Last Bitch Standing

by Deja King

  Upon hearing this information, all I could do was put my head down. The first time a real lead panned out, this bullshit had to happen.

  "Fuck!" Nico yelled out. "Even if he was the one alive, I know there has got to be a cop keeping watch at his door."

  "Maybe, but I'm sure that can be handled. I already put in some calls trying to verify who it is at the hospital anyway. But since the shit happened last night and didn't nobody have ID on them, and it ain't like motherfuckers coming forward claiming folks, it's taking a minute to get names and shit."

  "So, what the fuck is going on between this nigga, Delondo and Arnez that they bringing gunfire to the Rittenhouse?"

  "That nigga, Arnez is a foul motherfucker, do you hear me! He's the one responsible for turning my sister against me. He's also responsible for having Genesis' best friend killed, and we believe his wife also!"

  I can't believe Genesis was married and his wife got killed. She must be the mother of his son. Won),, that's some sad shit right there. I am n't feeling that nigga because of that Maya shit, but my heartgoes out to him for having to experience that kinda loss.

  "Besides the beef we have with him, there is a major turf war going on between Arnez and Delondo, and of course Arnez is the one who started the shit. After Arnez had Delondo's original crew wiped out, Delondo has been determined to finish him off. But Arnez's ass managed to escape death again. I can't wait for that nigga to get his!"

  "Damn! Shit is serious out in these streets. I've been on the low for the last couple of months, so I haven't been dealing with the madness, but it's interesting to see what is waiting for me."

  "Trust me, I can't wait to break free from this shit. When I got locked up, damn near every dime I had made after all these years of grinding dried up. And the Feds practically wiped Genesis out. If it wasn't for Quentin putting us back on, we would've been fucked up out here. That's why I'm buggin' over how Arnez is maintaining."

  "But I remember dude was making serious paper, right?"

  "Yeah, but then shit dried up in Atlanta because it got hot there, and then he was doing it big in Philly for a minute. But when Delondo came down from New York, he dominated and froze Arnez up. But somehow, Arnez kept coming up with the cash to stay afloat even in these hard times. If I didn't know better, I would think that he had some sort of connect funneling him paper, but I know all the players that got it like that, and don't none of them fuck wit' Arnez. So, I don't know what the deal is. Maybe in his heyday he was doing way more saving than I gave him credit for."

  I couldn't believe ho)v small the motherfucken' world was. First, there was Mike, then Nico, now I had to add CoCo and Genesis to the ever expanding list of Quentin Jacobs' dick riders. He had more fans than a pop star. The shit was utterly annoying. Refusing to think about that motherfucker any longer, I had to get back to what was important.

  "CoCo!" When I said her name her face look startled, as if she forgot I was in the building or maybe it was because I was loud with it. Plus I had been on mute while she was running off at the mouth. "When can you get that information on Devon? If the nigga is dead, then it doesn't make sense for us to waste any more time in Philly," I said, turning towards Nico. "We need to start coming up with new leads. If he is in the hospital, we need to get to him and not waste any time."

  "Let me call one of my street informants now. Maybe some new news came in."

  While CoCo was making her call, Nico stepped to me with disillusionment in his eyes. "I can't help but think that maybe if we would've stayed and not gone to New York, we could've got to Devon before all this shit went down."

  "I can't front, that very thought went through my mind, but we don't know if he even came back to the address we had on him. For all we know, he could've been stashed some place with Delondo and the rest of his crew, waiting and plotting to take that nigga, Arnez out. Regardless, we did the right thing going to Ms. Duncan's funeral. I would've felt some-kind-of-way if I didn't go and pay my respects. When I was growing up, there were days I woulda went hungry if it wasn't for her. My mother was so busy pulling tricks and smoking that pipe that she didn't give a damn if I was fed or not. You know I want to find Maya's scandalous ass, but that was one stop I would've never forgiven myself for if I hadn't made it."

  "I feel you. No matter which way the shit falls, we stay on our hunt. Maya can't hide forever. Eventually, we'll catch her ass."

