by C. Stecko
I was pissed. First off, it was Friday, so I had a big day ahead of me; no time for games. I wanted to know what possessed Mike to bring Angel by without askin’ me. Besides, just a few weeks ago, he acted as if Tony was the anti-Christ, and now he wanted to bring girls by his place.
“Well hello, Angel,” I said sarcastically, still not lettin’ them all the way into the house.
“Can we come in,” she uttered. “This looks a little strange.” She looked ova her shoulder noticin’ that an elderly neighbor had an eye in our direction.
“For a moment, I guess.” I stood back slightly and welcomed both Angel and Mike inside the tiny foyer. “You’re here for work, I assume?”
Angel looked up at Mike with a funny expression. Her lips quickly bawled up into a knot and she crossed her arms. “This was already arranged,” she told me.
“Not by me,” I snapped, then crossed my arms mimickin’ Angel’s.
I turned to glance behind me ’cause I could hear Gino makin’ crazy noises with his mouth. He was in the corner crackin’ his knuckles, and throwin’ fake haymakers. I guess he was protectin’ me. “Calm down Gino, I got this.”
Mike neva said a word.
Gino neva said a word either, nor did he even once look up at me. He continued to throw quick, imaginary punches, while his nylon sweat-suit made sounds every time his body switched positions.
“Look Mike, I make the decisions around here and nobody told me anythin’ about Angel comin’.”
“Tony told me to come,” Angel abruptly announced. “Should I call him?”
My eyes widened. I was sure she could smell my defeat.
“So where do I change?”
“Not so fast…let’s get back to Tony. Oh yeah…when did you talk to him?”
“Plenty of times,” Angel responded. “Yesterday, for starters…but again… all the time. How you think I got outta jail?”
I looked at Mike, then at Angel. My whole mood sank.
“He bailed you out from when you got locked up behind that Betty bullshit?”
Angel nodded her satisfaction that I finally knew.
“Cinnnnamonnnnnnn! I shouted. She came runnin’ down the stairs with a crazed look on her face.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Show Angel to her room.” I threw my hand up and pointed sharply. I guess they all knew I was pissed. “Lemme see what Tony has to say about this.” I quickly walked into my office and grabbed the phone from my desk.
However, before I could even dial one number, Gino ran in. He frowned, then eyed the phone. His expression said put it down. It didn’t take long for Cinnamon to smell the trouble so she quickly ushered Angel off to the upstairs bedrooms.
“Handle your business with that guy first,” Gino ordered. “Tony said don’t call, he’ll come by after four.”
A fool I was not. Gino’s look had me shaken a little. I called Mike into my office. When he stepped inside, I tried to act like everything was okay. “How much do I owe you?” I asked openin’ the top drawer to my mahogany desk.
“Sixty,” Mike answered.
Now I knew he was tryna play me, but I didn’t wanna discuss nothin’ in front of Gino, especially the fact that Mike had been ignorin’ my calls. “I’ll see you out,” I told’em, handin’ him the three twenties.
Mike snatched the money and took off like he had no intentions on talkin’ to me about anythin’ else. I rushed behind him, almost trippin’ on the outside mat that said welcome-like we were one, big happy family at the brothel. “Mike,” I called out, “wait up.”
He kept movin’ swiftly as if he didn’t hear me. I called out again. “Mike!”
Suddenly, he stopped. When he turned to look at me, his eyes slowly moved toward the window. Gino was obviously watchin’ us from above. I neva looked back, I just extended my hand pretendin’ to thank Mike for his business. “We really gottta talk,” I pleaded. “Can you call me later?”
“When I tried to tell you about Tony, you didn’t wanna listen. But believe me, you’ve fallen for his scheming bullshit.”
“What do you mean?”
“Damn, for somebody who’s been to prison, you sure are naive.”
His tone comforted me deep inside. It seemed like he really cared. “You mean ’cause he got me workin’ here?” I whispered. I threw my hands up like I just wanted him to tell me. I hated the guessin’ game.
“Why are you whispering? Nobody can hear us.”
“I don’t fuckin’ know,” I said, in a softer tone, yet now grittin’ through my teeth. “Just tell me what you know!” I had my fist balled up down beside my waist.
