“You okay?” I asked, carefully.
“Naw, man, I ain’t okay,” he said and continued pacing.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I asked.
“You know that old couple who live next door to Nikki?” I shook my head yes. “Well them muthafuckas called the police and said it’s too much traffic runnin’ in and out of her house all times of night, cars pullin’ up playin’ loud music and all kinds of shit!”
This was nothing new to me. The old couple had been threatening to call the police on Nikki for the longest. I really couldn’t blame ’em, but I would never tell Budz that. Nikki and her friends were reckless when they had parties. They would throw beer bottles, trash, cigarette butts, and all kinds of shit over in the Davidsons’ yard and if they said anything to Nikki about it, she would cuss them out with no remorse.
“Wow,” I said, acting surprised.
“Them bitches gon’ pay tonight!” he snapped.
“Calm down, Budz! They gon’ get theirs for tryin’a fuck wit’ our money. But you can’t do it tonight,” I said.
“And why not? Them bitches called the police tonight; how come they can’t die tonight?’ he asked. Budz was really starting to scare me talking about killing muthafuckas and shit.
“If anything happens to the Davidsons tonight, they gon’ be all over Nikki’s house questionin’ her, bein’ that they called the police on her tonight,” I said, trying to be the voice of reason and hoping to prolong the old couple’s lives. “You have to wait.”
Budz thought for a brief second. “You right,” he said, calming down a little and coming to his senses.
“I know.” I smiled.
Budz smiled too. “That’s why I got you on my team: you lightweight keep a nigga grounded.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Budz’s cell phone rang again. He looked at the caller ID and then looked over at me. I could tell by the nervous look he gave me that it must have been one of his other bitches. I may have been young, but I was far from dumb. I knew Budz was still fucking with mad bitches; being a ho was in his nature. The only difference was he wasn’t bringing them home anymore since we were now sleeping in the same bed. I can’t lie; I was jealous as fuck, but what could I do?
“Keep countin’, I gotta go handle some business,” he said.
“Okay, be safe.”
“I will,” he replied before leaning down and kissing me on my forehead.
I picked up a stack of money and continued counting. The thought of Budz going to see another bitch had me so distracted I couldn’t even finish counting. I stood up from the table, grabbed the money, and stuffed it back into the duffle bag.
“This nigga got me fucked up if he think I’m ’bouta stay up in this house while he out fuckin’ another bitch!” I said walking into our bedroom and throwing the money in the back of the walk-in closet. I grabbed my BDG military jacket off the hanger and put it on. I then walked into the living room, grabbed my keys and cell phone off the coffee table, and set the alarm before walking out the front door. I scrolled through my contacts and hit Sierra’s name.
“Wassup, bitch?” she asked.
“What you doin’?” I asked, making my way to the car. I hit the remote start as I made my way down the walk.
“Kickin’ it over Nikki’s as usual. Come on through,” she said.
“I’m on my way,” I said, getting in the car.
“That’s wassup, see ya when you get here.”
“A’iiight,” I said hanging up the phone and pulling off.
It felt good knowing Sierra still wanted to kick it wit’ me after she’d called me funny acting. I can’t lie; I missed being around her and Nikki. Even though our lives were on different pages, we all were still one and the same, only difference was I had money now. I pushed play on the CD player and listened to Gucci Mane all the way to Nikki’s house. When I pulled up, it was packed as usual. I looked over and seen Budz’s Range parked across the street. I got out of the car and looked over at the Davidsons’ house, and sure enough Mrs. Davidson was peeking out of the blinds. I shook my head and continued into the house.
“Hey, biiiiitch.” Sierra smiled when I walked through the door. She walked over to me and gave me a hug.
“Hey.” I smiled, hugging her back and looking over her shoulder to see where Budz was at. Like I said before, I didn’t trust nobody.
“Nikki didn’t believe you was comin’ over.”
“Yeah, I had to get outta the house.”
“You wanna beer?” Sierra asked.
