“Let me stop you right there. I could care less about that jackass. Truth be told, if I could get away with killing him myself, I would.”
“Music to my ears,” Kendu said with a smile.
“But even though I care nothing about him, that doesn't mean I want to lose you in the process of getting rid of him.”
“I ain't going nowhere, baby.” Kendu grabbed her hands. “And I just want you to know that you never have to worry about that chump putting his hands on you again, you hear me?”
Crystal nodded her head yes. Then she leaned over the table and planted a few soft kisses on her man's face. She knew Kendu and Big Time would wind up clashing. She just prayed that, whatever went down, Kendu would end up the one on top.
“Come here,” Crystal said as she finished her glass of wine.
Kendu walked around the table with a smile on his face. “What's up, baby?” he said, already knowing what she wanted.
Crystal returned his smile. Then she disappeared under the table, pulled Kendu's love tool from his shorts, and went to work. Kendu just threw his head back and stroked the back of Crystal's head as she pleased her man. Crystal sucked her man dry then sent him upstairs to bed.
Â
Â
The next morning Kendu woke up to his cell phone ringing off the hook. “Yo',” he answered in his sleepy voice.
“Yo', wake the fuck up and get down to the spot right now. It's on and popping!” Amazon hung up in Kendu's ear.
“Everything all right, daddy?” Crystal asked.
“Yeah, everything is fine,” Kendu answered as he stretched. “Just gotta go handle a little business.”
“Be careful.”
“You already know.”
Kendu got dressed in all-black then headed out the door. “I wonder what it is now?” he thought out loud as he hit the highway doing twenty miles over the speed limit.
Fifteen minutes later he pulled up to the spot, crowded with a bunch of goons ready to put in work. Kendu gave dap to the guys that he knew as he made his way to Dirty Black's office.
“Glad you could finally make it,” Dirty Black said with a head nod.
Kendu helped himself to a seat. “What's goody?”
“Shit got crazy last night. Me and Amazon ran into that clown Big Time,” Dirty Black said like it was nothing.
“Word? And what happened?”
“We had a muthafuckin' shootout,” Amazon butted in. “What you think happened?”
Kendu was about to tell them that he too had run into Big Time, but he decided to keep it to himself. “A'ight, so what y'all need me to do?”
“We just got word on where one of these clowns' stash spot is at,” Dirty Black told him. “I need you to go and hit that shit.”
“How many people they got holding down the spot?” Kendu asked, massaging the bridge of his nose.
“Just one, I heard,” Dirty Black replied.
“Who gave you this info?” Kendu asked.
“What the fuck difference does it make!” Amazon barked. “When it's time to go to war, you don't ask no questions, you just ride.”
“I'm ready to ride,” Kendu said. “I just like to know what I'm getting myself into before I jump out the window. Smell me?”
“I need you to go and bring me back that money,” Dirty Black said in a cool tone. “I wouldn't send you on a suicide mission.” He smirked.
Kendu left the spot with a nasty taste in his mouth. He didn't like going into things not knowing everything. He hopped in the car and just sat there for a second so he could get his thoughts together.
Â
Â
Crystal stood in the kitchen making herself some breakfast, when she saw Kendu walk through the front door. “Hey, baby. You hungry?”
“Nah. I need you to do me a favor,” Kendu told her.
“Anything, baby. What's up?” Crystal asked, ready to hold her man down.
“Get dressed. I need you to take a ride with me real quick.” Kendu watched Crystal disappear upstairs so she could throw some clothes on. Deep down he didn't want to bring her along with him on a job, but right now she was the only person he felt he could trust.
Five minutes later Crystal returned downstairs wearing all-black just like Kendu. “How I look?”
Kendu smiled. “You look wonderful, baby. Now come gimme a kiss.”
The two kissed then headed out the door.
Crystal hopped in the driver's seat, while Kendu slid in the passenger seat and punched the address in the GPS. For the whole ride the two talked and laughed like two high-school sweethearts.
Â
Â
“Right here is good,” Kendu said, pointing to the curb.
Crystal leaned over and kissed him on the lips. “Be careful, baby.”
“I got you, baby,” Kendu said, hopping out the car. He leaned his head through the window. “If you see anybody pull up who looks like they might be a drug dealer or anything like that, I need you to call me immediately, a'ight?”
“You got it.”
Crystal watched Kendu walk towards the building and disappear inside, and immediately she began to worry.