“Co-Co, Tony had Betty’s place raided. The people he’s with are big time. They got all kinds of people on their payroll. Including cops,” he ended.
From my expression, he should’ve known I seemed confused.
“I tried to tell you,” he continued.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” I kept repeatin’ in between my head shakes. I couldn’t process what he was sayin’. “So are you tryin’ to say, he told on Betty so he could open this place?”
“Oh…so now you’re getting it. This was all orchestrated. And you were obviously a part of his plan.” He pointed toward my chest makin’ sure I was clear on what he was sayin’. “Don’t you find it strange that as soon as Betty’s shut down, the contractors were ready to go into this spot, and have it fixed up in no time?”
I shrugged my shoulders
“How’d you get your girls?”
I had a stupid look my face. “Well, I hired Cinnamon.”
“Tony bought this place three months ago. My police friend told me everything step by step. You ever heard of the mob?”
My jaw dropped. It took me a second to take in all that he’d said. I couldn’t dare tell Mike that Tony offered me a job before Betty’s was even shut down. Just the thought of the idea had my thoughts churnin’. I turned to look ova my shoulder hopin’ to do a quick spot check on all the windows. With no sign of Gino, I asked the inevitable, “Are you sayin’ Tony’s like a mob boss?”
“No, he’s not the boss, but he’s into some crooked shit. And that guy right there…is an enforcer.”
Mike’s face seemed to be drainin’ his color as he pointed. By the time I turned to follow his finger, Gino was rushin’ toward us at full speed. Everythin’ happened so quickly. I neva even got a chance to tell Mike to call me later. Within seconds, Mike had jumped into the driver’s seat of his car, and sped off. The sound of his tires screechin’ off built even more adrenaline in my gut.
My head rotated back and forth. I watched the back of Mike’s car speed off down the street, then turned to see Gino comin’ at me like an American Gladiator on a mission. My first instinct was to shout, “I’m Tony’s lady!”
But there was no time for my words to sink in with him. Gino took hold of my shoulders with his powerful hands. It was crazy how he was able to hold my body firmly in place with the force of just his hands. It was the first time we’d had direct eye contact, so it frightened me. His lazy eye seemed to hypnotize me. I tried to look away but the sickenin’ smell of his breath followed either way I turned.
Slap!
Just like that he slapped the shit outta me. I shouted, “Does Tony know you’re treatin’ me like this? I’m his woman!”
“Correction. You’re just Tony’s trick,” he laughed with a touch of sarcasm. “You think he’s gives a fuck about you?” he taunted. “Forget about it.” He slapped me again. “All I know is you gotta be taught a lesson. Stay in your fucking place!” he told me.
I had to think quickly. I knew I couldn’t cry ’cause my girls were watchin’ from one of the bedroom windows upstairs. My face stung and had reddened from the impact. “I’ma call the cops,” I threatened.
“The cops?” His eyes lit up with rage. “Oh, so you wanna call the fuckin’ meat-eaters on me? Huh?”
I jerked backward loosenin’ myself from his grip. His eyes told me that
things were about to worsen. The car behind me wouldn’t allow me to run, so I kept my eyes on Gino and ran backwards as fast as I could. In a dash, he ran after me faster than I expected him to.
Suddenly, I tripped tryna make it back onto the curb. Flat on my ass, my prison tactics kicked in. It was all about survival. I looked around the empty sidewalks hopin’ someone would appear; a mailman, a UPS driver, somebody, anybody!
Gino moved forward takin’ heavy steps in my direction. He kept sayin’, “The cops, huh?”
He chased me as I scooted on my ass backwards, tryin’ to get away.
“Too bad! They’re friends of ours!”
Without hesitation, Gino bent as far downward as his over-sized body would allow, and reached for me. Unable to take me into his grasp, he stopped, stood in the middle of the sidewalk, and struck a pose like the Incredible Hulk. He was angry, damn near fumin’ from the mouth; mostly because he hadn’t got me where he wanted me. I was waitin’ for his ass to turn green.
