“Naw, I’m good with that. I’ll be right here waiting. Toss me that remote.” Spade sat down crossing his legs. He always got what he wanted. I was sickened to my stomach, and not because I was pregnant.
The nurse was rough and short with me as I went through a physical, more laboratory tests, and an ultrasound to determine the exact location of the baby. With the monitor turned to her, she took a few pictures and didn’t speak a word to me—even for casual conversation.
“How far along am I?” I couldn’t help but question her.
“Why do you care? You just want the li’l fucker up out of you, right?” she hissed, using my exact words against me.
I fell back on the table and kept silent. I was in a catch-22. But woman to woman, she should’ve treated me with a little more grace. From that point on, I only spoke when spoken to. I focused my heart, mind, and soul on detaching from the child I wished I could keep. And when I popped the first pill with Spade by my side, I knew then I’d never be the same. Handing me a bag of aftercare instructions, including when I would administer the misoprostol to myself, along with antibiotics, the nurse released me back into the mob. The world was cold and lonely for me, even with so much going on around me.
“Baby killer! May the Lord have mercy on your soul!” they shouted, taunting me.
Throwing the towel back over my head, Spade rushed and shoved me into the car. I’m sure he ran a few folks over burning rubber out of the parking lot.
Spade
With one kid on the chopping block, I felt a little stress relieved from off my shoulders. As soon as I got her settled back at the room, I’d be making my way back to Detroit to do the same routine with Tiffany. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking nutting in either of them, because I’m not trying to have no seeds out here sprouting and needing a nigga to hold their hand.
Jakia sat in the passenger seat with tears and snot smeared all over her face. I loved her, yeah, but I wasn’t weak to her emotions. Baby girl could’a gone and chopped this seed up as a loss. “You know you did this to yourself, right?”
She turned and gave me an ice-cold glare, then rolled her eyes to blow me off. “What the fuck? Do you want me to humor you? Inevitably, I don’t see how I’ve had any control over my destiny, Spencer. But you already know that. I’d rather not talk about any of this.”
My anger was boiling over at the way she was addressing me, but I was trying hard to contain it. I was itching to pull over and shove her wannabe badass out of the passenger seat.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Instead of shooting Tiff to the voicemail, I wanted to piss Jakia off even more. I was sick of her slick comments and trying to act tough. “What up, T? You good?”
Jakia’s head whipped in my direction with a menacing glare. With pursed lips, I could tell she was biting the shit out of her tongue, trying to swallow a few cutthroat words. She’d been around me long enough to have picked up on my aggression.
“Hell yeah, I’m good! I’m trying to find out if you and Rock are straight,” Tiff was yelling with a panicked voice into the phone.
“What you mean? A nigga like me stays one-hundred.” I spoke like a boss trying to get under Jakia’s skin.
“Well, it’s all over the news. They’ve arrested the perps responsible for the Motor City Murder, so the bitch I love to hate must’ve finally went down.” Tiff’s words threw me into a shock. I was seldom shook, but all of sudden, my head was throbbing, and everything around me turned into a blur.
“What in the hell did you just say?” Trying my best not to repeat Tiff’s exact words, I didn’t want to set off any alarms with Jakia until I had all the details. In a flash, I turned the volume down as low as it could go, hoping to drown out her response.
I listened to Tiff run down the breaking news story that, according to her, was on every news-reporting Detroit channel. She claimed the Detroit Police Department apprehended the suspects regarding the murder and closed the case officially. Which seemed crazy to me ’cause at least two of the four—plus Tiff—were still living free. Or at least I thought.
Flooring the pedal, I coasted toward the Knights Inn hoping not to pull up on State Troopers surrounding the scene. If Lezlee and Rocko were in police custody, without a doubt, the cops would still be waiting around for us too.
“I can’t believe you answered the phone with that dirty ho,” Jakia twisted her lips up after I hung up on Tiff. “If you don’t respect me as your wife, why should I respect you as my husband?”
