Level Up

by Nikki Karma

  Already I eyed a pair of gold bamboo earrings, some chains and even a camera. I already know if we backed the car up we’d make out clean just taking everything not nailed down.

  I’m in my element and things appeared to be going smoothly until I see my sister’s fearful expression. “What is it?” I asked her dropping the bag. “Why you looking all crazy? The cops coming or something?”

  “Don’t be mad, Tasha.” Her eyes widened. “I know how you are so I’m telling you right now.” My heart thumped harder.

  I stepped up to her. So close she couldn’t move if she tried. “What the fuck is it, Crystal? Right now you got my mind going a mile a minute.”

  “His wife is home.”

  “His wife?” I repeated, mostly out of breath. “But I thought he was single?”

  “Well the nigga lied.” She paused. “So what we gonna do now?”

  CHAPTER NINE

  TASHA

  I was sitting in the bedroom with Denise Lane’s naked bloody body between my legs. We hadn’t been in here for ten minutes and Crystal had already hit her on the head and so she was injured. Prior to that her yellow body was without a flaw so I could tell she had work done. Definitely a trap nigga’s wife that’s for sure.

  My hand is pressed against her trembling lips and I’m squeezing so tight I can feel her teeth push back. I don’t mean to be this rough but I need to keep her silent so that whoever is knocking at the door right now will go away.

  One minute Crystal was saying Hollywood’s wife is home and the next someone is knocking at the door. It seemed like every possible situation that could happen was happening. I knew I should’ve gone with my instincts and stayed home. Fuck! What is wrong with me?

  Crystal stood next to the closed bedroom door with her gun looking as if she was about to blast anyone who tries to enter. I remembered when she got that piece too and I should’ve taken it from her then. She bought it off some chick she was fucking who was mad at her man and selling off all his stuff after she shot him in the arm with it. He survived and they got back together but still. After all this time I hoped she’d never have a reason to pull it out but I was wrong. Let’s just pray it’s not loaded.

  “I don’t hear them knocking,” Crystal said with her ear pressed against the wooden door. She looked back at me. “I think we good now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “As sure as I’m gonna be anyway.” She shrugged. “I mean, I don’t hear anybody walking out there. Sounds like we in the clear. Let’s just keep our voices low.”

  I looked down at the woman between my legs. She was frowning like she wanted to kill everybody. To be honest I can’t say that I blamed her. I don’t wanna hurt her more, but I needed time to think of a plan before we let her go.

  “Listen, I’m gonna take my hand off your lips but if you scream I’m gonna be furious. Do you understand? And that means I’ll be forced to fuck you up in here.”

  She nodded yes.

  My hand peeled away from her wet lips slowly. Denise ran her tongue over her mouth and said, “I can’t believe ya’ll doing this shit.” She looked at my sister and then me. “Do you know who I am? Did you even bother to do your research before coming in here?” She grabbed the sheet and covered her body before wiping the blood wound from her head.

  “I know you sexy as shit,” Crystal said thinking things was a joke as usual. “I can tell you that much.”

  “Do you have any idea about what I can have happen to you?” Denise continued looking at her and then me. “And everyone you love? This is not a game. I’m talking about your lives!”

  I looked at Crystal who avoided me by looking at her instead. This is all her fault and I’m trying not to hate her because it won’t help. At this point in the game I had to see the situation through.

  “Denise, I know it’s fucked up but we ain’t trying to hurt you,” I said running my hand down my face. “We just want what—”

  “Not trying to hurt me?” She laughed. “It’s too late for that shit because when my husband hears about this its gonna be war. Plus look at my face. I already got a cut.”

  “Well maybe we’ll make sure he doesn’t get the message then,” Crystal said walking up to her with the gun aimed toward her temple. “Because if that’s our only problem we won’t have one if we kill you.” She looked at me. “What you think, sis?”

  I slapped the barrel down and it fired into the floor. I jumped off the bed and moved toward her. “Crystal, that shit loaded?”

  “Yes! You thought it was a game?” She smiled. “I wouldn’t come here without being strapped. This is serious business.”

  “Fuck is goin’ on with you?” I paused. “Are you that far gone that you don’t realize what’s happening? We in over our heads now.”

  I heard the bed squeaking and looked back at Denise who managed to slip on her nightgown without us watching. Now she was staring at us with her fists clenched. When Crystal first walked in she said she caught her playing with her pussy. Anyway, she’s beyond mad and has a look in her eye that could kill.