I stood up, made a run for it, but ended up face down on the ground. Blood trickled from the side of my mouth as Gino stumped his size twelve shoe into my backside. I screamed and pulled my knees close to my stomach to help shield the pain. Unfortunately for me, it fueled Gino’s anger. He’d grabbed me by my hair hard enough to pull out a plug of strands, and dragged me through the streets like a heavy duty mop.
Gino had gone off on me like a tyrant, so I blacked out hopin’ that he’d just kill me. I heard the sound of a car whizzin’ by us, but just my luck it neva even slowed down. Before I knew it, Gino had lifted me from the cold concrete and had me jacked up against the car drillin’ me like a tormented boxer in the ring. My body swayed with each punch, feelin’ like I’d been smashed by a ton of bricks.
“Don’t- you- ever- call- Tony- at- his- house -again!” he stressed, pausin’ in between hits.
I tried to nod, but decided to close my eyes to prepare for the next hit.
“I wanna hear you say it!” he shouted holdin’ me by the neck with one hand.
I couldn’t say shit. My teeth were in pain, and felt like if I opened my mouth they would fall out like bubble gum fallin’ from a machine.
“I’m done,” he said pushin’ me to the ground. “I see we gotta get a place ready for you,” he said then walked off toward his car.
I stayed on the ground thinkin’, a place for me? What the fuck?”
Chapter 17
By the time the next mornin’ rolled around, I had counted up all the money for the week, includin’ last night’s take, and sent a note to the girls by Cinnamon, listin’ my daily expectations for house profits. I wasn’t sure whether she knew it or not, but Cinnamon had been a life saver. She’d taken care of all my responsibilities, and still managed to convince me to get dressed. Although I listened, I found myself back in bed, sittin’ with a saddened expression, and my back flat against the headboard. I was cautious with my attire, choosin’ somethin’ not so sexy, yet loose, keepin’ the fabric on my blouse from touchin’ my bruised skin.
For me, the pain was more than I expected. I neva knew that being punched, and stumped, would feel like I’d been hit with a ton of bricks the followin’ mornin’. I remember someone tellin’ me once, that after a terrible car accident, the pain always came at you strong the very next day. But damn, I could barely move. My arms had gotten stiffer by the minute and caused me not to make too many sudden moves. There wasn’t really much for me to do anyway, ’cause my girl, Cinnamon, had done it all. She moved about, quiet as a mouse, handlin’ her business, and not askin’ me even one thing.
The mood in my room reminded me of when somebody dies, and the guest don’t know what to say. I didn’t think my beat down would cause so much uncertainty. Things had calmed down a bit in spite of my minor trip to Cinnamon’s emergency room, which was actually in our kitchen. I’d taught her well. I could tell she was becomin’ more confident by the way she walked and talked. She’d even coached me through the night while changin’ my ice pack and bandages in the process.
It was kinda odd for me watchin’ Cinnamon operate as if everythin’ was normal. She moved slowly, but with a smile, and neva once mentioned Tony. I watched from the tiny slit in the corner of my eye as Cinnamon prepared a new ice pack ova by my dresser. She was on her third doctor’s round when she walked ova to me, and placed her hand on my shoulder for comfort. I gave her a fake smile hopin’ that she’d hadn’t lost respect for me. Here I was the Madam, beat-up, black eyed, and in bed.
“Here ya go, girl. This should help,” she said passin’ me the ice pack.
I took it, but with shame, and refused to look her in the eye. She seemed to glow. Her hair was pulled back off her head into a tight, fluffy ponytail.
“Hey, what’s up? I thought we said we were gonna put that Gino thing behind us,” she told me.
“I know. I did already.”
“Nooooo. You didn’t. Or you wouldn’t look so sad.” She grabbed a hand-held mirror from the nightstand and sat down on the bed closer than I wanted her to.
“Really…I’m good,” I responded in a more joyful tone. “My face just hurts a little. It’s tight.”
“The ice will take the swelling down. Plus, I’ma give you two more Advils in another hour. Take a look,” she asked. “It’s not all that bad.”
I hated to look, but had no choice. Cinnamon had the mirror not even three inches from my face. It was crazy how I felt disfigured. The dark spots could be stomached, but the blackish-purple tint had me concerned. It was an ugly sight to see.
I guess Cinnamon thought I’d had enough, ’cause she snatched the mirror from my hand and proceded to get up.
