A Street Girl Named Desire: A Novel (35 page)

Desire rapidly pulled off the remaining tape and rope as her mother continued.

“He kept saying over and over again how he's gonna get you back for fucking him over and for ruining his life.”

They ran out the bathroom and Desire yelled to her mother to call the police.

She ran to the front door and secured all the locks before running back to her bedroom to get the pistol out of her purse. Desire wanted to get back to normal, but after the detectives' visit she decided she wasn't taking any chances and rarely left home without her gun.

Her mother yelled from the bedroom, “The phone's not working. I'm not getting any dial tone.”

Desire ran to get her cell phone when they heard a knock at the door. Both mother and daughter froze as they stared at the front door unsure of what to do next. Desire looked at the pistol in her hand and at the cell phone in the other and slowly walked
toward the door. Her mother ran to the kitchen and got a large knife and stood ready to do battle as Desire gingerly put her eye to the peep hole. Relief overcame her when she saw the profile of Tiahs face.

“It's Tiah, Ma.”

As soon as Desire unlocked the door, Tiahs body was pushed into the apartment, knocking Desire to the ground, causing her to drop her pistol and cell phone.

Nika watched as the man who tied her up earlier brutally kicked her daughter in the face. With an eerie yell, Nika gritted her teeth, sprang into action, and charged her attacker. Nika caught the intruder off guard as she moved quickly. “You motherfucker!” she shrieked as she raised the knife high into the air.

But she was no match for the bullet that ripped through her shoulder.

Horrified, Desire watched it all go down as if it was a demented dream and stared at her mother writhing on the ground in pain, clutching her shoulder. Desire tried to shake herself out of her daze and looked around for the pistol but not before the intruder walked toward her and kicked it out of her reach. As the man hovered over her, Desire looked over at her mother, then at Tiah whose unconscious body lay next to hers, then she slowly turned her gaze toward the man who was about to take her life. Terror, fear, and shock coursed through her all at once as she stared into the eyes of an old acquaintance from her past—Lil Dollar.

He bent down and stared at her with a triumphant smile before he raised his gun and knocked her out cold.

When Desire finally came to, she felt a sharp pain in her head. She attempted to touch the bruise, but realized her hands were
tied behind her back and she sat in a chair. She looked down and saw that her feet were also wrapped heavily with tape. As she gained her equilibrium, she looked around the living room and saw Tiah staring at her from across the room. Tiah was also bound and gagged and signaled with her eyes toward the corner of the room. Desire turned and saw her mother lying on the floor moaning and bleeding profusely. Everything rushed back to her as she looked back at Tiah and read the fear in her eyes. In a panic she tried to rip the tape off, but then she heard footsteps coming in their direction and ceased her fruitless struggle.

Lil Dollar walked in carrying a five-gallon can of gasoline. He smiled when he saw Desire had regained consciousness. “Miss Sleepy Head has finally awakened.”

Desire watched helplessly as he unscrewed the cap on the gasoline can. Desire knew he was going to kill them, but she didn't know why, so she thought the best thing to do was speak to him calmly and reason with him.

“Dollar,” she asked as he poured gasoline across the floor and furniture, “what are you doing, baby? Why you got us tied up like this?”

Amused, he continued to pour and replied, “Oh, I'm your baby now? I wasn't your fuckin baby when you dissed me for that bitch-ass NBA nigga.”

“Dollar, I know this isn't about that nigga. You bigger than that.”

He looked up at her and snarled, “You fuckin' right I'm bigger than that! I'm big enough to finish what the fuck you started.” He approached her and got on his knees beside her and asked, “Did you know how much I loved you? I gave you everything you ever
wanted and how do you repay me? By using me like a chump, by sabotaging my shine on the biggest night of my career so you and that bitch sister of yours could get ahead. That's right. Old Dollar ain't as stupid as you thought I was. I had a lot of time to put it together.”

He paced around the room and began talking to himself as if he was fighting demons in his head. He then suddenly ran up to Desire and said, “Do you know how it feels to be a washed-up rapper? Niggas dissin you left and right, callin you a bum. You can't even go out anymore because everywhere you go niggas be tryin you, testin your manhood. The little jewelry a nigga had left he had to pawn or them young Brooklyn thundercats whipped my ass and took it.” He chuckled and said, “Shit, I was the one doing that same shit to niggas when I was wildin. I had no more money, no more cars or jewelry.”

