RedBone

by Styles, T.

  And older black lady was standing there with a smirk on her face. “Who are you?”

  “Is Lesa Carmine here?”

  “Not right now, but can I help you with something?”

  “Yes. Tell her I know that she killed my son. The day he went missing, he sent a text message with her name. Today, with a little help, I was able to get this address.”

  “Well what is your message?”

  She looked into her eyes. “Please tell her that I intend on burying her alive.”

  Chapter 63

  “Plenty of niggas wanted to be with me and I wasted my time on you!”

  —Chloe

  Chloe was sitting in Farah’s broken-down car, trying to stay warm. She was waiting for Audio to pull up from the club, knowing he’d be home any minute. When one of her friends told her he was with another girl, she made it her business to find out for herself. Audio was her world, and she didn’t want anything or anybody coming in the way of that.

  When Slade pulled up, she jumped out of the car and approached the truck. Her hands were folded over her chest, and her eyes were bloody red. “Where the fuck were you, Audio?”

  Slade and his brothers looked at her after they closed the doors. “Fuck you mean where was I?” Audio shot back, embarrassed how she was carrying it in front of his family. “You must’ve lost your mind if you think you can talk to me like that.” His brothers nodded in approval for checking the bitch.

  “I heard you were with some girl.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Is that true?”

  “Y’all go upstairs,” he told his brothers. “I’ma be up in a minute. I gotta holla at Chloe.”

  “You sure?”Slade asked, looking at them both. “Because y’all don’t need to be doing all this out here.”

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’m sure. I got this,” Audio replied.

  When they walked into the building Chloe said, “Why you cheat on me, Audio?” Warm tears ran down her face, and she wiped them away before they froze onto her skin. “I thought you said you love me.”

  “What you talking about, babes? I do love you. All I did was hang out at the club with my brothers. That’s it ... You gotta stop tripping.”

  “I saw you with my own eyes, Audio. You weren’t just in the club. You went with another bitch! I know that she is one of Shannon’s friends. Her name is Wendy. That bitch old as shit!”

  “She two years older than me. So stop tripping.” Realizing he said too much he said, “I was just dancing, babes. That bitch don’t mean nothing to me. I don’t ever have to see her again.”

  “You know what? I gave up a lot in this relationship! Plenty of niggas wanted to be with me and I wasted my time on you! You don’t even have no fucking money! It’s over! She stormed toward the building.

  Although his ego was bruised, he grabbed her arm to prevent her from walking out of his life. “Okay ... I let the girl Wendy suck my dick in the bathroom. Is that what you wanna hear? But you know I’m not fucking with that slut no more, babes. I got with her before I even met you. Her and her friend Nova fucked me at the same time. But I’m done; bitches like that can’t stand next to you.”Then he took his fist and softly hit her chin. “Did you have to call a nigga broke though?”

  She rocked in place, folded her arms over her chest, and said, “I’m sorry.” Chloe’s temples began to throb, and she wondered how quickly he would die if she shot or stabbed him. Nobody fucked over a Cotton and lived too long to talk about it. “You can’t do that kind of shit to me.”

  “You forgive me, right?”

  She looked into his eyes and said, “If you love me, it won’t be so easy.”

  “Okay ... what I got to do?”

  “When my daddy did my mother wrong, he committed murder.” Audio’s eyes widened. “And that’s what I want you to do.”

  He looked at her and she was fully expecting him to back out. Instead he said, “Would you kill for me too?”

  Chapter 64

  “What exactly did my brother say? And don’t leave anything out.”

  —Slade

  Slade woke up with a throbbing headache, due to the TV being on too loud. The couch he slept on every night at Markee’s was starting to wreak havoc on his bones. Easing off the sofa, partially bent over, with his hand in the small of his back, he walked a few feet before stretching the pain away. Then he stepped over his brothers who were asleep on the floor. Hungry as a stray dog, he walked into the kitchen to get something to eat. When who did he see ... fat-ass Markee, scrambling eggs.

