by India
“Girl, I thought you had fallen off the face of the earth.” He looked me over from head to toe. Inwardly, I felt embarrassed about my low-budget attire, which consisted of an oversized Hanes T-shirt, black stretch pants, and white knock-off Sketchers. However, there was nothing I could do about it now, so I played it cool. “You look good.” He smiled again.
“Stop lying, nigga.” I rolled my eyes, and his passenger smirked. Was this bitch laughing at me?
“I ain’t lying, fam.” He raised his right hand in defense.
“Whatever!” I snapped.
“Stop trippin’, girl. Don’t nobody give a fuck about what you wearing. I’m saying you look better than I expected you to look after losing your peoples, that’s all.”
“Oh.” I looked away awkwardly. “Yeah, I’m doing as well as can be expected, I guess.”
“I tried several times to get at you, but your grandmother wasn’t playing that shit.” He laughed.
“Yeah, Gran is definitely something else.” I laughed too. “How have you been doing?” I knew how much he loved my father, and I could still see the pain in his face.
“I’m cool, I guess, just a little fucked up.” He sighed. “I still can’t believe that nigga gone.”
“Me either.”
“I beat myself up every day, fam.” His jaw muscles flexed. “Had I still been there, maybe shit would’ve been different.”
“Hey, ain’t no sense in crying over spilled milk. We just got to pick up the pieces and keep pushing.” I too had wondered what if Ace had been there during the ambush, but I shook it off because I would’ve probably had three deaths to deal with instead of two.
“What are you about to get into?” He started the car back up, which pleased his date, who appeared to care less about our conversation.
“Nothing for real.” I shrugged. “I’m just going to post up here until I can come up with my next move.”
“Come take a ride with your boy.” He unlocked the car.
“I thought we were going to the movies, Ace!” his chick snapped.
“That was until I saw my sister. Now you can ride with us, or I can take you home.” He gave her a stone-cold stare that meant business.
“I thought it was going to be just me and you,” she tried to whisper in a seductive tone. “Wouldn’t you rather be doing grown folk things than to be bothered with some kid?”
I was about to dog check this ho, but Ace cut to the chase before I had time to vocalize my thoughts.
“I guess you didn’t hear me, Bianca. That’s my sister. She comes before any pussy, point blank period. I tried to be nice and ask you to roll with us, but now I changed my mind. Just get the fuck out.” He spoke firmly yet softly.
“Are you being for real, nigga? You just gon’ put me out and make me walk home?”
“Your house is around the corner. You’ll be fine.” He shooed her away, and I laughed. “Come on, sis, let’s ride.”
“Where are we going?” Alicia walked up to the car and joined the conversation. “Hey, Ace.” She smiled like a lovesick puppy. Ace waved and smiled, and I shook my head. Ever since I could remember, Alicia had had a huge crush on Ace. He didn’t share the same feelings, but he always remained polite with her.
“What’s up, Alicia.” He nodded. “I was just about to take Janie for a ride. Would you like to roll too?”
“And you know this, man.” She imitated Chris Tucker while handing me the paper plate of leftover pizza she had warmed up for me.
“Where are you taking me?” I sat in the passenger seat and fastened my seat belt.
“You’ll see.” He cranked up the music and sped off toward our destination.
Chapter Five
“Ace, you really didn’t have to do all of this.” I held up the shopping bags filled to the brim with clothing from Gucci, BCBG, Bebe, Burberry, Juicy Couture, and many others.
“We’re family, and besides, I owe your father everything. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably be dead.” He tossed a cup of frozen yogurt into the trash can.
“I really appreciate you.” My words were sincere, and I was grateful to have him.
After leaving Shoe Maniac and Express, I went into the nearest restroom and discarded my pink cotton T-shirt, denim jeggings, and white Kmart knock-off shoes. My new gear consisted of a sheer canary yellow button-up, white linen shorts, and a pair of white wedge heels. Alicia pulled my long hair up into a bun as I admired the two-carat studs Ace had purchased for me from Zales. “My father always said that when you’re dressed well, you feel good, and I feel better than I’ve felt in months,” I told Alicia.