Whap!
Slapping her quiet was the only way I could think straight. I was confused and nervous from the phone call and pissed I didn’t have a Christmas cookie. Jakia needed to find and get into her place. “For every other reason that you exist—’cause I said so. Now, sit back and relax—there’s bigger shit on the table to handle. Supposedly, they’ve got the ones responsible for ole boy’s death in custody.”
Jakia
This must’ve been the morning that Satan was sent to earth. First, I pop pills to start the killing process of my baby; then, I find out I might be going to jail. Utterly confused by Spade’s words, I grabbed my chest and tried taking deep breaths. In just two seconds flat, an anxiety attack had set in.
“What do you mean, Spade? How could that be? Do they have Rocko and Lezlee? Did they drop the ball on us? Is your trick side bitch lying?”
“How in the fuck would I know? You were sitting right here when I got the call. And this nigga ain’t answering,” he snapped, then honked the horn at jamming traffic. “Get the hell up out of my way!”
I held on to the seat belt for dear life but not knowing why I wanted to live. I knew Rocko was loyal to at least Spade, which meant me too. But as far as Lezlee went—that stranger danger ho wouldn’t dare take a bid for me. She might’ve rubbed my back and played nice to me last night, but a friend I knew she was not.
The closer we got to the Knights Inn, the deeper my heart sank into my stomach. Between my anxiety and the subtle cramps that were sneaking in and out like contractions, I secretly longed for my body to give up and pass out.
Unexpectedly but thankfully so, the scene was just as mundane as when we left. Thinking there’d be cop cars surrounding the entrance and both rooms rented to Spade and Rocko, only the fiends and early rising prostitutes were posted up. Instead of surveying the land and at least circling the block, Spade pulled in with no fear.
“I don’t know what’s going on. But keep your ass in this car until I say otherwise.” He grabbed the keys from the ignition, got out, and slammed the door.
Spade
“What up, Rock, you good?” I tapped on the door a few times but didn’t get a response. “Aye, cuz, I hear the TV and shit, open up.”
“Damn, nigga, I’m good up in here. Quit sweating me.” He swung the door open. “Ain’t nothing going on but me handling some lingering business. Did you take care of your situation with what would’ve been my li’l cuz?”
“Dude, I’m gonna give you a pass since you obviously don’t know what’s going on. Where’s Lezlee?” I pushed past him into the room. Instantly, Clorox and Kush bud fumes shot up my nostrils, damn near choking me out.
“She ain’t here,” he nonchalantly replied, then slammed the door.
I got to going quickly about Tiff’s phone call. “Aye, come on, we gotta split, Rock. Tiff just called saying they arrested the people responsible for the Motor City Murder. So if that bitch Lezlee is in the wind, it won’t be long before the cops are on our heads.” Rushing to the window and pulling the curtain open, I waved for Jakia to come inside. I didn’t want her out there by herself if a State Boy did roll up.
“Calm down and say what? Have you been smoking that shit again?”
He moved throughout the room looking for the remote. That’s when I noticed the entire room’s linen was stripped and everything, including the drawers, lamp shades, and living space chairs, were pulled out or flipped over.
“Naw, I haven’t. But do
n’t worry about my side sniffing when you’ve been up to some ole action adventure MacGyver shit. What’s going on up on here?” Pointing at the random clutter of the room while he found a local channel to report the Detroit news, I ran him through an investigation.
He threw his hand up with a smirk on his face, then passed me the blunt. I hit it with no problem, then opened the door for Jakia to come in. Just like me, she covered her nose coughing from the fumes, then looked around not knowing what was up.
We watched the news report featuring the captain of the Detroit Police Department along with the attorney working for the mayor. Just as Tiff ran back on the phone with me, they were claiming to have those responsible for the crime me and my team committed awaiting sentencing in their custody. Before I could speak up about my suspicions of what was occurring, Jakia broke the room’s silence.
