looked into the rearview mirror at Face. “You know we went to Sapphire mamma’s funeral the other day.” He paused, then added, “Justice was out there.”
“Aww, don’t tell me you tryna fuck wit’ dat bitch?” Face got agitated as he used his arms to help him sit up. His mind flashed back to that day he caught hot lead from Justice’s brother. “Man, fuck dat bitch.”
“Yeah, fuck her and her dead brother. I’m glad Tan slumped that hoe ass nigga,” Preme jumped in.
Carlos turned down the music and looked at both his partners with a scowl. “Hold up. Y’all niggas keep cryin’ over spilled milk and shit, but it’s y’all fault he lived long enough to even squeeze a trigga at yo’ ass. Don’t act like y’all forgettin’ about that fuck up at TGI Fridays. You had your opportunity then, but you missed and he capitalized on it. Shit happens. The nigga’s dead! Let that shit go.”
Preme sucked his teeth and mumbled, “Fuck him and his triflin’ ass sister!”
“Anyway, like I was sayin’,” Carlos addressed Face. “Justice was at the funeral and I tried to holla at her.”
“Outta all these hoes out here that wanna give you some ass, you still wantin’ to fuck wit’ that bitch?” Face was genuinely disappointed. “Come on, bruh.”
“Yeah nigga, I still don’t trust that slimy hoe,” Preme said as Carlos pulled the Tahoe into the driveway of a rundown house on LaSalle Street. Preme opened the door to get out. He looked back at Carlos. “Let Tan body that bitch, bruh.”
“Nigga, that might be the smartest shit that ever came outta yo’ slick ass mouth. I second dat,” Face agreed.
“I think she came up to the gravesite to do that,” Carlos said. “I saw her car and I think Justice saw her, too. I believe that crazy bitch woulda done it. That bitch ‘bout worst than me when it come to that revenge shit.”
“Yeah, but that bitch careless wit’ her shit. Don’t forget she was the one that sent a nigga up in TGI Fridays in the first place. But on the real doe, I think you really do need to let Tan handle Justice and you stay out of that shit.”
Carlos sighed deeply before opening his door to get out. He didn’t respond to what Face had said, but he’d heard him loud and clear. He had a decision to make because he knew it wouldn’t be long before the two women started inquiring about one another. On one hand, he thought about his business relationship with Tan and how his decision would affect his paper. Although Tan was no longer his sole supplier, she was cheaper and more efficient than the nigga he was dealing with in Miami. Ever since Dave had gotten fucked up with those keys, Carlos had slowed down from copping from Florida.
Carlos also thought about Justice and how even after all that had transpired he still had feelings for her, and deep down, he didn’t want anything to happen to her. As he helped Face out the truck and into his wheelchair he thought about what Face had just told him and realized there was no way he could just stay out of it because he was about to be dead smack in the middle of it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Justice’s desire to get revenge for the murder of her brother was growing minute-by-minute and hour by hour and she couldn’t wait to deal with Tan. She knew she wasn’t crazy when she thought she saw Tan roll by at Sapphire’s mother’s funeral. It had to be her…
Justice had tried to get Sapphire to hang out with her and leave Charlotte for a little while but she refused. Justice, trying to be understanding because she had lost her own mother when she was younger decided to give Sapphire some space and decided to clear her own head for a little while.
Concord Mills was the first exit outside of Charlotte on I-85 north. It wasn’t as fa
r as Greensboro or Raleigh or even a quick trip to the VA, but the trip would serve its purpose of getting a breath of fresh air and it was close enough in case she had to rush back to tend to Sapphire.
Justice hadn’t even turned off the ignition good before she felt her phone vibrate. She pushed the button to accept the call.
“Justice are you sitting down?” Toni urged as Justice had opened the door and placed her foot on the pavement. She stepped back in and closed the door.
“Yeah, I’m in the car, what’s up.”
“Girl, you ain’t gonna believe what these broads did today.”
Justice was barely able to exhale before Toni continued, “Precious beat up Fancy!”
