Carl Weber's Kingpins (21 page)

King pulled into the parking lot of the Penn Square Mall and parked his car in front of the Elephant Bar. He entered the restaurant and saw Charlie sitting at the bar. He took a deep breath and went and joined Charlie. As soon as he was seated, Charlie said, “You must have lost your fuckin' mind. I can't believe you would let your people get down on some stupid shit like shooting up a fuckin' Mickey Dee's.” Though Charlie's tone was harsh, the words spoken came out in a firm whisper.

“I just found out 'bout that shit last night. It ain't like you think.”

“Enlighten me then.”

King gave Charlie Nutta's version of what happened at the McDonald's out in Midwest City. “If that nigga from the south wouldn't have showed Nutta his strap my man wouldn't have got off on his ass. He felt threatened, Charlie, so he did him. It's as simple as that.”

“Understood. I can't be mad at you if that was what happened. But you have to get control of your squad, King. You have to let them know that they are to avoid any and all conflicts with these south side guys.”

“Come on wit' that shit, Charlie. Do you know what you're askin' me? That shit ain't cool at all. Now, I will pull 'em back; that's no problem right there. But if confronted or put in any position like it's 'bout to go down, there is no way in hell I can tell any of 'em to stand down. It is what it is and if it's war, then so be it.”

“War hurts pockets. I'm not trying to lose any of my money over some petty-ass war between the north and south sides of Oklahoma City. I can't tell you to tell your squad not to defend themselves. I'm not crazy, King. But I can tell you to advise them to avoid any drama if it's at all possible. If they see the south side guys coming their way, turn around and head in the opposite direction. Avoid any confrontations and there won't be any.”

King shook his head. “You just don't get it. If anyone shows any type of weakness the other side will eat the other alive. We're sharks in these streets, Charlie. Sharks prey on the weak. I don't expect 'em to turn the other cheek so neither will my squad. We ain't lookin' to war 'cause we want to continue to get that money. But we ain't duckin' nothin' or nobody, either. Real talk. You need to get word to 'em fools out south to fall back and we'll do the same.”

“It looks like all of this shit is coming from either Del City or Midwest City. Why don't you pull your men back and let that shit out that way cool off for a minute?”

“And let 'em fools eat off that plate?” King asked angrily. “Sorry, Charlie, that ain't happenin'.”

Charlie took a deep breath and said, “Control this situation, King. I don't give a damn how you do it, but you need to make sure that all of this damn shooting comes to a fucking cease. Understood?”

King slid off of the stool he was sitting on and said, “Gotcha.”

* * *

King and Tippi made it back to the block at the same time. Tippi was smiling as she climbed out of her truck and met King on the porch of the trap. “What up, baby?” she asked.

“Same ol' shit. Look, we got to make sure that everybody understands that we can't be gettin' into it wit' 'em south side niggas.”

“Charlie tripped, huh?”

“Yeah. We can't lose this plug, Tippi, so make sure that you handle this shit for me.”

“I got ya. I'll make sure that your words are understood, don't trip.”

“Good. I'm 'bout to go holla at my aunty. Get at me later.”

“What's up with Keko and Spook?”

“They're on the way. They should be back in a day or so.”

“So they gon' be here for the party?”

“Yeah, they'll be here,” he said as he turned and went back to his car.

Tippi pulled out her cell and dialed Boleg's number as she went inside the trap. “What up, Boleg?”

“What's up wit' you?”

“Bidness, nigga. Check it, make sure that you tell Cuddy and that li'l nigga Nutta, King said to duck any and all drama wit' 'em niggas from the south.”

“What? What's up wit' that shit?”

“It is what it is, nigga. That's the way King wants it to be, so that's how it's gon' be, at least for now. Make sure you pass the word.”

“Whatever.”

“Y'all good on that end?”

“Yeah, we straight over here. You might want to check with Nutta, though. We ain't heard from him since last night. He might be ready for some more.”

“A'ight, holla back,” she said as she ended the call. Just as she was about to call Nutta, Flex came inside the trap.

“What up, Tippi?” he asked as he went into the kitchen. A moment later he came back with a can of Bud Ice in his hand. “Where that nigga King at?” he asked as he sat down on the couch.

“Gon' over Doris May's house. What's up?”

“'Em fools tryin' to give me the run-around. They spooked 'cause I'm from the north so they playin' games wit' a nigga.”

“You told 'em you was a north side nigga? That was dumb.”

“Not really. I figure it would be better for me to tell 'em from jump instead of 'em findin' out later on and really trip. At least this way they already know what time it is.”

She shook her head and said, “I'm feelin' that. Do you think they gon' fuck wit' you?”

“Yeah, they want to do business, but they playin' it safe for now. It'll probably go down in a day or so.”

