by Silk Smooth
I quickly turned my attention to Tracy and dropped to my knees next to her. Chaos, shock, and complete pandemonium were all around me, and I felt as if I were in a dream, wanting to get out. But this was no dream. I held Tracy’s lifeless, bloody body in my arms, and looked around at several of my other relatives who lay dead. The screams and cries echoed throughout the park, and sirens could be heard from a distance. I continued to hold Tracy in my arms while Shania clung to me and cried.
“Traaaaacyyyyyy!” I heard her mother scream. “Oh God, no, pleeeeease!”
She dropped to her knees next to me and reached for her dead child. After she screamed again, I was so out of it that I didn’t know what the fuck was going on. All I remembered doing was picking up Shania and holding her tight as she wrapped her arms around my neck. After that, I walked away in a daze.
The crime scene was nothing pretty. At least twenty police cars were on the set, several ambulances, and news reporters. I called Karrine about twenty minutes ago, telling her to come to the park to get Shania. I couldn’t get into details about what had happened because there was so much going on. The police had arrested several of my family members who had warrants, many bodies were covered with white sheets, and everybody was trying to find out who the fuck had done this.
At first, I wasn’t even sure if this shit was on me, but the word got around quickly that it may have been some niggas who were after my cousin Vinney.
Whoever had done it, they would be dealt with right away. This was uncalled for, and even though I considered myself to be one cold-ass nigga at times, never would I do any goddamn thing like this.
“Jake, Stan, and Poncho hopped in his car and jetted,” my uncle whispered to me as I leaned against my car, gazing at the scene. “They went after those niggas and got two of them already. We gots to find out who those other niggas were, and as soon as the police get done here, we gon’ rock the fuck out of Chicago tonight.”
I nodded and kissed Shania’s forehead as she rested her head against my chest. She had fallen asleep, and I couldn’t help, but to think how fucking lucky I was right now.
As I was in thought, I saw Karrine walking my way. Her eyes were widened as she looked around at the scene, and she rushed up to me with tears in her eyes. The dried blood all over Shania’s dress, the scar on her face, and her scraped knees made Karrine frown. She snatched Shania from my arms and held her close to her chest.
“Wha . . . what in the hell happened?” she shouted.
I didn’t appreciate her tone, but I remained calm. “Some niggas got real bold and thought it was a good idea to spray the scene.”
Karrine pulled Shania away from her chest to look at her face. “Honey, noooo,” she said tearfully. “Please don’t tell me that you allowed this to happen. Don’t tell me this happened because you—”
“Let me stop you right there. We don’t know why this happened, but we’re in the process of trying to find out. Now take Shania home, and I’ll call you later with more info.”
Karrine lost it. Her face twisted and she spoke through gritted teeth. “Don’t bother to call me ever! This is the main reason why I didn’t want Shania to be with yo’ ass; I knew some bullshit like this was goin’ to happen! I knew it, Honey, so you can do whatever you gotta do in a court of fuckin’ law. I’m goin’ to fight for what’s mine, and I’ll be damned if Shania is ever allowed to go anywhere with yo’ crooked-ass again!”
My uncle stepped back as if he was in shock by Karrine’s harsh words. People were looking at us, and even the police were starting to walk our way.
“Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven—and just to warn you,” I said. “When I get to one, if you’re still standing in front of me talkin’ that bullshit, I’m going to jail for kickin’ yo’ muthafuckin’ ass! I said we’ll talk later, and I won’t repeat myself again.”
Karrine moved forward and stood face to face with me. “Nigga, do what you gotta do. I won’t repeat myself either, and I meant what the fuck I said. You can take that phone call you mentioned and shove it up yo’ ass. I’m done tryin’ to be nice to you, and you’d better be thankin’ yo’ lucky stars that my muthafuckin’ baby girl is still alive!”
I tightened my fists, wanting so badly to crack this bitch dead in her face. It took everything I had not to beat her ass for acting a damn fool at a time like this, but I held back. I bit into my lip and stared into her eyes with much anger trapped in mine. Karrine wanted to get a reaction from me, but that didn’t happen.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she said, continuing to push me.