Once inside the building, Kendu pulled his hood over his head. He took the stairs to the floor he was looking for. Soon as he came out the staircase, his .45 already in hand, he saw a young lady standing waiting for the elevator.
He smoothly crept up behind her, placing his gun to the back of her head. “Scream and I'll blow your brains all over this hallway!” he threatened as he escorted the woman down the hallway. “All I need you to do is knock on the door, and that's all.” He pushed the woman in front of the door and stood over to the side.
The woman swallowed hard as she raised her fist and knocked on the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Kendu heard several locks on the door unlock. Once the door even cracked open, he quickly forced his way inside, bringing the woman with him.
“Get down on the floor right now!” he said with force as he watched the man wearing a do-rag do as he was told. “You too,” he said, turning his gun on the woman.
Once the both of them were on the ground, Kendu pulled a roll of duct tape from out of his back pocket and quickly tied the two of them together back to back. He then quickly searched the whole apartment.
He found a duffel bag in the back room in the back of the closet, full of cash and two guns inside. “Jackpot!” he said out loud as he heard his cell phone ring. “Yo', what up?” he answered.
“You got company,” Crystal said nervously into the phone.
“How many?”
“Three,” she replied as she watched the three men enter the building.
Kendu quickly tossed the duffel bag over his shoulder and exited the apartment. He made sure he placed his hand in the pocket of his hoody, his hand on the trigger, as he made his way to the elevator. When the elevator arrived, he watched three men step off as he stepped on, and pressed for the lobby.
Once the elevator reached the lobby, Kendu quickly jogged out the building with a smile on his face. “Let's go,” he said as soon as he hopped in the passenger seat.
“Damn! My heart feels like it's about to come out my chest,” Crystal said as she hopped on the highway.
“I appreciate you holding me down back there.” Kendu reached down in the duffel bag and handed her a stack of money.
Crystal refused to take it. “I didn't do this for no money.”
Kendu quickly removed three more stacks from the bag and handed it to her. “This is our pay,” he told her as she pulled up in front of their house. “Now go put that money in the house. I'll be back a little later, a'ight?”
Kendu headed back to the spot to drop the duffel bag off to Dirty Black.
Chapter 17
Diamond looked at her bruised face in the mirror and knew she had to leave Perry. The only problem was, she didn't have a place to go. She applied makeup on all her bruises on her face, covering them up the best she could. As she exited the bathroom in her bedroom, she saw Perry getting dressed, to head to the club.
“You all right?” Perry asked, his back turned.
“Yes, I'm fine,” she replied as she turned up the volume on the TV to hear a report about another woman being tortured and brutally killed. “I hope they fuckin' catch this fuckin' psycho,” she said in a disgusted tone as she rolled her eyes at the TV.
Perry just continued to get dressed as he whistled an old-school tune. “When we get to the club all I want is to have a few drinks,” he told her.
Perry was in such a good mood, because tonight was the night he was going to kill Diamond. His mind was made up, and she had to go.
“Baby, can I have your keys? I think I left my purse in your car.”
Perry tossed her the keys to his car. “Hurry up, 'cause we gotta get going.” He continued to whistle.
Diamond stepped in the garage and quickly popped the locks to search Perry's car for her purse. “I know I left it in here somewhere,” she said to herself as she popped the trunk. “Maybe he put in there.” She searched the trunk.
Inside the trunk she found a duffel bag. Her curiosity getting the better of her caused her to open up the duffel bag. Diamond's mouth hung wide open when she saw what was inside the duffel bagâduct tape, all types of tools, and a few sharp knives. Also she found an album full of photos. As she flipped through the pages she saw that all the pictures inside were of women, some black, some white.
“Fuck this shit! I'm leaving this crazy muthafucka tonight,” Diamond said to herself as she slammed the trunk closed. She didn't know why all those women's pictures were inside of a scrapbook, and she damn sure didn't plan on finding out.
Â
Â
Kendu walked up in the spot and handed Dirty Black the duffel bag.
“How did it go?” Dirty Black asked.
“A piece of cake. You need me to do anything else tonight?”
“Nah. Why? What you got planned for tonight?” Dirty Black asked.
“Nothingâabout to go to crib and chill with my girl. Probably order some food, and watch a movie.”
“I think I'ma do the same thing,” Dirty Black said, liking how that sounded. “What you got planned for the night?” He looked over at Amazon.