“I sure do,” I said. I spoke to everybody who was in the living room as I followed Sierra into the kitchen. Sierra rambled as she opened the fridge and grabbed two beers out. I wasn’t listening to anything she was saying. I was too worried about where Budz was at.
Sierra opened my beer and handed it to me. “Here.”
As I took the beer from her and put it up to my lips, Nikki and Budz came up from the basement. They both were surprised to see me standing there.
“Oh, wassup, baby?” Budz asked, looking like he’d just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“Wassup, Blu?” Nikki spoke, giving me a quick hug.
“Wassup, Nik?” I said, hugging her back. I wondered if she felt my tense body. I couldn’t help but notice her weave was all over her head and her shirt wasn’t pulled all the way down.
“Long time no see,” she said, pulling her shirt all the way down.
I glanced over at Sierra to see if her body language would give me a clue as to what was going on between Nikki and Budz, but she acted as if everything was normal.
“I know right,” I said, with a forced smile. I was boiling on the inside but couldn’t let it show in front of Budz.
“A’iiiight, baby, I’m ’bouta bounce. I got a couple more runs to make and I’ll see you back at the house.” Budz kissed me on the lips before heading out the kitchen.
I didn’t even respond.
“A’iiight, well if y’all will excuse me I’m ’bouta go get in the shower so I can get ready for work.”
I was outdone as this dirty bitch brushed past me and Sierra. It took everything in me not to grab her by that tore-up head and beat her down in her own house. “Oh and it was nice seein’ you, Blu. You should come by more often,” she said, heading out of the kitchen.
“What the fuck was that?” I looked over at Sierra and asked.
“Girl, don’t even sweat it. Ain’t nothin’ goin’ on between them,” she assured me.
“Yeah, a’iiiiight, it bet not be and if it is, I bet not find out about it ’cause it’s gon’ be trouble, trouble, trouble,” I said in my Dollar Bill voice.
Sierra busted out laughing. “You a damn fool!”
For the next two hours, me and Sierra sat around and played catch-up while Nikki was at her so-called job shaking her ass for cash. We laughed, talked, and got drunk just like old times. It felt real good.
It was getting late so I got ready to go. Before leaving, Sierra made me promise that I would come around more often. She just didn’t know I had already planned on it, especially after seeing Nikki and Budz coming from the basement. They just didn’t know I was about to be over there every day posted up.
Chapter 12
I Get the Job Done
Just like I said I was gon’ do, I had been spending all of my free time over to Nikki’s to make sure nothing was going on between her and Budz; at least not while I was there. The more I went over there, the more the thought of them fucking around diminished from my mind. Budz would come over and drop dope off for his workers and leave. I didn’t know if that was only because I was there or what. It didn’t matter as long as he left.
Budz had two days left before he was supposed to go to court and get sentenced. The thought of that had me sick to my stomach. I didn’t know what I was gon’ do without him being here to coach me every step of the way. He constantly reminded me that I was in charge and if anything happened it
was all on me. With that stuck in my head, I had to make sure I stayed on my Ps and Qs at all times. I got my driver’s license like I was supposed to. He made sure our soldiers watched over me twenty-four-seven and let them know if anything happened to me, they might as well kill themselves before he got to ’em.
The first week Budz was locked up it seemed like shit was spiraling out of control. I had no clue on how I was going to keep our business under control without him. Lenny, one of our top soldiers, got knocked for probation violation and got locked up, another one got shot in the stomach over a dice game, and on top of that, the Davidsons called the police on Nikki again. This time they told them they thought it was drugs being sold out of her house. They had really crossed the line this time. I knew if I wanted Budz to have the utmost respect for me, I had no choice but to pull it together. I had no control over our soldiers at the moment, but the Davidsons had to be handled. The only thing I could do was sit back and think about how Budz would handle them and quickly came up with my own approach.
I was sitting in the basement drinking on a Heineken while Nikki ranted on and on about the Davidsons and how they were messing up her little extra cash because the workers were scared to serve out of the house in fear of the feds running up in there.
