Chapter Twenty-seven
What's taking Gunna so long?
Taj asked herself as she once again scanned the club to see if she could spot him. After a few more minutes of waiting for him to return to their table, she decided to go look for him. “I'll be right back, Shay. I'm about to go find Gunna.”
“Damn, girl, like that?” Shayla asked playfully.
Taj gave her friend the hand and said, “Don't you even try that shit with me. But for the record, yeah, like that!” They laughed as Taj left the VIP. After checking the DJ booth and both bars she went toward the restrooms. When she made it to the restroom area she saw a man kneeling over someone. As she was easing by, she saw that the man on the floor was Gunna. “Oh, my God! Gunna, are you all right?” she screamed.
The man kneeling over Gunna turned and asked her, “Do you know this guy?”
“Mm hmm, he's a friend.”
“You need to go get some help, 'cause I don't think this cat is breathing.”
In a daze, Taj turned and ran quickly as she could back to the VIP to get Flamboyant and the others. When they returned, the club owners as well as some security guards had the area blocked off. Flamboyant and Prince forcefully shoved their way through the security. “That's my man right there! Get the fuck outta my way!” screamed Flamboyant.
Ricky, one of the club owners, said, “Chill out, yo, ain't nothin' we can do for your man. He's gone, son.”
“What? How the fuck this happen?”
“Noooo!” screamed Taj. Shayla grabbed her and led her back to their table away from the gruesome scene.
“Looks like someone stuck your man in the neck and chest,” Ricky told Flamboyant as he pointed toward Gunna's wounds.
“Ain't this a bitch! It had to be 'em north side niggas!” yelled Wave as he turned and ran toward King and his squad.
“Come on, son. Get your man, Flamboyant! I'm not tryin' to have that shit pop off like the last time. I'm tellin' you, son, he's goin' to jail this time around. We've already called Jake. They should be here any minute,” warned Ricky.
King saw Wave rushing toward them and said, “Watch yourself. It's 'bout to go down, y'all.”
“What?” asked Keko.
“Look,” King said as he pointed toward Wave as some security guards grabbed him. King smiled and said, “It's on fa' sho' now, my nigga.”
“What you mean by that shit, King?” asked Cuddy.
“Tippi made some kind of move.”
“Where she at anyway?” asked Nutta.
“She shook the spot 'cause she knew it was about to get crazy.”
“What happened?” asked Boleg.
King shrugged and said, “Ain't no tellin', but we 'bout to find out.”
Flamboyant and Prince rushed over to King's table, followed closely by Ricky. “So, this is how it's gon' be, huh, nigga?” Flamboyant said with tears streaming down his face. “You wanted this war, nigga, now you got what you asked for.”
“What the fuck you talkin' 'bout?” King asked.
“Don't play no games, nigga! Y'all took our man Gunna out so we gon' take all you niggas out! Real talk!” screamed Prince.
King stared at them for a few seconds like they'd lost their minds and then told Rick, “Look, dog, you need to get these crazy mothafuckas away from me. I don't know what the fuck they talkin' 'bout.”
King's calm and cool attitude drove Prince over the edge. “Fuck you, nigga!” he screamed as he rushed King. Before he could get close to King, Cuddy stepped in front of him and pulled out a chrome 9 mm and pointed it directly at Prince's head.
“You tryin' to die tonight, nigga? Huh? 'Cause if you is I ain't got a problem layin' yo' punk ass down. My man told you we don't know nothin' 'bout your man, so y'all need to get the fuck on before niggas start catchin' cases in this bitch for real!”
Flamboyant pulled Prince back and said, “Come on, dog, we know what we gotta do.” He turned back toward King and said, “I got somethin' for yo' ass, nigga. I promise you that.”
Before King could respond the club lights were turned on and the club was quickly filled with policemen. King groaned when he saw Officer Don walking his way. When he made it to King's table Officer Don said, “Now, why did I know you'd be here tonight, King? This has your name written all over it.”
“Come on wit' that shit! If I'm gon' do somebody ain't no way I'd still be here. I would have been long gone before yo' ass got here.”
“Is that so? Tell me, King, where's your right-hand man? Or should I say, woman?” asked Officer Don.
King smiled knowingly and said, “Tippi wasn't feeling good, so she went home to lay it down for the night.”
