by Kia
“Me too. I don’t trust him,” I confessed. Bishop was sneaky as hell, and didn’t give a fuck about anyone but himself. I couldn’t fuck with people like that.
“But on the flip side, Helen called me and said that we’re fired.”
“She called me too. I’ve been thinking about this all night. We can do this, Divine. But I need you, ’cause I know you gonna bust that tool. Bitches like you make the world go ’round.” Divine was known to be a little fucked up in the head. She had a few screws missing. It’s like, she stayed calm, but when she was set off, bitch turned into a devil. And I needed that.
“Tell me how you really feel?” she asked as she moved closer to me.
“Look, cuzz, I’m tryna get this money. Ain’t you tired of seeing these niggas out here balling and shitting on us?”
“Who said bitches can’t get to the money?” she added.
“Exactly. Them stripper hoes out here getting it. These reality TV hoes out here getting it. These fashion designers out here getting it.”
She raised her brow and smiled. “I feel you. These bitches give us a chance, we’ll take this world by surprise.”
“Fuck waiting for a chance. Let’s take that shit,” she said while nodding her head.
“We need order, though. Guidelines and shit.”
“It’s just us two,” she replied.
“But for how long? We will need more people when we get our clientele up,” I bounced back.
“I’m just tryna figure out how will we get more people to trust us.”
“I know you don’t wanna fuck with Bishop on no money shit, but we have to learn how to use our enemies. Feel me? We gotta play that shit cool for now.”
“Kinda figured that. But I’m really not tryna risk it. He don’t give a damn about us.”
“But this a business. Who really cares about people? Feel me?” I asked, trying to get her to see the bigger picture.
“Right. It’s business, never personal.” We clapped hands. She was starting to see the art of it all.
“Only thing about the money business…we’re carrying the root to all evil in our cars,” I said
Chapter Sixteen
Divine
“That’s the dark side to the big picture. But it’s the picture that counts. Can’t be scared of the dark,” I schooled her. I see I was gonna have to be the brains in our small deal. I could see the greed in her eyes. Sometimes we were the root to our own evil.
“I know. Just gotta be cautious. What if we have to kill somebody?” she asked.
“Nah. That’s only when we’re fucking people over and stealing. We ain’t gotta worry about that ’cause we don’t steal. Right?” I had to ask her that because the look in her eyes was of one I’d never seen before.
“Of course. So what are we going to do for the next couple weeks? Nothing?”
“Nah. That’s how people get lazy. We can utilize this time to go to the gun range, and to buy more clothes that speak for us. Like some grown woman shit.”
“For real, I like that high class shit we had on. That fits us. Some sexy ass money getters. These niggas ’bout to be falling in our hands.”
“Ain’t really worried ’bout a nigga.”
“I forgot you were on that gay shit.”
“Ain’t worried ’bout no bitches either. I’m worried about plan a, b and c in case this shit goes sour. Feel me?”
“Divine, chill out. We good. See how we handled that shit with Chola?”
“What part? When we were on our knees about to die?”
“But did you die?” she asked me with a smirk.
“Nah, but if it happens again, we ain’t gonna be so lucky.”
“Have you talked to Slick?” she asked.
I squinted at her because she knows damn well Slick and I didn’t talk. Especially over the damn phone.
“Why would I be talking to him?”
“Just asking.”
“I guess. Get dressed. We need to pay these bills up.”
“What about a new car?” she asked.
“That’s not needed right now. Maybe in a few mo—”
A knock on the door stopped me midsentence.
“Who’s that?” Malina asked.
“Bitch, I don’t know. I’m in here with you,” I hissed back as I power walked to the door and peeped through the hole. It was Bishop. Goddamn, I was tired of seeing his face.
“Bishop, what the fuck?” I swung the door open and let him in with an attitude.
“Damn, D, what’s up with the ’tude? You ain’t happy to see a nigga?”
“It’s too early. The sun ain’t even up yet.”
“That’s the point. The early bird gets the worms.”
I looked him up and down. “Whatever.”
How in the hell was he short on money when every time I saw him he had diamonds and Rolex watches? Seems to me like his priorities were in the wrong place. I peeped my head around to check out the Gucci backpack and shook my head.
“I got some good news for ya’, homie,” he said as he walked over to sit on the couch and opened the bag.
“I’m sick of your good news. It always turns out to be bad news.”
He laughed. “Open the door. We’re expecting company.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yo, what I tell you about bringing random ass people to my crib?”
“Sis, all I’m tryna do is put money in y’all broke ass pockets. Just open the door ’fo you piss me off, bruh.”
I flipped him the bird and opened the door to some tall ass nigga who looked like the rapper, Gunplay from Rick Ross’s crew out in Miami. Tall, light skinned, skinny, dreads, tatted and had diamonds all in his grill. His rude ass walked right in to where Bishop was and they clapped hands.
“I don’t know what Bishop told you about me, but I don’t like rude ass niggas. You can speak before you walk up in my shit like you own it.” I was standing over him with my hands on my hips.
He smiled and stood up. “My bad, shawty. My name Glory.”
“That’s your real name?” I asked as I turned up my nose.