“You look gorgeous.” She grabbed her bags and waited for me to grab mine.
“I can’t believe he cashed out like this.” My retail bill alone was well over five racks. He’d even bought me panties and bras from Victoria’s Secret, body lotion from Bath & Body Works, and a new purse and matching wallet from Michel Kors.
“Ace is just sweet like that.” Alicia exited the restroom, and I followed her. “I’m surprised he ain’t wifed nobody up yet.”
“He is a playa.” I shook my head. For as long as I’d known Ace, he changed woman like he changed underwear.
“I don’t think so. Maybe if he found the right girl, things would be different.” She nudged me.
“I guess.” I shrugged as we headed back into the mall.
“It’s about time!” Ace stood from his seat at the food court. “I thought y’all would be in there another hour.”
“You can’t rush perfection,” I teased.
“Come on, let’s roll.” He grabbed his cell phone and keys off the table. As we left Somerset Mall, I thanked Ace again for the kind gesture. In Detroit, all of the people with money shopped here, and I must admit it felt pretty damn good to have a few labels back in my life.
“Where to now?” Ali asked while flexing the new Movado timepiece Ace had bought her.
“Just sit back and enjoy the ride.” He turned up the music, and we headed downtown.
The first spot we pulled up on was off of McDougal. It belonged to this old head named Larry. Larry was a numbers man who had more money coming through his place than the Michigan Lottery commission itself. “What are we doing here?” I asked. I knew my father offered Larry protection in exchange for a hefty fee, but that didn’t have anything to do with me.
“We’re here to collect Julius’s money.”
“My daddy has been dead almost a year. Larry ain’t gon’ pay me.” I shook my head.
“Your father was well respected out here in these streets. Even though he’s gone, his legacy lives. Larry is a stand-up guy, and he’ll do right by you.” As Ace put the car in park, I reached for the door handle. “Chill, shorty. You can’t just be rolling up unannounced. Let me call him first.” Ace pulled out his phone and dialed Larry.
After a minute or two, the old man emerged from the well-kept house, smoking a cigarette while pulling an oxygen tank. “What’s going on, young blood?” He leaned down into the window.
“I can’t call it, fam.” Ace leaned over and dapped him up. I watched as their knuckles collided with one another.
“Who this you got with you?” Larry leaned in and tried to get a better look at Alicia and me. “These are some thoroughbreds you got here, young’un.” He licked his lips, and I almost gagged.
“This is Julius’s daughter.” Ace pointed at me, and the old man choked on his cancer stick.
“Aw, shit! Why didn’t you say something sooner?” he scolded Ace. “I’m sorry, young lady, please forgive me and accept my condolences for what happened to your old man.” He truly appeared embarrassed. I smiled and nodded my forgiveness.
Ace cut to the chase. “Look here, old timer, we came through ’bout some business. Janie is here to collect on her father’s last payment.”
Without hesitation, Larry reached into his pocket and handed me a wad of crisp bills. “I only owed him five, but I put another grand in there to apologi
ze for my behavior.” Larry flicked out his cigarette and smiled.
“We sure do appreciate it, old timer.” Ace started the car.
“Hey, Julius was a good man. It’s only fitting that I do right by his daughter.” Larry put the brown wallet back into his pocket. “Wish these new ones was like him.”
“Thanks again,” I said before we pulled off toward our next destination.
Chapter Six
By now, we had been riding around the city for the better part of the day, and I was tired. After about seven locations, I was $16,000 richer, but who knew how draining collecting money could be? Don’t get it twisted, I was very grateful, but everyone wanted to talk and share fond memories about my father, which only made me sadder as the day progressed. My parents were well known throughout the inner cities of Michigan, but I had no idea how much they were loved. Thankfully, we were pulling up to our last stop.