“I bet. Well, you guys may as well get comfortable. The entire club is a crime scene now and there's going to be a nice long wait before any of you are gettin' outta here.”
King shook his head as he poured himself another shot of Patrón and said, “What a fuckin' birthday!”
On the other side of the club Ken was telling Wave and Milo, “I don't give a damn what Flam says, we're movin' on 'em fools tomorrow. Fuck this shit, 'em niggas got us fucked up!”
“Exactly. But I don't think Flam is gon' keep the reins on us now. He's just as fucked up 'bout this shit as we are,” said Milo.
“Good. 'Cause I'm 'bout to get my man. I want that nigga King's head like a bad dog,” said Wave.
“Not more than me,” Flamboyant said as he came to the table and joined his team. “We gon' do what needs to be done. Ain't no need to discuss what's gon' pop off right now though, feel me?”
“Yeah, I feel ya,” said Wave.
Flamboyant turned toward Shayla, who was still trying to console Taj, and asked, “Are you okay, babe?”
“No, I'm not okay, Marco! This stuff is crazy! I knew I shouldn't have gone along with this party shit! Dammit, I can't believe this shit happened!” she screamed as she rocked back and forth with Taj in her arms.
“I told you that nigga King was the enemy! What fucks me up, though, is how in the fuck did they get that close to Gunna to do him wit'out nobody seein' shit? I mean, we been right here wit' 'em niggas in our sights all fuckin' night!”
Shayla knew the answer to his question but she refused to say a word. She continued to gently rock with Taj in her arms.
This murder scene got Tippi written all over it! If you have beef with Trevor, then you have beef with Tippi, and that's not good. You better be careful, Marco. Watch your every step,
Shayla thought as she tried her best to console Taj.
It was close to five in the morning when everyone was able to leave the club. Once they were outside of the club, King told his squad, “Look, y'all go on and get some rest. Looks like we're at war, so prepare for it. Meet me on the block 'round one.”
“Bet,” said Flex.
“Gotcha,” said Nutta.
“Fa' sho',” added Cuddy and Boleg.
As they climbed into their respective vehicles and pulled out of the parking lot King saw Flamboyant and his team staring at them. He smiled and waved at them as he turned into traffic.
The war has begun,
he thought as he headed home.
Shit!
By the time he made it to his house he was dead tired, but when he saw Tippi lying on top of his bed completely naked, his fatigue seemed to vanish. He undressed as quietly as he could and then slid into the bed next to her. She opened her eyes when she felt his tongue on her good spot. “Hmmmm, eat that shit, baby, eat it good,” moaned Tippi as she gyrated her pussy against his face. After bringing her to a satisfying orgasm, he climbed on top of her and slid himself as deep as he could inside of her piping hot sex.
“Damn that feels good,” he said as he started stroking inside of her nice and slow. “You love me, don't you, Tippi?”
She opened her eyes and stared directly at him as she answered his question. “You know damn well I do.”
“Is there anything in this world that you wouldn't do for me?” he asked as he continued to stroke deeper and deeper.
She shook her head from side to side and said, “Baby, I love you! I love you! I'll do whatever you want or need me to do! Please, please stop fuckin' talkin' right now. You're fuckin' up my nut!” she screamed as she came hard again. Her orgasm kicked his into gear and he came too with tremendous force.
As he slid off of her and tried to catch his breath he smiled and said, “Damn, that was the shit!”
Out of breath herself, Tippi smiled and said, “Yeah, it was. Now why were you askin' me all that shit?”
“'Cause I wanted to know. I mean, you've shown me over the years that you don't have a problem killin' for a nigga, and I know that you're loyal and shit. I just wanted to know if your love had any limits.”
“Absolutely none. Anythang you want from me, King, I'll give you. I'd give my life up for you if it meant that you would be happy and safe.”
“That's deep, Tippi. What have I done to deserve such devotion from you?”
She shrugged sleepily and said, “Just bein' who you are, I guess.”
“Who am I? Who am I, Tippi?”