He stared at Desire and said, “When you was with me, I spent thousands on you and when my shit ran out you jumped ship and went to the next nigga. Believe it or not, I dealt with you going to that nigga, but when my shit got salty and I tried to holla at a sister to let you know I'm the type that knows he fucked up and need to hold something, you ain't even tried to hear a nigga. I had to get a messenger job 'cause I'm broke and stinkin. Get mad stares from people because I'm riding the train just like them. It got so bad that I stopped coming outside anymore and became a prisoner in my grandmother's house, smoking weed and drinking Henny twenty-four-seven.”

Desire tried to reason with him. “Listen, Dollar, I'm sorry for real. I was dead wrong. But check this out—I found out that
Whip has been cheating his artists for years and I started a class-action lawsuit against him and his company to get the money owed to us. We are talking millions of dollars.”

Lil Dollar continued to shake out the gasoline, not paying her any mind and then dropped the can and began checking his pockets.

“Dollar,” Desire shouted, “did you hear me? You may be getting back all the money he cheated you for!”

Lil Dollar had a sadistic and crazed look on his face as he shook his head and chuckled. “Ain't nobody getting no money.”

Desire attempted to explain further, but he put his finger to her lips and said, “Shhh, don't talk. I took care of Whip and his boy, Sterling. Whip's not going to be doing much of anything ever again. Let's just say they met a similar fate as the one you're about to.”

Confused, Desire looked at Tiah, who now had tears falling from her eyes. Desire began to beg for her life. “Dollar, please don't do this! I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'll make it up and give you anything you want, but don't do this to me. To them …” she pleaded, motioning toward her mother and sister.

He scowled at her and said, “You don't fuckin' get it! You dead and that's that.”

Lil Dollar shook his head. “It's a shame you got to die 'cause even to this day, I never had a bitch sex me like you.” He paused and smiled. He snapped out of it and searched his pockets for his lighter and then cursed when he couldn't find it. Without saying a word he walked out of the living room.

Desire knew he was going to the kitchen for matches and
began to work quickly. She took a deep breath and began to raise both her arms from behind her back. Her shoulder bones began to crack loudly as she gritted her teeth. At one time her double-jointed limbs earned her a lot of money; today they would save her life. She flipped both arms to her lap. Sweating and nervous, she looked toward the kitchen and began to work the tape off her arms and then her legs. Free, she stood up quickly and looked around the room for the pistol but when she heard Lil Dollar coming down the hall she quickly sat back down and put her arms back around the chair.

Lil Dollar entered the living room holding a fresh pack of matches. He smiled and said, “Aiight, bitch, get ready to die slow.” His smile disappeared when he noticed unraveled tape behind Desire's chair.

Desire saw by the look in his eyes that she was busted and sprang into action. Lil Dollar quickly reached for his weapon in his waistband and pointed at her before she could reach him. Desire couldn't breathe as she stared down the barrel of the gun. Lil Dollar smirked at Desire, who threw her hands in the air, frightened for her life. “You think you could get over on a nigga like me, bitch? Just for that”—he grabbed her by the throat—“I'm gonna let you watch your mother and sister die before your eyes.”

Desire shook her head and pleaded, “Please, Dollar, don't do this. They ain't got anything to do with—”

Lil Dollar slapped her across her cheekbone with the gun and said, “Shut the fuck up and watch your mama die first!”

He grabbed her by the hair and turned around, and when he did, a pistol was pointed directly in his face. Lil Dollar's eyes
widened as he attempted to raise his gun, but Nika was quicker and squeezed off a round hitting him in the stomach, which gave Desire enough time to knock the weapon out of his hand. Stunned, Lil Dollar rushed Nika as she squeezed off two more rounds, missing him with both shots. Lil Dollar grabbed her wrist and they both fell to the ground, struggling for the weapon. Desire reached down quickly and grabbed his gun. She put it to his head and cocked the trigger, and with ice in her voice, threatened, “Move one more motherfuckin time and I'll blow your fuckin head off.”

Lil Dollar complied as he removed his hands from Nika. Desire delivered a brutal blow across the back of his skull, which knocked him out. Breathing rapidly, she stood and spit on him, saying, “That's for shooting my mother, bitch!”