“Where’s that snake you fucking, Rocko? I know that bitch is down there singing like a canary to the cops.” She jumped up, pacing the room.
We both looked at her shocked that she’d gone nuts and taken that tone with a man linked to my blood. She knew better, but given the circumstances, I was trying to give her a slight pass.
“I can’t take this. Oh my God, I’m about to be sick.” She darted for the bathroom. “Aaah! Aaah! Spadeee!” Her piercing screams sent shivers through even my spine. Out of instinct and concern, I ran to be by her side. I didn’t know what the problem was, but being human, I understood this whole ordeal must’ve been traumatic for her.
“Have you lost your fuckin’ mind, Rock?” Slouched in the water was Lezlee’s lifeless body. When I got a closer look, I saw the phone cord wrapped around her neck and her eyes bucked wide.
“The weakest link attached to our hip is dead. I ain’t crazy. I’m precautious. We’ve taken too many risks already.” Rocko was answering to what he’d done but was drowned out by Jakia’s wailing.
Cupping her mouth to enclose the screaming, I led her out of the bathroom all the while side-eyeing Rocko. He’d been flipping the switch all day but never did I expect for him to ice Lezlee. From one extreme to the next, the life I lived was mad crazy, fa’sho.
Jakia
Hyperventilating and trying not to pass out, the image of Robert Taylor’s dead body had been replaced with Lezlee’s ghastly looking face. I was flushed with regret for wishing her dead because from the looks of if, she suffered horribly. Spade passed me the blunt he was smoking as Rocko sat across lighting another one.
“She had to die. When we got back last night, I heard her talking to that dead man’s wife. I couldn’t trust her ass to be around me for not a second more.” He brushed off killing her like it was nothing. All this time, I thought Rocko was the good guy. But lately, he was turning out to be more scandalous and heinous than Spade.
“Is that why they’re saying they’ve caught the Motor City Murderers? Did she tell his wife we did it? I don’t understand any of this.”
“Ain’t no telling what was said during their conversation—and we sure can’t find out now.” Spade cut Rocko off from any answers he was willing to give. “What’s real is that we’ve gotta get rid of her body and get out of here. So quit all that whining and get your game face on. You’ve been around a dead body before.” Spade downplayed the situation.
“Plus, if the cops knew your identity and our whereabouts, they would’ve been here by now. Our best bet is to get up out of here,” Rocko cosigned.
He and Spade kicked it between themselves as if I weren’t in the room about the next moves we’d make. In the middle of me trying to meditate and wrap my head around Lezlee’s sudden murder and my involvement in her mutilation, I overheard Spade making plans to uproot—falling off the grid from Detroit for good. Rocko agreed, so nothing more needed to be discussed. As usual, I didn’t have a choice in the matter, but truthfully speaking, I didn’t feel comfortable going back to the city anyway. In my opinion, the DPD was on some shady shit that could blow up in my face later.
Young and dumb, I’ve been a ride-and-die girl in a lot of Spade and Rocko’s reckless missions; however, disposing of another woman’s body took the cake. Despite the cramps, pounding headache, and overwhelming nerves that were fighting to take over my being, I used whatever potent concoction Rocko mixed up to clean the walls again. Using gloves, I made sure not to leave a fingerprint of mine. Since I knew the police didn’t have the guilty party in custody, my fretfulness wouldn’t settle.
When Spade barked out orders for me to help move Lezlee, I followed his orders but couldn’t help throwing up at seeing her dead again. She was wrapped in sheets, but her limbs stuck out from the sides as if they were taunting me. I trembled at the sight of death, then thought about what Spade would do to me if I became a threat. If only I could endure, Juan would be home to save me. Only able to help carry her to the door, having her dead body under my touch freaked me out, making me let go. No matter what Spade thought, I couldn’t help them toss her in the dumpster.