“She what!” Justice shouted. She could feel her blood boil as she could picture Precious Amazonian ass picking on a stripper half her size. Justice reflected on the promises she’d made the young girl who was shaking her ass to pay for the expensive courses at Northwestern University. Being that the girl wanted to make something of herself and that this was a “temporary means” to an ultimate goal, Justice wanted to see the girl succeed. Justice had promised that she would do her best to keep Fancy out of conflict, and when the girl needed her most, she was hundreds of miles away.
“What the hell? How the hell did it happen?” Justice knew the answer to that question before she finished asking, but knowing Toni, she would get the answer anyway.
“One of the guys from the Chicago Bulls asked her for a lap dance in VIP and the guy was making it rain. Precious was jealous and she tried to move in on the dance and try to get some of the money. The guy told her nicely that he wasn’t interested in her and Fancy laughed in her face. Precious couldn’t take it and she backhanded Fancy so hard she fell down, then Precious pounced on her like a cat on a mouse and started nailing her.”
“Are you serious?” Justice shouted as she banged her fist on the steering wheel. She pictured Precious’ face and was tempted to hammer the wheel but she refrained in order not to look like a crazy ass black woman in the shopping mall’s parking lot.
“Yes boss lady, and that’s not the half of it.” Toni continued. She quickly exhaled and continued with her soap opera, “Somebody posted a video on World Star Hip Hop of Virgin giving two niggas head in the VIP.”
“Da fuck?!” Justice was furious. The last place she wanted publicity for her club was on a website dedicated to posting random and sometimes explicit clippings that had gone viral. She had had it with Precious and Virgin’s bullshit and she knew that when she got back to Chicago, she was going to have to get her hands dirty—but first, there was a more pressing matter to tend to. “Bitch, as soon as I get to Chicago, I’m cleaning house. I might start with your ass.”
Justice wanted to kick Toni’s ass so fucking bad. She had left a laundry list of objectives for the girl to accomplish and here she was getting more and more shit to clean. What the fuck was Toni doing being a manager if she couldn’t manage any of these situations?
“Damn, I’m sorry. But what could I do?” She could hear Toni crying on the other end. Toni started wailing and speaking incoherently. All Justice got out of what Toni was saying was something about getting another chance and not wanting to be fired and some other shit that was trivial to her. Justice looked in the rearview mirror at her own reflection and she shook her head.
This is some bullshit, Justice thought to herself. She exhaled “I’mma kill them bitches.” She said as she cracked the door open.
“What’d you say boss lady?” Toni was still sniffling. Justice could imagine Toni looking pathetic.
“Look, just do what you gotta do to keep the club open, I’ll take care of Precious and Virgin when I get back.” Justice commanded.
“Okay.”
Justice ended the call. She opened the door, stepped out, and inhaled the fresh air. A fight and a fuckin’ sex video—great! Precious and Virgin had successfully found Justice’s last nerve and was working that lil’ mutha-fucka to pieces.
“Aye Ma!” Some young man was shouting. Justice kept walking to the door because she hated being addressed in that manner and she wasn’t about to give the young man the time of day. If he knew what was good for him at that moment, he would keep his distance.
“Baby girl!” Justice heard the voice again and then felt a tight grip on her arm pulling her back. Justice reached around to swing and almost hit War in the face.
“Fuck you touchin’ me for?” Justice shouted, not caring whether or not she embarrassed him in front of his female friend, who surprisingly stepped to the side. “I will fuck you up out here.”
“My bad, I saw you getting out of your car and noticed you left your lights on, I was trying to save you from having your car jumped.” War defended. He wrapped his arms around the young lady who was with him who looked as if she couldn’t have been a day out of high school.
Justice looked down the parking light and noticed that her lights were indeed still on. “I’m sorry.” She said humbly. As she took a second look at War, she was mesmerized by how much he looked like Carlos. If she had not seen those cuts in his eyebrows, she would have sworn it was him.
“No problem.” War said as they headed in the mall. “I think my uncle tryna get at you.”
“Your uncle has my number.” Justice lied. She didn’t know what War may have known about her relationship with Carlos and she didn’t feel like spilling her guts to a young man she barely knew either.