I felt like a punk.
“Good riddance, nigga, and take one last look at yo’ daughter ’cause you’ll never be able to see her again.”
Karrine rolled her eyes and stormed off. I was so mad that I slammed my fist on the hood of my car, causing a huge dent in it. Thing is, I didn’t know if I was mad at Karrine or mad at myself for putting my daughter in a situation like this one. At the family reunion or not, there was still a possibility that those niggas were after me.
* * *
Slowly but surely, things were going downhill. For the next several weeks, eleven of my family members had been put to rest. I paid for every single funeral and attended all of them as well. I was drained, disgusted, and frustrated as fuck. Frustrated because I didn’t have nobody to talk to about all the shit I was feeling. Mama didn’t want to hear about it, and I didn’t want to come off like a whiny bitch and talk to my boys. Like I had said before, Mama hated Ray’s side of the family and she didn’t give a fuck about none of them. Therefore, talking this shit out with her was out. I hadn’t bothered to call Karrine, and from the way things were going, it was probably a good thing that Shania was with her instead of with me.
This go around, what had happened at the family reunion, wasn’t on me. The niggas who shot up the picnic were there to settle a beef with two of my cousins who had robbed them five days before. No matter what, though, the shit was wrong. Innocent people were killed, so we all had to get down to business the other night. It was a blood bath in Chicago, and many of the news channels had covered the ongoing murders that transpired across the city. By now, I had done so much shit that I was starting to get paranoid. I watched the cameras in my house like a hawk, and I didn’t even go take a shit without my Glock by my side. I figured this feeling wouldn’t last for long, but there I was, weeks after, still feeling the same way.
“I don’t know what else to tell you,” Mama said as I sat in my bed, listening to her over the phone. “But I do know that I need you at one hundred percent next month when we close on that deal I’ve been talking to you about for months. I’m counting on you, Honey, and this is going to be a huge payday for us. So, take two aspirins, call me in the morning, and let me know how you’re feeling.”
I hit the END button to disconnect the call, and I lifted my head when I saw Candice come into my bedroom carrying a tray in her hand. All she wore were some nude lace boyshorts. Her chocolate, perky breasts looked like round melons, and I was known for only sticking my dick in pretty bitches. She had been here since last night, but I still hadn’t fucked her. I hadn’t been in the mood, and there was too much shit on my mind that didn’t involve pussy.
“Happy Birthday to you; happy birthday to you . . .” Candice sang as she carried the tray up to my bed. On top of the tray was breakfast, along with a cupcake and a candle stuck in it. “Now, make a wish and blow out the candle,” she said with a smile.
I was tired of wishing, so I didn’t make one. I blew out the candle and forced a smile to let Candice know I appreciated her efforts. I did, but the timing was off. The last thing on my mind was my damn birthday.
Candice sat on the bed and picked up the fork to feed me. I wasn’t hungry, so I removed the fork from her hand. “I, uh, really appreciate this, but I kind of want to check out of here for a while and get some sleep.”
Candice smiled and placed the tray on the nightstand. She straddled my lap and started to ru
b my chest. “Lay back, relax, and let me put you to sleep,” she offered. “You need all the rest you can get, and I want you to be good and ready for your surprise party tonight. Juan is counting on me to get you there, and I know I shouldn’t have told you about it, but I wanted you to be prepared.”
I swear the last thing I was up to was partying, but I didn’t want to let my niggas down. They knew I had been under a lot of pressure, and I guess they figured this birthday party would do me some good. I couldn’t be mad at them for trying to shake me from this slump, so like it or not, I had to show the fuck up at the party and pretend that I didn’t know shit about it.
Candice pecked her lips down my bare chest, and she pulled the sheet back to see my dick that was not cooperating. When she touched it with her lips, I pulled on her hair to lift her head. “Sleep,” I said. “I want sleep, not head.”