“Good. Make sure you keep me posted. I got some runs to make. I'll holla at yo' ass later,” Tippi said as she left the trap with her cell phone in her hand. By the time she was inside of her truck she had Nutta on the line. “What's up, li'l nigga, you good?”

“I'm straight. What's up wit' you?”

“Just checkin' on yo' li'l ass.”

“I'm good. Shit was slow last night but it's pickin' up now.”

“Cool. Look, King wants us to fall back on 'em south side niggas. I already got at Boleg and Cuddy, so now I'm tellin' you. If 'em niggas come around you or you happen to bump into one of 'em fools, fall back.”

“What if 'em niggas try to look at me? You tellin' me that King wants me to duck some rec?”

“If you think 'em niggas is gon' look at you then you already know you got to do what you got to do. But if you can, shake that shit and just bounce.”

“That's some bullshit, Tippi.”

“That's the way it has to be for now, young'un, so stay down and play it like this for a minute.”

“Gotcha.”

* * *

King was sitting next to his Aunt Doris May, watching as she inhaled deeply on a blunt. He shook his head and said, “Damn, Aunty, you don't be playin' wit' that shit, huh?”

Doris May smiled and said, “Boy, this here is what keeps me sane. Now tell me what's on yo' mind before you blow my high.”

He sighed and said, “I had lunch with Shayla today. I think she's tryin' to get back wit' a nigga.”

“You think?”

“She asked me what I wanted from her. If I wanted to just do it or did I want her to be my girl again. Before I could answer her she told me that if she did get back wit' me she would have to be Mrs. King. She actually wants to be Wifey. That shit fucked me up right there.”

“I know how you feel about that girl, but are you ready for something as deep as marriage?”

“I can see me and Shayla married. I mean, that's all we used to talk 'bout back in the day.”

Doris May shook her head as she took a small hit of her blunt. “Uh-uh boy, this ain't back in the day. This is a new day and the both of you have changed. Y'all ain't the same two lovebirds y'all used to be. Yeah, y'all still got all them feelings for each other; that's because y'all been separated for so long. The question is, are them feelings y'all sharin' strong enough to keep y'all happy? Happy enough to marry each other?”

“The love is real, Aunty, that's not what I'm worried 'bout. I know that girl and I know she would never play games wit' my heart.”

“Never say what a woman will or won't do, boy. I know I taught you better than that.”

“I know, but I know how I feel, and you know Shayla. She don't play games.”

“So what is it that has you so worried, boy?”

“Tippi.”

“What about her?” Before he could answer her question she put her blunt in the ashtray and said, “I know you ain't done stuck that li'l thang of yours in that girl!” She stared at her nephew for a few seconds, shook her head again, and said, “You damn fool! You know damn well that girl has been lovin' you just as long as Shayla. Hell, probably longer! I thought you were goin' to keep that bidness.”

“I meant to, but we kinda put that down for a minute.”

“I've never tried to tell you how to run your bidness, boy, and I ain't about to start. But you know just as well as I do that Tippi is a loose cannon. The only reason you've been able to control her for this long is because she's so gone over your silly ass. Now that you done went and stuck that li'l thang inside of that girl you done created some shit that's gon' get way too thick.”

“I know. Ain't no way in hell I can shake Tippi for Shayla. You know she'll do some ol' crazy shit.”

“Boy, you done put Shayla in harm's way.”

King sat back on his aunt's couch, sighed heavily, and said, “I know.”

Flamboyant was excited; he felt as if it was his birthday instead of Shayla's. He reached over and gently shook Shayla and said, “Wake up, baby, it's your birthday! It's your birthday!”

She opened her eyes slowly, frowned at him, and said, “I'm up, Marco, you don't have to scream. I hear your crazy butt.”

He smiled and said, “Get up so I can give you your first present.”

“First? How many am I getting?” she asked with a smile.

He shrugged and said, “You know me, babe. When it comes to you, ain't no tellin'. Now hurry up and get yourself right. We're goin' out to breakfast.”

She wiped an eye booger from her eye and saw that he was already dressed. She smiled again because he was looking good as ever in a pair of jeans with a sky blue striped Polo shirt. She climbed out of the bed and went into the bathroom to handle her business.

Thirty-five minutes later she came out of the bedroom dressed comfortably in a pair of yellow Capri pants with a matching top and some white and yellow sandals on her tiny feet. Flamboyant was sitting in the living room watching the early edition of
SportsCenter
on ESPN when she came into the room. He smiled when he saw her and quickly jumped to his feet and said, “Come give me some love, birthday girl.” She stepped into his warm embrace and sighed as he gave her a tight hug and another kiss.

She pulled from his embrace and asked, “Where are we having breakfast? I'm starving.”

“You're takin' me to Jimmy Eggs.”

“I'm taking you? I thought since this is my birthday that my man is supposed to be taking me wherever. What are you up to, Marco?”

