by Saundra
“Yep, I’m gone enjoy my coins every goddamn penny. And you should too,” she threw in with a smirk. And I knew she right. “You got to stop spending all your time at this damn shop. There is life after Custom Hot Rides. Make some time and experience it.”
“I’m good.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her or myself. “But you need to be careful spending cash like that all at once.”
“I know, but Jack down at Foreign Ecstasy takes care of that.”
“Just be careful,” I added.
“I feel you. But that’s why we need to really focus on gettin’ our own business going. Then we won’t have to worry about reporting shit to the IRS as gifts.”
I shook my head in agreement. “I’m with you on all of that, but we have to find the time. Right now we have to focus on this business; it’s the money maker, and remember, Kirk say he gone help us when it’s time,” I reminded her. Just like Secret, I couldn’t wait for us to go into business for ourselves. We both ran Custom Hot Rides and were really good at it. I knew we would be equally successful at managing our own empire. Minus the drug opportunity. But we had to be patient.
“True. I agree with you a hundred and ten percent. But I can’t lie; I’m anxious. I’m really ready for us to have our own . . . but I’ll chill.” Secret gave her word. I hoped she meant it, but deep down I knew she would be saying the same thing in a few days. The girl had the patience of popcorn: she liked things quick. At a moment’s thought, she wanted action, but I shrugged it off, knowing she would wait. “Check this out, though: Penny just invited me out for smoothies.”
“Oh, so y’all didn’t invite me? Did y’all go to that new one?”
“Yes, and I can’t front, they bomb; we gone have to go. But she invited me out ’cause she wanted to talk. She kinda let me know that she ready to take on her own independence. And I’m proud of her about that.”
“That’s what’s up. I knew it would just take some time.”
“Check this out, though, then she drops the bomb on me that she ready to get her own place and move out.” The sour look that Secret wore on her face and her tone of voice told me that she was not happy. But I was not shocked about that, either. “You already know I ain’t wit’ that.” I was correct.
“Why not? If she say that she ready for independence, that’s all a part of that. And you have to support that.” I kept it real. When it came to Penny, Secret was like a mother bear with her cubs: she did not play.
“Aye, I know that. And I’m trying to support her, I just feel like she ain’t ready to be on her own just yet. Eventually, yeah, just not now.”
“But why? So that you can feel safe? She can’t live her life like that.”
“It’s just that sometimes I worry that she still has nightmares about what happened to her.”
“Secret, those are your fears, not Penny’s,” I pointed out to her. Penny staying with her was more about Secret feeling secure, not about Penny. “I don’t think she would move out if she felt unsafe.”
Secret just glared at me, then let her head drop low for a minute, then looked back at me. She laughed. “She even had the damn nerve to give me an ultimatum. Basically saying that she moving out whether I like it or not. Can you believe that bullshit?”
“No, I can’t, because she normally does everything you want her to. So, do you blame her for the ultimatum? She had to come to you with her mind made up; it was the only way to stick to her decision.”
“Aww, you exaggerating. I’m not that bad.”
“Listen, I have told you before, Penny is not a baby any more. She is a young woman, and as much as you hate to accept it, it’s true. Let her grow up.”
“I know she’s not a baby. And I treat her like an adult. Let’s be clear, I never said she couldn’t move out. I just feel now isn’t the time.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Have you considered that maybe this move is for the better? Maybe it’s for her sanity? Maybe it will help her get over her fears, if she still harbors some. Or even help her feel stronger as a woman.”
“Trust me, I hear everything you are saying. I just don’t know if I accept it just yet. At least I don’t today.”
“News flash, you heard what Penny said. So you better take off them invisible ear plugs and all that stubborn and listen.” I crossed my legs and leaned back in my chair.
“Whatever.” She sighed. Secret was stubborn as a mule, and in most cases there was no changing her mind. “Listen, there ain’t shit destroying my day today. I just drove off the lot in three-hundred-fifty-thousand-dollar Ferrari. Let’s take a ride in my bitch.”