She stared into his brown eyes and said, “My King.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Flamboyant arrived at Prince's house at exactly noon. Every member of the team was already inside waiting for him. As soon as he entered the living room he said, “It's like this: 'em fools gots to pay for Gunna, period. Ain't no need for no plannin' or none of that shit. I want the work put in and I want it put in immediately!” Flamboyant sat down next to Prince and continued, “We need to find out exactly where 'em fools are doin' their thang on the north side. If we can, find out where any of 'em rests their head. 'Em niggas got to die for thinkin' we on some pussy shit!”
“I think we can make a quick move on one of 'em niggas,” said Prince.
“What you mean?”
“One of 'em north side niggas has been tryin' to get close to me for some work. I peeped him at the club last night wit' 'em fools. He was trying to shade himself by playin' the background but I saw his punk ass. I'm glad I was shaking him left for a minute. My first mind told me he was a shady nigga.”
“Is that right? What's that nigga's name?”
“Flex.”
“You got a line on that nigga?”
“Yep.”
“Good. Flex is our first hit then, but our ultimate move is to cut the head off so the body can fall. Get me a line on that nigga King,” Flamboyant said angrily. “I want that nigga's life!”
“We gon' get 'em niggas, Flam. Don't trip, my nigga,” said Wave.
“Don't trip? Wave, 'em niggas took Gunna right under our fuckin' noses! That shit right there is fuckin' embarrassing! Find that nigga Flex, Prince. Find him before he has his dinner, and take his life before I'm finished with mine!”
* * *
The next morning when King woke up, Tippi was gone. He smiled at the memory of the good sex they shared earlier that morning. But that was over; now he had business to take care of.
The war is officially on and there is no turning back now,
he thought as he grabbed the phone and dialed Charlie's number. When Charlie answered the phone, King said, “We gots to meet today.”
Charlie sighed and said, “Please tell me last night's violence at that club didn't have anything to do with you and those south side guys?”
“If I told you that I'd be lyin', but it's not what you think, Charlie. They think we moved on 'em but we didn't,” lied King.
“All right, meet me at Charleston's.”
“You like that spot, huh?”
Charlie laughed and said, “Yep, they got the best baby back ribs in the city. And their liquor isn't watered down like most of the other restaurants around here. I got a feeling that I'm definitely going to need a strong drink for this meeting. Be there at one,” Charlie said as the line went dead in King's ear.
After King was dressed he called the squad and told them to meet him on the block. By the time he made it there everyone was sitting inside the trap. Boleg smiled when King came into the house and said, “Man, Tippi's a fool wit' it, huh? I'm tellin' ya, she is straight-up gangsta.”
King stared at Tippi as she played a game of chess against Nutta. “Yeah, she did that shit last night, but now we got to deal wit' the aftermath of this shit.”
Tippi moved her queen that was protected by her knight in front of Nutta's king and said, “Checkmate, li'l nigga.” She turned toward King and said, “Fuck it, nigga, it is what it is. Now we can stop playin' wit' 'em niggas and wipe they asses out. Did you see 'em fools? They on some soft flossy shit. They ain't 'bout no war for real.”
“That's right, but we can't underestimate 'em just by how they look. They might not be killas, but what can stop 'em from hiring some wolves?” King said wisely.
“Yeah, they did move on Keko's spot, so they can't be that fuckin' soft,” added Cuddy.
“Exactly. That's why I feel we should be careful wit' these niggas. If we get careless wit' it we might just slip. I'm not tryin' to bury any of y'all. What up, Flex, you think you can get at that nigga Prince today or did he peep you last night?”
“I'm not knowin' for sure but, fuck it, it is what it is! No?”
“Right. Give that fool a call and try to feel him out, though. If you think you can set up a meet wit' his ass then get back at us so we can do that nigga.”
“Have you gotten at Charlie 'bout last night yet?” asked Tippi.
“Yeah, I got a meeting set up at one. That's why I had y'all meet me here earlier than I said last night.”
“What you gon' say?”
“That we didn't do nothin'. That it was a mistake on 'em south side niggas' part. What the fuck else can I say?”
Tippi started laughing and said, “Scary-ass nigga.”
“Nah, not scary, smart. We can't lose that plug. We do and we're nothin' but some useless-ass street punks wit' no fuckin' pull at all. Officer Don and every fuckin' narc officer in the city would be all over our ass as soon as Charlie pulled our protection.”
“That's real talk. So, we wait and see what's up with Flex and that nigga Prince first, huh? Then what?” asked Tippi.