  “How come whenever I’m in the kitchen, you are too? Slade asked.

  “From the movie Friday?”

  “From the movie you need to pull the fuck back from the table. Walking to the cupboard, he grabbed a blue plastic cup and poured some orange juice. “Where were you last night, Markee? I thought you were gonna be here in case my brother called. You been dropping the ball lately, and I’m getting tired of your shit.”

  Markee turned the stove off, turned around, and said, “What you talking about, man? Knox was here last night.”

  The cup dropped out of his hands and slammed to the floor before rolling to Markee’s feet. Slade rushed over to him, gripped his shirt, and raised him in the air. Since Markee was far from a petite man, this move only exemplified Slade’s strength. His socks were soaked with juice. “My brother was here, and you ain’t tell me?”

  “He told me not to call you.” He started shaking when he looked down and saw that his feet were nowhere near the floor. “He said never to use the house phone to call the cell phone or some shit like that. I tried to call you, man. But he got mad and said he was coming back later. So I gave him a key and rolled out.”

  “Where were you last night?” he asked, the veins in his arm popping through his skin like worms.

  “I had to bounce because Randy wanted me to check on something since he was out of town. Another one of his friends got killed last night.” Looking at the TV he said, “That was him right there.”

  Slade released him and he plummeted to the floor. He slowly walked into the living room to get a clear look at his face. This was the nigga he was halfway from killing last night, when he saw him with Farah. The news was reporting that two men were found dead in a black Range Rover by the names of Todd Melon, also known as Juice, and DeWayne Harvey. A third man name Todd Ferguson was also found at the scene, pinned under the truck. He was confirmed dead this morning. He was relieved that Farah was okay because he knew she was with him and they didn’t mention her name.

  “I’m sorry, Slade,” he said, walking behind him, breaking his concentration on the news. “I thought you knew he was here.”

  “What exactly did my brother say? And don’t leave anything out.”

  He coughed a few times and said, “He knocked on the door, asking where y’all were. He said not to use the phone, because he didn’t know if anybody was watching him. Then he said that Eleanor saved him, and to tell you to look for him there.”

  Slade frowned. “Who the fuck is Eleanor?”

  “This old white bitch up the street. She’s a dopehead who can do this ass clapping trick better than the baddest stripper.” He laughed, rubbing his hands together. When Slade didn’t share in his humor, he cleared his throat and said, “Sorry, man.”

  “Did my brother say anything else?”

  “No. That was it.” He paused. “Maybe he’s coming back later today.”

  Slade was tired of looking at his cousin. He was about to walk away until he said, “Oh ... I almost forgot, he also asked about your girl Farah. I don’t know what that’s about.”

  Chapter 65

  “This is your fault, not mine, so you can put this on YouTube if you want to.”

  —Farah

  Farah was a nervous wreck as she stirred the meatballs in a pot. She was up all night watching a movie about vampires, and wondered if she was a real one come to life. She couldn’t be like them in her mind. Unlike the fictitious movies, she had a
need to survive or be killed. And although people wouldn’t understand, she wouldn’t share their problems anymore. Some people ate meat, she drank blood, so what was the difference?

  She had a lot on her plate today. For starters, she was throwing Rhonda’s baby shower, she killed her lover’s brother, and she was certain that Juice died because somebody was trying to get to her. To make matters worse, Amico’s mother stopped by to threaten Lesa about a murder Chloe committed. Before it was all said and done, Farah had no doubt that things were going to end badly and whenever she had that thought, she was right.

  “I know you not still thinking about that shit,” Mia said, walking up behind her. “They’ll never find his brother, or anybody else we dumped for that matter. You may be new to getting rid of evidence, but we kill all the time,” she continued, as if they were talking about dumping bags of trash.

  “You sure?” Farah asked, turning off the stove. “I feel like I’m about to go down.”