“I got this. Just keep the car running,” I instructed Ace. This spot belonged to Gudda, one of my father’s homies from way back. He was like family, so I felt comfortable approaching the home alone.
“This is a trap house,” Ace announced like I was a moron.
“Duh!” I rolled my eyes. I was tired of him thinking I was some punk-ass little girl. Alicia laughed at my antics, but Ace wasn’t amused.
“All right, big shot.” He smirked. “You better take the strap.” He reached into his waistband and handed me a .38-caliber hand gun. I didn’t know what the hell he expected to go down inside of Gudda’s spot, but I took it and tucked it behind my back in the waist on my shorts.
As I stepped from the car, my heart began to pound. For some reason, I was nervous, but I shook it off and approached the side door. This house on Promenade was in a bad area on the east side, but like I said, Gudda was my daddy’s people.
Tap. Tap. I knocked hard enough to be heard but light enough not to be mistaken for the police. “Who the fuck is that?” some man with a heavy voice asked without opening the door.
“It’s Julius’s daughter, Janie,” I spoke to the door.
“What the fuck you doing around here?” The man still hadn’t opened the door.
“I’m looking for Gudda!” I snapped. It was getting dark out here, and I was getting paranoid. “Are you going to let me in, or are we going to keep talking through this punk-ass door?” I looked at the car and Ace was looking back at me. I held my finger up to indicate to give me a few more minutes.
“This ain’t no place for little girls.” The man finally opened the door and let me in.
“I just need to talk to Gudda for a minute. Is he here?” From my position at the side door, I could see straight into the basement where some dopefiend was giving head to two men at the same damn time. The woman was buck-naked and on her knees crawling from one lap to the other. I couldn’t see the men’s faces, but I could see they both were working with small units.
“I said he upstairs!” The man put his hand in front of my eyes and snapped me out of my daze. “Go through the kitchen and turn left. He’s in the first room on the right.”
As instructed, I walked through the kitchen and tried not to stare at the woman standing at the stove stirring a boiling pot of something while wearing rubber gloves and a painter’s mask. Once in the living room, I was caught off guard by the man leaning against the wall. He had fallen asleep while standing. I thought he was going to fall over on me, so I ran past him and up the stairs. Naiveté is a funny thing. At the time, I didn’t know the woman in the kitchen was actually cooking crack, and the man in the living room was as high as a kite on what is called a dopefiend nod. Later on in life, I eventually learned firsthand how a trap house operated.
“Come in,” Gudda yelled after I knocked on the bedroom door.
“Long time no see.” I stepped inside to find him on a leather sectional playing the Xbox.
“Well, look at what the wind blew in.” He paused the game. “You are looking good, girl. Come take a seat next to cousin Gudda.” He patted the seat next to him. The look in his eyes made me uncomfortable, so I remained standing. “Damn, Janelle, you came all this way and you won’t even take a seat.”
“It ain’t like that.” I didn’t want to offend him. “I just came through to pick up the money you owed my father.” I swallowed hard because Gudda was looking at me sideways.
“What money?”
“My father’s cut is forty percent of your operation. He usually collects on the first and the fifteenth of the month, but he died on the thirty-first.” I tried to sound like I wasn’t to be fucked with, but my poker face needed work. “I’m just here to get what you would’ve paid him on the first had he not been killed.”
“In case you haven’t heard, I don’t owe no dead nigga shit.”
“He ain’t just no dead nigga. That’s your friend.” I couldn’t believe how reckless this fool was talking about my father.
“Let me school you real fast.” He spoke while grabbing the remote to turn the channel on the wall-mounted sixty-inch television. A surveillance video from downstairs came on the big screen. “Ain’t no friends in this game,” he continued.
“So you saying fuck my father?” My nostrils flared.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” He grabbed a small glass off the coffee table beside him and took a deep gulp of the brown liquid inside.
“Fuck you, Gudda!” I shook my head. “After everything my father was to you, you should be ashamed.”