Spade
In addition to me peeping Jakia couldn’t handle the task at hand, I needed to get some space from her so I could blow a blunt. After everything that’s gone down today, especially her abortion, I knew she wanted to smoke with me, and I didn’t want to get her hooked on Christmas cookies. Come to think of it, though, if she kept acting up, an addiction might be in her future.
“Clean the bathroom from top to bottom while we go dump her around back. We’ll be hitting the road shortly after we get back,” I ordered Jakia to work while Rocko and I prepared to ride out with a dead body.
“I’m feeling kinda dizzy, Spade. I’ll clean it after I get a few moments to rest,” she softly spoke, curling up on the floor.
“Naw, ain’t no time for that. You can rest in the car. Think about how you feeling the next time you quit popping them birth control pills with yo’ sneaky ass.”
Yanking her up, I stood and monitored Jakia cleaning the room for a few minutes until I felt comfortable leaving her alone. This wasn’t the time for her to get weak with another murder hovering over us. I wasn’t tripping on Rocko, though. Lezlee was a liability and had to go.
Rocko and I carried her around back of the Knights Inn motel as discreetly as we could. In the alley, there were a few battered-looking working women giving slob jobs to tricks, but no one paid the slightest attention to us. With only a little strength exerted, we tossed Lezlee’s body into the trash container, then threw a few bags from other receptacles on top of her. Since her body was wrapped in white sheets, maybe—just maybe—she’d go unnoticed until making it to the county’s final disposal site. We returned to the room and found Jakia finishing up in the bathroom.
“Go ahead and attack our room the same way. We’ll be loading the van up.” I sent her on her way so Rocko and I could talk in private.
The door hadn’t slammed behind her good before I commenced to dropping my hand with Rocko wanting to know what was up. I wasn’t built to go against the grain in front of Jakia, but I wanted to know the words of the last conversation he had with Lezlee just as badly as she did.
“Let’s kick it right quick before we make this last haul up I-75. Real talk, it would be nice to know what ole girl said before you iced her.” I kept it real.
“She didn’t tell much because the dead man’s wife wasn’t trying to hear nothing. From what I did hear, she was willing to tell it all.”
“I told you that broad was trouble.” I couldn’t help but throw that fact in his face. “But bros before hoes, so it’s no skin off my back.”
We gave each other plays, then chilled for a second making sure we were A1 swell. Everything within the last twenty-four hours had been insane, and both of us sensed the slight tension. In place of having a bitch session and calling out flaws, we acknowledged things needed to get better by handshake, then agreed to move on. As family, I couldn’t be petty to him. Flat the fuck out, he was the only person 100 percent in my corner.
“Let’s be out and get back to the city. If
she did throw them some leads to us being here, I don’t want to be around if the boys come snooping. You can stay at my crib until we make our next move.”
“A’ight, cool. Maybe we can hit a few more licks to add with what’s stacked at Tiff’s. We’ll need it once we get to a new city and start back on our grind.” Rocko was truly feeling the idea of leaving his hometown for good.
“I’m with it, fa’sho,” I agreed with no hesitation. “If I can’t take care of my problem with Tiff, I’m gonna have to leave town for good anyway,” I joked in all seriousness. With all the craziness going on, I still remembered the daunting alleged “pregnancy” I was responsible for.
Giving the room a thorough once-over to make sure nothing was left behind, we walked out with one more stop to make before leaving the Knights Inn for good.
Rocko
“Yo, Hakem, let me pay you up front for me and Rock’s tab for next week.” I walked into the front office flashing a bankroll to the hotel’s attendant.
“Okay—okay, not a problem, bro.” He popped open his safe as I laid the bills across the counter.
Instead of paying with big bills like every other time, I left Hakem to count stacks of fives, tens, and a few twenties so I’d have time to survey the premises longer. There were a few cameras that I assumed weren’t working, but I didn’t want to take any additional chances. I was trying to think and move differently since the casino hit went wrong. Finally making count to the last bill, Hakem looked up to the barrel of my gun.
Graveyard Love Page 13