  “Stop worrying. And as far as that bitch who came here yesterday, maybe it’s a good thing they think Lesa was involved instead of Chloe. But if she keeps snooping around, that old hag can get the business too. Now help me move this table in the living room. That girl’s shower is in four hours, and we not hardly ready.”

  Farah moved slowly, and she was wearing an expression of desperation on her face. “I killed his brother, Mia. If he finds out, he’ll never talk to me again.”

  “He’s not talking to you now.”

  “I’m serious! He’s the first person I’ve ever loved.”

  Mia sighed. For the first time, she could tell Farah was serious. “Listen, Farah, you got to act right today and not think about Slade or his brother. If the police investigate, they gonna question everybody you’ve been around before and after the murder. You want them to say that you were acting normal, not the other way around. Now let’s move this table.”

  Farah pulled herself together, and helped Mia organize the apartment so that everything was beautiful for the celebration. The details were strongly cared for, and they knew Rhonda would appreciate everything. Blue and pink was the theme, and the living room was flooded with baby party favors and balloons. Because Farah was out of it even Shadow pitched in to help out by going to the store and grabbing a few last-minute items on her list.

  When he came back with five big bags he said, “Where you want this stuff?”

  “Put it on the table.”

  When he walked away Mia said, “He’s lonely, Farah. We got to find him somebody.”

  “How do you know he’s lonely?” she asked, helping Mia put streamers on the wall. “He seems okay to me.”

  “Well, if you weren’t self-consumed, you’d know he got shit on his mind too.” Farah looked over at him. “You not the only one with troubles.”

  “Well, I’m dealing with shit too,” she said selfishly. “I can’t deal with Shadow now.”

  Mia shook her head. “Still the same old selfish Farah.”

  “Take it how you want,” she said. They were almost finished decorating when Farah remembered she didn’t have the cake. “Hold up ... where is Chloe?” She looked at her watch. “She was supposed to bring the cake.”

  “I’ll call her cell, but she probably with the nigga Audio,” Shadow replied from the kitchen. “If you want, I can get one from the grocery store.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.” She tossed him the keys to her half-broken car. “I don’t know why she fucking with him anyway. I saw him with some bitch at the club last night. And Slade too.”

  “And we also saw Chloe ride a nigga’s dick she knew for less than a hour, while you drank his blood,” Shadow said, putting on his brown leather jacket. “Bitches kill me pointing fingers and shit. Cheating is cheating no matter who does it.”

  “That bitch you talking about is your sister.” Mia frowned. “Act like it.”

  “I’m out.” He left the apartment.

  When there was another knock at the door ten minutes later, Mia said, “I’ll get it. Blow some more balloons up, Farah, and put them in the kitchen. It looks kind of boring over there.” Mia opened the door, and saw a light-skinned woman standing before her. “The baby shower doesn’t start for another three hours. You’re a little too early.”

  “I’m not here for a shower. I’m here to talk to Lesa Carmine. I have some questions for her regarding a missing person’s case.”

  Mia swallowed and said, “Well, she ain’t here. But what’s your name? I’ll give her your message.”

  “I’m Detective Nadia Gibson.” She flashed her badge. “Is Farah Cotton home?”

  “No,” Mia said with an attitude.

  “Yes, I am.” Farah walked up behind her. Mia rolled her eyes at them both, and sashayed away. “What do you want with me, Nadia?”

  “That’s Detective Gibson to you.” She nodded. “Say, Farah ... you wouldn’t happen to have a room available for rent now, would you?” She joked.

  Farah grinned, and put her hand on her hip. “I told you already ... the room is taken.”

  Nadia laughed. “Always the smart ass.”

  “And always the hating-ass cop.” She smiled back. “Now what do you want with me? I’m busy.”

  “I want you to know that I’m going to be the thorn in your ass I promised. So get used to seeing my face, because in the upcoming weeks, we’ll have lots to talk about. It’ll be just like we’re roommates after all.”