  “Listen, bitches, you both cute.” We looked at her. “You have your whole life ahead of you. So I’m gonna tell you like this.” She paused. “You two whores get out my house right now and leave everything you bagged up and I won’t tell my husband about none of this. It will be as if nothing ever happened. But if you take this option you better take everyone you love with you out of town too, because it’s over for you in The A. ‘Cause if I ever see either one of you in these streets ya’ll done.”

  “And if we don’t leave town?” Crystal asked. “Just what the fuck do you think you gonna do?”

  “Then I guess Hollywood burying niggas for the next six months.” She shrugged. “It’s as simple as that.” She smiled like she had the upper hand.

  Before I could stop Crystal from reaching her, she comes down over her face with the butt of her gun. Again. Denise’s cheek opens up and blood splashes out of her skin and drips onto Crystal and the mattress. I grabbed Crystal by the waist and tackled her to the carpet. The gun dropped out of her hand and I crawled over to it, stuffed it in the waist of my jeans and grabbed her by the shoulders.

  “Get off me, bitch,” Crystal yelled. She tried to push me off but I don’t budge. I always have been stronger than her.

  “I’m gonna really need you to calm the fuck down, Crystal!” I yelled. “You hear what I’m saying?”

  “You fucked up now,” Denise said smiling licking her own blood. Her white teeth turned dark red. “You’d do better putting that gun to your head than sticking around here.”

  Tiring of her I removed the gun from my waist and aimed at her. Now I could see Denise was scared too. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now?” I cocked the gun. “Since it’s obvious all is lost anyway.” I shrugged.

  Denise sighed and looked at the barrel. I’m not sure but something told me she knew I was serious. “There’s money in here. Under the bed.” She paused. “Take it. It’s yours.”

  I looked at Crystal whose jaw was hung.

  ****

  I found the money.

  There had to be over one hundred thousand.

  The plan was simple.

  Do one more job, level up and then we’d go our separate ways. Life would be easy and me, a hood bitch from Atlanta, would get to run away with the girl of my dreams.

  So why am I covered in Denise’s blood? Why am I surrounded by money I ain’t gonna ever get a chance to spend? And why is my sister, the one who I would give my life for responsible?

  I guess we all got a story, huh? You ain’t lived a good life unless somebody can look at you and say one of two things. That bitch lived hard and will never be forgotten, or I ain’t ever trying to turn out like her.

  For me, I guess, they gonna say both.

  After finding the money and putting it in Denise’s car, since we ditched the stolen one about thirty minutes earlier, I had to put Denise away. I couldn’t take her taunting Cry
stal anymore, telling her about all of the things Hollywood was gonna do once he found out. She was only mad because she thought after giving us the money that we would go away.

  She was wrong.

  So she elected to talk foul. Said foul stuff like she’d cut Crystal’s titties off and make dyke stew. Real terrible shit. I don’t even know how she knew we were gay. I mean I looked the part but not my sister.

  So we threw a black quilt over her body, duct taped her mouth and tied her to some pipes in the basement of her own house. They seemed to be sturdy and we kept walking into the basement just to make sure she hadn’t gotten away. So far we were good.

  We were in the master bedroom, sitting on the bed, trying to figure out our next move while Crystal was putting a fresh bandage on the stab wound on her side. I guess after we fought the stitches popped open.

  “Why you pull me into this shit, Crystal,” I asked her. “Just keep shit real with me. Why didn’t you let me out the game when I had the chance to go? Is it because you love me or want me in hell with you?”

  She looked back at me and shook her head. “Why you coming at me with this shit? Ain’t this the wrong time?”

  “I’m asking you a serious question,” I said stepping up to her. “I’m your sister and I don’t want you beating around the bush. Do you love me or not? Just be real.”

  “You know I do, Tasha.” She said. “That shouldn’t even be a question.” She paused. “Don’t add one thing into the other.”

  “Then why would you pull me in this when I had a chance to be free?” She paused. “People who love each other want the best for their family but it don’t feel that way with you. I had a fucking chance, Crystal.”

  “There you go making everything about you again.” She pushed her long hair from her face. “To be honest I thought you would love this job. I thought it would remind you about how much fun we have together. So you’ll stay around.”

  “Fun we have together?” I repeated. “You really don’t even understand what’s goin’ on. You got Hollywood’s wife in the basement tied up.” I pointed at the floor. “That woman said he killed his first victim at age thirteen by pushing a nigga off a balcony. We don’t rob people like that, Crystal. We stay far away from them because we not killers.”