“Well what we gon’ do about it?’ I asked, hoping she had an idea that would keep us both out of the penitentiary.
“I know somebody who would take them bitches out the game for ten bands,” she said, picking up a blunt off the pool table.
“Naw, that sounds too risky. I can’t afford no mistakes. One of these crackheads will get caught and tell on everybody,” I said, not feeling her idea at all.
“This nigga I know ain’t no crackhead,” she said, lighting the blunt.
“Where you know this nigga from?” I questioned.
“Don’t worry about all that. He cool and he ain’t the police. He done some work for my cousin Pooh Man, a few months back.”
“Naw, I’m cool,” I said.
“Why?” Nikki asked almost too quickly.
“’Cause it’s too risky, that’s why! How in the hell do you know he done work for Pooh Man? Ain’t no way you should know shit about that! So that means only one thing: somebody talkin’ too damn much!”
“Girl, shut yo’ paranoid ass up.” Nikki laughed. “I know because they were over here plottin’,” she said, trying to pass me the blunt.
“No, thanks,” I said, shaking my head no. Even if I did smoke weed I wouldn’t have hit that. I didn’t see her roll it and I didn’t forget what Sierra told me.
“So you wanna hire him or what?” Nikki asked.
“What you gon’ get out the deal? You pressin’ me a little too hard,” I said, suspiciously.
“I mean, I’m sure he gon’ give me a finder’s fee.”
“I knew it,” I said shaking my head.
“What? I got three kids to take care of. I need all the money I can get,” Nikki protested.
You don’t bit more take care of them dusty-ass kids; that’s why they at ya momma’s house now, I wanted to say but let it go. “A’iiiight, so what’s the deal wit’ this cat?”
Nikki broke down this nigga’s entire resume. And after assuring me I wouldn’t have to set anything up or exchange any money with this cat, ’cause she would do it all, I was game. Nikki made a phone call and the nigga was handling some business and wanted us to meet him. I was leery at first, but I knew I had to get the Davidsons handled and truth be told I had to get it done soon before they fucked up my money. The thought of all the respect Budz was gon’ have for me after I got this done was making my panties wet. He was sure to make me his one and only. This would also take care of my problem with the soldiers. It would show them niggas everyone betta get in line or they’d get dealt wit’ too.
After stopping by the house and grabbing ten bands and my gun, me and Nikki headed over to see this mysterious nigga.
“Take a left on Seventy-fifth and Ellis and head toward Kingston,” she instructed.
“You sure we goin’ the right way?” I asked, noticing all the abandoned houses.
“Pull up over there,” she said pointing to an empty parking space across from a row of boarded-up apartment complexes. She pulled out her phone and called the nigga.
I was nervous as hell as we waited on him to come to the car.
“Get the fuck out the car, Nikki,” this tall, dark-skinned nigga with dreads said while opening my door, pulling her out by her hair.
“What the fuck?” I asked, thinking I was being set up.
“Where the fuck my money at, bitch?” he said in his native tongue while wrapping his hands around Nikki’s neck and choking her. “Did you really think I was gon’ let you come over here and not do nothin’ to you and you owe me?”
“Nigga, let her go,” I yelled while getting out the car with my little .22 safely tucked behind my back. Even though I hated guns with a passion, times like this made me glad Budz had made me promise that I’d keep one with me at all times, even if I was afraid to use it.
“Bitch, who are you? Captain Save a Ho?” he asked, laughing while easing up on Nikki’s throat.
“Nigga, you don’t need to know who I am. All you need to do is let my girl go!” I said, pulling my gun from behind my back, putting it in his face. “Let her go or we gon’ have some issues.”
Nikki eyes damn near bucked out of her head. I noticed ol’ boy looking around and shaking his head no. That could have only meant that he wasn’t alone. I thought I had just made the biggest mistake of my life; matter of fact I knew I did.
“Baby girl, are you sure that’s a move you wanna make?” He smirked while looking me up and down as if he wanted to eat me up.
“Hell yeah, I’m sure,” I said, standing my ground.