  Farah watched Rhonda frolic around her apartment as if she didn’t have a care in the world. The murder she witnessed last night didn’t seem to be on her mind in the least. Jealousy consumed Farah when people would rub her belly and congratulate her on the future. She wondered what she had to look forward to in her own life. She didn’t even have Slade. Remembering what Mia said about acting normal, she decided to drink a martini to relax her mind. After awhile, she left out the martini juice and rocked with the liquor. Five drinks later, she was floating around the shower as if she were a star. Since this wasn’t normal behavior, to some something was off.

  Mia made sure the food trays stayed stocked, while eating in the process, and Shadow ran errands for things the women continued to forget. But when someone knocked at the door, Mia opened it, because Farah was playing a baby name game with Rhonda and her friends.

  When she opened the door, Coconut, Shannon, and the rest of the crew piled inside ... including Nova and Wendy. “Hey, Coconut,” Mia said with a slight attitude. She blocked their path and said, “One second.” She looked for Farah and yelled, “Farah, can they come in?”

  Farah saw the troublemakers waiting to destroy her day and said, “Everybody can come in except Nova.”

  “You still tripping off of that shit?”

  “Bitch, you can’t come into my house after you tried to smack me in the face.”

  Nova rolled her eyes and said, “I’ll see y’all later. Fuck this cunt.”

  The girls glided inside, but Coconut stopped when she saw Shadow. “Damn, I didn’t know you were home from jail.” She looked him over. “I didn’t know you looked this good either.”

  Shadow was just as taken with her as she was with him. “Lifting weights and eating pussy does a body good.” He licked his lips and her pussy jumped.

  “Is that right?”

  “No need to repeat myself.” He winked.

  Coconut smiled at him again, and followed Shannon and her friends into the living room. Everybody there stopped playing the game and rushed toward the hood stars. Farah was immediately blown. She didn’t have a chance to step to her about fucking with Slade at the club, and now the bitch was in her house. “Shannon, I know Rhonda said you could come, but why are you here, really? Because you not gonna start no shit in my house.”

  “Come on, Farah, I know this ain’t about last night. We didn’t even know you were alive. Trust me, me and Slade weren’t hardly thinking about you.” Coconut leered at the sound of her words. “Besides, I’m here to support Rhonda and her baby. Like you
say all the time, keep it light.” The crowd erupted in laughter.

  Coconut ignored her all together and that hurt Farah the most. The entire time they were at the party, Coconut seemed to have an attitude whenever she’d catch Farah in a corner, staring her way. When she’d walk over to talk to her, she’d respond in one-word sentences, and act like she didn’t exist. After a while, Coconut, Rhonda, Shannon, and the rest of the crew seemed to abandon the shower to hold conversations in private.

  Feeling like an outsider caused her to grow angrier by the minute. Before long, Coconut emerged from the crowd and approached Farah. At first Farah was relieved, hoping they could finally move past the drama, until she saw the malicious look in her eyes. “So, Farah, you wanna play the smack down game again?”

  “Now?”

  Coconut smirked. “You scared?”

  “Naw ... it’s cool with me. But after this, we got to talk in private, okay?” she said softly. “I don’t want to fight with you anymore. I miss my friend.” She reached for her hand, and Coconut pulled it back and wiped it on her jeans as if it were dirty.

  “Sure ... whatever you want.” She shrugged. “Anyway, you not playing with me.” Shannon stood up. “You’re playing with her.”

  Farah knew playing with Shannon would end up in a fight, but this was a great opportunity to seek revenge for last night. But remembering Knox, Amico, and the fact that Nadia wanted her blood, she felt it would be best to pass. “Naw ... If I hit this girl, it won’t end nice.”

  Farah walked away when Mia blocked her path. “Bitch, if you don’t go back over there and lay that whore on her back, I’ma fuck you up in here myself.”