  She sighed deeply. Like I was the one who put us in this shit and she was irritated with me. “Do you love me, Tasha?” She asked crossing her arms over her chest.

  “You turning this around but yes, you know I do.” I paused. “That is the main reason I didn’t want us doing something that could get you and me killed.” I paused. “Any other questions?”

  “Well if you love me, then why would you leave me alone with mama?” She was about to cry and I wasn’t in the mood. “When you know the life we had coming up? Tasha, I can’t take care of her without you. And what if somebody remembered what we did when we were in high school?” She asked. “Don’t forget about that because I think about it everyday. If you gone I will have to deal with it alone.”

  “Don’t try and put ma being sick on me. And that other stuff we did as kids is a done deal.” I paused. “I’m the one who wanted to put ma in a place so she could get some real help.”

  “Well we not doing that and you know I wouldn’t cosign on it. So what happens now? You gonna be somewhere with Nikki leaving me to deal with this alone. It’s not fair.”

  My phone rung in my pocket and I was relieved because I was talking in circles. I took the cell out and walked away from her. “I gotta grab this call, Crystal.” I paused. “Give me a second.”

  She shook her head. “I swear whenever that bitch calls you go running.” She rolled her eyes. “You might as well sew your face onto her pussy. That way you can clock her every move.” She stormed out the room.

  “Stay away from the window,” I yelled at her. “And don’t forget to check on her in about an hour.” I answered the phone and sat on the couch in the next room. “Hello.”

  “Tasha, is everything okay?” I paused. “You sounded bad when you ended the call and I’ve been worried. Please don’t hang up on me. I can’t fight anymore.”

  I scratched my head. “Nikki, I gotta say something but I don’t want you interrupting me when I say it. It’s important that you listen because I don’t know when I’ll be able to tell you this shit again.”

  “Tasha, you scaring me now.” She paused. “We were arguing earlier and now you sound different. Like you about to tell me you have cancer or something else crazy.”

  “I know and I’m sorry. But listen.” I swallowed. “I know I don’t treat you right all the time. It’s not because I don’t love or appreciate you. It’s just that sometimes I don’t always do what’s right. But I need you to understand that there’s nobody else out there I want to be with, Nik. Yeah I used to fuck a few bitches along the way but not one of them can stand next to you and they all knew your name. That includes Carmen.” I could hear her crying. “It doesn’t justify my actions recently but I wanted you to know how I feel.”

  “This sounds like the end. And I don’t know what’s goin’ on but unless you dead, I will always be by your side, Tasha. That’s my problem and what frustrates me so much. I don’t give a fuck what you goin’ through. If you gotta kill somebody, I’ll put my hand over yours and we’ll both pull the trigger.”

  ****

  I smiled when I opened my eyes because I had a good night’s sleep. I don’t remember my bed being this soft and it felt like I’m at one of them upper class hotels in the ritzy part of Atlanta. When I smelled an unknown scent I sat up and looked down at the floor.

  I wasn’t at home.

  Fuck is wrong with me? I was way too comfortable in this nigga’s house. I guess I allowed stress to push me to sleep and didn’t even realize it until now. Fuck!

  Before I caught a few winks, I told Crystal who was in the basement to watch Denise while I grabbed a quick nap. Since the sun is shining into the room, I figured she let me sleep longer than I wanted and now it’s the next day. The plan was to snatch some quick rest until we figured out what to do with Denise. Not be knocked out like we had no troubles.

  I hopped up and saw Crystal sitting on the recliner with her head hanging back. Is this bitch actually sleep? Irritated, I walked to the front of the chair and slapped her in the face.

  “What’s going on with Denise, Crystal?” I looked around. “And wake the fuck up before I steal you in your jaw. You weren’t supposed to let me sleep that late! You were supposed to wake me up!”

  “What…who is that?” She rubbed sleep out her eyes and then yawned. “And why you talking all loud? My head hurts.”

  I slapped her again and her long hair fell in her face. “Whore, wake up and tell me what’s going on with Denise. You were on duty and instead of watching her you out here acting like we don’t have this nigga’s wife.”

  “She’s in the basement.” She yawned. “And don’t worry. I duct taped her a little more to the pipe. Then I tied her legs with some rope I found in the cellar. Ain’t no way she moving. Trust me.”

  Of course I didn’t believe her and I immediately rushed to the basement. When I hit the last step I saw her some feet away from the pipe, although still partially tied to it, she managed to get the duck tape up from her mouth. She was on the phone talking. I immediately snatched the handset from her and hung up. Why didn’t I see the phone down here yesterday?