“And you know exactly why I’m dealing with him in the first place,” Kendu reminded him.
“A’ight. Just like you gotta do what you gotta do, so do I.” Deuce scowled. “You not the only one with ideas.”
Kendu couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Word? It’s like that?”
“Just like that.”
A smirk danced on Kendu’s lip as he stared at Deuce for about ten seconds. Then he turned and headed out the door. A thousand thoughts ran through Kendu’s mind. He couldn’t understand Deuce’s change of heart. “Fuck it! If he wanna do his own thing, then fuck it!” Kendu said to himself as he flagged down a cab.
Kendu sat in the back of the cab just reflecting on everything that had happened to him in the past couple of months.
Kendu paid the cab driver and slowly walked inside his empty house. Ever since Diamond had left, he just felt so alone and lost in the brain. As he stepped inside his empty house, he immediately missed his wife’s presence. He walked over to the fridge, grabbed himself a bottle of wine and popped it open. Then he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Diamond’s number.
Diamond checked herself out in the mirror one last time before heading out the door. Since she was now Perry’s girl, she no longer had to work at the club, but she would still go anyways some nights, just to help out. She stepped out the house and slid in her new all-white Audi A8. She pulled out into the streets like she owned them. She was speeding to the club so she could see Perry, when she heard her phone ringing. She looked at the caller ID, sucked her teeth, then answered. “What do you want?”
“Can I please talk to you?” Kendu asked desperately.
“Nah, I really ain’t got nothing to say to you, Kendu.”
“I can’t just let you go like that. Please just meet me for dinner or something, so we can talk.”
“I’ll think about it,” Diamond replied nonchalantly.
“Well, think hard and call me back if you want to meet up.”
“Yeah.”
Diamond pulled up into the club’s parking lot and quickly pulled into the VIP parking spot. She stepped out her ride, and all eyes were on her. She made sure she threw a little extra in her walk as her heels stabbed the concrete.
“Hey, Shawn. What’s up?” she asked, walking up to the bouncer, who guarded the front door with his life.
“Hey, Diamond. How you feeling tonight?” Shawn asked, his arms open for a hug.
“I’m good.” She gave him a friendly-pat-on-the-back hug. “How it’s looking in there?” she asked as she passed the huge man.
“Oh, it’s poppin’!” Shawn yelled over his shoulder, a smirk on his face.
Diamond stepped foot in the club, and immediately the bass from the speaker and the heat slapped her in the face. Young Jeezy’s song, “Lose My Mind,” was blaring through the speakers and had the club jumping. As she snaked her way through the crowd, she felt someone grab her wrist and looked up to see a handsome gentleman standing in front of her.
Diamond took her hand back. “Can I help you?”
“You can start by telling me your name.”
“My name?” Diamond echoed. “First of all, who are you?”
“Everyone calls me Rock,” he said, looking down at his crotch.
“Rock, huh?” Diamond replied with a smirk. “Sorry, Rock,” she said, letting his name roll off her tongue. “But I already have a man. A real one at that.”
“What’s his name?”
“Why?”
“Because I know everybody, and I can tell you right now what the nigga is about and if he’s official or not.”
“His name is Perry,” Diamond said proudly.
“Serial killer Perry?” Rock broke out into a laughing fit. “Girl, you better leave that nigga alone before you end up tied up in his basement like the rest of his girls.”
“Huh?” Diamond asked, a confused look on her face. “What are you talking about?”
Before Rock could reply, Perry cut in. “What’s going on over here?” His voice was calm, but Rock got the message loud and clear.
“What?” Rock shrugged his shoulders. “We was just talking.”
“Listen, my man,” Perry said, leaning in closer so Rock could hear him clearly, “go talk to somebody else.”
Rock’s eyes went from Perry to Diamond then back to Perry. “You got it, bossman,” he said as he backed away and blended into the crowd.
“Why was you over here entertaining that clown?” Perry asked in a calm voice.