“Fuck all that lovey-dovey shit.” Amazon poured himself another drink. “I'ma probably hit up a club or something.”
“A'ight. I'ma get up with y'all later.” Kendu slapped hands with Amazon and Dirty Black as he made his exit.
Twenty minutes later Kendu stepped foot inside his house and saw Crystal laying across the couch wearing nothing but a red thong.
“Hey, baby. I was waiting for you to get here.” Crystal hopped off the couch and slid in Kendu's arms. “I got everything all set up for us.”
Crystal had planned a nice romantic evening for her and Kendu, since Jessica was already in her room 'sleep.
“What you got planned, baby?” Kendu said with a smile. From the look on Crystal's face he could tell that she had probably been planning this all day.
“Well, first you have to get out of them clothes.”
Crystal went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of wine, along with two wineglasses. When she turned around, Kendu stood in his boxers only.
“Okay, come on,” she said excitedly. She opened up the patio leading to the backyard where the Jacuzzi was. Inside the water were red rose petals.
Crystal smiled. “You like it?”
“I love it, baby.” Kendu watched Crystal hop her sexy ass up in the Jacuzzi first then followed her lead. The warm water and the massager jets inside the Jacuzzi was just what he needed.
“All I want you to do is relax and just enjoy tonight,” Crystal said as she handed him a glass of wine.
Kendu sipped on his wine as he watched her tie her hair up in a ponytail then go down on him.
Â
Â
Perry stepped in the club, and immediately the heat and bass from the speakers slapped him and Diamond both in the face. As usual the club was popping, which meant it was packed.
Diamond snaked her way through the crowd, trying to keep up with Perry as he made his way upstairs to his office. When she finally made it upstairs, she knew she had to come up with a plan and do it quick.
“Come sit down and have a drink with me,” Perry said as he twisted open the top on a bottle of coconut Ciroc, his favorite drink.
“I can't,” Diamond replied.
“Why not?” Perry asked, a strange look on his face.
“Because I'm pregnant,” she lied. “I been trying to wait for the right time to tell you,” she said, laying it on thick.
“Are you serious?”
Diamond noticed he didn't look too happy about receiving the news. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, of course not,” Perry said, forcing a smile on his face.
Really, Perry was disgusted because he wanted to kill her tonight, but now that she was carrying his child, he had to re-think things.
“I haven't been feeling too good all day, but I didn't want to say nothing. I'm sorry for just dropping this on you like this.”
“It's okay,” Perry said as he poured himself a drink.
Diamond pressed. “Is it okay if I go back home and lay down, 'cause I'm not really feeling too good? And this loud-ass music ain't making it no better.”
“Yeah. Sure, baby, go get some rest. You want to take my car?”
“No, baby. I'ma just catch a cab.” Diamond kissed Perry on the lips then made her exit.
Â
Â
Big Time and his crew stepped inside the club like they owned the joint. Each man in his crew was fresh, and definitely shining.
“Yo', let me get some bottles over here,” Big Time said to the bouncer, as him and his crew piled into the VIP section.
Immediately Action Jackson and a few other goons invited a handful of women to party with them. The party went crazy when one of Drake's songs came blaring through the speakers. Big Time grabbed a tall, thick, dark-skinned woman by her waist as the two of their bodies flowed to the beat. While Big Time got his party on, a few of his goons started tossing money in the air, causing all the other partygoers to start going crazy trying to catch the bills.
Perry came downstairs to get a better look at was going on. “Fuck!” He hated drug dealers. To him they were so ignorant. He walked up to one of his bouncers and tapped him on the shoulder. “Keep a close eye on those animals. I don't want them to destroy my club.” He headed back upstairs.
The bouncer just continued to look on as Big Time and his crew had a ball.
Â
Â
“Keep the change,” Diamond said, handing the cab driver a fifty-dollar bill. She quickly hopped out the back of the cab.
Once inside the house Diamond quickly ran up the stairs to her closet. She grabbed a duffel bag and piled as many clothes as she could inside. Once it was full, she grabbed a book bag and went into Perry's closet and filled it up with his cash.
“This is for all the times you put your hands on me, muthafucka,” she said out loud as she grabbed her two bags and made her exit.
Outside, Diamond tossed her bags in the trunk of her Audi, slid in the driver's seat, and backed out the driveway like a madwoman. She hopped on the highway and just drove. She had no place to go, but she knew she couldn't stay there any longer.