That I didn’t object to. I was ready to ride. “Can I drive?” I asked.
“Fuck yeah.”
With that, we were out. The weather was perfect for a spin in Secret’s new toy. And I was not playing. I took it straight to the interstate so I could lay it down.
Chapter 3
Secret
As always, Isis’s words of keeping it all the way real lay heavy on me. And as much as I hated to admit it, there was some truth to what she had said. It was time that I let Penny grow up and be a woman. Not that I was trying to keep her from it, but the kidnapping had scarred me just as it had her. And even though the coward who had decided to cross me was six feet under, I still shuddered at the thought of Penny being out in the world alone. But Penny had made her stance on the matter clear, and she really hadn’t left me a choice.
But I had other things on my mind, like protection. I told myself every day that I didn’t regret any of the work I had done with Kirk. To be honest, I didn’t know where Penny, Isis, or I would be if Kirk had not come back into our lives. But I had to be real: every job or scheme that Kirk had sent us on was a magnet for possible future problems. In some cases, deadly problems. And working at Custom Rides was just another chapter, because even though Isis and I wore the title “managers,” we were in charge of the biggest part of the operation, which could make us targets. So I wanted to be proactive, and I had the perfect solution: a gun. Kirk had put me in contact with the best person for this situation: Mike P. Mike P was known in the streets to carry all the hot heat. He could get you anything you wanted, and however much of it you needed. And it would all be legal.
“Damn, Mike P, you ain’t playin’, you got everythang.” I admired the machinery he had lying around. I was at one of his private locations, and I was impressed to say the least. I’m talking about machine guns, rifles, and shit I couldn’t even describe. Simply put, if you were looking to start a war, Mike P was definitely your man.
“Sweetness, this is just the playground.” I knew right away what that meant. He was trying to tell me I hadn’t seen anything at all. And I believed him; his reputation preceded him in the streets. Not only was he the gun man, he was a trained killer. He was not to be fucked with or crossed. But what fool would be crazy enough to cross somebody with the guns and ambition he had? To even step to him, you would have to be connected to the US military, because he was locked and loaded.
“I know you got me then.” I still was looking around, mesmerized at all the shiny.
He reached down and picked up two guns off one of the three glass tables covered with handguns. “Here is one of the two pieces you asked for.” He gently laid a silver, heavy, metal piece in my waiting hands. Just the touch of it sent blood rushing through my veins.
“A nine-millimeter Glock, just as you requested. And this is her sister.” He pointed toward the other nine-millimeter that lay on top the table
“What about the silencer?” I questioned. I had been adamant that I have a silencer for both guns. Who knew when something might pop off? I might not want everyone in my businesses to know if I had to make a rash decision that might lead to blood or loss of life.
“In the flesh.” He pointed out the silencer on the gun. “You straight,” he assured me.
“Thank you so much for getting me what I need and making the process easy for me. ’Cause I have no t
ime for preliminaries.”
“No doubt, that’s what I do. And if you need anything else, you let me know, and I will make sure you have it.”
After paying Mike P, I wrapped up our little gun meeting and hauled ass to Custom Hot Rides. It was a night for one of our midnight deliveries, and the last thing I needed to do was be late. Isis and I both always got there early so we could eat, meditate, or do whatever we needed to do to prepare. The nights were normally long and sometimes agonizing because we couldn’t go to sleep. Tonight especially was big, because there were several kilos of cocaine coming in. Kirk was happy; the thought of money gave him chills.
“Secret, you have got to try to get here early sometimes. Pull up when you get ready.”
“What you talkin’ about? I ain’t late. Just not on your time.” Isis was so controlling; if I arrived ten minutes after her, she wanted to say I was late.
“Yeah, but we can get things set up without rushing.”
“I’ll remember that the next time I’m runnin’ only five mintes behind.” I said it sarcastically just to irritate her.