“I wasn’t. As I was walking through, he grabbed my arm.”
“Do me a favor.” Perry bent down and hugged Diamond. “Go home and wait for me to get there.”
Diamond thought about protesting ‘cause she had just got there, but quickly decided against it. “Okay, baby. Are you all right?”
“Yes, baby. I’m fine. Just got a few things I have to take care of,” he told her as he gave her a kiss.
“Okay, baby. Don’t work too hard.” Diamond turned and headed towards the club’s exit.
Diamond slid behind the wheel of her new car, and didn’t feel like going straight home, especially since she was all dressed up, and the night was just beginning. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Kendu’s number.
On the fourth ring he finally answered. “Yo.”
“You still wanna go out and talk?” she asked.
“Yeah. Meet me at your favorite restaurant in thirty minutes,” Kendu told her.
“A’ight. On my way.”
Diamond pulled out the parking lot like she was a professional racecar driver. For the entire ride her mind went back to what Rock had told her inside the club. “Why would he say something like that about Perry?” she thought out loud.
Diamond pulled up in front of her favorite soul food restaurant and saw Kendu standing out front. She was thankful there was a parking spot right in front of the restaurant. She looked in the rearview mirror just to make sure her makeup and lip gloss was on point. She slid out the Audi with a serious look on her face.
Kendu opened his arms for a hug. “Hey, baby.”
“Wassup,” Diamond replied in a dry tone. She gave him the friendly hug with the pat on the back.
The two walked in the restaurant and were quickly seated at a booth by the window.
“So what’s up?” Diamond said as she browsed through the menu, even though she already knew what she wanted.
“What you mean, what’s up? I want you to come home where you belong.”
“You got too much going on right now for me,” Diamond said, waving him off. “Shit, I’m ready for, you’re not.”
“But that clown at the club is, though, right?”
“Perry knows how to treat a lady,” Diamond said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Plus, even if he doesn’t have time for me, he makes time—something you know nothing about.”
“Listen—”
“Are y’all ready to order?” the scrawny white man asked politely, with his pen and notepad in his hand.
After the two ordered what they wanted, Kendu continued his rant. “I am your husband, and you told me ’til death do us part.”
“Well, you should’ve thought about that before you went out giving away my dick like it was free lunch.” Diamond’s voice cracked a little bit.
“What is you talking about?” Kendu said, faking ignorance. “All I was trying to do was get this money so Dirty Black and his army didn’t kill me, but now I got that all worked out and I want you home!”
“I have a new home now.”
Kendu slammed his fist down on the table, getting scared and strange stares from the other diners in the restaurant. “Fuck that nigga Perry! You don’t even know shit about him!”
Immediately Diamond’s mind went back to what Rock had just told her in the club.
“Look, I am a grown woman. And if I want to be with Perry, then that’s my choice. Just like you chose to go fuck with that bitch Carmen.” She said it like she had just s
aid something powerful.
“Is that what this is about? Payback?” Kendu asked, a disgusted look on his face. “Okay, you got me back, and now it’s time for you to come home.”
Just as Diamond was about to respond, her phone rang. Immediately her eyes looked up at Kendu like she had been busted, but then she quickly remembered their current situation. She looked at her phone and saw Perry’s name flashing across the screen. She let it ring out before she continued what she had to say.
“I just think it’s best if we do our own thing.”
“Why you didn’t answer the phone for your boyfriend?” Kendu smirked.
She quickly shot back, “He don’t own me!”
“When are you coming back home, baby? I miss you.” Kendu pleaded, as he held her hands in his.
“I can’t do that right now,” Diamond said, not able to look Kendu in his eyes when she answered him.
“I understand.” Kendu released her hands as he stood up. He looked at her one last time before he dropped a few twenties on the table, turned, and made his way towards the exit.
Diamond just sat there and watched as Kendu exited the restaurant. Inside she wanted to die, but she knew she had to remain strong, ’cause Kendu had his chance and he blew it, and now it was Perry’s turn. She sat in the restaurant for about twenty more minutes before she got up and headed home.
