Love & Gunplay: A Novelette

by K'wan

"Fuck you, Reign. You don’t know shit about me." Animal stormed towards the door.

  "I know more about you than you think and that's why your ass is mad now!" She threw the fan at the door. It slammed closed just before the fan shattered against it.

  CHAPTER 9

  After what had happened at the apartment with Reign the working relationship between her and Animal had become compromised, so he had to go the rest of the way alone. He returned to the place Diamonds had provided for him and laid his plans for the final phase of Flames' murder. When he didn’t return to the apartment that night, Diamonds put out an A.P.B for him. Animal knew it was more out of wanting to know if he was going to finish the job rather than him being okay. When Animal and Diamonds finally spoke he assured him that the job would be handled. He didn’t know if Reign had told him about what transpired between them and he didn’t stay on the phone with him long enough for Diamonds to bring it up.

  On the third night Animal made careful preparations for his hit on Flames. He no longer had the convenience of the apartment down the street, but he didn’t need it. He had watched Flames long enough to where he got a pretty good idea of his routines…at least he hoped so. Animal didn’t like to rush when it came to murder, but he didn’t have much a choice. The longer he waited the more he ran the risk of being sidetracked again. He wanted to finish Flames off and get out of Miami and back to the business of revenge.

  Going at it alone only made things more difficult, but Animal was used to that. He was at his best when he worked alone. Up to that point he had making slow progress by staying one step behind Flames, but that wouldn’t get the job done, so Animal decided move one step ahead of him.

  It had been a good night for Flames, even for a Monday. It was his homie Rob's birthday and they decided to celebrate in high style at King of Diamonds, which was a prominent gentleman's club in Miami.

  They had popped bottles and made it rain all night long, drawing the attentions of all the strippers and the animosities of the dudes who were ignored by the girls in favor of Flames and his entourage. Flames was a regular so he had run through a bunch of the girls who worked there, but there was one nut he had yet to crack.

  She was a fine young thing from Orlando, FL who had a slick mouth and a phat ass. She danced under the name Jade, but Flames had found out that her government name was Janette. In just over a month of working at K.O.D., she had managed to run afoul of most of the girls and gain the favor of some of its heaviest spenders. She was about her paper and didn’t care whose toes she stepped on to get it, which is what turned Flames on the most about her.

  Janette's name had been attached to some notable street cats the Florida area, but none more so than her son's father, Gator. Flames had never met him personally, but his story was the stuff of legends in every hood.

  They called Gator one of the last fallen legends because of the way he had gone out, guns blazing and bodies dropping. Too bad the bodies were those of police officers. He took four of theirs before he was eventually cut down. Word had it wasn’t the police's bullets that killed him, but the beating that followed on the way to the hospital. He had murdered several police officers and prison wasn’t an option for a cop killer. The officer's made sure they paid special attention to his face so that his family couldn’t have an open casket funeral. Janette got by as best she could at first off of her baby's father's reputation, but it eventually got old and she had to find a real way to support her and her son, Nickels. With little to no skills, she turned to the only other thing that she had of value, her body. Packing her son up, she took her show on the road and eventually ended up in Miami.

  That night luck must've been on Flames' side because Janette had given him some rhythm. He promised her a few dollars and night she wouldn’t forget it she agreed to leave the club with him for a special after party. When Janette saw the bankroll he was carrying, that sealed the deal. Shortly before closing time, Janette left King of Diamonds with Flames and his entourage.

  Flames ditched the rest of his crew and slid off with Rob, Janette and one of the other strippers. Flames was in his truck with Janette, while Rob followed in his Mercedes with the other stripper. The plan was to dip out to Flames' townhouse in Coco Beach and keep the party going. They already had bottles and weed, but as it turned out the girls wanted to snort a little. Flames was drunk and horny so there was no way he was making the detour, so Rob and the other stripper went to score, while Flames and Janette kept going to the house, and they'd meet up later.