“Kirk called. He said he’ll be runnin’ late after the delivery. He rode out to Tampa for some last-minute business.”
“Cool. That nigga always going somewhere.” I shrugged it off. “Did Courtney pick up the tags for the locks?”
“Yep, she did that earlier. Where the food at?” Isis asked. I had forgotten all about stopping to pick up food.
“Shit, I forgot to pick something up. I had a stop to make.”
“Order up some wings, then; I’m hungry. I been doing so much all day, I haven’t even had time to have lunch.”
“I done told your ass about that. Fuck around and pass out.” I chuckled. Isis had a habit of letting work get the best of her. I told her time and time again it was not that deep, but she never listened.
By the time the wings arrived, we were chilling. I filled my plate with honey gold and hot flavor and popped open an icy cold can of Coke. Isis filled her plate with sweet teriyaki and honey gold.
“Do you think it’s crazy how we sit here and eat like we ain’t waitin’ on shipments of cocaine?” Isis asked, then licked the sauce off her fingers. “If you think about it, we too calm. I mean, who does this? You know what? We need a man here to protect us. Real talk.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her mention of a man. The way I saw it, we didn’t need them for shit. If anything, they would make it worse. “For one, we don’t need no nigga. Two, bitch, you clearly feel safe if you just sat there and gobbled down ten wings like somebody was gone snatch them off yo’ plate. That seem pretty calm to me.”
Isis couldn’t help but laugh, knowing I was right. “I am not calm, but I have to eat to calm my nerves. You know what they say: food comforts you.”
“I guess, but fuck being scared. Ain’t no need for us to be scared of shit. Hell, Kirk would burn this city down if someone dared fuck with us . . . But in case he don’t, you don’t have to worry, because I got us.” Isis looked at me, her expression confused, but she didn’t have to wait long, because I was ready to lay it all out. “Yeah, that’s right, I got heat for any nigga who want to fuck wit’ us.” I vowed that what happened to Penny would not happen to any of us ever again. To prove I was not playing, I pulled out my nine-millimeter. I smiled as I watched Isis’s jaws drop and her eyes bulge at the site of the gun.
“Secret, what the hell are you doing wit’ a gun?”
“What you mean? Shit, our lifestyle requires us to have heat more than ever now. We have to carry a gun for protection. Tell me you don’t know that?” I glared at her, but she just stared at me without an answer. “Well, Kirk hooked me up with Mike P. I talked to him about it, and he agreed that a gun is not bad idea. He paid and everything. All I had to do was let Mike P know what I wanted. One of these is for you.” The look on her face told me she was not having it.
“Most of what you said is true. This lifestyle we living is dangerous, I can’t even deny that. But you know I ain’t comfortable with no gun, especially one that I got to carry on me.”
I was getting annoyed. Now was not the time for fear or apprehension. “Fuck comfortable, Isis,” I spat. “I’m talkin’ about safety at all times, never being caught slippin’.”
“I know that. But we cool around here wit’ all this security Kirk keep around. Look around you, it’s more than enough. I ain’t carrying no damn gun.”
I wanted to state my case further, but I didn’t want it to become a screaming match. Our heads had to be clear for our deliveries. I would have to wait to convince her at another time. So I chilled. “Guess I’ll be packin’ double, then.”
Isis looked at me and rolled her eyes. I had pissed her off for a minute, but I knew she would be over it soon. And at two hours she was. We sat and laughed and talked until the delivery got there. The delivery rolled in around midnight, but we ended up staying two hours longer, waiting on Kirk. Normally he arrived about twenty minutes after the delivery. Really, he would be in close proximity, watching just in case anything went wrong. He always showed up with his team of guys, which really was two of his close goons on his crew, Sway and Busta. Sway use to be one of the dudes I chilled with. But he wanted to be serious, so I had to cut him loose, but we were still cool. Between the three of them, they took the cocaine to another location where they were down and disturbed. We didn’t hang around for them to remove the kilos from the engines, but we had to stay until they arrived. It was a process, but Kirk paid us well for our part. So I did my best never to disappoint him.