Candice moved over in bed next to me and laid her head against my chest. My cell phone rang, and when I looked at the number, it was Mama bugging again. I almost ignored it, but I picked up instead.
“Honey Pooh,” she teased. “Stop pouting and step back into the light so I can see my handsome son shine again. I forgot to tell you that your birthday present will arrive within the hour, and all it is is just a little something to show you how much I love and appreciate you. You know I do appreciate you, don’t you?”
“Yes, and whatever it is, thank you. Much love to you too, but I need to doze right now, all right?”
“Go ’head and get it in. Trice and I are going to celebrate your birthday by going to the casino tonight. I always get lucky when I play on your birthday. Last year I won almost forty thousand dollars. I’m hoping to double that this year.”
“Well, good luck. Tell Trice I said what’s up, and I’ll get at you later.”
I fell asleep after that call, and a few hours later I woke up to a Bugatti parked in my driveway. Mama had definitely outdone herself with this one, but truth be told, material shit didn’t really move me that much. She already knew that, but I called to thank her anyway. There was a little more excitement in my voice, and she was happy to hear it.
“Have a good time tonight,” she said. “I’ll see you soon, and kiss my baby for me when you see her. I was talking about Shania, not Karrine.”
“I haven’t seen neither of them in about a month, so you gon’ have to come to Chicago and give your own kisses.”
“Chicago won’t see me for a very long time, and shame on Karrine for acting like a damn fool. You really need to do something about this, Honey, and at the end of the day Shania will always be your daughter.”
I was already feeling bad because I had expected to hear from Karrine and Shania today. With Mama bringing it up, it upset me. “Karrine is doing what she feels is best, so can we please not talk about this right now?”
“What Karrine is doing is making an ass of herself, and she’s denying Shania a chance to be with those who love her. I’m not going to sugarcoat the shit, Honey, and if we don’t talk about it today, we will talk about it soon, because Shania needs you. Regardless of what happened, she needs you in her life.”
“I get that, but not now. I’m going to take my new ride for a spin and see what this bad boy can do.”
Mama laughed and hung up. I wasn’t going for a spin right now, but I intended to do so when I got ready for the party tonight.
“Dang, yo’ Mama must really, really love you,” Candice said as she walked around the car, checking it out.
Mama did love me. Always had. Always would.
Hours later, I stepped out in black-on-black, which turned out to be a crime. My smooth, dark chocolate skin was covered in a black silk button-down shirt from Express Men that was neatly tucked into my black pants. A leather belt matched my shiny leather shoes, and diamonds glistened on my watch, my earring, and my cross necklace that rested against my chest. My shirt was partially unbuttoned, and my light-brown eyes were hidden behind dark, aviator sunglasses. My locs were tied back, but some fell a few inches past my shoulders. After I scented my body with cologne, I headed downstairs to see if Candice was ready to go.
She stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me. Her turquoise dress cut across her shoulder, and it was so short that if she lifted her arms the dress would turn into a shirt. Her skin was smooth and chocolate like mine, and her shiny long hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail that fell all the way to the tip of her butt. Her glittery, peep-toe heels made her damn near as tall as me.
“Well, damn,” she said, looking at me. “Yo . . . you look fly as fuck.”
“I’ma hit you back with that compliment, but I guess you know that we’re already late, right? My phone has been blowing the hell up, and these niggas want me to believe that I’m meeting them to play cards.”
Candice smiled. “Yeah, they’ve been calling me too, wondering where we are. Please don’t tell them I told you what was up, and when you walk in there you’d better act surprised.”
We left, and I drove the shit out of my new car trying to hurry to the party. I cranked up the music and was doing my best to get hyped. Lil Wayne’s lyrics were definitely getting me there, and Future was doing the damn thing, too. By the time I got to our destination, I was high off music. The party was a private event, so I wasn’t worried about niggas who I didn’t know showing up. This shit was put together by my boys—the ones who had been with me since forever and who I had mad love and respect for.