Rock stumbled out the club. He tried to lean on a bouncer to regain his balance but quickly got pushed down to the ground. “Punk-ass bitch!” he yelled as he struggled back up to his feet and continued on through the parking lot.
Perry snaked his way through the parking lot like a ninja as he slid his fingers inside his black leather gloves. He saw Rock stumbling through the parking lot and knew, if he was going to make a move, it would have to be now. He pulled a sharp hunting knife from the small of his back as he crept up on Rock from behind.
Once he got close enough he quickly covered Rock’s mouth with a gloved hand and smoothly slit his throat with the other hand. He watched as Rock dropped to the ground, struggling not to choke on his own blood.
“Learn how to mind your business next time!” Perry huffed as he jabbed the knife repeatedly in and out of Rock’s chest and stomach until he was sure the man was dead. “Clown!” He growled as he stomped Rock’s head into the ground before he smoothly walked off, and blended into the night like ain’t nothing even happen.
For the entire ride home Kendu listened to Drake’s song, “Find Your Love,” as he weaved in and out of the highway lanes. He just couldn’t understand why Diamond was making this so difficult for him. There was no way she was in love with that clown from the club that fast. For a second he thought about going up to the club and catching a charge, but then he decided against it and just went home instead. Perry had won fair and square, and there was nothing he could do about it but move on.
Chapter 10
Diamond slid out of her Audi and quickly strolled towards the front door, tired and in desperate need of a shower. She stepped inside the house and closed and locked the door. Just as she turned around, Perry grabbed her by her shirt and violently shoved her back up against the door. “Where the fuck you been at?” he growled with a murderous look in his eyes.
“Ummm, I went to go get something to eat,” she answered quickly.
“With who?” Perry questioned, never releasing his grip.
“By myself.” She winced in pain. “Get the fuck off of me! You hurting me!”
Perry quickly released his grip and looked at her like she was insane. “Did you just curse at me?”
“Yeah!” Diamond yelled. “You was fuckin’ hurting me,” she said, fixing her shirt. “What the fuck! I just went to go get something to eat. What’s the big fuckin’ deal?”
“I don’t know what kind of niggas you used to dealing with, but you about to fix this right now.” Perry slowly took off his belt and let the buckle swing freely. “Now I gotta teach you some manners.” He forcefully swung the belt, hitting Diamond on the shoulder and part of her neck.
Immediately Diamond dropped down to the floor and balled up as Perry struck her with the buckle of his belt at least thirty times before he headed upstairs, leaving her curled up in the corner with whelps and bruises all over her body.
Diamond lay on the floor crying her eyes out. She had never experienced that kind of pain in her life. Something inside of her wanted to leave and go back home, but her pride wouldn’t let her, especially after how she had just shitted on Kendu at dinner. There was no way she could go back to him now.
She struggled to get back up to her feet and made her way to the downstairs bathroom so she could check out her wounds in the bathroom mirror.
Kendu found a parking spot in front of the park Dirty Black had told him to meet him at. When he got out the car, he saw the park was filled with women and guys, two speakers set up in the corner and the sound of Gucci Mane bumping through the speakers. He quickly spotted Dirty Black in the middle of the mix, showing off as usual.
“Fuck going on out here?” Kendu asked as he gave Dirty Black a pound.
“You know I love giving back to the hood.” Dirty Black smiled. “Everybody know I throw the best cookouts in the city.”
“It’s mad hoes out here,” Kendu said, checking out the few women standing around in tight booty shorts and heels.
“You already know how I do. Whenever you ready to get over your old lady, just let me know.”
Kendu smirked. “Who on the grill? ’Cause that food is smelling mad good.”
“Some fiend,” Dirty Black said nonchalantly.
“Fuck you mean, some fiend?”
“Nah.” Dirty Black laughed. “He a fiend now, but back in the day he used to be a chef. Trust me, that nigga be cooking his ass off.”