Chapter 4
Secret
A few more weeks passed and I knew it was time, so I did what I hated to do the most. Reluctantly and stomping my foot all the way, I went out and found Penny an apartment. Talk about not easy; it was hard as hell. At one point I even shed a few tears. I simply was not ready, but every day I watched her watch me, and I knew it wouldn’t be much longer before she tried to prove to me she was not playing. So I knew what I had to do. I wanted her to be somewhere where I knew she would be safe, which meant I had to pick it.
Finally, I chose a nice, quiet three-bedroom. I could rest well at night knowing she was in a safe, secure community. I wanted to surprise her, so I called her up and told her to meet me.
“Come on in.” I met her at the door and invited her inside. “It took you long enough to get here. I thought you had got lost.”
“Naw, I couldn’t find my keys. I left them on the kitchen counter last night. I looked for them twenty minutes before even going in the kitchen to check.” Penny chuckled.
“Why didn’t you call me? I could have told you I saw them in the kitchen this morning.”
“Didn’t think of that.” She sighed. “Oh, well, what’s up? Who lives here?” She looked around at the bare living room area.
I smiled and handed her the keys. “It’s for you,” I announced.
She looked around the room and stared back at me, excitement lighting up her face. She jumped up and down, chanting, “Thank you, thank you.”
It felt good seeing her excited. “Listen, the lease is only for one year, and you better not fuck it up.”
“You know I won’t.”
“I had to put my name on the lease as head of household because of the credit. But I added you as another adult, so you need to go down to the leasing office tomorrow and sign your name.”
“Cool, I got it.” She could not stop smiling.
“If you fuck up, I ain’t renewing the lease. And you know I will come all the way over here and bust your ass. You ain’t too old.”
“Secret, don’t worry. I promise to be responsible. Plus, you know me, so you know you don’t have anything to worry about. Have I ever given you a reason to believe I’m irresponsible?”
“No,” I had to admit. For the most part Penny had been a good kid, always thinking things through and making good decisions. I was sure I didn’t have anything to worry about.
“Plus, I have been
thinking about getting a part-time job.”
“I’d much rather you get back in school. You don’t need a job. You know I got you when it comes to money and expenses.”
“I know that. But it’s not all about the money; it’s just a part of my independence. And I plan on going back to school . . . just not right now.”
I started to say more, but I really didn’t want to push the issue, especially not at the moment. I wanted her to have a good feeling when she remembered being surprised with her first apartment. Plus, I knew why she responded the way she did when it came to school. Her kidnapping and rape had happened around school, so she associated the two.
“Let’s explore the place.” Penny led the way, ducking into each and every room, with a bigger smile on her face after leaving each one. “So what made you change your mind about me getting my own place? Because, honestly, I didn’t see this coming.”
“Isis, as usual. You know she sat me down and gave me the real. And you and I both know there ain’t no ignoring her. She gone be heard.”
“Isis what?” We looked up at Isis as she stepped into the room. She had come with me the day before to look at the place and help me decide that this was it.
“Don’t be sneaking up on people like that. Fuck around and get dealt wit.” I chuckled.
“I swear you always about the violence.” Isis smiled.
“Thanks for always making Secret give me what I asked for.” Penny gave Isis a hug.
“Don’t be thanking her big-head ass. She ain’t do nothin’.”
Isis laughed. “Penny, don’t listen to nothing she says. She will always be a hater.”
“Real talk, though. I’m glad Isis helped me see that you are not a kid anymore. But I’m still gone bust your ass like one if you fuck up,” I threatened for the hundredth time.
“I got this. So don’t worry. Now, where my furniture at? Or do you expect me to sleep on the floor?”
“I swear, for this child nothing is never enough.” I jokingly looked at Isis.
“I know, she just wants and wants and wants.” Isis joined me in teasing Penny. Penny glared at the both of us and playfully rolled her eyes.