  "Nothing yet. Supposedly the police are keeping information closely guarded. But of course, the minute I find out anything, I'll hit you up," CoCo let us know.

  "Do that. We're going back to our hotel. But I'll be waiting to hear from you."

  "Cool."

  When I woke up, I didn't realize it was the next day until I looked outside and saw it was daylight. When Nico and I got back to the hotel it was early evening, and I only planned on taking a nap, but I guess my body had other ideas. I had to admit, the rest did me some good and I probably needed a lot more of it, but there simply wasn't time.

  I looked at my cell to see if I had any missed calls from Nico, but I didn't. I knew that meant he hadn't gotten any new information regarding Devon. If it wasn't for the fact that I hoped he could lead us to Maya, I would've felt justice was served if Devon was deceased, even if it was not by me, but we were placing a lot of stock in him getting us off of our dead end trail.

  As I was about to call Nico, to see what he felt should be our next move, my cell started ringing. It was marked private, which I never liked to answer, but very few people had my new number so curiosity got the best of me.

  "Hello."

  "Good morning, Precious. I hope you slept well."

  "Who is this?" The voice had a familiarity to it, but I couldn't place it.

  "This is Genesis."

  "How did you get this number?"

  "I have my ways."

  "What do you want?" I asked, not amused by him, or his word usage to play games.

  "Can you meet me for breakfast in say... an hour?"

  "For what? Last time I saw you, you didn't have too much conversation for me. Has anything changed?"

  "I guess there's only one way to find out. Are you going to meet me or not?"

  My head wanted to tell the motherfucker hell no, but my mouth said, "Name the spot. I'll be there."

  I decided not to tell Nico that I was meeting with Genesis. I hung the Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob and headed out. I was meeting Genesis at a restaurant that was only a block from the hotel we were staying in, so I figured he somehow knew that information too. He could've easily gotten it from CoCo, as I was sure that Nico had shared it with her.

  When I arrived at the cute but tiny location, Genesis was already sitting at a table in the back. He glanced up from what looked to be a newspaper he was reading, and then right back down, not giving me any sort of facial expression. I took a seat, and several seconds passed before he even acknowledged my presence.

  Are you hungry? Because I ordered you something to eat," he said.

  "You don't even know what I like."

  "I decided to take a chance. Maybe I got it right. But they have the best pancakes in all of Philly, so you'll enjoy them."

  "If you say so. But honestly, food isn't on my mind. I want to know why you called me, and what do you want?"

  "I wanted to apologize forwhathappened a fewnights ago. I should've been more considerate of your dilemma."

  "You could've told me that bullshit on the phone."

  He let out a slight chuckle, and then said, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you meet Supreme, and then get him to marry you? Because you seem like the sort of woman that puts a man through a lot of changes."

  "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get your wife to marry you? I mean, because you seem like the kind of man that would put your woman through a lot of deadly changes ... if you know what I mean."

  Dude gave me this ice-cold look, like it was taking all of his strength not to reach over the table and take me out of this
world. But that's what the motherfucker got for wasting my time and then talking slick to me about how I got my husband.

  "It doesn't feel good, does it? Fuckin' wit' somebody and then they come back and fuck wit' you harder, especially when it gets extremely personal. So, my advice to you is don't play those type of games with me, Genesis. And the reason why is because I know no boundaries."

  "No wonder your husband left you and ran off with another woman, because you are a straight up bitch. Right on time! Here's our food. I promise you, you're going to love the pancakes."

  This nigga had fuckin' pissed me off, and it wasn't even because of the "bitch" comment. Hell, I was a bitch... the Queen Bitch at that. I wore that title with pride, because it meant don't fuck with me, and don't underestimate me, I run this! It was the part about my husband running off with another woman that had me ready to stab him with my fork. But I knew the fuckin' reason he said that shit was to get under my skin, and I refused to give him the pleasure of seeing it on my face.