“Yaaa. My mama gave me that name, ya’ heard me?” He was clearly from New Orleans. I could tell by his accent and his whole swagger.
“Oh, okay. I’m Divine,” I said, shaking his hand.
“And I’m Malina,” my cousin said as she rushed her nosey ass out.
“What’s up, love?” He gave her a hug and sat back down.
“Y’all niggas friendly. Back to this business. My nigga got some work that he need in Miami.”
“Okay. How long do we have to deliver it? And is this a life or death situation?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the coffee table between the couches.
“Nah, love. I’m good with my plug. That’s this nigga who be bullshitting,” Glory said, referring to Bishop.
“Fuck you,” Bishop responded.
“Anyway. I got time to give it to him, but I’m always early. So y’all can take y’all time, but I’d love to have this shit to him in two days.” Glory tossed a suitcase on the table. “Bishop said y’all charge seventy-five G’s?”
“Yes,” I said reluctantly.
“Oh, that’s the playa price.” He gladly tossed us a brown backpack full of money.
“Let us count it,” Malina said as she prepared to take the money to the back room.
Bishop smiled. “That’s why I brought my money machine ’cause I knew y’all rookie asses wouldn’t have one. Y’all can have it.” He pulled a heavy black machine out of his bag.
“Word? They didn’t have one? Ma, y’all gonna need that. Niggas be too busy to sit around and wait on y’all to count the cash,” Glory said as he pulled out his IPhone and checked his messages.
“Count it up. And fast. I got places to be,” Bishop said.
“Why are you even here?” I asked.
“To introduce y’all to Glory, and to give y’all this money machine. My bad for tryna help y’all.” He put both hands up in defense.
While Malina put the money into the machine, Bishop and I talked. Glory was too busy in his phone. It was obvious he was ready to go. “This the one that slammed shawty with the brick?” Glory asked, showing me the video on his phone. It had made World Star.
“Hell yeah,” Bishop responded.
“You too cute for all that. Shit like that will make a nigga look at you different, ya heard me?”
“But she started it.”
“I understand that. Just saying. You cute, so bitches gonna hate off the rip. And y’all bouta be getting money too?”
“So what I’m supposed to do? Let a bitch punk me? No.”
“Nah. Never that. It’s time to get out the hood. Yeah, I know you don’t wanna seem like a sellout, but you really ain’t got a choice when you getting money. The hood don’t love nobody. Move over there to Addison or some shit.”
“And where do you stay?” I asked.
“Not in the hood. I’m around, though.”
“Thought so.”
“But I’m a nigga. You’re a woman. It’s different.”
“Stop getting all defensive. This nigga tryna give you the game. Why y’all think I left and moved to Cali for a while? These niggas hate to see another nigga make it. They are worse than the white folks,” Bishop said.
“This one hundred G’s. I counted it six times,” Malina finally said from the kitchen table.
“I know. It’s a lil’ something extra for the risk. The bigger the risk, the bigger the check,” Glory said as he stood up and stretched, getting ready to leave.
“Well, I will get a track phone and hit you up when I get there. Leave your number,” I said as I walked them to the door.
“Track phone? Feds ain’t watching me. Call from your phone.”
“Nah. Just in case. I’ma always use them.”
“Well, damn. I can’t get ya number? What if I need an emergency delivery?”
He had a point. I put my number in his phone and he put his number in my phone. “Don’t call my real line unless you absolutely have to after I trash the track phone,” I said.
“Bet. When y’all leaving?” he asked.
“Today,” Malina said as she walked up behind me and smiled at him.
“That’s what’s up. Fuck with me.” He and Bishop walked to their cars.
“That nigga just hopped in a jeep. He got all that money and got a jeep,” Malina said as she watched them leave.
“That’s how it’s supposed to be done. I’m sure that’s not his only car. Would you be in a Porsche carrying all that money?” I asked her. She needed to use her head.
“You’re right. Let’s go to work.”
Chapter Seventeen
Nyssa
It took everything in me to get myself together after what happened. I started to call the police, but they said my son was as good as dead if I did. My back was against the wall. If Percy was out, I would have probably killed his ass. My son was missing because of him. They were probably somewhere threatening to chop his fingers off. Lord, please help me, I prayed as I waited in line at the county jail. Shades covered my purple eyes and makeup covered my bruises.
After an hour of waiting, I finally got my seat and waited for bitch ass Percy. I put my head down and couldn’t help but to cry.
“Are you okay?” the Corrections Officer asked me.
I shook my head and told her yes, just to get her out my face. Depending on how this visit went, I was going to end up in jail with her being my C.O.
“What’s up, ma?” Percy asked, sitting across from me at the table.
“Who the fuck is Bleek?” I asked.
“Lower your voice,” he said, looking around to see who was being nosey.
“Who is he goddamit?!” I slammed my fist onto the frail white table.
“You saw Bleek?” he asked with a nervous look on his face.
“Yeah, mothafucka, I saw Bleek.” I snatched the shades off my face.
“Oh shit.” He bit down on his bottom lip and leaned back in the chair with both hands still on the table.