“Knowing him, he’ll probably be using it real soon.” War said as he peeped at her ass before him and the young lady strolled in the door. Justice watched as he kissed her on the cheek like a schoolboy in love with his first crush. She turned back to the parking lot to go turn her lights off. Once she accomplished that task, she made her way back to the mall without any more interruptions.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“ . . . I Had To Raise The Limit!” Cash P’s ringtone blared from Red’s phone, jarring him out of his deep slumber. Red unwrapped his arms from around the body lying next to him. He rubbed his eyes while the ringtone continued to scream from the phone. After getting in a stretch, he sat up, grabbed the phone, and swiped the screen to answer it.
“Talk,” Red commanded. He looked over at the nightstand noticing the bright red 5:45 illuminating on the digital clock, letting him know how early it was in the morning.
“Get up, cuzo, I need to holla at’cha.” The high-pitched voice of his cousin, Kim called for his attention. “You still looking for that Justice bitch, right?”
“Hell yeah, you know I am, What’s good?” Red replied with a hoarse voice. In addition, at that moment, he felt a set of soft lips on his dick, sucking him to an erection. He lifted up the sheets to see Always’s head bobbing up and down. He shook his head with a grin.
“Yeah, that bitch came back to Charlotte for Ms. Evans’ funeral,” Kim went on as if she were carrying on a conversation in the middle of the afternoon. “I didn’t even know she knew that lady like that. I woulda went to the funeral if I had remembered what time it was and shit, I loved Ms. Ev—”
“Is she still there now?” Red was trying to conduct business, but Always had gotten between his legs and started slurping on his balls, putting the right amount of pressure on them to make his toes curl and for him to start hissing.
“Yeah, they said she was hugged up on Ms. Evans’ daughter and shit.”
“Good looking Kim,” Red responded. Always climbed on top of him, her wetness bubbling and slowly letting him enter her moist sugar walls, raw dawg. Red knew he should have put a condom on, but he was caught up in the moment and his dick was doing the thinking. Always was living up to her name; her pussy always stayed wet and ready. Her sugar walls were so tight and warm, Red came within a few strokes but that didn’t stop him from rolling her onto her back and fucking her in the ass, missionary style. This was her favorite act and she came twice in succession as he stroked her tight hole and played with her clit ring.
***
“
You gotta go,” Red told Always as he rolled over. He had just busted another nut, this time in her asshole. His body was sweaty and he knew that he needed to jump in the shower to wash the smell of sex off him so he could go meet Chris.
“What you mean I gotta go?” Always questioned. Her skillful hands caressed his slowly deflating erection, trying to make it hard again so they could go another round. Her other hand played with the small curly hairs on his chest and around his nipples. “I wanna go again.”
“Look, me and Chris got business to handle,” Red said as he got out of the bed. He looked on the floor and found Always’s lace panties and bra and tossed them to her. “You gotta go,” he repeated with authority.
“Okay,” Always reluctantly replied. “But what about my money you promised me from them last two licks?” Red had used Always in a few stick-ups over the past two months and had not paid her for the last two. Since Red was fucking her, she figured he thought she wouldn’t ask for her share. But fuck that! Always was a paper chaser. The dick was good, no doubt, but it was not paying the bills.
“Fuck you talkin’ ‘bout? As many meals you done ate off me and as many nuts I done made your trick ass bust . . . bitch, you paid,” Red said as if she were some random hood chick who was getting on his last nerve.
Red watched Always put on her bra and panties and search the room for the rest of her clothes. “I got somethin’ for yo’ ass.” Always mumbled under of her breath.
“You say somethin’?” Red glared at her but she didn’t repeat herself. She continued to gather her belongings while seething with anger.
Red knew she was heated but he couldn’t have cared less. He had gotten two nuts off in her and had fun with her the previous night, but now it was time for her to go. All he could think about was what Kim had told him and he knew it was urgent for him to get to Charlotte and take care of that bitch before she could go back to Chicago. He guessed he would have a better chance of catching her off balance if she was out of Chicago. He wanted Justice so bad he could almost smell that bitch.