  Yeah, I was human, so he knew in my heart I was hurt behind his statement. But trust, that wasn't enough gratification for a confident nigga like him. He wanted to see me squirm... not! So as my insides burned up in anger, I spread the butter on my hot pancakes, watching as it melted in before pouring the warm syrup over them. Instead of using my fork as a weapon to kill Genesis, I killed my pancakes, slashing through the stack of three, consuming every bite until they were all gone. I then washed it down with a tall glass of orange juice. "You were right. These were the best pancakes I've ever had." I smiled, savoring the fact that I had kept my cool even though inside my rage was boiling over.

  "I knew you would enjoy them," Genesis said, returning the smile. "Yes, she's finished with her food. Can you clear her area? Thank you," he instructed the waitress, acting as if he was the consummate gentleman.

  "So, now that we've cleared the air and finished eating, why don't you tell me why you really invited me here?"

  "I already did. As I stated, I should've been more considerate of your dilemma. I won't make that mistake again. As much as I would love to stay and keep you company further, I have a lot of business to handle today. But I'll be in touch."

  Then without any further explanation, Genesis made his exit, and for the first time since I could remember, a man had actually left me in a state of confusion.

  I observed as Arnez was having a telephone conversation with somebody that was causing him to act extra animated. He was pointing his finger midair as if the person was standing in front of him and he was up in their face. Then he pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it as if he was saying, No the fuck you didn't just say that bullshit to me' but whoever he was speaking to, really did, which caused his over-the-top hand gestures to continue.

  While I sat on the couch, I tried to pretend that I was all into the Young and the Restless and normally I would be glued. But at this moment, I was straining my ear trying to listen to every word Arnez was spitting out of his mouth. After forty minutes of a heated exchange, he finally ended the call and pounded his fist on the table. I didn't say shit. I kept pretending that the showdown between Victor and his son Adam had my full attention.

  "Describe the man you saw when you went to the bathroom."

  "Huh?"

  "The man you saw on the phone, describe him." I can't front, it took me a minute to process what the fuck Arnez was saying. For one, he hadn't really said more than a couple of words to me since we got to this rundown motel in some backwards ass town in Pennsylvania. Then, I almost forgot my own lie because his question was so fuckin' out the blue it threw me off.

  "Oh, you talking about at the restaurant," I said, buying myself some time to conjure up a bullshit description of some fictitious nigga that I didn't see on my way to the restroom. But instead I did what came easier. I described the nigga I was lusting after in the elevator.

  "Of course, where else would I be talking about?"

  "Don't mind me, I was so caught up in my soap, I wasn't really paying attention to what you said."

  "Ok..." he nodded his head but at the same time letting me know to get to it.

  "He was medium height and build, maybe a shade darker than you with a low haircut but had waves. He sported a thin mustache and was very well dressed."

  "That sound like that nigga Delondo!"

  "Who?"

  "Delondo ... this nigga I'm having some serious beef wit'. I can't believe that motherfucker had his men come up in the Lacroix blasting like that. But then again it would be the perfect spot to catch me off guard. It would've worked if it hadn't been for you."

  I sat silent and baffled for a few. Is he saying what I think he's saying... that the hit was for him? That Devon wasn't even in that spot looking for me he was coming for Arnez. Wow, that is some crazy shit right there. So the dude on the elevator was a nigga named Delondo that Devon was working for? If this is true then shit did work out in my favor because Arnez looking at me like I saved his life and technically I did although initially I was tryna' save my own.

  "I'm glad I saved your life but it wasn't my intention to get in the middle of some beef between you and some man."

  "Why were you there anyway? I don't remember seeing you with anybody."

  "I was visiting from out of town and was supposed to be meeting a friend but at the last minute he couldn't make it. Since I was already at the restaurant and hungry, plus my hotel room was at the Rittenhouse, I figured I should stay and have dinner."

  "I'm glad you did, luck was on my side. But I promise you, Delondo won't be so lucky. This the second bodyguard I've lost behind that nigga."