  Flames had barely gotten his key in the door before he and Janette were all over each other. Flames grabbed Janette by the back of her head and kissed her passionately. Janette had been in the club fucking and sucking all night, but it wasn’t even a second thought in Flames' drunken brain. Flames and the girl staggered through the front door and into the living room, pawing, kissing and trying to tear each other’s clothes off. They were so caught up in each other that neither of them initially noticed that someone was in the house. There intense lip-lock was broken when they heard the familiar sound of a gun being cocked.

  Animal’s voice cut the darkness. “Had I known you were brining company home, I’d have set an extra place at the table.”

  Flames was stunned. Never in a million years would he have thought he could be ambushed in his townhouse. It was like his safe haven, and he had taken every precaution to keep it that way, but the man sitting in his living room proved that he hadn’t been careful enough. There were only a few people who knew about the townhouse and Flames started ticking off the names in his head.

  Flames knew that any minute, Rob would be back from scoring the coke and this little party would come to an abrupt end, but when he was coming was anyone's guess. Flames hoped it wasn’t one of those nights when Rob decided he couldn’t wait and fucked the girl in the car, because at that point he was his only hope. Flames needed time, so he tried to stall.

  “From yo accent I can tell you ain’t from round here, so you can’t possibly know who it is you trying to rob, dawg. I’m holding the biggest bag in this whole city.” Flames said in his toughest tone.

  Animal leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. The gun dangled causally between his legs. “If only it was as simple as a robbery. You, my friend," he was pointing the gun at Flames for emphasis as he spoke, "hold the key to something I crave more than money.”

  “And what’s that?” Flames asked and immediately regretted the question.

  “Revenge.” Animal let the hammer rock.

  The first shot skipped off Flames' forehead, taking pieces of his skull with it and painting rich splatter pattern on the wall behind him. The second shot caved Flames' chest in and knocked him off his feet. His body landed a few feet away from the terrified Janette. When she laid eyes on her would-be benefactor's face, she felt ill. What was left of his ruined mouth flapped open and closed like a beached fish, as he whimpered something that was too distorted for her to make out.

  Janette snapped and opened her mouth to scream for help, but Animal’s hand around her neck trapped the scream in her throat. “You’ll get your chance to scream,” he kissed her on the lips softly, “but you’ll have to wait your turn.” He slapped her viciously across the face, knocking her out.

  With the girl out of the way, Animal was free to focus on Flames. He lay slumped in the middle of the floor, looking less like the big man on campus and more like the dead nigga on the living room floor. He had to give his adversary credit. Flames was good, but when it was all said and done, Animal was better.

  After checking Flames' pulse to make sure he was dead, Animal disappeared into the kitchen and came back out a few seconds, holding a paring knife that looked like it had never been used. He knelt over Flames, trying not to focus on the dead eyes staring up at him. Animal had never been on to desecrate the dead, but Diamonds had been specific in his terms, so Animal would be specific in his delivery.

  Animal pried Flames dead mouth open and pinched the corpse's
tongue between his fingers. "As I'm told, your tongue will speak the name of the man I'm looking for. Let's see what you have to say."

  Janette was awakened by what felt like someone licking her face. She turned her head in the direction of the tongue and began to suckle it gently between her lips. Slowly the fog began to roll back from her brain and remembering where she was, her eyes snapped open with a start. She was greeted by Animal’s grinning face hovering over hers. Pinched between his fingers playfully was a severed tongue. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know whose it was.

  “Oh my God.” She recoiled and scrambled into the corner.

  Animal stood and stalked slowly towards her. “Nah, not God, more like the rebellious little brother who they kicked outta heaven. I think you know who I mean.” Animal drew his gun and chambered a round.

  “Please don’t kill me,” she pleaded.

  “No loose ends, baby. It's one of the first lessons I learned and a rule I live by.” Animal pointed the gun at her.

  “But I got a kid.” She said, tears pouring down her cheeks.