“No hard feelings, Janelle. That’s just the game.” He shrugged. “Now let me walk you out.” He stood from the couch and lunged toward me.
“What are you doing?” I tried to dodge him, but somehow I got caught up against the door.
“You up in here looking like a bag of candy, and I got to get me a taste.” With one hand on my throat, Gudda used his other hand to unfasten my shorts.
“Stop!” I tried to yell, but it was useless because my air supply was limited.
“Who gon’ stop me? Yo’ daddy?” He laughed.
This nigga was crazy if he thought I was about to let him violate me. Without a second thought, I reached behind my back and grabbed Ace’s gun. Pop! Pop! I sent two shots to Gudda’s gut. My father always told me to never pull a gun unless you were going to use it, so that’s exactly what I did.
“Fuck!” He let me go and grabbed the two holes I’d just put into his body. Almost on cue, I heard footsteps leading upstairs, and I began to panic. I had totally forgotten that Gudda had his goons downstairs waiting and ready to handle me.
“Shit!” I looked around the room for an exit strategy, and that’s when I almost fainted. Right there on the surveillance cameras was a room full of the boys in blue. I must’ve had the worst luck in the world to shoot a dope dealer at the same time his joint was being raided.
“You’re surrounded by the Detroit Police! Come out with your hands up,” I heard on the other side of the door. Sweat gathered on my forehead, and I wasn’t sure what was pounding loudest: my heart or my head. “I repeat, you are surrounded, come out with your hands up!”
“Fuck it,” I said to myself and headed out of the window. The jump was two stories high, but with no other options, I did what I had to do.
Chapter Seven
“Ahh.” I fell on top of the hood of a parked Lincoln Navigator and came down hard on my ass. I looked from right to left and knew that making it to Ace’s car was no longer an option. I could see the flashing blue and red lights coming from the front of the house. I was already in the backyard, so I headed for the alley.
“The shooter took the window,” I heard behind me. “There she is, Mack.”
“I got her.”
I heard the man running behind me, but I didn’t turn around to see how close he was. Woof! Woof! Woof! A big-ass pit bull barked from a neighbor’s yard. Fear of the vicious animal was nothing compared to the fear of getting caught by the cops, so I kept pushing.
“Freeze!” I heard as I hopped over a fence and
dodged two stray cats. I swear on my parents, I was moving like a track star, but the police officer was on my ass.
“Put your gotdamn hands up or I’ll shoot you,” he warned.
Quickly, I contemplated his threat and weighed my options. If he killed me, at least I would be with my parents, so I kept running until I hit a dead end.
“Fuck!” I kicked a cardboard box. There was nowhere else to run and nowhere to hide.
“Drop the weapon and place your hands behind your head.” The officer was out of breath, and so was I. Having no other choice, I did as I was told and the officer arrested me.
“What are you doing out here in these streets?” The young black cop pulled me up from the ground by my wrists.
“I got the right to remain silent, right?” I looked at him, and he smirked.
“I guess you do.” He stopped walking and looked at me. “What’s your name, little girl?”
“I want a lawyer.” I had watched too many episodes of Law & Order.
“Suit yourself. I was just asking because you looked familiar, that’s all.” He started walking again.
“My name is Janelle. Janelle Doesher.”
“Are your parents Julius and Monica?” He stopped walking again. I didn’t know how to respond. For all I knew, this cop could’ve had a grudge with my parents. “It’s a simple question, baby girl.”
“What happens if I say no?”
“Then I take you to jail,” he responded nonchalantly.
I looked him over and decided to be honest. After all, I was already going to jail anyway. “Yes, those are my parents.” I sighed. “How did you know?”
He stared at me for a minute and unlocked my handcuffs. “You look just like Monica.” He stared off into the distance. “Me and your folks was cool. I really miss them.”
“I don’t remember my father having cops for friends,” I half joked.
“If I weren’t a friend, why would I uncuff you?”
Dude had a point.
“Anyway, why were you in the trap house and why did you shoot Gudda?”