As planned, Candice led the way. She opened the double doors, and at first there was nothing but darkness. The lights flashed on and everybody there screamed, “Happy Birthday!” I cocked my head back and displayed a smirk on my face as I looked around the crowded room that was thick with my niggas and plenty of bitches. Some of them I knew from the block, some I didn’t.
“Awww hell,” my boy Melo said. “That nigga knew what was up. I can tell by the look on his face.”
Many others agreed, and I tried to convince them that I didn’t know. They didn’t believe me, so we laughed that shit off and cranked up the music.
In less than an hour, I was feeling this shit. I was high as fuck and was on the dance floor with a slew of bitches surrounding me. The lyrics to the music had me zoned out, and my hands were in the air while one chick was bent over in front of me, another was grinding herself against my backside, one was to my left rubbing my chest, another was raking her fingers through my locs, and I had no idea who was squeezing my steel. The dance floor was jam-packed, and even though I was hot as hell, I continued to dance.
“I want to taste you, Honey,” one chick whispered in my ear. I closed my eyes and slowly nodded.
Another chick expressed herself out loudly. “Let’s go somewhere and get our fuck on. You know you want this.”
I guess she thought I did, especially since she was bent over in front of me, touching her ankles.
“You can have all of us,” the one to my left said. “And you ain’t leaving here tonight, unless we all are going with you.”
I smiled and nodded to the beat of the music. My boys Melo, Juan, Dingo, and Maurice were on the dance floor laughing their asses off. They could tell I was fucked up, and right after the song was over, I managed to stumble away from the chicks, who kept on throwing the pussy at me.
“Take the shades off so I can look into those sexy eyes,” one chick said, touching my sunglasses to remove them.
I snatched her wrist and squeezed it. “Don’t touch my shit,” I said, rejecting her move. “Now back the fuck up.”
She moved away from me, and as I smooth walked through the crowd, niggas and bitches parted like the Red Sea. Everybody was calling out for Honey, but I was blazing.
I sat at a reserved table and Candice came up from behind, massaging my shoulders. “Are you ready for your birthday present?” she asked.
I cocked my stiff neck from side to side, appreciating the feel of her hands pressing deep into my shoulders.
“Yeah, I’m ready for it, ma. W
hat you got for me?”
A few minutes later the lights went dim, and as everyone cleared the path in front of me, I looked up and swore that I saw one of the coldest bitches that I had ever seen coming my way. The DJ must have been reading my mind when he had Akon’s “I Wanna Fuck U” on repeat. All she had on was a pair of six-inch heels that looked embedded with diamonds. Her caramel skin was dripping with honey, and my eyes scanned in on her shaved pussy hairs that were trimmed into the shape of a butterfly. My niggas were whistling and hollering out all kinds of shit.
“Hit that shit, Honey! Nigga tear that pussy up!”
“We won’t be mad if yo’ ass want to leave right now!”
“I bet you done sobered the fuck up now nigga!”
Many of the bitches in the room stared with halted breaths as they checked her out. I was speechless my damn self, and the way her body was sculptured made my dick rise to the occasion.
Candice leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I hope you like her. We can take her home with us tonight, and this will be one birthday present that you’ll never forget.”
When the chick stepped up to me, I lowered my sunglasses down an inch and peered over them. She smiled at me with glee in her sexy-ass eyes, and when she turned around I damn near fell out of my chair. Honey dripped down the curves of her juicy ass, and I swear that if this bitch bent over I was going to have a heart attack.
“You supposed to be lickin’ the honey by now!” Melo shouted. “If you won’t, every nigga up in here will!”
Everybody looked on, waiting to see what I was going to do. For the moment, that was nothing. She made the next move, and when she attempted to straddle my lap, I held her waist and moved her back.
“Not on my clothes, please. I don’t want that honey all over my fit.”
While facing me, she bent over and placed the palms of her hands on my knees. The niggas’ eyes behind her were locked on her ass, and the looks on their faces said it all. She. Was. One. Bad. Bitch.