  “Good.” Animal nodded. “That means they’ll be somebody to mourn your passing,” he told her before blowing her brains out.

  With Flames tongue wrapped in a strip of cloth and tucked in his pockets, Animal's work was done and it was time for him to make his exit. He stopped short of the door and took a minute to admire the mess he'd made. When his eyes landed on Janette's corpse, he found that he couldn’t. In the morning a child would wake up crying for its mother, but mommy wouldn’t be coming home. Not that morning, not ever. Animal studied her face. He tried to imagine her story and stir some sort of remorse within himself but he felt none. She was a whore who had made the mistake of trying to turn the wrong trick that night. Someone would mourn her, but it wouldn’t be Animal. He crossed himself and slipped from the apartment.

  Animal made hurried steps down the block, tugging at his hoodie to make sure his face remained obscured. The street was empty, save for a man walking his Doberman. The dog growled at the approaching youth, but the man pulled it by the leash and crossed the street. When Animal bent the corner, a green Mercedes was coming his way. He had to cover his eyes against the glare of the headlights. As the car passed Animal and the driver made eye contact. The driver's eyes pause on Animal as if he was trying to place him, but Animal disappeared into the night before he could make a positive I.D.

  Rob and the stripper pulled up in Flames' driveway and parked behind his truck. They got out of the car, falling all over each other. They were clearly drunk and it was a wonder they hadn’t gotten a D.U.I. Rob steered the stripper up the cobblestone walk way to the front door of the townhouse. He went to knock on the door and noticed that it was partially open. For as paranoid as Flames was, it wasn’t like him to leave his door open. Rob's instincts went off and he was instantly sober. He drew his gun and entered the apartment with the stripper on his heels. She was firing off questions at a million miles per minute, but Rob ignored her, instead paying attention to the shadows dancing around Flames' living room.

  Rob noticed something on the wall and moved closer to investigate. Cautiously he ran his fingers over the stain and felt that it was wet. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was blood. Rob stumbled backward in shock, sweeping his gun back and forth across the dark living room.

  "What's going on?" the stripper asked.

  "I don’t know. Hit that light on the wall." Rob told her.

  The stripper felt her way along the wall until she felt switches. She flicked all three of them at the same time and the living room was bathed in light, temporarily blinding Rob and the stripper. Her vision cleared first, and when she took stock of the scene in the living room she let out a scream. Rob covered his mouth in shock and backed up to the wall. Sprawled on the living room floor were Flames and Janette.

  "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Rob paced the living room. It had only been fifteen minutes or so since Rob had left Flames to get the coke and came back, so the killer couldn’t have gotten very far. Rob played the tape back in his mind and he couldn’t remember seeing anyone in the area when he turned onto the block. Then it hit him, the kid he had seen on the corner. The more he thought about it, the more familiar the kid's face was. It finally dawned on him that it had been the kid he'd seen at Purple City with Diamonds. The fact that the upstart had made the first move infuriated Rob. He had warned his friend that they should've dealt with Diamonds immediately, but he wouldn’t listen. Now Flames was gone. Rob vowed that his death wouldn’t go unpunished. Diamonds had made the first move, but Rob would make the final move.

  CHAPTER 10

  Animal arrived at Purple City early the next morning. He hadn’t slept all night and it showed by the bags under his eyes and his ruffled clothes. He was tired and weary, but more importantly, he was ready to take his leave of Miami.

  He was met by the door by Unique. She was wearing a white tank top, black biker shorts and her roller skates. She skated up to him with a big grin on her face. "You look like shit." She joked.

  Animal managed to muster a weak smile. "I feel like shit too. Where's the boss man?"

  "He's in the back with the others. They're waiting for you."

  Animal nodded and stepped into the club. At the same time he was going through the curtain, G was on his way out. The two literally bumped into each other. Standing in the brightly lit foyer Animal was able to get a good look at the man who called himself G. There was something about his dark skin and the structure of his face that tugged a cord of familiarity. Animal was about to apologize, but G spoke first.