“We'll take it one step at a time. I want all y'all strapped and ready at all times. 'Em niggas might be comin' to try to look at us so I want y'all prepared for whatever.”
“What about you? Are you ready for this shit, dog?” asked Nutta.
“Li'l homie, it's just like that chess game you was just playin' wit' Tippi. I'm always ready as long as I got my queen.”
Tippi smiled at the compliment and said, “That's right, 'cause his queen will always protect her King.”
“Aww, both of y'all need to stop with that corny-ass shit!” said Keko and everyone in the trap laughed.
* * *
Taj spent the night at Shayla and Flamboyant's because Shayla wasn't comfortable with her staying at her house alone after what happened at the club. Plus, she wasn't comfortable being alone with Flamboyant. She felt that his anger about Gunna's murder might be directed toward her. That's why she slept in the guest room with Taj. After making them some breakfast Shayla told Taj, “Girl, I don't know what's going on but a lot of people are about to get hurt behind this mess. Did you see how angry Marco was last night? I've never seen him like that before.”
“He has every right to be angry, Shay! They killed his man!”
Shaking her head from side to side, Shayla said, “Come on, Taj, how do we know that it was Trevor and his friends?”
Taj's look of disgust made Shayla flinch when she said, “Look, I know you still care for that nigga Trevor and all, but don't you dare sit there and try to play this shit off like you know they didn't have anything to do with what happened to Gunna. Don't you dare, Shay!” Taj screamed as tears started falling from her eyes.
Shayla grabbed her best friend, gave her a firm hug, and said, “I'm sorry, Taj. I'm just messed up behind this, that's all. I know how you was feeling Gunna. I'm really sorry.”
Taj pulled from her embrace, wiped her face, and said, “It's all right, girl. Like I said, I know how you feel about Trevor. What are you going to do about this shit now that Marco knows you know Trevor?”
“What can I do? I told him last night that Trevor was a part of my past. That was the truth. Luckily, he didn't push it any further.”
“He will, though. You can bet your ass on that.”
Shayla sighed and said, “I know.”
* * *
Flamboyant and Prince were having lunch when Prince got a call from Flex. Prince checked the number on his caller ID and told Flamboyant, “It's that south side nigga.” He answered, “What's the bidness?”
“What it do, Prince, it's Flex.”
“What up, baby, you good?”
“Not really. I'm needin' to holla at ya for real. You've been havin' a nigga in limbo way too long, dog. What's up, you ready to holla at me or what?”
“Bidness is bidness. I was just sittin' here talkin' to my man, tellin' him 'bout you. Yeah, I'm ready. When you want to get together?”
“That's all on you, dog. You the man wit' the big plate. I'm just tryin' to eat off of it.”
“Let me get back at ya in an hour or so. You still tryin' to get what we talked 'bout?”
“Yep.”
“A'ight, then, I'll hit you back in a li'l bit.”
“Fa' sho',” Flex said as he hung up.
Prince smiled and said, “Okay, this nigga has just confirmed his date wit' death. How do you want to play it, Flam?”
Flamboyant sat back in his seat and sipped on some of his Krug. “What did he say?” After Prince repeated his conversation with Flex, Flamboyant said, “That shit he said don't make you think he could be settin' you up to get smashed?”
Prince thought about that for a moment, then answered, “I ain't even look at it like that, dog. That fool could be tryin' to make a move on me, huh?”
Flamboyant smiled at his right-hand man and said, “Could be. But this is what we gon' do. We're goin' to set up a meeting and shake that fool to see if he's tryin' to make a move on us. Once we see that it's cool, then we'll take his ass.”
“If he's on some grimy shit why don't we smash whatever he brings our way?”
“Ain't no tellin' how deep he'll come. This way we'll know what we're up against. I'm not tryin' to lose any more of the team on this bullshit. I want to dead this shit as quickly as we can. 'Em niggas think we fear 'em and that's gon' work to our advantage.”
“How?”
“When there's beef in these streets your enemies look for the fear; if they don't see any they hesitate. Their hesitation will give us the advantage. That nigga King is a street nigga no doubt, but he's too confident that he can take us. That overconfidence is goin' to be the reason he dies. Get at Wave and Ken and set this shit up. That nigga Flex is 'bout to die today.”