When Lil Dollar came to he found himself tied to a chair with all three women standing over him and Desire still pointing the gun at him.

He laughed. “I let three stick-ass bitches get the best of me.” He chuckled again and said to Desire, “Why don't you pull that shit, bitch? I ain't afraid to die.”

Desire aimed the gun at him and said, “I don't think so. That would be too easy. I'd rather see your ass rot in jail.”

He smiled. “So that's your plan? Bitch, I was raised in prison. I can eat years like Chinese people eat rice.”

“True, but did you ever do time as a washed-up rapper? If you think those young cats ain't feeling you on the streets, imagine how they gonna feel about you up north.”

Lil Dollar looked at her as if she were insane. “Bitch, you think
I'm worried about them lil niggas? I'm an O.G., original gangsta. Shit, even if them niggas want to get it on, I got my Brooklyn Jamaican posse to hold me down and they straight killers.”

Desire smirked and looked at Tiah. The two women began to laugh.

Curious, Lil Dollar asked, “Fuck is so funny?”

“You ever heard of the Denton Posse?” Desire asked.

Lil Dollar shook his head proudly. “Do I know them? Dems my niggas from Flatbush. Straight gangstas. Got the entire weed connect in Brooklyn on lock.”

Desire looked him straight in the eye. “Did you know that Tiah is from Jamaica?”

Lil Dollar shrugged. “So?”

“Tiah, what's your full name?” Desire asked her.

“Juahtiah Denton,” Tiah replied with a smile. She then walked over to her purse and pulled out her wallet. She pulled out a photo and showed it to Lil Dollar. His jaw tightened when he saw a picture of four men dressed in state-issued greens at a state correctional facility striking a jailhouse pose. He recognized each one as a member of the Denton Posse. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.

“Now do you think it's gonna be a party in prison when Tiah puts the word out that you tried to kill the Denton Posse's baby sister?”

They laughed at him chillingly. “Ma, go next door and call the police and tell them to pick up this piece of shit,” Desire said.

Lil Dollar stared at them with dread, but he still had one more trick up his sleeve.

“I still remember what Hattie Mae said just before she died,” he said slowly.

Everyone stopped moving when he said her name and stared at him.

Lil Dollar smiled wickedly as he continued in a southern accent. “She said, ‘Please make sho’ you tell my babies I'm sorry I didn't get ta say good-bye ta them before I left to see my Jesus.” His eyes beamed as he watched them hang their heads in shame.

After a few moments, Desire, still uneasy, told her mother, “Ma, go make that call so we can get this nigga out of here.”

As Nika proceeded to exit through the front door, Dollar blurted loudly, “I say again, that was the last thing she said”—his eyes narrowed—“right before I put the pillow over her face and smothered the life out of her old ass.”

It was as if the world came to a halt. Nika closed the door without a word and turned around slowly. The three women looked at one another and knew exactly what needed to be done. There were some lessons from the streets that couldn't be forgotten.

Nika turned and locked each lock and walked into the living room and began to help the two girls move furniture out of the way. Lil Dollar looked at them confused but continued to enjoy every moment of their pain. Then they began taking off all their jewelry and putting it on the mantle. Desire walked to the kitchen and came back out with a sharp knife.

“Yeah, that's right, bitch. Cut my throat. Cut that shit deep,” Lil Dollar said.

Desire put the knife to his throat, bent down, and whispered
in his ear. “Naw, I'm not going to cut you just yet, but you do, however, got to answer to Hattie Mae.”

Desire cut the tape from off Lil Dollar's wrists and legs and said, “Now it's time to get your back dirty, bitch!”

Desire showed him both guns and tossed them out the window. All three women began to swarm around him and told him to get up.

He ripped off the remaining tape and smiled at the women. “Showdown at the Ho-Kay Corral, huh?”

The smile was wiped off his face when Desire hit him in the eye with a straight right. When he felt his eye to see if she had drawn blood, he was hit by another right, this time from Tiah. When he turned toward her, Nika hit him from behind causing his eardrum to ring. They were relentless in their assault and pounced on him like killer bees, hitting and stinging him from all directions. Even when he caught one of them with his own blow, they took every one of his punches like troopers.