“Hey Cinnamon,” I called out to stop her from movin’ away from the bed. “Hold up a second…gotta tell you somethin’.”
“Shoot.”
I studied her before I spoke. I loved the fact that she always kept her perky attitude no matter what was goin’ down. I even liked the fact that she was willin’ to lose money by takin’ care of me, instead of workin’ for the day. It showed she was a true friend.
“You think I’m stupid?”
“Girl, please. Why would you say something stupid like that?”
She laughed. But it was clear the laughter was to appease me, ’cause the joke wasn’t that funny. Besides, if Cinnamon was smart, she would know I wasn’t interested in jokin’ and bein’ happy. I wanted to stay on my bed sulkin’ all day, and dreamin’ about kickin’ Tony’s ass.
Out of the blue, Cinnamon rushed back ova to the nightstand and grabbed my black cosmetic bag. I wanted to tell her to get outta my personal shit. I mean we’d become close and all, like two peas in a pod, but now she was going too far. “What are you doin’?”
She waved her finger in the air after dippin’ it into the Vaseline.
“Every lady needs to keep her lips lookin’ good. Yours are dry, Missy.”
Just like that she used her forefinger to press a layer of Vaseline to my dry lips. Any otha time I woulda objected, but the gesture showed she cared about how I looked. A part of me wanted to wrap my arms around her to say thanks, but the physical part of me felt as if I was in the twilight zone. I kept starin’ at my doorway wonderin’ if it was true. If so, how did he get in?
“Oh, hey Tony,” Cinnamon said, removin’ herself with ease from my bed. “Can I get you something?”
“No…not really. Let me talk to Co-Co alone.”
Cinnamon didn’t bother answerin’, and I kept my lips pressed together with extra force. I wanted to scream out, “You muthufucka!” But instead, I stayed in my place.
Even though Tony stood four feet away, his lustful look was evident. He carried a black and gold Jansport backpack on his shoulder, and had on a pair of blue jeans with a yellow polo shirt, tucked in of course. He neva missed a beat at being neat. I kept glancin’ across his shoulder to see if Gino was behind him. I guess he figured out my tactic, so he used my fear against me to break the ice.
“He
’s not here,” Tony told me. “I told him to stay behind for now.”
“For now!” I shouted. “That muthufucka beat my ass and you talkin ’bout for now. You gon’ let him do that to me, Tony!”
“It’s outta my hands, Co-Co.” He shrugged his shoulders.
I expected his face to show more concern. I woulda even been satisfied if he shouted and asked me why the fuck I called his house. But no…it was the same old Tony, the Tony who always kept his cool, the Tony who lied to me at least twice a day, and the Tony who wanted to use me up. Use me for my body, and my smarts. His eyes ran across my body like a high-powered scanner. He seemed to be absorbin’ my beauty. Or should I say my bumps and bruises.
He inched closer to the bed, makin’ me think he had intentions on stayin’ a while. “You know your skin is still beautiful.”
“Fucked up and all, huh?” I twitched my lips lettin’ him know I wasn’t fallin’ for no games.
“No, serious. The discoloration beneath your eyes will fade. Good black don’t crack, so I heard.” He chuckled.
Not only did I ignore his ignorant laughter, but I turned my head the moment he peered into my face. His scent, his mesmerizin’ smell, had not changed. I wanted to breathe deeply, takin’ him by the shoulders, but my pride wouldn’t let me.
“Why are you lounging on the bed? You have a few nasty marks that will go away eventually. That’s it. Why not get up and make sure things are good around here?”
“I’ve done everythin’,” I snapped. “And I’m capable of walkin’. I just don’t feel like it. How do you think things have been gettin’ done?” I raised my voice even more, “Can I get a sick day?”
“Of course, you can. One day. One day only,” he confirmed sharply. His voice remained soft as his body inched ova mine again. The closer he got, the more he roamed my face with his hands like he cared. For me though, I knew he didn’t, it was all a game. At twenty-three, it had finally set in that life was a game. Everyone was on the take. All my life bootleg people pretended to care for me; my mother, Dre, Renee, countless people in prison, some who I called friends. Of course there was Bo, and now Tony.