  "Watch where you're going, lil nigga." G bumped passed him.

  Animal started to let it go, but he couldn’t. "What the fuck is your problem, homie?" G had been spoiling for a fight since they'd met and Animal was more than willing to give him one.

  "I ain't none of your fucking homie and my problem is you!" G told him.

  "Blood, you've been acting like you're feeling some type of way about me ever since I got here. I ain't got a problem with you, but apparently you got one with me. Now we can keep grilling each other or go outside and beat the shit out of each other and get rid of this tension. What's popping?" Animal asked.

  Anger flashed in G's eyes. His fist balled tightly and Animal tensed, anticipating the coming battle. G took a step towards Animal and stopped abruptly. Animal could see the conflicted look on G's face. With the tension between them had swelled to the point where it seemed like it would pop at any minute, G just sighed and shook his head.

  "You don’t get it, do you?" G asked.

  "Get what?"

  G motioned around. "All of it. Shorty, I seen a million cats like you come and go. Niggaz who think they're the hardest mutha fuckas on the planet until they run into somebody harder and your story ends with somebody consoling your mother and your homies pouring out liquor, telling war stories about how much of a good dude you were. "

  Animal looked G up and down. "You think know me, nigga?"

  "I know you better than you think I do, because I used to be you." G confessed. His eyes took on a far away look as if he was watching a movie in his head. "Yeah, I was out here putting in major work back in the days. My family was hood royalty and I was so eager to prove that I belonged. I was always the first one to bust my gun and the last one to leave the scene of the crime. I always said that when I went out, I wanted to go out like a gangster, all guns and glory. Well, God must've been listening because I got my wish." He pulled down the collar of his white t-shirt so Animal could see the scars that covered his entire chest and the side of his face. "You ever been hit with a shotgun at close range? Hurts like a mutha fucka, trust me on that. Getting shot up was painful, but not as painful as being abandoned. Of all the lives I saved that day, not a one of them after checked to see what happened to me. Not even my own family."

  "But you lived." Animal pointed out.

  G laughed as if the statement was the funniest he'd ever heard. "You call th
is living? I was a fucking ghetto star." He was emotional. "Now look at me. I'm a man without a face or a place in the world getting by as best I can by doing other people's dirty work."

  Animal nodded. He felt like he understood G a little better. "I feel your pain, fam, but that still doesn’t explain why you've been giving me a hard time."

  "I swear each generation gets stupider than the last." G said in an irritated tone. "Dawg, we're damn near two sides of a mirror. You wanna know why I don’t like you? Because in you I see everything that I used to be and could've been and what you're too stupid to try to be. Do you know what I would've given for a second chance they gave you? Of course you don’t, because if you did you'd still be down in Puerto Rico instead of up here trying to piss your life away."

  "You don’t understand. I got people I need to get home to." Animal told him.

  G shook his head sadly. "You keep thinking them niggaz you wit are with you and you're gonna learn a hard lesson. Let's just hope than when somebody dumps as many bullets in you as they did in me, you're able to get up and walk away from it too."

  "I hear you talking, Blood." Animal said.

  "Don’t hear me, Blood, listen to me. You think you're calling the shots, but you ain't nothing but a rat in a maze. Since you're content to do other people's dirty work, I got a message I want you to deliver to a cousin of mine when you get to New York. "

  "I ain't no messenger, fam. Besides, New York is a big place and there's no guarantee me and your cousin will ever cross paths." Animal said.

  "The fact that you've made it this far guarantees it. When that day comes, tell him that Auntie June's favorite nephew sends his regards and I'll see him soon." G said walked off, leaving Animal perplexed by his statement.

  When Animal stepped into the main area of Purple City he saw Diamonds and his whole crew sitting at their usual table in the back. Minister was standing near the end of the table, eye ever vigilant. Diamonds sat flanked by Blue and Reign, throwing back shots. It was the middle of the day, but they were popping bottles and getting faded like it was Friday night.