He smiled at her lovingly and said, “I thought you'd want to drive, that's all. I mean, you're the one with the brand new whip and thangs.”

“New whip? Wait! Ooooooh, no, you didn't, Marco!” she screamed happily as she ran toward the front door. He laughed as he followed her. As soon as she opened the door and saw her brand new BMW 335i she let out a scream so loud that Flamboyant was certain the entire neighborhood heard her. She ran outside and was hopping up and down like a little girl, screaming, “I love it! I love it! I love it!”

Flamboyant held the keys to the Beemer in his hand and asked, “Well, don't you want to drive it?” He tossed her the keys and said, “Let me lock up the house and I'll be right back.”

Shayla quickly opened the car and hopped inside. By the time Flamboyant came back outside she had the car running and a gigantic smile on her face. Once he was inside of the car she leaned to his side and gave him a kiss with a whole lot of tongue and said, “Thank you, baby! Thank you so much. I don't know what I've done to deserve a man like you in my life. I love you, Marco.”

After saying those words to him she realized right then and there that there was no way she could ever hurt him. She still cared for Trevor, she couldn't deny that, but she loved her Marco and she was going to remain loyal to her man. With that decided, her smile broadened as she put her new Beemer in reverse and pulled out of the driveway so she could go enjoy a good breakfast with her man.

* * *

“Wake up, nigga, it's your birthday!” Tippi said as she stood over King. He opened his eyes and stared at her like she was crazy and rolled to the other side of his huge California king-sized bed. Tippi laughed as she jumped onto the bed and started singing the beginning of 50 Cent's song, “In da Club.” “Get up, nigga. ‘It's yo' birthday! It's yo' birthday! We gon' party like it's your birthday!'”

He sat up slowly and let his head rest on the headboard and said, “Why in the fuck are you so damn energetic this mornin'? Today ain't nothin' but another day.”

“G'on wit' that shit. You're a year older, you got way more money than you did this time last year, and hopefully you're a li'l more smarter, nigga.”

He smiled and said, “I know that's right. But look, since it's my birthday, can I start it however I want to?”

Tippi pouted and looked absolutely adorable while doing so and answered, “I guess.”

“Good. This is how I want to start my day.” He pulled the comforter off of himself so she could see his huge erection sticking up under his boxers. He smiled again and said, “Come and suck this big ol' thang. He's a year older too.”

She laughed, smacked her lips together loudly, and said, “Yeah, he's a year older and I'm lovin' him somethin' awful.”

King sighed loudly as she put his manhood inside of her mouth and began to suck him slowly. “Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. That's how a King is supposed to start his birthday.”

* * *

After they finished eating breakfast, Shayla made Flamboyant go with her over to Taj's house so she could show off her new car. When they pulled into Taj's driveway, Shayla began blowing the horn like she'd lost her mind. Taj came running outside, screaming, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Girl! You got a Beemer!”

Shayla smiled proudly as she got out of her car and gave her best friend a hug. “I'm the shit, huh?”

Taj smiled at her, shook her head, and said, “Hell fucking yes! Girl, this bad boy right here is like that!” Taj began walking around the BMW, checking it out as if she was a car inspector or something. When she opened the passenger door, she told Flamboyant, “You sure know how to treat a lady, Marco.”

He smiled and said, “Whatever will keep a smile on my babe's face, I'll always make that happen. You know how I get down. What up, y'all want to go rollin' for a li'l while or what? You can drop me back off at the house, babe. I got some shit to take care of anyway. I know you tryin' to go shoppin' for the party tonight anyway.”

“What, you don't want to spend the day with me, Marco?” Shayla asked with her bottom lip stuck out.

“Come on, babe, you and I both know you want to roll out wit' your girl for a li'l while. G'on and do you. I ain't trippin'.”

She smiled brightly and said, “Okay! Go on and get dressed, girl! I'll be right back after I drop off my baby.”

Taj stared at her friend for a few seconds then said, “All right, girl, hurry yo' ass up!”

“I will.” Shayla laughed as she started the car and quickly pulled out of the driveway.

By the time she returned to Taj's, Taj was standing outside of her house waiting for her. As soon as she was inside of the car she asked, “What kind of games are you playing? You know damn well shit like this can be hazardous to a woman's health.”

“I'm not playing any games, girl. I love Marco and that's that. I'm not going to mess up what I have just because of some old feelings.”

“Old feelings? Shayla, you know I love you no matter what you do. I'll always have your back. I just want you to be absolutely sure about this. Dope boys can be real unpredictable. Hell, any man can when it comes to his heart and his pride.”

“Don't sweat it, Taj. I know what I'm doing. I'm not going to hurt Marco. He's been too damn good to me.”

“All right, girlfriend. Come on, let's get our roll on!”