Kendu was about to say he would never eat a fiend’s cooking, but the food smelled too good for him to pass up on. He followed Dirty Black over to the table where Amazon and the rest of the crew sat getting their eat on.
As soon as he sat down, one of the girls wearing the booty shorts sat down next to him. “Hey, I’m Kiki.”
“What’s up?” Kendu said dryly.
“You mind if I sit here?” Kiki said, openly checking Kendu out.
“Yeah, you cool.”
“Forgive him, Kiki,” Dirty Black cut in from the sideline. “My man Kendu is a little shy, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh really?” Kiki said with a smirk.
As if right on cue, Dem Franchize Boyz song, “White Tee,” came blasting through the speakers, causing the crowd to erupt in a loud “Heeey!”
“This my muthafuckin’ song,” Kiki said out loud as she got up and began dancing like a stripper would, standing directly in front Kendu.
Kendu helped himself to a cup of Hennessy as he sat back and enjoyed the show. Kiki gyrated her hips like it was a slinky, as everyone looked on. She quickly turned around and bent over directly in front of Kendu’s face and began making her ass clap. “You still shy?” she said, looking back at him, her ass clapping and jiggling.
Kendu just smiled and smacked her ass. His smile quickly faded away when he saw Mousey enter the park with a twenty-man entourage.
“Yo’, ma, go get you and me something to drink real quick,” Kendu said, dismissing Kiki before something popped off.
When Amazon noticed Mousey and his crew strolling through the park, he quickly grabbed his .45 that he had stashed in the garbage can and stood to his feet. Dirty Black’s whole crew quickly formed behind him. Right before the two crews met head-on, a diesel nigga cut in front of Mousey and removed his shirt, showing off all his tattoos and big muscles.
“Y’all muthafuckas got a lot of nerves, crashing my cookout,” Dirty Black said, taking in the whole crew.
“Crashing?” Big Time smiled. “We should’ve been invited in the first place.”
Back in the day Big Time and his crew would’ve been invited, but Dirty Black knew the man standing in front of him w
asn’t the man he remembered. Jail had changed him and turned him into a more ruthless animal. Everybody had heard the stories about him putting in work behind the wall.
“When you get out?” Dirty Black asked.
“Two days ago.” Big Time sized Dirty Black up, a tactic he had picked up in jail. “But fuck all that. My li‘l nephew told me y’all got a problem.”
“We ain’t got no problem. Ya nephew was out of line, so I had to check him.”
“He told me he just asked for a few things on consignment, and you shitted on him then sucker-punched him when he wasn’t looking.”
“Listen,” Dirty Black said, getting annoyed, “I didn’t like how the nigga came at me, so I washed him up.”
Big Time smiled and looked in Dirty Black’s eyes before he replied. “I’m willing to forget about all of this if you toss me a few of them thangs on the strength”—he paused—“you can call it a coming-home gift.”
“Negative,” Dirty Black said quickly. “Matter of fact, I’m tired of talking. You got thirty seconds to get the fuck up outta my park,” he said as he coolly walked off.
Big Time was about to say something, but Amazon quickly jumped in his face. “Nineteen!” he counted through clenched teeth.
“I’ma have fun with you,” Big Time said with a smile, as him and his team backed up out the park. Him and Amazon continued to eye-box until Big Time and his crew was finally out of the park.
Dirty Black sat over in the cut sipping on some coconut Cîroc. He knew Big Time was going to be a problem. A big one at that. Dirty Black kind of felt bad because, back in the day, he used to look up to Big Time, but now Big Time couldn’t see himself looking up to a li’l nigga he used to son.
“Everything all right?” Kendu helped himself to a drink.
Dirty Black downed his drink in one gulp. “Yeah. Everything good.”
“Who was that nigga?”
“Big Time.” Dirty Black poured himself another drink. “He used to be a cool dude back in the day. Nigga had the whole hood scared of him.”
Redrum Page 9