“Now you know you too damn pretty to be out here actin’ like this,” he said shaking his head.
“Nigga, I ain’t scared of you! I’m Budz’s girl,” I said ignoring his comment and hoping he couldn’t tell I was scared shitless.
The nigga had the audacity to bust out laughing. “I don’t know who Budz is, but he about to lose his main bitch,” he said. I looked around and niggas popped out the woodwork ready to pop off as soon as he gave the signal.
“Wait, Black, she the one who needs the job done,” Nikki said, frantically.
I looked at this bitch as if she was crazy. Now we had just talked about her not even connecting me to this shit and here she was running off at the mouth. And I’m about to lose my life over some shit I don’t have anything to do with. I got half the mind to get in the car and let this nigga continue to kick her ass.
“Oh for real?” he asked.
“She high. I don’t know what the fuck she talkin’ about,” I lied.
“Oh, so you the one that want the old couple taken out?” he asked, smirking.
“Yeah, she the one,” Nikki said. “She got the money in the car!”
“Shut the fuck up, Nikki, I don’t know this nigga!”
“Please, B, just let him do the job for you so I can pay him his money,” Nikki begged with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t owe this nigga shit, you do!” Nikki’s ass had played and pressed me into using this nigga ’cause she owed him money.
“Please, B, that’s the only way I’m gon’ be able to pay him.”
Even though I didn’t want to, I knew I had to look out for her because she’d looked out for me when my momma was being a bitch. I could have just paid the nigga off for Nikki but I still would have had to get rid of the Davidsons so I might as well g’on and get it over with. Budz always told me having feelings in this game would get me fucked up and fucked over. I never understood the whole concept, but I was starting to see what he was talking about.
“So you want me to do it or what?” He grinned while waving his boys off.
“Yeah, I guess,” I said, feeling like I had no choice.
“A’iiiiight then. Look, meet me at the wareh
ouse on Thirty-fifth and Bravo at three a.m. and we’ll talk then. Oh, and don’t be late.”
“Okay,” I replied.
“Just a little warnin’ before I go, I will slit you and your friend’s throat if you don’t show up. Now you pretty ladies have a nice day,” he said blowing me a kiss before walking off.
Chapter 13
Meet Me at the Spot
I couldn’t believe what was about to go down tonight. I couldn’t get it out of my head. After the meeting with Black, I dropped Nikki off; I then went and handled some business for a few hours before going home and trying to take a nap. Not being able to fall asleep, I headed back over to Nikki’s to try to ease my mind. My nerves were shot as I paced back and forth through her house for about three hours straight while watching the clock. I was nervous as hell, going back and forth with myself wondering if I was making a big mistake.
“Damn, bitch, you ’bouta wear a hole in my carpet walkin’ back and forth.” Nikki laughed, as she puffed on a blunt.
I didn’t know how Nikki could be so calm at a time like this. I didn’t know if she understood what was about to go down or just didn’t give a fuck. “My bad.” I chuckled.
“You need somethin’ to calm yo’ nerves,” she said, passing the blunt my way.
I knew she was right. I did need something to calm my nerves and beer just wasn’t gon’ cut it this time. I took the blunt from her fingers and hit it a few times. I lay my head back and let the smoke slowly escape my lips.
“This gon’ get you right,” she said, smiling.
Within minutes I was high as hell. I felt like I didn’t have a care in the world. After hitting the blunt a couple more times, the thought of Black killing the Davidsons didn’t sound like such a bad idea after all.
“It’s two-fifteen a.m.; let’s roll,” Nikki said, getting up from the couch.
“Let’s roll,” I said, slowly standing up too.
We walked out the house and simultaneously looked over at the Davidsons’ house. Without saying a word we walked to the car, got in, and headed to the warehouse where Black wanted to meet. My nerves were shook the whole drive there and Nikki for once was quiet. Twenty-five minutes later we pulled up at the warehouse. I didn’t know if it was from the weed or what, but I was paranoid as hell. Nikki pulled out her cell phone and called Black.
Powder Blu Page 7