* * *

After having an extremely long sex session with Tippi, King was in a very good mood. He sat up in the bed, grabbed the phone, and made a few calls to make sure that everything was in order with his kingdom. After that he turned and woke Tippi up.

“Girl, get yo' ass up. We got shit to take care of today.”

“I thought you was gon' lie back and chill all day.”

“Nah, fuck that shit. I'm gon' hit Charlie and load us back up so we can be ready for whatever. Plus, I got to make sure that Keko's head is in the right place.”

“They back?”

“Yeah, that nigga called me last night. So get yo' ass up and go take a shower.”

She smiled seductively and said, “Come take one wit' me?”

He shook his head no and said, “Uh-uh, then we'll be caught back up longer than necessary. Go on, we got the rest of the day for that freaky shit.” He grabbed the cordless phone and started dialing another number as Tippi climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. When Keko answered his phone, King asked him, “What it do, my nigga, you good?”

“Yeah, I'm straight, fool. What's up wit' you? How ya feelin' on your birthday?”

“Just another day, dog, just another day.”

“I heard that. So what, it's gon' be on and poppin' tonight, huh?”

“Yeah, we gon' floss a li'l bit and let the town see how the north gets down.”

“Baaalllinn'!”

King laughed and said, “Fa' sho'. Meet me on the block in about an hour. I need to holla at ya.”

“Right. I'm 'bout to roll to the northwest to see how everything has been since you sent me on that wack-ass mission.”

“Boleg and Cuddy have made sure that everything was straight while y'all was out the way. Dog, you needed that break, for real.”

“I know, and on the real, that was good lookin' out, my nigga. My head is a li'l clearer now, but I'm still on some murda shit the first chance I get to look at 'em south side bitches. Real talk!”

“That's what I want to talk to you about, so do you. I'll see you in an hour or so.”

“Gotcha,” Keko said as he hung up the phone.

* * *

When King and Tippi pulled onto the block King noticed a charcoal gray Lexus GS 350 parked in front of the trap. He frowned when he saw a few youngsters standing around the brand new luxury vehicle like it was the shit. “Who the fuck car is that, Tippi?”

Tippi parked her truck directly behind the Lexus, smiled at King, and said, “How the fuck should I know, nigga? You act like I ain't in this damn truck with yo' ass.”

He stared at her for a second and was about to say something about her smart-ass mouth but thought better of it. He then climbed out of the truck and asked the youngsters who were checking out the new Lexus with twenty-four-inch chrome rims, “Do y'all know who whip this is?”

“Nah, it's been here since early this mornin', King,” one of the youngsters replied.

“Is that right? Y'all ain't seen who drove it here?”

“Nope.”

King stared at the vehicle for a few more seconds then walked up to the trap. When he was inside of the house he asked Keko, who was sitting down in the dining room smoking a blunt, “Dog, do you know who Lexo that is outside?”

“Nah, I thought you done went and got real flossy on a nigga since I've been out in Cali.”

“That's a bad whip, but I ain't got down like that.”

Tippi came inside of the house behind King, smiled, and asked, “Why you so worried 'bout that damn car? You trippin' the fuck out.”

“What? A brand new fuckin' Lexus is parked in front of my main mothafuckin' spot and you askin' me why I'm worried 'bout it? You on some stupid shit today or somethin' Tippi? Huh? You know fuckin' better!”

Tippi didn't respond to his outburst; instead she smiled lovingly at him. That seemed to piss him off even more. “Why the fuck are you smiling at me? You think this is a game, Tippi? You need to get on top of your fuckin' shit if you gon' continue to be my—”

“Aww, shut the fuck up wit' that shit, nigga, damn! You know damn well I ain't gon' let nothin' happen to yo' ass, fool. Come on, I'll show you what the deal is,” she said as she turned around and walked out of the trap.

With a puzzled expression on his face King followed her outside, followed closely by Keko. As soon as he stepped onto the porch Tippi, Boleg, Cuddy, Nutta, and Flex all yelled, “Happy birthday!”

Tippi stepped to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek and whispered in his ear, “You know I'd die before I'd let anything happen to my King. Now here, nigga, happy birthday,” she said as she gave him the keys to the Lexus.

He stared at the keys in his hand for a second because he was trying his best not to let any tears fall from his eyes. He couldn't let the squad see him like that; it wouldn't be a good look. He raised his head and smiled at his peoples. He stepped off of the porch and shook hands with his niggas and thanked them for his birthday present. “I can't believe y'all done went and copped a nigga a brand new Lex.”

“Dog, we ain't get this shit for you. Tippi did this shit for yo' ass. A nigga got mad love for ya, baby, but I ain't got it like that to be droppin' no seventy-plus Gs on yo' ass,” said Nutta. Then everyone started laughing.

King turned toward Tippi and asked, “You did this for me?”

“You're my King, aren't you?”

With a sincere smile on his face he told her, “You better fuckin' believe it!”