“Where is PJ?” he asked. It’s like he knew that if I saw Bleek, then PJ was gone.
“You know where the fuck he is.”
“Damn. Did they…”
“Yes, they raped me! And they took our son. You better get to fucking talking. I swear to God I will bring your bitch ass down behind my son.”
“Calm down. Loo—”
“Calm down? How? My son is gone! My pussy is swollen! My eyes are damn near shut!” I was yelling and everyone was looking dead at me. “And what the fuck are y’all looking at?!” Everyone hurried to mind their own business as I continued to stare a hole into Percy.
“I’m not talking to you until you calm down.”
“I’m calm.” I took a deep breath to show him that I was trying.
“What else did he say? Did you see his face?”
“He said he wants his money and left. Nah, I didn’t see his face.”
“Fuck, dawg,” he hissed as he began to rub his yellow face. He was now turning red.
“Just give them the money, Percy, damn.”
“I can’t.”
When he said that, my heart almost dropped.
“W… w… what? What do you mean?”
“Baby, we’re in big trouble,” he said as he leaned in and grabbed my hand.
I could tell he knew Bleek was coming before Bleek even came. He just didn’t know that Bleek would come this hard and this quick. His hair wasn’t even curly and waved up anymore. It looked matted.
“How much do you owe him?” I asked.
He took a deep breath. “Mane, I owe them a little over sixty G’s. Plus tax.”
“Damn, Percy. Shit,” I said as I began to cry.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he said as he cried with me.
“How much do you have?” I asked.
“Baby, I’m broke. That’s why I had them niggas front me. But when that nigga broke into our house…”
“What?”
“Baby, it was more than one nigga that broke into our house. The one I killed is the only one that I caught. Them other niggas took all my re-up money and half the drugs. The half that they didn’t have the time to take…”
“The police took. Damn,” I said.
“Mane, I don’t even know who them niggas was that robbed us. Now I got a murder charge.”
I started to feel guilty. “Self-defense out the box? He ran up on our property. They can’t charge you with murder.”
“They can and they will if I don’t give up my plug, baby. They ain’t playing fair.”
“Give him up!”
“He has our son. Are you crazy?” he asked, bringing me back down to earth.
“So what we gonna do?” I asked, snatching my hand away from him.
“I don’t know, baby. I honestly don’t know.”
“That’s not good enough,” I said in a low tone. My energy was gone. I was nothing without my son.
“What do you want me to do? Lie to you?”
“Did you speak to the intruder before killing him?” I asked, trying to see what all he knew.
“Nah. I just shot that nigga three times in the back and he was outta there.”
“So he didn’t say anything before he died?”
“Nah. Why?” He started to look suspicious.
“Just asking. It’s just weird that they targeted us out of all people. Thought we were good with everybody.”
“We were, until they stole my shit that Bleek fronted. Now I got him on my back, and then I still don’t know who robbed me. Shit fucked up. And I need a lawyer.”
“Don’t they give you a court appointed lawyer?”
“Yeah, but them hoes ain’t no good. I need a paid lawyer.”
“Well, we can’t afford it.”
“I know.”
“Shit, and how am I gonna pay the rent for next month? And the bills? You didn’t have no money saved up?”
; “Nah, baby. I was tryna scratch up something. I took a loss on some bad work a few months ago and can’t shake back.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have gotten a job. You know that.”
“Because, baby, you know I don’t like you working. Guess I was so caught up in my pride that I didn’t ask for help.”
“Got that right. All of this could have been avoided. You know I’d do anything for you. You know that.”
“You ain’t talked to that nigga Slick?” he asked, scratching his nose.
“Nah… why?”
“Tell him that I told you to ask for some money to pay the bills up for about six months.”
“He’ll give it to me?” I asked.
“Mane, that’s my day one nigga. He gonna ride for the kid.”
“If that’s the case, ask him for the money to pay Bleek.”
“Baby, look… it’s a lot that you don’t understand about what’s going on, and it’s too much to explain. Slick got the money to help us on the rent, but he don’t have over one hundred G’s for PJ, ma. I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“It’s a process. That nigga just got out not too long ago, so he not balling like he used to. Give us time. Me and Slick will figure all this out. But for right now, I need you to go stay with that nigga.”
“Wait a fucking minute. Why? I can just ask him for the rent money.”
“Nyssa, you can’t stay there. We need to keep the house, though, for some other shit. But you can’t live there right now.”
“Why?”
“Nyssa, just do what the fuck I asked! Stop asking me so many goddamn questions!” He yelled with gritted teeth as he slammed his fist in the table.
“Well excuse the fuck outta me for wanting to know what I have the right to know.”
He lowered his tone and attempted to calm down. “Look, baby. Some shit about to go down, and I don’t want you at that house. Next time, them niggas gonna kill you. Trust me.”
“Well what about PJ?”
“PJ is good! I’ma get the money, but I can’t make no moves if you all in my business fucking shit up! As a matter of fact, this visit is over. Get the fuck out my face,” he said as he stood up and walked off. If I had enough time, I would have thrown my shoe at his head. Hell, I should be the one mad.