  At first I couldn't believe dude was speaking so freely in front of me but then I thought about the circumstances. He almost got killed. He does believe I saved his life. Then when he was on the street running for cover I gave him a ride. Now we're hauled up in this motel because he's hiding out. He probably needs someone to express his frustrations to and I'm the only outlet he got.

  "Listen, I'm happy I was able to help you out but I need to be going. I have a flight to catch and I need to get back to my hotel." What I was saying was a bunch of bullshit but the nigga could never know that I had actually tracked him down and I was exactly where I wanted to be. As long as I played the role of wanting to get away from his ass I shouldn't raise any suspicion.

  "You can't leave."

  "Excuse me?"

  "I need you to stay here, you have a car."

  "I'll drop you off wherever you want to go. I'm sure you have friends in Philly."

  "In the business I'm in, I don't have friends only business associates and people that work for me. But after last night, I don't know who is looking out for me or who might hand me over to Delondo. Until I figure it out, I need to keep a low profile. That's why I had you bring me to this motel."

  "What business are you in?" I asked, playing naive.

  "Put it this way... a very dangerous one."

  "I figured that much after what happened but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions."

  "I like to say I'm in the import and export business."

  "Of drugs I suppose?"

  "Listen, I'll make your time worthwhile. You'll be well compensated. I just need you to stay put for a minute until I figure out my next move." Niggaplease ... I ain'tgoing nowhere. Trust me on that.

  "How long are you talking about? I don't want my family to worry"

  "Give me a couple of days," he said shaking his head. "Damn, I need Chanel right now"

  "Who is Chanel. .is she your girlfriend?"

  "She was my everything but she was taken out my life too." I wasn't sure what he meant by that. I mean did she leave him or was the bitch dead? But I decided not to pry. I had the feeling that if I played it cool, the longer I stayed around the nigga, the more information he would voluntarily share.

  King... ring... ring

  "Yo, did you get my message?" I heard Arnez say to whoever was on the other end of the phone. B
ut I was pissed because I couldn't hear what the other person was saying.

  "He had his people come at me."

  The person on the other end must've said Delondo's name because then Arnez answered, "Yep."

  Arnez then stood up from the bed and walked to the bathroom and shut the door. That was one conversation he didn't want me hearing and I was vexed! I was tempted to press my ear against the door to listen but if I got caught then whatever little trust he had for me at the moment would go right out the window. I paced the small area hoping to come up with an idea to get information I wanted on Supreme from Arnez. I also needed to find out what was going on with Devon. Even if he didn't come up in the restaurant to kill me, our eyes locked briefly last night so I know he saw me. If he wasn't looking for me before he would definitely be on the prowl for me now. While considering my options Arnez came busting out the bathroom door interrupting my thoughts.

  "Come on, I need for you to take me somewhere," he stated in a rushed tone.

  "Where are we going?"

  "I'll tell you when we get in the car." I grabbed my purse and headed out. His purposeful strides to the car let me know that wherever we were going he wanted to get there quickly.

  "Do you know how to get back to Philly?"

  "Yes."

  "Good, once you get there I'll tell you where to go."

  When I pulled out the parking lot, Arnez's cell phone started ringing.

  "Yo' I'm on my way. I should be there in about an hour," he said, then ended the call.

  "Where am I taking you?"

  "Just drive." What the fuck have I got myself into? Excitement isgood but only mhen I know)) what the hell isgoing on. But right now even though 1 )))as driving, Arne was in complete control and that shit had me antsy.

  As I continued to drive, making my way towards Philly, Arnez's phone kept blowing up. That shit had to ring at least every couple minutes. Some calls he took, others he ignored. But every time the phone would ring I couldn't help but wonder if Supreme was on the other end of the call.

  "Get over to your right. We're getting off at the next exit," he informed me a few minutes after entering Philly. And when you get off, veer to your left." I followed his directions anxious to see where the final destination would be. "Turn right at the next light... keep going straight... okay slow down. You're about to make this left."